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So, she intended to buy out her last few months of the lease and find a bigger place. With the money from work and the child support she had reluctantly accepted from Thad, she could afford much nicer digs for her growing family. Barron had remained on loan to her and was always happy to take her to look at places when Thad wasn’t available. He was supposed to take her to one today, but Thad joined them at the last minute.
“I just need to stop off at one place on the way, if that’s okay,” he said as he climbed into the back of the car with her.
“Well, you do pay the driver,” she laughed.
“I’m going to have to buy a bigger car for him and me if you don’t stop cooking for us at night.”
“Nervous energy. Just wait until I have a kitchen of my own instead of sharing with students and single dads. No offense, Barron.”
“As long as you keep feeding me, none taken.”
“What’s that?” Thad asked, pointing toward something out her side of the car, and she craned her neck to see.
“What?” she asked, seeing nothing.
“That billboard ahead,” he replied.
Jaycee squinted. It was still too far to see, so she had no idea how he could possibly see it from his side. As they grew closer, her eyes widened. There, on the side of the highway, with floodlights illuminating it for all to see, was a giant billboard that featured a photo of Thad wearing a white suit and holding a rose between his teeth. He was down on one knee, looking up at someone just off the side of the photo and he had a box in his hand.
As they grew closer, Thad read the words aloud for her.
“Will you marry me?” She turned toward him, still stunned. He was holding a ring and waiting expectantly. When she didn’t say anything, he pushed her a bit. “You once said you were surprised I didn’t take out a billboard. So, I did.”
“Oh, God. Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Woohoo,” Barron cheered them on from the front seat, adding, ‘I’ll keep my eyes averted now.”
It was a good thing, too, because she became completely lost in Thad’s kiss. By the time they arrived at the place they were supposed to look at, they looked completely disheveled and had to smooth themselves out as they stepped out of the car. Jaycee looked around, glancing at the address on the door.
“This isn’t the right place, Barron.”
“Isn’t it?” Thad said as he climbed out of the car behind her. “Come on.”
Jaycee looked at him curiously as he took her hand and walked her to the large three-story home on the outskirts of Seattle. It was beautiful with its large columns and ornate stonework.
“I know you have to find a bigger place and my place isn’t exactly where either of us would want to raise a family, so I thought we might look at sharing this one. I mean, we are getting married and all, now. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. Let me see what the inside looks like, first,” she replied.
“Of course. I wouldn’t know who you were if you didn’t have to examine every nook and cranny for yourself.”
To her surprise, he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door.
“Did you already buy it?”
“No way. I know better. It belongs to a friend. We have first dibs on it before he puts it on the open market. If you like it, it’s ours. If you don’t, then we keep looking.”
“Let’s go check it out then.”
Unsurprisingly, she loved it. Thad had excellent taste and was completely in tune to what she would like and not like. The rooms were large and full of windows to let the light in. There was a huge kitchen and a nursery more than big enough for two babies. The six bedrooms were more than enough for their family to grow. There was an office with an adjoining room that was just wall-to-wall bookcases for a substantial library.
Stepping out on the back deck, she was mesmerized by the view of the lights from the city in the distance below. It was amazing.
“This place is incredible,” she said.
“There is also a wine cellar and an attic room, and we can add a pool and jacuzzi if you like.”
“It’s perfect!” she said, stepping into a well-lit bathroom trimmed in black and gray marble tiles. The black garden tub in one corner was a perfect accent and something she was looking forward to soaking in after having lived in a studio apartment with only a shower for all these months.
Though Thad had a tub at his house, it wasn’t the same as having her own just to sit in and enjoy the peace and quiet for hours. This place just got better and better. He finished showing her the place, saving the cellar for last. It had a cozy, outdoorsy feel to it, with unfinished wood and exposed rocks from the cliff it had been dug out of.
