Page 91 of Make it a Double

Lukas, however, did not share my opinion, as he waved to me from the questionable seat. I half expected him to fall clean through, but unfortunately, he returned to the ground safely.

“I respect that more than I can say,” I answered honestly. There wasn’t much point in lying now. “My father is a complicated man, and a relationship with him always comes with strings. Some of which are more detrimental than helpful. I’m glad you’re able to extricate yourself from him.” I paused, placing my SUV in park and staring toward the house. “You’re a good man, Richard.”

His voice wavered as it came back over the line. “Thank you, Beckett. You are, too. I think I just got a little lost there for a while, but you reminded me of what’s important. I’ll never forget that.”

I knew better than anyone how difficult it was to stand in the wake of my father’s wrath, but those who could hold out? They were people worth knowing. The people who would have your back in times of need.

“Neither will I, Richard. You can bet your ass on that.”

We said our goodbyes, and I quickly exited the vehicle, greeting Lukas at the bottom of the steps. “Ready to see your new home?” he asked.

I followed him up the stairs, loving the way they creaked beneath our weight. This was so much different than anything I had growing up. My father would’ve considered this not only outdated, but an eyesore. If he had it his way, he’d bring in a bulldozer before the day was done and wipe all this history away by morning.

While I wanted to check with Lukas that it was structurally sound, I could feel myself already falling in love with what I saw.

“So, obviously, there are some things that need updating. The kitchen and bathrooms are probably the worst offenders,” Lukas said as we walked through the front door into the foyer. A large set of stairs leading to the second floor was on my left. I peeked up as we walked by, listening as Lukas gave me the rundown. “If you wanted to, we could see about breaking down the walls between the dining room and kitchen to give you a little more space. You’ve got your dining room on the right, and straight ahead opens up into the family room. On your left, just past the wall, are two rooms you could use as bedrooms or an office. And there’s a shared bath between them, which would be your only one on ground level, save for the main bedroom.”

I did as he asked, letting him lead me through the floor plan. The roof was new. It’d been replaced a few years back after a bad storm rolled through. The former owners upgraded to a metal material to help rainwater and occasional snowmelt slip off without doing much damage. He was definitely right about the kitchen. As much as I wanted to keep the plan as is, the kitchen was so small that I knew there was no way it would be feasible long-term, but everything else was perfect.

There was a room at the front of the house with a large window that would be perfect for a nursery. It had the best view of the trees outside and let in a surprising amount of light. I could picture Sawyer sitting in a rocking chair in the corner, looking out over our home as she nursed our son. The thought alone nearly stole my breath.

“And this,” Lukas said, stopping in front of the last door, “would be your bedroom.” He pushed it open, gesturing me inside. There were two windows on the back wall and one on the right. The bathroom was spacious, all things considered. We would definitely need to make minor updates, as he said, but I had a feeling Sawyer would fight to keep the massive clawfoot tub butted up against a large window.

Next, we went upstairs, where we saw two more bedrooms, both with their own bathrooms, surprisingly, and a massive open space we could do whatever we wanted with. Maybe Sawyer would want to turn it into a library. I could see her up here, surrounded by bookcases, curled up in a chair next to one of the windows.

Honestly, I could see our whole lives in this house.

We headed outside to walk around the property. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do with all this land, but Sawyer would have ideas eventually. There was a rundown barn that Lukas said wouldn’t be a viable structure if we chose to house anything inside. It’d need a complete overhaul.

“Oh, and we can easily add on a guesthouse for Grams,” Lukas said as we rounded the house to the front porch. “Make it match the same aesthetic as the main so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. I know you guys probably haven’t even discussed that yet, but it’s better to stay on top of things.” He bumped me with his elbow. “Plus, she can get pretty nosy. You probably want to be able to separate yourself just a little bit.”

I hadn’t thought that far, but he had a point. Who knew what Grams would think about Sawyer moving out? It was something we’d need to make sure they were both comfortable with.

Lukas put his hands in his pockets, spinning around to face me. “So, what do you think?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re right. There are a few things we’ll need to update, but it’s better than I could’ve imagined. Thank you, Lukas. How do I put in an offer?” There was no way I’d let this place go by. I didn’t give a shit if I had to dip into my trust to get it.

Lukas smirked, pulling something free from one of his pockets and dangled it in front of my face. It took me a second to see that it was a set of keys. I looked at him in confusion. “What’s this?” I asked.

“The keys to your new house.”

My brain was struggling to keep up. “But why do you have them?”

“Because I own the place. Duh. Why else would I have them?” he said, giving me a strange look as though I was the one being cryptic. He was the one who held the keys to a house I was dead set on buying. I figured that should come with an explanation.

When I didn’t say anything or make a move for the keys, he sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “Listen, I buy properties all over this county as passion projects, but I didn’t need to buy this one because I already owned it.” I was about to ask how or why, when he corrected himself. “Or, rather, my uncle’s estate did.”

“Your uncle’s estate?” Surely, that was a joke. “As in the property my father’s been trying to pry out of your sister’s hands for over a year?”

Lukas’ shit-eating grin grew even bigger. “One of’em. Yup. This has been in our family for generations. Originally belonged to some distant relative before my great-grandparents took it over. The original log house here burned down from a lightning strike, and they rebuilt. Eventually, when my grandfather started Hartstrings Records and gained his fortune, he spent the rest of his life buying all the land surrounding this property, and more throughout the area. In fact, most of Pinecrest belonged to him at one point.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “But why would he do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know his exact reasoning, but I can tell you that it’s why this town has stayed the way it is. Big names aren’t able to come in and purchase empty lots out from under real people with real dreams, and those same people don’t have to worry about the banks hiking up prices just because they can.”

“So, your family’s trust almost acts like a holding company,” I said in disbelief. Everything was clicking into place now. “That’s why my father wants it so badly. You have a monopoly here.”

Lukas nodded, pride evident in every word he spoke. “Sure do. Though we don’t gatekeep from our community. Other folks probably think it’s unfair or cruel, but those who have lived here their whole lives understand. The unfortunate part is how companies like your father’s have been able to swoop in under us and offer more money than reason would allow. I don’t fault those folks for taking the money in order to better themselves. I just wish we could’ve done more. A lot fell through the cracks after my uncle John died.”