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I sniffled and said, “Normally I only cry when I’m really upset but now?” I pointed to my face and to the tears that just didn’t seem to want to stop. “These are all happy tears.”
“Let’s get you inside.”
I took his hand and let him lead inside the beautiful little house. He went in a side door that opened into a bright and sunny mudroom complete with a bench, built in coat rack, and matching washer and dryer with cabinets for storage and a little sink. The walls were a soft yellow adding to cheerfulness. The floor in here was tiled. Jonathon and I removed our shoes before he opened up a door and led me through the rest of the house.
The flooring was wide plank hardwood stained in a dark but glossy finish. It felt smooth under my feet. The kitchen was a descent size with beautiful dark wood cabinets, Jonathon knew that I didn’t like light wood, and gray counter tops made out of a material I wasn’t familiar with. It looked like little pebbles or piece of glass. All the appliances were stainless steel and there was a huge farm house sink that I immediately gushed over. The backsplash was long white tiles that created a sleek modern look to the cottage house. The island had a raised portion where two stools were butted up against it. A large light hung above the island spotlighting the large vase of white tulips there.
Jonathon tugged me on the arm to pull me away from the kitchen. I was already imagining all the meals I could make. He led me into the foyer, which looked up into the second story, a large lantern hung down adding to the beach cottage feel of the place. He pulled me into the family room that had one wall of windows, unlike Gabriel’s whole house. Like I had thought, the window overlooked the ocean and had a private stretch of beach. A dock stretched out into the water with a gazebo and a large boat.
“Is that our boat?” I asked.
“Yes,” he chuckled. “I always did enjoy the water and I thought what the hell, I bought a beach house, I might as well buy a boat.”
“Oh, of course. Why not buy a massive boat?” I threw my hands in the air.
He chuckled. I plunked myself down on the comfy white sectional with large navy and red pillows. There was a dark navy knit blanket draped over the couch and a large leather ottoman to put your feet up on. There was a fireplace where a low fire was blazing and large TV. Large white built in bookshelves, loaded with all kinds of books, movies, and games, flanked the fireplace. A large oriental rug, in blues and reds, defined the space. Little boats, anchors, and ropes added to the nautical beach house theme. Jonathon settled down next to me.
“You really do like it?”
“I love it,” I snuggled against his rock hard side. I was so used to the cold temperature of his skin that I barely felt it anymore. “I can’t believe you bought a house.”
“Well, we can’t live with my aunt and uncle forever can we? We’re married now. I think we deserve our own place.”
“But we will still see them won’t we?” I asked.
“Of course,” he chuckled. “We’re going back to Rome after your brothers’ graduation.”
“Oh, I had forgotten about that,” I mumbled. We had already been our honeymoon for almost a month but it felt like we had just left. In a week and a handful of days we’d have to end our honeymoon and head to Connecticut. Selfishly I did not want to go. I never wanted my honeymoon to end. It was too perfect.
“Are you ready to see the rest of the house?” Jonathon asked.
I smiled. “I can’t wait.”
He helped me up and took my hand to lead me up the stairs. An oval window overlooked a plot of grass with a swing set. The stairs curved around and led to the landing that over looked the front door. The door immediately to my right held a hall bathroom and then across from it was a guest bedroom done in hues of greens and yellows. Jonathon led me away from the guest bedroom and towards the master. Next to the master was another bedroom but it was completely empty. Jonathon opened the door to the master bedroom with a flourish and motioned me inside.
I gasped. “Oh, Jonathon.”
He looked at me bashfully.
The ceiling was lofted and covered in old barn wood. Large wood beams crisscrossed the room lowering the ceiling a little so it didn’t feel too tall. A branch like chandelier hung from the ceiling. The walls were done in a light blue-gray that stopped at about head height and was then trimmed in molding. The rest of the walls above that was an off-white color. There was a large fireplace trimmed in thick white molding. The large window that overlooked the ocean had a built in bench outfitted in a light blue fabric and adorned with many pillows. The headboard was huge and done in a tufted almond color fabric. The bed spread was a damask design in white and blue-gray. The end tables looked like antiques and there were two antique chairs on the opposite wall from the bench seat where a window overlooked the front yard. I could see into the master bathroom and saw that it had a large bathtub similar to the one in the hotel we stayed at in Paris.
“It’s so beautiful,” I breathed. “You are amazing.”
“I’m so happy you like it,” he came up behind me and put his arms around me.
I leaned against him. “I can’t believe I have you. This whole place is everything I didn’t know I wanted. But-” I turned towards him. “You still haven’t told me where we are.”
“Yes, I did. We’re home.”
“I know that. But where? Where is here?”
He gulped.
“Jonathon?” I asked raising my eyebrows as I looked at him. Dread settled in my stomach. “Where are we?”
“Santa Barbara, California.”
“Jonathon,” I gasped grabbing my chest at the wound that still stung. Santa Barbara was where I had grown up. It was the place where everything had first started to fall apart for me. The pain of my parents’ divorce and my dad’s death opened up like a fresh wound. I knew it was silly, because without their divorce I may never have met Jonathon. And a world without Jonathon was unimaginable. He was my everything. I needed him like I needed air so why was I so suddenly angry?
