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Chapter Seven
Jessa
"Jax, what is this?" I ask, gaping at the mansion sprawled out in front of us. The entire front of the place is lit up. Strategically placed lights in the landscaped yard light it up too. The grounds are incredible, with acres of green grass and massive trees. The house looks more like a palace than a home. The mansion is a Gothic revival, with actual parapets shooting skyward and ornate decoration. There are windows everywhere. It's absolutely gorgeous.
It sits on the edge of a neighborhood in Nashville, not far from Vanderbilt University. Every other house in the area is just as big and beautiful. Radnor Lake is a five-minute walk from here.
"You wanted to know where I live now," he murmurs, running a hand down my arm as the driver pulls to a stop outside the front doors.
I go from gaping at the house to gaping at Jax. I think I've spent most of the last two hours staring at him in shock. After he bought me tacos, he took me to an airstrip where we boarded a private plane. Our flight lasted a little less than an hour. We touched down in Nashville thirty minutes ago, but I feel like I'm still in the air, floating along on cloud nine.
I knew he was a billionaire, but I don't think I realized until just now exactly what that means for him. And I guess for me too now that we're finally together. Luxury like this is foreign to me. Jax and Cyrus have always spoiled me, but this is on an entirely different level.
"You live in Nashville now? Since when? How? Why?"
"Because the woman I love will be spending the next two years in Nashville," he says, reaching for my hand as the driver jogs around to open the car door for us. "Come on. Let me show you the place, and then you can ask me as many questions as you want to ask me."
I huff quietly because I kind of want answers now, but I can tell by the stubborn glint in his eye that he's not going to give me what I want yet. He wants to do this his way because he's a bossy pants man. And I love him anyway. He loves me anyway.
"You love me," I whisper, awe coursing through me all over again.
"From the moment I met you, rabbit." He pulls me out of the limo, keeping me close to his side.
I gawk at the house while he speaks quietly with the driver. The mansion truly is beautiful. And big enough to house an entire army. Jeez. How many rooms does this place have? It definitely has more than one bathroom.
"Come on," Jax murmurs, slipping his hand into mine again. He leads me up the wide stairs. The porch wraps all the way around the front of the house, with thick, ornate columns spaced every few feet.
The door is big enough for both of us to fit through it at the same time, with room to spare. My mouth pops open again as soon as we're over the threshold. I instantly fall in love with the house. The floors are gorgeous hardwood that shine as brightly in the chandelier light as the bar where I work shines in the sunlight. The ceilings are high enough to require a ladder to reach them. A staircase winds its way upward.
A living room sits off to the right. Plush furniture and thick rugs give it a cozy, inviting feel. The warm colors and soft lighting make it feel more like a home and less like a mansion. It's definitely a man's house though. The television is ginormous.
"It's so beautiful," I whisper to Jax, feeling a little dazed.
"It's the one house Concord owned that I didn't hate on sight," he admits. "It's ostentatious, but it feels like a home. Everything else was cold and impersonal."
"Did he live here?"
"Never stepped foot inside."
"Oh."
"I want you to live here with me, rabbit," he whispers, turning me to face him. His mocha eyes meet mine, his expression deadly serious. He looks so handsome in his suit, so grave. "I want this place to be your home."
"You want me to move in with you?"
He nods, his gaze flitting across my face. "If you hate this place, I'll find us something else. But I want you with me. Leaving you last night was hard as hell. I didn't sleep at all."
"I didn't sleep well either," I confess.
He gives me a tiny smile.
"You've been planning this for a while?"
He nods.
"For me?"
He nods again.
"How long?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"Since the second I agreed to step in as CEO of the company," he says, his gritty voice whisper quiet. "I knew then that I could afford to give you all the things you deserve. The night I tried to kiss you, I planned to tell you how I felt about you."
"I guess I messed that up, huh?"
"No," he says, tugging me into his arms. "I'm not saying I like that you ran from me, but I shouldn't have come to you the way I did. You deserved for me to be sober. After you ran, I promised myself that I'd get everything together first, and then I'd make you fall in love with me."
"I was already in love with you."
"Lucky me," he whispers, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips. Before I can wrap myself around him, he breaks it. "Come on. Let me show you the place."
I slip my hand into his, letting him lead me from room to room. The kitchen is ridiculously huge. It instantly becomes my favorite place in the house. I could cook enough for an army in there and still have room. There are two stoves. And I'm pretty sure the pantry is bigger than my bedroom.
Every time we move to a new room, I find something else to love. Like the reading nook tucked away in the corner of the library. Or the giant whirlpool tub in the master bathroom. Or the massive four poster bed that dominates the master bedroom. Or the little room that lets off to the right of the bedroom.
