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It must kill Alden to let me drive for a change because he fidgets in the passenger seat the entire drive over to the property. Sometimes he’s like a sugared up second grader. It’s cute.
I sling my camera bag over my shoulder, and he lays his hand on the small of my back while we walk up to the door. It’s covered in white paper, blocking the view from the street, same as the large shop windows. I’m not sure why the seller did that. It’s not like there’s anything to steal inside. I’m not going to get good photos without any natural light.
I’m considering whether to call the office and ask if I can take the paper down when Alden pulls out his keys and unlocks the door.
What?
I stand frozen, trying to figure out what’s going on. “Why do you have a key?”
Alden grins and pulls me inside. “Why shouldn’t the owner have a key?”
His words take a moment to sink in, but they still make no sense. “Owner? You don’t own…you’re the prospective buyer?”
He closes the door behind us once we’re inside. “Not prospective. I signed the final contract yesterday.” His grin stretches ear to ear. “I may have asked your boss to send you here so I could surprise you. She was happy to go along.”
At the sight of my confused expression, he puts his hands on my shoulders. “I bought it. Make it your studio and chase your dream, El.”
Is he insane? I take a step back. “You can’t. You can’t do this.”
“Don’t freak out. Let me explain.”
“Explain? I saw the price on this place, Den! How did you…you can’t just….” My words tumble over each other. “We’ve been together a month! You can’t spend that kind of money on me!”
He reaches out and cups my chin. Serious eyes look into mine, and his voice is as firm as I’ve ever heard it. “We’ve been together far longer than that. You’ve been mine since we were thirteen.”
His sweet words put a lump in my throat, but it doesn’t change anything. “I can’t accept this. I need to do it, Alden. I need to save the money, get a loan, earn this myself. Like you did. You can understand that, can’t you?”
My refusal doesn’t upset him. “I do understand. I know you well enough to know I couldn’t hand you the place, so I had these drawn up.” He walks over to a nearby shelf built into one of the walls, retrieves some papers, and hands them to me.
“It’s a lease,” I mumble, scanning the document. The rental amount leaps out at me, and I peek up at him, my eyebrow raised. “A dollar a month?”
“For two years. Let me help you get started, Ella. You’ll know it’s yours, legally, for two years. After that we can revisit, see how things are going. You can get your own mortgage and buy it from me if you want. But in the meantime, you’ll be able to do your thing. Get your business started.”
My mind whirls with the possibilities. “If I keep working with the real estate company, in two years, I’ll have a solid enough work history to apply for a mortgage. If I can make enough money here at the same time, a down payment would be possible.” I’m talking to myself more than him, but my words grow a smile on his face.
He slides his hand behind my neck, and I gaze up at him. The threatening tears spill over while I consider it. “I can’t believe you did this. How could you afford it? What if your business starts to struggle?” I can’t put his career at risk when he’s worked for it since he was a kid.
He smiles down at me and wipes a tear from my cheek. “Those bikes I build aren’t cheap. I’ve done well, plus there was the money from selling my mother’s house and my half of her life insurance. This isn’t going to disadvantage me.” He runs a hand over my hair. “You’ve been there for me every time I needed you, El. This time, let me leave the window unlocked for you.”
I never had a chance against this man. I grab him in a fierce hug, burying my face in his chest, and he wraps his arms around me tightly. It takes me a minute before I can speak without crying. “You’re insane.”
He chuckles and rubs his hand up and down my back. “Yeah, but you love me.”
Stepping back, I wipe my eyes. “I do, damn it.”
“I love you too. Let’s go check out your studio.”
It’s then I notice the walls are now painted a neutral white, and the drop ceiling has been torn out. “You’ve been working in here?”
“I had a few small things done to get it ready. I’m not some slumlord, you know. I couldn’t rent it out the way it was.”
“I have some savings I can use to finish remodeling and get some equipment. I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. Thank you so much.”
He leans down and plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I forgot to tell you the bad news. Since you have a spotty job history, I’m going to need the two years rent up front. So, give me my twenty-four dollars.”
“Will you take a twenty and I’ll owe you a blow job?”
“You can trade sex for rent? I have a lot to learn about being a landlord.”
