AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hear Chloe unbuckle her seat belt and move to sit behind the center divider of the front seat. “Does this mean we’re here?” she asks, Avery joining her after she unbuckles herself as well.
“We’re here,” I reply, getting out of the car and walking over to open their door. The two of them step out, almost falling as their feet meet the concrete. I reach out and hold on to their hands making sure they don’t continue to trip since they can’t see where they're going.
Avery walks forward a few steps, careful not to take a wrong step. She impatiently taps her foot along the concrete pathway leading to the front porch. “Can we take the blindfolds off already?”
“Almost,” I say, grabbing Chloe’s hand and leading her to where Avery’s standing.
The humid summer air blows through her blonde curls, sweat dripping down her neck and falling in between her breasts.
Reaching behind their heads, I slowly undo the knot I used to keep the blindfold in place. “Okay now.”
The blindfolds drop to the floor at their feet and my heart nearly stops, the anticipation of their reactions killing me slowly. Suddenly, I hear them both gasp in unison, their hands resting over their hearts.
Avery’s the one to cut the deafening silence first when she walks up the path and stops right before the first step of the white wrap-around porch. “Is this what I think it is?” she asks, turning back to look at me.
I can’t find the right words to say when I see the expression that's come over her face. Avery is always so nonchalant about everything, trying to keep her emotions hidden under the mask of indifference she wears daily but right now, everything she’s feeling is written all over her face.
Bright blue eyes, red and teary, watch me with such deep adoration my heart pumps fiercely, aching to comfort her. A stray tear falls upon her cheek but she makes no move to hide it. Instead, she lets them keep coming, flowing down her cheeks, her hand flying to cover her mouth to hide her cries.
“Oh my God, Zane. A house?” Chloe cries out running over to join Avery. Both are looking directly at me, the love they feel burning bright in their eyes as they watch me approach.
I stop right before them, not making a move to touch them. I raise my arms, my hands wide open as I point to the house behind them.
Stark white cement board siding makes up the entire exterior, a dark blue trim along the edge of the dark gray roof and along the windows, while the light gray steps of the porch deck pave the way to the bright turquoise door. The two-car garage also has a pretty dramatic blue/gray door that matches the color of the shutters around the two front windows and the one from the upstairs attic.
It’s a two story American Craftsman style house with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms.
“Our house,” I mutter, barely able to speak. I never expected this moment to be so overwhelming but the love I feel right now is ripping through my heart, unable to stay locked in such a small, crowded space.
“Oh Zane it’s perfect,” Chloe shrieks as they both run into my arms. I hold them in a tight embrace and kiss the top of their heads as they sob into my chest.
I release them and jingle the house keys in front of them. “Come on, why don’t we go look inside.”
The moment we step inside the foyer we’re met with a dark wooden staircase in the center of the space leading up to the second floor. It’s a stark contrast to the otherwise all-white interior of the house. To the right there’s an all-white, modern kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances and a giant marbled island in the middle of the space complemented with teal cushioned bar stools all around.
To the left are the formal dining room and living room, while behind the staircase there’s a den with an enormous fireplace and two giant glass doors leading out onto the backyard deck.
Chloe rushes over and runs her hand over the marbled counter. “Zane, this kitchen is incredible.”
“The master suite is downstairs to the right side of the den and it also has two glass doors leading out to the yard.” The back yard is almost twice the size of the house itself complete with an Olympic size pool, backyard deck with an outdoor kitchen, and a hot tub perfectly positioned right outside our bedroom.
Avery walks over to snuggle up under my arm. “I can’t believe you got us a house, Zane. A whole ass fucking house!”
I can’t help but laugh at the way her eyes widen in disbelief. I know this means a lot to Avery who lived her whole life in a small space along with her mother and the many suitors she’d go through.
Calling Chloe over to join us, the three of us walk back into the foyer. My two girls are snuggled up under my arm as we stand in our very own house. The beginning of our unconventional happy-ever-after.
Staring up the staircase toward where the office and other three bedrooms are, I imagine all the possibilities of what those rooms could eventually turn into. We haven’t discussed any of it yet but I know Chloe and Avery are my endgame. It excites me beyond words to find out what the future has in store for us.
For our family.
“I wanted to prove to you girls that this is it for me. I’m not running away from us. I’m not making the same mistake of not appreciating you girls or treating you in any other way than how you deserve to be treated. I love you two more than words could explain and this is my way of showing you how much.”
Avery tilts her head first, reaching up and placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “I love you, Zane,” she says, turning and doing the same to Chloe, though her lips linger a little longer on Chloe’s. “I love you, Chloe.”
Now it’s Chloe’s turn, and she wraps her fingers behind Avery’s neck, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss before whispering, “I love you, Avery.” Chloe releases her and lifts her head to meet my adoring stare. She stands up on her tippy toes, her lips hovering over mine for a second before she speaks. “And I love you Zane Anderson,” she whispers against my lips. Unable to hold back any longer, I eagerly kiss her, never wanting to let her go.
I’ve never been happier than in this moment right here. “This is our forever.”
