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48 - Jessica
2 Months Later
The property was aboutan hour’s drive outside of New York City. But there was a railway station in town, which Vincent proudly brought up multiple times, and Manson insisted the commute felt much faster than it was.
“I drove it myself to make sure,” he said. “Even during rush hour.” But mentioning rush hour made him wince. “Well...it isn’t greatallthe time. Some times of day are really rough.”
I was just happy they’d found a house they were all so excited about.
This was our second trip to New York in the past couple months. The first time, I’d hunted for apartments in the city as the boys toured houses in the suburbs. To say that the rent prices for apartments were shocking was an understatement. Even with the sizable raise my boss gave me, I still cringed at the expense. The boys didn’t have an easy time finding the right house either, and the clock was ticking for all of us.
Their old house had multiple interested buyers. Fortunately, Reagan had caused no major damage, although the stench of gasoline lingered in the kitchen for weeks. But the headlines the incident generated actually brought a lot of positive attention to the property. If the place was good enough to commit multiple murders for, it was worth buying.
The criminal trial for Reagan would likely drag on for months, but Manson was staying positive about it. It seemed like it was a relief for him to finally have an opportunity to ensure his father was permanently removed from his life. Despite how long Reagan went to prison for, at the least he would no longer know where any of us lived. His ability to torment us was gone.
Alex’s family had been ready to fight tooth and nail to prove their son’s innocence, but the security footage of him grabbing and restraining me made that significantly more difficult for them. Another wrench was thrown in their plans when Nate admitted everything, including telling the police that Reagan had offered him money to pursue Manson and Lucas at the sideshow.
They were now trying to enter a plea deal in hopes Alex would avoid time behind bars. My own mother was ready to go to war with them though; having her daughter’s life threatened had made a world of difference in her behavior. She wasn’t perfect, by any means; her desperate want to be in control still led to unnecessary arguments. But she’d finally accepted that I was dating the guys and no longer gave me a hard time about having them come over to the house. It was a step in the right direction.
But I spent little time at my parents’ house anymore. I spent almost every day with the boys, and nearly every night at their house. Frankly, it made looking at studio apartments depressing. Everywhere I could afford in the city was so small, barely more than a glorified walk-in closet. How was I supposed to fit all my men into a tiny apartment when they came to visit?
Ashley teased me endlessly that these were the “horrible” problems I had to deal with.
“Oh boo-hoo, how will you fit all your men in your tiny apartment?” she said, while I was out for drinks with her the previous night. “God, I would kill for your problems.”
At least we’d all have plenty of room at the new house. Jason had brought up multiple times how big the place was, and when I finally laid eyes on it, he was right.
The house sat on a small plot of land in a quiet, older neighborhood. It was a classic Queen Anne Victorian, the exterior flawlessly restored. As we parked the rental SUV along the curb and got out, I was immediately enamored with the wrought iron and brick fencing around the manicured yard, shaded by mature maple trees. The beautiful red and yellow leaves had blanketed the grass and the sidewalk where the real estate agent was waiting for us.
“Hello! Manson Reed?” She held out her hand for him as we walked up, shaking it enthusiastically. “And this must be your...”
“Family,” he said, motioning to the rest of us as he introduced us. If the realtor was confused, she was careful not to show it. She kept a big smile plastered on her face as she led us up to the house, gushing about the decorative details on the wrap-around porch.
“As you can see, the previous owner took its restoration very seriously,” she said. “But you will find modern upgrades within the home, particularly in the kitchen.”
“Fuck yes, that’s what I like to hear,” Vincent said. “I need to check out that kitchen.”
Stepping into the entry hall took my breath away. The interior of the house stayed true to its structural roots, but the decor was modern. Stained glass windows around the front door cast patterns of multi-colored luminescence across the polished wooden floors and beautiful curved staircase. There were large windows in every room, filling the house with light.
“As you can see, natural lighting was truly embraced in the home’s design,” the realtor said, her heels clicking across the shining floors. “Twelve foot ceilings throughout, and the rooms are spacious.”
There was a massive fireplace in the living room, and as the realtor went on about how cozy the room would be on a cold night, all I could think about was how there was more than enough room to have an orgy in front of the fire. I whispered my idea in Jason’s ear, and he looked at me like I’d promised him his own personal candy store.
“Sold on the place already, Jess?” Vincent said, having overheard my suggestion to Jason.
“As if I wouldn’t be,” I said. “You allknewI’d fall in love with this place!”
Vincent shrugged innocently. “We didn’t have the slightest idea. There’s nothing special at all about this house.” I could only shake my head at him.
The realtor encouraged us to have a look around and explore as we wished. Deciding to investigate the upper floor, I wandered through the bedrooms on the second level. They were spacious and most had doorways connecting them directly to each other, rather than simply to the main hall — a common feature in these older homes.
Manson was in the room at the far end of the upstairs hall. It was the primary bedroom and it looked down into the backyard through four arched windows. He heard me come in and smiled as he turned, reaching out his arm to snuggle me beneath.
“What do you think of the house?” he said.
“It’s stunning.” I wrapped both my arms around him. “But I think you already knew I’d love it.”
