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Two weeks later, Tim received a good offer on his house and negotiated it a bit higher. The buyer complicated his life by stating that the closing should be done early August. He moved his furniture to a storage place and booked a room in a hotel. Both Jessica and Russell invited him to stay with them. Without hesitation, he refused Jessica’s offer and accepted Russell’s.
On August 15, he and Erin closed on their new house and received the keys.
His cottage and the basement could be used right away, but some of the other rooms needed painting. Tim hired the painter who’d worked on the firm’s offices. Debbie and Brianna wanted their room painted pink. Rachelle chose a lavender color, Becky a light green, and Erin decided on a sky blue for the twins’ room.
“Let’s keep the two master bedrooms, upstairs and downstairs off white.”
“The painter will need a whole week.”
In addition, without mentioning anything to Erin who had enough on her mind, he contacted a pool maintenance company and signed a contract with them to clean and sanitize the pool on a regular basis, and arranged with a college student to mow the lawn.
Josie informed them that a house with furniture would sell faster than one without, and she advised them to leave some pieces in Erin’s house.
“I have living room and family room furniture. Can you use them in the main house?” Tim offered.
“I won’t say no,” Erin gladly accepted. “I can’t afford to buy anything for several months.”
“No need. I can move Brianna’s furniture into the girls’ room and buy Debbie a similar bed,” Tim suggested.
Surveying her old house, Erin shared her plan. “I think I’ll leave the pieces I plan to get rid of later and spread them around, such as the living room which I hate, the dining room table, Ben’s old bulky desk that he bought in a garage sale ten years ago—”
“And your bedroom,” Tim suggested, hoping she would get rid of the bed where she’d slept with her husband.
“We’ll put it in Mom’s bedroom,” Erin decided. “For the time being, I’ll just order a spring and mattress set for my room. The walk-in closets are so big I don’t need any other pieces for my clothes.”
A week later, the new house looked appealing with Tim’s furniture on the first floor. Erin had requested a week off to move and settle into her new house.
The children squealed happily at the sight of their rooms painted and furnished with familiar pieces. They were thrilled when their mother announced they could decorate them further with their own artwork.
Teresa tested every appliance in the kitchen, cooked enough food for a week, and left with Russell for a well-deserved vacation.
Over the Labor Day weekend, they inaugurated their pool. Tim had brought enough water toys to keep them occupied the whole day. Even the twins seemed to appreciate the new environment.
At noon, Erin called the children inside. “Lunch and quiet time. You can go back outside in an hour.”
After three days of fun, she gathered the older children onto the patio. “Tomorrow, you start school. You’ll take the bus together at seven-forty-five. I want you to shower and put on your pjs. Get your uniforms out of your closets and prepare your socks and shoes. I want you in bed by seven-thirty. Lights off at eight. I’ll go around tucking you in and saying goodnight. Okay?”
They answered in chorus. “Okay, Mommy.”
She noticed Tim watching her with a smile on his face.
“What do we say to Coach Tim for a wonderful weekend?”
“Thank you, Coach Tim.” Several voices echoed in the room.
“Thank you, Daddy.” Brianna hugged him, and the others followed suit.
An hour later, with the children blissfully asleep, Tim sat with Erin in their living room sipping a drink. “I can’t thank you enough for choosing this house. It’s my idea of heaven.” He squeezed her hand.
“You made it possible, Tim.” She bent and kissed him. “Without you, I’d never have been able to consider it.”
He pulled her onto his lap, covering her face with kisses. For the past two weeks, they’d been busy with moving and settling into their new house. Tonight, the house was finally quiet, and Teresa was away. “Come to my room, Erin. We need to be together.”
“What if the twins awaken?”
“I thought about it and took my precautions.” He grinned, pleased with himself. “I bought two audio baby monitors, one for the twins’ room and one for Becky’s room since she’s sleeping on her own. I’ll show them to you.” He led her to his cottage, and opened the two boxes he’d left on a chair to show her the pieces. “This is the parent unit you keep next to you, and this one is the baby unit we’ll put in their rooms.”
