"I didn't like the bitch you were serving up."
She winces, leaning in closer. "I'm really glad you like the bitch now."
"What's the special occasion?" I change the subject, not wanting to ruin her happy glow by remembering that first night.
"Look around. Your house is phenomenal and gorgeous."
"From where I sit, you're phenomenal and gorgeous. The house looks like a rendition of the Griswold’s."
"You don't like it?"
"Baby, the place looks nicer than a Better Homes & Gardens spread. Not sure how you did it."
"Sweetie, this is simple. Wait until next year."
I groan, "More shit next year?"
Her eyes narrow for a split second before they light up and she tosses her head back. "I was wondering if you'd freak!"
"Not freaking, just wondering if I need to build you a shed to store all this."
"You're being dramatic."
"I'm a man. I don't do dramatic. I do practical, and with the number of boxes and bags I hauled out of here while you were opening and unpacking, it's going to take a full bedroom in your house to hold it."
"Wait until you see my exceptional storage skills. Although it's a moot point."
"Why is that?"
"Well, when we start renovations on the house next door, I have the perfect idea for a storage closet."
I freeze. "What are you talking about?"
"Hmmm, are we feigning ignorance?" Her green eyes glitter, and it has nothing to do with the thousand Christmas lights shining on the tree.
"Dammit, Ashlyn, how'd you find out?" Irritation stirs in my chest.
"Was it a secret?"
"Hell yes, I wanted to surprise you on Christmas."
"Surprised is an understatement. When the sweet lady next door came to introduce herself and ask if I'd like to come over and walk through the house, I was dumbfounded. Imagine the look on my face when she explained my boyfriend is buying the house and has plans to join the properties."
"Shit, didn't see that coming. I've been dealing with their son on the sale."
"I got the complete story from a beautiful, twinkly-eyed older woman, who thinks our love story is the greatest."
"Well, she'd be right."
Ashlyn drinks her wine, cuddling closer but holding my eyes. "You made a huge assumption about our future, bought a house to expand our property, and hid it from me."
"It wasn't an assumption about our future. We're a given."
"You couldn't possibly know that. We weren't even sleeping together when their son approached my dad."
With that tidbit, I know the woman must have given her the full back story.
"We'd been sleeping together for a week."
"You know what I mean. We hadn't reconnected."
"That's exactly what we'd been doing. Reconnecting on a different level."
"Can you stop being so literal? We were nowhere near the point of discussing something as serious as that."
"One of these days, it will hit you I've always been serious. Your dad knew that, too. It's why he brought it to my attention. If he had any doubts about my intentions, we cleared them up on Thanksgiving."
"We hadn't even discussed living together full time!"
"We hadn't? Hmm, I'm pretty sure that's part of the package when I told you I wasn't going anywhere."
"Miller! Please be serious. It's something we should have discussed."
"Usually, presents are a surprise."
"You bought me a house for Christmas. That's outrageous."
"There's nothing outrageous about it. You're all bent out of shape without knowing the specifics."
"Bent out of shape?" She sits up, squaring off to face me, that radiant glow quickly turning blistery. "Is that southern speak for irrational?"
My cock stirs at the tone of her voice, knowing she's seconds away from getting riled up.
"Baby, as much as I love when you serve up your attitude, now's not the time."
"You called me irrational."
"Don't put words in my mouth. This is far from the way I wanted to share, but that flame in your eyes tells me you need to understand the bigger picture. You said it yourself, this is about our future. It was an investment that I'd be a fool to pass up. My plans are to renovate that place to include a full guest suite and office for you."
"But my house has all that."
"How many children do you want?"
"I…" She snaps her mouth shut, slanting her head in confusion. "I guess I've never thought about it, but probably three."
"I want four, and we're not even going to touch that argument right now. But when and if you go back to work, you'll need a functioning office that allows you privacy and is close to home. You’ll get that. As for the guest suite, your dad filled me in on their family plans to be here often, and they'll need their space. The garage will allow you to keep your car inside. We'll have to work with the layout, but it makes me happy knowing when the time comes, you won't be trudging through the Charleston winters with baby carriers and all the other shit that goes along with it."
This gets her attention and the attitude seeps from her. She drinks her wine and flips her hand in the air. "Go on, you've clearly thought this through."
"Once I knew the place was available, it all came together. You tell me what you want and I'll build it for you."
She looks over her shoulder at the tree, and I know it's all sunk in when her lips quiver. "You bought me a house for Christmas."
"Tomorrow, when we're over there, we'll see if we can do a walkthrough so you can get a feel for what we need to do. And you should know, it's not technically mine yet. We're scheduled to close on Christmas Eve."
She stays quiet for a minute, then turns back to me, her eyes swimming with emotion. "Remember that first morning I woke up here and had my mental episode, saying this was surreal? You told me that if I hadn't run out on you, it wouldn't be my first night waking up in your house?"
I nod, the hair on the back of my neck prickling
