Bonus Kisses - Freya Barker Page 0,92
renovating the upstairs?” Brent asks, when we’re having coffee and cake.
I wince when I see Ed’s head snap up. Shit. I haven’t had a chance to inform my in-laws of my plans yet. It was their house for decades before I bought it, and I would’ve liked to have broached the subject with a little more care.
“Thinking about it,” I confirm. “Just playing around with the layout.”
“Got something to show us?” Ed pipes up, and I scrutinize him for any disapproval, but all I see is curiosity.
“I’ll grab the sketch,” Taz says from behind me, putting her cool hand to my neck.
I showed her my new plans a few days ago. I turn to watch her walk from the kitchen and catch Sarah’s eyes, who’s standing by the sink and clearly overheard the exchange. She seems to catch herself and busies herself refilling coffee cups.
A few minutes later, all of us are bent over the rough drawings Taz put in the middle of the dining table.
“Of course I’ll get an architect to see if this is even feasible and do up a proper plan,” I offer apologetically, “but this is the gist of it.”
“I like it,” Brent announces, looking at the original layout versus the proposed one. “It’s a more economic use of space. Other than the plumbing that needs to be relayed—which is a good-sized job—it’s a matter of relocating walls and doors to end up with the same number of bedrooms but an additional bathroom.”
“When do you want to start the work?” Ed asks.
“I would first have to get drawings done, get some quotes for the work. I don’t think it’ll be before the winter.”
“Do you need it?” The question comes from Sarah who has been looking over her husband’s shoulder. “The extra bathroom, I mean? It seems like a lot of money you’ll have to fork out to end up with the exact same number of bedrooms.” She pulls the sketch toward her and points. “If you wanted to do something new with the master suite, all you have to do is move the wall of the walk-in closet farther into the room so it has an extra window. If you add a door straight out to the landing, it could be a home office, or at some point a perfect nursery.”
I feel Taz’s fingers dig into my shoulder, and I’m pretty shocked myself.
“And you’d still have an extra bedroom to fill,” Kathleen adds, grinning ear to ear.
“Sounds like common sense to me,” Andrew volunteers, as he cuts off another piece of cake, ignoring Meredith’s hissed, “Andrew!”
“Except, Sofie’s already been promised her own bathroom.” Taz’s soft reminder draws my attention to my daughter, who I hadn’t noticed coming in from outside.
It warms my heart when Sofie smiles at Taz brightly before sharing, “I’d rather have a baby sister than a bathroom.”
“Brother!” Spencer, who heard his sister, argues.
“Sister,” Sofie insists. “‘Cause I don’t wanna share a bathroom with two stinky brothers.”
Before the two continue their bickering, Sarah intervenes. “If Andrew doesn’t mind sharing; anyone else for another piece of cake?”
Taz and Kathleen dissolve in giggles as Meredith elbows her husband in the ribs, causing him to blurt out, “Ouch! What the hell’d’ya do that for?”
“So what do you think?”
It’s long after everyone’s left and both the kids and the dogs are asleep. Taz is tucked to my side on my kickass new couch and we’re watching the last hour of Live PD.
I immediately know what she’s referring to.
“I should ask you that question.”
“Mom’s suggestion makes sense.”
“It does,” I confirm.
“But even if it didn’t,” Taz continues, “the mere fact she suggested it, makes me think that’s exactly what we should do.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
I bend down and kiss her softly, grabbing a handful of her dreadlocks to hold her head in place when I pull back. I touch my forehead to hers.
“I don’t think of the years behind us as time wasted anymore, it only makes me appreciate what I’m building with you even more. I could not in my wildest dreams have imagined it could get this good. You make my life beautiful, Natasha.”
Epilogue
December
Rafe
“So…Mrs. Thomas.”
I grin as I drag my mouth down over the soft swell of her belly, her skin pebbling into goosebumps.
“Yes, Mr. Thomas,” she returns in a breathless voice, as I hook my fingers under the elastic of her pretty lace panties. Taz’s wedding gift to me, which I’m only now getting to unwrap.
She’s wearing my wedding gift in her dreadlocks, spread out over the pillow.