A lot of their friends probably live in the neighborhood. They’ll finally be with their peers.”
I roll my eyes a little, admitting to myself he’s right.
“And although I didn’t realize your friend Gwen lived nearby,” he says. “That’s just a delightful little surprise,” he adds with a dash of sarcasm.
I smile. This place is perfect. I can’t deny it. I’ve always fantasized about living here. It would be so cool to be steps away from Gwen and to be able to walk to school. The girls could play with their friends after school…
What am I thinking?
I push him away and hop off the stool. “You can’t buy me, Weston,” I hiss. “You’re always trying to buy me.”
“I’m not,” he argues. “I’m just trying to give you the life you deserve. A beautiful house in a great neighborhood, a cleaning lady, a nanny, whatever you want.”
What I want is to literally tear my hair out at this point. I’m just so tired of arguing with him. I turn on my heel, toward the front door.
He darts after me, catching a hold of my wrist. “Please, Mirella. Let me show you the rest.”
“I need to go,” I tell him as I try to free my arm from his grasp.
“I swear I’ll be a perfect gentleman,” he promises. “Just a quick tour. And then, you’re free to leave.”
I gaze up at the fancy coffered ceilings.
Just a quick tour.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Sure. A quick tour. And then I’m gone.”
His face lights up and he grabs my hand, his long fingers soft around mine.
God, give me strength.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I promised I’d be a gentleman.
We’ll start with the main floor, which you’ve kind of already seen,” he tells me as I trail behind him, my hand still in his. He brings me to the den at the side of the house and tells me we can set up a double office; a little space for him and a space for me to grade my papers. He tells me he doesn’t work from home very often.
He then shows me the powder room; a gorgeous marble, vintage-inspired sink and silver-framed mirror. We make our way around the cardboard boxes scattered on the floor to the large mud room. I revel at the gorgeous black wrought-iron hooks. So many hooks, so much space. A single jacket hangs on a hook, looking lonesome. My own mud room is a cramped mess with a serious lack of storage space.
As we walk quickly through the living room, he tells me he hasn’t picked out the furniture yet, wanting to leave that to me.
I nod patiently. I don’t say a word and try not to be swayed by the beautiful space and all the luxury surrounding me. I will not relent. I will not falter.
We bound down the stairs to the lower level, where there’s a walk-out basement, a wide bright open space, complete with bar. He tells me he’s getting a pool table in soon.
“I thought maybe a little craft and play corner here,” he says. “The girls can decide how they want to set it up.”
My heart sinks. He’s been thinking about this for a while. He has everything worked out. It’s kind of sweet but also reeks of desperation, not to mention delusion.
“What’s over there?” I ask, gesturing to a bedroom.
“There are two rooms down here,” he says as we wander in the purple room. It’s a nice open space with built-in fireplace, closet and private washroom.
“This is Lizzie’s room. And the other room is Ashton’s. They won’t be living here full-time,” he explains. “But I’m hoping they’ll spend a lot of weekends here.”
My heart sinks. “Is this really what you want, Weston? Living in suburbia, away from your kids?”
He inches closer. “Yes,” he says with conviction. “I want to be with you. It’s all I want.”
I can’t be the one responsible for this. I am many things: a tramp, a tease, a woman who takes her family for granted, perhaps even a spoiled princess. But I am not a home-wrecker. I turn away from him. “Let’s go see the top floor.”
My feet drag as I make my way up the gorgeous spiral staircase, wondering how he could be doing this.
The floors on the top level are dark and glossy, recently refinished. Everything about this house is impeccable — not a scratch, not a scuff or stain in sight. A perfect house waiting for a perfect family.
“Here, come with me,” he says as he takes my hand in