Sandy - Melanie Moreland Page 0,69
asked him if he was serious. He said he was if he could share since they would only be able to come in the summers and the occasional holiday now Gracie is in school. But he loved the idea.”
“I should talk to him about shared ownership,” Maddox mused. “That might work out well for us both.”
“Maybe a semi-detached. You each have half.”
“That would work.”
I smiled to myself. Bentley, Aiden, and Maddox were close. But Bentley and Aiden had a special bond. I knew Maddox had always felt a bit outside their friendship, but since meeting Richard, he had formed his own bond there. It was good to see.
“How would you design it?”
Bentley sat up, excited. “The way the land sits, it’s perfect. Almost a ring of houses, one set higher than the other, but all with views of the water. The center would be a common area.”
Maddox nodded. “And BAM keeps the land, right? Same as Aiden? He owns the house, but the land is leased.”
“Yes, a lifetime lease with the option for his children to re-lease for another ninety-nine years. And so on until BAM ceases to exist, then the land goes up for sale.”
“And the houses?”
“If you want it built, BAM designs it, with your input. They’ll have the same feel but not the same look. Each one will be individual.”
“I count four in this room,” Aiden said.
“Plus Reid. You know he’ll want in,” Maddox stated.
“Five.”
“Van and Halton would probably share. Maybe another semi,” Aiden mused. “If designed right, it would look really cool.”
I laughed, and three sets of eyes looked at me.
“Sandy?” Bentley asked.
“A BAM compound. Only you, Bentley.”
He chuckled, then became serious. “I can’t imagine sharing that spot with anyone else. It stirred something inside me the day we looked at it. Emmy finally made me realize the reason I keep backing out of starting to build is I don’t want anyone else to live there but us.”
Aiden jumped up. “Let’s do this. BAM!”
A couple of years later, Jordan and I sold the condo and moved here. We loved the house—the peacefulness of the area, the light-filled rooms, and having the boys and their kids around so much. The added bonus for Jordan was his boat that was parked right at the end of the long dock. He often took the boat out for a sail on sunny days, and I knew he looked forward to more time on the water.
We had all the privacy we wanted, but the center of the “circle of life,” as Aiden dubbed it, was constantly busy. There were a couple of fire pits, a large pool, swings, and plenty of places to sit and enjoy. The three front houses, the largest buildings, had direct access to the beach. Aiden was on one end, Bentley on the other, and Jordan and I between them. Behind us, Maddox and Richard shared a place on the other side of Aiden’s, Reid was in the middle, and Van and Halton split the last house. The houses were all staggered so they could see the water. In the summer months and holidays, our little grouping was bursting. Other times, it was Aiden, his family, and us. I loved it all the time.
Today, however, was a special day. It was my husband’s birthday, and he was retiring. I had a huge day of celebrations planned, and everyone would be here. Richard and his family had flown in yesterday. Gina, Eric, and their children would arrive later this morning, Warren travelling with them. Colin was coming out with Miranda, his wife now for almost six years. They had two children, and we saw them often. Sadly, Jennifer wasn’t able to come from Europe, but she sent Jordan a gift he would open later. Aaron came to see us last week while he was in town, still as busy as ever and unable to attend today since he would be out of the country on business.
I startled at movement out of the corner of my eye. Jordan stood, holding two mugs of coffee. “Room for one more on there?”
I smiled and shifted forward on the lounger. He slipped in behind me, handing me a mug. “I saw you down here and figured you’d need a refill.” He slid his arm around my waist, tucking me tight to his chest, dropping a kiss to my head. “Hello, my darling,” he murmured against my hair.
I leaned my head on his shoulder, peeking up at him. “Hello, my love.”
“You’re up earlier