She froze as she heard the sound of people downstairs.“What is that?”
“That is Mallory and the guys doing a favor for me in the current master suite.Don’t worry.It’s a surprise.The best part of having my cousin as a best friend,like Joaquim and Mallory,is they want me to get the girl.My family loves you Liesl.They absolutely adore you.Joaquim actually whittled down his harem and said he might be ready to find Mrs.Right instead of Ms.Right-Now if there are girls like you out there.”
“Janka is desperate to find a guy.We should set them up.”She turned her head on his shoulder to look up at him with wide eyes.
“He’d eat her alive.”
“Don’t kid yourself.This is the girl who Friday night slept with a guy just for the opportunity to sleep in a bed instead of her mattress in her loft.”
“She did not.”
“She told me she had to masturbate the sex was so bad and the guy wasn’t even offended but all she wanted was a good night’s sleep.”
He threw his head back and laughed in the way Liesl loved so much,full bodied and loudly.It reverberated off the walls.“I will invite him up to see the house and we can introduce them,and they can take it from there.”He kissed her temple.“I can’t wait to tell him about the baby.He’s going to be stoked thought my mom may have already bragged.”
“I love you,”she turned in his arms and placed her palms against his chest,feeling the steady thrumming of his heartbeat beneath her hand.“I love how much you love me and want to be with me.I love how readily you are acclimating to having a child with me even though we’ve only known each other a few months.”
“A few of the best months of my life,”he stared down at her,his dark eyes full of emotion.“Liesl,I am beyond excited about having a baby with you.I knew when I was away,I was ready to slow down at work to be home more but finding the pregnancy test in the bin immediately solidified my plans.I know I had the goofiest grin on my face because Mallory met me at the bottom of the gate when I was leaving,and he asked me why I was smiling like I just caught you doing something naughty.I told him I was going to be a dad.I told him to protect you with his life,keep his lips shut and I would need his help to get things moving.He said it explained my stupid face.”
She giggled as she slid her hands up to his hair and buried her fingers in his thick locks.“I love you couldn’t keep quiet for ten seconds.I was really worried you would be upset with me.Janka was the one who guessed I was pregnant.My latte smelled and tasted funny,and she said it was fine.”
He laughed,“you know I realized a while back you aren’t good with your pills.I didn’t care.”
“Really?It never dawned on me until Janka pointed out the reason I never got pregnant before had nothing to do with my birth control pills and how I took them sporadically and everything to do with the fact Merlin was obsessed with condom use.”
“I was hoping you’d get knocked up so you couldn’t leave me,”he laughed as she stared at him incredulously.“Don’t believe me?Ask Enia.I told her the day after the gala when she called me for dinner.I was laughing saying you had taken a long shower,had food,painted a bit and still hadn’t taken your pill.She accused me of trying to trap you by not reminding you.I said you were a grown woman who insisted the pills worked so who was I to argue?”
She smacked his shoulder,“you knew they would fail?”
“No.But I hoped.Liesl,you are everything I have waited my whole life to have.Your spirit and joy make me feel for the first time in a long time there is more to life than earning money or pandering to other rich people’s whims.I love working hard but more than I ever did anything else,I love loving you.Being with you and seeing the world through your eyes is refreshing.It’s bringing my own creative side back out.I started sketching architecture again.I’m designing houses again.I want to craft and build things.On the plane back from Texas this afternoon,I sketched out a giant farm table and bench seating for our dining room.Big enough for the entire family to come for Christmas dinner.I’m going to design a workshop and build it near your studio.I can build the frames for your paintings.I’ll build our furniture.I want to build the baby’s crib.You inspire me Liesl and this feeling,”he tapped his chest,“is not anything I have felt in a very long time.You bring this out in me.I love you for this.”He looked down at her,“well this and your amazing rack.”
She wiped tears off her cheeks as she snickered at his words,“I do have a great rack.”
“Yes.And ass.But the rack is something else.”He kissed her forehead.“Come on.I want to show you what I intend to do with the current master suite.”
“Who owned this place?I mean it’s huge,but it still has a farmhouse feel to it.Like it’s Gone With the Wind huge but Wizard of Oz farm feel.”
He laughed at her analogy.“You’re not wrong.The fella who owned this was a local politician.He was a lawyer first and then became a judge before becoming a politician.His wife was from Louisiana and had grown up on a farm.She hated city life.This was their compromise.They raised five boys here.”
“Ugh,five boys?”she shuddered.“Can you imagine?”
“I’d prefer five girls.”
“What if they fight like me and Sandy?”
“My mother’s rolling pin will be around,”he said dryly as he led her back down the stairs.“I come from an immigrant family,Liesl.Spankings exist.”
“You’re not spanking our children.”
“Nope.Not me.Their grandmother will threaten them with the rolling pin.All they’ll need to see is her hit me with it once and then threaten them with it for the rest of their lives.She still hits me you know.”
Liesl laughed at his joking and followed him to the other end of the house.
“This is a fifth bedroom,”he motioned to a closed door.“Similar to the other five but it only has a shower,no tub.Not really great for kids so it can be either Janka or Elsie’s room.”He pushed open a big door,“this room,I want to split into two rooms with a shared bathroom.But for tonight,it’s our playroom.”
She entered the room and froze at the sight in front of her.“What is this?”
“This is me making up for being late the other night.I thought we could decorate a canvas and use it as a headboard in the bedroom upstairs.Inspiration for the next fifty years.I plan to live a long time.”
She stared at the huge canvas spread all over the floor and the paint cans and brushes the guys must have brought from the other house.Candles were lit and set on windowsills.She moved further into the room,leaving him standing at the doorway.Brushes,towels,robes and even slippers were set on a small stool to the side of the room.
“Mallory made me pay him double time to set up my sex scene.”
She giggled at his words,and she looked over her shoulder,her breath catching at the sight of him.
He was down on his knees,a black velvet box in his hand.
“But he then waived all fees when I told him I was going to use this as my proposal scene and not just a fuck fest.”
“Isaias,”she whimpered as her hands flew to her mouth as she completely turned to face him.
“I love you Liesl Wilson.I love your beautiful soul and your zest for life.I love how when life gave you a shit hand,you dove in headfirst and made life your bitch.You took revenge on the past in the best way possible by creating your own perfect future.I want desperately to be forever part of your perfect future.Will you marry me?”
She fell on her knees in front of him and couldn’t help but smile as his own fingers shook putting the ring on her hand.“Yes.I’ll marry you.I love you.”
