Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“It’s ours?”
“Yes,” Leo said, “And I’ll be in charge of lightbulbs. It’s already decided.”
“And rewiring and figuring out the lighting configurations,” I added.
Madison unlocked the door to the first unit, and I led them on a tour of all three. She admired the hardwood floors, the crown molding. Leo liked the high ceilings and pointed out that the HVAC system was nice and quiet. Noah liked the southern facing windows in one corner for an office. We made our way through the three apartments and Leo got the notification for the Uber Eats. We sat on a blanket in the third apartment and had a picnic of Chinese food and sparkling cider… and BBQ chips.
“I miss sushi,” Madison said, “but I definitely love that these chips are good with anything.”
“You ate them after your oatmeal this morning. I saw you,” Noah said.
“Don’t be so close-minded. You’ve never tried it,” she laughed.
“Only because you’d kill me on the spot if I went after your chip stash,” he teased.
When we were done eating, I took out my laptop and the projector. Leo got up and turned off the lights—“See,” he said, “I’m in charge of all lighting decisions.”
I played the simulation, the 3-D view of what the space would look like, where the kitchen was, the bathrooms, the bedrooms. Madison gasped.
“It’s so beautiful. How did you do all this?”
“We have a software program at work,” I said modestly, “It gives the client a way to envision what the finished space will be like.”
“I love it,” she said, breathless. “I can’t believe we get to have all this. That this is what my life is going to be. I have my shop, the men I love, our baby on the way, and this beautiful home. Thank you for making all this a reality.”
We hugged her and watched the model play through.
“I love how the nursery is so big and opens into my bedroom. I think it would be good to have the nursery with east-facing windows. That way the sun isn’t streaming in at naptime.”
I made a note of the preference, and we talked about what we thought would work and what might need to be changed. I reveled in their excitement, with how happy my family was with the home we’d found and the ways we could make it our own.
“How many bedrooms do you think?” Noah said.
“That’s a question for Madison,” I said. “How do you feel about having more kids?”
Her pretty face broke into a grin.
“I’d like to have more. I’ve always wanted a family, and I want more than one baby for sure. What do you guys think?”
“That we better find out if Costco has barbecue chips,” Leo said with a chuckle.
“At least three kids,” Noah said decisively, and I nodded.
“There are three Foster brothers, so I’d say three is the magic number,” Leo said.
Madison beamed, “I wouldn’t mind having a little girl, too,” she said, “So maybe three, or maybe we try for four.”
I looked around at their smiling faces as we sat on the floor of our new home, talking over our future, and couldn’t imagine being happier.
EPILOGUE
MADISON - THREE MONTHS LATER
“I don’t know,” I teased, “If I get a babymoon like this, maybe we’ll have to think about having more than four kids.”
I slipped off my sandals and wiggled my toes in the sand luxuriantly. The Caribbean getaway had been Noah’s idea. One of the partners in his firm offered us his vacation home for the week. It was a beachfront villa, gorgeous and romantic. We fell asleep to the sound of crashing waves every night. We ate fresh local fruit and sipped guava nectar with breakfast. I splashed in the ocean and had a fabulous prenatal massage and facial at a resort spa nearby.
It was our last night before going home. Ethan had ordered a lavish meal from a local restaurant and Leo set up a candlelight dinner on the beach for us all to share.
“See, I used the glass lanterns from the porch to put our candles in—shields the flame from the ocean breeze,” Leo said.
“Resident lighting expert right there,” I said, kissing his cheek, “It’s perfect.”
I stroked the curve of my rounded belly affectionately, savoring the silky fabric of my sundress. We talked over the wonderful time we’d had relaxing and sightseeing.
“We can all rest assured that the baby will have all the straw purses, sun hats and handmade baskets he could ever need,” I said, “Thank goodness we went to the market in town.” Everyone smirked at me. My enthusiasm for the local handicrafts had been a running joke for days.
“I’m sure that big straw bag will be great for him. Who wouldn’t want a diaper bag that doubles as a tropical souvenir?” Noah said, “And there’s the added bonus that the splinters from the bag can stab us every time we reach for the wipes.”