Page 87 of Unofficial

Jess and Kade looked at fifteen houses and couldn't find one they both fell in love with. Part of her wanted to tell him to look into staying in his condo, and she'd find a way to get over the memories of what happened in his kitchen. She starts to feel discouraged they'll never find a place they both love, and she hasn't told Kade yet, but she plans to move in right away. If they ever find a house.

At one point, he suggested renting an apartment, and when she was ready, he could move into her house. She loves her house, but they need some place that's theirs. Not hers or his but theirs. Kade doesn't seem as discouraged as she does, and he understands why she wants to find the right place. He wants it, too, and she can't get over how different he is from the man she walked away from before.

Kade also seems lighter. The past weighed down on him, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and finally admitting what happened lifted that weight. After a few more late night, post-coital discussions, he realized just how much what happened with his parents and Sam affected him. And how many decisions it affected, as well.

They've been looking for a house for the past six months, and she sits beside Kade as he drives to a house he wants to show her. He bounces in his seat as he holds her hand, and she has a strange sense of déjà vu. They've been here before.

"Didn't we look at this house already?" Jess asks as he pulls into the familiar driveway. "Yes, we did. It was the second house we looked at."

"You loved it, but it was missing the large bathtub as well as an updated kitchen," Kade says, hopping out and walking around to her side of the pickup before opening her door and helping her out.

The skirt of her white sundress with blue flowers blows around her legs in the warm breeze. Her powder blue wedge sandals bring her up past Kade's shoulders, and he laces his fingers through hers as he pulls her up the walk to the front door.

"Did they make changes or something?" she asks. "And where's the realtor?"

He takes a key out of his pocket and opens the door, guiding her inside. The large living room has exposed beams, and she loved the craftsman style of the house. It's a large ranch style house with a large master bedroom, his and hers closets with an en suite master bath, and three additional bedrooms. The backyard is large and fenced in, perfect for kids one day down the road, and if it hadn't been for the small galley kitchen and shower-only master bathroom, she would have moved in that day.

Without a word, he walks her into the master bedroom, and she smells fresh paint. And wood. "Kade, what's going on? Wait, is this room a little smaller than it was?"

"It had to lose a few square feet," he says and tugs her into the bathroom. "Losing closet space was a last resort."

Her eyes widen as she looks at a fully remodeled bathroom with a large two-person clawfoot tub with a steam shower. "Oh, wow. This is amazing."

"You like it?"

"No, I love it. Look at that tub! I've never seen a clawfoot that large before. I think three people could fit in there!"

"I think I'll stick with just the two of us," he says and winks. "And it's long enough for me to fit comfortably, too."

Tilting her head, she tries to put it all together. "Did they do this to get a buyer? Did we have common complaints?"

Kissing her temple, he guides her out without a word and into the kitchen. Well, what used to be the kitchen. Instead, she sees a laundry room.

"So, with the changes proposed, there had to be updates to the layout a little bit. Because there was already plumbing, it made the most sense to create a larger laundry room and use the small closet area the washer and dryer were before for the updated kitchen. Are you ready?"

Holy crap, if the kitchen becomes what she wanted, this is the perfect house. Absolutely perfect, and she feels her stomach flip. Is this their house? "Show me."

Smiling, he walks her into a wide-open area with more counter space than she dreamed of with dual wall ovens, a natural gas stove with a pot filler, and a large island big enough for five stools. "What do you think?"

"Oh my God," she gasps and walks up to the dark cabinets and runs her hands over them. Real wood, not fake. "Do you know what the countertops are?"

"Quartz," Kade says. "So?"

Jess turns around and smiles. "This is amazing."

"Do you love it?"

"Are you kidding? Is it still on the market? This is the perfect house. Good school district, large backyard, and now it has the two things I had as non-negotiables."

His hand holds up a key. "It's ours."

Her jaw drops. "What?"

"I bought it a couple of weeks after we saw it. I could tell how much you loved it, and I kind of manage construction for a living. The updates were just finished last week. I have movers bringing my stuff here tomorrow."

"This is your house?" For some reason, she can't wrap her mind around the fact he bought this house and did all the construction without her knowing a thing.

Walking over to her, he places the key in her palm. "Ours. Whenever you're ready, it's yours as much as mine, Jess."

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