Page 47 of Falling for Him
“You have electricity over there yet?” she asks, nodding toward my place.
“We do,” I reply. “It’s not completely lit up because we don’t have all the light fixtures installed. But there are spotlights and stuff.”
“Okay,” she offers me, still giving me no indication of what we are doing. My pulse races as we reach my side of the lake.
“Lexi.” She doesn’t look over at me, remaining fully focused on the house.
We climb the makeshift stairs that lead up to the back door. “I hope you have the keys,” she says, holding out her hand and I reach into my pocket.
She smiles when I place my keys into her hand.
“It’s the one with the blue key cap on it.”
I watch as she flips through the keys until she finds the right one and lifts it to the handle.
It may seem strange to anyone else, but to me, seeing Lexi unlock my house gives me a sense of excitement. A hope maybe for the future, a small peek into what could be.
“Here,” I say, slipping past her once the door is open and plugging in the dual spotlight in the living room. Instantly it lights up the entire area and I continue moving through the space, plugging in a few more. “We aren’t putting up any lights or fans until all the sanding and painting is done.”
I turn around and watch her as she turns in a slow circle, taking everything in.
“Living room.” I hold out my arms signifying the large space along the back. “Floor to ceiling windows, but if you look in from the outside they are privacy so people can’t see in as easily.” She nods, still taking it all in. “Then the dining room, the kitchen, with the island separating the two. The sink goes here.” I stand at the large island. “Never saw the purpose of having a sinkfacing a wall. Who wants to do dishes or be rinsing things and staring at the wall.”
I’m trying to get a response out of her, but she seems to be in some kind of a trance, still looking over the space carefully, taking in every little detail.
“Two bedrooms down this hallway, with a bathroom in the middle. But the bathroom can also be accessed from the living space. The master is on the opposite side, with a large bathroom and walk-in closet.”
Lexi slowly goes one way looking at the master and then she walks the opposite side the house, looking at the two rooms and adjoining bathroom.
“Laundry room is right off the kitchen.” I open a door and she peeks inside. “I don’t have a light in there right now but there isn’t much to see.”
“What’s this?” I turn around and find her holding up the things that came earlier today that I had left sitting out.
“Rock climbing holds.” I reach in and pick up a few of the rubber jugs in the box. “And this is netting.”
“What do you plan on doing with all of this?” She picks up a few of the jugs herself, turning them in her hands and looking over them.
Instead of answering her I point upstairs. “Game room, library, and an all-around fun zone up there.”
She looks up and smiles. “Can I see it?”
“There isn’t much to see besides an open space, but yeah, you can see it.”
As she climbs the stairs I follow closely behind. The upstairs isn’t quite as large as the downstairs, but it’s decent sized. There is only one room, which is for the library with a large window seat for reading. The only other closed off space is a half bath. The remaining space is a large loft, overlooking the lower level.
“So you plan on putting in a rock climbing space up here?”
I point toward the back wall that also goes up into a large peak. There’s only two long narrow windows that overlook the front yard. “Since when do you rock climb?”
“It’s more for Camryn.” I shrug, pushing my hands into my fronts pockets and rocking back on my heels, suddenly feeling a little nervous that she might tell me I’m crazy.
“I’m picturing games, movie nights, and a place to burn off energy. Big bean bags chairs, maybe a couple hammocks, just a space to unwind and have fun.”
“I can’t believe you.” Here we go, my chest grows tight. Lexi takes a few steps in my direction, closing the distance between us. “You thought of her and me.”
“Of course I did,” I say. “I told you I want a life with you. You don’t think I know that means with Camryn too? Hell Lex, even if you and I didn’t work out I’d still want Cam in my life. She’s my little buddy and you,” I grab her and pull her in for a hug, resting my chin on her head, “you are my girl.”
Her arms encircle my waist and she hugs me tightly.
