Page 68 of Falling for Him
When the man turns around to face me, he is actually smiling.
“A rock climbing wall,” he says with one simple nod. “Will this space serve as,” he pauses and I realize he wants me to explain.
“Large projector screen, for that wall there.” I point to the solid white wall that separates the library and us. “Oversized chairs,bean bags, I imagine a desk with art supplies and yes, a rock climbing wall. A kid fun zone. A perfect place to hang out with family and friends when it’s not so comfortable outside. A place to unwind and enjoy being a kid.” I shrug, not really knowing if I answered the question to his liking. But it was the truth. I want Camryn and any future kids to have a place they feel safe in.
“Camryn lost something no kid should ever have to lose.” I look away from the guy and don’t even try to talk low. I want him to hear me clearly. “She lost the two people she adored, the two people that kept her world turning. She suffered tragedy that I know made her at one point feel as though she would never feel safe again. I love her like she is my own, I want to give her back that sense of security that was ripped from her. I want her to have a place that she calls her own. I need her to know that no matter what, this home is hers.”
When I loop back to find both him and his assistant watching me, I feel my stomach tighten.
“I would have loved a place like this when I was a kid,” he says with a smile.
“Me too,” his assistant says and I instantly feel relief wash over me.
“You’ve built a beautiful home,” he tells me, walking over and holding out his hand. “She’s gonna love it here.”
Right then, I want to hug the man. I feel like he literally handed me the key to the world.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Lexi
“What color doyou want to paint that wall?” Bennett asks Camryn as she stands in the middle of her new room, spinning in a circle, taking it all in. She is in heaven, in complete awe that for one she is moving in with Bennett, and second that this will be her room. The room is actually as big as hers and mine combined plus some at the apartment. She has her own bathroom and a huge bay window with a window seat overlooking the lake.
“I want it all purple,” she says. Well, she more so yells it in excitement. “Every single wall and I want purple rugs and purple pictures and purple covers.”
“How about we do one wall purple and then get someone to paint a picture of wild purple flowers on that wall?” I try to save us all from purple overload.
“Yes.” She jumps up and down. “And butterflies. Lots and lots of butterflies in the sky, and pretty clouds, and a frog.”
Bennett laughs. “A frog?”
“Yes.” She turns around facing him. “A frog with a crown hanging half off. Like a king that needs kissed.”
“There will be no kissing,” Bennett interrupts with a scowl on his face.
“Not me silly.” She rolls her eyes in the cutest way and all I can do is sit in the doorway of the bedroom, leaning against the frame, watching them.
I love listening to them and watching them interact with one another. It is adorable, the sweetest thing I’ve ever witnessed before. She adores Bennett, and she would give her whatever she wanted even if it meant living in an ocean of purple. But the way she is changing, getting so comfortable and more open with her emotions and facial expressions. It is such a great joy to watch her come into her own.
“We need to put a tower too, with a princess in the window with long blonde hair.”
“Cam, isn’t that a couple different storylines mixed into one?” She is thinking ofTangledandThe Princess and the Frog.
“Yes, but I want them all,” she says without pause and with a serious expression.
“But maybe we should?—”
“We can do it,” Bennett says, glancing over at me with a smile. Just one example of him caving to make her happy. We will have to have a talk about this at some point, but for now, I let him have it. This is him doing everything he can to ensure that she has a home she loves. He wants that so bad, that I sense it. He is the same way with me.
Camryn runs out into the living room, saying something about showing her dolls the loft. Bennett walks over to me, holding out his hand. With mine in his, he pulls me up until I am standing before him. Leaning in he offers me a soft kiss.
“Do we need to paint a special picture on the wall in our room?” he asks with a smile.
“No, the sage green is perfect. Thank you for that by the way, I know it wasn’t your first choice.”
“I would have painted it pink if that’s what you wanted. Having the two of you here is worth living inside of a Barbie movie set.” He chuckles and I know he would suffer, though I’d never make him.
“Do you think she’s excited?”
“That is a ridiculous question and you know it.” I know he just wants to hear it. He already knows it to be true. “She’s in heaven. But I think I’ll be able to talk her out of so much purple.”
“Don’t you dare.” He wrinkles up his forehead. “My mom has a friend that knows a local artist. I’m gonna have her reach out and paint that entire wall with every damn princess she wants. I can’t wait to see her face light up. I want this house to be a home. I want everything the two of you want. Coming home to share it with the both of you is the best part for me. I don’t care about the colors of the walls, or the pictures hanging, I don’t care if we have frilly towels, I care if the two of you love it.”
“We do,” I assure him. “But you should also know that our favorite part too is being able to share this home with you.”
