Page 44 of Enchanting the CEO

"What can I say? I have a big family, and we like visiting one another."

I pointed at the left. "It's going to be here, and the TV is going to be hidden in the ceiling and only lowered when someone watches it. I don't like TVs hanging around like pieces of art. The kitchen is going to have an island that adjusts to the height of the cook because Grandmother insists she wants to spend time here, too, and she can't help herself from cooking."

She tightened her arm around mine. "It’s cute that you want to build this so it fits your family too."

"Why not?"

"Indeed," she murmured.

"Want to go upstairs?"

"Sure. You’ll have a basement too?"

"Yes, but only for storage. And there's going to be a gym upstairs."

The staircase was wide enough that we could walk side by side.

"This is the most unstable part," I informed her.

"All right."

Two steps later, the wood creaked. We both stopped moving, and I tightened my grip on her waist.

She swallowed audibly. "It's fine. My foot didn't sink in or anything."

We went up the rest of the stairs to the second floor without any other suspicious sounds.

"There are currently five rooms here, but I'm going to tear down some walls and make it three instead: my bedroom, a workout room, and an office. And then on the next level will be three en suite guest rooms."

"This is going to be quite the home!" she exclaimed.

"I've always wanted to have a proper home office," I said excitedly, leading her into the room where it was going to be. "I'm actually going to bring in my mom's old desk. I've liked it since I was a kid. It’s one of those ancient things. My designer is struggling to fit it into the modern design, but he’ll work it out. I'm going to put it right here." I pointed at the spot in front of the window.

"This home is going to make you happy, I can just feel it. Although I probably would have set it up completely different."

"How would you set it up?" I asked. "I'm genuinely curious."

"Well, I don't actually need a home gym, just a mat to do my yoga. I'd prefer actually joining a gym. I’ll do that, you know, once I've gotten my life together." She avoided looking at me. “I think I'd probably use all these rooms for the bazillion kids I'd have."

I swallowed hard. My breath was trapped in my throat, which took me by complete surprise. I hadn't expected her to speak about this so openly.

"You want a big family?" I asked her.

"Don't you, with all the brothers and half-brothers you have?"

I shrugged. “I didn't buy the house with that purpose in mind. It's not something I ever planned for."

"Well, I'm not really planning for it either. But this house is inspiring."

I raised a brow. "So you don't, in fact, want a gazillion kids?"

She looked as if she was fighting herself. "Well, I did, some time ago... Doesn’t matter. Anyway, no matter the setup, this is a gorgeous home.”

“I agree. I'm glad I snapped it up."

"I'm so happy for you, Gabe. It's so good when you're finally able to fulfill your own dream." She walked closer to the window, and I followed her.

"What do you dream about?"

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