Page 88 of Agony of Our Regret

I grinned at him, and he smirked.

A memory resurfaced that sparked an idea. One of our favorite things.

“A balcony off our room,” I began, and Vince opened his mouth, but I knew there was already one planned. “With a hot tub.”

Noah whistled. “Good idea.”

I grinned. “Like at the hotel in Park City. Only I want it attached to the room, so we don’t have to trek through the house when it’s cold out.”

Luca squeezed my thigh. “Love it.”

“Perfect,” Gavin pointed to Vince. “Got all that?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Vince pulled the laptop toward him and stared.

“While Mr. Builder gets working, let’s start upstairs and work our way down since there’s not as much up there.” Sky stood and offered me a hand.

We headed up the stairs while the guys took their time following. I continued to sip my hot chocolate, taking in the subtle changes they’d made since moving in. They didn’t add anything. These three weren’t into decorating, but I noticed a few things missing.

“You didn’t like the picture that hung here?” I pointed at the space at the top of the stairs. It was a floral arrangement I wasn’t particularly attached to, but it had been there since I first inherited the house. Since it fit the odd size space, I didn’t bother moving it or finding something to replace it.

“We just put away a few things that we could. We’ve already packed a few boxes down in the garage.”

“And you want to keep that one?”

“No.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped into the bedroom he was using, which had been my grandparent’s room. “Those were the donation ones. We kind of guessed at what you wouldn’t want, but we can always pull it out if you like it.”

I shook my head and sat on the edge of his bed. “I’m pretty sure I have everything I want from this place that was originallyhere. I’m more concerned about the new things we’ve brought in and whether they’d be useful in the new house.”

“Well, this bed is super comfortable, so I vote we keep it, but the dresser isn’t very functional.” He opened the top drawer. “They’re deceptively shallow.”

It was a black dresser we bought from a big box furniture store and not remotely sentimental or valuable. “Okay, we’ll donate or sell it.”

He stared at his phone and typed before looking back up at me. “Got it.”

“Taking notes?”

He nodded. “That’s it for this room. Not much in the bathrooms. We can take the towels and toiletries and replace them after we move, so it doesn’t become an immediate priority.”

“Good idea,” I agreed.

I moved into the hall and heard the guys still talking downstairs. “So much for helping.”

Sky smirked. “We’ll get this done faster without them.”

“Good point,” I giggled, and moved into the bedroom Vince was using. “Same dresser. Make a note of that.” I sat on the bed and cringed. “This is hard as a rock. Unless he likes it, we can get rid of this too.”

He typed, then stepped backward. “One more.”

Noah’s room was my mother’s and had her furniture with a new mattress.

“He’s made comments about how comfortable this is.” Sky tapped the bed. “We can keep it, but what about the bed frame and dresser?”

The vanity and nightstand matched the other two items and were made of white wood, genuine stuff that was hard to find these days. Fortunately, it wasn’t obviously outdated since theywent with a timeless, simple design. But did I want to bring the past into our new home?

Yes. It belonged to the mother I never knew, and without her, I wouldn’t have the guys in my life. However, she also abandoned me. She felt she had to keep us both safe. Knowing these items were once hers and that she might have even planned her escape with her cousin on that very bed wasn’t a reminder I needed every day.

“Sell.” They would be useful to someone else without the heavy memories.

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