Page 56 of Taming Bull

Instead of heading for the freeway, we drove a handful of blocks deeper into the neighborhood, coming to a stop in front of a little gray bungalow. Bull parked, offered me his arm, and dismounted behind me. Removing my helmet, I shook out my hair and looked around. I could feel his gaze on me as I took in the wooden “For Sale” real estate sign with “Pending” clipped beneath it. Thick bushes lined the sidewalk and the sides of the house. A concrete driveway led to an attached garage, and a concrete walkway led to a freshly painted red front door that looked inviting.

Bull linked his arm in mine and tugged me forward. “Come on.”

“Where are we?” I asked.

Before he could answer, the red door swung open and a bubbly blonde in her mid-thirties stepped out to greet us. “Hello, Deryk, good to see you again.”

“Jenna.” He nodded. “This is my girlfriend, Lily.” To me, he added, “Jenna’s my real estate agent.”

Bull had a real estate agent? Confused, I shook the hand she offered and tried to sort through the scraps of information I’d collected.

Jenna walked back into the house, and Bull nudged me to follow her. We stepped into a living room. The stark white walls held a few nails and looked like they could use a good washing and a coat of paint. The carpet beneath my feet had seen better days as well. I couldn’t see much past the two archways leading out of the living room, but the place smelled clean, and it was bright and airy.

“Do you have any questions?” Jenna asked.

I had so many, but she wasn’t talking to me.

“What happens now?” Bull asked.

She went through the archway at the back of the room to the left, leading us through a square dining room and turning right toward a small kitchen. Stopping at the bar that separated the two rooms, she pulled her briefcase over her shoulder and started thumbing through it. “Now that your offer’s been accepted, I just have a few more forms for you to sign, and then we’re looking at closing mid-September. I’ll let you know the exact date once we hear back from your lender.” She set a manilla folder on the bar and opened it. “I’ve marked all the places you need to sign with sticky notes.”

“Thank you,” Bull said, glancing at the folder. “Do you mind if I show Lily around the place first?”

“Not at all.” Jenna glanced at her cell phone. “In fact, I need to step out and make a call. Just leave the folder on the bar when you’re finished, and I’ll grab it before I lock up and head out.”

I watched her go back the way we came before spinning on my heel to face Bull. “You bought a house?”

“Yeah. You want to see the rest of it?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course, I want to see it. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

He chuckled. “Didn’t want to get our hopes up until they accepted the offer. I know it’s not much to look at, but Spade said it has good bones and everything it needs is cosmetic. Won’t take much to fix it up. The roof is only a couple years old, and all the plumbing and electrical was rewired in the late nineties.” Bull led me into the small kitchen. The cabinets and laminate floor were dated, but the large window over the sink opened the space up, making it bright and welcoming.

“We’ll need to shop for a stove and refrigerator. A couple of bar stools. Spade’s giving me a stellar discount on new cupboards and granite countertops. Said he’ll even help with the install. Good thing, since I have no clue what I’m doing. Stocks offered his services too. I can’t tell you how lucky we are to have knowledgeable friends who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and help.”

My cheeks were burning from smiling so hard. “I still can’t believe you bought a house.”

“Crazy, huh?” He grinned. “The flooring is all shit. I figured we can install hardwood.” He led me through the dining area to a small laundry room. “Maybe tile in here. We’ll need to buy a washer and dryer, too. Maybe a stackable set, since the space is kind of tight and it’s just the two of us.”

The way he kept including me in his plans made my chest swell and my smile grow impossibly wider. I was so damn happy it was all I could do to keep from bursting at the seams.

“The walls can use a coat of paint, but I figured we’ll do that once we know what we want to do with the floors. Then we can color coordinate and shit.”

He led me back through the living room and around to open the door to a small coat closet. Another door led to the bathroom. Like everything else, it was small, but it did have a clean tub and shower combo, a toilet, and a sink. The windows over the shower let in a lot of natural light, which seemed to be the theme of the house.

“Tile in here, too,” Bull said, frowning at the worn, dated vinyl flooring before leading me into a small bedroom. “I was thinking new carpet for the bedrooms, but maybe it’d be best if we put wood down in here, too. Then we can use some throw rugs to cozy it up. Maybe put a little desk and chair in here, and you can use it to study when you have to test again.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I followed him into the slightly larger bedroom across the way.

“This is the master. The closet’s kinda small, but neither one of us have many clothes, so I think it’ll work just fine. I can always use the closet in the spare bedroom if we run out of space. We’ll need to shop for furniture.” Bull’s eyes lit up. “Not gonna lie, I’m looking forward to picking out a bed with you. Probably can’t fit a king in here, but a queen would do nicely.”

All his plans for his new house included me. Emotions choked me and kept trying to leak out of my eyes.

“Come on, let me show you the rest of it.” Bull sounded somewhat disappointed as he gave me a quick tour of the garage before leading me through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. We stood on a raised wooden deck that needed to be stained and sealed, and looked over a weed-filled yard surrounded by a tall wooden fence. The space would be perfect for Brahma.

Tears I could no longer blink back, streamed down my cheeks.

Concern clouded Bull’s eyes as he wiped them away. “I know it’s not much, but there weren’t many options in my price range that had space for a dog. It’s close to the shelter and the fire station, and if we put in the work, we can sell this place for twice what I bought it for and find someplace better. In the meantime, we’ll be able to stay together. I’ll be able to spend every night with you, without having to worry about getting you home so you can take care of the dog and get some sleep.”

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