Page 112 of Wilder at Heart
My eyes fill with tears. I can’t believe this guy.
‘Hey.’ He swipes a thumb under my eye. ‘Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. I can’t bear seeing those big eyes filled with tears.’
‘They’re happy tears,’ I mumble.
‘Good. Well, maybe we can use some of your savings as the dog fund. I haven’t got that part of the plan quite sorted yet.’
I sniffle. ‘Golden labs?’
‘Yeah. Maybe a dachshund, too. I’ve got very attached to Olive.’
As I gaze at the guy with the kindest heart I know, he stoops and picks me up so my legs are draped over his arm.
‘Come on, missus. Let me carry you over the threshold.’
This is definitelynota fixer-upper.It’s utterly perfect. The hall is large and square and flooded with sunlight, with huge rococo mirrors on facing walls and a round table bearing an enormous flower arrangement in the centre of its elegant black and white tiled floor.
Theo leads me through a vista of interconnected rooms. An airy drawing room with those enviably long windows looking out over the drive. Another, less formal living room whose French doors provide a glimpse of the verdant gardens that must lie behind that ancient wall. And then a huge kitchen, featuring the AGA of my dreams: glossy navy blue with brass hardware.
‘Apparently, there was a separate dining room, but the current owners knocked it all through.’ Theo gestures over to the far end of the open-plan room where a massive wooden table stands, anchored with low-hanging pendant lights and surrounded by three walls of glass doors.
‘It’s far better this way. I wonder if they’ll sell us some of the furniture.’ I can’t believe how quickly I’m assimilating into this new future.
‘Already asked,’ Theo says. ‘And yeah, they’re open to offers. Can’t imagine they’d want to lug that table with them.’ We wander over and he slaps a hand on its robust surface. There’sa wicked gleam in his eye when he turns to me. ‘I reckon this is pretty sex-proof.’
‘I’m sure you’ll sex-proof the whole house,’ I tell him, but the visual hits me between the legs.
Jesus Christ.
I’m going tolivehere.
WithTheo.
And probably get naked with him on every surface in the house (and garden).
How is this my life?
The upstairs is just as impressive as the downstairs. Half of the first floor is taken up with a massive master suite with plenty of space for sofas and armchairs, a double dressing room and huge bathroom. Double walk-in shower? Check. Roll-top bath overlooking the lush gardens? Check. And there’s an attic with further bedrooms and bathrooms. Plenty of room for visitors, and weekend parties, and…
I swallow.
‘This is definitely a family home,’ I say tentatively.
Theo’s smile is brighter than ever. He pulls me in towards him. ‘It is. Someday. If and when you’re ready.’
Baby Theos, waddling around. Gazing up at me with huge, puppy-dog eyes. I can’t even.
‘Let’s see if we can keep the dogs alive first,’ I tell him.
But it’s the gardens that are the real triumph: mature and manicured and beautifully maintained. The kitchen opens onto a vast, semi-circular terrace whose stone steps lead down to lawns dotted with gnarly fruit trees. Over to one side, behind an old wall, is the pool, and what I suppose is the hard-wired maternal part of my brain thanks the Lord that it’s closed off.
But what a pool. This section, our own little walled garden, is big enough for a large pool, a flag-stoned area with chunky loungers, and a charming cabana with a long sofa piled withcushions. A sofa I could flop on for hours with a book and never want to leave.
‘Definitely buying the garden furniture, too,’ Theo mutters.
He leads me over to the cabana and collapses on the sofa, tugging me down next to him. Nuzzles my ear.
‘What do you think?’ he whispers. ‘I know it’s a bombshell, and I suspect you don’t like being blindsided, baby. But I wanted to show you how serious I am about building a life with you that’s everything you’ve ever dreamed—not just the house, but the security I know you’ve never had. And also, of course, selling you on the fact that I’m the man for the job. Not Holmes, not anyone else.’
