New Beginnings (2 page)

“How many bedrooms is it?” I asked.

“Four,” the real estate agent said.

“No. We need six or more.”

Cassandra looked at me with wide eyes. “How many kids do you think we’re going to have?”

“I want guestrooms for company. And I’d like an office.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“But I was thinking about…eight.”

“What?” she shrieked.

I laughed, loving how I freaked her out. “Just kidding, baby.”

The real
estate agent eyed us. “I have a few other places I can show you. But, I have to be honest. There are a lot of bidders for these homes. It’s unlikely you’ll get it.”

“Even if I pay in cash?” I asked.

His eyes widened. “You mean the down payment?”

“No. The whole thing.”

“Um…I’m sure that would help.”

“Great,” I said. “Problem solved.”

The real estate agent looked at me like I was crazy. “Sorry, what do you do again?”

“I’m the CEO of Logistics Software Company.”

“Oh.” He nodded his head. “Wow. Okay.”

Cassandra glared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Do you have to throw your money in people’s faces?”

“I wasn’t,” I argued.

She walked off then headed out the door. I watched her ass and immediately felt aroused. I kept thinking about that baby bump. I didn’t know what it was, but it got me excited as hell.

“We’re going to look at the next house,” I said.

“Sure,” the agent said.

We looked at a few but none of them were the right fit. Cassandra didn’t seem particularly interested in any of them.

“What kind of house do you prefer?” I asked when we were in the car.

She shrugged. “They are all fine.”

“I don’t want you to be indifferent to the house we raise our family in.”

“I’m just not used to this, Mike. My brother and I shared a room until we were ten because there was no room. Then he moved into the garage. All these houses are mansions to me. I guess it’s hard for me to imagine living in any of them.”

I gripped her hand. “I understand.”

“So, you pick.”

“You make all the calls. A house isn’t a home unless the wife adores it.”

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind living on the beach…”

I smiled. “Like Sean and Scarlet?”

“But if that’s too much—”

“I can buy you any house you want.”

“I don’t want to be greedy.”

“You aren’t.” I leaned over to her side of the car. “I want you to have the house you want. Thank you for telling me.”

She kissed my chin then the corner of my mouth.

I liked it when she did that. My hand went to her stomach and I felt the small distention. “This really gets me hot.”

“Why?”

“I have no idea. But you somehow look hotter pregnant.”

Her cheeks reddened. “I’m a little self-conscious about it.”

“You shouldn’t be.” I lifted up her shirt and kissed her stomach. “It gets me harder than titanium.”

“Looks like I’m going to get laid a lot.” That playful look was back.

“More than you can handle.” I rubbed her nose with mine then drove to the next house.

We reached a house down the street from Sean’s. We were less than a half a mile apart. As soon as we pulled up to the front, Cassandra’s eyes were wide. A brick wall surrounded the property, and a two story white house stood behind it.
The lot itself was almost an acre, and it had a large yard. Plus, it was right on the beach.

“Wow,” Cassandra whispered.

I knew she loved it. We didn’t even need to go inside.

We walked on the property with the realtor. The walkway to the front of the house was paved with brick. The grass was dark green from a professional gardener. The tall trees cast shade across th
e yard, shielding us from the sun. Cassandra stopped and surveyed the area. She was totally mesmerized.

I trailed back and spoke to the realtor in a hush tone. “Are there a lot of bidders for this place?”

He nodded. “A dozen.”

“Add us to the list.”

“Do you want to see the rest of the house first…?”

“No.” I came back to Cassandra then grabbed her by the hand. The house had a porch that wrap
ped all the way around, on the first floor and the second. We entered inside and took a tour. Cassandra was quiet but I could tell she loved it by the look on her face.

She felt the gra
nite counters in the kitchen then inspected all the large windows. The hard wood floors were touched by her bare hand, and she inspected all the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the porches. I didn’t speak and let her take her time.

When she headed to the back porch, she moved past the patio and the gazebo, and then inspected the large pool. More trees were placed on the grass. After that was the ocean. She and I walked together until we reached the sand.

Despite the roar of the waves, it was absolutely silent. The curve of the shore hid the neighboring houses from view. It was peaceful. I still held her hand while I studied her face.

“Let’s get it,” I said.

That snapped her out of her thoughts. “Really?”

I nodded.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it as much as you do.”

She took a deep breath and stared at the ocean. “I just can’t imagine living here.”

“Well, start to.” I pulled her back to the house, where the realtor was waiting.

“So, you still want to get it?” he asked.

“Yes.” I squeezed her hand.

“The bid is fourteen million.”

Cassandra touched her chest and gasped. “Holy shit.”

“My bid is sixteen,” I said.

“What?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s way too much, Mike. I had no idea this house was so expensive. I’m so sorry. We can get something cheaper.”

“Excuse us.” I pulled her away. “Cassandra, I can afford it.”

She looked torn. “I don’t know…”

“Do you have any idea how much money I make?”

“I don’t want you to spend all that money on me.”

I gave her a firm look. “It’s not just for you. It’s for all of us.” I eyed her stomach. “Now let’s get it.”

She still looked unsure.

“I’m getting it whether you want me to or not.”

Her hand moved to her stomach. “When we were standing on the beach, I…I saw
my son and I playing in the sand. It was just a daydream, but it felt so real. I can see us raising a family here.”

“Then we have to get it.”

“If you’re sure,” she whispered.

“I’m more than sure.” We walked back to the realtor. “We’re ready to proceed.”

“I will notify the owners of your offer,” he said.

“Has anyone else offered more money?” I asked.

“A gentleman offered twenty million.”

“Then I change my bid to twenty-five.”

He didn’t react. “Very well, sir.” He made a note on his iPad. “I will call them when I return to the office.”

“Thank you.”

He shook my hand. “Good day.”

“You too.” I guided Cassandra back to my car then opened the door for her. After I got her inside, I moved into the driver’s seat then took her by the hand.

“I hope we get it,” she whispered.

“We will.”

“Houses aren’t necessarily awarded to the highest offer,” she said. “People usually want to make sure their homes are taken care of. Or if they know the person who’s interested in buying.”

“If our offer is rejected, I’ll offer more money.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

When we got back to my apartment, I immediately pulled off her shirt then pressed kisses against her stomach. That round bump always made me excited.

“I should get used to this, huh?” she said while she lay on the couch.

“Yep.” I turned my head and pressed an ear to her stomach.

“You won’t hear anything, Mike. It’s too early.”

I moved up the couch then snuggled beside her. “When did this happen?” My hand rested on the bump.

“That night we hooked up.”

“Hmm….how?”

“I hadn’t been taking my birth control like I should. I was too depressed and days started to blend together. And when we were together, I didn’t want to use anything. It wouldn’t feel right.”

My hand moved to her waist, touching her gently. “Well, your transgression was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Her eyes softened. “Me too.”

I stared into her eyes for a long time, trying to understand she was real. I’d been without her for so long and now my world was right again. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and that was finally happening. “When do you want to get married?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “We don’t have to rush into anything right now.”

“Well, that depends. Do you want to get married because your stomach is noticeable, or did you want to wait until after the baby is here?”

“Oh. I didn’t think about that.”

“Think about it now.”

She was quiet for a long time. “Would you want to get married that soon…? Honestly, we haven’t been together that long.”

“Of course I do. Breaking up only reminded me how pathetic my life was without you. I don’t need to be with you for years to understand you’re the right person for me. I’m not going to be like my brother and waste ten years. And I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks about us. All that matters is what we think.”

She cupped my cheek then felt my faint stubble with her thumb. “If it isn’t too quick, I’d like to get married before. I think it would just be easier.”

“Done. I’ll marry you tomorrow.”

“I think it will take longer to plan than a day.”

“Okay. You start planning and we’ll get going.”

“Um, excuse me?”

“What did I say?” Did I let something stupid slip?

“You have to ask me first.”

“Oh.” I smiled then rubbed my nose against hers. “I’ll ask you good.”

“Then you should meet my parents.”

My heart fell. “You want me to meet them when you’re knocked up?” God, I hoped her dad didn’t keep a bunch of guns in the house.

“We’ll be fine,” she said.

“Easy for you to say…”

She smiled at me. “Wow. Mike is scared.”

“I’m not scared,” I said defensively. “It’s just not how I prefer to meet my in-laws.”

She rubbed my arm. “I don’t care what they think, Mike. They could hate you forever and it wouldn’t make a difference. But I really don’t think that will happen. They’ll see how happy you make me and that you intend to marry me. It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want them to think that’s the only reason why I’m marrying you.”

“Who cares? I know the truth.”

I stared into the bright green eyes I loved so much. “You’re such an awesome chick, you know that?”

She shrugged. “So I’ve been told…”

“When did you want to do this?”

“I’ll call them and arrange dinner.”

I sighed. “And then I’ll ask for permission…”

“You don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. I’m already yours.”

Hearing those words made me happy and sad at the same time. The past three months without her stung. I couldn’t believe how happy I was now. It made my previous depression even worse. And it made me feel like a jackass for what I did with Laura.

Cassandra caught the look. “Mike, don’t.”

“Can you read my mind or something?”

“No. But I can read your eyes.” The back of her hand moved across my chin, feeling the stubble. “You can’t hide from me.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Now let’s go to bed. I want you to stick it to me good.”

That got me hard. “I can do that.”

She walked down the hall and disappeared into my room. I chased after her like a dog on the scent. When I entered the bedroom, she was in the bathroom. I stripped off my clothes and lay on the bed, my cock in the air. I placed my hands behind my head and waited.

Cassandra opened the door, wearing a thin black dress that pushed her breasts up. They were perky and voluptuous. My cock twitched slightly at the sight. It was short, barely covering the goodies down below. And her bump showed. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“You like this?” she whispered.

“Uh…yeah…um.”
I’ve never been more turned on in my damn fucking life.

She gave me a playful smirk then switched on my iPod stereo. A slow song with a good beat came on. “I can be a stripper too…”