The problem with looking at houses was that Bo loved every single one of them. After they looked at the fifth house yesterday, Lauren asked her which one she loved the most and Bo couldn't decide. Lauren pointed out the various things they would need to do to each of the houses and talked about the practicality and logical reasons for each place. Bo realized she was so damn eager and happy to start her life with Lauren that she didn't really notice any cracks in walls or musty basements or creepy neighbors.
Bo was still on cloud nine, but she felt like it was allowed since they'd only been engaged for two weeks now. It was still new, and she had never felt more loved and happier in her life, so why wouldn't she want to show that off? Why wouldn't she want this feeling to last as long as it possibly could? She wasn't ashamed of buying that stack of bridal magazines when they were grocery shopping the other day, despite Lauren's intense blush when Bo explained to the checkout clerk how she was marrying the most amazing woman ever and showed off her ring. She wasn't even ashamed when they went out to dinner on her night off and she did the same thing to their waitress.
Lauren was supposed to leave soon for two nights across the country, and Bo realized it would be the first time in several months that they wouldn't sleep next to one another. She was a little apprehensive about it but didn't want to make Lauren feel like she wasn't capable of breathing without her there. After all, when the semester started again, both of them would be back to their intense busy routines, except they would be planning a wedding on top of that. This is one reason why Bo knew Lauren was pushing for them to find a house before the semester, so they could be settled completely before her busy semester took over her time.
Bo also did something she never thought she'd do; she asked Trick if her schedule could change when the semester started. Rita was asking for more night shifts, since that was when the real money came in, and Bo had a feeling she would get tired of that late night commute every day. It would be okay on the weekends, but it would almost be like she'd never get to see her fiancé if she kept her same schedule now. Starting in September, when classes started again, Bo was going to be a morning person for the first time in her life. She would still pull doubles and night shifts on the weekends, but during the week, she would be managing the lunch crowd at the Dal, and Trick loved that idea as it gave her a chance to start officially learning how to run the place.
Eveything felt perfect and happy in her life, and that's what made Bo brace herself for impact. She knew the bad was coming, even if she tried desperately to hold onto the good a little bit longer.
Bo could admit she was scared of how fast her life was changing, but she had a great partner in Lauren, who was no doubt just as scared for the same reason. Those fears didn't mean they were giving up and not working on building a home and family together, though, and Bo loved that. Being married to Dr. Lauren Lewis was going to be one epic adventure; that was for certain.
They had appointments to look at several more houses today with their realtor, who Lauren apparently knew. Bo could tell she wasn't admitting that it was because they dated years ago, since it was obvious from how flirtatious and touchy-feely Mary Alice was with Lauren. So, when Lauren admitted they went out a few times but nothing ever really happened, Bo found she could tone down her jealousy. It also made Bo start to actually look at the houses with a fresh eye and not through love-colored lenses.
That's why when they found the perfect house, the one that Bo could really imagine them raising a family in and coming home to, she wasn't surprised when Lauren smiled at her with that knowing smirk because she felt it, too. They had found their home, and it was only a thirty minute drive to the Dal and campus; they could even commute on weekdays, as it would discourage Lauren from staying super late and would give them more couple time to and from work. The house was too close to the Light part of town for Bo's liking, which put them way too close to Lauren's parents; that was the only fault Bo could find with the place. It was the perfect, manicured suburban home with the right amount of land and privacy.
She could picture Lauren cooking dinner in the ridiculously nice and spacious kitchen. Cooking out on the back patio while the kids played soccer in the backyard. Tamsin and Kenzi and Trick coming over to spend holidays in the big living area, complete with a fire roaring in the background and stockings hung from the chimney with care. She could picture opening the French doors leading from their bathroom into the master suite and finding Lauren sitting in bed reading and waiting for Bo to join her. She could picture them arguing about who mowed the expansive yard because Bo had no idea how to even start a mower and Lauren was apparently terrified of push mowers, which just made her all the more adorable. They could pay a neighborhood kid to mow the lawn for them, but Bo noticed when they were driving through the neighborhood that the perfectly manicured landscaping was because most of the residents in this community seemed to hire someone to do it for them, if the various trucks parked in the street sporting names like "Grass Tamers" and "Scott's Landscaping" were any indication. Bo knew her lover well enough to know Lauren would want to try doing it themselves before resorting to hiring someone, though she did make a mental note of the names just in case.
By the afternoon, Lauren had called with an offer on the house, and Mary Alice seemed both surprised at the quick response and positive the offer would be accepted. Lauren laughed when she found out the previous owner was actually a guy she had graduated high school with, who was apparently the hockey star at her school, though Lauren was sure he wouldn't remember her because she was so much younger than he was and they didn't exactly run in the same crowds. Mary Alice turned out to be a gossip and told them he was divorcing his wife and needed to move the property fast. Lauren said she was glad this was the perfect house for them and the only one they would be buying because she didn't want to fool with realtors who shared people's private business like that. Bo worried a bit that buying a divorced couple's home was a bad omen, but she really loved that house and really loved Lauren, so she decided to think of it as making the house its intended happy home instead.
Since it was Bo's night off, they even decided to start looking at furniture, paint, and various other things like countertops and doors. Lauren said she loved the space but wanted to customize the kitchen. Since the place came with no appliances, she was extra excited about that, which only made Bo smile at seeing her being enthused and dreamy about buying this house and stepping away from being Logic Lauren for a minute. They would find out about the offer tomorrow, but for tonight, they could dream.
They made plans to meet Kenzi and Tamsin at the furniture store before they went out to dinner on this side of town, since Lauren said they needed to see how children interacted with the furniture before deciding on what to buy for safety purposes. She was just teasing, but it was a little true that Tamsin and Kenzi were a bit spastic and clumsy so it made sense to have them jump on the beds before they committed to the world's least safest furniture. Besides, they were dreaming, and they both had promised a best friend double date, so it was time to make good on that promise, even if all of their dinners anymore were best friend double dates with Hale sometimes thrown into the mixture. Tamsin had yet to bring Jo with her.
"Ohmygod, this is heaven. This is the only thing we need." Bo relaxed as she laid inside a dark cherry oak four poster canopy bed. One thing she was going to miss was her big bed at the clubhouse, and Lauren had agreed they could find something similar if that's what Bo wanted. "The bedding and drapes are even perfect. I can picture us fucking on this bed, and it is magical."
"Bo, geez." Lauren blushed and dropped her voice, looking around to make sure nobody heard them. Bo crawled across the bed on all fours, not caring that the other patrons saw her pulling Lauren onto the bed and pushing her down on it. "Besides, that master bedroom is huge. We need more than just a bed in there or it'll echo."
"Mmm…you're not selling your case here, babe. I like the idea of hearing how your voice echoes when I…" Bo moved to whisper in her ear but was pushed back slightly by Lauren. "Spoilsport."
"There is such a thing as too public." Lauren sat up in the bed but pushed back. She had long ago sent the salesperson away so they could browse in peace. This was their first stop of the numerous furniture stores in town anyways, and they had no guarantee they would get the house, even if Mary Alice seemed positive. "I'm not discounting your thoughts and desires. I'm just not sure here is the appropriate place to openly voice them."
"You know one day I'm going to get you to have sex with me in public, right? Trick's study at the Dal doesn't count." Bo pushed her head up on one elbow so she could look up at Lauren, imagining this as their marital bed and getting to do those delicious things in private. "And before you panic, I do know this is too public. Even for me. I like the thrill, but I don't like to share you with others. I can get a bit jealous and territorial, in case you haven't noticed what you've signed up for."
"Well, look at this. Our moms are settling in for the night." Kenzi crawled into the bed behind Bo and tackled her, surprising the hell out of her because she had no warning she was even there. Tamsin walked around to Lauren's side but didn't get into the bed with them until Kenzi moved to pull her on it with them. "Come on. We're supposed to be the kids so they know if their stuff is safe for children."
"Gotta say, what we walked in on just now? I hope this place you're buying has some really good locks on the doors or you teach your children to knock before they learn to walk in and find their mommies 'playing a game' they won't be allowed to play until they're forty if Aunt Tamsin has any say in it." Tamsin huffed as she righted herself but didn't get out of the bed. The four of them were sitting on this bed in the middle of the furniture store, and it really felt like they were a family. "Seriously, guys, tone down the lust vibes. People were walking around thinking this was a porno shoot."
"No. You just hoped it was a porno shoot." Kenzi smirked before crawling in between Lauren and Bo, just like a child and the cockblock she was. "We found your living room. Black leather sectional and matching ottoman. We figure if you're going to give up the leather biker look in exchange for the suburban mom look, you could still have a little bit of Bo in your home."
"I don't know about leather furniture, Kenz. Tends to stick to your body, and I can't promise I won't be sitting around naked a lot." Bo loved that look and could imagine it in their new living room. It really would feel like her decorating style. They already decided on black and white with reds and dark oranges as accent colors, which was quite an interesting argument, and the black leather living room suite would fit their decorating plan. Lauren could even move that living plant wall in there if she wanted.
"Actually, I like black leather furniture." Lauren surprised her because that would have been the last thing to expect coming from the practical partner. They all just looked at her, and she shifted from the attention. Considering their little spats lately about what they wanted, Bo just smirked at her fiance. "What? It's easier to clean and doesn't attract smells as badly as fabric upholstery. I know Bo will want a dog one day, and despite my many objections, it will be a couch dog. Just as long as it's nothing tiny; at least make it cocker spaniel size so I won't roll over on it when I'm asleep."
"You owe me ten bucks." Tamsin held out her palm to Kenzi, smirking in victory as the young woman huffed and pulled the money from her pocket, not happy about it. "Told you I knew my best friend better."
"Well, you should owe me ten bucks for finding them practically humping on a bed in the middle of the furniture store. I know my best friend, too, and I totally called that." Kenzi held out her hand but Tamsin just chuckled before pocketing the cash.
"We were not humping on the bed." Lauren moved from the bed, taking Tamsin with her before their children started to fight. Bo had to chuckle because Kenzi had no idea how close she was to calling it.
"We never made that bet; it was just you talking out your ass." Tamsin stood taller, almost challenging Kenzi, and Bo couldn't imagine how these two managed to live together and not kill each other regularly.
"The bet was implied." Kenzi pouted a bit, as Bo finally sat up and wrapped an arm around their other child. "I'm getting hungry. Let's bounce and find some grub. Mama needs her some carbs."
"I thought I was the mom." Bo smiled as she finally crawled out of this bed, making note where it was so they could come back to look at it again if they didn't find something better. Again, she needed to look at things without her love-colored lenses and not jump on the first bed and piece of furniture just because her impulses and imagination told her it was perfect when really any bed or surface was perfect and she could imagine taking Lauren on anything.
"Oh, honey, you were never the mom." Kenzi joined them, and the foursome made their way back out of store but not before Lauren was handed a card by the guy who hounded them earlier.
Dinner was a lot more of the same bickering and teasing and flirting back and forth. It felt good to know this was the start of their family. Eventually, Lauren and Bo would move into their dreamhouse and get a dog and have children. Kenzi would marry Hale and have beautiful little nieces and nephews for them. Tamsin would…do whatever Tamsin does. Maybe with this Jo woman, maybe not; as long as she didn't ever make a move on Lauren, Bo was okay with that intense connection her fiancé shared with another woman. It was different than her and Kenzi yet so similar, and Bo completely understood the need for that and would never let her jealousy get in the way of that old friendship unless it was absolutely necessary. She trusted Lauren, but she still didn't know enough about Tamsin to trust her yet.
Regardless, Bo was finally getting to start that family she never knew she wanted until Lauren came into her life. Now, it was the only thing she could think about. It's why she knew it was time to sit down with Trick and start to get answers about her father. She wasn't sure she wanted to meet him, but she did want to know who he was so she could completely and fully give her entire self to her future wife and their real future children. Bo Dennis needed to know her lineage, and for the first time in her life, it wasn't because she was dying to know who she was; no, she knew who she was without a doubt now. That had never been clearer. Now, she wanted to know for genetic reasons; Lauren's talk about passing on DNA and health factors and risks to children really hit her hard when they seriously considered children as part of the long term equation. It was about the same time when Aoife showed up and they met Lauren's parents again, both of them dropping hints that Bo could know her father if she wanted to, and now, Bo thought it was time. Not so much for her sake but for the sake of her new family.
They closed on the house tomorrow, so they had spent their time packing up everything in the loft. Bo hated leaving Lauren to keep packing, though Tamsin was coming over to help during one of their dinner nights, but she had a shift at the Dal. Trick would've given her the night off if she wanted, but she decided it was the perfect time to actually talk to him tonight about her father. Plus, Lauren insisted and encouraged her to go, eyeing her for making excuses and not being responsible. They had a month before they actually had to be out of the loft, and they did plan on painting the entire house and finishing the kitchen before officially purchasing the furniture and appliances they picked out. Still, Bo felt bad for leaving her to pack without her.
They were going to take an air mattress to the house tomorrow night so they could spend their first night there together. Bo switched shifts with Kenzi so she could spend the entire day and night christening the floors as they decided whether they wanted to change the carpet in the bedrooms. The rest of the house was tile they actually liked and hardwood floors that would be rebuffed and treated once they were done painting the place, so Bo planned on taking an extra large blanket to christen those rooms. Lauren was supposed to be leaving on her first professor lecture thingy in a few days, and Bo wanted to make sure Lauren knew without a doubt that she had a home to come home to if any of those college coeds or other professor types hit on her without Bo there to knock them out. It was one reason Bo really wanted Lauren to wear an engagement ring, so she wouldn't have to worry about people hitting on her insanely hot fiancé, but she knew Lauren was right about her job, and she had long since gotten over being upset about it, especially when she'd remember why Lauren didn't want an engagement ring was because she never wanted a reason to take off her wedding ring, even when she was working. So, Bo had to make sure to completely satisfy her lover in their new home so she wouldn't even be tempted to stray, and that would require a lot of christening of the rooms.
Imagining how they'd break in their house was what kept Bo from being overly nervous about approaching Trick tonight. She had already missed her opportunity a handful of times, and he was starting to eye her with suspicion since he was helping her tend the bar when it would get super busy.
"Okay, kiddo, what's on your mind?" Trick eventually made the decision for her, as she just smiled in relief at him for making the first move. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's perfect." Bo cleared her throat and tried to hide her nervousness behind her smile. "Maybe a little too perfect."
"Then why have you been staring at me like you're going to pass out at any second? Something's obviously on your mind." Trick had been an excellent grandfather, taking care of her the best he could despite aging and running a bar. Bo didn't remember a lot of her early years living with him because a lot of it was spent in court rooms, and she was too young to really understand much other than her mother was going to spend a lot of time in jail away from her and she was going to live with her grandfather. She found out later Trick had to fight to keep guardianship over her because he ran a bar, which was not the ideal environment to raise a child. Bo still didn't know how he convinced them it was the right thing to do, but she was glad she had somebody like her grandfather to fight for her like that. He used to say they were blood, and he willed it to be, so it happened. He joked and called himself the Blood King, and the nickname stuck, even if she hadn't called him that in years. "Bo?"
"What? Huh?" Bo came out of her head to see Trick staring at her with his concerned grandfatherly eyes.
"You sure everything's okay? Did something happen with Lauren?" Trick looked down at her hand, obviously making sure the ring was still there. Bo wasn't sure why he would automatically assume the worst. Was she really acting that out of sorts?
"Lauren is great. We're great. Still getting married." She held up her hand to show him the ring again, chuckling a bit. "We close on the house tomorrow."
"That's great, Bo." Trick wasn't always in on everything with her life, and she wanted to change that because she did miss her grandfather. "I'll be happy to help with anything you need."
"Of course." Bo cleared her throat and realized something, not able to hold back her smile. "I'm getting married, Trick."
"Yes." He narrowed his eyes, seemingly amused at her constant enthusiasm about it.
"No, I mean I'm getting married, and…you're my grandfather." She moved forward, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking down at him and no longer nervous. "I've been trying to figure out how to ask you to tell me about my father, but I want you to know that whatever you tell me doesn't change the fact I want you to give me away."
"I would like that very much." Trick stood a little taller, his chest puffing out a bit like he was genuinely proud before he deflated again. "But I'm not sure how much I can tell you about your father."
"Aoife told me he was the Wanderer, and Lauren's parents actually found out and know who he is when they ran a background check on me." Bo laughed a bit, knowing just how difficult her in-laws were going to be during this entire wedding process. Lauren said she wanted to wait to announce their engagement to them until after they settled into their home completely and could invite them over for dinner one night so they could see how serious they were about sharing a life together since the house would be tangible proof.
"They ran a background check on you?" He seemed to stiffen, which was an immediate tell that he knew something.
"Paranoid in-laws. I've already decided to sign the prenup when they ask because I don't want to fight them about marrying Lauren." Bo had put that on her to do list Lauren encouraged her to make about wedding plans. She was still trying to decide if she should even fight to take Lauren's last name, since it wasn't like hers was the real deal considering her mother made it up to hide her from her father. She had assumed it was his last name, so finding that out really was a delayed hit for her. It made names all the more important to her, and she would love to be Bo Lewis, but she doubted the in-laws would ever allow that to happen.
"They know him?" Trick closed his eyes and let out a hard breath, not really that surprised. "Of course Stella would know him."
"Yeah, he's apparently some big benefactor to their foundation or something." Bo chose to ignore that Trick knew Lauren's mom's name and said it so casually because her mind did not want to go there at the familiarity in his tone. Her mind always went to bad places, and Trick did have handfuls of women over the years. Watching him was how Bo learned how to pick up her first woman, actually. Still, the thought of Trick and Lauren's mom? Bo did not want to go there. Besides, Stella Lewis was too married to her job and position to risk it on a fling with a bartender. Plus, she would've found out on that background check that Trick was her grandfather, and she didn't say anything. Then again, would she have said anything? "The thing that gets me is that they knew he was my father before I did. It got me thinking that somebody somewhere knows about our connection, and I was hoping you could help me out because I know you know who he is, too."
"I'm not surprised they found the connection, actually. There is a paper trail, but it's buried and the Lewis family no doubt had the means to unbury it." Trick let out a breath before motioning for her to follow him in the back after he motioned for Sally, the only waitress on duty right now, to look after the seemingly empty Dal. Bo hadn't even realized how much it had cleared. Trick closed the door behind them, but Bo refused to sit down even though she wanted to. "He saw you when your mother was arrested and on trial, apparently. He approached me one day at the courthouse because he's a very smart man and figured it out. He requested a DNA test, and I agreed only if he helped me gain custody of you and did not interfere in your life. I refused child support, and we had a short legal hearing to make sure he wouldn't take you away from me before we had it confirmed. He was still in college at the time, but he seemed eager to know you. I couldn't blame him because you were an amazing and beautiful child."
"Wait. He wanted me?" Bo narrowed her eyes, breathing heavily through her mouth as she tried to process this. Suddenly, she really needed to sit down, so she made her way to the couch and almost missed it as she sat down.
"For all the wrong reasons. Your mother hid you from him for a reason. He's not a man you want to know. Even at that age." Trick came to sit down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She was too shocked to shrug it off.
"All this time, he wanted me, and you never told me?" She looked at him, trying to rein in her anger and not react immediately, doing the breathing exercises she'd learned from Lauren to help calm herself. If she wanted Trick to tell her more, she had to refrain from just yelling at him and stomping out of here.
"My daughter was young and in love, so I didn't think anything about it until she came to me pregnant and scared of what he'd do to her, so we made plans to keep you safe. Her mother, your grandmother, was always much better about talking to her, and we were still both heartbroken at her passing. Aoife had at least enough sanity left to recognize you would be better off without him and especially his family." He moved his hand away from her shoulder, probably sensing it wasn't welcome. "She wanted you to be raised in a house of love; not deceit and anger."
"She had a funny way of showing it." Bo didn't remember much about those early years, but she could recall her mother never paying attention to her and just dropping her off at Trick's sometimes last minute.
"We'd just lost your grandmother the year before, and I wasn't completely healed from that enough to see what it was doing to my own daughter until it was too late. His family, your other family, are not good people, Isabeau." Whenever Trick called her by her full name, she knew he was serious. That didn't make it hurt any less that he had lied to her for her entire life. It was one thing to know who her father was and just lie about not telling her that, but to lie about him wanting and knowing about her? "I'm sorry for never telling you. If it was anyone but him, I would've told you long ago."
"I think I need to go home." She looked at Trick, now breathing through her nose and trying to calm herself but finding it extremely difficult. This was too much, and she regretted having asked now. He was right that she was better off not knowing; it was easier and didn't matter who he was anymore when she thought he didn't want her, but to find out he knew about her and did want her changed the game a little. She wasn't sure what to do with this, and she had a desperate need to go home and kick Tamsin out so she could crash into Lauren. She didn't want to deal with this just yet.
"Of course. Anything you need." Trick was a great grandfather. Bo needed to remember that he did what he thought was best for her and he had actually fought for her and raised her and loved her and made her a good woman. She needed to remember that because it was the only thing keeping her from slapping him as she walked out the door, grabbing her keys from behind the bar before rushing to the one person who seemed to always calm her down and feel loved when she felt the most alone and lost in the world. The fact that she wasn't rushing to ruin Kenzi's date with Hale and it didn't cross her mind until she was already en route home only made her marrying Lauren all the more real. For better or worse. And right now, Bo wasn't so good.