Chapter 8
Hal carried me to bed. He gently placed me in the middle. After he removed his boots and weapons belt, he joined me. "Stephanie, I have loved you for 3 years. I would love to spend the rest of my life as your husband. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. I would love to spend the rest of my life as your wife." He placed an emerald cut diamond surrounded by sapphires, set in platinum, on my left ring finger.
After kissing my ring, he gave me a panty melting kiss. "As much as I want to make love to you right now, I would like to wait until we're married. I have another gift for you." He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "All I need is your signature. Hector already gave me a copy of your divorce papers. We can file the paperwork tomorrow and get married in 3 days... unless you think it's too soon," he said as his face turned red.
"Hal darling, 3 days isn't soon enough." I took the marriage license application from his hand and signed it using a pen from the nightstand. "I was talking to Hector. His cousin Emilio is showing us 4 houses tomorrow. I was planning to ask you to live with me, but if we're getting married in a few days, it's unnecessary to ask. My account still has a hefty balance so I would like to buy us a home."
"Sweetheart, I have money saved. I can help you buy our home," he offered. When I tried to talk, he silenced me with a kiss. "You could be filthy rich and I would still insist on helping you purchase our home. We can discuss our joint finances once we are married. I'll even sign a prenup."
He helped me change into his T-shirt for bed. I removed my pants, socks and bra. He stripped to his boxers and pulled me tight to his chest. "I love you so much Steph. I can't wait for you to become Mrs Evans."
We fell asleep wrapped in our embrace. The next morning, Hal kissed my face as I returned to the land of the living. "Sweetheart, it's 5 am. If you want to run with me today, you need to wake up." I still hated exercising, but I really enjoyed our morning runs. He always slowed his pace to match mine.
Hal and I ran farther than our usual route. We arrived at my apartment 1 hour after leaving. "Steph, we ran just over 4 miles today." I was surprised. Just a few weeks ago, I barely ran 2 miles in an hour.
"Are you sure?" I asked, not quite believing him.
He showed me the distance we ran on his smart watch. "See here? It says we ran 4.2 miles today."
"Let's celebrate." I grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the bathroom. We quickly shed our clothes before hopping into the shower. It took all my willpower to not jump his gorgeous, firm body.
He allowed me to gently wash his body after he washed mine. His gentle touch sent my hormones into overdrive. The need to release the pressure building in my body increased as he stroked the loofa over my breasts. Sensing my dilemma, he stoked his fingers over my clit as he pulled on my nipples. I could feel my body shake as he pushed two fingers into me. My knees gave out as a powerful orgasm ripped through my body. Hal held me tight, my back against his front, preventing me from falling. His noticeable erection was pressed against my lower back.
I leaned my head back and moaned as he massaged conditioner into my hair. "You're spoiling me Hal. Let me take care of you."
He shook his head. "Sweetheart, I love spoiling you. Once we're married, you can use my body as you see fit." That promise had me squirming in anticipation.
Over breakfast, we talked about our wish list for the house. Hal wanted to build a sizeable gym in the basement. He wanted a huge kitchen and a media room. I asked for a large master bedroom with a huge walk in closet an ensuite washroom. A huge jacuzzi tub and a larger shower with multiple jets was mandatory for the ensuite. I refuse to settle for less. Hal also wanted at least 5 bedrooms in case our friends stayed the night, as they often do.
We somehow managed to meet Emilio at the first house for 8 am. The house was the least expensive of the 4 homes, but it was gorgeous. It has 4 bedrooms and a finished basement. A basement granny suite was accessible through a side door. Hal noticed the entry was very dark and not visible from the front of the property. We looked around the tasteful decorations, but decided it wouldn't suit our needs. Emilio gave us the address for the next house. "I'll meet you at the next house in 30 minutes," he said as he sat in his car.
I waited until Hal started the car before saying, "Hal, I loved the house, but the granny suite literally takes up the entire basement. I didn't see where we could build the gym." It also didn't have items on my wish list.
"I agree Sweetheart, we can cross that house off the list. Let's see what Emilio shows us next." He held my hand as we drove to the next house.
As soon as we walked into the house, I knew it was not the one I wanted. The 4000 sq foot house had opulent decor, but it was completely overdone. "Sorry Emilio, there's no point showing us around this house." I looked at Hal who readily agreed. "There's too much I would change in the foyer alone. I imagine the rest of the house is decorated in the same style?"
"It is. I won't waste anymore of your time here. There's a house around a 15 minute drive from Rangeman. Hector said I should show you that house next." When he gave me the address, I knew exactly where the house was located.
I asked myself, 'How do you know if this next house will be our home? As soon as Hal pulled through the open gate to park in the driveway, I had my answer. Without seeing the interior, I knew this would become our home. The 3800 sq foot house was surrounded by an 8 foot privacy fence on three sides with a monitored gate along the front. The 3 car garage was almost 40 feet back from the gate, nestled to the left of the house. If I hadn't helped with security camera installations, I never would have noticed the small cameras along the front of the house and garage. They easily blended into the facade.
"Hal, whoever installed the security system did a Rangeman quality job. I almost didn't see the cameras."
Emilio heard my comment, but waited until we entered the house before saying, "Hector installed the security cameras here. The owner self monitored the video feed." I could sense he had more to say, but remained quiet.
We walked into the kitchen. "Steph, this is the exact kitchen I pictured. Let's see if the basement meets my requirements." He held my hand as we descend the stairs. The basement common area was huge. I noticed 3 doors along the walls.
Hal opened the door at the back. A huge gym, complete with equipment and sparring mats, filled the space. I watched as Hal's face lit up like a child after opening his desired gift at Christmas. "Sweetheart, it has everything I could ever want."
Emilio followed us into the room. "The owner is including all this equipment with the house purchase." He led us back to the basement common area and through another door.
"Honey, we can use this space for a huge media room!" I exclaimed.
He looked closely at the walls and asked, "Emilio, is this room sound proof?"
Emilio referred to the house specs. "Yes," he simply replied.
The final door opened to a full bathroom, complete with a small dressing room lined with drawers and shelves. "Hal, there's a dressing room in here."
"We could store our workout gear in this room." He opened the double door closet and said, "There's a washer and dryer here too."
Emilio added, "Another washer/dryer pair is on the upper level in the main bathroom."
As we looked through each room, I was more convinced this was our home. I discovered 3 bedrooms and 2 washrooms on the main floor. Only one main floor washroom had a shower, the other was just a lavatory. All the bedrooms were equal in size. I could easily a king sized bed, nightstands and dresser in each room. The upper level had the remaining 4 bedrooms, including the master suite. Each room was slightly larger than the main floor bedrooms. I could easily fit a king sized bed, nightstands and dresser into these rooms.
The master bedroom had a huge walk-in closet. There was more than enough space for my shoe collection and clothes. A smaller closest was located next to the washroom door. I squealed in delight when I saw the ensuite bathroom. It had all my wish list items. "Hal. This is our house. I could see us living here, raising our children."
"Me too Stephanie. You can have the walk-in closet and I can use the smaller one. The ensuite has a linen tower for the towels and wash cloths. I think we should put an offer on the house."
Emilio gave us time to discuss our thoughts. He smiled, knowing we would purchase this house. I watched as he sent a text.
Hal sent a text to the Rangeman lawyer and his bank branch manager. I sent a text to my financial advisor, the Rangeman accountant and my lawyer.
I texted my lawyer, 'Hal and I are getting married in a few days. We submitted our marriage license application today. Can you prepare a standard prenup agreement for me? If we are to divorce, I keep my money, Hal keeps his. He is awarded the house and contents. Terms are nonnegotiable.'
We sat at the kitchen island as we worked through the offer. "Emilio, would the owner be willing to accept a cash offer for the house? Hal and I will pay the down payment today, and the balance when it closes in 30 days."
He quickly made a call, speaking in Spanish, "Papa, are you willing to accept a cash offer?" He paused, "Yes, my cousin's friends. They are offering you the listed price and are willing to close in 30 days... You are willing to close sooner?"
"Steph, Hal. Are you able to close sooner? The owner is willing to close whenever you're able to pool your finances together."
I looked into Hal's eyes and saw his answer. We quickly texted to ask how soon we can receive the cash. "I can have my share available in 10 business days."
Hal said, "My bank said the same. Would 15 days be alright?"
Emilio relayed the information in Spanish, "It will take 15 days... Thanks Papa, I'll tell them." He ended the call. "The owner accepts your offer. I'll take him the paperwork to sign."
As I signed the papers, I noticed the owner's name is Julio Sanchez. I pointed out the name to Hal, who wasn't the least bit surprised. Unlike me, Hal can speak Spanish. He must have heard more from the phone call than I realized.
"Congratulations. You are now home owners. I know you'll enjoy living here." He shook our hands as we exited the house.
"Hal, did you know Hector lives next door?" I asked as we sat in the car.
"No. I didn't think anyone knew where he lives. He's very secretive about his home," he offered an explanation.
"How did you know where he lives?" he asked.
"I was invited to his house when RJ visited me in April. We ate dinner as RJ explained the new game he was developing. Are you going to explain why you weren't surprised with the name on the offer?"
He laughed, "Emilio's father owns the house we just purchased."