Hello everyone, happy Monday!
In hopes that everything turns out great in today's negotiations, here's a little update.
Hope you enjoy it!
Happy reading!
Xoxo
-Nina
They were living in their own little bubble of joy and love, and after all they had been through, this was the most precious thing they had.
After a shower and some more cuddles, Adam invited Kim out for lunch and they both made the best of the rest of the day alone since they were picking up Gracie later to take her for ice cream. When her mom told her that Uncle Adam and Aunt Kim wanted to do something with her, she almost jumped all over the house bursting in excitement.
They weren't sure what exactly they wanted to eat, so after walking without a specific destination in mind for a few minutes they found a cute little restaurant with tables outside that gave them a very nice view of the water.
"That was nice." She said getting back into his truck. "The food was really good and the view was lovely."
"I don't think I can give an honest opinion."
"Why's that?" She asked while she buckled her seatbelt.
"Because all I looked at was you." He answered with a charming smile and closed eyes, before reaching closer to her to peck her lips.
"Aw. You're so sweet." She kissed him again. "So, are we picking up Gracie now?"
"Oh look at you, naughty girl. You didn't have enough with our little work out this morning?" He inquired and watched as her face began to get red.
"That's not what I meant. I just think it's still kind of early." Kim answered quickly until she rolled her eyes after seeing him laugh. "I can't believe I still fall for that, every time."
"That's because you're adorable, and innocent and lovable."
"Shut up."
He laughed again. "You're right. It's early."
"So what are we doing in the meantime?" Adam just wiggled his eyebrows and she lightly punched him on the shoulder.
"Ouch. I don't see why suggesting to have sex with my girlfriend is such a bad idea."
"Because I know you're playing with me." She answered confidently with an all knowing look on her face.
"Does that mean that you would say yes if it were true?"
"Adam, why would I say no to sex with you?" Her tone was dead serious and it shocked him. He wasn't expecting that kind of honesty, only because he knew how embarrassed this topic usually made her. Kim kept her straight face for as long as she could, until she started giggling. "Look who got whom now, Mr. Jokester. Now you know what it feels like." She shrugged her shoulders proudly.
"So it wasn't a real question?"
"It was real."
"Good. My alpha male ego is slowly healing." He joked.
"So, where are we going?"
"It's a surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" Kim asked excited.
"If I tell you it wouldn't be so surprising, would it?"
"Ok. Fine. Am I going to like it?"
"I hope so."
"Is it only for me?"
Adam laughed. "Are we going to keep this game going the whole way there?"
"If you don't tell me what it is, then the answer is yes."
Kim thought it was fascinating how sometimes she ended up doing the exact same things she would scold her students for. This was a clear example of first grader behavior.
"In that case, keep them coming." He glanced over at her and he could tell she was having fun with the situation. "I guess it's not only for you."
"Oh. Ok. Um, let me think harder." She took her index finger to her upper lip and stayed silent for a while. "I know!"
"Let's see."
"Are we getting Gracie a puppy?"
"No." He answered laughing. "We're not making her a baby cousin either." He stopped briefly to push his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "I mean we probably could, but I don't think it would be very appropriate."
"So it basically could be anywhere except an alley or a hotel room."
"Yeah, that's pretty accurate."
He kept driving for some minutes and Kim kept asking him questions that led her nowhere. The only thing that made her stop talking was Adam killing the engine of the truck.
"This is it?" She asked, looking around the street. It was a nice looking neighborhood, pretty suburban.
"Uh huh." He took a deep breath and turned in his seat to face her. "Before I tell you what the surprise is. I need you to answer a question for me."
"Shoot." She said smiling.
"How serious are you about our relationship?"
The way her brows furrowed almost scared him. "What, what do you mean? Where is this question coming from? Did something happen?"
"No, nothing bad happened. I just want to know."
"Adam, come on. You know this, I'm all in."
"Ok, because what I'm about to say may be a lot and it's ok if you're not there yet."
"Are we visiting your mom?"
"No, it's not that. I haven't reached her yet."
"Ok. What is it then? Please don't keep me waiting any longer because I'm about to have a stroke."
"Did I ever tell you about my Aunt Esther?"
The brunette was running impatient. "Come on Ruzek, just cut to the chase."
"Ok, ok. My aunt Esther is a realtor. When we talked about moving in together I texted her and asked her to let us know what was available."
"Ok." She said with a beautiful shimmer in her eyes, she liked where this was going.
"So yesterday she called me and told me about this great opportunity that we should definitely check out, but there's a catch."
"What?"
"It's not a rental."
"So that's where your question was coming from. Babe, you scared the living hell out of me."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just, buying a house is a big commitment and I totally understand if you want to rent first to…"
She didn't let him finish. "To what? To see if you really are the love of my life? The man I want to be with every single day? Adam I don't need anything to confirm that, I already know it." She entwined her hand with his. "And I'm so willing to buy a house with you if you want that too."
"I'd love to start that adventure with you." He brought their hands to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "Wanna go see it?"
She nodded before she could speak. "Yes"
"Let's go."
"Is you aunt here?"
"Nope."
"Then, we will be transpassing?" Her question once again made him chuckle.
"No. The property is listed, so it's actually legal for us to check it out." She kept looking at him, waiting for the rest of the information. "Aunt Esther left the key for us in a little box next to the door or something like that."
"Oh. Is that safe?"
"According to her, realtors do that all the time. So I guess it is." She just nodded, his answer was good enough for her, and proceeded to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Ready?" He asked with a smile.
"Yeah, let's do this."
Once out of the car, Adam was quick to hold her hand, pulling his phone out of his pocket with his free one. After double checking for the correct number, he headed to the house and Kim followed expectantly.
It was a simple house, with a nice front yard and a small porch. They stepped forward to look for the key and see what was waiting for them inside.
The house wasn't very big, but it was the perfect size for a young couple who was about to start their own family. It has two stories, two bedrooms, a small office space and one bathroom. Kim instantly fell in love with the kitchen, it was wide with big windows that provided a view of the backyard. The kitchen and living area was an open concept with enough space for them to arrange their furniture around. Even though she was lost looking at every single detail in the inside, she caught Adam peeking out the window through the corner of her eye.
"The yard looks nice, doesn't it?"
"It does. Wanna go out and see it?" He asked, nudging his head over to the door in the kitchen that would potentially lead them outside.
"Yes." She practically jogged happily over to where he was and placed both hands on his shoulders, carefully standing behind him as he unlocked the knob. "I love it. It's pretty big, it has lots of potential."
"You think? I mean I would definitely have a deck out here or something. A couple of chairs, a grill." He said naturally as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I can see that happening." They were both looking at their surroundings, but Adam couldn't stop staging at one particular spot. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. That tree, though."
"What about it?"
"It's perfect for a treehouse. Gracie would love one. I can see them having sleepovers in it."
"Are 'them' our imaginary babies?"
"Um, yeah."
"And you are gonna build that house? And the deck?"
"Well, me, Kev and Jay ofcourse. Kit will probably want to help too."
Kim just listened to him and bit her bottom lip, trying, uselessly, to hide her huge smile. "I love you."
"Are you saying that right now because you feel sorry for me and my lack of handy skills?"
"No, I'm saying it right now because you're adorable and because I love all the big plans you have for the future."
"For our future."
"Yes, our future. It sounds pretty incredible to say it, doesn't it?"
"You bet it does. So, what do you think? Do you like it? I mean it's not like we have to settle for this one, we can keep looking."
"I actually think it's perfect."
"Yeah?"
"Uh huh."
"I think it's pretty cool, too."
"Great! So, what do we do now?"
"Well, I guess calling my aunt and talking real numbers is the next step and then see what she says we need to do."
"Perfect. Should we call her now?"
"Excited much?" He joked.
"Yeah, a little." She said nodding enthusiastically.
"Ok." He grabbed his phone and looked for the chat with his aunt to send her a voice note. "Hey Aunt Esther. Kim And I just came to look at the house and we loved it. Please let me know when we can call you and get together so you can tell us everything about it. Take care." He put his phone away and looked at his girl. "There."
"I can't believe this is happening. Can you imagine, you and I homeowners?"
"I can imagine the whole picture with you, Belle." He stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaving a kiss on the top of her head. "Did you like the surprise?"
"Yeah, it was the best."
"I'm glad. Do you think we should tell Gracie our plans today?"
"I think she'd be thrilled to hear it. Hopefully it'll help her forget she still hates us for going away without her."
"All she thinks about is her party lately. I think she forgot about our trip."
"That's exactly what she wants you to think. Believe me, she remembers."
"Let's go get her and find out."
"Ok but wait. Let's make this interesting."
"I like the sound of that."
"Really? if I don't recall wrong, you lost our last bet."
"Hey, taking Buggs home wasn't that bad. Plus, I got to hang out with you a lot, that was the best part." He quickly stole a kiss from her. "So what is it going to be now?"
"Hmmm, let me think. If I win, I want breakfast in bed tomorrow. But not any breakfast, I want waffles and scrambled eggs and bacon just the way you make it."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, for now. I might add some things later."
He chuckled. "Ok. If I win, I want morning sex before breakfast."
"Deal." She said, extending her hand out.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
When they got to Kit and Anne's place, Gracie was practically waiting for them by the door. The truck wasn't even parked, when the door shot wide open and Grace came running out.
"Slow down, Gracie. You're going to fall." Anne pleaded with her daughter walking after her.
"I'm not!"
"Hey bear." Kim greeted her once she was out of the car, feeling how the little girl jumped into her open arms.
"Aunt Kim! I missed you."
"I'm here too, you know?" Adam added walking over to the girls. "Hey Anne."
"Hey guys. I'm sorry about the excitement. It was a bit hard to control this time."
"It's alright. I sure missed these cuddles." Kim added sweetly. "How are you doing?"
"We're doing great. Getting everything ready for Gracie's big party next weekend." Anne replied.
"You're both coming right?" The cute little voice called everyone's attention.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. your uncle even took the bracelet invitation to Uncle Jay and Aunt Hailey's wedding last night."
"Really?" She asked excited. While Adam looked at his wrist only to confirm Kim's words.
"I guess I did."
"I'll show you pictures later. Your uncle looked pretty handsome."
"Like Prince Adam?"
"Oh no, muffin. I looked better." Both Kim and Anne laughed at his words. "It wasn't a joke. Don't listen to them princess." He said only to Grace. "Is Kit here?" Now the question was directed to Anne.
"Not yet. He actually went to the grocery store. Maybe when you come back you guys can stay for coffee or something?" Anne invited.
"Sounds great." Kim answered with a smile.
"Sure. We stop on the way here and bring Gracie's favorite cookies."
"Yeeeiii!!" She squealed still in her aunt's arms.
"Let's go get that ice cream!"
In only a matter of minutes all three of them were walking into Grace's favorite ice cream parlor. It was crowded due to the warm weather, so looking for a table and staying there wasn't really an option. Instead, they made their orders and once they all had their cones, they went to the little park right across the street.
They sat on the grass and for the first minutes all the adults could do was eat and listen to Gracie's endless stories about school, her friends and her party and when she paused for a second they knew it was their chance to speak.
"So, muffin. Aunt Kim and I want to tell you something."
"What?"
"We decided that we wanted to live together. What do you think about that?" He asked sweetly.
"That's cool, because you're together all the time." The freshness with which she delivered the comment made them both laugh. "When? Tomorrow?"
"No bear, not tomorrow. We just started looking at places. Today we saw the first one and we really liked it. But I think the whole process will take some time."
"And we want you to be a part of it." Adam added.
"Does that mean that you're going to invite me over or are you going to leave me like you're doing during summer break?"
"Bear, don't say it like that." She scooped Grace with one arm and brought her closer. "Uncle Adam and I just want a little holiday together. And about our new place, your uncle has big plans for you over there. So yes, you are welcome to come over as much as you want."
"It's fine. Mom and dad are taking me to summer camp anyway." She shrugged it off pretending she didn't really care.
"So you don't want to hear about the big plans I have for you?"
"Maybe."
"Oh come on muffin, don't be mad at us."
"Agghhh. Ok. I'll see what I can do." She said before giving a massive lick to the scoop on ice cream crowning her cone. "So what's that about plans for me?" She finally caved.
Adam told her all about the new house and what he wanted to do if they really did get it. It didn't take long for the little girl to get excited, she even asked them to take her to the house, and they drove past it on their way back to her house.
Gracie was delighted to shout the news as soon as she stepped into the living room, and the rest of the evening was spent at the Ruzek's having coffee with cookies, sharing stories about the wedding and their plans for the future.