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He didn’t seem to notice I’d tuned out for a minute and I was grateful. I couldn’t just move in with him. At least not until the “I love you’s” were out in the open. It would be crazy to consider it otherwise, wouldn’t it?
Then why don’t you just tell him how you feel? A voice at the back of my mind nagged. I knew the answer to that question, though: it was because I’d developed strong feelings for both men. They were such exact opposites and both had amazing qualities and I had strong connections with each of them. Even in his absence, my feelings for Zack increased each day, just as they did with Dylan.
As we walked through the house, I was struck by its grandeur, but there was also something else I was struck by. The house felt very unlived-in. It felt more like a museum then it did a place people could call home. It was a shame.
“What are you thinking?” Dylan asked as we ascended the main staircase that led to the second floor.
I contemplated whether or not I should tell him what was on my mind, and decided that if we were going to continue to progress in our relationship, I needed to be open and honest about everything I felt so we could be on the same page. It wasn’t just my heart that was on the line, but also my career if this thing went sideways.
“I’m thinking this is an amazing house.”
“You must have had a pretty lavish upbringing, considering who your father was.”
“We lived in New York and we had a penthouse with a view of central park, three floors, about four thousand square feet. It was an extremely nice apartment. But considering it was New York there just wasn’t enough room to have a home so spread out like this one is.”
“Ahh.”
“And my father liked to spend money. He was always traveling, as is the situation with this line of work, and always staying at the finest hotels and so on and so forth. He had a lot of amazing qualities, but managing his own finances wasn’t at the top of those qualities.”
Reaching the top of the staircase, I was impressed at how welcoming the top floor looked. The walls were a beautiful maroon with cream trim and sconces were illuminating the hallway with a warm yellowish glow.
“There’s a variety of rooms up here. About half of them are bedrooms. Most of the space up here is never used.”
“It’s such a big house. It must be lonely when you’re here alone.”
“It can be. As you know, we’re not here much anyhow. I haven’t even had a chance to really make it a home.”
As he opened the doors to the rooms and showed me around the upper floor I could see what he meant. As beautiful as everything was, I could almost feel the emptiness. Half the rooms on the upper floor hadn’t even been furnished.
“And this would be the master bedroom.” Dylan opened the door and motioned for me to enter, before trailing behind me. The room was massive, with more space than was necessary that’s for sure, decorated in light blues and silver. Across the room was a set of patio doors, which I went immediately toward. Unlocking the doors, I opened them up and was hit with a gust of wind, which flipped my hair into my face. Brushing the stray lock of hair from my face, I walked onto the balcony.
“This is breathtaking,” I said as I looked out and surveyed the scenery. Below us was the pool I’d seen from the helicopter; the water was a pleasant blue. I’d have to take a dip later on. Lifting my gaze, there were hills to my right and to my left another mansion of equal size of Dylan’s, which made me wonder who his neighbors were.
“Anthony Fletcher.”
“Huh?” Looking up at him, my crow creased. “What do you mean?”
“The person who lives in the house you’re looking at.”
“The actor?” I loved Anthony Fletcher’s films. He did a lot of comedies that weren’t over-the-top silly, but just crazy enough to make tears come to your eyes from laughing.
Chuckling, he nodded. “He would be an actor, you are correct.”
Rolling my eyes, I gave him a swat on the shoulder. “No need to be sarcastic.”
Raising his hands to either side of him, he replied, “I swear I wasn’t.”
“Wow. This is quite beautiful. Dare I ask the price tag on this house?”
He grinned, looking down at me with a little guilty look on his face. “I don’t think you really want to know.”
I kinda did, but dropped the subject; it wasn’t all that important.
Suddenly his expression became serious, as he slid his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. “Do you think this could be a place you think you could call home?”
Sliding my hands up his chest, I laced my fingers around his neck as I stared up into his dark eyes. This man wore his heart on his sleeve. There was no game, just directness and honesty. “Yes, I know I could. I wasn’t sure if you’d been serious or if it was a heat-of-the-moment ask.”
“I’m not an impulsive man, Violet. I might be taking a leap of faith, but I’m hardly impulsive.”
