Page 7 of If I Didn’t Have You

The sad part was that he flushed red in embarrassment. He really thought this was my style, that I had wanted all of this crap all along.

“You could have changed it at any time.”

I quirked a brow at him. “Like when I tried to get rid of the old hutch?”

“It was a family heirloom!”

“And it’s hideous!”

“Mom would have been angry if we’d gotten rid of it.”

“Well, your mother doesn’t live here anymore, and I’m tired of hating every aspect of my house. We’re going to redo it, and we’re going to do it the way we want it.”

His eyes lit with excitement. “I could move my deer heads in here.”

Smiling, I strode up to him and patted his cheek. “Honey, when I said the way we wanted, I really meant the way I wanted. There’s no way I’m sitting in the living room with beady eyes staring at me.”

“But—”

“Come along,” I called out, marching out the front door. “There’s more to add to the list!”

As Ben grumbled to his sons about the new projects around the house, I went to the den and started clearing away all the crap he’d left lying around over the past few days. Empty bags of chips, beer bottles, and wrappers from candy were scattered everywhere. It was like walking into a teenager’s room, and I had already been through that stage of my life. I was done with it.

Once everything was clean, I walked over to the window, pulling the shade to bring some light into the room. The window was absolutely huge, and with a view of the mountains filling the space, it was hard to believe that he kept it so dark in here.

Staring out at the wondrous landscape, I remembered how I saw this view when we were first dating, and how I thought that maybe one day, I’d like to paint those mountains. Of course, that was just a pipe dream. I got pregnant almost immediately after we got married, and by then, any hopes of living out my own dreams were squashed.

But my kids were out of the house now, and I finally had the chance to do something for me.

Spinning around, I took in the large space, imagining where I could put an easel. Of course, the room would need some brightening up. These brown walls would have to go right away. No one could possibly be inspired in a room like this.

And those heads…

I grimaced at the deer watching my every move. Those would definitely have to go. What I needed was someone to help me redecorate this place. And I had two daughters and two daughters-in-law to help me make a change.

Sending them texts, I only heard back from Krista and Bailey, which wasn’t a surprise since Lizzy was most likely sleeping in and Blake was probably already working her next case.

Meet me at the house in half an hour. We’re going shopping!

I quickly showered, tossing my hair up into a bun, then dressed in something comfortable. As I slipped into my orthopedic shoes, I briefly considered telling Ben what my plans were, but he would only try to talk me out of it. After all, the den had been his space for years. Well, that was changing. Now, I was going to have something for myself, and if he didn’t like it, he could lump it.

By the time I got downstairs, the girls were already waiting. “Ready to go shopping?”

Neither of them looked very thrilled. “What are we shopping for?” Bailey asked.

“We’re going to redo the den!” I beamed.

Both of them perked up at that. “When you say redo…” Krista hedged.

“I mean we’re getting rid of the deer heads and the boring brown, and we’re turning it into a room for me.”

Both of them widened their eyes at me. “And we get to help you?” Bailey asked excitedly. “What are you going to do with the space?”

“Well, I’m going to paint it, get rid of the furniture, and then I’m going to turn it into a crafting space for me.”

“Crafting?” Krista grimaced. “Is this like when you wanted to sew all our costumes for Halloween? Because you weren’t very good at that.”

“No, I want a place to paint. And I want to get a desk with a new computer.”