Grinning at how uncomfortable he looked, I tapped the wheel. “Let’s go see our new house, then. I don’t know why you’re pissed. I loved the kit you kept pointing out, and really it’s what inside that matters most to me.” I shrugged.
Staying quiet, he backed out and started driving us toward the land, looking at me every now and then like he was waiting for my composure to crack.
When we were five minutes away from our destination, it did. Not because of what he’d done, but because of what he kept doing.
“For the love of Moses, Garrett, cut it out. I love that you did this and wanted us to have a home even though we haven’t exactly discussed where we’re headed long term, but it gives me an idea that you see us going the distance. Which might I add,” I leaned in closer to him and snapped, “is what I want. Us having a place with this story attached to it is perfect for me, but if you keep looking at me like I’m going to explode—”
I looked at him, preparing to make a point somehow and stopping when I saw him laughing. “Are you laughing at me now? Are you high? Seriously, did y’all stop a shipment of weed or something and take some for yourself? I saw it on the news once, like five years ago, so I know that shit happens.”
I’d been so caught up in it all that I hadn’t realized we’d come to a stop until the automatic cut off in the ignition stopped the engine. Then, given how quiet the land was, with me not ranting anymore, all I could hear was the water and nature around us in the quiet cab of the truck. Oh, and Clyde’s panting. Lucky for him, all of Garrett’s laughter was still silent.
“Oh, nice. You look at me like I’m a psycho about to explode most of the way here, and when I do explode—just not for the reasons you thought I would—you laugh.” I threw my hands up in the air, then undid my belt and reached for the door. “Shit face.”
That’s when the silent laughter became the total opposite as I slid out, and it seemed to be magnified by the inside of the truck as I stomped toward where the house was being built, with Clyde panting happily beside me. He loved it out here, but I’d have to watch him with the stream because he got slightly carried away when it came to trying to bite the water.
The great thing about kit houses was that they were quick to put up, they came in all shapes and sizes, and when I’d requested that we have something added on, it hadn’t been an issue because the company we’d been looking at sold ‘extras’. It was just a matter of having permission, land, the installation of utilities lined up, using one of their contractors and their team to build it… Okay, there was a shit ton involved in building a kit house, but it was easier than designing your own and doing it that way from what I'd been told.
I wasn’t sure how long they’d been working on it for, but I know that Garrett had been dealing with having a sewage system installed, gas lines, and shit since we’d closed on the land the week after we’d viewed it. He’d wanted to be prepared, which was smart.
I’d been trying to figure out how to add toward it with some of the money from my grandparents' inheritance, so I’d missed a lot of what he’d organized while I went through all of my options.
The answers were in the planning. Garrett organized whatever needed done utility wise, we’d purchase the kit house, and if or when we needed my money to help pay for it, we’d come up with a plan for it. My income from the school paid for college, but when I got my inheritance, we’d be able to pay the loan for the house off completely. I couldn’t have my name on the house just now, and I didn’t want my fake name on it, so it would be added once all my shit was done and dusted.
In front of me were the foundations, with the basement that had been included in the planning. Coming out of it was a wooden frame and on either side of it were long, tall piles of wood and boards, covered in a blue tarp, and machinery was scattered in various places.
Seeing it all, I should be picturing our home, a place we’d chosen together. But my mind went blank as Garrett walked up behind me and wrapped me up in his arms.
“Do you love it?”
Shit, what do I say? “Uh, yeah. It’s gorgeous.”
Seeing as how he had his front pressed up against my back, I felt him stiffen. Apparently, I wasn’t so great at acting. Spinning me around and lifting my face with a hand under my chin, he frowned as he stared down at me.
“What’s wrong? You’re pissed, aren’t you?”
“No, definitely not pissed, just…”
“Just what?”
Pushing against his arms, I gained enough distance between the two of us to throw my hands up in the air. “I can’t remember which house we chose. There were so many in the book thingy, and then came all of the other stuff we could add in, the ‘oh, I wish’ items we threw out there, the fact I liked the idea of the sheep in the background of a couple of the photos—”
“We’re not getting sheep,” he muttered, watching me closely. “So, you’re acting weird because you can’t remember what house it is?”
Chewing on my thumbnail, I nodded. “Muh huh.” When he stayed silent, I chanced a look at him to see him looking down at me with a huge grin on his face. “Why do you look so happy?”
The next second, I was up in the air and being spun around in a circle while Clyde barked next to us, and I screeched. Come on, suddenly being in the air with no warning was a scary thing, so of course I screamed.
Finally, he lowered me back down again after he’d staggered slightly. “Sorry, I got a bit dizzy.”
“Serves you right,” I breathed. “What made you so happy?”
Even though he was still swaying slightly, Garrett managed to hit the target when he leaned down to kiss me softly. “You did. No matter what you do, you don’t conform to any rules or regulations. I love that even though I need routines and for there to be uniformity in my life, you come in and establish your own ones that blow mine out of the water.”
That didn’t sound so great. “And that’s a good thing?”
“It’s perfection. When Raoul and Rose got together, I remember Hurst telling me at Ellis and Jose’s party that the most perfect matches were when people were complete opposites. He used Lars and Tony as the best example and said that Lars is more quiet and stern, whereas Tony was flamboyant and full of energy. When they got together, Tony gave Lars a bit more life and made him break his own rules, and Lars helped Tony quieten down a bit and establish them for once.”
I’d gotten to know the two men and their daughters since I’d moved here, and I had to admit that they were the definition of perfection together. Like Garrett said, they suited each other perfectly.
“And you think I do that to you?”
“No, I know that you do. I’d have lost my shit if you’d done what I did, but you’re just excited about it. I’d also have known exactly which model we chose, but you only care about us being inside it. My life has been regimented for years, and even without being active military, I keep it that way.”—he really did, including the rows of perfectly paired socks that he kept lined up in a drawer—“You’re not untidy in any way, but you don’t care if things get mixed around or messed up. You just want to enjoy your day as much as you can. Since I came into your life, you’re more organized, and I’m more relaxed.”