“Until now, until you,” I said huskily, “absolutely no one.”
She gasped as she turned my way. “Are you for real right now?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Why?”
“It’s so big I assumed you must have a live-in maid or a butler,” she admitted.
I choked out a laugh. “No butler, but I have Faye. She comes three days a week to do the laundry, keep the kitchen clean, do the food shopping and cook dinner. Then I have a cleaning crew come every Friday to clean the whole house deep. On Mondays, the gardeners and grounds crew come and on Tuesdays and Thursdays the pool people come and do their thing. There’s really no need to have any one live in.”
“Don’t you ever get lonely when it’s just you in there all alone?”
If someone had asked me the very same question four hours before, I’d have said no, and it would’ve been the truth.
Only when she arrived did I understand I had been lonely— for her. I just hadn’t realized.
“Not until today,” I admitted.
At the front door, I typed in the code and flung it open. Natalie moved to step forward and walk in, but I stopped her. Without explanation, I hoisted her up into my arms. She let out a little shriek of laughter, and I grinned like a fucking idiot as I carried her over the threshold.
“Jordan!”
“Natalie,” I answered with a smirk.
“Why are you carrying me?”
“Because I need you close,” I replied.
The happy sounding sigh she let out as she set her head on my shoulder made my heart feel full, and everything was right in the world. I carried her past the foyer and through the living room, setting her down in front of the wall of glass that looked out to the yard and the sea.
“Welcome home, Angel.”
She gasped as she looked out at the view. “It's incredible!”
I grinned as I walked over to the coffee table and lifted up the iPad that all of the house things were programmed in. With the touch of a button, the windows began to slide open. Natalie squeaked excitedly as I set the control down and grabbed her hand before pulling her outside.
We stepped out to the covered outdoor patio, a large space that had a big sitting area on one side and a huge table with seating for twelve on the other. The ceiling fans whirring above us moved the air around, so the area was always cool. We didn’t stop and relax on the patio. Instead, we continued forward, out across the grass and past the pool and spa to the end of the lawn. The house was at the top of a bluff overlooking the ocean, and the view was astounding. Natalie lit up as she stared out at the sea.
“This is incredible,” she raved. “I could stay right in this spot all day long.”
I gestured to another small seating area with a few recliners and a four-person table to our right. “You can. I spend as much of my time out here as possible. I do a lot of work right at this table,” I explained.
“I’m so in,” she said with a big smile. “This is heaven on earth.”
I made a sound of agreement, but I wasn’t talking about the yard or the view of the ocean. I was talking about Natalie. She was my heaven. Her enjoyment of our surroundings settled me because it was another sign that she would settle in well to what I now considered our home. Linking our hands together, I guided her toward a large round lounger so we could sit down. She sat first, and when I followed, I pulled her right into my arms. We stayed like that for a few minutes—her snuggled up to me watching the view, and me watching her.
“When did you move here?” she asked.
“I bought the land five years ago, and it took three years to build the house. I’ve been here a little bit less than two years.”
We talked for a few minutes about the process of choosing the land and building the house, and then her stomach let out a little growl.
“Sorry,” she chuckled. “I haven’t eaten since the bagel I had before I went to school earlier.”
Rising from the lounger, I pulled her up and started to walk back to the house. When we got into the kitchen, I sat her down at the island and then went to the fridge.
“Faye made lasagna for dinner last night, so there're leftovers of that,” I said over my shoulder. “I also have a thing of California sushi rolls, tuna salad and all kinds of deli meat. I make a mean grilled cheese and avocado sandwich if that appeals. Are you hungry for anything specific?”
“I love anything cheese and the addition of avocado sounds delicious. Can I help with anything?”