DAHLIA ALDRIDGE
“I can’t believe I am actually sitting here with you!” My smile was impossible to contain as Edwina offered me a genuine smile, her normal ‘posh’ attitude completely absent in this environment. She still had the English accent, but she was actually very relaxed and genuine as we both sat at the large dining room table in Dermot’s home… Well, our future home? I wasn’t positive what to even call it anymore.
The guys were currently roaming around the house and relaxing because they wanted me to be able to talk to her without their input at first. Honestly, I wanted them to be a part of this as much as possible, but this seemed important to them, so I wouldn’t argue.
“Believe it.” She winked while opening her notebook and taking out some papers. “Now, Mr. Ross has sent over some notes on things you might like, but before we begin any of that, I want to hear what your vision is, in your own words. What do you consider the heart of the home? Tell me everything.”
I almost laughed hearing her refer to King as ‘Mr. Ross.’
I inhaled and really thought about it, wanting to be fully transparent with her, but still nervous about addressing our situation so directly. “Well, as you can probably tell, our situation is a bit unique.”
Her smile softened. “It is, and that’s one of my favorite parts of this project—it will be like nothing I’ve ever done before.”
Oh good.
I nodded, trusting her to take me seriously, and trying to express how I imagined our home. “I have always loved this home, so the idea of making it our own is almost overwhelming, to be honest.”
“Well, let’s start small. What is the most important thing to you?”
“Having a large open living space for our family,” I expressed. “I want somewhere that can fit all of us—our families, the seven of us, and any kids we have.”
Her eyes lit up. “I love that. I think that there may be one or two walls we need to take down, but this house, especially considering the time in which it was built, is surprisingly open.”
My mind kept whirling. “I also really like dark wood on the floors and railings, but everything else I prefer to be light and neutral. I want it to feel very open and peaceful but still warm.”
She nodded and began to write down some notes as I continued to explain everything I liked style-wise, from light fixtures to materials. Her smile grew as I spoke, her eyes meeting mine.
“What?” I asked softly.
“These men know you well—almost everything you’re saying appears in the papers they put together.”
My cheeks heated. “They do know me, you’re right.”
Turning the page, her eyes meet mine. “Which brings me to the rooms upstairs, mainly the bedroom count.”
Oh, man.
I nodded, and she spoke candidly. “Normally I would suggest guest bedrooms for visiting family, but I don’t think that will be a problem in this situation?”
I nodded in agreement.
“Perfect. So what do you imagine the sleeping arrangement to be?”
“All of us in the same bedroom,” I answered immediately. “I would like everyone to have their own office or workspace, a place to relax and get away if needed, but I would like to all sleep together.”
She nodded and said, “One custom bed on its way.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that, but her next question threw me for a loop.
“Now, you mentioned children—do you have an idea of how many bedrooms you would want for that?”
My eyes widened as I looked towards the boys, who were relaxing and talking. I blushed as the number instantly popped into my head, feeling like it was far too many. I looked back at her and spoke quietly. “At least six, but I don’t know what they want…or how to ask them that, exactly. This is all fairly new.”
Actually, I was almost positive I could ask them and they would have an answer, but they were so over-the-top that I couldn’t tell if they were joking or not a lot of the time.
She nodded in understanding. “Let’s plan on having six children’s bedrooms and then maybe a larger ‘bunk room’ just in case.”
I nibbled my lip in contemplation. “Let’s do eight, but I like the bunk room idea as well.”