He held out his hand for me, and I took it. The two of us ventured up the stairs with Bryan clinging tightly to Johnny’s car seat. The carpet that lined the staircase was plush underneath my toes, and I was thankful it was there.
“Johnny’s going to need all that cushion when he starts trying to climb these things,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it because that was my thought exactly,” he said.
We got to the top of the steps, and
that was when Bryan took the lead. He led me to the right before we hit the first door. He threw it open and showed me the sprawling bathroom, but it was decorated in the colors of Johnny’s nursery.
“This is our little boy’s bathroom. I figured he would want one to himself once he got older,” Bryan said.
“The nursery. Wait, my painting on the nursery wall,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got that covered,” he said.
“Bryan. How could you transplant walls into this house?” I asked.
“Trust me, okay?”
He led me out of the bathroom and down the hallway a little farther. There was a door at the end of it, which I assumed was Johnny’s room. But when Bryan threw open the door, I saw what he meant.
And my eyes settled on the most beautiful furniture I’d ever seen.
I walked into the room as my eyes scanned the walls. He had somehow taken my wall paintings and transposed them onto wallpaper. It covered the walls of Johnny’s nursery as the wooden furniture glistened in the sunlight pouring through the windows of his room. It was beautiful. A blond cedar wood that was sanded down, polished, and filled the room with a fresh, decadent scent.
“Oh, Bryan,” I said.
“Would you believe me if I told you this wasn’t the best part?” he asked.
“Not a chance,” I said.
“Come on. I’ve got one more surprise for you,” he said.
Looking at him as if he was insane, I took his outstretched hand. He led me back down the hallway, then took a sharp right, and started me down another one. He was headed for a door at the end of that hallway as well, and I figured he was taking us to see our bedroom. I worried about how far away we were from Little Johnny’s room, but I tried to keep my nerves under control. This house was gorgeous, and I could only imagine the time and effort and thought he put into the architectural design of this house.
But when he threw open the door to the room, tears poured down my cheeks.
“Oh. My. Gosh,” I said.
“Welcome to your new art studio,” Bryan said.
“And there’s a balcony?” I asked.
“Your own private view. It’s the best view the house has to offer. You can step out onto it, sit down, and see over the tops of the trees and into the outskirts of San Diego,” he said.
I walked into the room and headed straight for the doors. I threw them open, allowing the fresh air to barrel into the room. Shelving lined the walls. Shelving that held paints of all different shapes and sizes. Tubes of all sorts of colors with all sorts of mattes and glosses and contrasts. Mixing boards and multiple adjustable easels so paintings could dry while I worked on other ones. There was a desk with a comfortable chair for me to sit at and sketch. There was a brand-new laptop with a small speaker system hooked up and sitting on the corner of the desk.
“I figured this spot could double as a workspace if you needed to work on the weekends,” Bryan said. “That laptop is hooked up to your system at work. You can log in from here and access all the information you have on that computer there. As well as the security cameras.”
“Security cameras?” I asked.
“That’s one of the things I’m making Drew do. After he’s done patching up the place, he’s putting in two security cameras you can monitor from here. One above the doorway and one perched in the corner that covers most of the gallery space,” he said.
I was speechless.
Just speechless.
I turned toward Bryan as tears leaked down my face. He walked toward me, wrapping his arm around my waist just as Little Johnny began to stir. He pulled me to his lips as his tongue pushed through, kissing me with a passion that took my breath away. My hands flew to his hair and gripped him tightly. I could feel the heat of him rising up the backs of my legs. He held me closer than I could ever remember, and soon, his lips were drifting down my neck.