“Sort of like the style of the clubhouse.”
“Yes, a blend of community and autonomy.”
“I like it. Where will you put it?”
“I was thinking we could build it on the other side of the garden. Guests could take the walkway that extends out the French doors in the den through the garden and into the guest house. Of course, it would also have a separate entrance and parking area separate from the main house too. They could access it from its own space or from ours.”
“Or you could sneak out there when the kids were driving you bonkers and hide in the quiet,” Leslie teased.
“Well, that hadn’t occurred to me until you started talking about the living hell my life will become once the children’s library wars begin, but I can’t deny it’s definitely a possibility now,” he laughed.
“I suppose you will have quite a while to contemplate all that. We’ve not even had the second set of our demon spawn yet,” she told him.
“I can’t wait!” he told her, turning her around and kissing her softly.
“I guess we better get the clubhouse renovations done first then. These puppies are going to be here before you know it!”
While they waited on the new birth, they began the renovations on the clubhouse. Leslie was too far along to really do any of the work, but she had done a lot of the designs. The same construction crew that had built their house would do the heavy work, like tearing out walls and replacing them, and various members of the pack would work on it from there. It seemed to be a project that everyone was behind and enjoyed helping with, as it was for all of them.
In fact, the pack had really come around since Tucker had spoken with all of them the day after exiling some members. They’d experienced nothing but support and acceptance. Tucker was proving to be a great Alpha, with his heart dedicated to his extended family and their needs. He listened to many of them as they shared their thoughts and concerns with him, making changes that would suit the majority, so they could thrive once again.
“What do you think about it so far?” Tucker asked his Aunt Meredith as she came into the family area to look around.
“I like it. It’s about time this clubhouse reflected all the members and not just the Alpha males. It’s right that the women and children have a space that doesn’t make them feel unwelcome here. Too bad your father didn’t do this while I was still spry enough to play air hockey.”
“Oh, now. I bet you could still shoot a mean goal or two.”
“Hardly. I’m lucky if I can even see the puck these days, much less hold onto that little knobby thing you hit it with. People who die young are the lucky ones. They don’t get to see how miserable old age really is,” she groaned.
Leslie and Tucker looked at one another, surprised at the bitterness that seeped past her usually happy personality. Leslie changed the subject before it spiraled further downward.
“Have you seen the kitchen? We’ve redone that as well,” Leslie told her.
“The kitchen? Ugh. I never go in there.”
“You might want to see it. It’s nothing like it was before.”
“A good place for salmonella poisoning?”
“Exactly,” Leslie replied, remembering the woeful state of the kitchen the first time she had laid eyes on it.
“I can’t believe you got the club to open the coffers and pay for all this,” she said as they walked.
“We didn’t. Tucker did all of this out of his own pocket.”
“Of course. I suppose he does have more than enough money,” she nodded.
Leslie wondered what she knew about that. Even after all this time, she wasn’t sure herself how he had come to be so wealthy or even exactly how wealthy he was. It wasn’t something she spent a lot of time dwelling on, but there were moments like this when she was reminded of the mystery he still held. He had long ago paid her the remainder of her contract and ended it, despite her telling him it wasn’t necessary.
“No. We made a deal and you held up your end of the bargain. The fact that we deviated from it a bit doesn’t change that it is money you earned, money I owe you.”
She had objected, but since the money was held by the agency, it was released to her upon his indication to them that the terms of the contract had been met. Despite her change in circumstance, she still had every intention of getting an education, something that Tucker fully supported her in. In fact, she had done exactly as he suggested and begun taking basic classes online to get a head start on things. She wanted to attend traditional classes eventually. It was just an experience she wanted. However, with more babies on the way, she decided to give it a bit more time, until after they were born and at least a few months old, maybe even as long as a year.