Chapter Thirty-Five
Noah
I expedited the paperwork for the house so that we were able to move in a week later. Jess and I chose our interior designer and the motif we wanted for the house. By the time Friday came around, most of the furniture had already been delivered and placed. It was nice to sleep in a king-sized bed again, even though Jess and I spooned together in the middle of it. Her full-sized mattress at Chloe’s was a little stiff for me.
The rest of the decorations would be placed and hung later next week. I couldn’t wait for all of it to come together.
In the meantime, we brought our meager belongings to the house. When Gina and I left St. Paul, we only took what we needed. All of the furniture stayed in the house for the next owners to do as they pleased with it. I wanted us to have a fresh start, so besides clothes and some of our treasured possessions, we left the rest behind. I would never forget Wendy, and I didn’t want Gina to, but this was something I needed to do for a while. Moving to Australia was a big step, but now we were with Jess, and it was time to get started on that relationship together.
Chloe had the day off work to help us but made sure we had our television set up for that afternoon when she’d watch her soap operas. She didn’t mention it, but I knew it would keep me in her good graces. Besides, it helped distract Gina while Jess and I worked around the house.
That morning, Chloe and Gina worked in Gina’s room, setting up her closet and toys. I loved seeing the relationship between Gina and Chloe grow. Chloe was the closest thing Gina ever had to a grandparent and Chloe was happy to be one to Gina.
While they worked upstairs, Jess and I drove the boxes from my storage unit to the house, then unloaded everything into the foyer. In Minnesota, I’d hired a company to move all of our things, and they color coded the boxes, which made it much easier to sort. Everything we had was for our living spaces.
Earlier in the week, Jess and I made lists of other things we needed. Using two-day shipping, we had everything delivered quickly, and those were stacked in the foyer, ready to be opened. The items were staples for our home, such as utensils and other necessities that Jess and I ordered online.
It took her some time to get over asking me if it was okay that she was spending the amount she was on items for the house.
“It’s our place, remember?” I’d said. “And my money is your money now. Don’t worry about it. We need forks.”
“Not sure we need forks that are this expensive,” she muttered.
I kissed her cheek. “Buy whatever you like, no matter if they are cheap or costly.”
Chloe and Gina were finished with Gina’s room less than two hours later. While Jess and I sorted where everything went in the kitchen, Gina and Chloe cooked us lunch. Gina was getting good at keeping her hands steady for a lot of the tasks, and she improved daily, soaking in the cooking wisdom from anyone who would offer it.
We all ate while we were completing other tasks, wanting to get as much done as we could. The sooner we finished, the sooner we’d be able to live in a house without boxes everywhere.
Jess and I completed the kitchen by late afternoon and decided to take a break. Gina sat down with Chloe in front of the television. Chloe’s routine quickly became Gina’s as Gina now tended to take her afternoon nap with Chloe while she watched television. I wasn’t sure it was a healthy habit for Gina, but I didn’t say anything for the time being.
Besides, neither of them minded, and it gave them some bonding time as well, even though Gina was sleeping for most of it.
The coffee maker was the first thing Jess set up when we started working that morning. Even though we already had two cups that morning, it was later in the day, and I wasn’t the only one who needed a caffeine boost.
Jess made a carafe and poured three mugs.
I brought one to Chloe, and she carefully placed it on the side table.
“You two should take a break,” Chloe said. “Go enjoy the view.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. Jess and I went outside to sit on the terrace facing the ocean.
Even though the inside of the house was a mess, we could forget it all by closing the door and leaving it behind for a few minutes. The crash of the waves on the shore created a gentle rhythmic lullaby that eased any and all tension in my body.
Jess sipped her coffee before placing the mug down on the ledge below the railing. She leaned over and stared out at the water.
“I don’t even care that we have a million things to do,” Jess said. “How about we forget all of it and live out here? There’s plenty of room.”
“I can always use the grill cover for a blanket for us. Though I’m sure our backs will be out of commission soon enough.”
Jess smiled. “When I was a little girl, I used to keep my windows open at night and let the sound of the waves help me get to sleep. So, when I moved to the States, I had to get one of those sound machines.”
“You never had issues sleeping at my house,” I said.
She bumped my arm. “Well, you exhausted me each night.”
I chuckled. “Well for those nights that my lovemaking isn’t exhausting enough, you can open the windows. Or keep them open whenever you want. I like the sound too.”
She threaded her fingers with mine. “Are you happy?”
“Implicitly,” I said without hesitation. “I’m getting used to being retired. I actually don’t remember the last time I checked my phone. “Actually,” I turned to look inside, “where is my phone? I’m serious. I have no idea.”
“I bet that is freeing,” she said with a smile.
I sighed. It was. Being with Jess relaxed me to more than I’d ever been, but having work off my shoulders and seeing Gina’s smile each morning at breakfast was worth it.
“I’m happy for you,” she said. “And I’m thankful for what you’ve done for us. Gina will have amazing memories of you when she’s older. She might not realize it for a while, but someday.”
A wave of sadness moved through me. Jess grew up never knowing her father. It was the opposite situation from Gina. I never thought about how that might affect Jess. Maybe that’s why she was so persistent with me to spend time with Gina. For me, I knew Gina needed a mother type in her life. I never thought of it the other way around. She needed a father too, which was why it was so important for me to retire. I had the means. There was no reason I had to keep working as much as I did. If I’d continued on that track, Gina might have lost the opportunity for both a mother and a father.
Even though Jess was the exception, I knew deep down she missed a huge chunk of her life because of that. And even though I couldn’t buy her happiness, I could try to be the man that Gina and Jess needed for the rest of their lives.
I put my arm around Jess and pulled her close, trying to convey the love I had for her through one single gesture. Her head dropped to my shoulder, and she yawned.
“We should get to bed early tonight,” I said.
“Yeah, I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to be sore tomorrow.”
“Hopefully not too sore,” I said.
She looked up at me with a quizzical expression.
“Don’t tell me you forgot about Gina’s surfing lesson?” I asked innocently.
A slow smile spread across her lips. “That’s right. Sorry. My head has been full of moving stuff.”
“Well, it’s not like we have to travel far,” I said, indicating the water in front of us.
“At first, yes,” she said. “But once Gina gets better, then we can move to the bigger beaches.”
“Not anytime soon, though,” I said. My protective wall shot up for my daughter. She was only three, the only waves I wanted her one were those shorter than her.
“Who knows?” Jess said. “Maybe she will be a pro at a young age. She could get sponsorships and the like.”
“Then she can take care of us for a change,” I said.
We laughed, and Jess wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me close to her.