Chapter 32

Thomas

I woke up before the girls and decided to cook them breakfast again. Pancakes sizzled on the griddle while sausage cooked in the pan. I squeezed some fresh orange juice for us all before I looked over at the clock. It was almost ten, and I still didn’t hear a peep from either of them, so I placed breakfast on the table before I went to go peek into Lacey’s room.

Just as I was walking down the hallway, Lacey came tumbling out, and the smile on her face told me something had just happened. Bridget slinked out, nose deep in her phone, and I picked up Lacey in my arms just as I approached her.

“What are you up to?” I asked.

“Looking at homes…” Bridget trailed off.

“Tell him! Tell him! Tell him!” Lacey chanted.

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“Well, something you said yesterday got me thinking. You said your lease was up soon, just like mine, and you asked me if there were any smaller homes that made me feel safe,” Bridget said.

“Uh huh,” I said, nodding.

“And it got me thinking on what actually made me feel safe. And honestly? It’s not the gates, or the security system, or living on a hill or some shit like that.”

“Language,” I warned.

“Daddy, I know it’s a bad word,” Lacey said.

“Sorry,” Bridget said. “Anyway, it got me thinking about what actually made me safe. And when you said something about the house being smaller and safer, the first thing that popped into my mind was here.”

“Are you saying you want to live here?” I asked.

I felt my heart pound at the prospect. I mean, it crossed my mind a time or two, especially when I saw her around Lacey, but I figured with her searching for a new home, me throwing out that type of proposition wasn’t only unprofessional, but also premature. Neither of us really defined what we were doing, and while I knew I cared for her and wanted to protect her, part of that was also my job.

“Not exactly,” she said. “But I figured we could find a place for the three of us.”

“Daddy, isn’t that awesome! The houses are so pretty, and we could all live together!”

Lacey wiggled out of my arms and hopped down onto the floor before she started running up and down the hallway. Every time she passed by Bridget’s leg, she hugged it, and then she would look up and squeal before she’d continue running and twirling around.

“We’re all gonna live together and have sleepovers, and Bridget can do my hair and give me baths, and we can splash around in the bubbles and take family vacations! I love my new mommy so much!”

My head whipped over to her at her statement before my worried eyes flickered back to Bridget. She was looking down at Lacey with eyes full of love and admiration, but it was when I caught her gaze that made me weak in my knees. She connected her eyes with mine and gave me a small little smirk, almost as if she had read it.

“I know we haven’t really… figured out what this is yet,” she said. “But I feel safe with you. Anywhere you are, so long as it’s with me. And honestly? I wouldn’t ever feel safe being anywhere else. Not after all this.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” I said. “It’s understandable.”

“I wanna live with Bridget so bad, Daddy! Please! Can we!?” Lacey said, shrieking.

“Do you really wanna do this?” I asked.

“If you don’t, I understand,” she said. “It honestly didn’t dawn on me until this morning, and I wasn’t sure how you would take it. I tried to field Lacey and keep her expectations at bay, but as soon as she saw the houses, the first question out of her mouth was—”

“Can we all live together like a family, please?” Lacey asked.

I looked down at the elation behind my daughter’s eyes while my heart soared with joy. Just the prospect of living with Bridget and having us all under one roof brought a smile to my face, but the mere fact that she had initiated all this told me I was on the same page as her. I wanted to create a life with Bridget, a life she might not have thought possible until this very moment. I wanted her to be the mother Lacey always deserved, and I wanted to keep her safe for the rest of her days. I cared for her deeper than I’d ever cared for any other woman in my life, and as I raised my eyes to connect with hers, a grin peeled across my lips.

“Sounds like we need to go house-hunting,” I said.

“Yes!” Lacey exclaimed. “Thank you, Daddy! Thank you so much!”

“Really?” Bridget asked.

“I’m game if you’re game,” I said.

We all piled into the car after eating breakfast while Bridget was on the phone with her real estate agent. We toured four massive homes, each with their own separate appeal, but the moment we walked into the first one, I think all of us just knew. Bridget couldn’t stop gawking at the walls and how big the rooms were, and I couldn’t stop imagining taking her on every surface the home provided. I wanted to hold her close at night and pepper the walls with her sounds and scents while Lacey was at school. I wanted to wake up next to her with the tendrils of her soft hair fluttering up my nose just before Lacey crawled into bed with us to wake us up.

I wanted to fill this home with memories of the three of us while we watched movies, ate popcorn, and held each other close while Lacey fell asleep between the two of us.

I wanted us to be a family, and as I caught Bridget’s eye while we rounded into the main room, I knew she felt the same way.

“So, we’ve seen all four homes,” the agent said. “What do you think?”

“Honestly, I like the very first one we saw,” Bridget said.

“Me, too,” I said. “The rooms were massive, and each one had a bathroom attached to it. It would be convenient to have guests over, like my parents, and Lacey could even have her own playroom.”

“Yes, a playroom has to be there,” Lacey said. “I need a place for all my toys so my new mommy and I can play all the time.”

“Your new mommy?” the real estate agent asked.

“What she means is she’s ready to play with people in her own playroom instead of her bedroom becoming cramped with all the things she has now,” I said.

“It’s all right,” Bridget said. “She’s signed a non-disclosure. Everything we say here stays between us.”

“It’s true, and if this little one is excited about what I think she’s excited about, then I’m happy for all three of you,” the agent said.

“You’re not worried about something like this getting out?” I asked.

“Thomas, out of all the things I’m worried about, people finding out about me, you and Lacey aren’t even on the list,” she said.

I drew her to me and pulled her in for a kiss while Lacey squealed in delight. I just couldn’t help myself, to be honest. This beautiful woman I’d come to admire and care for greatly had woken up this morning with my daughter calling her the ‘new mommy’ in our lives, and she had been looking at houses for us to live in, all at the same time. She had taken my entire life in stride, my daughter included, and every single time she walked into my home, it wrenched my heart to watch her leave. Every night I laid down alone in my bed was a night I went to sleep wishing she was beside me, and now, we were standing in front of a real estate agent that was two questions away from signing me up for the life I’d dreamt of ever since I first got to touch Bridget’s body in that club we ventured into.

“Well, I only have two more questions then,” the agent said. “When do you want to move in, and do you want to rent or purchase?”

I looked over at Bridget who was mulling over everything in her head. I told myself I’d go with whatever answers that came from her lips, but a part of me was begging for her to say purchase. I wanted to build a home and a life with her. I wanted to take family vacations together every single summer from here on out, and I wanted to have a child with her. I watched her eyes sparkle with the information running through her mind, and I could see the rest of my future pooling in the beautiful irises of her big doe eyes. Lacey clung to my leg, hanging onto every word that was happening in the conversation.

“Neither of our leases are up for another month, so we wouldn’t be able to move in for another four weeks,” she said. “But why don’t we just go ahead and buy the house?”

“Really?” I asked. “You’re serious?”

“Really. I mean, Lacey needs a permanent home, and I’ll feel safe anywhere I go with you, and it just feels right, you know? My entire life has been spent being calculated, planned, and guarded, and for once, this spur of the moment decision actually feels right. It doesn’t feel like I’m compromising a part of myself in order to get what I want.”

“I understand completely,” I said. And I did. I really did. Everything she had been through in her life had compromised some part of her, but it all led her to this one moment. I had to compromise my life in order to peel Lacey from her shit mother, and Bridget had to compromise the whole of her identity in order to get her career off the ground.

It felt right for her, and it felt right for me, too.

“Purchase, it is,” I said.

“Yay! My new mommy bought me a playroom! It’s gonna be so awesome. We’re gonna paint it pink and fill it with my toys, and we can put a TV in there to watch princess movies. I can put all my dress up clothes in there, and we can have our own dances, and we can even eat macaroni and cheese in there, too!”

“Mac and cheese, huh?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Lacey said. “And hotdogs. Oh! And chips. Chips can come in the playroom, too. But only if Bridget likes them.”

“Oh, I love chips,” Bridget said. “I never get to eat them enough.”

“Then, it’s settled,” the real estate agent said. “Give me your official purchase offer, and I’ll submit it to the owners, but I’m sure they will accept anything you offer, within reason. They’re ready to unload this house to someone.”

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s not an ideal home for people around here because of where it is. It’s a beautiful home, but it’s situated where it is for the benefit of children. Wonderful schools, lots of playgrounds, and it’s almost thirty minutes outside the main area of the city. Lots of people either don’t like or don’t care to pay for those aspects, but something tells me that’s perfect for you guys.”

“It is,” Bridget said. “It sounds wonderful.”

“Perfect,” I said.

“All right, I’ll draw up the paperwork for your offer, and you can fill it out before you go,” the agent said.

We filled out the paperwork and got the offer submitted, then we headed back to the car. Lacey was bouncing up and down with joy while Bridget had a massive smile on her face, and I watched Bridget put Lacey in her car seat without a second thought. I got a small glimpse, in that very moment, of how drastically different my life was about to be, and suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

“Hey, Lacey,” I said. “How would you like to see Nannie and Papa tonight?”

“Can I tell them about my new playroom?” she asked.

“Of course, you can,” I said. “You can be the first to tell them.”

“Am I gonna stay overnight?” she asked.

“Yes. Bridget and I need to sit down and have some adult time to figure out some plans, and you get some alone time with Nannie and Papa to tell them about all the new things happening.”

“Okay, but will Bridget still be here when I get back?” she asked.

“Of course, I will, sweetheart,” Bridget said. “I’ll come with your Daddy to come pick you up tomorrow.”

I finally got Lacey to agree, and we set off for my parents. I needed some time alone with Bridget tonight. I needed to be around her without clocking my every move or watching what I said to her. I needed to feel her body underneath my fingertips while I celebrated every centimeter of her body with the happiness I felt inside. I needed to tell her exactly how I felt about her without having to censor myself around my daughter.

But most of all? I needed her to know she was welcome. That I was on the same page as her and that I would protect her for as long as she would have me in her life.

And I would start by making her come until she screamed for mercy.