Love and the White Wolf - Book 1

23. Finally Home (Sexual content)

Sam picked us up at the airport.  I had hoped Alison would still be with him but he would only say she went back home a week previous.  They had hit it off so well from the moment they met so I was disappointed but I supposed it was just a brief fling on Alison's part.  James asked him about work and as Sam glanced nervously at me said that a call was expected any day now.  He apologized for being the bearer of bad news.  He helped carry our bags up to the condo then stood around awkwardly before saying something about being a third wheel and left.

"We have to find Sam a girlfriend," I joked.  "I thought he and Alison were a good fit but maybe she just wanted a fling.  I'll call her later."

"I thought so, too," replied James as he went through the mail. 

His face darkened as he saw one of the letters.

"What is it?" I asked coming over to look at the envelope.

"It's a letter from Zemo," he replied irritated.  "How did he get my address?  It's supposed to be off the books."

"Who is Zemo?"

"He's the guy who found the code words to activate the Winter Soldier," he replied, "then he framed me so I got arrested, reactivated me, and caused all sorts of havoc in order to break up the Avengers.  We used him on the Flag Smashers mission but he's a major pain in the ass."

"Maybe he's writing to you with information about your past," I suggested.  "If he found the codes he probably had to wade through mountains of files on you first."

"Alright, I'll read it but not until later when I'm in the mood," he conceded.

After unpacking we went to the supermarket to restock our fridge.  It felt odd to be doing such a mundane thing but I learned more tidbits about James while walking those food aisles with him.  He liked whole milk, I liked skim, we bought both in smaller quantities.  He liked butter, I liked light margarine, we bought both.  We both liked fresh fruits and vegetables although strawberries were now off the list.  We also both loved chocolate.

Once home and the groceries were put away, James sat on the couch and invited me to sit.  He looked at me as I sat next to him and said he actually thought better if I sat on his lap.  He said it with a smile so I obliged.

"So, right now we have your office in one of the two spare bedrooms, and we're going to have to turn the other spare into the baby's room" he posited.  "What if I build you an office in the loft, and put an art studio up there?"

I didn't know what to say.  It was unused space right now, space I hadn't explored.

"Can we go look at it?" I asked.

We went up the stairs to the loft and the first thing I noticed were windows, north facing windows, and lots of them.  I pulled the blinds up on every one and the space was flooded with the kind of light an artist craves.  He watched me as I walked around looking at the space from each corner. 

"I'd need an industrial sink station for cleanup, lots of storage for art supplies, and a bathroom so I'm not going up and down stairs every time I had to go.  Oh, and it should be walled off from down here so I'm not distracted," I stopped, noticing a big grin on his face.

"She was right," he laughed. "she said you needed your own creative space."

"Who said that?" I demanded.

"Nomlanga," he said, "I came looking for you but you had already left.  She showed me your work on the commission and said you should be a full time artist.  Told me to build you a studio.  I've been thinking about it ever since."

"All this time, and you never breathed a word," I laughed.  "Yes, I want you to build me a studio."

"I will, but it's not that easy," he admitted.  "Because there's electrical and plumbing involved I'll have to hire a contractor that will let me help, get permission from the HOA, and get permits.  The stuff on the roof didn't require anything because it's all modular and wasn't attached.  Technically, it was furniture."