Nixon

••• Thirty-Three •••

"Here we go," he states, pulling out a stool for me at the breakfast bar as the sun leaks through the windows. Looking before me, an omelet is prepared and set in a dish before my eyes, a glass of orange juice, and a side dish of pineapple. Smiling, I look back over to Nixon, wondering why he has made me breakfast the morning he got back from the palace.

"What's the occasion?" I ask, a kiss placed upon my cheek as he takes his seat beside me, digging into his own meal. He's been in high spirits since he got back, high spirits that make me wonder if he has done something to cause this.

Nixon smiles, leaning back in his stool as I await his response. "Why can't I cook breakfast for my wife?" It's rhetorical but I know that is not the reason. "One of two reasons, Lily." Here's the explaining. "I would get us a bottle of champagne to celebrate with, but you being pregnant and it being morning I decided on a breakfast. We are celebrating you being able to keep a treaty with Alpha Cade and Luna Willow."

"And what else are we celebrating?" I ask, placing my elbows upon the marble counter as I lean in.

"I have put this house up on the market because I have found us one about thirty minutes away. Private drive and beautiful house. Right on a lake all to ourselves and surrounded by trees."

He found a house. He's been wanting to move out of this town for a little bit now and I do not blame him. With my family still here in this town I wish to leave, to put that part of my past to rest as I begin a new chapter once more. "Will you show me it sometime?" I ask, taking a bite of my breakfast.

"This afternoon, if alright with you."

I nod, agreeing to his arrangement as I can tell Nixon is more than happy for this house he has found. However, I doubt it is your basic house, because with the description of a lake and private drive, as well as kneeing his taste in houses, this will be some mini-palace. His own personal kingdom. His own little piece of land to call his domain as we will raise our child within that house and watch it grow and become, or at least what I dream and hope for, respected and strong.

Within four hours I find myself looking outside the window of the car as thick trees pass by as we drive down a freshly-paved road. Nixon informed me this house is completely new, just finished with the inside only four weeks ago. As I look ahead to where the road will take us, I see it circle around a modern yet elegant fountain before a set of wooden double doors. As a massive mansion stands before us, my eyes widen as I take in the French Country design of the house with a modern twist. If anything, it is not just some mansion, but a castle on a cloud that Cozette could have sung about when describing a perfected world that awaited her.

The windows, while fitting the French Country type of design, still manage to stretch far and wide, letting me know they will allow for much sunlight and moonlight to flood into the house. With the bricks warm brown and gray colors, the house has an interesting outside design, the garage hidden on the side, parts of the house holding a high roof or rounded walls, the house beautiful as I can see myself raising our child within the walls of this house.

"It's beautiful," I comment, my voice soft as the car comes to a stop and Nixon tells me to wait in my seat. As he hops out and comes over to open my door, I look behind the house, to the lake that is just as breathtaking, just a private little lake that has a small pier with a perfect amount of space for a sitting area. Already I am thinking on my motherly instincts, worrying about how easy our child could fall into the lake, how easy he or she could get a splinter from the wood pier even though I know the type of wood used and how it was produced reduces any risk of splinters.

As the door opens and Nixon helps me out of the vehicle, he wraps his arm around my shoulder, walking beside me up to the mansion as I am still in awe of its beauty. "Ready?" Nodding to his question, he opens up the front door and before us stretched an entrance hall with warm white marble floor, cream walls, and a chandelier made of crystals just hanging from the tall ceiling. One each of the walls, there's a doorway into another room, one of them opening up to a magnificent living room, no furniture, but I know will fit our furniture perfectly. The same marble floors and warm walls, the windows allow the sunlight to flood in and a fireplace is placed before a set of glass double doors that lead out to the backyard where the lake is. "Follow me."