Lovesick -- A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter 30

Rocky pulled up along the curb and killed the ignition. All around us, the sound of children's laughter rang through the air. There were tall trees and perfect green lawns lining the streets. "This looks like something out of a story book," I said to him as I unbuckled my seatbelt. Right behind us, the realtor parked and got out of her car.

"It really does..." he said skeptically. "Nothing that looks this good can be true. There's probably a catch." I couldn't blame him for being skeptical; this was the fourth or fifth house we had looked at and we were all over the whole ordeal.

We got out of the car and opened the back doors, allowing Carter and Avelyn to hop out as well. I unbuckled Mason and lifted him out of his carseat. He wiggled and whined so I let him down to crawl on the soft grass in front of the house we were going to view.

"I'm so glad you had time for one more house," our realtor Deborah gushed. "I know it's been a long day, but I think you're really going to like this home." She started to walk up the brick sidewalk to the front door and inserted the key. The door opened effortlessly. Rocky lifted Mason up onto his hip and I watched as Avie and Carter ran into the house. Their shoes were loud on the perfect wooden floors. "This house has six bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and is recently renovated. The basement is finished, so you could use it as an entertainment room or an office so you can work from home."

I held onto Rocky's hand as we explored the house. The kitchen was huge and updated, with room for a small table. There was a fancy dining room -- something that our house sorely lacked-- and the living room was huge. Off the back of the living room, there were a set of glass sliding doors that led out to a perfect yard. "Oh, Rocky!" I gasped as I slid the door open and took in the space. "Look at the fire pit! And there's enough room for us to get a new swing set for the kids. And the porch! We could set the grill up out here instead of dragging it in and out of the shed every time you wanted to use it."

Rocky didn't say a word. He listened to my ideas and smiled softly, but he was still waiting for the catch. We walked back into the house and followed Deborah up the stairs, where the kids had already discovered the bedrooms. "I want this one!" Avie called from one of the rooms. I poked my head in and saw exactly why. The walls were still painted pink from the previous owners. "Isn't it pretty, mommy?"

"Very pretty," I agreed. I opened the closet to see how much space she would have for her clothes before I left her to her daydreams. She was occupied and perfectly happy where she was. "Did you find a room you like, Carter?" I asked my boy.

Carter took my hand and led me to the room at the very end of the hall. The wooden floors continued throughout the halls and into the bedrooms. The room Carter picked had built-in shelves and a bay window with a bench. "I could put all my books right here," he pointed to the shelf, "and I could sit here and read them."

I sat down on the bench and he sat next to me. "Do you like this house?" I asked him as I pulled him into my side and rubbed his shoulder. "And be honest."

He thought for a second before he spoke. "I think so," he replied. "It's kind of hard to picture it as our home, but I think that's just because it's so empty."

"Our stuff isn't here," I nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go see what dad is up to." I kissed him on the forehead before I got up. "I love you, my baby."

"Love you too, mom," he said, "but I'm not a baby anymore."

I sighed and hugged the doorframe as I watched him. "You're right. But I'll always think of you as my baby." He stuck his tongue out at me and I stuck mine our right back before heading down the hall, following the sound of Rocky's voice as he spoke to the realtor. "What did I miss?" I asked when I finally found him. He was standing in the master bedroom.