Page 22 of I Do, or Dye Trying
“About that chocolate cake,” I said, nudging Gabe.
“I don’t like him,” Gabe said, still watching the doctor walk away.
“Me either,” I agreed. I tugged on Gabe’s burgundy silk tie until he looked at me. “We’ll probably never see him again.”
Famous last words because guess who was doing his obstetrics and gynecology rotation with Sally Ann’s doctor? Yep, Doctor Dildo. The look on Gabe’s face when he walked in the door was priceless. I’ll give Trent credit, he remained professional and avoided looking in Gabe’s direction whenever they were in the same room.
Gabe and I hung out with the expectant couple when it looked like they needed company and gave them privacy when they didn’t. Adrian’s parents showed up after dinner to spend time with them, and Sally Ann learned that her parents were boarding the first flight they could get from Maine. It was a long night, but one that I’d never forget as long as I lived when I got to hold Adrianna Marie Goode in my arms for the first time around eleven o’clock that night.
“She’s so tiny,” I told Gabe. “I’m not sure I ever want a little person this small.”
“She sure is perfect.” Gabe ran his finger over her tiny fists. “You did great, Sally Ann.”
“What about me?” Adrian asked.
“What about you?” Sally Ann countered. “I did all the hard work, and she doesn’t even look a thing like me. She’s definitely your girl.”
“I’ll share her with you,” Adrian promised, grinning from ear to ear.
We didn’t stay much later because the new parents were exhausted and we were looking a bit droopy ourselves. Neither Gabe nor I said much on the way home, but I loved our comfortable silences. We had our individual space while being together at the same time. We got ready for bed after we paid attention to our pets. Gabe got in bed and curled around me big-spoon fashion like he was holding me close and protecting me from the world at the same time.
“I can’t wait to start a family with you, Sunshine,” Gabe said softly in my ear.
“Not even married and you’re already plotting out the little Gabes,” I teased. Hell, we hadn’t even hammered out the details of buying the mansion yet, and we were already filling it with kids. “I can’t wait either, babe.”
“Tomorrow we’ll have our talk about the house,” Gabe said. “No more putting it off.”
“Deal,” I said after I yawned big enough to crack my jaws. “Tomorrow.”
LIFE HAS A WAYof inserting itself at the most inconvenient times and reminding you that you’re not really in charge. Discussing a mortgage versus buying our home outright seemed like a quick conversation two men who were devoted to making a future together would have as soon as possible. As I’d come to learn, nothing with Josh happened quick and it sure as hell wasn’t easy.
My man was very complicated, and I could see that he was working through his thoughts on the subject. I knew Josh; he wanted to be fair to me, but he wanted to make a decision that made him comfortable too. Accepting a house outright wasn’t going to be one of them. I also suspected that something else was weighing on his mind, but I couldn’t figure it out for the life of me.
As much as it bothered me that he wouldn’t let me buy the house for us, I respected the struggle he was waging inside. The only thing I could do was let the attorney representing Georgia’s estate know that Josh and I would be buying the home. He was relieved to hear it and promised that he had no issue with waiting for us to make arrangements to buy it. With that assurance in hand, I was fine to sit back and wait for him.
It wasn’t until the following Saturday, the eve of his apple pie bake-off with Deanna, that he brought it up again. “I think I’ve found a solution to our problem,” he said while peeling apples.
“What problem?” I asked as if I didn’t know what he meant. To me, it was more of a compromise than a problem.
Josh gave me the look I expected to receive for the rest of my life when I was acting deliberately obtuse. He raised one brow high over a wide eye and narrowed the other into a one-eyed squint. He gave new meaning to the term two-faced; half surprised and half annoyed. I’d never seen anyone wear two expressions simultaneously and look adorable while doing it. I bit down on my bottom lip so I wouldn’t laugh because I could tell he was serious, plus he held a sharp knife in his hand.
Josh let out a resigned sigh then turned back to slicing his apples. “Gabriel,” he said in a tone I expected him to use on our future children someday when they were working his last nerve. “You know damn well what I’m talking about so don’t be cute.”
“I was born this way. My mama said so,” I said smugly. Josh released a cute snort but he didn’t stop his work to argue with me. Secretly, I think he agreed which was why he wasn’t fussing with me over my choice of words.
“I’m not comfortable with you buying the house outright with no financial contribution from me at all,” he said. I started to open my mouth to argue, but Josh raised his hand holding the knife in the air to stop me. He resumed talking and slicing at the same time. How he didn’t cut off a finger was beyond me. “Ineeded to find a compromise and work my way through this to see how much of it was pride and how much was practicality. I think I’ve figured it out.”
“I think I’m ready to listen,” I said.
“As I said, I’m not comfortable with you buying the house outright, but you have a valid point that we don’t need two mortgages. What you don’t know is that my parents sold this house to me for what they paid for it in the ’70s, which wasn’t much at all. The value of the house was four times what I owed on it before I made renovations to modernize it. I’ve had greater success than I ever imagined and have been able to save a substantial amount of money in a relatively short time.” Josh put his knife down and turned to face me. “I want to be your equal, your partner in every way. I can afford to pay for half of the house myself and then we won’t need a mortgage for the property.”
“We are making progress, but I think you’re failing to see that we wouldn’t be equal partners in the true sense of the word.” I looped my hand around his waist and pulled him closer. “How is it fair for you to keep the mortgage on this property and deplete a huge portion of your savings to pay for half of the new house?”
“I can’t let you buy the house all by yourself. That’s not right,” Josh argued. “Then I’ll use my money to pay off this mortgage, and we can finance the new house together.”
“I don’t want you depleting your savings account to make this happen, Josh.” It was rare that I called him anything other than Sunshine, but I needed him to see how serious I was.
“It’s okay to deplete your savings but not mine?” he asked irritably.