Page 146 of The Spare

I bite back a smile and scoff a chuckle. "Yeah, I feel that."

And for the first time, I really do.

Chapter forty-six

We're Home

Two weeks later, Melody and I are ten minutes away touring a fifteen-million-dollar property that just came up for sale.

"It's gorgeous!" Melody's eyes go wide as we take in the estate situated on almost eleven acres of land.

We're standing in the backyard, trying to take it all in. There's so much, though. The place has eight bedrooms, thirteen bathrooms, a cellar, a game room, a tea cottage on the property, a pool with a little guest cottage, and even a playground. But it's the abundance of citrus trees and the gardens that haveher sold.

That and the community, which feels private enough that we could live a semi-normal life if we really wanted to.

I hum, tucking her under my arm as the sun sets, situated perfectly between two palm trees side by side.

She leans into my side and puts her lips to my ear. "Masey, can we afford this? I only make sixty thousand dollars a year."

Shit, she's cute.

I chuckle quietly and kiss her ear. "That's how much your one wedding ring costs, love," I whisper.

Almost, anyways.

"I'm serious, Mason!" she grumbles, casting a nervous look around the beautiful courtyard we're standing in. It's miles away from our penthouse that I called my home for over two years back in New York, but I'm okay with us coming closer to the ground now.

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "At this point, just stop asking, honey. Just always assume the answer is yes."

She shakes her head, pulling away from my arm to walk deeper into the property, leaving me alone for a moment.

When she walks down a couple of stairs leading to a sunken garden and disappears behind the hedge, I turn, putting my hands onto my hips and craning my neck to see the house from the back. It's reminiscent of Maximus' home in the classic Italian villa style. Melody adores Maximus' house. So the moment this one went on the market I booked a viewing.

The realtor sidles over to my side, and crosses his arms, craning his neck up too. "She sure is a beauty."

I nod. "Yep. We'll take her. Cash."

He snaps his head over to look at me."Cash,Mr. King? It's fifteen million dollars!"

Turning my head to pin him with a stare, I raise a brow. "Did I stutter or something?"

He fixes his face quick and then shakes his head. "No, sir. I apologize for my rudeness. If you'll just get Mrs. King, we can head back to the office and go over the paperwork."

"Sure. Be right back." I turn, and make quick work of finding Melody. She's already deep in the grounds picking a grapefruit, it looks like.

"Look, Mason!" she shouts, waving at me with the hand holding the dark orange fruit. She points, shielding her eyes with her hand. "See, it's a little vineyard! Isn't it cute?" She turns, her hair whipping around her as she points in another direction, but I only have eyes for her. "And look, there's a little garden house and a pool over there, too!"

As if she can't contain herself, she jumps up and down. Happy.

Finally fucking happy.

Her joy jolts through my body, making my body tight and my heart warm up. Because this is how sheshouldhave been feeling this whole time. Content and at peace. And I'll do whatever it fucking takes to keep her right here in this very spot where her eyes light up, her smile almost blinds, and she looks around her with so much wonder it's healing to behold.

I run to her. "It sure is, baby," I say, picking her up. She wraps her legs around my waist as I turn her back to the house, beginning to walk back the way we came. "It's our own little slice of paradise!" she says happily, beaming up at me.

My paradise lies between her legs and in her heart, but I keep that secret to myself as I smile back down at her, passing the relator who raises his brows as we walk by.

"Mr. King, are we leaving?"