“With lots of fucking in it.”
I smirk as I keep looking, of course there will be. “Can’t forget that.”
“And war bunker soundproofing in the walls,” he adds.
I imagine Christopher soundproofing everything so that we can have loud sex and I get the giggles. “Shut up and keep looking, you sex maniac idiot.”
Over the next two hours, we pick three couches and four armchairs, none of them match but the colors kind of go together, six eclectic lamps, a coffee table and three small square corner tables. A huge old oval dining table with ten eclectic chairs, the chairs aren’t a set but are all made of the same kind of oak that the table is. I love that they’re all different, it reminds me of home. I’m not telling Christopher this yet but that’s staying forever, I am totally in love with this dining suite. A beautiful dinner set for twenty, it’s pastel colors with tiny pretty flowers all over, I’m quite sure it’s going to be a collector’s item one day, so, so perfect.
The cashier rings up our purchases. “When could you deliver them?” I ask.
He looks up the truck run. “You’re in luck, we have room on tomorrow’s load. We can load them this afternoon and drop them to your place first thing in the morning.”
Eddie’s eyes light up and he practically bounces on the spot. “That’s so great,” he stammers as his eyes flick to us. “Isn’t it, Christo?”
“It sure is.” Christopher’s eyes twinkle with a certain something as he slides his arm around my waist. “I love you,” he mouths.
He gets it.
“Who knew that the ugliest furniture in all of the land would be so exciting,” he whispers.
I elbow him in the ribs. “Hush up.”
“Do you want it all delivered?” the cashier asks. “Or take some now?”
“Umm.” I look at all our things. “We’ll take the lamps with us and the board games if that’s okay.”
Eddie nods. “Yes good idea, Hazen, so they don’t get broken,” he whispers.
We load up our arms and make our way out to the car. “Now to the rug store,” Christopher announces. “And we need new blankets and some kitchen things, saucepans, and cooking shit. I’m going to learn how to cook if it kills me.”
“That’s if it doesn’t kill us first,” I reply.
Eddie’s shoulders hunch up in excitement and I pull him into a hug, he’s so excited he can hardly stand still.
“We better hurry before the shops close, then. We have lots of things to get,” I tell them, we load our things into the car and I smile goofily through the windscreen.
Making a home with my boys.
This is a happy day.
“The truck’s here,” Eddie calls from his waiting place on the front veranda.
“Already?” Christopher gasps. “Why are they so fucking early?”
We’ve been rushing around to try and get ready for this furniture arrival since six this morning, we shopped until we dropped yesterday and then got dinner on the way home. By the time we finally walked in the door it was after 9 p.m. and we fell into bed exhausted.
There are boxes and rugs and new kitchen crap everywhere.
“Hello,” we hear Eddie call to the delivery driver.
“You better go out there.”
“I’m unrolling the rugs like you told me to,” Christopher grunts. “Pick a job, Hayden, because there is only one of me. Contrary to what you may think I’m not a magician you know?”
“Someone’s snarky today.” I smirk.
“Busy. The word is busy,” he huffs as he marches outside. “I notice your rugs aren’t rolled out yet.”
“Hello,” he calls as he opens the screen door.
“Where do you want it?” the guy calls.
“Inside, please.”
“Is that the biggest door?”
Christopher pauses as if not knowing what they mean.
“Yes,” I call.
“Yes,” he and Eddie call in unison.
The delivery men begin to carry the furniture inside as I direct them where to put things. Both couches in the living area and an armchair, the other couch and two armchairs in the formal living room and then the spectacular dining table into its position in the dining room.
As each piece goes in I feel a little more of the heart of the home click into place, as if it’s been waiting for exactly that chair to come back to life. The place is cozy and eclectic and everything is coming together just perfectly.
“You guys own a florist shop?” one of the delivery drivers asks.
Christopher and I frown, not understanding what he means.
“Oh no, that’s him being romantic.” Eddie points to Christopher with his thumb. “Nearly killed himself with pollen too. Had a sneezing attack and all.”
The removalist frowns and then walks back outside without saying a word.
“Stop telling people our shit,” Christopher whispers angrily to Eddie. “That information is on a need-to-know basis only.”
“But you did nearly die from pollen,” Eddie fires back.
“You’re about to die in a moment, overshare that.”
The men struggle through the front door with the last of the furniture, the purple armchair. “Where do you want this?”
“Upstairs.” Eddie beams. “In my room.” He takes the stairs two at a time and emotion overwhelms me.
Christopher frowns in question.
“Did you hear him, in my room.”
Christopher pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead. “Sounds pretty good, huh?”
“The best.”
“Come on, get in the car,” I call.
“Where are we going?” Christopher asks.
“We have to go and meet the neighbors.”
He looks at me blankly. “Why?”
“Because that’s what you do.” I roll my eyes. Seriously, where is this man from?
“But I don’t want to meet the neighbors.”
“Why? Because they would judge you because you don’t want to meet the neighbors?”
“You’re overbearing sometimes, you know that?”
I smile sweetly. “I do actually.”
It’s day five of living in heaven and Christopher is getting into the swing of never wanting to leave, he struggled going to get milk this morning.
I walk back in through the front door. “Eddie,” I call. “Come on, we’re going for a drive.”
“Okay.” He comes bounding down the stairs. “Where are we going?”
“To meet the neighbors,” Christopher replies dryly. “I don’t even like fucking neighbors.”
“Will you stop swearing all the time?” I snap.
“Stop giving me things to swear about then.”
“Get in the fucking car.”
“I thought you said we couldn’t swear?”
“Christopher…” I widen my eyes; I swear to god he’s like an annoying five-year-old.
“Fine.”
We all pile into the car and head off down the long winding driveway while I smile goofily out the window and look at the green rolling hills. “This driveway is the most beautiful driveway in all of the land.”