Haunted(41)

He pulled me into the room and shut the door. There were latches at the top and the bottom. He turned off the lamp. “You can’t see any light coming from the outside.” He turned back on the lamp. I saw that there was a phone on the side table and Roman picked up the receiver.

“It’s a landline. The cord is hidden within the walls. More than likely an intruder would not be able to find it very easily to cut it. You will be able to call the police if the need arises.” He unlatched the top and the bottom of the doors, opened them, and shut them. I looked at the wall of bookshelves. No one would ever know what it was. It was a panic room, and it was our little secret. Maybe this was where Roman and I could get some afternoon delights. The thought warmed me.

Roman led me out to the backyard where there was a swimming pool. Joey would love it, but I wouldn’t. I was not much into the sunshine, but I would have to be out here to watch Joey swim. We would have to buy a table with a huge umbrella for me to hide under.

Roman pointed toward a guesthouse located at the back right of the property.

“I was thinking that Berg and I could eventually convert that into a recording studio.”

“Oh, I thought we could let Berg live there.”

“You would really let him live here, wouldn’t you?” He asked in wonder.

“Yes, he loves Joey and Joey already calls him Uncle Berg. He’s your brother, so that makes him family!”

He looked at me with love. “Berg wouldn’t want to impose on us that way. He is just happy to be a part of the family some of the time.” He smiled. “I love you.”

“You better since you are going to buy me a house.” I smacked his sweet ass.

“I have something else to show you. Follow me,” he said.

Roman pulled my hand and we left the swimming area and walked through the backyard. He led me toward a stable.

I scanned at the area. “Does this mean?”

“Are you asking me if you can get a horse?” He smiled and his eyes danced with mischief.

I looked expectedly at him.

“Yes, he laughed. I want you to have as many horses as you want. Beth, I want you to run free!” He looked directly into my eyes when he said it. His emerald eyes showed nothing but love.

And with that one simple statement, if Roman Reed hadn’t already owned my heart, he would have won it over. If Phoebe was right about this being my novel, my book, I would end it right there. This would be my happily ever after with the love of my life, my son, and my promising future.



Chapter 32 – Roman



Of course Beth loved the house, and I bought it immediately. Surprisingly, we were moved in and everything was unpacked within a week. I will give the credit to Beth; when she wants something done, she gets it done. Note to self: Never underestimate Beth Reed.

She went to the furniture store on the day we closed. Since I gave her a free range of credit, she picked out all the furniture she wanted to fill the house. They said they couldn’t deliver it for a week, so she told them matter-of-factly that we would buy our furniture somewhere else. The manager had all the furniture delivered to the house the next day at no extra charge.

Damn, she amazes me!

Joey was home full time now, and he loved the house! Hell, he loved the pool, but he had to wait for the weather to turn warmer, since it was the middle of October. Beth decorated his TV room and made it “The Bat Cave.” She put up Batman lights in the room and bought a black leather sofa to go against the wall. She then had the walls decorated in Batman pictures and posters. She even put up a Batgirl and a Harley Quinn poster for Joey since he was starting to understand what boobies were. Beth thought better Batgirl than a nudey picture. I agreed; Batgirl was kind of hot.

I bought the family four ATVs. I included Berg in that list since he and Joey had become best buds. We had so much land to ride on, and Joey went ape shit over them. It made up for the pool being closed. I was lucky that Beth let Berg be such a big part of our lives. I didn’t think many women would be cool with that, but Berg was kind of awesome in his own right.

Life was good and Beth was the happiest I had ever seen her. Hell, she never left the house except to take Joey to school. I asked her why she didn’t go out and about, and she told me everything she wanted was here: Joey, me, her books, and her beautiful home.

Coming home to this house and to this family was so much more than I ever thought I would have in my lifetime. Beth was right about not buying a mansion. Mansions were so big and impersonal. This home, though it might be big and nice, was a home, especially after Beth had moved in our stuff. I opened the front door and couldn’t resist yelling, “Honey, I’m home!”

Joey came running down the stairs and gave me a huge hug. He told me about school and how he was mad at his mom because she made him go over his multiplication tables again.

I looked toward the kitchen and saw Beth with her hair up in a clip running to get something out of the oven. I watched her and smiled. She reminded me of that time in the basement when she was doing her sexy dance for me in her sweatpants, tank top, and her hair pinned on top of her head. I remembered thinking she looked like a sexy housewife. Now as I stared at her, I couldn’t help but to smile. She was my sexy housewife, and I would never want anything more.

“Hey, baby!” she called out to me. “Don’t go into the living room.”