Hold Me Now

Chapter 31: Hotness And Houses

The next day the newlyweds met to discuss finances and living arrangements. It's a conversation they knew they had to have. The two of them had spent all of Friday afternoon together. They talked about their hopes and dreams for their future, as individuals and as a married couple. One of the major elephants in the room was living arrangements. 

Johnny stated "Now that I know you're mine for keeps, I want to actually be with you. Not that I don't see you every day, it's just different. Everything is different. I don't feel like I'm on a roller coaster anymore. It feels like home and that's with you." His voice got weak and he spoke some more to her. "Those four walls I call my room isn't my home. It's just a place I sleep. But you are my home and wherever you are that's where I want to be."

She feels the same way. Despite those big items, of finance and housing, hanging over their heads, knowing the one you love is with you forever is a wonderful way to go through the day. It's freeing. So freeing that Johnny told her, "I'm excited I get to love you for a really long time. I get all the days and all the nights with you. Well, eventually all the nights."

Her hand lightly brushed over his. "I get to come home to you for the rest of my life. I love you too." At present they're sitting side by side on the sofa, at the house Johnny took her to at Christmas. In the light of day, her first impressions were correct. It's not a beach house. It's a house that happens to be at the beach and it's huge. Really huge. 

First of all, to be fair, the house is not in Santa Monica as once thought. It's more in between Pacific Palisades and Malibu. It's in this little coastal town called Sandcastle Cove. As they drove through the town, she fell in love with the quaint streets and businesses. There's even a saltwater taffy shop, with a sign that reads "Fresh taffy made daily".  She'll have to visit that store for sure, along with the other cute boutiques and specialty shops.

 Another fun fact is the town has a street named Kaleidoscope Court. The reason it's named that is that each of the fourteen houses, on the row, are all painted a different color. There are red, light blue, turquoise, purple, pink, yellow, green, coral, white, brown, khaki, etc., etc. Besides being colorful and cute, it's a real eye-catcher. Johnny told her that tourists come from all over just to take pictures of the colorful street. That is not surprising in the least as it's really beautiful. It's picture-perfect.

The whole town is quaint and feels like a wonderful place to settle down at, to raise a family. Being a lot less busy than The Hills, it just feels charming. It beckons the spirit. It's all reminiscent of traditional Southern coastal towns and she loves that. Savannah, Hilton Head, Charleston, St. Simons Island, they're all her favorite. Sandcastle Cove is similar. 

However, as fun as the colorful houses are, the one Sid owns is by far the prettiest. The house alone is gorgeous. It's the epitome of a traditional, coastal-style home. Deep wrap-around porches, wood beams, large windows, salvaged floors, abundant built-ins, high ceilings, and a grand staircase create an inviting, homey atmosphere. The house is topped off with a "lantern", which is a reference to 19th-century design. You can walk up in it and see views across the harbor to the ocean. It would be a great place to relax after a long day.

Right, when you walk into the house you're instantly met with the gorgeous staircase. It goes up, up, up to forever. Not really, but it looks that way. On either side are white walls with beautiful wanes-coating. It has five bedrooms and bathrooms. Besides the normal living spaces, the house boasts of a dining room, large chef's kitchen, a coastal eating nook, sunroom, and an open-air back porch. How Sid owns something as lovely as this she'll never know. It has to be the work of his wife. Because it definitely is not the ornate style of the mansion, he's accustomed to.