Karlie cheers quietly as I turn to face her and pull her into a kiss, "are you sure this is what you want to do?" Karlie looks into my eyes with a deep concern but I just nod as I smile. When I left Nashville the only money I had access to was the trust fund set up by my parents. I swore I wouldn't touch it, it was bad money because of the source, but this gave me the opportunity to turn it into something good.
Karlie kept savings for a long time, planning ahead for when she would eventually settle down for good in the future, so we agreed I would match her savings and that would be our budget but she knows what this money was to me.
"Our boys deserve a good place to grow up, Karlie. My parents always called this 'an investment in my future' and now this is my future, our future. Anyway, you have more to lose in this than I do, you've worked your whole life for your money."
I silently ask if this is definitely what she wants and Karlie nods confidently, "Texas is where we fit and we should build a stable and loving home for our boys, that is what I've worked for, Teff." She rests a hand on my bump and I nod as I pull her into a kiss, this is the first step towards our forever.
Karlie's POV
"Here you go, babe," I smile as I hand Taylor an iced tea, even in February its really warm here and with her pregnancy she's basically a space heater. "You're a Saint," she laughs as I sit down beside her.
We just put an offer down on the house, so now we just have to wait for the owners to respond and then we might be able to buy our dream home.
"We should really start getting ready for them soon," I observe her as she sits in the shade, absentmindedly rubbing circles on her bump. We have a few little things for the babies, but definitely nowhere near what we're going to need and because we move a lot I don't have any of Gray's baby things anymore.
"I know, let's just see how the owners react to our offer," I smile too as I nod, reaching out for her hand. "Do you wanna move in out of the sun? You're really warm, Tay," I look at her, little concerned as I feel the heat radiating from her. "Sure," she laughs, knowing that it's easier to ease my nerves than have me nah at her about it.
I help her up from the chair and we both go back inside where there is air conditioning to help keep her cool. The doorbell rings as Teff takes residence in her favourite armchair and I smirk, pressing a kiss to her cheek before going to answer it.
"Can I help you?" The faces are unfamiliar to me as I open the door, so I wear a stern look as I speak to the couple. "We're looking for our daughter. We were informed that she lives here." The look of disgust on their face as they look at our house and me has already set a deep fiery rage inside me and I know fine well who this is.
"Mom?" I hear Taylor's voice behind me and turn to look at her, my frown immediately softening as I see the fear in her eyes. "Hello, Taylor," she stands by my side and I lace my fingers through hers, trying to ease her sadness. "What are you doing here?" I can't tell if she's mad, upset or surprised, but I think it might be a mix of the three.
"Aren't you going to invite your parents inside? Surely we raised you better than that." The arrogance in the older woman's voice and the condescending way she talks to Taylor really doesn't sit right with me. She isn't a child who needs to be scolded. "Sure, yeah, come in," Tay frowns as she steps to the side, still clinging to my hand as her parents step into our home.
"It's okay, I'm right here," I squeeze her hand, talking to her gently as we follow them into our living room, but the blonde just takes a deep breath as she nods.
Taylor's pov
"Are you going to introduce us or is she going to hover by your side like that the whole time?" I frown as my mom looks Karlie up and down as she sits on the arm of the armchair I'm in, clearly judging her. I squeeze Karlie's hand tight as I look up to her, "Karlie, these are my parents," the word doesn't sit right as I say it, they were never parents to me, "mom and dad, this is Karlie, she's my fiancé."
25. The Best Thing That's Ever Been Mine
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