Tattooed

My dad extended our little vacation when he heard we were raking in money. Everyone made at least a few thousand more than what they came with except Zack and I; combined we had made $320,000, more than enough for us to start a good life together, not that we needed it. We planned on making it the down payment for a house but that though was quickly put to rest once we’d gotten home.

“It’s from your dad.” Chase said handing me a sealed envelope. Zack and I had got to get coffee with him before we’d even gone, so our parents still had no idea I’d changed my last name.

“What’s is say baby?” Zack asked looking at the paper as I opened it.

“Just an address. Maybe he wants to meet you?” It honestly had no idea. “When are we supposed to go?” I asked Chase.

“Any time you want as long as it’s before you go home. That was all he said.” He shrugged. Once we finished catching up with him we jumped back in the jeep and drove to the address. We pulled up the long drive way of a huge white brick old European style house. It had dark wood colored shutters and a grey roof.

“Your dad’s house?” Zack asked looking at the place.

“Could be.” We parked the car and walked up the few steps to the door. There was another envelope but this one was stuck to the door. ‘Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Baker’ I smiled at it still completely excited I was married.

“It’s for us.” Zack said and pulled it off the door opening it. He pulled out the piece of paper before dumping 2 keys into his hand. He flipped the paper open. ‘Welcome home’ was all it said but it was in my dad’s handwriting. Zack tried the key in the door and it unlocked with a click.

“I can’t believe he got us a house. I really am spoiled.” I laughed as Zack swept me up in his arms, bridal style, and stepped over the threshold after pushing open the huge French doors. He set me down once in the foyer, under the vaulted that was 2 stories high. To the left there was a staircase that wrapped up the wall that led to a balcony. On the right there the door that led to an oval shaped dinning room. We walked under the balcony and into the living room. The walls were a deep brown color, same as the foyer, and had tan suede L-shaped couch facing the fire place above which was the TV. The black iron and glass coffee table fit in perfectly. On the back wall there were 3 sets of French doors that led to the terrace. A large crystal chandler that hung from the ceiling of the second story.

“Which way do you want to look first?” Zack asked taking in the area.

“I guess this way.” We walked down the hall way the short hallway under the balcony to the left (when you walked in) then took a left, which led us to what looked to be a guest room. Once we walked in the door the first door to the right was a walk in closet, the one after that a bathroom. The room was done in greens, very peaceful. We went back into the hall then into a study. There was a solid oak desk against the far left wall; a fire place in the right one. The walls were deep red and had a black leather couch facing the fireplace with matching chairs on either side. The entire back wall was glass that led to the conservatory. It already had an entire garden growing in it. We walked through it and out onto the terrace. There was a large swimming pool made of rocks that looked like a tropical paradise. It even had a waterfall on the far right. We walked back into the living room.

“Remind me to thank him for the pool.” Zack laughed wrapping his arm around me as we headed into what looked to be a second dinning room. The floor changed from the hardwood it had been throughout the house to a black and white marble tile. It was an informal dinning room that was separated from the kitchen by a breakfast bar. The room was the another shade of green. The kitchen was by far the biggest one I’d been in. It was at least 20 feet by 17. The stove against the back wall between 2 doorways, the 2 oven on the left wall, and the sink on the other side of the bar. All of the counters, including the island, were black granite, and the appliances were stainless steel. To the left was a library with another fireplace against the back wall, the other walls were had shelves with books covering them. It was the same color and had the same furniture as the study, except the desk. If you looked out of the window you could see a cover porch. We went to the doorway on the right and I opened a door between in and the gigantic refrigerator.

“Pantry.” I shut the door and we walked a few more feet into a hallway and the flooring went back to hard wood.. I looked to the left and it was the part under the balcony. The door in front of us was a half bathroom, the one to the left of it was a butler’s pantry that had a door on the other side that led to the dinning room. On the other side of the bathroom was a door that led to another less formal entry room. It had cupboards and counters to put stuff as someone walked in. Everything was black except the walls which were white. We walked through it and out to the exit. Outside and down a few steps was a breezeway that led to a 3 car garage. We went back inside and out of the door that was at the end of the hallway between the kitchen and the entry way we’d just come from. It led to another 3 car garage. How many cars did dad think I had. I quickly noticed this one wasn’t empty. There were 2 brand new Ford Mustangs. One was cherry red and the other black.

“I call the black one!” Zack said running over to it.

“Really Dad? Another car?” I laughed. I already had my jeep and the bike he got me. I guess the thought I needed more. “Come on babe. Let’s finish looking at the house.” I laughed as Zack dragged himself to my side. We walked back into the entryway and I pressed a button.

“We have an elevator?” Zack asked in disbelief. I guess he hadn’t noticed it the first 2 times we passed it. I rolled my eyes and we stepped in.

“Up or down?” I asked looking at the buttons.

“Down.” I hit the button and we stepped off once it had stopped. I opened the door to the left and found a laundry room. We turned right then turned left; had we gone straight it would have just led to a staircase that came up by the second garage. The door to the right led to a large room that contained our musical instruments. Guess I didn’t have to move them after all. The door across from that led to an empty room. I found that slight weird considering all of the others were completely furnished.

“Must be storage.” I said more to myself than Zack. We turned right and went down the hallway next to what I’m going to call the music room. It was a exercise room, completely equipped with any exercise machine I could think of. At the far right there was a door that led to a sauna. “I think my dad over did the house.” I laughed.

“Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m going to be loving that sauna after a long day at practice.” Zack laughed as we walked back down the hall. We went back into the hallway we’d just came from and next door on the right led to another bathroom. “Oh look at this!” Zack said opening the door across the hall. It was a wet bar, fully stocked. I shook my head as we stepped into it. I opened the door to the left once we were in, closet. There was another door in the back corner, it opened to a full stocked wine cellar. On the far side of the bar was a stair case which I figured would come next to the first room we’d seen.

“If you plan on taking your new baby for a spin you better not open that.” I smiled at Zack as he was about to open a bottle of jack.

“Good point.” He put it back and we walked to the double doors across the dissipated hall.

“Now do you think he over did it?” I asked as we walked into a black room. This is the only room in the house I’d seen that had carpeting, and even that was black. There were 3 rows of couches that could easily seat 4, each one lower than the one in front of it (from where we were standing), on each side of the isle. A giant screen cover the wall the couches were facing.

“No.” He said simply plopping himself on the couch on the left closest to the screen.

“Baby, there is a soda fountain and popcorn machine.” I pointed and the machines on the bar type thing against the back wall on the right. My dad really had over done it.

“I like it.” He smiled and we left the room. We walked to the opening that could be seen from the bar. It led to a billiard room complete with a pool table. It was the same dark blue as the bar area and halls. I’d enjoy this room. Across the few feet from the entry there was another door that went into another guest room. This one had the bathroom on the same wall as the entrance and the closet on the left, which would make it under the stairs. This one was done in blues.

“Ready to check out the last floor?” I asked. This place really was too big for just the both of us. Well, I guess if we have a party, we’d have enough room to house our drunk friends.

“Yeah.” We went up the stair case just outside the second guest room. I was right, it did lead up next to the other one. We went up the flight of stairs in the foyer. Once up them the hallway like below started. There was maybe 4 feet on the left a door on the left when you turned down it. It was another bed room. The bathroom was on the same wall as the entrance and the closet was through the bathroom on the back wall. It seemed each full bathroom had a different earthly look to it. The one in the basement was mountain feel, the one across from the bar had desert fell with all of the tans, the one in the guest room on the first floor had a jungle feel, and this one had a beach feel. We walked out and up 3 steps and opened another door that led to soft purple bedroom after a little bit of a hallway. On the left of the hallway was the closet and cross from it a bathroom with snowy feel to it.

“How many rooms do we need?” I asked Zack.

“Well, I’d say less than what we have.” He laughed. “Come on. We only have half a floor left.” He led me across the balcony. Looking down on the living room, you could see just how pretty it was. There was a note hanging on the second door on the right that sat back about 5 feet creating a small hallway with a barreled ceiling. The first had been a linen closet.

“Open last.” I read. “Must be ours.” Zack nodded and we went back to the main hall and up 3 steps to the door across the hall. It opened to a oval bedroom done in more blues. There was a very short hall way on the left that led to 2 doors. The one on the back wall was the closet and the other was a bathroom done in a bamboo forest look. I was jealous of this bathroom. We walked back out to the hall way opened the next door on the left; another linen closet. Just beyond that was a walk away, the elevator on the left, that led to another laundry room. Just pass the walk way and down 3 steps, a door opened to what would be a playroom if we had kids, but since we don’t, my dad too the liberty of making it a art. There were 2 bay windows; one on the right wall, the other on the back wall. It was white with ever art supply I would ever need. I walked to the window on the right. It had a wonderful view of the forest that was a few miles from here.

“Ready to see our room?” My husband asked wrapping his arms around my waist looking out of the window with me. I nodded. We walked out of the room and I noticed a stair case that went to the main floor on the right. We went back down the walkway before Z pushed the door open.

“Wow.” was the only word I could manage. The room was twice the size of the one at my mom’s, making it about 17 by 26 and a half feet. There was a king size canopy bed against the right wall that had black curtains hanging from it. The walls were a crimson red and all of the trim was black. The back wall was completely glass and had a perfect view of the beach half a mile away. There was a sitting area closer to the door of the room with black leather couches like the many others in the house. There was a dark cherry nightstand on either side of the bed complete with black iron lamps. There was a door near the front on the right, I walked it in. It created a small hallway with 2 door on the right, a lighted vanity between them, 1 on the back wall and one on the left wall. The first one led to a big walk in closet I figured was mine because the one on the back wall led to a smaller one. The door next to that went into a linen closet. The door on the left let to a gigantic triangular bathroom. It was done with a oasis feel. The tile flooring was sand colored along with the counter tops. The sinks were oval and looked like part of the counter. The toilet was in a little room by itself. The shower was in the corner on the back wall of the toilet and the slopping back wall. It looked similar to the pool, looking like it was made of rock. It had 2 glass doors with the tub and a rock wall between them. The tub was big enough for at least 5 people, no joke, and the shower could fit at least 10. What wall was left between the shower and large window, that kept the bathroom from being a complete right triangle, were shelves filled with black and white fully towels. This was my tropical paradise.

“Hey baby, there’s something from your dad on the couch.” Zack called. I walked out and he handed me a box. I took the lid off and inside sat a dull black, 9mm, Beretta M 1951. The note under it read ‘Don’t go anywhere other than school without this. I think you’re old enough to protect yourself. Don’t let anyone push you around again. David told me yesterday. It’s being dealt with. Love Daddy.’

“A gun?” Zack asked as I took it out.

“David told him about Aaron.” I looked up at him not sure how to feel. I didn’t want the man dead, after all he made my mom happy. I just shrugged it off. “Want to go get our other stuff from our parents?” I asked.

“I’m driving.” He said smiling. I knew he just wanted to test out his new baby.

“I think we both need to. We’ll need the space in the jeep.” He agreed, we went down stairs and took off.

“There’s my favorite daughter.” My mom said as I walked in, Zack following me. We had to tell them we got married and we figured we’d start with my mom.

“I’m your only daughter.” I laughed.

“I’ve got some news.” My mother and I spoke at the same time.

“You first sweet heart.” My mom smiled.

“You might want to sit down.” She gave me a confused look but took a seat next to Aaron. “Mom… I don’t know how to tell you this so I’m just going to say it.” I sighed. “Zack and I got married a week ago today.” I held my breath waiting for her reaction.

“Congratulations!” She hugged me then my husband. “Welcome to the family Zack. I just wish I was there.” She said and pulled my hand up so she could see the 2 rings I was wearing. “Are you trying to break her finger?” She asked Zack the same question Eliza asked, giving him a fake glare.

“I actually got used to the weight the first night they were there.” I laughed.

“They are breathtaking. Let me see yours.” She demanded looking at Zack. He held his hand up. “I knew she had good taste.” She spent a few more minutes gushing over how she wanted pictures and everything, Aaron even congratulated us somewhere in there.

“So what news do you have?” I asked raising an eyebrow at her.

“Sweetie, you know how you always wanted a little sibling?” She asked and I nodded nervously dreading what she was to say. Thoughts of what Aaron had done to me being done to a helpless infant raced through my mind. She couldn’t be. Then she said the one sentence I hadn’t wanted to hear from her the first time Aaron laid his hands on me. “I’m pregnant.”