In My Dreams It's Me And You

(Nat’s POV)

Brian squeezed my hand excitedly as we drove home from the doctor’s office. “Six weeks pregnant,” he murmured, the same smile he’d had on his face ever since we received the news still firmly in place. Bringing my hand up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of it, he added, “I just can’t believe we’re gonna be parents.”

I laced my fingers though Brian’s and smiled gently. I’d known all along the three tests I’d taken were right, but Brian’s joy at hearing the words from the doctor rekindled my initial excitement. The fact that he was overjoyed and not angry - like I’d feared he would be - helped as well. “Believe it, babe,” I said softly, my grin widening as he turned to look at me. “We’re gonna be parents in nine short months.”

As we continued to drive, both Brian and I lost in though, I gradually began noticing we weren’t heading toward Matt’s. I was puzzled as to where we were going, and when I told Brian as much, he only grinned, telling me he had a surprise for me. “I think you’ll like it, baby,” he assured me. “It’s kind of sudden, but it’s fitting, considering the news we got today.”

Sitting dumbfounded in my seat, I felt my jaw drop in disbelief when Brian pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous two-story, Victorian-inspired home. A deep green, perfectly cared for lawn surrounded the house and the concrete walkway that led to the frosted glass double front doors. The house itself was a pristine white color with black shutters on the windows and gothic wrought iron light fixtures beside the door and on either side of the garage. I couldn’t see it, but I knew by the neighborhood we were in that the backyard would have a private stretch of beach after our yard that we could call our own.

“Oh my god… Brian…” I whispered, turning to him with wide eyes.

“The papers are being finalized as we speak,” he responded. “After we got engaged I figured maybe it’s time we move out of Matt’s and make our own home. And now that we know we’re gonna have a baby… Well, I just hope you like it.”

I was still in shock, but I managed to squeak out, “You found us a house this quick? You only proposed to me last week, Bri.”

Brian was silent and I looked to see him blushing. “I may or may not have started looking for homes back before my birthday,” he admitted, the blush creeping further up his face when I reached across to peck his cheek.

“Can we go inside?” I asked as I leaned back into my own seat, Brian’s face gradually returning to his normal tan.

“I’ve got the keys right here,” he grinned, laughing as I pushed my door open and ran to the front of the car, motioning for him to join me. When he finally did so, Brian took my hand and led me up the sidewalk and up to the door, unlocking both locks before letting the doors swing open in front of us.

I gasped in awe as Brian and I took the first few steps into our house. The foyer of the main entrance surrounded us, hardwood floors stretching out before us as two rooms branched off on either side of a grand staircase. On the left was a den with a huge bay window and fireplace; a hole in the wall above the fireplace left room for a TV, and I knew this would be the gathering room for the whole family. The walls were an earthy shade of brown, giving the room a very calm and tranquil feeling, and cream color carpeting padded our feet.

Moving back through the foyer, Brian following and chuckling behind me as I mumbled about the beauty of our home, I moved into the kitchen. Everything was silver and black, with the exception of the hardwood floors and white walls. Black marble counter tops matched perfectly with the stainless steel refrigerator/freezer, and the black glass top stove. There was a breakfast bar situated in the center of the actual kitchen, and through an archway there was a dining room - with a patio that showed off the beach view I’d expected.

I was in the middle of gaping at the beautiful shoreline just in our backyard when Brian approached me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he rested his chin on my shoulder and spoke, “There’s a studio in the basement, but I think we should go upstairs. You’ll love it.”

Brian proceeded to lead me out of the kitchen and up the staircase I’d taken notice of when we entered the house. The staircase itself was rather large - at least 15 feet across - and I immediately had visions of our children using their blankets to ride down the set of steps. The carpet underneath our feet was plush and pristine white, just like the walls of the foyer, and the railings on either side of the steps were the same wrought iron material of the light fixtures outside. Brian explained that there were four normal bedrooms, a bathroom for guests to use, and a master bedroom with a bathroom I’d “have to see to believe”, as he put it.

Just as Brian predicted, I fell in love with the second floor of our home. Each of the four rooms had white walls to be painted any color we chose and hardwood floors to be either left as they were or replaced with carpeting. The attached bathrooms were decent in size with a bathtub/shower combo, a toilet, and a sink and mirror. Hardwood flooring - a common trait throughout the house I suspected played a role in Brian choosing the home - ran through the hallway the bedrooms were located in, and I admired the shine as Brian guided me to the master bedroom.

“This is our room,” he said, the smile on his face unmistakable as he opened the door and let me in.

For what had to be the hundredth time that day, the breath left my lungs and a gasp issued forth from my lips. Sunlight from a set of French doors leading out to a balcony looking out on the ocean and an enormous arched window fixed high on the wall opposite me filled the sprawling room, illuminating the huge new king size bed underneath the window. Unlike the other rooms, soft cream color carpet supported my feet rather than wood flooring, and the walls were already painted a soothing cream color to match the carpet. A gentle breeze coming off the beach rustled the lace curtains hanging off the balcony doors and fluttered a few papers already scattered across a cherry oak bureau set off to the side of the bed.

I looked to Brian with wide eyes and he chuckled in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I kinda already started buying and renovating things for our room,” he admitted. “Come on, you still have to see the bathroom.”

Incredulous and a little stunned at t he work Brian managed to get done without me knowing, I let him guide me past the walk-in closet built into the wall and into the master bathroom. My gaze immediately fell on the large Jacuzzi tub that was hidden behind a set of double doors at the far end of the room. I noticed the shower/tub combo set in a corner next to the toilet, a large his n’ hers vanity next to that, and a linen closet embedded on the opposite wall - and noticed how everything matched the black and white theme most of our fixtures had - but bee lined straight for the hot tub.

“There’s no way this came installed,” I said, running my hands over the smooth black material of the tub, and taking in the calm, secluded aura of the hidden room.

Brian positioned himself behind me, his hands on either side of my body, and kissed my shoulder. “It didn’t,” he replied, “but I hired a couple contractors to install it. I thought we should have a place to come to just relax and get away, even if it’s just a room off-set from our bathroom.”

I paused for a moment and considered what Brian told me. Realization quickly set in and I turned around in his arms. “Brian Haner, Junior, just how long ago did you purchase this house? And don’t feed me any bullshit - I know it takes time to build a room like this, and that realtors don’t just let you renovate a house they’re trying to sell.”

Brian smiled nervously and scratched furiously at the back of his neck. “I may have bought it right after we got home from tour and been working on it ever since,” he shrugged, and I asked him what caused him to do it. “I never gave up hope that we’d get back together, even when we were at our worst,” he admitted softly. “I knew I still wanted to marry you and that we’d live in this home together one day, so even when we were uncertain about our future, I kept working on our home.”

“Brian, you do realize how utterly sweet and romantic this is, right?” I asked incredulously. Blushing, he nodded his head and pulled me into his arms for a hug. Resting my chin on his shoulder as I stood on tiptoe, I added, “And you do know this means you’re getting lucky tonight, right?”

Laughter rumbled deep in Brian’s chest as he kissed the top of my head and then pulled away to look at me. “Of course I’m gonna get laid,” he grinned cockily, and I slapped his chest playfully. He laughed again before pressing a kiss to my lips, lingering for a moment before saying, “I’m already the luckiest man in the world, though, so I’m not sure just how fair it’ll be for me to get laid on top of it.”

I shook my head, amazed at the man I was lucky enough to call my fiancé. “I love you, Bri.”