Chapter 35

Erica

EIGHT YEARS AGO

"So come on, what do you think?"

"It's a house," Erica said with a small smile.

"It's our house," Alex replied, his eyes dancing with excitement as he dangled the keys in front of her face.

Erica looked up at the townhouse, which was far too big for just the two of them. "You bought a house without telling me?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" Alex took her hand, tugging her up the steps to the front door. "Come on, let's look inside."

"Has someone converted it to flats?" Erica asked. It was the only thing that made sense. The house was beautiful, but it was a monster. There was so much of it!

"Nope," Alex said cheerfully. "It's all ours. Wait until you see the bedroom, it takes up the entire first floor and—"

"Why have you done this?" Finally, Alex turned to look at her, his hand still comically trying to fit the key in the lock.

"What do you mean? I've bought us a house. Somewhere for us to live." He frowned at her. "I thought you'd be happy."

"I am," she said, though she didn't even sound convincing to herself. "But this place must have cost a fortune. We have to make these decisions together."

Alex sighed, abandoning the keys and rubbing his eyes. "Erica, I told you when I proposed I was going to take care of you. This is taking care of you."

"I know, but—"

"And didn't I say in our wedding vows that I wanted to give you the world? "

"You did—"

"When my business finally took off, and we made our first million, did I not tell you it was time for you to relax and let me handle things?"

"Yes, Alex, you did. But this is—"

"Exactly what you deserve," he said, taking her hand. "Look, you haven't even looked inside and you're already protesting. I didn't buy a house on a whim. This is an investment in our future. I secured us a home that suits all our hopes and dreams."

Erica's heart softened as the implications of his words sank in. "Our hopes and dreams?"

"A couple of dogs and a cat, right? That's what you said you wanted."

"Yes," she said with a nod. "That's what I wanted."

"And this right here is step one." He leaned forward to kiss her once. "Let me do what I promised, Erica. You don't have to lift a finger anymore. I'm going to give you the world."

PRESENT DAY

Erica jumped as a pile of papers landed with a thud on the table in front of her.

"Here, look through these." Marcus took a seat on the sofa, gesturing to the pile. She glanced down at the pages and frowned, flicking through them.

"Property listings? Are you kicking me out?" Marcus laughed and shrugged.

"Sort of," he said. "Actually, we're both getting kicked out. Mr Boston Jr. is selling up on his father's behalf. We're about to be homeless."

"Well, shit."

Erica grabbed the first sheet of paper, skimming the property summary. It was probably time she found her own place rather than sleeping on Marcus' sofa. It had been long enough.

"Two bedrooms, one bath," she read, glancing up at Marcus. "Large kitchen and modest living room with front and back gardens. Sounds out of my price range."

"Well. Maybe not, but keep going."

She stood and grabbed a cigarette, lighting it as she read through the second listing. "Three bedrooms this time, two bathrooms. Sounds lovely, and still out of my price range."

She flicked through the listings, the cigarette hanging from her mouth. "Who are you picturing in these places, Marcus? Because I am only one person and do not need all that space."

"Oh, it's definitely you that I'm picturing," Marcus said. "Well, at one place in particular, but you haven't reached it yet."

"How do you know I haven't reached it?"

"Because I know. Keep going." Erica rolled her eyes, good-naturedly. She continued to flick through listings she knew she could never afford. All the while, Marcus watched her, waiting for something.

His laughter followed her gasp of surprise, the pages falling to the floor save for one. "The Bellview property is up for sale?"

She didn't dare to believe it. Bellview was on their ghost tour. Said to be haunted by the restless spirit of Anna Bellview, it was the most exquisite little cottage Erica had ever seen. The garden was so wild and overgrown that it hid the building from sight. Erica didn't know it was there until she met Marcus, but once she saw it, she fell in love.

"Boasting three large bedrooms, the Bellview is perfect for a small family who value privacy. With two bathrooms and a powder room, there'll be no fighting for the shower." She glanced at Marcus, her hands shaking with excitement. "Surrounded by nature, Bellview is a breath of fresh air for city dwellers and those with a green thumb."

"They don't mention Anna Bellview if you're waiting for her to come up," Marcus said, amusement etched on every line of his face. "But they mention some sordid history."

"I can't believe it's up for sale," Erica said, stubbing out her forgotten cigarette and taking a seat. "I hope the new owners will still allow us to include them in the tour. "

"Well, I was hoping we'd be the new owners, actually."

Erica widened her eyes, immediately glancing down at the asking price and cursing. "Oh, sure. And the money is coming from where?"

Marcus chuckled and leaned forward, taking her hand. "Erica, could you stop focusing on the money for a moment and think about what I'm asking of you?"

"I don't understand," she said, meeting his gaze.

"You're being very obtuse this morning," Marcus said with a chuckle. "I'm asking you to buy a house with me, Erica. So we'd live together. In the same house."

"Live together…" Erica expelled a puff of air as reality finally dawned on her.

It wasn't as though it would be a big change to their current situation, but wow, what a commitment that was. She wasn't even sure in what capacity they'd be living together. It had been over a week since they had sex. Neither of them had mentioned it, nor tried to do it again. There was no awkwardness, nothing had really changed.

But neither of them had mentioned it.

"Look, I know there's some stuff we need to work out," Marcus said, as though reading her mind. "Some stuff we have to talk about. But regardless, I quite like living with you, and I don't see any harm in us keeping a house together.

"A house we own? "

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Right. I understand there's a bit of risk involved there. What if we end up hating one another? What if the business fails? Blah, blah, blah, I've thought about all this."

"Care to share?" Erica asked, her thumb stroking him without conscious thought.

"Lawyers. Plain and simple. We've done it with the business, we can do it with the house. Very clear terms on what happens if we go our separate ways."

Erica nodded, making an agreeable sound. The logistics weren't too much of a concern for her. They already knew they could work together well and create mutually beneficial contracts.

The only worry she had was financial .

The Bellview was an expensive property that she absolutely had to own. She just didn't know how they were going to pull it off. While the business was still on the rise, they had reached a point where it felt there was nowhere else for them to go. She had a few ideas, but making such a huge purchase didn't seem sensible.

Without meaning to, her mind wandered back all those years ago when Alex had bought their house. She had been so uncomfortable that he made such a big purchase without her, and that she didn't have any chance to contribute.

She glanced down at the pages she had dropped. She couldn't help but smile at the effort Marcus had gone through to include her in something he didn't have to.

"What are you thinking about?" Marcus asked, squeezing her hand and pulling her attention back to the present.

"I was thinking about Alex buying a house without consulting me," she said with a sigh. "He thought I'd be happy, and I was. Sort of. I really hated that he wouldn't let me pitch in. Not financially. Not in any of the decisions. Truth be told, I hated that house."

"I didn't think it was very you," Marcus said with a nod. "Not since I've got to know you."

"It wasn't." Erica chuckled without humour. "I won't deny it. I enjoyed the perks of Alex's money. But I couldn't even look after my home because he insisted on a maid. Or a gardener. And, I understand he thought he was looking after me. But he wasn't. He was stifling me. He took away all choices from me and I let it happen."

"Why? I mean, why didn't you fight him on it?"

"I was in love," she said, shrugging. "When Alex told me he'd give me the world, it made me feel special. And I want to be clear. I don't think he meant to be so controlling." She paused for a moment. "I think he just got it in his head that it was his job to make sure I could live a life of luxury. "

"No wonder Sophie went after him, but why is any of this relevant to us buying a house?"

"It isn't," she admitted. "Not really. But here you are with all these options for me, asking my opinion, wanting my input. "

"I'm asking a pretty big thing of you, Erica. Why wouldn't I include you?"

"I guess I didn't realise how important this sort of stuff was to me. Alex made all my decisions for me, he took care of everything. It's nice to have some independence."

"So what does that mean, Erica? Are you buying this house with me or not?"

Sure, she could go it alone and find some shitty flat to rent for the sake of an easier life. God knows after the last six months, she didn't need more drama in her life. But on the other hand, it would have been a much more difficult six months if Marcus wasn't there with her day by day.

Buying a house with him was a risk.

But it would be one hell of an adventure.

"There's one more thing we need to discuss before I say either yes or no," she said, chewing her lip.

"Okay, what's that?"

"My divorce," she said, sighing and rubbing her temple. "Alex still hasn't signed the papers, and until he does..."

"Yeah, I get it. You don't want him to use a house in the divorce." He nodded once. "Is that the only thing stopping you?"

Erica spread a slow smile and chuckled. "Yes, Marcus. Presuming we can get the funds together and nothing fucks us over, the only reservation I have is Alex and the divorce."

"Well, in that case, perhaps I should pay him a visit," Marcus said with a grin. "Man to man. What could go wrong?"