When Angels Cry
by wizardtho
Chapter 2: Coming Home To Stay
The morning of my flight, I woke to Phil knocking lightly on my door, saying, “Time to wake, Baby Girl. Go ahead and get your shower. I'll have Ren get your coffee ready.”
I mumbled my agreement as I rubbed my hands against my face, then padded barefoot to my bathroom. After a long hot shower, I donned my robe, then went to my suitcase to find something to wear with Mom's last-minute present of, 'You have to wear these tomorrow,' boots.
They were an awesome pair of black suede and fur high-heeled boots, but there were two essential problems with my mother's gift. She might have thought they were perfect for winters in Washington, but suede is not a friend of any form of water, plus high heels are a bitch to maneuver in when there's more than two inches of snow on the ground, especially to the vertically challenged. I just laughed it off, though, promising to wear them.
Either way, I found a bra and boyshort set, a pair of distressed skinny jeans, and my favorite Derek Lam black cashmere knit button-down. I pulled a pair of black socks from the smaller suitcase, along with my makeup case, then heard my mom knocking softly on my door. I called as I walked toward my bathroom, “All clear, Mom. You can come in.”
She was already dressed and ready to go when she met me in my bathroom. I had her close the door as she handed me my coffee, so that I could get dressed while we talked. “You're wearing the boots, right?”
I chuckled, “Yes, Mom. Look on the counter. You can see what I picked out while I drink my coffee. I'm pairing it with that Ventcouvert coat that Howard gave me for my birthday, but I'm not going to need it until I get off the plane. I'm still surprised Phil's coach gave me something so expensive.”
Mom beamed at me, saying, “I adore that coat, but being lambskin and fur, it's just too warm for Jacksonville. Plus, you know the whole team thinks of you as family, just as much as they do Phil and me.”
I just nodded as I took another sip of my coffee, thinking about how much I would miss all of the team gatherings. I had quickly come to love them all not long after the signing event.
Mom and Phil both asked me if I was sure about moving -in nearly a hundred different ways- before it was time to board the plane. Each time, I choked back the tears as I smiled and reassured them that I was.
When Phil hugged me one last time as I stood, he whispered in my ear, “I put a card, checkbook, and account information in your purse. Make sure you use it, please... for our peace of mind, if nothing else. I love you, Baby Girl. Be safe... and call us when you get to your Dad's, so that we know you're alright.”
I was shocked, but just hugged him a little tighter as I whispered, “I promise.”
…
“Bells! Holy crow, you look amazing!” That was the first thing I heard as I reached baggage claim. I quickly looked up to see Charlie rushing towards me.
I ran straight into his arms, then he hugged me tightly as he whispered into my hair, “Damn, is it good to see you, Princess.”
I choked out as I snuggled into his chest, “I missed you, too, Dad.”
When he pulled back enough to hold me at arm's length, he looked over me intently, noting with a serious expression, “You aren't my little girl now. When did you grow up, and why wasn't I notified? I don't have to worry about boys in two different states fighting over you, do I?”
I chuckled while shaking my head, “No, Dad. No boyfriends in Phoenix, no plans on having any here. As for the growing up, it's been happening little by little everyday, since the day I was born. Come help me with my bags. I seriously need some caffeine soon, or I'll end up in a permanent coma.”
As we were in the elevator headed towards short-term parking, Dad looked down before scowling, making me think something was wrong. I raised my eyebrow when he looked back up at me, so he said carefully, “Umm... Princess? What are those things on your feet?”
I chuckled loudly, then explained, “Mom's idea of winter boots. I know they won't cut it here in the snow and ice, but I couldn't tell Mom no when she was so excited for me to wear them. Don't worry, I already ordered several pairs of practical winter boots before Mom bought these, shipping them straight to your place well before my flight.”
He let out a breath, then said, “Alright, Bells. I just keep thinking about how many bones you could break when you fall on the ice in those things.”
About 20 minutes into the drive home, after talking about a bunch of unimportant things, Dad gave me a slightly cautious look. I knew that look... it was the one where he thought he was going to make me upset by what he was about to say. “Dad, whatever it is, just spit it out.”
He seemed to straighten himself, then nodded as he said, “Well, you know how my pay went way up back when I became chief of police.”
I nodded, knowing he always kept a savings account for me, putting a bunch of money from each of his checks in it. He continued, saying, “Well, your mom wouldn't hear of me sending money for you, to help out. I called a judge who told me what I would be paying in child support, if your mom would have let me, so I started putting that amount into the savings account I made for you when you were born. As the cost of living went up, I added more.”
I nodded again, not understanding where this was leading. “I know all that, Dad. What's this about, because you're talking in circles.”
Dad chuckled, then ran his fingers through his hair before saying, “I still had more money than there were bills, since I had already paid the house off. I decided to put it away, maybe someday find a house that would suit us better… and, well... surprise, I found one.”
I laughed at his way of finally just blurting it out, then beamed at him. “Is that why you were always out 'running around' when I called to talk? You aren't that type of person, and Forks isn't exactly a town known for crime -or anything else, really- so I couldn't figure out what you were up to.”
He nodded with a chuckle, “Yeah, Bells. You know that old abandoned cottage at the very edge of town? The secluded one with the big property? It finally came up for sale after I saw a bunch of workers cleaning the outside up. I stopped by while doing my rounds one night, and saw Becky -from the real estate office- putting the sign up. I remembered you always loved the look of that house, so I asked Becky what the asking price was. When she told me, I asked her if she had time for me to take a look, so she took me on a tour. It needed so much work, but the bones were solid. The price couldn't be beat.”
I winced, thinking of how long that place had been abandoned, but he said, “I went home, not sure about how much it would take to fix the place up. The next day when I went to talk to Doc Cullen about you being transferred to his care, we got to talking about the house. I told him I was interested, but didn't know how much money it would take to fix it up. He said his wife would be happy to give me an estimate. She used to be some fancy architect and designer, before they moved here that first summer that you missed.”
I looked at him in apology, but he smiled as he patted my hand. “No need, Bells. You're here now, and that's all that matters. Anyways, Mrs. Cullen went on a walk-through of the place with me, then sat down with me a few days later at the coffee shop, to talk numbers and plans. She showed me these amazing sketches of what she had in mind, from what I told her. The final price for the house and work -including labor- was only 20 grand more than the asking price for our old place. I jumped on getting things in order, but she told me that she'd stage our house to sell for above asking price, if I was willing to pay an extra 3 grand for paint and minor touches to update it. Needless to say, the old place sold for 10 grand above what the asking price was.”
I gave him a shocked look, but he continued, “Henry and June insisted I stay with them until the house was done, so that was extra that I could put towards new furniture and stuff. The running around that I was doing was moving things into the house from storage, little by little after work on the evenings. Mrs. Cullen helped me pick a lot of things out, to make it a nice home for us, because you know I'm no good at that stuff.”
I smiled, then said, “So, how much work needed to be done, and how long did you have to stay at Henry's?”
Dad shook his head, saying, “It was bad, Bells. The sale price was literally for the land only. They were expecting whoever bought the place, to just demo the cottage and start over. The interior was gutted down to the studs. All new windows, doors, and roof were installed. That Mrs. Cullen and her boys were always there working when I would stop by each night after work... even the one in your grade. The girls took on the landscaping like they were giving birth to masterpieces. Hard working and goal oriented, that family is. I never understood what the boys down to the rez have against them.”
He shook his head, then said, “Anyway… in the end, it took only around 3 months to complete all of the work, then another two weeks to decorate.”
I looked at him wide-eyed, asking incredulously, “Only three months? And it was down to the studs? Christ, Dad, did they work around the clock?”
He shook his head as he laughed, “I asked them the same thing, but then I remembered seeing the boys out around town, so I knew they weren't working all the time. Either way, the place is a beauty, now. I know you'll just love it.”
I smiled, then said seriously, “I'm sure I will, Dad. I really can't wait to see what's been done. I don't remember what it looked like clearly, but I remember absolutely falling in love with it, because of the feeling it gave me.”
Charlie nodded with a grin, “I know what you mean, Princess. I get that feeling every night when I come home and see it.”
The cottage was amazing! The trees had all grown tall and strong in the woods surrounding the house. It felt like we were truly in our own winter wonderland when we entered the small clearing to the house.
There must have been a snow shower recently, because there was a dusting of white smattering the trees and bushes, along with the roof showing only spots of what the color should be. “Dad, this is incredible!”
His entire face lit up as he looked at me, then I pulled him to me in a tight hug, saying, “It's good to be home. Can we go look now? I feel like it's already Christmas morning or something. You always get me the best presents, even though I know Mom thinks that she does.”
He laughed outright at that, then nodded, “Yes, Princess... we can go look now. Let me just pull the cruiser into the garage and get your bags from the trunk. Here are your keys.”
Dad pulled a set of three keys out of his pocket. I hurriedly snatched them from him with a kiss, intent on jumping from the cruiser. He laughed, “Wait! The front door, back door and door next to the garage are all keyed the same, so I only had three keys made for you. I know how you like the fun heads on your keys, so the front door key is the monkey head, the butterfly key goes to the kitchen door inside the screened porch, then the mood heart key goes to your bedroom door that leads outside. Okay, now you can go.”
I pecked his cheek with a quick thanks, then got out of the car to make my way up the front walk.
I ran my hand lightly over the stone, trying to remember what stone used to be here, then smiled when I thought about how this stone looked familiar. It looked like they used all local stone -from right here on this property- to cover our hidden cottage in the woods with. The stain on the wood sills and posts blended beautifully with the random colors in the stone, causing me to think out loud, “She was really good at what she did. This looks amazing.”
I must have been looking for longer than I thought, because I heard Dad say, “She really was, Princess, and she did an incredible job on the inside. You ready to see?”
I nodded, “Yeah. This was all local stone, wasn't it? I remember seeing it all around the property at one time.”
Dad beamed, “Yep. The clean-up crew had set it all aside to have it hauled off, but Esme had me call to tell them to leave it. When she showed me the cost difference, between buying stone and just splitting this stone to use, I about choked on my coffee. Needless to say, we used the local stone that was already here. It took a huge chunk of money off her original estimate.”
I grinned as I slid the key with the monkey head into the front door lock, “I like that idea more anyway, honestly... re-purposing things that were naturally found here. It's like it was meant to be used. It looks beautiful.”
I gasped when I stepped inside and looked up. Other than the entry table and chair, the dining room was the closest to me, so my eyes were immediately drawn to the well-loved but worn look to the dining room set. I walked in to take a closer look, smiling at how everything worked so well with the style of house, then turned to Dad. “This is pretty, but not uber feminine. I can actually see us eating in here, when it's more than just the two of us. I like that it doesn't look overdone. The three different colors of wood with that stain technique make it look like it's been in the family for generations.”
He smiled with a nod, explaining, “Mrs. Cullen asked me all about how we lived and what we liked doing while we did the initial tour, explaining that she was going to use what I told her to choose how to decorate. She did well, I think.”
My dad walked around most of the main floor with me, showing me the living room, breakfast area, chef's dream kitchen, powder room, laundry room and the garage -which had an awesome workbench for my tinkering. Then I dashed up the staircase between the kitchen and laundry room, ready to see my bedroom. Everything in the cottage was perfect, so I couldn't wait to see what my room looked like.
At the top of the stairs, there were two doors. One was open to a bathroom, the other to a bedroom. I walked in, and though the room was beautiful, it didn't feel like it belonged to either of us. I raised an eyebrow at Dad.
He chuckled as he shook his head, letting me know he was keeping silent, so I made my way down the hall past what looked to be a study area. It had case files and police things on it, so I knew that was Dad's area.
When I got to the other open door, I stepped down the couple of steps into the room, then smiled, even though I was confused. This was Dad's room, which fit him perfectly, but I was sure I was going to be walking into my room.
I guess my confusion showed clearly on my face, because Dad hugged me before saying, “This was originally going to be your room, but when I saw the plans and toured this room, it just felt like me. Go downstairs past the front door, to the little hall. You'll see why.”
I did as he asked, going back downstairs. When I came to the room he was talking about, I couldn't contain my gasp. It was absolutely perfect, tears quickly filling my eyes at how much time was put into making me comfortable here.
It had a queen-sized old victorian bedroom set, with a high-paneled and detailed headboard, low footboard, as well as matching nightstands on either side. There was a long dresser with mirror on the wall that turned out to be the other side of the enormous closet, a tall chest with two doors and one drawer -that contained more drawers inside for my lingerie- against another wall between the two windows. Then there was a beautiful rounded sitting area near the door that led outside. I could see myself laying on the extremely soft chaise lounge, just reading or lazing the day away.
I finally turned to enter the bathroom, and knew right away why Dad wanted me to have this room. The bathroom was the epitome of relaxation. It had dual sinks, a private toilet closet, a walk-in raindrop-glass enclosed shower, then finally a double-slipper antique pedestal tub. I think I actually sighed while looking at the very large tub, then heard Dad chuckle from the doorway, “You understand, now, right?”
Tears fell from my eyes as I nodded with a huge smile. In response, I choked out, “Thank you... so much. I've never felt more at home than I do in this room.”
Dad gave me the most brilliant smile, then hugged me tightly as he said, “I could tell you wanted a bath to relax, so I'll let you get settled in. It's good to have you home again, Princess. I can't tell you what it means to me that you're here to stay this time.”
I nodded into his chest as I wiped my cheeks, then he kissed my forehead before quietly leaving the room.
The morning of my flight, I woke to Phil knocking lightly on my door, saying, “Time to wake, Baby Girl. Go ahead and get your shower. I'll have Ren get your coffee ready.”
I mumbled my agreement as I rubbed my hands against my face, then padded barefoot to my bathroom. After a long hot shower, I donned my robe, then went to my suitcase to find something to wear with Mom's last-minute present of, 'You have to wear these tomorrow,' boots.
They were an awesome pair of black suede and fur high-heeled boots, but there were two essential problems with my mother's gift. She might have thought they were perfect for winters in Washington, but suede is not a friend of any form of water, plus high heels are a bitch to maneuver in when there's more than two inches of snow on the ground, especially to the vertically challenged. I just laughed it off, though, promising to wear them.
Either way, I found a bra and boyshort set, a pair of distressed skinny jeans, and my favorite Derek Lam black cashmere knit button-down. I pulled a pair of black socks from the smaller suitcase, along with my makeup case, then heard my mom knocking softly on my door. I called as I walked toward my bathroom, “All clear, Mom. You can come in.”
She was already dressed and ready to go when she met me in my bathroom. I had her close the door as she handed me my coffee, so that I could get dressed while we talked. “You're wearing the boots, right?”
I chuckled, “Yes, Mom. Look on the counter. You can see what I picked out while I drink my coffee. I'm pairing it with that Ventcouvert coat that Howard gave me for my birthday, but I'm not going to need it until I get off the plane. I'm still surprised Phil's coach gave me something so expensive.”
Mom beamed at me, saying, “I adore that coat, but being lambskin and fur, it's just too warm for Jacksonville. Plus, you know the whole team thinks of you as family, just as much as they do Phil and me.”
I just nodded as I took another sip of my coffee, thinking about how much I would miss all of the team gatherings. I had quickly come to love them all not long after the signing event.
Mom and Phil both asked me if I was sure about moving -in nearly a hundred different ways- before it was time to board the plane. Each time, I choked back the tears as I smiled and reassured them that I was.
When Phil hugged me one last time as I stood, he whispered in my ear, “I put a card, checkbook, and account information in your purse. Make sure you use it, please... for our peace of mind, if nothing else. I love you, Baby Girl. Be safe... and call us when you get to your Dad's, so that we know you're alright.”
I was shocked, but just hugged him a little tighter as I whispered, “I promise.”
…
“Bells! Holy crow, you look amazing!” That was the first thing I heard as I reached baggage claim. I quickly looked up to see Charlie rushing towards me.
I ran straight into his arms, then he hugged me tightly as he whispered into my hair, “Damn, is it good to see you, Princess.”
I choked out as I snuggled into his chest, “I missed you, too, Dad.”
When he pulled back enough to hold me at arm's length, he looked over me intently, noting with a serious expression, “You aren't my little girl now. When did you grow up, and why wasn't I notified? I don't have to worry about boys in two different states fighting over you, do I?”
I chuckled while shaking my head, “No, Dad. No boyfriends in Phoenix, no plans on having any here. As for the growing up, it's been happening little by little everyday, since the day I was born. Come help me with my bags. I seriously need some caffeine soon, or I'll end up in a permanent coma.”
As we were in the elevator headed towards short-term parking, Dad looked down before scowling, making me think something was wrong. I raised my eyebrow when he looked back up at me, so he said carefully, “Umm... Princess? What are those things on your feet?”
I chuckled loudly, then explained, “Mom's idea of winter boots. I know they won't cut it here in the snow and ice, but I couldn't tell Mom no when she was so excited for me to wear them. Don't worry, I already ordered several pairs of practical winter boots before Mom bought these, shipping them straight to your place well before my flight.”
He let out a breath, then said, “Alright, Bells. I just keep thinking about how many bones you could break when you fall on the ice in those things.”
About 20 minutes into the drive home, after talking about a bunch of unimportant things, Dad gave me a slightly cautious look. I knew that look... it was the one where he thought he was going to make me upset by what he was about to say. “Dad, whatever it is, just spit it out.”
He seemed to straighten himself, then nodded as he said, “Well, you know how my pay went way up back when I became chief of police.”
I nodded, knowing he always kept a savings account for me, putting a bunch of money from each of his checks in it. He continued, saying, “Well, your mom wouldn't hear of me sending money for you, to help out. I called a judge who told me what I would be paying in child support, if your mom would have let me, so I started putting that amount into the savings account I made for you when you were born. As the cost of living went up, I added more.”
I nodded again, not understanding where this was leading. “I know all that, Dad. What's this about, because you're talking in circles.”
Dad chuckled, then ran his fingers through his hair before saying, “I still had more money than there were bills, since I had already paid the house off. I decided to put it away, maybe someday find a house that would suit us better… and, well... surprise, I found one.”
I laughed at his way of finally just blurting it out, then beamed at him. “Is that why you were always out 'running around' when I called to talk? You aren't that type of person, and Forks isn't exactly a town known for crime -or anything else, really- so I couldn't figure out what you were up to.”
He nodded with a chuckle, “Yeah, Bells. You know that old abandoned cottage at the very edge of town? The secluded one with the big property? It finally came up for sale after I saw a bunch of workers cleaning the outside up. I stopped by while doing my rounds one night, and saw Becky -from the real estate office- putting the sign up. I remembered you always loved the look of that house, so I asked Becky what the asking price was. When she told me, I asked her if she had time for me to take a look, so she took me on a tour. It needed so much work, but the bones were solid. The price couldn't be beat.”
I winced, thinking of how long that place had been abandoned, but he said, “I went home, not sure about how much it would take to fix the place up. The next day when I went to talk to Doc Cullen about you being transferred to his care, we got to talking about the house. I told him I was interested, but didn't know how much money it would take to fix it up. He said his wife would be happy to give me an estimate. She used to be some fancy architect and designer, before they moved here that first summer that you missed.”
I looked at him in apology, but he smiled as he patted my hand. “No need, Bells. You're here now, and that's all that matters. Anyways, Mrs. Cullen went on a walk-through of the place with me, then sat down with me a few days later at the coffee shop, to talk numbers and plans. She showed me these amazing sketches of what she had in mind, from what I told her. The final price for the house and work -including labor- was only 20 grand more than the asking price for our old place. I jumped on getting things in order, but she told me that she'd stage our house to sell for above asking price, if I was willing to pay an extra 3 grand for paint and minor touches to update it. Needless to say, the old place sold for 10 grand above what the asking price was.”
I gave him a shocked look, but he continued, “Henry and June insisted I stay with them until the house was done, so that was extra that I could put towards new furniture and stuff. The running around that I was doing was moving things into the house from storage, little by little after work on the evenings. Mrs. Cullen helped me pick a lot of things out, to make it a nice home for us, because you know I'm no good at that stuff.”
I smiled, then said, “So, how much work needed to be done, and how long did you have to stay at Henry's?”
Dad shook his head, saying, “It was bad, Bells. The sale price was literally for the land only. They were expecting whoever bought the place, to just demo the cottage and start over. The interior was gutted down to the studs. All new windows, doors, and roof were installed. That Mrs. Cullen and her boys were always there working when I would stop by each night after work... even the one in your grade. The girls took on the landscaping like they were giving birth to masterpieces. Hard working and goal oriented, that family is. I never understood what the boys down to the rez have against them.”
He shook his head, then said, “Anyway… in the end, it took only around 3 months to complete all of the work, then another two weeks to decorate.”
I looked at him wide-eyed, asking incredulously, “Only three months? And it was down to the studs? Christ, Dad, did they work around the clock?”
He shook his head as he laughed, “I asked them the same thing, but then I remembered seeing the boys out around town, so I knew they weren't working all the time. Either way, the place is a beauty, now. I know you'll just love it.”
I smiled, then said seriously, “I'm sure I will, Dad. I really can't wait to see what's been done. I don't remember what it looked like clearly, but I remember absolutely falling in love with it, because of the feeling it gave me.”
Charlie nodded with a grin, “I know what you mean, Princess. I get that feeling every night when I come home and see it.”
The cottage was amazing! The trees had all grown tall and strong in the woods surrounding the house. It felt like we were truly in our own winter wonderland when we entered the small clearing to the house.
There must have been a snow shower recently, because there was a dusting of white smattering the trees and bushes, along with the roof showing only spots of what the color should be. “Dad, this is incredible!”
His entire face lit up as he looked at me, then I pulled him to me in a tight hug, saying, “It's good to be home. Can we go look now? I feel like it's already Christmas morning or something. You always get me the best presents, even though I know Mom thinks that she does.”
He laughed outright at that, then nodded, “Yes, Princess... we can go look now. Let me just pull the cruiser into the garage and get your bags from the trunk. Here are your keys.”
Dad pulled a set of three keys out of his pocket. I hurriedly snatched them from him with a kiss, intent on jumping from the cruiser. He laughed, “Wait! The front door, back door and door next to the garage are all keyed the same, so I only had three keys made for you. I know how you like the fun heads on your keys, so the front door key is the monkey head, the butterfly key goes to the kitchen door inside the screened porch, then the mood heart key goes to your bedroom door that leads outside. Okay, now you can go.”
I pecked his cheek with a quick thanks, then got out of the car to make my way up the front walk.
I ran my hand lightly over the stone, trying to remember what stone used to be here, then smiled when I thought about how this stone looked familiar. It looked like they used all local stone -from right here on this property- to cover our hidden cottage in the woods with. The stain on the wood sills and posts blended beautifully with the random colors in the stone, causing me to think out loud, “She was really good at what she did. This looks amazing.”
I must have been looking for longer than I thought, because I heard Dad say, “She really was, Princess, and she did an incredible job on the inside. You ready to see?”
I nodded, “Yeah. This was all local stone, wasn't it? I remember seeing it all around the property at one time.”
Dad beamed, “Yep. The clean-up crew had set it all aside to have it hauled off, but Esme had me call to tell them to leave it. When she showed me the cost difference, between buying stone and just splitting this stone to use, I about choked on my coffee. Needless to say, we used the local stone that was already here. It took a huge chunk of money off her original estimate.”
I grinned as I slid the key with the monkey head into the front door lock, “I like that idea more anyway, honestly... re-purposing things that were naturally found here. It's like it was meant to be used. It looks beautiful.”
I gasped when I stepped inside and looked up. Other than the entry table and chair, the dining room was the closest to me, so my eyes were immediately drawn to the well-loved but worn look to the dining room set. I walked in to take a closer look, smiling at how everything worked so well with the style of house, then turned to Dad. “This is pretty, but not uber feminine. I can actually see us eating in here, when it's more than just the two of us. I like that it doesn't look overdone. The three different colors of wood with that stain technique make it look like it's been in the family for generations.”
He smiled with a nod, explaining, “Mrs. Cullen asked me all about how we lived and what we liked doing while we did the initial tour, explaining that she was going to use what I told her to choose how to decorate. She did well, I think.”
My dad walked around most of the main floor with me, showing me the living room, breakfast area, chef's dream kitchen, powder room, laundry room and the garage -which had an awesome workbench for my tinkering. Then I dashed up the staircase between the kitchen and laundry room, ready to see my bedroom. Everything in the cottage was perfect, so I couldn't wait to see what my room looked like.
At the top of the stairs, there were two doors. One was open to a bathroom, the other to a bedroom. I walked in, and though the room was beautiful, it didn't feel like it belonged to either of us. I raised an eyebrow at Dad.
He chuckled as he shook his head, letting me know he was keeping silent, so I made my way down the hall past what looked to be a study area. It had case files and police things on it, so I knew that was Dad's area.
When I got to the other open door, I stepped down the couple of steps into the room, then smiled, even though I was confused. This was Dad's room, which fit him perfectly, but I was sure I was going to be walking into my room.
I guess my confusion showed clearly on my face, because Dad hugged me before saying, “This was originally going to be your room, but when I saw the plans and toured this room, it just felt like me. Go downstairs past the front door, to the little hall. You'll see why.”
I did as he asked, going back downstairs. When I came to the room he was talking about, I couldn't contain my gasp. It was absolutely perfect, tears quickly filling my eyes at how much time was put into making me comfortable here.
It had a queen-sized old victorian bedroom set, with a high-paneled and detailed headboard, low footboard, as well as matching nightstands on either side. There was a long dresser with mirror on the wall that turned out to be the other side of the enormous closet, a tall chest with two doors and one drawer -that contained more drawers inside for my lingerie- against another wall between the two windows. Then there was a beautiful rounded sitting area near the door that led outside. I could see myself laying on the extremely soft chaise lounge, just reading or lazing the day away.
I finally turned to enter the bathroom, and knew right away why Dad wanted me to have this room. The bathroom was the epitome of relaxation. It had dual sinks, a private toilet closet, a walk-in raindrop-glass enclosed shower, then finally a double-slipper antique pedestal tub. I think I actually sighed while looking at the very large tub, then heard Dad chuckle from the doorway, “You understand, now, right?”
Tears fell from my eyes as I nodded with a huge smile. In response, I choked out, “Thank you... so much. I've never felt more at home than I do in this room.”
Dad gave me the most brilliant smile, then hugged me tightly as he said, “I could tell you wanted a bath to relax, so I'll let you get settled in. It's good to have you home again, Princess. I can't tell you what it means to me that you're here to stay this time.”
I nodded into his chest as I wiped my cheeks, then he kissed my forehead before quietly leaving the room.