Page 56 of Whisk Me Away

Brant dug his phone out of his pocket before checking something on the screen. "I have some time.”

"We could sit on the couch and watch something if you'd like,” I offered.

"Lead the way," Brant replied with an easy smile.

Brant and I got comfortable on the couch as he flipped through the channels. Once we agreed on what to watch, we both sunk deeper into the couch. I was lying sideways with my head against the armrest and my feet draped across Brant's lap. He was massaging my feet, and even though everything in me wanted to stay awake and enjoy this time with him, the exhaustion pulled me under.

CHAPTER 38

BRANT

Sweat was dripping down my face, making me question my decision to renovate my house in the middle of a Tennessee summer. It was humid, and while the air conditioner in my house worked, I’d been hauling pieces of wood, drywall, and tile out to the large dumpster that had been delivered to my house a few days ago. Brooks graduated from vet school a few weeks ago and had officially moved back home. He would be living with me until he could find a place. Mom and Dad offered to let him move back in with them, but I didn’t blame him for not wanting to move back home as a grown man. I would have done the same thing when he approached me asking for a place to crash for a few weeks.

I was also happy to take advantage of the opportunity to rope him into helping me with renovations. Brock was also off work today, and Dad had come out as well. I was thankful they were here to help. It made the demo process go a lot quicker. I hadn't been planning on doing anything major, but the wall between the dining room and the kitchen needed to come down, and the tile was due for an upgrade.

Once we cleared everything out, we started painting and prepping the floors for the new wood tile I wanted to lay down. Over the last few weeks, I had nonchalantly asked Karis for her opinion on paint colors and tile samples, trying to pick the ones she would like the most. If I had my way, she would be my wife and move in soon. I just needed to ask Pastor Walter for his permission, and finish this renovation. When I ask Karis to be my wife, I want everything to be perfect.

There was a time when I never thought I'd be in this place again. I never dreamed I would find a woman I was as crazy about as I was about Karis. She was nothing like Olivia, and I knew God allowed that engagement to fall through because Olivia wasn’t the right person for me. I was more thankful than ever that she up and left me that day.

I tossed the large piece of drywall I'd been carrying into the dumpster and headed back inside to check on my dad and brothers.

"This is going to look great," Dad said as he stood in the middle of the kitchen.

"Yeah, it really opens up the space, making it feel bigger," Brock added.

"Does anything else need to be removed?" I asked, walking up to Brooks, who had his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I think that's all the big pieces. We just need to sweep everything up, and we can start patching that part of the wall and then painting it,” Dad replied.

Before I could reach it, Brooks grabbed the big push broom and started sweeping. "I got it."

I nodded my head and walked over to the section of the wall that needed to be repaired. Thankfully, the only part that needed fixing was where the wall we just took down was connected. It just needed a thin strip of drywall nailed in, and then we could use the tape and putty to cover the seams. I got to work on that as Dad and Brock started taping off the baseboard for paint.

The next few hours flew by in a blur. As the sun began to set, we’d just finished painting. I stood in the middle of the room, stretching out my back, taking in all the progress we had made today. I couldn't help the excited feeling that erupted in my chest at the thought of showing Karis the progress. I wanted her to love this house as much as I did. I wanted her to be able to see us raising a family and growing old together.

"It's coming along," Dad said, his hands firmly on his hips.

"Thanks for your help today. I appreciate you guys spending the whole day here helping out. That would have taken me three times as long without you,” I said, looking my dad and brothers in the eye.

"No problem," Brooks replied.

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend my day off," Brock said in a mocking tone. I knew he was joking, as always, but a part of me felt guilty for asking him to help on his day off. He had been working really hard for the chief position at the fire station, and I was sure he could have used an actual day off.

Brooks and I stood in the driveway, watching Dad and Brock head out.

"Want to order a pizza?" I asked before turning to look at Brooks.

“Sure," Brooks shrugged. "I'm going to go shower first."

I laughed and followed him inside. When I picked up my phone from the kitchen counter to order the pizza, I noticed a text message from Karis.

Hope you had a productive day working on your house. I missed you today.

I hadn't made my usual stop at Whisk Me Away today because we started on the house early this morning, wanting to make the most of the time we had. The thought that I had only missed one day seeing her, and she missed me as much as I missed her, brought a smile to my face. I typed out a response.

We made a lot of progress. I missed you, too. How did your day go?

I set my phone down to grab water from the fridge while I waited for her to respond.