Page 86 of I Think He Knows
“Mom, can we stay here forever?”
I look down at my daughter, who’s ensconced within a puff of bright white, billion-thread-count sheets on a behemoth king bed in a pink room that looks, feels, and somehow smells like you’d imagine a unicorn would. Like bubblegum and vanilla and freshly baked cookies. How Carter managed to capture this particular essence is completely beyond me.
But then again, how Carter has managed to doanyof the things he’s done lately is beyond me…
“Wouldn’t you miss your bedroom? All your stuff and your backyard?” I stroke her hair back from her face, keeping my voice as light as possible in an effort to avoid answering her question head-on.
But Allegra Liana Donovan wasn’t born yesterday.
“Nope,” she replies with a smirk. “The backyard iswaybetter here. I could have Keisha over for pool parties! Plus,” she adds with all the gravitas a nine-year-old can possibly have. “This room is much bigger than mine at home. I could bring all my things with me. And Carter might even buy me some new stuff if I asked nicely.”
“You sound spoiled, my dear,” I tell her with a smile, chucking her chin.
“I’d say lucky,” she murmurs as she snuggles further into her nest.
I kiss her on the forehead, smooth her hair back one more time, and let myself out of the bedroom, closing the door almost all the way behind me.
Tonight, Allegra and I are sleeping at Carter’s house. Specifically, in two gorgeous spare bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom that’s bigger than the kitchen in my little duplex.
We’ve been over to his house a lot over the past couple years—we were here just last week for the engagement party. But I haven’t spent much time in this part of the house, save for when he gave us a tour after he bought the place. I was amazed earlier today to find that the guest rooms are now as beautifully decorated as downstairs. The rooms—except for Allegra’s, which is clearly meant for a unicorn-obsessed child—carry the same palate of warm whites, oat hues and sage greens. Each is filled to the brim with home-like touches.
It’s like someone let my favorite Pinterest boards loose in here. When I asked Carter about his decorative choices earlier, he shrugged, looking almost embarrassed, and said he’d been lucky enough to find a really great interior designer.
But the best part by far was the library room.
The spare bedroom across the hallway has now been converted into a little wonderland. It’s incredible—built-in bookshelves that go from floor to ceiling, comfy padded reading chairs, houseplants, and gorgeous glowy lights…
When I pressed Carter on that room specifically, he shrugged again and said, “Well, I needed somewhere to store all my books.”
Which was a mildly surprising answer coming from a man who has read maybe five books in the last decade. All on my recommendation.
But hey, I’m certainly not about to judge what Carter does with his money.
I pad down the hallway and duck into my room to shower and change. We spent the afternoon and evening running through the sprinklers in the yard, eating popsicles, and grilling burgers after Carter’s first foray into Thai cuisine was a spectacular fail (Allegra almost cried when she tried a mouthful of his “green curry”, and I say this in quotations because I’ve never seen a green curry that gray in my life. Don’t even get me started on his basil stir fry).
Harry Styles is curled up on my bed and I give him a scratch under the chin. He’s obviously at home here, stalking around like he’s lord of the manor. I hope that Carter’s housekeeper isn’t too annoyed with all the orange fluff. I make a mental note to find out when they’re coming next, and will do a thorough vacuum beforehand.
In the bathroom, I peel off my sticky t-shirt and shorts, then stop to look at myself in the mirror. My skin is sunkissed and pink, my hair is wild and frizzy, and a smattering of freckles are blooming across the bridge of my nose. But the woman in the mirror?
Still happy.
I’m about to step into the steaming shower when my phone pings.
Carter:We never got to swim today.
Lana Mae:I know :( Legs is in bed and I’m gonna hop in the shower. Will be down soon.
It’s such a domestic bliss kind of text, it gives me the warm and fuzzies.
Carter:Hey, before you shower… You fancy a night swim?
Lana Mae:Fancy?
Carter:I’ve decided to be British when we’re texting.
Lana Mae:Course you have. And yes, I do fancy a swim. Good sir.
Carter:See you at the pool in 10, m’lady.