Chapter 145

She rolled her head to the side and bit back the groan of near exasperation. God damn she was bored to tears. Richie had fallen into house hunting with a passion and they were on their eighth, no ninth.. fuck the tenth house of the day. She'd seen so many bland beige walls she was ready to scream. A house was a house, god what was so different in all the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, floor-plans. What the hell difference did it make?

She blinked away the rising whine and managed to put a smile on her face. He wanted the perfect place, she got that. He wanted something they could grow into somehow. She got that too. But what he didn't get is they could live in a tent in a field and she'd be ok. Hell she'd spent her life caged in walls that felt like a prison. Walls just didn’t matter to her, but if finding the perfect home made him happy? Well she'd just have to be happy about it too. Somehow. "Pony? Tell me we're almost there?"

Richie looked up from the directions the realtor had given him. "I think so..." he trailed off. "Did we just pass Beachcomber Street?"

Her brow flicked upwards as she shook her head. "I .. " she pushed herself upright and winced, "Wasn't really watching honey."

He craned his neck. "Damn, I know I saw it." He braked hard as they did a roundabout. Jesus, was this a cul de sac? He was turning into his parents. Sweet fuck.

He finally spotted the little green sign and sat up straight. "There it is. Christ, this is like Yuppilan--" he broke off from the joke when the full view of the house stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "God, look at it, babe!" He turned to his wife, and her patient smile. "No, seriously...look. It's not a cookie cutter home like we've been looking at." He pointed. "That's the real deal right there." He opened his door and grinned over the hood at Elena. "I mean seriously...it's gorgeous, right?"

She glanced over at the house and bit back a laugh. It was as gorgeous as the last nine they'd looked at. Tilting her head she studied it a moment and got it. It wasn't just the house, it was the HOUSE, all aged looking, with obvious beach appeal. As she stepped closer to Richie she saw the tiniest hint of water from beyond the side of the house and tried to not laugh. If it had water it was gorgeous, that was her guy alright.

Wrapping an arm around his waist she laughed as he pulled her towards the front door. Maybe just maybe they'd found the right place finally. "Yeah baby, it’s totally awesome."

Richie opened the door; the hallway had a battered little bench that looked like it had spent a lifetime on the beach. He clasped her hand, dragging her into the great room that flowed into the rest of the house. It was huge and airy, and flooded with light thanks to the fact that half of the back wall was windows looking out on the ocean. "Oh man."

She watched him, his exuberance, and the brightness of his smile as he saw the beach from the window, his pure joy at the perfectness of the house. She couldn’t hold back the grin as he literally bounced from room to room. Three bedrooms or one, it didn’t matter, two bathrooms or ten, didn’t matter. She turned and glanced up the stairwell and took in the pure homey appeal of the empty house and started seeing the type of furnishings that would fit so well with its casual and light spaciousness. "Richie?"

"Hmm?" He pulled his eyes away from the view, knowing their realtor was letting the house sell itself. Randy had to be around there somewhere.

She watched his gaze turn back to the windows and tried to not laugh. "Well, it seems to be a pretty nice neighborhood, but I'd like to see something with more land around it." She started to laugh outright as his face fell, "Just kidding baby. Get this one. I think it’s perfect."

"Yeah?" He smiled, hoisted her over his shoulder and hit the stairs. "Think the previous owners left a bed--" He cleared his throat as a slightly portly man with a bad comb-over walked up. "Hi, Randy."

"You can't screw around in the house, Rich. Jeeeze."

She twisted around best she could and waggled a few fingers the realtor’s way."Hiya Randy."

"Hey, Elena. I'm thinking the big guy likes this one," he asked as he turned back up the stairs. "It's got three bedrooms and three baths," he said, starting his schpiel.

She watched the floor of the house as Richie carried her along the hall. "Master bedroom faces the ocean?" That would sell it, Richie waking to the sounds of the water was the one thing she really wanted. She wiggled slightly on his shoulder and huffed. "Lemme down I wanna see baby."

Richie eased her down, clasping her hand as Randy took them through the rooms. He saved the master for last and he knew in his heart this was the one. He tugged her to the huge picture window, pushing her in front of him, he could see them waking to this every morning.

The sun blazed as it was high noon, but he could see the sunrise and sunset from this angle. It would be amazing. His hands clasped around her as he leaned in. "This is it."

A sweet smile played about her lips as she watched the water through the big bay window, its little cushion window seat begging for a few bright pillows. "I do believe it is husband." She turned and snaked her arms around him smiling, glad he'd finally found a place he felt happy with.

He looked over his shoulder. "Put the paperwork in, Randy. I want it."

"I knew I'd find one for you, Richie. Okay, I'll meet you guys downstairs."

Richie turned back to Elena, his grin wide. "Even a little room to grow into if we go that way." He waggled his eyebrows.

The quietest snort escaped her as he waggled his brows. "With the pure volume of sex, is there any doubt it will head that way one day handsome?"  A home, Jesus on a hand-stick, a bonafide house. They were buying a house, a rather big one for them anyhows. "I sure hope you like shopping, decorating and shoving furniture around big guy."

"What else is there to do on the days off?" He took her hand and started dragging her back downstairs. "I gotta see the beach."

She trailed along behind him, taking two steps for every one he made, her laughter bouncing off the bare walls. "It's not gonna go anywhere Richie, gosh, slow down a bit." And that was her Richie, eager and fast, and well slow when it counted. There was beach out back, he had to go see. She'd married a beach bunny of the cutest and sexiest kind.

Toeing off his sneakers he kicked them near the stairs. "Yeah but seriously...the last time I'd been able to get near the water. God, it's been since our honeymoon." He grinned as she bent down to unstrap her cute heels. She was always wearing something to make her just a little taller. When she finally stood nearly three inches shorter, he grinned kissing her nose. "I get you in a bikini too, that's never bad."

She wandered out towards the water, then stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. "You'd keep me naked if you could."

"Well now, if it was that kind of beach...you bet." He gave a comical sigh. "I guess the house will just have to do."

She made a mental note to buy heavy curtains especially for the downstairs and sighed dramatically. "I do hope you realize you are NOT tin foiling the windows?"

"With that view? Hell, I'll stuff my head under a pillow. Or..." he leaned in, putting his face in her hair. "I'll find something else to keep the mornings bearable."

The tiniest laugh whispered over her lips, "I just bet you will, when and IF you ever wake up that early."

"Well, I usually see the best part of morning, the sunrise, then sleep through the rest of it." At her rolling eyes, he laughed. "What? I have sensitive eyes."

Her voice went Connecticut yuppie for the barest of seconds. "Rightt.. all that righteous living, allergies right?" Allergic to being sober on the road was more like it.

He flicked his sunglasses open and put them on his face. "Right, allergies." He smirked. "I say we go head into town and see what's what. Groceries, liquor, clothes...see what's around."

She smiled and nodded before turning to call out to Randy. "So when can this big goof move in?"

Randy leaned over the railing. "I just have to bring the paperwork into the office and get you guys an inspection. I can close in 3 weeks with Richie pre-approved for a loan."

Her gaze flickered to Richie as she waited for it, that Sambora Charm that would try to work the timing into a quicker move in date. "Don't sound too bad Randy. Thanks."

"Well Randy, if you want to do all the work 3 weeks is okay. But if you want me to be here to sign things I say 7days."

Randy's face fell. "No shit?" He stood up. "Lemme go use the phone, see what we can do for my best client."

She shook her head and started laughing. "Cuz theres no such thing as couriers or overnight mails huh Sambora?"

"Shhhh..." he said and bumped her hip. "I'm using my Rockstar status here."

She huffed and slapped his ass slightly. "You're using your I want it and I want it now status honey." She turned back to glance at the ocean and pictured him sunning, her cheeks heating slightly at ideas of late night beach fun. "And you know it."

"Exactly...Rockstar." He winked and trudged up the beach. "C'mon before I plant roots. This will be ours soon enough."