Seduced by Design

Jaden's Home

Jaden

Molly started to explain what she had put together for the kids, and it was as if my heart sang. She had taken everything into consideration, and I was amazed that I hadn’t come up with this idea before. I already knew that my kids loved tacos and the fact that she had taken the time to separate and package each item individually was incredible. On top of that, Molly looked great in a pair of tight light blue jeans and a soft sweater. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail and her face was free of any makeup. She looked and smelled amazing.

“This is perfect,” I said to her with a smile. Molly blushed, but I could tell that she was just a little bit more interested in her surroundings. I looked around the kitchen and I internally scolded myself for not cleaning up a bit. The kitchen was large with an island counter, but it definitely had a more farm-style vibe than modern. The dark wood cabinets and beige countertops were the highlight of the kitchen. The light wood floors, walls, and ceilings were the selling point for me when I had first taken a look at the place. I loved how high the ceilings were and how much natural light the large windows let in. “Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour…sorry for the mess though,”

“Nah, it’s all good,” she said, and her eyes lit up as I showed her the large pantry and washing room. Thankfully, I had packed the dishwasher, and the laundry was done. I then took her into the living room and dining room, which was just off the kitchen. I looked around and tried to see it through her eyes. Molly wasn’t just an interior designer; she was the head interior designer, and I wondered what she saw. The thick cream-colored rug graced the living room floor, and the large U-shaped couch took up most of the space. The coffee table was littered with books, magazines, and the numerous remotes that I had for the TV, sound system, entertainment system, and the kid's consolers for their games. The TV sat high above the big fireplace that I loved. The couch itself had plenty of scattered cushions and a few throw blankets. And of course, a few toys littered not only the couch but the floor as well.

“Sorry, I told them to put their stuff away,” I muttered as I grabbed a few of the toys and threw them into the wooden toy box crate Alastair had given the boys for their birthday a few months ago.

“I love it,” Molly said, and I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not. I continued to tidy up while she looked around the dining room. We used our dining room all the time, since I believed that we should always sit down together and eat as a family. Not only that, but we didn’t have a kitchen table with chairs in the kitchen itself. While the dining room table was bare, I saw that one of the kids had started working on a project. Whether it was for school or not, I had no idea.

“Over there is a bathroom,” I said as I pointed at the closed door. Molly nodded and, of course, I wasn’t surprised when she went over to investigate. It was just a toilet, a basin, and a bath. Pretty plain, but it was clean and void of any stuff since we only used the toilet when we were downstairs. Molly then pushed open the door across from the living room and I tried to ignore that as I finished putting the last of the toys away. The room she was in now was my office. I knew it was a mess because it had also become a storage room of sorts. Boxes that we hadn’t unpacked yet – even though we had been here for quite a long time. Work stuff that I had brought home and never taken back. My computer and printer could be seen among the piles of files, paperwork, and other knickknacks. When I joined her, she was standing by the staircase checking out the family wall.

“I love this,” she said to me, and I smiled proudly.

“At first it was just where I hung all of our photos…our memories…but then it turned into this,” I explained. “Alastair and Atticus built that for me when they stopped over and saw it…it was such a mess before,” they had put in a glorified bookcase so that I could display my kid's trophies and awards. Pictures and photos graced the shelves even though the wall above it was pretty cluttered with photos. “Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathrooms,” I informed her. I expected her to make a move to go upstairs, but instead, she turned to me and smiled.

“It’s a great home, Jaden,” she whispered as she leaned in and kissed my cheek. Molly then went back into the kitchen and started unpacking the large crate. I checked the time, and I knew the kids would be down soon looking for food. They knew Molly was coming over, but I wasn’t sure how they actually felt about it or her. I joined Molly in the kitchen, but she had pretty much everything organized. She even had plates out.

“Would you mind if we put the food on serving plates and bowls or do you just want to leave it in the containers?” she asked. I paused because if it had just been me, I would’ve left it in the containers, but I didn’t want her to feel like I was ungrateful. So, instead of answering her, I started grabbing a few serving dishes from the cupboard. Molly smiled so brightly that I was thankful I had made the right decision. It would have sucked if I had disappointed her or hurt her feelings. We spent the next few minutes transferring all of the food from the containers onto the serving dishes and carrying them into the living room. We had just finished up when the hoard of elephants came bounding down the stairs.