Chapter 40
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When Sadik came back, Nikola was fishing by the lake. He had a fish in a bucket and was looking at the water with concentration.

“Did Emilia ground you?” Asked Sadik when Nikola turned to him.

“Something like that. By the way, she will need someone to look after her grandson for a day. I volunteered,” Sadik smiled. That sounded like Nikola.

“Eric is a good kid. When will he come over?”

“Saturday,” Nikola’s fishing line twitched, and he began reeling it in. The fish on the other end was plumb. Nikola placed it in the bucket and stood up. “That should be enough for dinner. Come on, Emilia must be out of the house by now.”

“You were scolded so bad you were afraid to go back in?” Teased Sadik. Nikola blushed.

“She is formidable. And I might have tried to help her,” Sadik snickered.

“Yes, that never ends well. I tried helping her, too, about twenty years ago. She put up a fuss,” Nikola quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Really? Because she complained about you not helping,” Sadik imagined Emilia giving Nikola the same speech she had given him, back then. What had been the name of her other client? He was fairly sure it started with an A.

When they neared the house, they found that the bike was not there. Sadik noticed Nikola’s line of sight and was quick to defend himself.

“I did offer to take her here. But she refused. It is a wonder that she found the house. Although, I suppose the road was pretty straightforward,” Nikola had to agree. There were no forks, bar the main one, which divided from the main road.

Nikola cooked the fish, and they sat down to eat.

“I made sure the house had enough of a front yard for a garden,” said Sadik, to fill the silence.

“That is good to hear. What else,” Nikola had stopped eating, genuinely interested in what their house was going to be like.

“I also arranged for you to have a roof garden. But, only with potted plants. And, small ones,” Nikola grinned widely at that.

“You know me as well,” Sadik grinned. Yes. Now, most of what he knew of Nikola had been gathered during the period during which he had stalked the man before coming to his door. However, Sadik prided himself on knowing a lot about his lover all the same.

“And the pool is getting Turkish mosaics…” Sadik continued on, not leaving any detail out. By the end of his explanation, Nikola’s eyes were shining with amusement.

“Are you sure you commissioned a house and not a palace?” Sadik grinned bashfully.

“Too late to back out now. I want to avoid seeming indecisive to the real estate agency. And, they will furnish everything. But first, they will send us photos to approve the furniture. And we are getting a dishwasher. I take no arguments for that,” Nikola grinned and looked down at his hands.

“I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that we will have a house together. I mean, we live here together, but in there it will be…”

“Official,” finished for him Sadik when Nikola grew silent. “The house will be done in a year.”

“Wonderful,” Nikola sounded relieved. Sadik supposed it was because of his impending decision having a bigger grace period. Sadik didn’t comment on that. He just extended his hand over the table and tried to convey all his love and understanding through the act of taking a hold of Nikola’s.

“We will be happy,” promised Sadik in a no-nonsense tone. Nikola smiled at that and leaned in until their noses were pressing.

“How happy?” Sadik racked his brain for the most romantic thing he could say in this instance.

“Picture perfect happy. A family with a big dog or a lazy cat happy. For as long as we are both together,” Nikola’s eyes closed halfway, and he leaned in further.

“Adopted child happy?” The question surprised Sadik. Nikola wanted children? He supposed that it was in character for him. Sadik considered having a son, not of his blood. It was impossible for a vampire and Nikola was the wrong gender to give him one, regardless.

But a son in all ways that mattered. He’d teach him how to swim, if the boy didn’t know already. And they will race in the pool. Splashing water around and getting Nikola to join them. Or in this lake. However, the boy will have enough padding to float on dry land.

“You don’t like the idea?” Nikola looked saddened at the prospect, and Sadik was quick to clarify his silence.

“I was daydreaming about teaching our son how to swim,” he said, with a grin. “First in a pool and, when he gets better, we can come here, and we can all swim in the lake. We can get a beach ball and play with it. And…”

Sadik’s lips were sealed in a kiss, and he let it happen. When Nikola drew out of it for air, his eyes were twinkling.

“What if I want a daughter?” Sadik imagined a girl then. One with green eyes, if they could find such. He wanted for her to take after Nikola. Seeing as, the man would have the role of the mother.

At the very least, her hair had to be dark brown, like Nikola’s. He’d take her to dancing lessons and have her learn an instrument. Maybe he should call the real estate agency and ask them to make one of the rooms with a better acoustic? One facing the forest.

“Or both?” Asked Nikola, as Sadik was too caught up in daydreaming. Sadik registered the words and imagined two children. Different, or maybe twins, or siblings. Didn’t orphanages gave twins together, holding up on letting them be adopted if the potential parents couldn’t take them both?

They will bicker, as all siblings do, and he would have them stare at walls. Then, because he will be the father and fathers are known as the less stern parent, he would slip them sweets and tell them not to tell Nikola that they haven’t served their entire punishments.

“Both,” and this time, Sadik was the one to kiss Nikola.

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