Song of the South

Could you settle here?

A few weeks later and Eric was satisfied that the property was ready. The sale of her house was still going through, according to Bill, and the sale of his was nearly complete. The tall bassist wasn’t sure how he was going to repay Barry for all his help with this project. The Kerch’s were in town, as well Zach & Bethany and Brent. They had to do a photo shoot for the new album as well as a meeting with the label about the record. Kellie offered to watch all the kids so that Eric could take Kinsey to see what he’d been working on.

When Kinsey had confessed that she thought Eric was staying away from the house because he didn’t want them there any more, it nearly broke his heart. That was the last thing he wanted! He was nervous at how she was going to take this but really hoped she would love it and decide to stay here. The young woman was curious when Eric asked her to come with him. She followed him out to his sleek, black Mercedes Benz.

They drove about twenty minutes away before turning down a driveway that she barely realized was there. The driveway reminded her of something out of “Gone With The Wind” and she absolutely loved it! As they approached the house, her jaw dropped! This place was absolutely gorgeous! Much nicer than their house back in Texas but it still had that Southern charm to it. She barely realized she had stepped out of Eric’s car as she was so busy looking around. He just stood there watching her looking around. The shocked expression made him nervous but the smile that had creeped onto her face made him feel like he might have made the right decision.

“Want to see inside? There’s about twenty-five acres with the property.” Eric gently told her

“Oh I would love to see inside!” Kinsey excitedly replied

Eric smiled to himself as he walked them to the front door. He unlocked the front door then moved to let her enter first. His heart started to beat a little faster. This was the real trial-by-fire for him. All the work that he and Barry had put into this place…. His future… her future…. Everything came down to what Kinsey thought of this place. Her shocked gasps made him smile again. He slowly took her through every inch of the house. He pointed out things that Karol had pointed out to him. She wanted to see the backyard and some of the acreage. Eric was more than happy to show her around.

He pointed out where he suggested they could build a treehouse, put a jungle gym for the kids, and even where he thought a nice pool could go. She listened as he talked about this house as if it were her, her siblings, and him. Like they were a family. He was nearly twenty years her senior, why would he want to be tied down with her and five small kids? Kellie’s words began to reverberate in her head: ’ Eric is infatuated with you.’ She could immediately see where she could create a nice garden and even a small orchard.

He finally led her back into the house. They slowly walked up the spiral staircase back to the bedrooms. He pointed out which bedrooms he thought each child should have making her giggle. Walking into the room, or suite, that he thought she should have, she couldn’t help but notice how he had put some real thought into all this. As she walked around this huge suite she thought about how she would decorate. Then she stopped and realized that she could honestly see them living here. It was close enough to what they had back in Texas but different enough to not be the very same.

Walking over to where she stood staring out the window, he reached out and cupped her right cheek in his hand. He couldn’t help but stare at her which made her blush slightly. She was so innocent but womanly at the same time. She had a heart as big as Texas. She looked up at him with those big, beautiful, soulful brown eyes wondering where this was going. No one had treated her like this before, although she hadn’t really gotten to date much as a teenager. He took a deep breath and leaned down to gently press his lips to hers. She stood there in shock at the sensation.