Macintyre Farm

Twenty Five

SEBASTIAN POV

"You have some great idea, Son," Walt said with pride as we showed Simon the property by the pond.

We worked out a contract and since I had plenty of money saved were able to determine what would be best for building a new home by the pond. I knew Andy was upset earlier but wanted to get some basics sorted out before showing her what I arranged.

She would understand.  I knew this was a good choice so being able to bring her into the plans when they were further underway made sense at this point.

Austin and I got the land cleaned up a few days ago then distracted Andy from coming this direction. She didn't seem to notice, especially since we kept so busy. He enjoyed learning tricks with us even though the fact that Mar was 6 inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter made it easier to throw her around.  The 4 of us laughed so hard every time we worked together.  I loved being able to just enjoy time while we learned as a group.

Walt was having a blast watching us, as well.  He would bring Ruby once in awhile and narrate what we were up to.  She loved hearing us laugh as well as the cheers when we successfully completed a new trick.

After handling the night shift and getting plenty of cuddle time with Hercules and Megara, we made our way back to the farm house. Andy was yawning, as usual, so I was thankful she agreed to spend a quiet night relaxing.

It will take around a year to build our home. Simon was a great man that I knew I could trust. Walt wanted to be part of the process, both because the family land would go up in value with this change and to give his daughter something he knew she has always wanted.

Now I just had to tell her.

Austin was surprised she didn't figure it out yet, but I knew better than to assume Andy would snoop or jump to conclusions. We have done a great job learning to support one another. The fact that she went to Wisconsin with me was incredible.

My parents had a trip planned for late April so they planned to stay at the Air BNB for a week. Dad's accounting firm was overloaded for the time being so he was excited to have something to look forward to.  My Mom and Ruby grew even closer after we were up North. She made roast about a week later and since Andy was busy with the horses spoke to Ruby about a few issues she had along the way. Naturally it turned out perfect and my Mom was thrilled.

She was always too busy to do much intensive cooking. Isabelle did a lot more, especially since her kids love to bake, but Mom worked and we had simple meals or takeout. Now she finally felt prepared to tackle something more complicated.

Thanks to Andy.

I was always amazed at how differently I perceived her now verses my first days at Macintyre Farm.  All those moments assuming she was cold or stuck up made me angry with myself for not trying harder to understand.  Now that I was able to reflect, I noticed more reasons why Andy would have held back.  More reasons she had to steer clear of me in general, especially considering the comment I made to Austin.

Each of us took quick showers then changed so we could unwind. I felt anxious after keeping the secret of my plans from her but knew this would be a huge deal.

I also knew Andy would be shocked in the best way.

Once we were ready to relax, we headed back downstairs for snacks. I grabbed a 6 pack of beer while Andy pulled the rest of a half gallon of Neapolitan ice cream from the freezer.

"What toppings sound good?" she asked, peeking into the pantry.

"Maybe hot fudge and marshmallow?"

"Yes. Perfect." After putting the fudge in the microwave to warm, she grabbed 2 spoons while I opened a beer for each of us to start our evening.