Golden Luckenbooth

Sixty-Nine

"Give me your hand, babe," Harry demands as we step onto the grounds of our new homesite. "There are all kinds of hazards around here, and I don't want anything to happen to you in your final few days of incubating our precious one."

Despite the last two months passing quickly following Harry's rescheduling of the tour, I still haven't told him that I'm confident our bairn is a girl. He would never let me live it down, I'm sure. Somehow I've managed to avoid Blair blurting out that information either.

Grasping his hand, I step over the wooden threshold and into the framed front door of our future home. The framing has gone up faster than I expected, and we have to watch out for nails and random pieces of plywood lying around. Harry had wanted me to get a feel for the house even though I've seen the architect's drawings and added some details to them, including extra cabinets and a laundry room.

"Guests will walk into this entrance hall. There will be a cloakroom here..." He points to the area outlined on the plywood floor. "...for coats."

I allow him to prattle on as I recall our time the last couple of months. When the announcement came out about the tour being postponed, some fans were angry while others understood – both reactions were expected. We had a few incidents of vandalism, but our security team was able to locate individuals and have them prosecuted which seemed to slow down other events.

"This is going to be the kitchen, Anna. Well, really it's an open plan with a view of the living room from here so we'll be able to see the kids playing while we're cooking..."

I deeply appreciate that he's chosen to include himself in those future plans, and that he is using inclusive verbs that indicate I'm not expected to do all of the cooking and cleaning alone. We had purchased the former spring barley field that's within walking distance of the clinic. Right after the land was ours, Harry had a large stone privacy fence installed around the entire property. It's got a small lockable door in the back garden so I will be able to leave that way to get to the clinic most days. Landscapers added rows of bushes that will grow quite high just inside the walls to further maintain our privacy.

Money certainly makes things move quickly, I note. I've no idea how Harry had gotten permission for everything and a crew on the premises as fast as he did, but it must have cost a fortune. Which I suppose he has.

Next had been the tearing down of the previous property, and I wasn't sad for it to be gone because I'd already seen the rendering of our new home.

"We're going to have a large walk-in pantry here to keep food items so you don't starve yourself or our children while you're working a million hours a week and I'm gone."

"Ha. Ha." I deadpan, and he chuckles, his dimple deepening.

"But we're also going to have a larder here –" His hands are wider than his body as he designates where this extra space will be, "-- to keep fruits and cheeses for our multiple offspring."

Multiple? He's definitely on a bender of some sort. Living in a dreamland for sure.

The roof over our heads is nonexistent as the contractor hasn't started framing the second floor yet, so the sun shines on us as Harry steers me to what will undoubtedly be a back door from the kitchen.

"We'll have glass sliding doors here. From this spot, you'll be able to see my studio." He points to an area away from the house where he plans to build a separate music studio with sound proof walls.

"You mean, from here, our kids will be able to race across the garden to disturb you in your work."

The wistful look in his eyes makes my heart swell and he releases my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. "They could never disturb me. Anytime they want, I'll stop writing and recording to play with them." He turns me a little to the left. "We'll put a play area that will allow them to build sand castles and play with water and climb and swing and..."