reply to that. Instead she turned and looked out her window to watch the houses they rolled past. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d made an excellent impression on their first official date. She’d had a better time with him than she had on half the dates she’d been on in the past year. Perhaps the fates knew better than she did. Or maybe they were just having fun messing with her head.
The houses they passed were large. On meticulously groomed lots. And not far from work. That was when everything clicked into place. They were going to look at a house. But here? Despite her attempts to dissuade him, he’d apparently sought out a place in Belle Meade. They were obviously not on the same page when it came to the real estate market.
Finally, Tyler turned into a driveway that was barricaded by a large iron gate. He punched in a code and the gate opened, revealing the incredible estate hidden beyond it. They drove down a narrow lane lined with trees and hedges, then circled around a courtyard fountain, stopping in front of the double-doored entrance of stacked stone stairs.
Thoughts of denial swirled in her mind as she looked up at the house. Correction—mansion. This was no three-bedroom starter home. To buy it would cost several million dollars, easily. The rent was probably high enough to give her heart palpitations. Was this what he’d envisioned when he’d talked about a home where they could raise a family together? She couldn’t even fathom it.
“Tyler...” she said in a warning tone as she looked out the window.
“Just wait until you see the inside,” he said, holding his hands up defensively. “It’s amazing.”
She bet it was. The Biltmore House was nice, too, but she wasn’t moving in there anytime soon, either. “Did you already rent this place? Without asking me? That’s really not the best way to start out. A woman likes to have a say in where she lives.”
“Of course I know that. I did not rent it yet, but I was confident enough that the real estate agent gave me the key to bring you here today. When we’re done, I’ll either return the key or sign the lease.”
Amelia didn’t wait for his assistance to get out of the car. She opened the door and stepped onto the cobblestone driveway. The cream-and-gray-mottled brick of the mansion’s facade seemed to sprawl on forever, broken up by large arched windows and tall square ivory columns. The house was beautiful, but ridiculously large for a family of two and a half.
“Whose house is this? And why on earth would they rent it out to strangers?”
“Apparently some musician had the place built, then ended up going on a world tour and never moved in. The real estate agent seemed pretty confident that if we liked the place, the owner would entertain an offer.”
She sighed and shook her head. It was a rock star’s house. She’d never fathomed she’d step across the threshold, much less ever live in the home of a rock star. “Let’s go inside and see it before you sign your life away, hmm?”
Tyler offered his hand to help her up the stairs, then escorted her through the entrance to the large marble foyer. Amelia was stunned by the size and luxury of the space. There was very little furniture and nothing on the walls, but the details of the house itself were amazing. There was intricate crown molding, carved stonework and sky-high ceilings with shimmering chandeliers dripping crystals from their golden branches. A split staircase of dark, polished wood encircled the room and met at a second-floor landing.
“I don’t think the two of us combined will ever have enough stuff to fill a house this big.” The expansive rooms were so empty, their steps echoed through the space.
“I’m only going to have the movers bring down my personal things from my apartment. It’s a lot more modern, and I don’t think much of the furniture would work here anyway. We’ll need to go shopping for some of the basics to get us through the next month—a bed, a couch, that sort of thing. Then, if we decide to keep the place, we’ll start looking for the rest. I want you to decorate however you want to.”
Amelia fought the frown threatening to pull the corners of her mouth down. They’d agreed to date only two days ago, yet he was moving forward with the intention of them living here forever. Her head was still spinning, but Tyler was a master of rolling with the punches.
As it was, they’d put the cart before the horse and were scrambling to build a relationship to go with their marriage and their baby. Thirty days was really not enough time to fall in love, but she’d known she had to pick a deadline to put an end to this madness. This would either work or it wouldn’t, and now they would know in a month. She couldn’t take the uncertainty any longer than that. Tyler didn’t seem to acknowledge that failure was even an option. It rarely was in his eyes. It didn’t matter if it was a jewel auction or a game of cards with friends—he had to win. This time, she’d made her future the prize he was out to claim.
“I don’t know, Tyler... This place is intimidating. As much as I enjoy decorating, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“I know,” he admitted. “I had an interior designer do my place in New York. You’re welcome to pick stuff for the house, but we can hire a decorator if you need help.” He reached down and took her hand in his. “Come on,” he said with a gentle tug. “I’ll show you the upstairs first.”
They went up the stairs to the second floor, where he led her through a labyrinth of bedrooms and bathrooms. There was another family room and a large open bonus room that was bigger than her whole apartment.
“I was thinking we could turn this into a game room. Maybe get a pool table and a couple of pinball machines. What do you think?”
She thought this house was way too much space for them. It was too big for five or six, even, but she kept that to herself. “That would be fun.”
“And through here,” he continued, “is the movie theater.”
Amelia stopped. “You’re kidding, right? Why on earth would we need our own movie theater?”
Tyler grinned wide. “Nope, I’m not kidding. I think the real estate agent officially called it a media room, but it’s all the same to me. This is one of the reasons I really love this house.”
Amelia walked ahead of him into the windowless room with dark burgundy–painted walls. There was a large screen on the far wall with a projector mounted in the ceiling overhead. The floor was a staggered incline with two rows of leather media chairs that could seat eight people. One row was a step down from the first so everyone had a prime view. It was the craziest thing she’d ever seen.
“When I started looking for a place to rent, I wanted more than just luxury. I wanted functionality. With this, it made me think about how much we both love movies. You and I have wasted hours of our youth watching films together. I think we were at every Saturday matinee for four years. Having a place to screen our own movies in comfort seemed like a good investment for the future.”
“It’s amazing,” she said, nodding blankly. “If you can afford it, why not? I’m sure we’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”
Tyler continued on with the tour, heading downstairs to show her the luxurious master suite with a bathtub she could swim in. Amelia followed, only half listening to what he had to say about the house. Her mind was being pulled in ten directions, her chest tight with anxiety over this whole situation.
Things seemed to get more complicated minute by minute. Eloping with Tyler had been a mistake, but a correctable one.
