Amy pulled into her parking spot at 2311 North Los Robles and stared up at the building she had called home for the last two years. She had a huge decision to make.
She and Sheldon had just come from looking at the house with the library. She had agreed to go because he had been so insistent and because she was almost positive he would find something wrong, and that would be the end of it. His continued excitement was unexpected.
She saw his eyes light up upon entering each room, and he already had plans for each one of them. She could see him mentally calculating where every action figure would go in the den. He had even gone so far as to measure the distance between doorways and windows to optimize their furniture placement.
Sheldon interrupted her thoughts. "You've hardly said anything since we got in the car and were pretty quiet at the house. Are you feeling okay? Is the baby okay?"
"We're both fine. Sorry, I'm just thinking."
"What's there to think about? The house is perfect, and all the appliances are included."
She turned to face him. "I admit it's beautiful and spacious, and the library is amazing, but..."
"But what?"
She licked her lips and twisted her wedding ring. "Are we really ready for this? Owning a house is a huge responsibility. Right now, if something breaks, the landlord fixes it. We don't have to worry about yardwork..."
"That's what repairmen and lawn services are for, or we can mow our own lawn." He took her hands. "With a yard, our children will have somewhere to play. We can put in a sandbox and a swing set."
"All that does sound nice."
"Plus you won't have to waddle up three flights of stairs."
"I'm not waddling now," she huffed.
"But you will be in another couple of months. We can avoid that if we move."
"This is all happening so fast. I need some time to think."
Sheldon frowned. "You better think fast because the realtor said she had other interested buyers."
"Of course she said that; she wants to make a sale. That house has sat empty for two months. I doubt someone will suddenly make an offer." Amy sighed and stared at the apartment complex again.
Sheldon's eyes followed hers. "Why are you fighting this? A house is an investment, while an apartment gives us nothing in return."
"I know, but the apartment is our first home together. We have so many memories here. It's where we eat breakfast together and kiss each other good morning; where we cuddle on the couch together; and aside from our first time and our honeymoon, it's where we've always made love." Tears sprang to her eyes.
"Come here."
She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted closer to the console. Sheldon slid over as far as possible then enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "We'll still do all those things."
"But it won't be the same," she sniffled.
"It will be better." He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back.
They sat that way for several minutes before Amy pulled away slightly. "I want to look at the house again before we make a decision. I didn't give it a fair chance."
"That's my girl!"
Sheldon wasted no time calling the realtor. After informing him she would be there in five minutes, the couple clicked their seatbelts and made the trek back.
Amy paid extra attention to everything they passed in their neighborhood. Normally she drove on autopilot, but today she wanted to soak it all in. If they bought the house, this could be one of the last times they drove this route. When they came to the stoplight on Colorado Boulevard, Amy gazed at the Los Robles street sign. Tears pricked her eyes, and she rapidly blinked them away. They would only be moving 2 miles away, not halfway across the country. She squared her shoulders and turned when the light changed to green.
The realtor was waiting by the front door. Amy took a deep breath and stepped onto the curb. Sheldon joined her, entwining his fingers with hers.
"Welcome back, Dr. And Dr. Cooper," she greeted, extending her hand to them for the second time that day. "Is there any area of the house in particular you'd like to view again?"
"All of it," they replied in unison.
"That is, unless you have somewhere else you need to be," Amy added.
"Take all the time you need."
"I'd like to start with the garage," Sheldon announced.
Amy's eyebrows shot up. "The garage? Why? You don't use power tools."
He just squeezed her hand in reply, as they followed the woman. She clicked a button on a keyring, and a large automatic door slowly rolled up to reveal a cavernous space with empty cupboards lining the walls waiting to be filled again.
Sheldon dropped his wife's hand and explored the space visually then extracted the tape measure from his messenger bag. "Amy, can you hold the other end?"
The realtor offered them a sheet of paper. "I have the measurements right here."
Sheldon accepted the paper, read the numbers, and closed his eyes briefly to commit them to memory. "Thank you. I would still like to do a few measurements of my own."
They ran the tape from top to bottom, side to side, along the space between the bottom of the cupboards and the floor.
Fifteen minutes later, Sheldon nodded in satisfaction. "There's sufficient storage space, capacity for the car, a lawn mower, and various gardening tools, with enough room left over for a train set, like the one I grew up with."
They did a quick walkthrough of the yard before going inside. This time Amy paid closer attention to the amenities. She stood behind the kitchen island. Unlike the one in their apartment, this one had more counter space because the stove was situated along the wall. Her eyes roamed the area, eventually resting on one particular appliance. "A dishwasher!"
"State of the art, super quiet at only 39 decibels. The owners installed it nine months ago."
"We do all our dishes by hand now," Amy admitted. She admired the flat-top stove then peeked inside the fridge and calculated its volume.
The realtor stood next to her and pointed out the features. "This stainless steel fridge is 29.7 cubic feet with ample freezer capacity, small compartments with sliding lids to store your smaller items like cheese and deli meats, and of course the ice maker."
"It's very nice," Amy agreed.
They toured the remainder of the rooms. When they got to the library, Amy sat in the window seat and admired the yard and the mountains beyond. "The view is breathtaking."
Sheldon took a moment to watch her before heading for the rolling ladder. He grasped the railings firmly and tugged. "Seems sturdy."
Amy reluctantly left her cozy nook to see it for herself. "Yes. This should hold our weight no problem." She set her foot on the first rung.
"Amy, no!"
She twisted her head to find fear in her husband's eyes. "What's wrong? You just said it was sturdy."
"Yes, but you're carrying our child. What if you slipped?"
She set her foot back on the ground. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking." She stroked her belly and whispered an apology to the baby as well.
"Congratulations!" The realtor whooped. "How far along are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Four months," Amy beamed.
"This is the perfect time to think about moving."
"I suppose so," Amy replied, somewhat unconvincingly.
"I want to look at the bedrooms again," Sheldon announced. "I thought the one on the right would be ideal for a nursery."
The couple followed the realtor into the hall. Amy peered inside the room in question. She hadn't paid much attention the first time and honestly couldn't remember what was special about it.
Sheldon tugged her inside and excitedly pointed out potential possibilities. "We can easily fit a crib over there," he indicated with a wave of his hand. "That would maximize the space to add a change table and a rocking chair there and there, and it already comes with shelves. The train I gave you will fit perfectly."
"Or stuffed animals or books," Amy suggested.
"Plus we can decorate the walls to provide a stimulating environment; we can't do that in the apartment."
Amy bit her lip. The house had everything they could ever need. Should they just take the plunge?
"What do you think?" The realtor asked, bringing her out of her trance.
"Could my husband and I have a few minutes alone to talk things over?"
"Of course. I'll be waiting in the kitchen."
Amy waited until the other woman's footsteps retreated down the hall. "I am more excited by the idea, but I'm still a little apprehensive."
"Why?"
"For all the reasons I told you before."
Sheldon held her hands and faced her. "Amy, our finances are stable, we don't have room for three of us in the apartment, and we'd still be close to work. If we need help with the yardwork, I'm sure we can find a neighbor kid to help, at a small cost."
Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do it."
A/N: Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Unfortunately, I'm unable to respond to guest reviews directly but just wanted to thank the person who suggested a cute addition for this story. I added your idea to my "to write" list and will probably make it a separate story, as I'm planning on only one to two more chapters for this story. Again, thank you to everyone who is enjoying it.