Beta'd by the beautiful Dollybigmomma

Chapter 10: Roommates

EDWARD

After our winter break, we were busy with school again. Bella pretty much moved in with me, but we knew it wasn't a permanent arrangement. We needed to get our own place.

My dad wanted me to start working part-time at his office doing bullshit stuff. He said I could just set up a corner there and do my homework, but he really wanted me to be on the payroll, as well as the health insurance plan. I could tell he was pushing for me to marry Bella. Not verbally or anything, but it was just there on the paperwork, as I was filling it out and writing her in as my dependent to receive health insurance. That glaring box, inquiring if she was my spouse, seemed to be demanding to know if I was going to ever check it. The problem was, I didn't know. I had no idea how she felt about marriage.

I liked Bella in general as a person. I could see myself with her for a very long time and not getting tired of her. Not only that, but I loved her as well. She wasn't just pleasant to be around, but someone I found myself longing for, but I didn't know if that would constitute a reason to marry. Not to mention, that one little problem of her parents not knowing she was pregnant yet. I wasn't sure why she was putting it off. Okay, I knew why. She was scared to tell her parents, but it wasn't like we were sixteen. We were twenty-four for heaven sakes. Contrary to my past, I wasn't a deadbeat loser.

This was the 21st century, not the 1800's, people lived together and had families all the time. Living with your girlfriend was the norm, so getting her pregnant shouldn't have been considered too out there. I was taking care of her as best as I could…well, as much as she'd let me. Bella had a mind of her own, but she did like to be coddled, if her mood swung that way. Of course, at other times, she was frustrated and wanted to do everything herself, not wanting to come to grips with the fact that her body wasn't always in agreement with what she wanted. She would frequently become winded, or a smell would stop her in her tracks. She was past her first trimester, but it seemed her nose and stomach hadn't gotten the memo.

I was at "work" in my cubicle, going over my notes for a test on Friday, when my dad popped his head over the side. "Edward, do you have a minute?"

I wanted to say no, but he had been really cool since I had started "working" here. "Yeah, let me just mark this real quick, so I don't lose my place."

He smiled widely. "I'm impressed with how serious you take your schooling. I'm proud of you, Son."

I didn't know what to say to that, other than, "Thanks."

He led me down the hallway to the far side of the building. There was a wall of windows overlooking the city. "You see that red brick building about three blocks away?"

"Yeah?" I wasn't sure why he was showing it to me.

"It's the company's newest acquisition. It's a condo complex. If you look across the street, you'll see a bus stop that just happens to have a direct route to your school."

"Cool?"

"I thought you'd be more excited," he said with a sigh.

"That's great?" I tried again.

"They're condos, three bedroom condos, perfect for a growing family, within walking distance of work and a bus line to school."

"That's great, I'm sure the company will get a great turnover on them, being in the heart of downtown. What are they going for, twenty five hundred a month?"

My dad laughed and squeezed my shoulder. "You're not excited, because you don't think you can afford them. You're right, they're expensive, being in a prime spot. The set price is two thousand a month, but employees get half off. You'd get it for one thousand a month. Between your pay here, and your grant money, you'd be able to afford it, until we can hire you full-time. So, what do you say? Are you interested?"

I looked at him wide-eyed. There would have been no way Bella and I could afford that place on our own, but if my job could get it for half price...

"I need to call Bella," I said, suddenly feeling more excited about it.

My dad patted my shoulder. "You do that, and I'll get you a key, so you can show her around. You'll have to fill out an application, but it's just a formality, you'll be approved. Employees get first pick."

I rushed back to my cubicle and dialed Bella. She answered with her usual greeting, making me smile. "Hey, sexy."

I chuckled. "Hi, beautiful, I got some great news."

"Really, what's up?" She sounded like she was perking up. Then my dad showed up with a grin and handed me some keys. "You know what? I want it to be a surprise. Can you come to work?"

I heard her shuffling things around. "Yeah, just give me about twenty minutes and I'll be there."

"Yes!" I cheered, and she laughed.

"I'll see you soon, sweetheart," she said, giving me a kiss over the phone.

I was quick to pack up my stuff and ran downstairs to meet her at the doors. "Come on, I want to show you something," I said and started tugging her down the street.

"Where are we going?" she asked with a laugh.

"We're almost there." The condos were a lot closer than they looked.

When we stopped in front of the building, I said, "Tada!"

She giggled. "Okay, this is a beautiful place, that I'm sure cost a fortune. Why are we here?"

I jingled the keys at her. "I wanted to show you this."

"What's the point, silly? We should be looking at places we could afford, preferably closer to campus."

"The bus stop across the street has a direct route to school, and you saw how close it is to work."

"That doesn't change the price," she said skeptically.

I pulled her into the building and saw we'd be on the eighth floor. She just smiled at me indulgently, as I hit the button in the elevator. The ride up was quiet.

I had to admit, I did like how she wasn't a fighter. She'd frequently humored me, even when she thought I was wrong about something. She always kept an open mind. Like when I considered building us a house on the outskirts of town. She calmly told me to look into the cost of land and permits, along with certified contractors who could make sure things were up to code. She told me it'd probably be too expensive to do, but let me consider it. My mother, on the other hand, told me I was being ridiculous.

Bella was right, of course, but she didn't gloat about it. Was that another reason I should consider marrying her? She was a good sport and patient. I was sure that'd translate into her being an awesome mom, too. She was an amazing woman.

She giggled. "What has you smiling so goofy? What are you up to?"

"I was just thinking about you and how great you are."

"So much cheese," she said with a grin and pulled me down for a kiss. "Okay, let's go get this over with. I'm surprised they let you have a key. They must not have looked at our income yet," she joked.

I unlocked the door with a flourish. "Would you believe me if I told you we could get this place for a thousand a month?"

She spun around and looked at me wide-eyed. "Are you serious?"

"The company bought it. Employees get half off the rent," I said, nearly jumping with excitement.

"We could do that. It'd be tight, but we could do it!" Her excitement was catching up to mine. She walked through the rooms and confused me when she turned to me crying. I could only guess it was another mood swing. "I love you so much," she said, hugging me.

I was relieved it was a happy swing. "So, you think we should get it?"

"Yes!" she said, like I was silly for even asking. "Do you think they'll approve us?"

"Yup, guaranteed approval for employees," I announced cheerfully.

She squealed and ran into the kitchen. "This is amazing! I can't wait!"

We went straight to the management office from there and put in our application. When they read on the application where I worked and saw I was already in possession of a set of keys, they told me to keep them and congratulated us on our new place and our new baby. I felt I was ready to take the next big step in my life. Things were really looking up for us.

BELLA

I couldn't believe we were going to move into such a beautiful place. My excitement was only tempered by the fact that I would have to tell my parents about officially moving in with Edward. Not to mention being pregnant. They were old-fashioned, so I didn't think they were going to react well to the news.

Edward didn't see what the big deal was. His parents had accepted the news of the pregnancy rather quickly and had supported us with gusto. I honestly believed his father had had a hand in getting us that apartment. I saw the guy at the management office take note of Edward's name. His eyes darted to the filing cabinet, and when Edward asked if we needed to hand over the keys, he was quick to say no, everything had been taken care of. I'd bet if I did some digging, we'd see some papers somewhere with Carlisle's name on them, but I wasn't about to suggest my theory to Edward.

Apartment hunting had stressed me out. What we could afford wasn't anywhere I'd want to raise my baby. Some had bug problems and rusty stair rails, others questionable creepy tenants or neighbors who made my skin crawl when they eyed me. I wouldn't have felt comfortable being home alone with the baby with the likes of them milling around. I didn't care if his parents had something to do with us getting that place. I was sure they wanted their grandbaby to live in a safe place, too.

Now it was time I bit the bullet and told my parents about the baby and the move. They'd most likely blow a gasket over it, but at least we wouldn't be in the same city when it happened. My mother had seen a picture Jake had posted on Facebook of Edward and me together and had asked me about him on my page. I did confirm he was my boyfriend, so that wouldn't be a surprise. At least not to my mother, I didn't know if she had told my father, though.

I checked the time and decided now was the best time to call. My dad wouldn't be home from work yet. I was hoping to get my mother on my side, so she could help temper my father's reaction.

The phone rang twice before my mother answered. "Praise Jesus, I'd just been praying for you. He knew I needed to talk to you, baby. How's school going?"

"It's going well. I've been able to stay on top of my work. I feel confident I'll pass all my classes."

"Oh, that's so wonderful! I put your name in the prayer circle to help you through finals last semester. How did your tests go? I know you were worried about passing, and that's why you didn't come home. Did you do alright on them?"

"Yup, I did great, I scored B's and higher on all my exams."

"I'm so glad your hard work paid off. We missed you, but we know how important school is, too. Now, tell me about that gentleman friend of yours. Jake seems to run hot and cold on him, when it comes to his Facebook posts. That's just how it is with roommates, though. There are days I feel frustrated with my roommate, too," she said, laughing at her own joke.

"Speaking of roommates, I'm getting a new one."

"Did that boy finally propose to Alice?"

"Well, not exactly, but they are moving in together."

My mother let out a disapproving sigh. "People should really have the blessing of God and marriage before they live together. It can ruin a relationship if they don't."

I gulped and pushed on. "The place we're getting is great. It's actually a nice three-bedroom condo. It's newly renovated and huge."

"Is it in a good neighborhood? Your safety is more important than anything."

"It is in a nice area. I'm really excited to move in."

"Maybe your dad and I can come help you move in. I'd like to meet your new roommates. Your dad will want to do background checks on them, too. So, who are you moving in with?" she asked, just as Edward got home from work.

"Hey, baby, I'm home," he called and came in and kissed my lips. "Should I order us some dinner? What are you craving tonight?" he asked.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

"Yes, that's Edward."

"How's my baby doing today? Are they behaving?" he asked, kissing my belly.

"Did he just ask if you were behaving yourself?" she asked worried.

"Uh, not quite." I gave Edward a sharp look, wanting him to shut up. He obviously didn't realize I was speaking to my mom.

"Chinese okay? I can order your usual."

"Sure, hon, sounds good," I answered back, hoping to get him out of the room.

"Okay, will do," he sang, as he walked into the kitchen to grab the take-out menu.

"I hope you don't eat out every night."

"No, we both just had a busy day. He doesn't cook very well, but he does know the best places to order out," I defended.

"Well, at least he's trying. I wouldn't let your father in the kitchen, either. I hope he at least knows the basics for when you get married. Are you two serious? Have you talked at all about marriage?" my mother asked coyly.

"Subtle, Mom. I think things are pretty serious. I've met his parents, and they seem to really like me."

"Really, that's wonderful! Maybe we'll hear wedding bells soon. Do you have any idea what venue you'd like to hold it in?"

"No, I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, you shouldn't get into too long of a lease with your new roommates. You want to be available to move out once you're married. Where do you think you'll live? Maybe a small house or…"

"A condo?" I threw out there, kind of hoping she'd catch on, and at the same time hoping she wouldn't.

"Maybe to start."

"It's close to his work," I hinted again.

Edward came walking in with a big grin. "I just got a text confirming I can have off to go to your ultrasound. We're finally going to know what we're having. This is turning out to be the best day ever," he cheered and walked out, not realizing the bomb he had just dropped.

"Isabella Marie Swan, what did that boy just say? Did I hear right? Are you getting an ultrasound?"

"Yes," I said in a small voice.

"One that will determine the sex of a BABY?" she shouted out the last word.

I swallowed and nodded, but finally answered, "Yes."

She just broke out in prayer, hoping to save my soul. I sagged in the chair and let out a sigh. She finally finished her pleas to God and decided to speak to me again. "Did you run off to Vegas and get married without telling us?" she sounded almost hopeful.

Who would have thought me not eloping to Vegas would disappoint my parents. "No, and we're moving in together," I said quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

"Lord Almighty, please save my daughter from her corrupter…"

I cut off her prayer. "Edward is not my corrupter. He loves me. He takes care of me and the baby, and he's excited for us to be a family. His parents are even happy about having a grandbaby."

"I knew I shouldn't have let you move to the big city with all those heathens. Now you don't even know sin when it's right in your face!" she cried.

I heard the doorbell ring. "Mom, our dinner's here. I'll let you go, so you can pray for my soul some more or something. Give dad my love," I said and hung up, before she could say anything more.

"That went better than I thought," I said and took my food from Edward.

"What went better?" he asked.

"Telling my mom about the move, and well, you let the cat out of the bag about me being pregnant."

"That was your mom? I'm so sorry, honey. I thought you were just talking to Angie."

"Nope, that was my mom. She only broke out into prayer twice, so I think it'll be okay."

"She broke into prayer?" he asked confused.

"Yeah, premarital sex is a big no-no. Apparently, you're a heathen from the big city," I said, trying to laugh it off. Edward's serious face was making me nervous.

"Do you ever think about marriage?" he asked.

"Don't let my parents' views make you feel pressured to marry me," I excused him. I didn't want to trap the poor man.

"No, it's just…we've never talked about it. I always figured I'd get married someday and have a family. You know in that vague 'time in the future' sort of way, but circumstances have changed. Have you ever considered it?"

The way he was talking sounded like he'd actually been thinking about marriage for a while. "Yeah, I suppose. I kind of always saw myself with a companion later in life, you know, like two old people in rocking chairs."

He smiled serenely. "That's sounds nice. So you'd be open to it, then?" he inquired a little more seriously.

I did love Edward. Did I want to marry him? I guess I sort of did. I had no reason not to, and when I thought about the old people in rocking chairs, I was picturing him. Did that mean I wanted to marry him? I think it did. "Yeah, I think I'd be open to it."

"Good to know," he said with a grin.

Now I would spend every waking moment wondering if he was actually going to propose to me. I'd just have to wait and see what happened. Maybe me having a ring would take Edward off my dad's hit list. One could only hope.