~Edward~

"Can we really afford this?"

Bella's face was guarded as she spoke, but her eyes—those lovely eyes that could never hide anything from me—told another story. She loved this house as much as I did.

We hadn't been looking at houses, or even thinking of buying one. Since getting married, we had been enjoying being together, never having to separate, not having "hers" and "mine", but "ours." One day, I overhead Bella tell Rose her dream of having her own house. A yard for our children to play in. A place that would contain our memories and she wouldn't have to ever leave—a place where she felt safe. From that moment on, I began to make plans.

We had always liked this house from the outside. We saw it on our walks through the park and admired the huge porch and multiple windows. The day I saw the 'For Sale' sign appear, I called the agent and did a walk-through with Carlisle and Emmett, wanting to be sure it was a good house for us to look at. Once the three of us determined all it really needed was some modernization, I made another appointment to bring Bella to see it. And here we were…

She walked around, her fingers running over the oak trim, gliding over the carved newel post and spindles of the staircase in silent pleasure. I stood behind her, describing how we could gut the kitchen and bath and easily transform them into rooms she would love. Everyone at the firehouse would help out with renovations, donating their time and expertise, knowing that when it was their turn, they, too, would have many helping hands for their project.

I smiled at her anxious expression. She was trying so hard not to be too excited and failing badly at it. Stoking her cheek with my thumb, I nodded. "My parents are giving us money toward the down payment as their wedding gift, and your dad insists on contributing the money he had set aside all your life for your wedding, which we didn't use. Add to that what I've saved, and we're in great shape, even adding a budget for the renovations. The mortgage is less than what we were paying separately last year for rent."

"I don't have much to add to it."

I knew that was bothering her, but I didn't care about that fact. I wanted to buy this house for her. "You give me you, that's all I need. Let me do this. I want to buy you a house—buy us a house. A place of our own." I winked at her. "Besides, you paid for the wedding."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure that counts."

"It does to me. Do you like this place, Bella?"

"I love it. We're so close to the park and I can walk to work… It's perfect."

"There's a garage out back with a workshop, too. There's a place for the garden you want, the fence is in good shape, and the house is sound. The owners updated the electrical panel and wiring a few years ago, and we checked it all out. It's good."

I leaned closer, brushing her lips with mine. "It's a great area, Bella. It's only a few blocks from where Em and Rose live, so that's a plus. Good schools, close to work for both of us, and we both love it." Tilting her chin, I gazed into her eyes. "But I want it to be exactly what you want. If you want something brand new, we'll look into that option. It might take us another year of saving, but we can do that. Or we can look at other houses."

She shook her head. "No. I love the neighborhood, and I love this house. I can see us here. I can see us raising our family here. I think"— she paused—"I think this house has seen a lot of love."

"The owners raised four kids here. They've gotten too old to keep it up, and are moving to a smaller place close to their children. I spoke with them the day I looked at it. They were both thrilled at the idea of a younger couple coming in and making it a busy home again."

"I want it," she whispered.

"Then it's yours. I'll call the agent."

*()*

I laughed at the conga line of firefighters and paramedics carrying boxes. I had great friends here. Not only had they all chipped in after we were married and sent Bella and me back to our favorite little cabin as a wedding gift, but they had all taken turns covering my shift so we had a week off to enjoy it. Then they all stepped up, helping with the renovations, and now they were moving us in. It warmed my heart knowing how much they cared about us.

Our offer on the house had been approved, along with the fast closing I wanted. A month after we signed the papers, the house was ours, and for two months, every chance I had, we worked on the house. The kitchen and main bath were both gutted and redone. Patio doors were put in the kitchen leading to the new deck we'd added on the back of the house. The powder room on the main floor was given a face-lift and the girls painted the entire house.

Today, we were officially moving in.

"What room, Edward?"

I glanced at our newest crew member. Japer had joined us just over a month ago—transferring from down south. His calm nature and humor made him a great fit at the firehouse. He had pitched in often with the renovations and had even taken over the lease on our apartment. Today, though, he was more distracted than normal. Alice was around.

Jasper was always distracted when Alice was around.

Since the day they met, the two of them had moved around each other like spinning tops, edging closer and drifting apart. His smile was always the widest when she would walk into the room. His hands always reached out to unburden her of anything she was carrying. She would always smile politely and thank him, then sashay away, leaving him looking after her with so much longing that you wanted to take pity on him and yell after her to give him a break. Bella said she liked him, but the whole firefighter as a career choice made her nervous. She assured me she was slowly wearing her down, and had a plan to bring them together today.

For Jasper's sake, I hoped it worked. He looked about ready to tear off his skin as he watched her moving around in cut-off denim shorts and a T-shirt tied up under her breasts.

"The den, Jasper," I instructed. "Those are Bella's books—well, a few of them." She had a lot of books.

My wife appeared beside me, smiling. "Jasper, would you mind unloading the books onto the shelves?" She grinned innocently. "Alice said she'd help. She knows how I like them arranged."

"Oh, yeah, sure, ma'am," he drawled. "Happy to help Alice…I mean you. Happy to help you."

Turning away, she caught my eye and winked. "Great. She said to tell you she was in the den. Don't keep her waiting too long."

"I won't," he called over his shoulder as he hurried away.

I shook my head. "Sweetheart."

She grinned at me, looking impish and adorable. "You may have just started something. I hope you aren't too fond of those books of yours. If those two combust in there, your novels may go up in smoke."

She laughed as she leaned up, resting her hand against my chest. "Worth it. Those two are as right for each other as we are."

I caught her against me, capturing her lips with mine. She tasted of coffee and the donut she'd been nibbling— sunshine, love, and pure Bella. "I love you."

"I love you." Then she swatted my ass. "Keep moving, my husband. I want the boxes in, the people gone and you in our bed by tonight."

I kissed her again, and then I hurried away.

No better incentive than that.

*()*

Returning from our walk, we approached the house as the sky changed colors, turning from busy daylight into the calm of twilight—Bella's favorite time of day. Blue gave away to dull saffron and gray, streaks of orange, yellow, and pink filling the horizon. Bella stopped walking, gazing at the house. The porch light was on, casting a soft glow over the front door, and showing the pretty wreath she had hung earlier. Small solar lights lit up the sidewalk, guiding our way up the path.

She squeezed my arm. "Our first night in our new home," she breathed. "We've walked past this place so often, and I loved it; I never thought it would be ours."

I wrapped my arm around her, holding her tight against my side. "We can grow old here, Bella. Raise our family here. Together."

She turned, gazing up at me, her eyes damp. "Thank you, Edward."

Cupping her soft cheek, I stroked the skin gently, removing the tears that had spilled over. "Whatever for, sweetheart?"

"For coming to my rescue that day. For being the man that you are, and for the way you love me."

Hunching down, I grazed her lips with mine, kissing her softly. Twice, three times. "I'll always rescue you. And you, Bella…you made it easy to love you. It was like breathing. The only thing that'll ever change about that, is how much more I'm going to love you in this life—and beyond."

"Take me home."

Grinning, I scooped her up in my arms and carried her up the sidewalk and to our door, smiling at her soft giggles.

I bent down so she could open the door, and still holding her, I stepped into the house.

Our home.

I continued up the stairs, nestling her against my chest and kissing her.

"You can put me down now."

"Hush, I like carrying you. It keeps me in shape for when I have to rescue you."

"You rescue me every day, Edward. You're my hero," she sighed. "You always will be."

I nuzzled her hair, and then set her down on our bed in our new room. Cupping her sweet face, I smiled at her, in awe, as always, at the love I found in her eyes.

She would never understand…I may have carried her down the ladder that day, but it was she who rescued me by loving and accepting me as I was, not trying to change a thing about me. She allowed me to be myself, to be the hero for her, loving and protecting her. It was all I wanted to be—her hero…her Edward.

Lowering myself down, I kissed her, hovering over her lips and breathing her in.

"Always."

This was supposed to be the last chapter...but the ladies in my group had a special request I couldn't refuse. So, one more chapter - posts this weekend.

Thank you for reading.

Thanks to both MC and JenRar for their beta work.