A/N: Welcome back! I have some exciting yet bittersweet news at the end, so stay tuned for the A/N at the end of this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I really, really wish I did.
(Bella POV)
I laugh and cross my legs sitting on the bed. The comforter is wrapped warmly around my waist and I smile down at Edward. He's not a morning person. No, really, if he was in charge of the world and how things worked, mornings would not exist. Either that or they'd exist... but it'd be mandatory that you sleep through them. I place a hand on his back shoulder and shake him. "Wake up!" I say for what feels like the umpteenth time. I know he's awake, but he's not a-wake, you know?
He shakes his head into the pillow. Well, I did make some progess. Twenty mintues ago he was laying on his back and I was on his chest sleeping, now I'm up and sitting in his old t-shirt from last night, while he's laying on his stomach with his face pressed into the white pillow. Did I mention he's only wearing his blue and white striped boxers?
"You'll suffocate like that." I warn him. I can tell he rolls his eyes back at me. I crawl over and sit on his back, straddling him. I grab my pillow that he's not dominating and start whacking him in the head with it. His hair is messy and some what fluff-ish so whenever I whack it, it sways. I laugh and hit him again. He shakes under me in laughter. "Get up!"
He turns his face so I can hear him talking. "I kind of can't when you're weighing me down. Plus you're all but trying to give me a concussion right now."
I laugh again and roll off him, pulling the pillow to my chest. "It's just a pillow."
"You've got a lot of force in you." He rolls over to get onto his back, but when he does so, he rolls so he's closer to me. Our shoulders touch now and I release my death hold on the pillow.
"May the force be with you." I quote lamely.
"In my spinning head now." He laughs and rolls onto his side to face me.
"Only because you're rolling around like Roly Poly Oly." I lean over to face him. "That must make you dizzy." He smirks at me and leans in to press a kiss on my mouth. I sigh as our lips meet and lean forward eagerly.
"Good morning." He murmurs when he pulls back. I blink my eyes open and smile at him.
"Good morning."
"Ready to do some house hunting today?" He asks and when I nod he smiles wider. "The real estate agent said he'd meet us at the first house around ten. It's nine now." He looks at the digital clock on the nightstand while talking to me.
"I hope we find something." I tell him.
"I think we will. We're not that picky."
"I'm not, but you are."
"All houses should have a bowling alley, a pool, a big backyard, at least three bedrooms, a nice kitchen, a movie theatre-"
I cut him off with an abrupt kiss. "Silly."
"I know I am. But you love me." He rolls onto his back, dragging me onto his chest in the process. His lips lazily search for mine, starting with kissing my collarbone all the way up.
"That I do." I wrap an arm around his head and run my fingers through his silky hair.
"Will you marry me someday?" He asks against the corner of my mouth.
"Do you even have to ask?" I reply with a sigh when he nibbles my jaw.
"I think I have too, don't I?" He jokes and places a wet kiss on my bottom lip. "Or else you'd never know or get a ring."
"True." I pull back and look at him. "But seriously? Yes, I'll marry you someday. Once we're settled more."
"Good." Edward lays his head down. "Call me up when we're leaving." He shuts his eyes.
I pat his bare chest. "Get ready, I'll wake Alice."
When I groans, I laugh and leave.
...
I don't know how many houses we pass through, but each time I get the same feeling... or should I say feelings? I like all the houses, each one is modern yet homey and they all have their own personality. Whenever I walked into one of the houses, I felt a rush of exhilaration, a rush that tickled my nerves and made me realize that this is for real. I'm house hunting. No, I'm house hunting with the two most amazing people I'd ever encounter and they're my family. We're together. A package deal.
Maybe that's why I saw potential in most the homes. Of course we were shown a few that weren't very... sustained, but we easily passed through them without much comment. Edward tried make sure the real estate agent knew what we were looking for, when quite frankly we were didn't even know what we were looking for. A house. A place to live, make memories, protect us from the cold winters and hot summers, and a place to raise Alice. A place to call home. Now, a real estate agent can't just look online and find a house that's 'Alice worthy' now can he?
No. But he tried. And it wasn't until we were nearly done house hunting when something caught Edward's eye...
"Wait a minute." Edward halts our agent Liam in a middle of a sentence. He was talking about another house he had in mind, one that was a just out of town when Edward stopped him. I give Edward a narrow eyed that-wasn't-very-polite scolding look. He apologizes before continuing, "That sounds great, but I couldn't help but notice that house across the street and a few doors down was for sale. It looks like something. Different from what we've seen so far, but still nice."
"Ah," Liam itches his left ear before turning. The sun catches in his golden hair and brightens up his round face. A frown line is clearly visible on his forehead. "I'm not sure you'd want to see that house." I look over to the house we're talking about. It's a mediocre sized home that's a dark reddish brown brick. There's an old, wood stained porch on the front with a few plastic chairs on it and a black cat on the wood rail. The front door is black and there's a ruined screen door in front of it.
At least the grass is cut. Or has been within the past month...
"Edward," I let out a bark of a laugh. Instead of answering my obvious confusion, he takes my wrist and leads me over to the house. Each step we get closer to it, the more of the details you can see. It has the potential to be cute, it really does. It just needs to have some work done to it. I frown, someone really should have kept the place up to date. The house really doesn't fit in with all the other cute, clean houses lined up on the side of it.
The house is on the corner of the street, so there are only houses on the left side of it. It's bigger than the next three houses beside it, but they are all brick. This house seems to be a darker brick colour that surprisingly makes it seem more elegant than the rest. Once Edward and I make it to the house with Liam and Alice in tow, the black cat shrieks at us venomously before pouncing off the rail and scurrying off.
I have heard that black cats are nothing but trouble. The poor fellow looked cute though.
"Can we look here?" Edward asks impatiently, already leading me up the front steps. I worry that they'll creak under the weight, but they don't. They're sturdy. Huh.
"Ah, let me call the office." Liam replies hesitantly and pulls his phone out of his suit pants. I never will understand why real estate agents dress so formal yet act like friends. Liam's the kind of guy that I would go out and have a drink with off work. I could easily picture him and Edward getting along and maybe even bring Willy into that.
Gosh, Willy. If he saw Edward right now, he'd want to smack him silly. Willy's a great guy, a man Edward works with and is pretty much the reason Edward even goes to work. Him and the money, that is. Willy came over a few times with his girlfriend Sienna and we all get along. We've went out for a dinner once and to the pub twice. Willy's house is just a few blocks from where I'm standing now actually.
"So what do you think?" Edward asks, nudging me out of my thoughts.
"About?"
"The house, love." He chuckles and places a kiss on my temple. I sigh against him.
"I see it." I admit softly. I hear Alice prance up the steps and to my side.
"The house is..." She looks around. "Different." Then she decides, "I like it."
"It's cute." I nod in agreement. "Whoever lives here now really hasn't kept it up to date."
"That could be changed." Leave it to Edward to have the open mind. "I'm good with a hammer."
"More like a paintbrush. I like the porch and it's sturdy, it just needs to be stained. The white paint on the wood is chipping." I look over at the railing. "I see it too, though. I really do."
Liam joins us a moment later saying we're allowed to check out the house that afternoon since it's currently locked and the home owner is away. The estate office will give us the keys later.
...
A/N: I know, kind of abrupt chapter ending... but hey. The next chapter starts off well.
Anyways... BIG NEWS! This story is nearly done! Seriously, 3 chapters. Can you believe it?
Also, I have another story in the works and it'll be a crime/mafia/romance/mystery one, so yeah... author alert me? Stay tuned? It'll post soon!
As always, please leave me a review. Maybe we can hit 900 before the story is complete? Thanks!
