Evidently, you can actually get sick of sex.

I hadn't had the luxury of every putting that thought into a full process before, because I hadn't had much of it. Not good stuff, anyway. And after the first time I'd laid eyes on Edward Cullen, I truly didn't think it was possible.

Because have you seen my fiancé?

After mind-blowing, endless, raw, dirty, fantastic sex for several days, stopping only to eat some Doritos, nap, and take sexy showers, I was ready to close for reconstruction.

Because my kitty cat was hissing.

So we'd spent time making breakfast together. We took Gordie for a walk to the park and threw balls for him to retrieve. We held hands and went grocery shopping. We ate lunch at a café and shared a sandwich and a bowl of soup.

Then we went home, put away groceries, climbed onto the comfy sofa, and cuddled and talked while we watched a few episodes of a television show we both wanted to binge.

It was normal and perfect and us. We'd finally gotten to a point where we could settle. There wasn't anything fantastic about the week that followed. It was more than fantastic. It was our future and we fell into step like we'd done this normal shit every day of our lives.

There were times in between where he'd have to go to work. There were a few media appointments, lawyers to talk to, meetings with the team, but they were few and far between. It felt good having him with me most of the time.

Week three of him being home, we went to meet with a Realtor. Which was scary, but necessary. I still couldn't believe we were moving. I was leaving Washington, probably for the rest of my life.

Would I be back? That was a huge yes. My best friend and her baby would always be in Washington, and there was no way I was going to leave their lives.

I wanted to be there when baby McCarty flew into the world. I wanted to make Rose casseroles and clean her house and babysit her crazy husband so she could get rest. I would be there for the baby when he or she turned one. For every single birthday after that.

But my time in Washington would be a memory. It would be a place I knew once, where I'd been born. Where my mother left my father, where my father left me. I'd met my future fiancé here. My best friends. It would be special to me and always in my heart.

And change scared me.

"Shouldn't we find a place in Chicago before we sell this house? I mean, we'll be homeless."

Edward reached across the console of the truck and squeezed my knee. "We'll find something. Plus, we can always crash with my parents. I want to get the fuck out of here. Start living. Building our home."

Boy was on the fast track, and even though I trusted him with my whole heart, it was freaking me out a little bit. Everything was always no big deal to him. I wished so much I could go with his damn flow.

"What about an apartment? That way it's not permanent, but we'd be certain we have a crib to live in. You know, in case things don't go down the way you think they will."

He gave me a sideways glance and then turned his eyes back to the road. "I promise not to drag you into the wild without a crib, baby. Just trust me. It will all work out. I've got a plan. Have had a plan since you agreed to move."

I gritted my teeth and turned my head toward the window. I didn't like this one bit. I'd just gotten real cozy in an actual home. I didn't want to have to wander around. I'd been wandering for most of my life.

Did I trust him? Of course. If there was one thing about Edward, it was his reliability. He wouldn't fuck it up.

My neurotic ass couldn't find my chill, though.

"Living with your parents is fine with me. I just have a million thing on my mind is all."

He hummed and tapped his finger on the steering wheel. Which was annoying and something he did, I had figured out, when he was annoyed with me.

"The wedding stuff is going well, aren't they?"

I rolled my eyes. My little meltdown at the moment had nothing to do with the wedding.

The wedding, in fact, was coming along smooth as silk. Which meant a shoe was dangling from the clouds somewhere, ready to drop on my head.

"Yes. Did you remind Jasper and Garrett to go get fitted for their tuxedos? Your mom said that appointment is this weekend."

"Yup."

"Cool," I replied. "I think we're set then. So the wedding is going fine. Flowers, venue, dress, tuxedos, caterer, cake. All done."

"So why are you so stressed out? All we need to do now is get the rings."

Fuck.

The rings.

My heart sped up in my chest and suddenly every inch of skin on my body went cold. How the fuck was I supposed to buy a ring? I had an actual negative forty-seven dollars in my bank account. I hadn't worked in months. Edward provided everything for me, and my stomach sank.

I heard him chuckled beside me and clenched my jaw. We hadn't had one fight or argument since he'd been home, but I was about to flip the bitch switch quick if he wanted to taunt me about this.

"I have a ring. My grandfather's ring. I need to get it sized. We need to get your wedding band."

I pressed my face against the window and sighed. It was still messed up that I was so pathetic, I couldn't even get a ring for my husband.

"I need to get back to work. I should contribute more. I feel like a loser."

He hummed. "You contribute by being you, Bella. Don't start on this again. I want to take care of you. I want you to take care of our family one day. You don't have to work. If you want to work, that's another thing. Go to the bakery and help Rose if that's what you like. Work as a secretary. Get a job at the animal shelter. Mow fucking lawns for all I care. Go back to school. Whatever you want to do, I will support. But I want you to support me, too. And having you with me, with the ability to travel, that would make me happy too."

Times like these made me think about my childhood. My mother being the selfish bitch she was never worked, but she wasn't a mother either. I'd always wanted to be a mother who would be home when my kids came home from school, help with their homework, make them snacks. At least for the most part, we were in agreement about that.

But kids were miles away and I needed to have something to keep me busy other than my husband.

Call it a light bulb moment.

"I like helping at the bakery. And now, especially, Rose needs me around. But once we have kids, that's what I want, too. To be with my kids."

He reached across the truck again and rubbed my leg. "You sure get some crazy ideas in your head, you know? If I thought you were a gold digger, I wouldn't have bothered with you, Bella. I've had my share of that kind of woman. I knew you were wife and mother from the second I saw you. I want you to be happy, and I want you to be there for me. That's it. Don't worry about the money shit. By next year, I'll be making twice as much as I do now, and I want you to share that. Spend it to make our house a home. Buy shit that makes you happy. Pay bills. Wipe your ass with it. Hand it over to bums on the street. It's just money. I'm lucky I get to play with a stick and make a shitload of money doing it. It means shit if I don't have someone to share it with."

"I know," I said softly. "It's not that. It doesn't bother me that you take care of me. It makes me feel… taken care of," I said with a laugh. "I like it. A lot. But I want to take care of you, too. I feel like I'm a sucky housewife. I can barely cook, and I'm getting better at cleaning, but still, I sort of half-ass the bathrooms because I hate it."

Suddenly, the truck swerved, and we were rolling off the highway and through a part of town I didn't recognize.

"Where are you going?"

"First, we're getting lunch at this place you'll love. Greasy, cheesy fries and the best cheeseburgers in Seattle. Then we're going home. I'm going to bend you over the couch and fuck you until you have nothing to worry about, and then we're going to finish watching that weird ass zombie show. Now, call the agent and tell her we changed our minds. We aren't selling the house until we have a new one in Chicago."

I breathed out a laugh, my thighs on fire and my belly full of butterflies.

"You know, that sounds like a plan."

I unlatched my seat belt, slid across the seat, and ran my hand from his knee to his groin. He groaned and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and I grinned into his shoulder.

"Thank you. I know I'm cray, but knowing the house is still there until we have a new one makes me feel so much better."

I gave his dick a squeeze to emphasize my gratitude. "I think this calls for a pre-lunch grabby-grab. Don't you think?"

I rubbed the heel of my palm over his pants, and felt him swell under my hand. His breath hitched and the truck jerked forward. I loved it when he reacted that way when I touched him. I'd never felt so powerful or important in my life.

"And you think you don't take care of me," he said through gritted teeth. "If the only thing you ever do is rub my dick for the rest of my life, I will die a happy man."

I smiled and lowered his zipper and went to work on his pants to pull him out. "Well, keep smiling, sweets. I happen to be very good at this. Maybe I can get my own trophy."


Hi! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you are all holding up out there!

So this is a fun transition chapter and the wedding is up next so hang on tight! Shenanigans are coming!

I'm sad it's almost over. It's been such a happy experience reposting this story. I can thank y'all for making writing fun again.

Thank you xoxo

Jami