(w)riteofpassion
Chapter 34
EPOV
Seven months later.
Christmas in LA was always odd. The air was less hot, for sure, but wearing a Christmas sweater in the afternoon still made me sweat like crazy. I looked around the office one more time, still baffled by the fact that this was ours. Mine and Eric's. The both of us couldn't believe we'd finally taken the jump in the deep, dark unknown.
Tonight was Christmas Eve, and Bella was at home -our home, waiting for me to get back. Eric and I decided to go over the last few details before the New Year. Before we would officially open for business. Eric insisted on calling it 'EC Designs', since he would be the man of the paperwork and most clients that already reached out did so because they knew who I was and were a fan of my work. Ever since he got into web design, he'd always be more fascinated by the numbers and the coding behind everything and not so much with the aesthetic aspect of it. That would be all me.
We'd spend the last couple of days assembling IKEA furniture, bickering like an old married couple. I was suddenly glad Bella moved into my already furnished condo, because building more than one closet would make her lose her damn mind. I snickered to myself, remembering the first day together. Bella basically sold everything inside her apartment, put it in a savings account she was more than secretive about.
"I get a drawer now, right?" She joked, blowing the strands of hair that fell out of her braid out of her hair. I couldn't help but laugh as she sat down on the floor, next to a pile of clothing.
"Somehow I don't think that would suffice, baby." Bella tried her hardest to toss and donate the things she barely wore or hadn't touched in a year. After all, I didn't have a big walk-in closet like she had.
"I don't even need clothes at home. I could just walk around naked for all I care." She shrugged, and she was right. We just couldn't keep our hands off each other, and now that she moved in I made sure we christened every surface in the house.
"I'm sure the neighbors will love that." I arched a brow, still staring down at her.
"Come, let's go." I grabbed her hand and pulled her up.
"Where to?"
"The promised land." I joked, grabbing my keys off the counter.
"What are you talking about?" Bella hurried behind me, turning out the lights and stepping in some sneakers.
"Ikea, baby. I'm buying you a closet."
We agreed to spend Christmas Eve together at home, just the two of us. Bella planned on making a kickass lasagne, because she knows I love her lasagna and that meant she wouldn't be in the kitchen all night. I left early this morning, meeting Eric here at our new office, so we'd be back home in time to enjoy the holiday. Eric promised Katie he'd be home by mid-afternoon, so they would still be at her parent's house on time. I smiled, because I was happy for him. He'd finally found a girl he could open his heart to, and they were honestly the best match.
I let Eric leave early, since he was extremely nervous about meeting Katie's parents for the first time.
"I don't know man. She just started freaking out. I've never seen anyone lose their shit because of groceries before. Katie rushed to the bathroom, slamming doors and all. I swear I'll never get that deposit back." Eric rubbed his face, dark circles underneath his eyes.
"Groceries? Really? Are you sure that was what it was?" Katie recently moved in with Eric, after only dating for about three months. Her lease was up and they decided it would be better than the both of them paying rent separately.
Eric's eyes widened, an alarming look on his face.
"Motherfucking hell." He muttered, taking out his phone.
"What's wrong?"
"Wait a second." He silenced me, scrolling down his iPhone violently.
"Motherfucker." He repeated. "No way."
I just stared at him, waiting for an explanation.
"Katie asked me to pick up these groceries last week, and said it was kinda urgent. But I only did it today, six fucking days later because I kept on forgetting." Eric shook his head.
He threw his phone onto the table, shoving it in my direction.
Please get me those tampons, too. I'm about to start my period.
"Did you forget them or something?" I wondered, knowing Bella's PMS could sometimes mess with her emotions, making her angry for no reason.
"No. I bought them. It was what she threw at my face before she angrily disappeared."
I still didn't get it.
"She needed them six days ago, Edward. You're a mathematical genius."
Then it hit me.
"Oh, my motherfucking God." I uttered.
"She's pregnant, isn't she?"
After the shock of Katie's unexpected pregnancy wore off, Eric saw the beauty of their situation. They loved each other, that much was sure, but they hadn't expected this so early in their relationship. I told Eric about Denise, the woman I met at LAX, and about our conversation. Eric seemed to be just as moved by her words as I was, about the fact that we shouldn't be wasting any time on this earth, especially not with the people we love. She was about four months pregnant now, and the two of them were extremely happy. If it feels right, it feels right. And today they would tell Katie's family they were expecting a little one.
It seemed to be raining baby's recently, with Eric and Katie and Victoria, Bella's boss. They never expected to get pregnant in the first place, since all their misfortune in the past so it was a total surprise.
In the meantime, before Victoria went on maternity leave, Bella got her new, full-time position as an in-house editor for Green Publishing. She was over the moon, ecstatic her hard work in New York had paid off.
I couldn't be more proud of her, not after she'd shown me her own little cubicle and her greenpublishing email account. My girl was making a career, and she'd done that all on her own without a fancy degree. Even Jane agreed, praising Bella's work. The two of them became good friends after the book was finally published and I could tell she was really happy.
When I got home, I found Bella in the kitchen, surrounded with the best smelling marinara sauce in the entire universe. She smiled widely when I dropped my keys on the shelves she'd build next to the front door.
"Hi baby." I greeted her, walking over to the kitchen and snaking my arms around her waist, hugging her from the back. Her hair was in a messy braid, hanging down her back.
"Did you get everything done?" She asked, turning her head so I could kiss her.
"I did. Now it's finally us-time." I said, resting my chin on the top of her head.
"How's Eric?"
"Freaking out."
"I bet, yeah. Dropping the baby-bomb at Christmas sure will break the ice." She snickered. It made me think of us, about us having a baby someday. We hadn't really talked about that yet, but we were still young. Part of me wanted to have a kid with her, for sure. I would want to see what kind of person we could create. Bella spoke next, as if she could read my mind.
"Is that something you'd want? A baby, I mean." She asked me, walking away from me to put the lasagna dish in the fridge.
I looked at her, truly looked at her, trying to imagine a little person with her soulful brown eyes, or her slightly turned-up nose. The picture in my head was too vague, I hadn't really given it much thought before now.
"I don't know. You?" I asked, leaning against the countertop.
"I don't either. I guess I like having you all to myself, but I wouldn't throw a tantrum the way Katie did."
"So you're not disgusted by the idea of another me running around?" I joked.
"Are you kidding me? I'd have to buy all the locks in the world, knowing the effect your looks have on me. I wouldn't want to think about the teenage years and the busses full of hormonal girls pining for his attention." She said dramatically.
"Really?" I cocked a brow at her. "You're forgetting he will be a giant nerd, right? Between you and me, he for sure would have a gaming addiction. Plus, big chance he'd have to wear glasses like me. Let me remind you, my teenage years weren't exactly full of suitors and dates."
"Yeah, big whoop. I bet you were just blind to those girl's advances."
"Too late to figure that out now. We'd only be in big trouble if we had a daughter." I remarked.
"We would never have a girl." Bella blurted out.
"What?" I laughed. "You've thought about this before?" I wondered.
"Well, yeah. I think every girl does whenever her period is a day late."
"You were late?" My eyes grew large. "You never told me."
"I was one day late, Edward. Once. That doesn't require me to buy you a Father's Day card." She laughed. I relaxed.
"Maybe one day." I said, Bella nodded.
"We'll see. For now let's just enjoy the time we have together." Her smile was warm. I leaned down to kiss her, lifting her up so she sat down on the kitchen counter. Her hands around my neck, legs locked behind my ass as I felt her up, realizing she wasn't wearing a bra.
"Right here?" She asked me, breathless.
"Right now." I smiled against her lips, lifting her dress and kissing her lace-clad pussy.
"Okay, mom. I got it," I shouted, toeing off my shoes. The laughter coming from Emmett's living room greeted me as I got back from a last-minute, emergency grocery shopping trip.
Our parents decided to come visit us at LA, as opposed to us going down to Chicago for the holidays. It was the first time both Emmett and I had significant others, and my mother was more than happy to jump on a plane. Emmett had been working last night, with a fully packed restaurant and Rosalie by his side as the perfect host.
I walked into the living room where Emmett and Bella sat suspiciously close to each other. Bella's head snapped up in my direction as my brother nudged her shoulder. I decided to ignore it, I was probably seeing things that weren't there and carried the cake my mom forgot over to the kitchen.
"You're so happy, son." Mom raked a hand through my hair, her green eyes full of life. I didn't hold back my smile. I simply couldn't.
"Yeah, I really am." I scooped up some frosting with the tip of my finger, she swatted it away.
"It feels so good to see my boys like this. It's like you both finally found the right ones, Edward. I can just feel it. Look at Emmett and Rosalie. He can't stand not being by her side longer than twenty minutes. And you, sweetheart. You watch Bella like a hawk. It's adorable." Mom said, sighing. She tucked some of her caramel hair behind her ear.
"I used to be so sad when you two moved out here. I lost both of you, even your father didn't know what to say. But I understand, more than ever. Los Angeles is good for the two of you." She smiled, even though it barely reached her eyes. My mom was still sad, somehow.
"Edward, Mom! Get over here, dad has a surprise." Emmett yelled at the top of his lungs, Rosalie shoving him forcefully, telling him we're not deaf. I snickered, sitting down on the armrest of the couch, Bella's hand on my thigh.
"So," Dad started. He rubbed his hands together before he retrieved a folded envelope out of the breast pocket of his shirt. He tried to straighten the creases before he handed it to my mother.
"Carlisle?" She asked, confused. He put a finger to his lips, shutting her up successfully.
Dad pulls out another envelope, this time from his back pocket, folded twice.
Bella looks at me, not quite knowing where this could lead.
"You're killing us with all the suspense Dad. What's this? A magic show?" Emmett laughs, taking a sip from his post-dinner beer.
"This," Dad motions to the papers in his hand, unfolding the A4-envelope carefully. "Is my gift to my incredible wife." He steps closer, the toes of his shiny black dress-shoes flush with my mother's blush pink stilettos. My father hands her the big envelope first and she takes it from him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting his gift.
Dad's blue eyes sparkle and he runs a hand through his blond hair, slicking it back. The nervous tic I inherited from him.
"Mo-, Carlisle." She sighed, shaking her head. "What's this?"
"What does it say, mom?" I asked, curious as hell about the stack of papers in her manicured hands.
"It's paperwork." She said, her voice quiet with a hint of a disbelief.
"Hand it over, mom." Emmett snags the papers from our mother's hand, his grin wide.
"Dad! You've got to be fucking kidding me." For once, Mom doesn't judge his language. She just sat there, her smile mirroring my brother's.
"You're moving to the City of Angels?" I said, taking a peek of the header.
Sedars-Sinai Medical Center
Dad handed my mom the other, smaller envelope. She took out a couple of pictures. I spotted palm trees, a Spanish style duplex, a pool.
"Carlisle, honestly. This is what you've been up to?" Mom's voice is full of emotion. She stood up and threw her arms around my father's neck, the weight lifted off his shoulders. Mom dropped the pictures and Rose took them from the couch, holding them between the four of us.
Beverly Grove area.
Two bedrooms.
Fully remodeled.
My father transferred from Chicago to Los Angeles, to one of the most prestigious hospitals in the area.
"Welcome home, love." He whispered into her ear, kissing her lovingly.
"I bet LA will be great to the two of you, as well." I said, repeating my mom's words from earlier. She smiled at me with tears in her eyes.
I spotted Bella staring at me, and I knew what she was thinking.
I want that kind of love that lasts forever.
Who's still with me?
I've been typing like a crazy maniac lately. Thanks for reading xoxo
Mar
