AN: Thank you to my girls for everything they've done for this story. As usual, there was tinkering, so any remaining mistakes are my own.

Musical inspiration: Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.

But baby now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are

CHAPTER 30. An Offer.

~o~

NOW

~o~

Queen Anne Hills, Seattle, Washington. Sunday, December 15th, 2013

Bella looks out the window while Edward steals glances at her, nervous, excited, expectant. One hand grips the steering wheel, while the other holds Bella's on his lap. He brings her hand to his lips, giving it a soft peck, as he drives out of Seattle's downtown area and up the hills.

When they arrive, he parks the car and Bella looks at him in confusion. "Umm… what are we doing?"

He hadn't told her where they were going in hopes of surprising her.

"I might have news." He can feel his lips stretch into a smile that is just for her. Without saying anything else, he rushes out, circling the car and opening the door for her.

"You're scaring me." She actually does look nervous, so he extends a hand to her and helps her out of the car, wrapping his fingers tightly around hers.

He stands next to her in front of the house with the red for-sale sign in front of it, his eyes studying the property. She's not much of a looker, but the potential inside of her is unparalleled.

While the paint is chipping and the windows are cracked, he can't wait to show Bella the rest. The space. The view. The potential for their future.

He guides her to the front steps, sitting on the concrete stoop, and settles her so that she's standing between his legs. His hand reaches for her knit beanie, adjusting it over her ears.

His chest tightens in anticipation, and he uses his other hand to rub his fingers on it. "There's an offer on Charlie's house," he says first.

"Already?!" Bella's eyes widen in surprise, and she brings both glove-clad hands to her mouth.

He nods, glancing at her, trying to gauge her reaction. "Emmett..." He stares expectantly at Bella, and as she quickly nods, he continues. "He and Rose are getting married next spring, and they have been looking for a place. He called me a couple days ago to ask whether you'd think it's weird. They really want it. And they went over asking price."

"Emmett and Rose, living at my dad's place?" Bella looks down, her hair flowing forward, hiding her face from him.

"Is it weird?" His voice comes out in a whisper as he continues to curb his excitement.

He didn't expect to have an offer—let alone a good one—on Charlie's house yet.

The past few weeks have been hectic to say the least, after deciding to sell Charlie's house. Esme had been on board and wanted them to use her share for the studio as well. Everything moved pretty quickly after that.

While he is elated at the prospect of moving forward with their plans, he knows how big of a decision this is for Bella. Regardless of how on board she says she is, he doesn't want to push her.

"I don't know." Bella palms her forehead. "It's… fast… geez."

He lets out a sigh, wrapping his arm around her. "We can say no." He hugs her to his chest, looking out to the street, trying as much as he could to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"But that'd be stupid, right?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Do we have to decide now?" She looks up at him from his chest, one hand closing over his, keeping his fingers from continuing to run circles on it. Her eyes so fucking beautiul, staring up at him, full of love and trust.

"We can take a few days to think about it." He looks down at her and kisses her forehead. If she doesn't feel right about it, if she can't see it happening as he can, then he won't pressure her into it.

They stay like this for a bit; he runs his hands up and down her arms, until she squirms from under his arms and moves from between his legs, taking a step back away from him.

"Okay…" She nods with purpose, pacing in front of him. "Okay…" she says again, walking back closer to him and grabbing both his hands in each of hers. "I mean, I guess it's not that weird, right? Might be nice to know the people living there. We could visit if we want. Right?"

"Absolutely." His heart starts beating faster in his chest at the resolution in her words and the excitement on her face.

"And they'll be next to Esme." Bella's face lights up with a smile that melts his insides. "That would be really nice."

"Yeah…" He exhales roughly through his nose, unaware he has been holding that breath for so long.

Bella takes a deep breath herself, tightening her grasp on Edward's hands, while her eyes glance behind him. "And that brings us here?"

Edward feels his lips stretch as he can't contain his joy anymore. "This one just went on the market again. It had been purchased for a big reno project, but it all fell apart, so it's available again. Most of it's been gutted already, but I came with an inspector yesterday and the verdict was that it's got good bones, solid structure, perfect location, and an amazing view."

"Can we afford it?" Bella takes in the house with a furrowed brow, and her teeth attack her bottom lip.

"Barely." He exhales through puffed cheeks, running his thumbs over her hands. "I'm having our realtor review the numbers, but I went over them last night and I think it's doable. We'd have to keep our day jobs for a while longer and work on this on the side. I could save on rent if I live here through the reno."

"Should we use Renee's money?" Bella still looks at the house in front of her; her expression isn't one of fear, but of deliberation instead, like she's running the numbers herself.

"We don't have to," he says without hesitation, even though they could totally use the extra ten grand.

Edward knew that Bella didn't want to touch that money, and she wouldn't want to taint Charlie's studio with it. She was still deciding on an abandoned children's program to donate the money to.

"With the house and the benefits, we have enough to invest on this. Most of the money will go to the property, of course," he continues, "and we will have to save a good chunk for the equipment, which won't leave too many funds for the renovation."

"You've worked it all out?" Her eyes find his then, and his heart feels like it would beat out of his chest. She is actually, genuinely, considering it.

"I've shown the place to Emmett over a video call, and he said he would be on board to take on this as a project. You know he's a licensed contractor, and he's taking over his dad's construction business. He's been wanting to get into some reno projects in Seattle, and he said he'd do it at no charge to us so he can get his name out there." He stops for a bit, her eyes still on him, as he wishes he could know what she was thinking.

"I-I think we should still pay him, though," Bella says, and he could almost kiss her.

"That's exactly what I said to him. And we'd have to pay for the materials, permits, and all of that, but we can save on labor if I'm up for doing a lot of it myself, which I am."

"Edward…" She sighs, her eyes showing concern then. "You hated working in construction."

"But for this I wouldn't." His only experience in construction dated back to several summers through high school, working with Emmett at his dad's business. It was back-breaking work, but doing it for something that will be theirs changes everything.

"And you'd be working around the clock." She looks at him worriedly, as tiny flurries start falling from the sky.

"Gladly so," he adds with conviction. He knows it will be exhausting—he is not naive—but he is ready to start building their forever.

"Edward…" Her eyes fill with tears, and his stomach drops with the fear that this has been too much too fast and that she might be freaking out.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he says quickly, bringing their intertwined fingers to his chest. "I know… this is a lot. We can take some time to think it through. We can talk to Esme and Jazz, see what they think…"

"No… no… this is perfect, Edward." She lets go of his hands, wiping tears under her eyes before looking down. "I just… I…"

"What is it?" His fingers push under her chin, pulling her face up and her gaze to his eyes, his heart crumbling at the sight of her tears.

"I just love you so much…" Her words come out in a rush as her hands cup his face, and her lips connect roughly with his.

He returns the kiss, his lips desperate against hers, as his hands mimic hers and cup her face as well, his thumbs running over her cheeks.

When she breaks the kiss, they're both panting, their noses touching.

"I want to help too." She smiles at him, all rosy nose and flushed cheeks, a splatter of flurries accumulating on her face.

"With the construction?" He laughs wiping the flurries off her cheeks.

"Yeah!"

"Okay…"

"I'll bring you coffee or something," she jokes, settling into his chest.

"That's all I need," he says, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin over the top of her head. "You and coffee."

"Are you getting a tool belt? That could be hot."

He chuckles, shaking the snow off his head, getting up from the stoop.

"I could come and play songs for you while I watch you do manly shit."

He laughs, moving toward the door and extending a hand to her. "Do you want to see the inside or not?"

"I want to see the inside," she says softly, grabbing his hand.

"Okay."

Holding hands, they make their way to the front door. "Now remember, it's been mostly gutted already, so it's a bit bare," he warns her as he turns the knob.

Edward opens the door for her and holds it as she steps inside; he then stares at Bella as her eyes take everything in. He focuses on controlling his breathing and his nerves.

As she steps into the main room, he walks past her and turns to face her. "This is where most of the work is needed," he explains. "The floor has to go; we need to make everything sound-proof, and the walls and ceiling need acoustic treatment. We also need to close these windows and put up a wall right here," he describes, "so, this would be the live room."

He waves his hands and arms, indicating where everything would go, as she takes it all in, nodding in agreement. He saves the best for last.

The back end of the house consists of a wall of windows and is absolutely the selling point of the property.

He gazes nervously, expectantly, at her as she walks closer to the windows, and when her eyes widen, he can't help but smile.

There's no backyard as the house is on a pretty steep hill, but the view is breathtaking.

"Oh my god…" Bella stands right in front of the middle window panel. The whole city's in front of her. "You can even see the water!"

"It's spectacular, huh?"

"Edward!" Her hands press on the window, her eyes lost in the beauty.

"You can even see Mt. Rainier…" He moves closer to her and stands right behind her. "…on a clear day, of course." He runs his hands over her hair, pulling it behind her shoulders and replacing it with his nose at the crook of her neck. He peppers kisses on her neck as his hands trail down until they meet her wrists.

Since the moment he first looked at this place, he has been dreaming of showing it to her. Of seeing her reflection on these windows. Of seeing her face take it all in.

"This is unbelievable!" Her breath catches in her throat with a gasp, as he turns her to him. His thumb caresses her cheek, and his fingers circle under her chin, bringing her lips to his. "You're unbelievable," she says against his lips.

"Do you like it?" His eyes close, resting his forehead on hers. He can see himself in here, with her, making music, making love, making their future together.

"I love it," she whispers, and he could just take her right there and then. So with a sigh and utmost restraint, he moves away from her, pulling her into the middle of the room.

"I'm thinking, we turn this room into a lounge. You know?" He turns over to her, waving a hand around the room. "For brainstorming. With this view, it'd be pretty hard not to get inspired."

"Your piano could go there." He gestures to the exposed brick wall and the fireplace on the far right. "And you could teach your lessons back here too. That's supposed to be a working fireplace, but the realtor said it hasn't been used for years. Emmett will need to have a closer look."

"What's upstairs?" She points at the spiral staircase.

"Mostly unfinished attic," he admits sheepishly. He knows how this sounds. It's a lot of work. He closes the distance between them, bringing her hand to his chest. "Or our apartment… eventually." His lips stretch into a grin he can't contain from his face.

He is just, so fucking happy. That's she's here. That she's his.

"Jesus…" Her hand palms her forehead again, and he secures his arms around her, holding her to him.

"I know it's a lot. And we won't be able to do all of it at once. But I think we could do it. What do you think?"

She looks up at him, her eyes infinite as she closes her hands around his neck. "I can see it," she says, as tears well up in her eyes. "I really can."

She pushes herself on her tip-toes, kissing him fervently. "This is so perfect. It's going to be amazing!" Tears now freely spill from her eyes, down her cheeks, but the size of her smile tells him that those are happy tears. "He would have been so proud of us."

His name doesn't need to be mentioned for Edward to know who she means. He's here, in every inch of this place, and Edward is elated that Bella can feel it too.

Building their own studio will be a major undertaking, and Edward is aware of this. But he's ready to do it. For Bella. For himself. And for Charlie.

He feels his throat tighten as he looks at her. "Fuck, Bella. I love you so much." He seals her lips with his as his arms lift her up to him. "I can't wait to do this for you. For us."

"Let's do it," she says wholeheartedly, sealing his lips with hers.

~o~

AN: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You have made this ride a lot of fun. Last two chapters next week. I have a few ideas brewing in my head for an epilogue, but the story will be officially complete after the next two chapters.