Hello!

I got a little behind schedule because of a nasty cold, and I didn't want to hold up posting, so here you guys are. If you see any mistakes, let me know and I'll get them fixed up! I'm going to do my best to have another chapter tomorrow, but this might be a one chapter weekend. If it turns out that way, you'll get three chapters next weekend.

Hope you all enjoy this house hunting chapter. A few of the scarier things I've seen made it in here and a good suggestion from George. Have fun!!

DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

House Hunting

Bella's POV

"Bella, we have to get up," Edward sighed, kissing my little bump.

"Didn't we establish that earlier?" I chuckled, trying to wiggle away as he kissed along my side, tickling me with his soft lips.

"Yes, but you didn't move."

"And whose fault is that?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck as he finally brought his face back up to mine.

"Yours. You're too sexy," he answered, giving me that crooked smile I loved so much.

"Oh, no! You aren't blaming this on me, Tutor-boy," I laughed, pushing him away. "You were the one who said, and I quote, 'Love, we have plenty of time for a round two'."

"And we did," he murmured, nibbling on my earlobe. "But then you decided you wanted to cuddle and now we have to hurry."

I pulled his face to mine so I could see those dazzling green eyes of his. "I love you."

He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you more." With one last kiss to my bump, Edward jumped up from our bed, holding his hands out to me. "Let's go look at some houses."

I put my hands into his, letting him pull me up from the bed. "Promise we can continue this when we come home?"

"You need to ask?" he laughed, leading me toward our closet.

"I wouldn't want to become presumptuous," I teased, grinning at him.

Edward carefully spun me around and pulled me against his chest. "Isabella, always presume that I want to enjoy every inch of your sumptuous body."

I rolled my eyes and pushed away from him, walking into the closet. "It's lines like that, that make us late all the time, Edward Cullen."

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the nape of my neck. "It's not the line that makes us late. It's being so in love with each other and not keeping our hands to ourselves."

"I have the very distinct impression that even if we tried, we'd still fail," I chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure you're right, my lovely wife."

"Well, we can wax philosophic about our love life later, Honey. Right now, we need to be getting dressed and heading downtown."

"Make sure you wear comfortable clothes," Edward cautioned. "I don't know how much walking we'll be doing."

I nodded my head as I surveyed my new maternity clothes. I needed something warm, loose, and that would go with sneakers. I ended up picking a beautiful light gray cashmere sweater Edward had picked out for me and my new maternity jeans.

I'd packed away all of my old stuff with Esme's help, and I hadn't had a single wardrobe problem since. Alice was happy because I was actually enjoying shopping right now, getting to pick out things that showed off my bump. I couldn't wait to get big and round for some reason—Alice thought I was nuts, but Rose seemed to get it. The baby was definitely bringing us all closer—Edward and Emmett weren't fighting anymore, Rose and I were talking about our parents more than ever, and Alice was spending more of her free time at the house with Esme and me.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Edward whispered, snaking his arms around me as I checked over myself in the bathroom mirror. His hands spread out over my bump and rubbed softly—that look of awe that was becoming a familiar expression on his handsome face took over, curling his lips up in a brilliant smile.

"I was thinking there was something I wanted to do," I mentioned, reaching back and putting my hand on his cheek.

"What's that, Love?"

"I was thinking maybe we could start to take pictures of my belly, and measurements too. Then, when the baby is older, he can see how much he grew when he was inside of me."

Edward's sneaky smirk appeared for a fraction of a second before quickly disappearing behind a smooth façade. "I think that's a great idea, Bella. We should add finding a baby book to our list of things to do this coming week."

He was up to something, but glancing at my watch convinced me I didn't have time to worry about it right now. We finished dressing, grabbed a quick—and overly nutritious—breakfast, and then left for Heidi's office. I understood the need to eat healthy, but denying me syrup on my apple oatmeal was just wrong!

We made it to Heidi's office with only a few minutes to spare and were directed to a small waiting room. Edward had planned ahead for such an event and had brought our baby tablet with us. We were using it to keep track of everything we wanted for the baby, the things Alice had already purchased, and the things we wanted to make sure we remembered to share with the baby.

There was also a section devoted to what I was eating, how much weight I was gaining, and to tracking my blood pressure. I'd decided after my visit this week that I wanted Carlisle to check it once a day, just so I could make sure everything was okay. Edward had been ecstatic at the idea, not that I was the least bit surprised by that. Anything that ensured my safety and well-being was a great idea in his book.

"No way, Tutor-boy," I laughed, pulling the tablet out of Edward's hands as soon as I saw what he'd written. We were currently working on the music list for the baby while waiting for Heidi to be ready to see us. "We are not letting the baby listen to Judas Priest while in utero, much less when he's born," I said.

"Come on, Bella! He won't know what the words mean for quite awhile. In the meantime, he can rock out to the beat," Edward replied, trying to use his crooked smile to get me to agree.

"No," I replied, holding the tablet against my chest.

"You put AC/DC on there," he pointed out.

"AC/DC has a fun, uplifting beat to it," I defended.

"And the country songs?" he asked, one of his perfect eyebrows lifting upward.

I leaned in and kissed his lips. "The better to annoy you with, my dear. If the baby and I both like country, you'll have to let me listen to it more." I kissed him again, trying to leave him too distracted to worry about my next words. "Like in your car."

But because he was Edward, he heard it perfectly. "I love you, Isabella, but hell no."

"I thought you loved me," I pouted.

He chuckled and kissed my bottom lip. "I do. But I also love my sanity. No country in the car."

"Sure, sure," I sighed. And then I perked up. "But there's no such rule when you ride in my car."

"We have to get you that car first," he reminded me. "And we are doing that this afternoon. No more putting it off, Bella."

"I only put it off because we got all serious about finding a house," I defended.

"I know that, Love. But it might be months before we find the perfect house and I don't want you driving that old heap around in the meantime."

"I cannot believe you're calling my car a heap."

"Bella, it's a ten year old Nissan Sentra. Calling it a heap is a kindness."

I wanted to be mad at him, but I could only laugh—he was right after all.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?" a tall woman asked, smiling at us. She had her dark hair pulled up into a bun on top of her head and she was dressed in a pale green business suit with black high heels, making her even taller. The outfit made her green eyes stand out, calling attention to her perfect face. She could almost give Rosalie some competition.

Edward helped me up from my seat and stuck his hand out. "Just Edward and Bella, please. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen are my parents."

"Okay, then," the woman laughed, shaking his hand. "I'm Heidi. And I'm pleased to meet you both."

"Likewise," Edward said as we followed her down a short hallway and into a brightly decorated office.

"Please take a seat. We'll spend just a few minutes discussing the type of house you're interested in, print out some possibilities, and then go view them," Heidi said, sitting down behind her desk. "Let's start with the basics. How much are you looking to spend?"

"It's our first home, so we want something we can grow into. We'll need something with at least three bedrooms, and it has to be in a safe neighborhood. I'm willing to pay whatever it costs to make that happen," Edward told her.

I squeezed his hand, trying to subtly remind him that what he was spouting was not what we'd discussed earlier in the week. We'd agreed we needed a safe home in a good school district, but we'd also agreed we wouldn't overspend. I knew Carlisle and Esme could buy us a house outright if we asked, but I wanted to get this house on our own—or at least as close to that as possible.

"Of course, the cost should be reasonable for the size of the house and yard," Edward added.

"So you would like a yard as well?" Heidi asked.

"Yes. A yard is very important," I told her. "Our baby boy needs to have room to run."

Heidi gave me a kind smile. "I'd heard you two were expecting. Are you excited?"

"Very," I replied, smiling as Edward put his hand on my bump.

"What else would you like your home to have?" Heidi questioned.

"There has to be room to fit a full-size piano," I told her. "Edward has to have his piano."

"Is that why your brother is selling your parents' house?" she asked.

"Yes. It's much too small and it would take too much to alter the house to make fitting the piano possible," I said.

"I can tell you've both had time to think about this carefully. That's very good. And it will make things much easier because you'll know quickly what's a true possibility and what's a definite no. Just in keep in mind that no house already built will meet your expectations exactly. You'll have to prioritize and compromise, unless you decide to purchase land and have a house custom-built for you," Heidi explained.

"Let's just keep that as a last resort," I said, not liking the way Edward had perked up at the mention of a custom-built house. I would have to make it very clear to my darling husband that it was not even a remote possibility for him.

We answered a few more questions and then Heidi printed up a list of houses she felt met our criteria. We left her office and climbed into her shiny white Lexus SUV—Edward seemed impressed with the vehicle, looking all around it. I hoped he wasn't getting any silly ideas into his head. I agreed I needed a new, safe car, but I was not going to get something this big just for our little family of three. Three! I loved that word so much right now.

I realized I'd been daydreaming again and forced myself to pay attention, catching the tail-end of what Heidi was saying. "…so I got into the real estate business."

"My dad wanted me to go to medical school to follow in his footsteps, but music has always been what I loved most," Edward said. "Except for my beautiful wife," he quickly added.

I shook my head at his silly behavior; we both knew he didn't need to say it out loud because it was always implied. Edward had made it very clear to me early on in our relationship that he felt I was the most important thing in his life, and I did my best to show him I felt that way about him.

"This first house is a little eccentric, but if you can picture your own furniture and wall colors, it will really help you to objectively look at the property," Heidi said as she pulled to a stop in the driveway of a one-story brick home.

"What kind of eccentric are we talking about?" Edward asked, helping me out of the vehicle.

"Just some interesting wall colors, furniture pieces, and murals," Heidi said. Her heels clacked loudly against the pavement, echoing in the stillness of the early morning.

I looked up and down the street, seeing lots of bicycles, swings, and toys—signs that children lived in this neighborhood. And it suddenly dawned on me that we'd forgotten to even put that on our list—the baby was going to need playmates after all. Well, ones closer to his own age anyway. He would always have his Uncle Emmett.

Edward and I started walking toward the front door where Heidi was waiting for us. We entered the house and I looked around cautiously, not quite sure what to expect. We were in a living room and it looked fairly normal. Well, except for the giant white chair that was in the shape of a hand. From the looks of it, you sat in the palm and rested your back against the fingers.

Heidi turned on a light and the wall color popped out, showing that it wasn't the soft coral color I'd first thought, but a pumpkin orange that looked horrible against the green carpet on the floor.

"Under the carpet is the original wood flooring. It wouldn't cost much at all to remove the carpet, sand the floor, and have beautiful hard wood floors in here. And remember that walls can be painted and none of the furniture is staying," Heidi said.

"It's a cozy living room," Edward noted. "Maybe a little small for the entire family to be in here at once, but just perfect for most days when it's you and me," he added, wrapping his arms around me.

"There's a room that the owners' added a few years ago near the back. It's about double the size of this one and would be perfect for entertaining, or for putting your piano," Heidi said. "Let's move onto the kitchen."

We followed Heidi to the right and into the kitchen. The floor was white tile…except for the yellow and black ones in the middle of the room that made up a giant smiley face. I covered my mouth with my hands to keep from laughing, but that did nothing for the loud snort that flew out of my nose.

"Replacing a tile floor is a bit trickier," Heidi said, smiling a little. "So I always suggest a circular throw rug. All of the cabinets in here are fairly new, replaced two years ago."

"Why did they replace them?" Edward asked, opening one of the doors to look inside.

Heidi smiled, but it looked forced and more like a grimace. "The husband likes to experiment when he cooks. There was a rather nasty explosion while he was working with some unique ingredients. It was easier to replace everything than to try and clean up the mess."

"How unique were these ingredients?" I asked.

"I'd rather not say," Heidi sighed. "I wish I didn't know."

"While this house might have potential, I don't want to worry about remodeling right away," Edward said. "I don't want paint fumes and construction dust around Bella and the baby."

"Then let's move on to the next house," Heidi replied, looking all too happy to leave this house. It made me wonder why she'd shown it to us at all.

So I decided to ask. "Heidi, why did you show this particular house to us?"

"Honestly, the yard and the neighborhood make up for the short-comings of the house if you have the time and resources to remodel. Every room needs new wall coverings and most need new flooring as well, but the roof and exterior are in great shape. The house is close to schools and shopping, and this is one of the safest areas in town," she explained.

"Emmett and I are already working on one house. I just don't see us having the time to take on a second," Edward told her. "And even if we did, it would still take us months to get through every room."

"I agree," Heidi said. "So let's take anything needing major remodeling out of the list and narrow your choices a little further."

The next two houses were very cute, but the yards were really small. I wanted room to have a little area for entertaining our family and to have one of those big swing sets with the fort for the baby.

The fourth house of the day was one of my favorites, but Edward didn't like all of the stairs. You climbed a set to enter the front door and once inside, you either climbed up a few more to reach the living areas, or went down a set to get to the laundry room, garage area, and bonus room. The downstairs room was the perfect size for his piano and would have been easy to soundproof. The living room was large, but the kitchen and bedrooms were on the small side. The best part was the huge backyard and its six tall shade trees. We ended up agreeing to put it down as a possibility.

The last house we saw for the day was pretty amazing. It hadn't been on Heidi's list, but I'd noticed it as we were driving back toward town and she'd been sweet enough to quickly make arrangements for us to see it. The house had hard wood floors, great windows, modern fixtures, and a huge backyard. Edward didn't like that the garage was separate from the house, but he was happy it was large enough to fit two cars and still have room for storage. The kitchen had granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and dark wood cabinets. The windows looked out onto the backyard, making it easy to keep an eye on anyone who might be out there. I could see Edward and me cooking in that kitchen, working together at the island. Edward loved the backyard nearly as much as I did and immediately started talking about extending the deck to give us an area for cooking and sitting. Even if he did it on a grand scale, there would be tons of room for our little boy to run and play. I wrote the address down on our possibility sheet and then Edward underlined it, giving me his crooked smile as he did it.

"I'm sorry that's all the time we have for today," Heidi said as we got back into her vehicle.

"It's no problem," Edward assured her. "We're just glad you were able to fit us in at all."

"I would suggest looking over our listings on the website and picking out a few you would like to make sure you see next Saturday. We'll have the entire afternoon blocked off, and with any luck, we'll find the house you'd like to turn into a home," Heidi told us.

Thirty minutes later, we were home, back in our pajamas, and enjoying the chicken salad sandwiches Edward had prepared for us with last night's leftover chicken. I tapped Edward's stomach with one of the feet I had resting in his lap, trying to pull his attention away from the action movie he'd popped in.

"Yes, Love?" he asked, tickling my sock-clad foot lightly.

"I have a question," I giggled.

"What is it?"

"Did you forget about the car thing?"

"No. I decided I wanted to spend the afternoon with you instead. We'll go Monday, right after work."

"I like this plan better," I admitted. "It's too cold. I want spring to come back so it's all nice and warm. And we can finally go on a picnic again."

Edward's faced turned calculating for a few seconds, and then his crooked smile overtook his face. "Close your eyes."

"Why? I'm eating my sandwich."

He reached out and took my plat away, putting it down on the coffee table. "Close your eyes."

"Edward, you just took food from a pregnant woman. Are you trying to lose a hand, Mister?"

"If the beautiful pregnant woman will close her eyes, I will make sure she gets chocolate mousse with fresh whipped cream for dessert."

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he knew how much danger his life would be in if he didn't really have that particular dessert on hand. Not to mention that I wasn't sure I trusted he would really hand it over if he did—he'd been keeping a very close eye on my sweets intake.

"I promise," he said, putting his hand over his heart.

"Fine," I sighed, secretly feeling a little excited to see what he was up to. I closed my eyes and relaxed against the back of the sofa.

"No matter what you hear, don't open those beautiful brown eyes of yours. Okay?"

"Sure, sure. Just hurry up. The baby was really enjoying your chicken salad."

Edward chuckled as he lifted my feet and then moved off the sofa. Over the next few minutes, I heard a few thuds, some grunts and huffs, and one really loud "ouch" that almost had me opening my eyes. And then it grew extremely quiet.

"Edward?" I called. I gave him a full twenty seconds—I counted—and then called his name louder. "Edward!"

"I'm here," he chuckled, kissing my cheek. "I just had to run upstairs for something."

"Food, Edward. Hungry baby and mommy," I reminded him.

"Just a few more seconds," he promised. I felt a rush of air and heard the snapping of fabric, followed by a few dull thuds.

I let out a yelp when Edward suddenly lifted me from the sofa. "Edward, what are you doing?"

He set me down on something soft and kissed my cheek tenderly. "Open your eyes."

I opened just one to peek, not knowing what to expect. What I saw caused my other eye to pop right open as a loud gasp escaped me. Edward had completely transformed the living room. He'd moved away all of the furniture, except the sofa, and had laid out a picnic blanket and pillows. He'd even turned off his movie and changed the channel to one that was showing trees. He pressed a button on the remote and the sound of chirping birds filled the room.

"Do you have any idea at all how amazing you are?" I asked, taking his face into my hands. "Or how special you make me feel?"

He smiled as he leaned forward and stole a kiss. "I hope I make you feel like you're the best part of my life, because you are, Bella. You're my life, now and forever." He reached off to the side and grabbed our plates, handing me back my sandwich. "I hope you enjoy your afternoon picnic, Mrs. Cullen."

"I'm pretty sure I will, Mr. Cullen," I giggled, titling my face up for another kiss.

Edward instantly complied with my silent request, smiling all the way through it. "I love you."

"I love you more," I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Impossible," he whispered, kissing the top of my head. "And don't argue. Eat your sandwich so you can have your dessert."

"You make it sound like you aren't going to have any of the mousse you promised me."

Edward's lips grazed my ear as he whispered in that husky tone that always drove me wild. "I'm planning on having something a lot sweeter much later on tonight."

I sighed in disbelief, wondering how the heck I had ever ended up with such an amazing husband. A picnic in the living room, providing me the ultimate dessert for any pregnant woman, and promises of passionate love-making to finish out the day. Yep! I had a damn near perfect husband that I loved and appreciated more than I could ever say.

I thought about the last couple of months, of all the changes and all the ways Edward had tried to be supportive and caring. I thought about what he'd been through with my crying all the time, and the extra chores he'd taken on since I had to take those naps. Everything lately had been about me and the baby, and I couldn't recall Edward doing anything for himself.

"Honey, what are our plans for next Sunday?" I asked.

"It's still a free day as far as I can recall," he replied. "Is there something you want to do?"

"Yes. I want you to take the day off."

"Alright. What shall we do with our proclaimed day off?"

"No, Edward. I want you to take the day off. From everything. I want you to do anything you want for the whole day. And eat and drink anything you want, too. You've been so great, doing everything for me and eating only the things I can. Take a Bella-free day and enjoy it."

"What if my idea of the perfect day is spending it with you?"

I smiled at his sweetness. "I can see it's going to take a little more work on my part to get you to agree. Very well, Mr. Cullen. I throw myself to the wolves in order to make sure you have a responsibility-free day." I grabbed the cordless phone and called the one person I knew who could keep Edward away from me for a whole day. I made sure to put it on speakerphone so Edward could hear too.

"Alice Cullen, best friend in all the world at your service," Alice chirped when she answered her phone.

"Ali, I need a favor," I told her, trying not to laugh at the confused look on Edward's face.

"Anything for you, Bells. You know that."

"I would like you to steal me from Edward next Sunday, for the entire day. He needs a break and won't take it unless we force him to," I explained.

"I don't like the sound of that," Edward sighed, shaking his head.

"You never like the sound of anything," Alice laughed. "It's what makes you the serious one of our little family. But never fear, little brother. The amazing Ali is on the case. Rose and I will get together with Esme and plan a pampering day for our favorite mother-to-be. We'll make sure she's relaxed, well-fed, and completely safe while you go off and figure out how to unwind."

"I don't need to unwind," Edward fussed.

Alice didn't miss a beat. "Edward, if your chain was wound any tighter, Bella would have to hose you down with WD-40 to keep you from squeaking."

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from laughing, mostly because of the furious look on Edward's face. Plus, I knew laughing would only encourage Alice—she was a lot like Emmett in that way. I took a deep breath before breaking up the silence. "Alice, that was mean and uncalled for. Please apologize."

"Oh, Edward! You know I only tease you because I love you, little brother," Alice said.

"Clearly," Edward muttered.

"Alice, we'll talk later," I told her, wanting to get off the phone and hopefully return Edward to the good mood he'd been in earlier.

"Alright! I have calls to make anyway. Love you both!" Alice chirped into the phone.

I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the sofa as I crawled into my very upset husband's lap. "Honey, you know she didn't mean anything by it. And honestly, she mainly does it because you take it so badly."

Edward's lips pulled up into a beautifully wicked smile as he looked down at me. "You know, it's been awhile since I showed my big sister what happens when she messes with me. Feel up to helping me with a little revenge?"

"So long as it's little and doesn't cause the pixie to retaliate against us all, I'd be happy to help."

"Oh, it's nothing too horrible," Edward chuckled. "I'm just going to make the keys to her beloved Porsche go missing for awhile."

"Oh, Edward," I giggled. Alice loved her Porsche nearly as much as Edward loved his Volvo. He would definitely be hitting her where it hurt.

"Enough about my annoying sister," Edward said, setting me down next to him. "For now, let's just enjoy our picnic. It's nice and warm, and the birds are singing just for you."

I leaned up and kissed my wonderful husband on the cheek. "Thank you, Honey."

"Anything for you, Bella."

I smiled at his words, knowing just how much he meant them. I really hoped Edward would take me seriously and plan something fun for his day off. And maybe if he enjoyed it, he would take a day for himself every month. He couldn't always make every second of his life about me and the baby or he'd start to miss out on the things he loved to do—there was no way in the world I would ever let that happen to him. Even if it took recruiting Emmett and Jasper, I would make sure Edward started to take some time to focus on himself.