Hey guys, so I decided I'm going to continue this as a multi chapter fic. I have a few ideas of where to take this story and I'm excited!

Having spent the majority of the afternoon transporting the last of his belongings to Meredith's house, Andrew was now officially moved in.

And as a way to welcome him home officially, Meredith prepared a barbecue dinner knowing it was his favorite. Knowing she wasn't much of a cook, she'd picked up the food from a local restaurant earlier.

It was an intimate gathering consisting only of Meredith, Andrew, the kids, Amelia, and Carina.

Andrew walked into the kitchen just as Meredith placed the final touches on the setup. "Wow, smells good in here." He said with a smile as he snaked his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I would hope so. I paid good money for this." Meredith chuckled a bit, turning around to face him.

"The kids and Amelia are out back in the pool. Carina's on her way. She wanted to freshen up after her shift at the hospital." Meredith told him.

"Thanks again for inviting Carina, by the way. She won't admit it to me, but she doesn't really have a lot of people here in Seattle and I know it means a lot to her that you invited her." Andrew said.

"Andrew, of course. She's your sister and I want her to feel welcomed." Meredith said with a quick peck to his lips.

Andrew went to grab a beer from the cooler and joined the festivities happening outside. He was met with laughter and squeals from Zola, Bailey, and Ellis as they splashed around in the pool.

"Hi Andrew!" They all called out to him.

He waved as he sat down in a lawn chair next to Amelia, who was laid out soaking in as much sun as possible, considering sunny days in Seattle weren't so common.

"So, you enjoying life at the frat house so far?" Amelia asked him.

"Frat house?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amelia chuckled a bit. "It's a running joke we've always made about the house, because Meredith always had sort of an open door policy type deal. It was basically everyone's home at some point."

"Well, yeah I'm enjoying it quite a bit." Andrew said. "It's been great, I love getting to know the kids more and I feel like I'm growing even closer to Meredith."

"Mmm, yeah well, judging from the sounds coming from the bedroom in the middle of the night you two couldn't be closer." Amelia remarked.

Just then, Meredith joined them outside. "Are you two talking about me?" She walked over to where Andrew sat and took a seat on his lap.

Andrew slipped an arm around her waist and she turned to face him. She leaned in closer, her blonde locks falling forward as she leaned in to kiss him. He kissed back, tasting the hints of strawberry wine on her lips.

"Oh, get a room already! Preferably one that's not so close to mine." Amelia joked.

Meredith pulled back and shot a glare at Amelia. "You know, speaking of that. How's that house hunting going?"

Amelia scratched the back of her head. "It's...uh...going. I mean, if your Italian dreamboat over here keeps making those delicious freaking cappuccinos every morning, I may never move out."

"Andrew, didn't you say Carina was looking for a roommate?" Meredith asked.

Amelia suddenly felt a sensation of butterflies in her stomach that she could not quite explain. It was happening any time that Carina Deluca's name was mentioned, or whenever she managed to steal a glance in her direction at the hospital.

"Oh yeah that's right, she is. And her cappuccinos are just as good as mine, if not better." Andrew replied.

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Amelia replied under her breath to herself.

It didn't take long for Meredith and Andrew to become lost in their own little bubble.

Meredith ran her hand gently against his bare chest. "I'm so happy you're here." She realized that she told him that practically every day for the past week that he officially moved in, but she couldn't help it. It was the truth. She loved having him around, knowing he was there, and always would be.

Andrew's gaze lingered on Meredith, the sunlight surrounding them highlighting the spark in her eyes he fell so deeply in love with. "I'm happy I'm here too. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Mommy! Andrew! Come in the pool with us!" The couple heard Zola call out to them.

The two looked at each other. "Looks like it's pool time." Andrew said as they both stood up. He was already in his swim trunks and he watched as Meredith removed her tank top and shorts, revealing her white and gold two piece suit.

Before Andrew, her unspoken self consciousness regarding the scars she bared always prevented her from even the idea of wearing a two piece bathing suit, but now she wore one with a type of confidence she hadn't felt in quite some time. There were a lot of things that she never would have considered before Andrew, but he opened her up in ways she never could have imagined, and for that she was grateful.

They joined the children in the pool and that was where they spent the next hour, splashing around and enjoying each other's company as a family, their laughter echoing throughout the yard.

Carina arrived a short while later and Meredith was now in the kitchen making the woman a Margarita. Meredith wrestled with exactly what to talk about with her. As far as she knew, the only thing the pair had in common was the fact that they were both doctors, and of course, Andrew.

"This is a lovely home you have, Meredith." Carina commented, finally breaking the awkward tension.

"Thank you." Meredith smiled. "It's my childhood home and I made it my own. A lot of memories here."

Carina nodded and gestured for Meredith to keep pouring the alcohol when the blonde gave her a "say when" look. Perhaps they had more in common than she thought.

Meredith handed her the margarita and they both took a sip of their drink.

"Meredith, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you thought about your future with Andrea? Such as something more permanent, like marriage?" Carina asked.

Admittedly, Meredith was caught quite off guard with this question. Had she thought about it? Of course she had. Putting it into words? Maybe not so much.

Carina sensed her hesitation and continued. "I am just trying to get a better understanding of your intentions, you know, with this new arrangement."

Meredith sighed. "Honestly, I love him, Carina. And I want to share my life with him. That's my only intention."

"He really loves you too, Meredith. I can tell. And it's like nothing I've ever seen with any of his past relationships. He's in love with you." Carina said. "I'm simply protecting my brother's heart."

"Well, I can assure you his heart is in very good hands." Meredith told her. Carina gave her a knowing smile in response.

On their way outside, Amelia and Carina accidentally bumped into each other.

"Dr. Shepherd, I'm so sorry!" Carina said.

"Oh no, you're fine. And please, call me Amelia." A smile crept onto her lips once her eyes met Carina's. She found herself almost taken aback at just how striking Carina Deluca was. Her smile nearly causing the neurosurgeon to go weak at the knees.

"Amelia." Carina acknowledged, her Italian accent as thick as honey.

--

As the sun began to set, the family all gathered to enjoy the delicious barbecue outside at the picnic table. The kids all crowded around Andrew talking his ear off about any and everything. And if Andrew was ever even the slightest bit annoyed by it, he never let it show in any of his interactions with them.

"Andrew?" Bailey said.

"Yeah buddy?" Andrew replied.

"I'm really glad that you're my mommy's boyfriend. Even though it's gross when you guys kiss." Bailey said, making a face with the last sentence. Meredith and Andrew both laughed.

"Yeah, me too." Zola agreed.

"Me too!" Ellis chimed in, always wanting to be included.

Meredith sat across the table watching in awe of the man in front of her and how amazing he was with her kids. It was as if he'd always been a part of the family.

She took a glance over at Amelia and Carina who were off to the side, sitting in two lawn chairs, seemingly immersed within their own conversation.

"Our sister's seem to be getting along pretty well. Looks like Amelia just might take her up on that roommate offer." Meredith pointed out to Andrew.

He turned to their direction. "Yeah, looks like it." He agreed.

Meredith, already having a number of drinks by then, had absolutely no hesitations when the radio began to play music she could dance to.

She stood up from her chair and began twirling around, swaying her arms about. "Andrew, come dance with me." She called to him.

Naturally, Andrew obliged and took her hand into his, while his other hand rested firmly at her waist. The couple swayed to the music, lost in the rhythm as well as each other's eyes. He felt Meredith's hands move to his lower back and up his shirt. "Someone's a little handsy this evening, hmm." Andrew smirked.

"You love it." Meredith teased, gently biting her lower lip.

"Oh, I do. And I plan on showing you a few other things I love later on tonight." Andrew said with a kiss to the top of her head. She giggled softly.

Meredith rested her head against his chest and both of his arms encircled her waist as they continued swaying from side to side along with the melody.

The air was becoming a little chillier as the evening went on and Andrew held her even closer as they stood out in the grass, the song that was playing long since over. She never felt safer than in the moments she was held by him.

"Andrea, Meredith, I have to go. Thank you so much for inviting me." Carina said as she walked up to them, promptly breaking them away from their trance.

"Thanks so much for coming. We loved having you." Meredith smiled at her.

"See you later, Carina." Andrew waved as she went to leave. He turned his attention back to Meredith. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Meredith rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah yeah, you were right. It was actually really nice." She leaned forward placing a soft kiss to his lips.

She watched Carina and Amelia exchange phone numbers right as Carina was leaving, taking note of the bright smile plastered across her sister's face. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Amelia was crushing on Carina Deluca.

--

Later that night after the children were put to bed and fast asleep, Meredith and Andrew were finally settling in for the night as well.

Having Andrew beside her in bed each and every night and waking up to him every morning was her new reality, and at times it still felt like a dream.

As Andrew climbed into bed next to Meredith, it wasn't long before their lips connected into a slow, passionate kiss that only grew in intensity until their clothes began to hit the floor in a swift and effortless rhythm. The two made sweet passionate love to their hearts content until they both collapsed in an exhaustive state of pure bliss.

And the best part of it all, there were no goodbyes.