BPOV
This was fucking hopeless, I thought to myself. Edward and I had been scouring Seattle for two weeks, yet nothing we found fit our needs. We were on the tenth, or maybe it was the eleventh house this week and it wasn't any better than the ones before it. Our needs were simple: we needed a large house, with plenty of space, close to the boys' school, and something that wouldn't have us needing to take out a second mortgage to pay for it.
Simple, right? Nothing about trying to find a house was simple.
The first house we looked at seemed promising, until we actually went to see it. The four bedrooms, two baths with three car garage turned out to be three bedrooms, one large closet, one bath, two car garage, and a carport, that looked like it was going to collapse at any time. That alone wasn't enough to detour us away, but the fact that there were bars on the windows, and barbed wire lining the back fence, had us quickly vetoing it.
From there, things just got worse. Everything was either too far from the school, not big enough, or just too expensive. Edward and I made decent money, but we had two babies on the way, and two boys would we planned to send to college one day — even if Anthony was insisting that he didn't need college.
So once again, I found myself standing outside of yet another house, with the feeling of displeasure rumbling inside of me. The outside of the house was horrendous; it had been painted bubblegum pink, which is a color that should never be on a house. It looked big, and according to our realtor, Claire, it had five bedrooms, three bathrooms, but right off the bat, it just didn't feel like home. That was the problem; none of these places were our homes.
"Baby, you coming?" Edward asked, holding his hand out to me. I smiled, and placed mine in his, letting him direct me after Claire. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I murmured. "Let's just get this over with."
"You never know, baby, this one might be a good one," he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as me.
Though, I knew we both understood that this wasn't going to be the one, I humored him and said, "Yeah, it looks . . . special."
Edward laughed under his breath. Keeping his fingers wrapped tightly around mine, we followed Claire up the front walkway and onto the small porch. The cement along the path had begun to crack from the roots growing under them. The porch was barely big enough for the three of us to stand on. Shaking my head, I knew this wasn't our home. I wanted someplace where I could rock my babies while watching the boys ride their bikes, somewhere that made us all feel safe again. Right now, none of us felt comfortable anywhere.
"Now, I know this place will need a bit of work, but it's listed on the lower side of your price range," Claire told us, looking over her shoulder at us. "Just have an open mind."
Something about the way she phrased that didn't sit well with me. Nodding, I replied, "We will" even though I already knew this wasn't our home.
Claire unlocked the thick, heavy wood door and motioned for us to follow her inside. Stepping into the living room, I had to bring my hand up to my mouth to stifle the gasping laughter that raced to the end of my tongue. This house hadn't been updated since the early seventies at least. Wood paneling covered the walls, and tacky, burnt orange shag carpeting covered the floor. The wallpaper in the kitchen was beige with fruit on it: like grapes, pears, and apples. The cabinets were the same color orange as the carpet, which continued into the kitchen. With the addition of the olive-green refrigerator and stove, it felt like I'd stepped into a time machine.
From there, it just got worse. Every room in the house either had wallpaper or wood paneling. The carpet was filthy and needed to be pulled and burned. There were five bedrooms, but they were small, barely large enough for a bed and dresser, much less anything else. By the time we stepped out of the house, my head hurt, and I felt the need for a shower — a very hot shower.
"Well," Claire started, clearing her throat and turning toward me and Edward, "like I said, it needs a bit of work."
"A bit?" I scoffed. "It would need to be gutted and completely redone."
Uncomfortable, Claire shifted from one foot to the other, obviously unsure of what to say.
Edward slipped his arm around my waist, nestling me against him. "We'll be in touch next week, Claire, but I think I speak for both of us when I say that this place isn't for us."
"Not sure we'll ever find someplace," I muttered, pulling myself out of his arms and walking back down to the car.
Sliding into the front seat, I kept my eyes trained on my hands as I pulled on my seatbelt, nestling the black strap under my belly. Yesterday, I'd passed the sixteen week mark, and we were still living with Carlisle and Esme. Blinking several times, I struggled to keep the tears from pouring down my face. I tried to be discreet when Edward slid in behind the wheel and brush the tears off by sweeping them off with my shoulder, but when he reached over and took ahold of my hand, I knew I'd failed.
Sighing, I lifted my eyes to his. I wanted our home back. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. You hated it, I hated it. I just don't know what to do now. We're running out of options." Edward brought my hand up to his lips. "I'm starting to think we'll never find a house."
"Yeah, me too," I muttered, shaking my head. "We'd better get to the school. I guess, we go back to looking."
"Fun," he grumbled, letting go of my hand and starting the car.
—MF—
Half an hour later, Edward pulled our car up in front of the school. When he cursed under his breath, I looked up from my cell phone at him and finding that he was glaring out the windshield. Turning to where he was looking, I gasped and fought against the bile creeping into my mouth. I couldn't believe she was standing right there, glowering at Rose, Kate, and Angela who were blocking the doorway to the building.
Renee, looking especially trashy today, had her hands on her hips, her blood-red nails contrasting against the ratty denim mini-skirt she was wearing. It was too short, showing off way too much of her pasty-white legs than a woman her age should. With the addition of her KISS T-shirt, and three inch red heels, I was embarrassed — even more than I'd already been.
Scrambling out of the car, I raced over to where she was. "What are you doing here?" I snarled.
"I came to see my grandson," she slurred. My stomach churned from the smell of booze radiating off of her.
Edward grabbed the tops of my arms, pulling me back against him before I could do as much as lift my foot. "No, baby, I'm handling this."
Before I could argue with him, he released me and strode over to Renee, wrapping his fingers around her boney arms and dragging her away from the school. I wanted to yell for him not to touch her, but I stifled that impulse. First, we didn't need the added attention from the parents who were waiting for their kids to be released, and second, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my reaction PG.
Edward leaned toward Renee, the anger in his words evident by the tension in his jaw and the way his chest heaved with every breath he took. I wasn't sure what he was saying to her, but based on the look on her face, it wasn't what she expected. Good, she shouldn't expect anything from him — or me. Not after telling me that my son would be better off without me.
Renee would never understand just how hurtful her words were to me. She'd never been a mother to me — in any way — but I never expected her to look me straight in the eye and tell me that I couldn't do it, that my son would be better off without me. Not just days after burying my fiancé, not just days after my entire world had been turned upside down. The moment she told me that I could never be the mother Alex needed, I knew she couldn't be in our life. And now, here she was, trying to force her way in.
"Bella, are you okay?" At the sound of Rose's voice, I shifted my attention to her. It wasn't until I noticed her eyes trained on my stomach, that I realized I'd been cradling my baby bump.
Trying to muster up my best smile, I said, "I, um, I'm fine. How long has she been here?"
"She showed up a couple minutes before you and Edward did," Rose murmured, bringing her hand up to her throat. "We wouldn't have let the boys near her, Bella. You have to know that. I called Emmett, who said he was on the way."
"I know, Rose," I replied. "Thank you for that. Just wish she'd leave us alone."
The bell chimed, signaling the end of the day. I snapped my attention over to Edward and Renee. She sighed, and nodded to whatever his last words were, before walking away. I watched as she crossed the street and climbed into a rusted Volkswagen Beetle that looked like it had about five different coats of paint on it. It wasn't until she pulled away from the curb, and turned the corner that I released the breath that had been struggling to get out. Edward ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he made his way back over to me.
"What'd she want?" I asked, the moment he was within earshot.
"Just to talk," he mumbled, and I knew there was more to the story than that. However, the sound of the kids rushing out of the building put a definite halt on our conversation. For now, we'd focus on the boys, and worry about Renee later. Edward leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. "I love you."
I smiled, the warmth engulfing my cheeks. "I love you, too."
"Eww, get a room," Anthony whined, making his presence clear. Giggling, I looked over my shoulder, unsurprised to see Alex, Anna, Elliott, and Mattie standing right behind him. Alex and Anthony looked disgusted and embarrassed that their parents would actually show each other affections in public, which just added to my amusement.
"Get over it," I snickered, turning in Edward's arms. He buried his face in my hair, trying his hardest to stifle his laughter. He failed miserably. "How was school?"
"Good until now," Anthony grumbled. "Can we go now? People are starting to stare, you know."
Before I could reply, Emmett's patrol turned the corner, and came to a stop in front of Rose's new Kia Sorrento. He was out of the car, and rushing up to us before I could blink. Sighing, I turned back to the boys. "Do me a favor and go wait inside for a few."
Anthony started to complain, but Alex grabbed his shoulder and said, "Sure, Mom."
Perhaps Anthony saw something in Alex's eyes that told him to listen to him, but Anthony nodded and followed him, Elliott, Anna, and Mattie back into to building. Edward slipped his arm around my waist and walked me over where Emmett and Rose were waiting. Kate and Angela were behind them, trying to get Jude to stop fussing. No doubt he could feel the stress and tension rolling off of everyone.
"Hey, Bella, you okay?" Emmett asked, running his hand through his curly hair.
"I'm fine, Em," I murmured, trying to reassure him. "Thanks for coming."
"Yeah, no problem," he muttered. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. I would have carted her ass off in a pair handcuffs."
"No, you wouldn't have." When he cocked an eyebrow at me, I shrugged my shoulders. "Not with all the kids here. You wouldn't have wanted them to be scared."
Emmett chuckled darkly. "Yeah, guess you're right about that." Sighing, he shook his head. "I've put in a request to have a car parked here every afternoon. I don't know if they will approve it or not, but I'll try."
"She won't be back," Edward stated like it was fact. I shifted my attention up to his. He winked at me, and I knew he was keeping something from me. "Trust me."
"I do," I whispered.
"Edward, how can you be sure?" Emmett asked, clearly not accepting Edward at his word.
"She and I had a conversation," Edward simply stated.
Before Emmett could push for more information, the front doors to the school opened. We all looked over to see the kids coming back out with Mrs. Shelton behind them. With a glowering look on her face, she gestured for the kids to come down to us, and walked back inside. She was a bitter old woman who didn't like her job. She taught fourth grade and hadn't made her irritation with children hard to see.
"Mrs. Shelton says we can't stay inside once the bell rings," Alex said, before any of us could question them.
"She's just gonna have to," Edward snarled, releasing me so that he could go inside.
I threw my hand out and grabbed his arm. "Just leave it, Edward. At least for now. We should get going anyway."
Nodding, Edward turned back to me, bringing his hand up to cradle my cheek. He leaned in and kissed me chastely, causing the boys to groan, while Anna and Mattie whispered, "Aw."
"Dad!" Anthony yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand down. "Dude, you're embarrassing us."
"Dude, deal with it," Edward snickered. "She's my wife, and I will kiss her any time I want."
I could feel my cheeks turn bright red, yet I couldn't find it in myself to care. Anthony rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Can we go now?"
"Fine, let's go," I giggled. Turning back to everyone, I said, "See you guys later, and thanks again."
"Anytime," Rose laughed.
Emmett walked her and Elliott over to her car, while Kate and Angela headed toward theirs. Edward placed his hand on the small of my back as we walked back to ours. When he opened the car door for me, the boys grimaced. Seriously, they were being so silly about their father showing me any type of affection. Choosing that now wasn't the time to discuss this; I slide into my seat and put my seatbelt on. The boys climbed into the back and started rambling on about their homework. Edward slid in behind the wheel, and drove us back to Carlisle and Esme's—longing for a home of our own.
