Beck and Jade begin their search for a new home a few short days after they return from their honeymoon. Well rested and fresh from their time in the sun, they enter into the process with excitement and energy.
Tori is once again able to set them up with an agent at the real estate agency she does marketing for, just as she had done for Jade when she was new to the area and looking for her first apartment. However, the young couple quickly learns that the process of purchasing a new home isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Beck remembers some of that from the first time around, but back then he hadn't really been able to be that picky. At that time he was 22, and just looking for an affordable roof to put over his family's head. Now he and Jade have a bit more money, with them both having established incomes, and a longer list of demands. They can afford to be a little picky, but doing so isn't exactly making the process all that easy.
They want to stay in the area, but would prefer if Chelsea didn't have to change schools. They want more than three bedrooms, but not an obscene amount of bedrooms to the point of being excessive. Jade doesn't want to live in the same school district that she teaches in, but doesn't want her commute to be ridiculously long either. Beck doesn't want his commute to be super long either, just in case he or Jade would need to leave work in the middle of the day for something pertaining to either one of the girls. There are so many different factors that they have to take into consideration, and so few houses that fit their criteria. It becomes very overwhelming, very quickly. They don't want to just settle on something...they want to find a forever home for their family.
Finally, after about two months of searching and what feels like never-ending stress, their agent contacts them about a new listing in the area. It's not in West Hartford, like they were hoping to find, but instead in Farmington...the next town over. Beck is hesitant at first, because a different town would automatically mean that Chelsea would need to change schools in the fall...but Jade convinces him it's at least worth taking a look.
"It's a new build." Their agent, Rita, explains as she unlocks the front door "The people that were building had to relocate suddenly, and had to back out of the contract. Unlucky for them but hopefully lucky for you, the house was already close to finished. Everything you see here is brand new, and no one has lived in it yet."
"Wow." Beck remarks as he looks around "This place looks great. How many bedrooms?"
"Five." Rita tells him "Four full bathrooms. One in the master, one off of the second bedroom, a Jack-and-Jill between bedrooms three and four, and one in the basement. There's also a half bath off of the laundry room on the main floor."
"A Jack-and-Jill bathroom." Jade repeats, walking to stand closer to her husband "I bet the girls would love that."
"I bet they would too." Beck agrees "Can we take a look around?"
"Be my guest." Rita gestures into the empty house "Let me know if you have any questions."
"I like that this is one big open room." Jade says as she and Beck walk around the main floor "We could be in the kitchen making dinner and the girls could be playing over there in the living area and we would be able to see them. Or when we have people over...like on football sundays...some people could be in either place and still be able to see the TV."
"I like this island..." Beck says as he walks around it "It's so much bigger than the one we have now."
It's about double the size, if he's getting down to the specifics of things. With more than enough room to slide barstools underneath on one side for people to sit on.
The basement is finished. It's one big open room for the most part with a door that leads to another storage room, and a bedroom and a bathroom off of the main room as well. Beck comments about how the bedroom and bathroom would be good for guests, and suddenly Jade realizes they most likely just found their future home.
It's the master bedroom that really sells them though. It has high attic-style ceilings and dark wood floors, not to mention two walk-closets. The master bathroom has his and her's vanities, a shower, and a separate bathtub...which would be a big step up from their current one sink and shower/tub combo. The other bedrooms are all appropriately-sized as well.
Jade can already see the family curled up on the couch reading together in front of the large fire place, or decorating Christmas cookies together at the kitchen island. She imagines how many times she and Beck will have to get up during the first few nights they live there to reprimand the girls about sneaking into each other's rooms after bedtime via their shared bathroom. The backyard is more than big enough to fit the swing set, fire pit, and patio set. Hell, there's probably even enough room for a trampoline somewhere down the line too.
"Fuck, Jade...I think this might be it." Beck says to her, as if he had been able to read her mind
"I think so too." She agrees "Should we tell Rita we want to make an offer?"
"I do." Beck nods "Unless you think we'll be able to find something better...?"
"No." Jade shakes her head "No, I think this is exactly where we're supposed to be."
"Me too." Beck smiles, walking over to kiss her "I think this is home."
They end up getting the house for about $20,000 less than asking price, mostly because the couple that had been building the house originally was so desperate to sell it in time for them to relocate. They close on the first Tuesday of summer vacation, and take Chelsea and Aspen to see the house later that same night.
"We're going to live here?" Chelsea gasps as Beck pulls his truck into the driveway
"Yeah..." Beck chuckles "Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah!"
"It's so big!" Aspen remarks
She'll be turning three within a few weeks, and hadn't been all that excited about the idea of moving when Beck and Jade first brought it up. She had lived in their first house for her entire life, it had been all she'd ever known. The idea of now living somewhere else hadn't sounded all that appealing. Now actually seeing the house and being able to feed off of her older sister's excitement, Aspen doesn't seem too bothered anymore.
"Yeah it is." Jade agrees "Do you want to go look inside?"
"Yeah!" Both girls cheer in unison
They enter through the door in the garage. This new house doesn't have as much of a front porch as their old one, which Beck hadn't been overly thrilled about, it's more of a stoop. However, it does have a large sunroom in the back of the house, so they'll still have somewhere to sit and admire the surroundings.
"There's so much room!" Chelsea gasps as they enter through the mudroom and into the main level "Look Pen!"
"Let's play tag!" Aspen giggles, running away from her sister and parents "Catch me!"
"Enjoy it while you can!" Beck tells them "There won't be as much space once we move all of the furniture in!"
"It's still more room to run than they have right now." Jade reminds him
The couple can only laugh as they watch their children run in circles around the large room. Eventually the two girls grow bored of playing chase, and they move upstairs to look at the bedrooms.
"Chels, this is going to be your room." Beck says, flipping on the light in the bigger of the two bedrooms attached to the shared bathroom "Pen, that one is going to be yours."
"Go ahead and take a look." Jade urges them
Both girls are excited to see their new bedrooms. Not because of anything specific, but because it's something new to be excited about. It's Chelsea that starts opening doors first, and discovers her closet...and then eventually the bathroom.
"I have my own bathroom!" She exclaims "Cool!"
"Not quite..." Beck chuckles, walking in behind her and opening the door that connects the bathroom to Chelsea's room "You're going to have to share."
"They're connected!" Chelsea's eyes light up "That's even cooler!"
"They're 'nected?" Aspen looks puzzled as she wanders through the bathroom and into Chelsea's room "Woah!"
"When do we get to move in?" Chelsea asks "Tomorrow?"
"Saturday." Beck laughs "Four more days."
Four days go quickly though. Although Beck and Jade had started packing some things, there's still a lot that needs to get done. Thankfully they have their old house for another week, so not everything has to be moved at once, but they want to get as much done as soon as they can. Tori, Andre, and Beck's parents all help, and even Cat and Robbie come up from New York to assist them.
"Careful!" Jade winces as Beck and Andre carry one of the couches through the front door "I don't want to have to call the painters to come back already!"
"We've got it, babe! Don't worry!" Beck assures her "Living room or basement?"
"That one goes in the basement." She reminds him "Remember? We have the new sectional coming for the living room on Monday."
"Right." Beck chuckles, pecking her quickly on the lips as he walks by "The old one goes out of sight."
"Well when you put it like that..."
They had decided that in addition to housing the guest bedroom and bathroom, the basement would serve partially as an additional play space for the girls but also as a movie room. Beck is currently in the process of building himself a custom cabinets that will hold all of the DVDs and VHS tapes that he's collected throughout his life and will sit on either side of the projection screen Jade has promised him as an early birthday present. It will take up a majority of the far wall and be able to show anything that a normal television would. The couch and love seat from the living room at their old house will serve as the seating.
The rest of the day is hectic, Beck and Jade are directing movers on where to take things and which boxes should go in which rooms. Aspen and Chelsea are high on all of the excitement and getting in everyone's way, and eventually Beck's mom ends up rounding them up and taking them back to his parents' house just to get them out of the way. She doesn't bring them back until close to dinnertime, and by that time everyone is exhausted.
"Are you okay?" Beck asks his wife "You seem...I don't know, you seem off."
The two of them stand at the kitchen island, each eating a slice of pizza out of the box in front of them. Aspen and Chelsea sit on a blanket in front of the TV in the living area, still without a couch, with their own box of pizza, eating while they watch one of their children's shows. Normally Jade would want them at the island too unless it's a special occasion, but in this instance it's keeping them quiet..and their parents could use a little quiet after the craziness of the day.
"I..." Jade hesitates "It's just been a long day is all."
In reality, there is something up with her, and she wants more than anything to be able to tell her husband about it. But now doesn't feel like the time, not after the day that they had and not with their children sitting just ten feet away.
"Are you sure that's it?" He asks "You've seemed off all day. Did something happen? Whatever is is, you can tell me."
"Do you remember that thing we said we would work on once we found a house and were settled?" She reminds him
"Huh?" Beck is confused for a moment, then realizes his wife is being vague because their children are in such close proximity to the conversation "Oh! Yes. Yes, I do."
"I think we did it." She smirks
"Wait, really?" Beck's eyes grow wide "We weren't even trying to do that yet."
"Guess the universe just thought it would help us out." Jade shrugs "I haven't been to confirm it yet but, something is very late."
"Jade..." Beck moves closer to her and takes her face in his hands "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiles up at him "Welcome home."
"Welcome home." He agrees as he kisses her