After securing a box with a long strip of packing tape, Edward heard his ringtone for Bella begin to chime from somewhere amongst the clutter around him. Shoving aside a pile of papers that had fallen on top of his, he unconsciously smiled at the name appearing on the screen before swiping his finger across it to answer. "Hey, baby. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing super," Bella replied with a soft giggle, followed by a small sigh. "I really miss you, Edward."
"Someone sounds a little drunk," he replied, fighting a smile. Every time she had one glass of wine too many, Bella would emphasize a word in each sentence, sometimes two. It was rather endearing and an indicator that it was time to leave or call it a night. "Are you having fun?"
"Jane decided I needed to live a little and let loose."
"I see." Edward knew exactly how Jane "let loose", as did most of the world. Being a high-profile actress and married to a prolific director, she was often photographed by paparazzi coming out of some ritzy restaurant or club. Trying to imagine Bella in the midst of that atmosphere left him feeling a bit unsettled. Not that he didn't trust her, but he knew how pushy and sometimes vile those people could be, and he worried about her being caught in the middle of one of those exchanges. He glanced down at his watch and saw that the evening had quickly flown by him—it was nearly midnight. "Bella, not to sound like a nag, but shouldn't you be asleep by now? You have a flight in a few hours. Are you at least back in your room?"
"Not exactly," Bella replied with another giggle, which she appeared to be having difficulty getting under control.
Edward dragged his hand over his face and lowered himself into one of the few seats remaining in Bella's apartment. A loud horn suddenly blared outside the open window, causing him to jolt slightly and mutter a few obscenities under his breath.
Bella mumbled something he couldn't catch but kept talking. "Seems as if I'm not the only one who isn't where they should be at this hour."
Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "And what makes you think that?"
"I'm not so drunk that I'm unaware of the fact that there is no street noise at your place, Edward," she stated matter-of-factly, and he smiled as he envisioned her with her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at him. "So, where are you and why aren't you in bed? Out partying without me?"
Edward rolled his eyes and laughed, hearing the jest in her voice, and rested his head back against the chair. "Right. I think you know me a little better than that, Bella."
"Wait…you're not still at my apartment, are you?" Bella gasped, and then muttered a soft "hold on".
Edward sighed as he heard her voice become muffled and assumed she had covered the mouthpiece of her phone to speak to someone in the background. He waited for a moment to hear her clearly again, and then finally spoke. "Yes, I'm still at your apartment. Haven't been sleeping well, so I've just been packing after work until I pass out here."
"Aw, you miss me, baby?" she asked in a teasing tone, and Edward grumbled, causing her to laugh. "I can't believe you're voluntarily sleeping in that lumpy bed."
"It's really not that bad," Edward remarked, rising to make his way to her bedroom and laid out on the aforementioned bed. It smelled like her and brought him some comfort. "Besides, I've been getting a lot done this way. Only have the bedroom left to pack after tonight. I really can't wait for you to get home tomorrow."
"Me, either," Bella replied wistfully, followed by a hiss and an "oh fuck", triggering Edward's concern. "I'm fine. I'm just less than graceful right now…well, more than usual."
"Bella, I really wish you would get back to your room. I'm worried about you."
"I will. I just have one more thing to do, and then I will definitely be heading for my room," Bella answered with another laugh, mumbling something about her shoes.
Edward sat up, hearing a commotion in the hallway, and sighed. He rose from the bed and made his way out to the front room, toward the door. "I can honestly say that I will be glad when you are out of here, baby. Your neighbors here are definitely night owls, and beyond obnoxious. It sounds like they've confused apartments again."
After unlocking the deadbolt, he opened the door, ready to start his nightly line about finding their own apartment, but stopped mid-sentence when a smiling, somewhat giddy Bella appeared in his view.
"I know, they are just terrible. Something really needs to be done about such ruckus," she joked, laughing as he tugged her through the door and into his waiting arms, thrusting the door closed after he deposited her carryon on the floor behind her. "Well, hello to you, too, Edward."
He didn't answer immediately, just hugged her tightly against him and breathed her in. Her arms circling around his waist and pulling him closer brought him back to the moment, and he lifted his head to look at her. "I thought you weren't coming in until tomorrow."
"We wrapped up early, and Jane flew me back. We just had a few cocktails on the way," Bella answered, running her hands up his back. "Now, if you don't hurry up and kiss me, I'm going to lose my damn mind."
Edward chuckled and lowered his lips urgently to hers, tasting the tequila still lingering on her lips and tongue. The combination of the liquor and her was delicious. Her nails dragging along the back of his neck and rising into his hair caused a shiver to run through him, and then he sucked in a sharp breath as her other hand grabbed a firm hold on his ass. "Uh, babe, exactly how much tequila have you had tonight?"
"Who said anything about tequila?" Bella panted against his mouth, tugging his bottom lip with her teeth, before sighing in relent. "Just a few shots. Maybe four or five, or so."
"That's what I thought. I think we should both probably head to bed," Edward began and caught her smirk, feeling the not-so-subtle pressing of her body more firmly against him. "To sleep, Bella. You can barely stand up straight, let alone anything else."
"That's not true," Bella protested as Edward stepped back from her, and without him there to support her, she stumbled a little. "Okay, point taken, but I've missed you. And… ow, someone's been busy."
Edward caught Bella as she stumbled over a couple of boxes he had set aside, keeping hold around her waist while leading her through the remainder of the apartment. "Well, I'm anxious to wake up next to this special lady I've been seeing, beside me every morning."
Bella looked up at him, placing her hand on his cheek, sighing deeply. She patted his cheek gently, smirking again. "I'm a sure thing, Edward. No need to lay it so thick, baby. I'll be ready and willing first thing in the morning."
Edward chuckled as he helped her into bed, literally. He had not only had to carry her when she almost twisted her ankle but had to help her change into a pair of shorts and camisole. As he lay down beside her, she whispered how much she loved him.
"I love you, too, Bella." He kissed her forehead, holding her close. "Now get some sleep."
As she her breathing started to slow, he heard her whisper, "I'm going to marry you one day, Edward."
After that declaration, realizing that they were on the same page, Edward decided to plan.
.
.
.
"Oh my God," Bella groaned as Edward slid a plate of bacon and eggs toward her. Thankfully, her stomach didn't roil at the sight of food, but her head hurt like hell. "I'm never drinking tequila again."
Edward chuckled, joining on her tiny couch. "I don't know, you're rather cute when you're drunk." Bella sent him a withering glare, but Edward kept on smiling. "Your filter disappears, and well, like the song, tequila makes your clothes fall off."
"Edward! It does not!" She smacked his arm playfully, then pulled him in for a kiss. "With or without a filter, you were so sweet last night. You took good care of me, thank you."
"I like taking care of you, though I know you're quite capable of doing so on your own."
She smiled, then grimaced as if smiling hurt her. "Yes, I can. Glad you recognize that, just not when my blood is eighty proof."
Edward agreed, finishing up his plate and joining her. "As you can see, I've been busy."
Bella looked around and saw the number of boxes already marked and ready to go. Edward had even used her color-coded system. Tears stung in her eyes—being a tad emotional was a byproduct of overindulging the night before.
"You have been busy," she whispered, cupping his jaw and asking for another kiss. Edward hummed at the touch of her lips. "Did you get any sleep while I was gone?"
Edward shrugged. "About the same as you."
"Not much then." She sighed and ate a little more, feeling her hunger return in small bursts. "We've grown accustomed to each other while we sleep."
"Who knew I liked being kicked in the shins all night?" Edward teased, leaning away as Bella playfully swatted at him. "Or your hair tickling my nose all night."
"Just for that, maybe I won't spend the night with you." She tried to play off as serious, but it didn't last long, each of them bursting out laughing. She groaned, though, earning a sympathetic smile from Edward.
He rubbed her back soothingly and decided to discuss their plans. She needed to get some rest, but there was little time for it with their busy schedules for the next few weeks. They needed to get as much of the packing done that day as they could. He had paid for an extra few days with Bella's landlord so not to stress over the move-out date.
After breakfast, they both got to work. Her overflowing bookcase would take a bulk of the remaining packing. Bella had indicated she wanted to weed through them and donate a quarter of them to a local library. While she hemmed and hawed about what to keep, Edward decided to start on the small hall closet beside the bookcase.
Unfortunately, the contents of the closet decided to rebel by dropping on Edward's head.
"Be careful," Bella said, grimacing. She'd kept every original blueprint she had ever created, and their size alone sometimes made space limited. "Sorry!" She helped picked up the ones rolling toward her. Most were slightly dusty blueprints, but quite a few were in hard tubes. "You okay?"
Edward rubbed his temple, holding up the tube that hit him in the head. It was once labeled My Dream House, but the word "My" had been crossed out and "Our" was handwritten along the top of it. "What is this?"
Bella huffed, her hands flying up in indignation. "You know I'm a pre-planner, down to the months. This is years down the road. Besides, we're architects, we always have our 'dream house' planned out but are always updating it as styles and tastes change."
All the while, as she spoke, Edward had to work hard to keep from smiling. He'd been doing that a lot lately, all thanks to the incredible woman before him. Before he said a word as she continued to explain herself, he walked over her bedroom and proceeded to spread out the plans over her bed.
The blueprints had handwritten notes and sketches, most looked recent. There were two small guestrooms that she had redone to eliminate the wall between them and labeled it as Edward's Office, which happened to be right across from hers, and bigger. The basement was half storage and laundry, and the other half was a man cave for him. Inside of it was a large built in entertainment center, and a full bar complete with mini fridge, wine storage, and sink. She made room for a pool table, and in parentheses, she'd written "sexy times."
Edward realized how quiet Bella was as he inspected the plans. He understood why she was nervous; it was a big deal. The fact that there were four bedrooms, despite the recent changes, meant she wanted a family. The large yard had an area marked for a playground and a doghouse—a pet was something he had always wanted.
"Pencil, please." He held out his hand, but Bella huffed and pointed to the nightstand on her side of the bed, not saying a word. After a few seconds, he found a pencil and crossed out Our Dream House and wrote in Cullen Residence.
"Oh really?" She grabbed the pencil from him and added to his neat handwriting, changing it the "Cullen" to "Swan-Cullen".
Edward grinned. "That works for me." He rather enjoyed the look of her wide eyes and flush to her cheeks, as if she couldn't believe that was happening. She was excited and maybe even a little scared. "It's almost perfect, but there's few things I insist on."
Her eyes narrowed, her arms crossing over her chest and tapping her foot. She was a perfectionist, so hearing him say those words angered her a little. It was a little better than scared and nervous. "Almost?" She said the word with such distaste.
Edward knew he had to wipe that look off her face. Instead of doing so with a kiss, which usually worked, he started to make some changes to the family room just off the kitchen. He eliminated a section of the wall of windows and added French doors to open up to a large but simple deck, he even quickly drew in an outdoor kitchen.
"Dreaming a little big there, Cullen," Bella said, but he noticed how her lips twitched, as if she was holding back a smile.
He winked and waggled his eyebrows. "When it comes to our dreams and future, of course they are."
She rolled her eyes, barely keeping herself from grinning. "If that's the case, why did you draw in a big square?" She bumped his hip and had him move aside, placing a book under the section and erased the obnoxiously boring square deck he'd drawn in and started to create an elaborate three-tier deck that included a pergola, outdoor kitchen, spaces for a firepit and water feature.
Edward hovered over her shoulder, his fingers rubbing circles along the small of her back. She'd occasionally shiver from his touch, but he was determined to finish what he started.
Bella stood back, pleased with the results. She'd have to talk with Jasper and a stone mason for some of the finer details, but it looked really good. "I can see us here."
Edward hummed along her shoulder, pulling her back against his chest. "So can I." His lips and tongue worked their way across her shoulder, her head turning enough to kiss him. It wasn't long before they worked together to put away the plans to their dream house and lose their clothes to their growing passion.
It had only been a few days, but they had missed each other. They both knew time away from each other would become the norm as their business grew. They had to indulge while they had the chance, and they'd have fun doing so.
Edward swept Bella off her feet, laying her beneath him, taking her mouth more slowly, savoring for the moment. "I rather love the sound of Mrs. Isabella Swan-Cullen." He brushed her hair away from her face, his thumb rubbing along her bottom lip.
Bella's skimmed her fingertips along his sharp jawline, a soft grin on her face. "I really am going to marry you one day, Edward."
Edward couldn't help but press his mouth over hers, sliding his tongue and groaning as her thighs tightened around his hips. Breathless after several minutes, he rested his forehead on hers. "You remember saying that last night?"
"I may have been a little tipsy, but I meant it then, too." She laughed as he did, her hands sliding up his back.
"A little?" he groaned as he slipped inside her. His hand slid over her hip, hiking her knee higher.
Bella pressed her head deeper into a pillow, moaning his name softly. "Uh, there's nothing little about you." At Edward's half chuckle and groan, she curled her fingers into his hair and claimed his mouth with her own. "God, I missed you."
"Bella." Edward's lips explored the length of her neck, loving the bite of her short nails on his back. Words failed him as a potent mixture of lust, love, and unfathomable happiness gripped his heart.
They moved together across the mattress, trading kisses and whispered confessions. For what seemed like hours, they pulled back from the edge to something softer and allowed desire to consume them until they came together, slick with sweat and breathless.
Minutes passed, holding each other, both overwhelmed with what they learned. Their foundation was solid, there was no doubt about it. They worked hard to create such a strong connection between them that no one would doubt how they felt about the other. The rest to come would be decoration, but just as important as weeks would become years, then decades.
Bella traced an indistinct shape on Edward's chest, a soft sigh on her lips. "Did we just become engaged?"
Edward pulled her closer, laughing into her hair. It was just like her to want clarification, not taking any chances that she misunderstood. "I think we figured out what we both want, but no, Bella. Make no mistake, I intend to propose properly."
She looked up at him, her cheeks still flushed from their love making. "What if I get down on one knee first?"
Edward cocked an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, the other night when we watched that rerun episode of Friends when Monica tried to propose, you said you'd be crying the same way, unable to continue."
Her eyes snapped shut, the color on her cheeks deepening. "You're never going to let me live that down."
"You were crying, despite it being at least the tenth time you've seen the episode."
Bella playfully refused to look at him, but eventually started to laugh as he tickled her, soon calling for mercy.
He wrapped her up tightly in his arms. "Let me have this, Bella. Please."
She cupped his face, kissing every inch of it and agreeing with him. "Don't make me wait too long."
Edward smiled, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "You're right, we've waited long enough for this."
"This?"
He kissed her then, groaning as desire coursed through him once again. "Us, together, husband and wife. I want it all, Bella."
"I do, too."
