"But you're sure Gigi will be okay with this?", Lizzie asked again.
William and Lizzie had been discussing their living situation for a while, and when he thought they had finally settled on something, she had shown doubts again.
He had left Lizzie's apartment Saturday afternoon so his girlfriend could spend time with Charlotte before her return to Los Angeles. They had met again on Sunday to celebrate their six-month anniversary all-daylong.
Finally, after some celebration, they had sat down to eat the red velvet cupcakes that Kate had baked for them and they had started talking seriously about where they wanted to live.
If they decided to live in her apartment, they would have to get a new contract (Lizzie's was almost done), get a bigger bed (for William obviously), and leave William's big house to Georgiana. Lizzie was not totally bought on that idea because it did not make to sense to her that William would have to pay rent when he owned a house. He was also willing to buy a new place for them, but Lizzie thought that was too radical and unnecessary.
"Well, I think that leaves my house," William said.
"But it is also Gigi's house. I don't want her to feel like I am invading her house and space."
"Lizzie, she has told you innumerable times that she doesn't have any problem with you being in the house", William said.
"I know, but still…," Lizzie replied.
"We can think of more options if you want. Anywhere you go, I'll follow."
She sighed.
"You wouldn't mind leaving your house? I know how much it means to you."
"Yes, it's my childhood home, but I am ready to make a new home, with you."
Lizzie smiled; he was really saying sweet things.
"Well, I really like your house too," she admitted. She loved everything about it, but what she loved the most was that it was full of William's memories.
"I propose this," William said, "you can move in with me now. Then, you can choose if you want to say there or move somewhere else. And we'll figure out what to do with the remaining of your lease."
"Okay, but if I move in with you, we'll have to make an agreement about money. I'll not live there for free," Lizzie replied.
William agreed and they talked until she was satisfied with an arrangement about paying the bills, buying groceries and other expenses.
"But you're sure Gigi will be okay with this?", Lizzie asked again.
"Would you feel better if you talked to her?" William suggested.
"Yeah, I think so," she replied, and appreciated William's patience.
William immediately looked his phone and called her sister.
"William? It's everything all right?," Gigi answered, "I thought you were going to be busy with Lizzie."
"Hello, Gigi. Everything is fine, but Lizzie wants to talk to you," he said and gave the device to Lizzie.
She greeted his sister and when she said that she and William had decided to live together, William heard his sister screaming on the other side of the line. She kept talking with Gigi, explaining what the situation was and how she felt about it.
William could guess what his sister was saying by Lizzie's answers and was happy to see that Lizzie had hung up with a smile.
"What did Georgiana say?," he asked.
"She said that I am a worrier, and that I am more than welcome to move in to the house."
"So?," William asked.
"That means that I'm moving with in you," Lizzie said.
William mentally thanked his sister and turned on the spot and went inside her bedroom, without saying a word.
"William?," Lizzie said and walked to him.
"What are you doing?," she asked when she saw him inside her closet.
"Packing," he answered, as he pulled her suitcases.
"The sooner we start, the sooner you'll be home with me, in our room, in our bed," he added softly and Lizzie immediately flushed. She smiled and helped him with the task ahead.
They packed all her clothes, her toiletries and other things she wanted with her. Since they had two cars, they were able to get almost of her things in one trip. They drove happily to his house, which was now to be hers.
When they arrived, they took some of her bags and walked to the main door. When they opened it and opened the main door, a banner with the legend "Welcome home" on it. Both Lizzie and William looked at each other and smiled.
"Welcome home, sweetheart," William said and leaned in to kiss Lizzie. She remembered his previous words and she felt the anticipation building in her.
"Hello, love birds... Ah, sorry!"
William and Lizzie suddenly pulled apart and looked at Gigi, who had heard them come in and ran to greet them from the living room.
"Hello Georgiana," William said first.
"Gigi", Lizzie said after clearing her throat, "Thanks for the welcome sign. You worked very fast."
"Degree in Arts, remember? I'm so happy to see you here, Lizzie."
"Thanks, Gigi."
"Do you need help with your things?," Gigi asked, looking at the suitcases that were on the floor.
"I think I have what I need now, but thanks for the offer," she replied.
"Okay. In that case, I'll let you settle. Good night," Gigi said and walked again to the living room.
"Good night, Gigi," they both said to her and climbed the stairs together to his room, now theirs.
Despite the fact that Lizzie had been there numerous times, she had not left much behind. So putting her things on the sink next to William's and hanging her clothes next to his was a very pleasant experience.
William was thinking the same. Looking at his girlfriend making herself comfortable in what used to be just his space was nice, to say the least.
"Lizzie…," he called from bed.
After unpacking almost everything, she had gone inside the bathroom to prepare for bed. William had changed already and was now waiting for her.
"Yes, William?," she said.
"Are you ready? I…" he replied but lost his words when he saw her standing in the bathroom frame, wearing a very short satin slip.
Lizzie knew that she did not need lingerie to get William's attention, but she loved his response to those pieces of clothing. For that reason, every now and then, she would buy something special, just for his eyes. She walked slowly to the bed and climbed next to him.
"Is this new?," William asked while he moved his hands under the slip.
"Mhmm, do you like it?," she murmured against his ear.
"It's nice, but I like much better what it is underneath," he replied. He had been waiting to have that intimate moment with her again since she had decided to move in with him.
"Welcome home," she sighed and William held her tighter. She started kissing him and he immediately lost himself in her arms.
It was the perfect beginning for that phase of their lives together.
It had been a month since Lizzie had moved in with William, and everything was perfect.
Gigi had warmly welcomed her, like a sister, and Lizzie enjoyed spending time with her. Her previous concerns about her invading her house were proved useless, as they both had their own space. But the best part was living with William, of course, falling asleep with him, waking up next to him…
At Pemberley, the news of their relationship had finally spread, as some of Fitz's coworkers had been at his wedding and it was not hard for them to see that the CEO and Lizzie Bennet were in a relationship.
Lizzie feared for a moment that people would see her differently or think ill of her, but none of that happened. Still, she worked extra hard to show everyone who doubted that she did not have a job because of William.
Her mini series had been sold to a TV network, and it had been well received by the public, so the executives were playing with the idea of a second season. Lizzie was very excited about that idea, and started writing some ideas about that.
William was very proud of their success in that project, and he wanted to show her his gratitude and surprised her by inviting her family to celebrate Thanksgiving with them.
When he told her, she could not hide her excitement. It had been months since she had been her family, and was looking forward to see them, especially Jane, who she had not seen since her wedding in January.
Right before her honeymoon, her eldest sister had left her job at the agency and had become an independent designer and was currently working on the opening of a store. And Bing continued to be very busy helping people across the country.
Lizzie looked forward for the holiday, because it was the first event that William and her would host as a couple. And it was a success.
When Fran and Thomas arrived, Fran had not stopped complimenting the house and telling Lizzie how lucky she was. Lizzie had been expecting her father to say something about her moving with William, but he was happy with her decision. He held William in high esteem and trusted him with his daughter.
Kate and James were also invited, and she and Fran were soon exchanging kitchen tips while they helped with the dinner. William also in the kitchen, and from there he could hear the laughs of Lydia, Gigi, Brandon and Fitz. He had taken over Lizzie, who was somewhere in the house with Jane, probably having a much needed sister talk.
He was right. Lizzie and Jane were in her bedroom, talking about married life. Lizzie knew that she was with William for the long run, and even though she was not ready for marriage yet, she was certain she would get there. Jane shared her experience and talked for long, before they realized they needed to go downstairs.
When all the guests took their seats in the big dining table, William grinned. It had been a long time since his house had been full with people and a gleeful atmosphere reigned over it. He looked at his side and saw that Lizzie was smiling too. He took her hand under the table and squeezed affectionately.
After a weekend of eating, shopping and fun, everyone said good-bye. Before they left, Lizzie's parents invited William and Gigi to spend Christmas with them in Arizona and the Darcy siblings accepted the invitation.
Once they were in the solitude of their bedroom, Lizzie showed William how grateful she was for the weekend she had given her.
Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Georgiana, William and Lizzie had just finished dinner, when the latter received a call from Charlotte and she left the kitchen.
Following Fitz's wedding, Charlotte and Ian had started dating, and he had even taken her to meet his parents in New Mexico. Lizzie questioned her friend about that being too soon, but Charlotte did not agree. She felt like she had known Ian her whole life and could not be happier. They talked for a little while, and then Lizzie said good night and walked to the kitchen again.
She was getting close to the kitchen when she heard Gigi and William talking.
"I don't understand why you haven't asked her yet. Is it for me? You know I'm okay with it," Gigi said.
"I wasn't ready until now," he replied.
"Great, now you should tell her," Gigi said back and Lizzie's heart stopped for a second. Were they talking about what she was thinking?
She knew better than anyone else the consequences of overhearing other people's conversation, but she still got anxious. She took a deep breath before entering.
"Charlotte says hi," Lizzie said and the Darcy siblings turned to her surprised.
"Thanks," William replied, "I hope she's fine."
"Yes, she is," Lizzie replied and sat on her chair next to William.
"Good. Now, I have something to tell you both something," Gigi said happily.
"It is about the development project at Sanditon," she started.
Sanditon was a small beach town in South California whose mayor had started a campaign to revitalize the town, and Pemberley had seen it as a perfect opportunity to employ the knowledge and technology it had developed to help Sanditon. As a consequence, some employees were scheduled to move to that town in January.
"My boss spoke with me today, and he wants me to be part of that project," Gigi finished.
"That's great news, Gigi!," Lizzie exclaimed.
"I know, it's very exciting," Gigi responded.
"Congratulations, Georgiana, I'm very proud of you," William said and hugged her sister.
"Thank you, brother," she replied, "And that means that soon you will have the house to yourselves."
"I'll miss you, Gigi," Lizzie said.
"That's not true," Gigi replied, "I'm sure my brother will keep you very entertained to notice my absence."
Lizzie and William laughed.
"Anyway, I wanted you to be the first to know. I'll go call Fitz and Kate," Gigi said and threw a meaningful look to William that did not go unnoticed to Lizzie.
They stayed silent, and Lizzie hoped that William could not hear the pounding of her heart. She had not forgotten what she had heard before.
"Come, Lizzie," he suddenly said, " I want to tell you something."
He led her upstairs to the one room she had not been before and the reason for her anxiety completely changed. William had not shown her that room before, and out of respect, she had never step inside. But she knew what it was.
The door was ajar, as always, and William pushed it open completely and turned on the lights.
"What do you think of moving here?," he asked.
"But this is your parent's bedroom…" she said, when she managed to find her voice.
"It was, it has been empty for a long time, and it could be ours now."
He invited her to come inside, and Lizzie immediately noticed that it was a magnificent room. It had more than enough space for the two of them, with what looked like a sitting area near one big circular window. One of the walls was all glass, with a balcony that Lizzie had seen from the back yard.
William showed her the walk-in closet, with all the room in the world for their clothes and shoes. The bathroom was also impressive. With twin sinks, a modern-looking shower, and a fine bathtub, it was more than Lizzie ever wanted.
They returned to the bedroom area that was practically empty, with only an empty bed frame and a dresser.
"My dad brought them from England, and we decided to keep them," William said, noticing the question look in Lizzie's face. After their death, when he and Georgiana finally had the strength to clean their room, they had packed everything away except for these pieces of furniture, which had an important value for the family.
Lizzie just nodded and looked around. The truth was that in any other circumstance, she would have taken that room in a blink of an eye. However, the fact that it had once belonged to William's parents made her uncertain.
He noticed that she was a little uneasy and wondered if that was a bigger leap in their relationship than he had thought.
"I thought we might be more comfortable here. As you can see, we'll have more space," he said, "Do you think it's too soon?"
She shook her head and took his hand in hers. She was touched by his concern and gesture.
"Are you comfortable with this, William?," she asked.
"Yes," he answered firmly.
"All right, if you want this, we'll do it," she finally said.
"Thank you, Lizzie," he sighed.
"You can decorate the whole room as you like. I want you to feel it's yours," he added.
"Ours, William, ours," she corrected.
"Of course," he replied with a shy smile and kissed her on the temple.
"I think, for starters, we need to get a new mattress. We can't sleep in the floor," she said, hoping to change the mood.
"That's right," he chuckled, feeling lighter all of the sudden, "and maybe we can paint the walls."
"Yes, that might be good. What else do you want?," Lizzie asked, squeezing his hand.
Together, they started brainstorming about what they wanted for their new room.
On one weekend, Lizzie and William went shopping for a mattress, bed clothing, cans of paint and some furniture. And they spent another weekend painting, assembling pieces, cleaning, and moving all their things to their new room.
As simple and easy as they wanted that move to be, it was another milestone in their relationship.
Sorry for the delay, RL got in the way...
Thanks everyone for reading, following, and favoring this story :D
Enjoy!