Author's Note: Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I really don't know what else to say, so I'll start writing.
Jasper, Emmett, Edward and I sat in the living room, talking about the move, and what we were taking and what we weren't. I realized sadly that there would be no need for their super brawn. I probably wouldn't take a lot of the furniture from my bedroom. The only thing that would really require effort from someone else, were the large collection of books I'd amassed while living in Forks, and the closet full of clothes, shoes and accessories that Alice had bestowed upon me. I was so wrapped up in thought that I only snapped out of it when Edward bumped me because of Emmett's playful shoving. By the time I looked up, Emmett had his t-shirt pushed up to reveal his large bicep. He was bragging that he could do the whole move by himself. I rolled my eyes.
"Emmett, Alice could do the whole move by herself." I laughed after I said that, and Jasper and Edward looked at me incredulously. After the disbelief subsided, they started laughing. Emmett rolled his shirt sleeve back down. I felt bad, for a second. Edward nudged me, and I turned to face him.
"What are you going to take from your house? You don't exactly have a lot of stuff." He looked at me seriously. I honestly didn't have an answer for him. I knew I was taking the books and clothes, but did I want the furniture? When I was gone, did I want Charlie peeking in on an empty room? The thought saddened me. I shrugged my shoulders. Edward opened his mouth to say something, and then Alice burst into the room. Well, flew more than burst. Burst wouldn't be a graceful enough word to describe her movements. She marched up to Jasper, pecked him on the cheek, and grabbed my hand, towing me out of the room. I heard Edward call after us.
"Bella, I'll talk privately with you later. Alice, don't hurt Bella please. It would be a lot of wasted effort." I smiled meekly at Edward, and Alice's laugh floated musically through the air. Edward's face was cut from view as I was carried down the basement stairs into pitch blackness. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Alice set me down. I followed her into the room with all the fabric in it. She led me up to the sewing machine Esme had been working on.
Esme beamed at me, and held the finished bedspread out for me to see. I felt my mouth drop open, and Rosalie's cool hand gently shut it. It was beautiful. She had used gold threat that was an exact match to the fabric, and quilted it. I stared at it for awhile, and tentatively reached out my hand to touch the material. It felt as good as I remembered. Then, Esme held out the finished pillowcases. They too, were breathtaking and exquisitely sewn. I mentally calculated how much time I'd spend upstairs with the testosterone team. It was about an hour. I was blown away at how much they'd gotten done.
Alice nudged me. "We upholstered the chairs!" She said excitedly. I spun around, and there before me were two of the most beautifully upholstered chairs I'd ever seen. They were dark wood, just like the bed, and upholstered with the same fabric as the bedspread. The quality of the work was flawless. I smiled at Alice and Rosalie, who were standing right beside me.
"It's beautiful. Thank you so much." I stood there for a second, absorbing the work. Then, I thought of something. "Where's the bed?" Alice answered first.
"Esme took it upstairs, to Edward's room to assemble it. She brought the couch down here and put it in the guy's room." She grabbed my hand. "Let's go see if she's done yet." I felt myself get jerked up the stairs, past the living room, and up more stairs to Edward's room. By the time we came through the doors, the room was set up. It looked exactly like the drawing. I loved it. No, I more than loved it. It was absolutely perfect. I gasped again.
"Esme, Alice, Rosalie…this is…this is perfect!" They were standing in a group, so I threw my arms around all of them. I felt six arms hug me back. It was going to be great living here. I pulled out of their arms, and they floated around me and out the door.
"We'll give you some time to get used to it." Esme said as she closed the door. I crossed the room and threw myself down onto the huge bed. The fabric felt really good on the bits of my bare skin. I was wearing a tank top under the shirt I had on, so I took the over shirt off, and flung it on the floor, enjoying the feel of the material on my arms.
Then, I felt something more than fabric touching my skin. Edward skimmed his fingers along my arms, raising a trail of goose bumps as he went. I turned over, so I could see his face, and my sharp intake of breath was audible.
Edward had also removed his shirt, and the sight of all that exposed, smooth marble skin was breathtaking. His perfectly muscled chest was begging for me to touch it, so that's what I did. I ran my hand over the contours of his chest, reveling in the contrast between my warm fingers and his icy skin. He grabbed my hand and pressed it to where his heart was. Where I should have felt beating, I felt nothing. His eyes burned into mine intensely.
"Are you sure you want to move into a house with a group of the undead?" His eyes were serious. I moved my hand from his chest to his heartbreakingly beautiful face.
"I've never been more sure of something than I am of this. I love you." I traced the shape of his lips with my fingers while I was talking. Right after the words slipped out of my mouth, his lips were on mine. I threaded my fingers through his hair, and gasped as his tongue traced the outline of my lips, ever so gently. When I opened my mouth, Edward pulled his head away. I sighed, my fingers still in his hair.
He disengaged my hand, and rolled over to the other side of the huge bed. He smiled his heartbreaking half smile at me, and I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
I got immediately suspicious. "What are you thinking about?" I asked him, the accusation strong in my voice.
Edward smiled bigger. "I'm thinking about all Charlie's possible reactions when we tell him you're moving in with me. He's going to be very angry, you know."
I sighed. I really didn't want to have this conversation at that particular moment, but I humored him. "I know. I hope he's going to be alright by himself."
Edward chuckled. "He's going to be fine. He survived without you for seventeen years, and he'll be fine after you're gone." Edward said this without thinking, and I'm sure he only meant when I'm gone from Charlie's house, but that got my mind wandering down a different path. How would Charlie manage when I left? What would Renee do? I didn't want to address those thoughts at that moment, so I pushed them away.
"I'm sure he will." I said vaguely. Edward didn't miss this, but then again, he never missed anything. He scooted closer to me and crushed me against his bare chest. It was cold and hard as a rock, but it was, in my opinion, the best place to be. I smiled, and looked him in the face.
"I'm fine. Really, I am. When are we going to tell Charlie that I'm making the move?" Edward's face fell slightly.
"Whenever you feel ready. I'm not going to push you to tell him. Whenever you feel ready, I'm ready." He looked intently at me. I wondered what I'd done to deserve someone as wonderful as Edward, and then almost laughed out loud. I didn't deserve Edward. I was just being silly.
"Well, we should go tell him now, because I want to move in as soon as possible." I smiled at the thought of calling the Cullen's house home. It would be nice. Edward was off the bed and next to my side in one fluid motion. He held his hand out for me, and I took it eagerly. He jerked me to his chest, and kissed me lightly on the lips. I sighed. His kisses were never enough; he always left me wanting more.
We walked hand in hand down the stairs, and out to the car. Alice smiled at me on the way out, and I took that as an encouraging sign. We climbed into the Volvo and were on the road in less than thirty seconds.
Once we'd reached the house, I sat in the car, full of apprehension. Edward wound his fingers through mine. I felt his eyes on my face.
"Just give me a second. I can do this." I took a deep breath, and reached for the door handle. As soon as I put my hand out, I felt Edward's hand slip out of mine. He was at my door and had it open before I'd even touched the handle.
We headed up to the house hand in hand.