We departed Detroit early on the second day and were scheduled to arrive at our new home by late afternoon. I drove the last leg with Bella next to me, quietly holding hands as the Great Lakes passed on our left, finally leading into the thick forests of the Adirondack Park.
Alice was impatiently bouncing up and down in the back of the truck. Jasper had tried several times to calm her, but to no avail because her enthusiasm only increased as we got closer. She was the only one that had seen a vision of Esme's chosen house, I was careful to block her thoughts, and her excitement was wearing off on all of us as we turned off the main road.
We pulled up the long private drive, it was canopied over with think evergreen trees letting little sunlight filter through to the snow covered ground. You could sense the wildlife everywhere, teeming with the freedom this vast park allowed them. Bella squeezed my hand as the trees opened up and the house came into view. It was expansive – a three story log cabin structure with a wrap around porch. It was situated on the eastern cliff of Chazy Lake and I could see the land drop off just past the back deck.
We stopped the cars in the circular driveway and everyone quickly exited. Alice was dancing and skipping towards the front porch, pulling Jasper behind her. I grabbed Bella's hand and followed, surprised at my own excitement.
"Wait for your mother!" Carlisle called out as Esme hurried towards the front door with the keys. She opened the heavy, wooden door and we all stepped inside.
My immediate thought was that this house was completely different from our home in Forks. It had the same two-story foyer, but its walls were primarily composed of exposed logs, lending immediate warmth even with its large size and open floor plan. A great percentage of the walls held tall windows that showcased the view over the lake and the surrounding woods. The open staircase was situated near the front door and the entire first floor was open, even the industrial stainless steel kitchen at the rear. There was a long island with stools lined up and a dining room to the left of the kitchen. At the epicenter of the house, on the other side of the staircase, was a large four-sided stone fireplace, with glass doors on all sides. On both the left and right side, there were cozy seating areas of brown, buttery leather couches and chairs, as well as reading lamps. The floors were a natural, knotty pine with hand-knotted kilm wool rugs scattered throughout in warm earth tones of amber, red, brown and cream.
Esme led the tour up the stairs to the second floor. The upstairs railing encircled the second floor granting a view from all four sides to the downstairs.
"Alice and Jasper, this is your room since there is a conjoining study. Our room and Carlisle's study is across the hall." Esme said to Alice as she jumped up and down with excitement. Jasper looked shocked at the size of his study. The walls were floor to ceiling with built in bookcases and in the center were two large captains chairs, to the left was a rather grand looking cherry desk with his old typewriter.
Heading up to the third floor, there were two bedrooms, one facing the front of the house, the other the back.
"I understand you and Bella won the Newlywed Game, Edward. Which bedroom would you like?" Esme said while smiling at us.
I quickly pulled Bella to the bedroom at the front of the house and then the one in the back. They were similar - both had fireplaces and master bathrooms, except the one at the rear was slightly larger and had an entire wall that overlooked the lake with a small deck.
"We will take the one at the back." I smiled while Bella exuberantly nodded her head in excitement.
We went in the room. The floors were also hardwood, but slightly darker than downstairs, with several plush cream area rugs. There was a tall peaked ceiling and the fireplace was on the left wall. There was a sliding glass door that led to the deck that looked out over the entire lake. The view was amazing. It felt like we were at the top of the trees. The bathroom was large with earth colored tiled walls, granite counter top on the double vanity, a two-person Jacuzzi tub, and shower with six separate showerheads.
Bella's mouth just hung open in shock. I was pretty astounded myself. Without even having seen it, I knew it would be the best house I would ever live in simply because Bella and I were starting our life here; but now that I have seen it, it is without a doubt the most amazing home Esme has ever procured for the family.
"Esme! Where is the wide screen TV? Where are I am supposed to beat Edward's butt in Playstation?" Emmett yelled up the stairs.
"Look in the basement Emmett." Esme calmly responded. I heard Emmett thud down the stairs located under the main staircase.
"Holy cow! Jasper, Edward, you have to come see this!" Emmett yelled from two floors below us.
Bella and I chuckled at his childlike enthusiasm and headed downstairs to meet Jasper, Alice and Carlisle descending from the second floor. Jasper playfully rolling his eyes at me. We made our way down the stairs into a very spacious room that could only be described as a "man-den". There was a ten-foot movie screen with a rear projector and state of the art home theatre system stacked in the wall on either side. All of Emmett's game consoles were set up with the games in a glass display case. He was running around like a giddy boy. Rose was standing there eying him, with her arms crossed, trying to hold back a laugh. The other side of the room had a pool table, dartboard, and double French doors that led out to a stone patio underneath the deck off of the first floor.
Esme came up behind us. "I thought you boys needed your own room for your wrestling matches. There is nothing breakable down here." She laughed. "And, I want Bella's input on how to decorate your new room, so it feels like hers too."
"Thanks Esme, that's really nice. As long as I share the room with Edward, I don't really care how it is decorated." Bella shrugged.
"Bella don't be ridiculous!" Alice exclaimed, "You are a Cullen now, of course you care how it looks," while shaking her head. Bella giggled in response.
"Esme, where would be the best place for me to put my piano when it arrives?" I asked.
"There is a nice area at the front of the house to the right of the front door that I think will be good Edward. Take a look and let me know what you think. The floor plan is so open, we can move things if it doesn't fit well there." Esme said while smiling. She knew how important my piano was to me and she treasured hearing me play it.
"Thanks Esme." I replied while pulling Bella back upstairs. She still had a silly grin on her face as she took it all in. We spent the next hour exploring the house.
"Edward, I can't get over how big this house is, yet it still feels warm and cozy." Bella said as we rested our elbows on the railing of the back deck, overlooking the lake.
"I know. She always seems to find homes that are a perfect representation of the area that we are living in." I said. "Do you know what kind of furniture you want for our bedroom?" Pulling her to my chest.
"Um, well," fingering her chin in thought, "I have always wanted a really big sleigh bed, with dark wood." She said while staring out over the treetops.
"Then it shall be yours. I will let Esme know." I replied with a smile. I looked at Bella's eyes and noticed that they were darker than usual. I cupped her chin with my hand bringing her eyes to meet mine. "You thirsty love?"
"I haven't really thought about it, but now that you mention it, I am a little. Do you want to check out the woods?" She said while kissing under my chin.
"Well, no I would rather take you upstairs and break in that shower…but I think it would be a good idea to take you hunting. I am sorry I didn't think of it sooner." I replied with my eyes closed, relishing the feeling of the little kisses she was placing on my neck.
"Please don't apologize. I didn't even realize it. I'm fine." She said against my skin.
Much to my dismay, my brother then interrupted us. "What you are two up to out here?" Emmett asked with a boyish grin.
"We were just talking about going hunting." She responded, obviously not adding the rest of the conversation.
"Sure you were." He replied with a wink to Bella. "Well, if that is indeed the case, then we are all heading out in a few minutes to explore, see what this park has to offer other than deer." He finished, while waving his hand at the woods and then turning on his heel and going back inside.
I was just turning my attention back to my wife when Rosalie poked her head outside. "Edward, have you seen the garage? It's incredible, even bigger than the one in Forks. You could add to your collection." She said with a big grin. I liked that idea. I hadn't bought a new car in a while.
"Edward, you don't even drive half of the cars that you own." Bella said with a little scowl, her fine eyebrows knitting together.
"Love, that is not the point of collecting cars. But I will keep that in mind. Maybe the next one needs to be a big truck. I know how you love to go off-roading." I said with a grin. Bella just rolled her eyes at me.
Within fifteen minutes we were all racing into the woods, each couple branching off in different directions. Esme said the house had a hundred acres with it and there were other no houses anywhere near the property lines. There were so many areas to explore, rolling hills and rock out cliffs, acre after acre of tall evergreen and deciduous tree with low shrub undergrowth. I was excited to get to know these woods, but not tonight. Tonight I only had my wife on my mind.
We spent about an hour and half hunting. Bella found a heard of white tale and I surprisingly found a two coyotes to take. We were the first back to the house as the sun was passing behind the mountain on the opposite side the lake, lighting the windows in with an orange glow. I hastily pulled Bella up to our room, into our bathroom and closed the door.
"What has gotten into you Edward?" She asked, giggling at my enthusiasm.
"I told you, I think we need to check out this big shower." I replied with a smirk. I motioned to turn on the shower controls when she pulled me away. I looked at her with a pouty scowl.
"Relax, my husband, I think we should test out the Jacuzzi tub instead." She said with a grin, pulling me across the bathroom. She sat down on the edge and turned on the faucet as hot as it would go. The steam quickly thickened the air. "Look, Esme even put bubble bath in here, mmm, freesia." She said seeing it on the counter and then adding some to the water. It smelled delicious. The bubbles instantly started to take over the surface of the water.
Bella turned to me and started to lift my t-shirt over my head. I willing obliged and once my hands were free I began unbuttoning her jeans and pushed them over her slim hips. We were quickly void of clothing and I helped her step into the hot bathwater. We both sat down, she between my legs with her back to my chest, my arms wrapped around her resting on her stomach. The heat of the water and her skin against mine felt remarkable.
"What do you think of the house love?" I whispered in her ear as I rubbed her shoulders.
"What do I think? It's like nothing I have ever seen before. It is perfect. There is enough room for everyone to have privacy, but adequate family area as well. I love the 'man-den.' I can hone my wrestling moves down there," she chuckled, "and the surrounding land is gorgeous. I have always wanted to live right on the water. I bet the fall is amazing here." She was grinning as she looked out the bathroom window next to the tub.
"I have been fortunate enough to experience the autumns in the northeast and they are spectacular. All of the hills and mountains look like they are on fire with the orange, red and yellows. Maple trees are my favorite, they tend to have the brightest leaves."
I went on to tell her about how all the seasons in this area are, very different from Forks, and definitely from Phoenix, very defined from one to the other. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and I lived in Vermont just before Alice and Jasper joined our family. It doesn't seem that much has changed here for the last fifty years. The park is still fairly wild and thankfully not too many new houses have been built.
"Some day I would like to take you to Toronto or Quebec. They are wonderful cities, very different from those in the US. Alice loves to go shopping in Toronto." Bella groaned at that notion.
"Now that I seem to be more confident, I wonder how soon it will be until she drags me shopping in Plattsburgh?" Bella asked quizzically.
"Unfortunately, I think that Alice and Rose are going to be sorely disappointed in the shopping options in Plattsburgh. I'm not sure there is much there, it's a fairly small town. But we aren't too far from New York City, Boston or Canada. If they feel the need, I'm sure they will make the drive." I mused. Nothing could stop my sisters if they were on a mission to shop.
Bella twisted in my arms so her stomach was pressed against mine. I could feel her breasts, slippery from the water, against my chest and instantly all thoughts of Alice's shopping habits faded away.
"Edward, what are we going to do in our room tonight if don't have a bed? We always spend our nights cuddled up like when I was human." She asked devilishly as she stretched her neck to kiss under my chin and then down to my collarbone. I felt my eyes involuntarily close in delight. I tightened my arms around her waist, letting my hand slide in the water to her bottom, then up her sides pulling her up my torso until our lips met.
"Would you like to try out the shower now?" I murmured against her lips. She nodded into mine, letting her lips pull up in a smirk. In one swift movement I lifted her out of the tub and carried her into the shower, turning on the water in the process, then placing her on her feet, our lips never disconnecting.
The hot water ran over our bodies, washing the bubbles off, and then swirled around our feet. Jets sprayed from every direction and the large one overhead felt like standing in a downpour. I gently washed her hair as she did mine, both of us getting chills from each other's touch. I moved Bella against the tiled wall, pressing my body to hers as I guided my lips up and down both sides of her neck. Her hands were clutching my sides as she released little whimpers of pleasure. If we were human, her fingers would have surely pierced right through my skin.
I reached under her arms, lifting her on the wall as she wrapped her legs around my waist, both of us letting out a gasp as we connected in the most primitive of ways. Her fingers were running wildly through my wet hair, clenching her fits to tighten her grasp on me. Our lips dancing against one another
"Oh God Bella. I need you so much." I hummed against her chest, letting ourselves find our gentle, blissful rhythm. The only words that slipped through her beautiful lips were my name, over and over, sending me into a state of pure ecstasy. Eventually ending with the glorious warmth of release, pulsing through me like embers in a fire. Bella collapsed against me, her head on my shoulder.
I carried her out of the shower, without removing her legs from around my waist. Setting her on the edge of the tub and wrapping her in a large bath towel, then wrapping one around my waist. I then lifted her in my arms and carried her into our room, immediately noticing that someone had started a fire. I was certain it was Alice – I would thank her later. I laid Bella on the plush area rug that was placed in front of the fireplace and covered both of our bodies with a cozy blanket. We were silent and still for several hours, just relishing the warmth the fire lended to our bodies, which were so close, it was hard to tell where I stopped and she began.
"Edward," her sweet voice finally breaking through the quiet.
"Yes love?" I replied without opening my eyes, my mind replaying every moment of the previous hours.
"I think we are going to be very happy here." She mused.
"I couldn't agree more."