Summer had snuck by and we had successfully snuck onto the island. Truly, I did not know where my summer went. Well, that was a lie. I knew where. The fucking house…
Renovating Esme's house turned out to be a complete and utter reconstruction project. And the fact that it took almost three months to almost complete should give you a strong notion of how much of a bitch it was to complete. We, as a family, have faced destruction by hordes of newborns, a pack of shape shifters, and the leaders of our world, and won. This, I'm shocked all of us even survived. Twelve opinions about every last thing didn't get us anywhere at first so Esme delegated the decision making out. The family would have self-destructed had she not delegated.
In the end, the property was a compound to behold. It had one main house, a barn, and a boathouse near the water. The property lines were a ten by ten acre square smack dab in the middle of the Acadia National Park. We had hundreds of feet of prime coastline to ourselves and the forest was thick with old growth trees. Any human trespasser would have to proceed on foot for several acres before they got anywhere near, and with our senses, we would sense a trespasser that far away anyways. There was one single driveway that came in from the two-lane highway. For added privacy, we installed an automatic gate at the entrance. The salesman commented it could withstand a tank. Hopefully, it would survive Emmett's driving. It didn't raise that fast.
Everything needed sixty years worth of updates. I'm still shocked the roof hadn't caved in on the house during its elongated vacancy. It was an old Victorian with three stories and a basement, and the front of the house faced south with a covered porch that wrapped around in both directions. Esme decided to repaint it the colors she remembered from when she and Carlisle stayed there, mauve with white trim. I wasn't about to complain. It looked great when it was completed.
Atop the third story of the main house were dual cupolas on either side. Each one was large enough to serve as a good-sized bedroom plus bathroom and closet. They had a full 360-degree view; to the west and south laid the vast Atlantic Ocean and to the east and north laid the forest. Ness and Seth each took one of the cupola rooms.
The second and third floors consisted of six bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms and closet the size of another bedroom. Bella and Edward, Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and I would take the three bedrooms on the third floor while Esme and Carlisle, and Rosalie would take two bedrooms on the second floor.
Emmett let me decorate our room to my exacting preferences. In line with the New England location we were now living in, I opted for navy paint to cover the walls with snow-white paint along the trim. Our King size bed was covered with a plush down comforter and pillows that matched trim. A wall of windows faced the ocean and a fresh breeze always greeted us when they were open. Adorned upon the three remaining walls I made sure to put up the pictures and mementos that I knew Emmett cherished, not that he would ever admit it. He was not an emotional sap by any means (I was emotional for the both of us. Ugh.), but over the years I had caught him enjoying certain pictures or souvenirs that we have collected together: Bella's wedding guarder that he wrestled Mike Newton for, a collection of Jack Daniels No. 7 whiskey bottles and other memorabilia, pictures of the family, and most of all, pictures of he and I. One special picture sat on the mantle above the fireplace. It was a simple five by seven framed picture of Emmett and I on a hunting trip in northern British Columbia. Neither of us were wearing anything special. I was living it up in a pair of carpenter jeans, a Forks High hoodie, and brown leather boots. Alice was so pissed that I even thought about carpenter jeans, but I thought I looked good. Emmett's bugged out eyes told me as much. Emmett meanwhile was decked out in total lumberjack attire—plaid button up, suspenders, Carhartt• overalls, complete with a hunter orange winter hat. Yeah, my eyes bugged out too. Lumberjacks. Oi. When Edward shot the picture, I was leaning against a massive tree smiling towards the camera while Emmett, who caught the scent of a grizzly bear was looking pass me. It appeared as if Emmett was crooning over me. Esme gushed. I laughed at the mistake, but Emmett always paused with this picture. At first, I thought he was reliving the succulent kill he experienced shortly thereafter, but now, I know it was that it was just a perfect day—he and I—plus our family. A perfect day.
That… made me gush. But away with my aside…
The third bedroom on the second floor was supposed to be Jacob's, but as completion neared, Edward voiced his opposition to his daughter and presumptive son-in-law living in the same house before marriage. Apparently, "living in sin" was a line that Edward refused to cross. I think it was because it was a line he could directly control. It caused quite the uproar and embarrassment by Ness, and incessant teasing by Emmett and Seth. I'm shocked we didn't find Emmett's head in the Atlantic on a few occasions.
The issue of where Jacob would live was quickly solved when Esme suggested that we turn the upstairs of the barn into living quarters. The barn itself was huge. It could easily fit all the cars, motorcycles, and other toys that we had collected over the years with space to spare. I was sure that Rosalie and Jacob would find a good use for that spare space though. Those two only got along when they were in the garage, which was rather strange. Instead of fighting it out, they would work it out by working on Edward's Vanquish or Seth's Ducati. I would call it a bromance, but Rose was definitely not a bro by any measure!
Back at the main house, the first floor of the house was dedicated to communal living. It had a large kitchen with commercial-grade equipment, a formal dining room that could seat 26, a formal living room with Edward's grand piano serving as the centerpiece, a library stocked full of the family's favorites, an office, and a main foyer that led out the front door and to a circular driveway. Each room had a fireplace and a bin right next to it stocked to the brim with firewood.
My favorite parts of the house were the hallways and staircases as Esme made sure to decorate them with family pictures, paintings, and heirlooms. Each piece of decor had a story behind it and I frequently found myself in conversations with my family over the story of even obscure pieces.
The basement was finished off and split into two parts: the "Man Cave" and the "Lady Chamber." As one can imagine, the Man Cave had every guy-thing that my mate, my brothers, and I could imagine. We're talking every game console ever created, a pool table, pinball machines, Jasper and Emmett's chess setup, and the largest TV on the market, a whooping twelve feet wide by nine feet tall complete with holographic interface controls. The TV was definitely the crowning jewel of the Man Cave.
The Lady Chamber was a beauty salon complete with adjustable chairs, full-length mirrors, and every beauty magazine there was. Alice had recently gotten into designing fashion so she set up her sewing machines, mannequins, and fabric rolls in the Chamber as well. I would be willing to play dress up with her. I might still think fashion is ridiculous, but damn, Alice didn't let me leave the house looking like a dope, ever. Perhaps I could wrangle Emmett into partaking in Alice's hobby? Damn, that boy looks good in a tight pair of jeans.
From the basement, you could exit outside through a pair of French doors to an outside patio on the western facing side of the house. There, a large pool complete with a Jacuzzi sat invitingly. Picnic tables were adjacent to the pool and a grilling station sat ready to cook up whatever Jake and Seth's stomachs felt like. Lounge chairs circled the pool and Jacuzzi, and rounded out the whole atmosphere quite well.
After a fifty-yard walk out the front door, you were at the boathouse. It was broken into an upper and lower level with stairs connecting the two. On the lower level was an open space for a medium to large ocean-going boat to moor. The upper level was turned into a guesthouse complete with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, kitchen, and living room. A beautiful white washed fireplace finished off the living room. Large French-paned windows allowed visitors to view not only the ocean, but the house as well.
We were home, but unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy it for long because high school was starting on Monday. It was Friday night. Fuck.
When the sun finally fell behind the forested horizon, we all met on the beach for a family bonfire. Our property jutted out into the Atlantic a bit so we had plenty of beach on either side. It was a bit rocky between the grass of our yard to the sand, but it was easy enough to navigate given our innate agility and reflexes.
Emmett and I moved some large sun bleached logs around a makeshift fire pit that Jacob and Seth dug with their bare paws earlier in the day. The ladies scoured the beach for the perfect rocks to line the pit with and choice firewood.
The flame warmed my chilled skin and Emmett moved to sit beside me. The three-ton log, I had just moved, served as the perfect backrest, not that I needed any rest or anything.
"How was your day, my love?" Esme asked as she sat next to her mate.
"Wonderful," Carlisle responded with a kiss on Esme's ear. "Better now that I'm with you and our family."
I wanted to puke, but I held it in. I definitely didn't want to ruin the moment.
I surveyed the people circling the fire. Rosalie had decided to take up our Denali brethren's offer to have Rosalie visit for a time at the end of this school year. She would have left right now, but Esme had already registered Rose for school. It would've raised some red flags if Rose just disappeared. I could tell it ate at Rose that she was alone. I knew she took solace once long ago in the fact that Emmett and Edward, her brothers for decades, were also alone. But now, Edward and Emmett had found their better halves and they were complete. Yes, I am Emmett's better half. Rose agreed that she would start at Mount Desert High School, the island's lone school, as a senior so she could conveniently graduate at the end of the year and go to college in Alaska.
Esme held Carlisle's hand in her lap, and she lazily rubbed her thumb over his palm. Esme decided that it was her turn to get a job, and she had secured employment at the island's historical society as an assistant curator. It was her job to secure grants to preserve the island's crumpling buildings and monuments. The job seemed to fit her well considering architecture was a passion of hers.
Carlisle started his job two weeks after we arrived on the island. He served as a roving physician at the island's multiple clinics. If he couldn't provide the requisite care, he could refer the patient to the hospital in town. Carlisle said that he enjoyed this position because it allowed him to meet a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't come to the hospital because they couldn't afford it. Carlisle always had a soft spot for the downtrodden and poor. His position also eased our introduction to the island because the position was in desperate need of filling and the residents were appreciative of his skill.
Next were the couples, Edward and Bella, and Jasper and Alice. They were conversing about the subjects they would be taking as sophomores. Nobody wanted to start out as freshmen again because one, who wants to be a freshman? And second, Bella had an itch to start college and getting there in three years rather than four seemed bearable. And where Bella went, Edward went with Alice dragging Jasper not far behind. I think Bella was going to be in for a mighty large shock "doing" high school this time around. Not that she wasn't beautiful as a human, but now she was immaculate and lacked the two left feet that too often pulled her down to the nasty gym floor at Forks High. No, Bella, I think, would enjoy high school this time around.
Ness and Jake sat directly opposite Emmett and I. They were completely silent, but with their hands clasped tightly together, I knew they were reveling in the proximity to each other. Innocent enough, I thought while directing my protective uncle instincts to take a chill pill. Ness and Jake would be starting out as freshman because Ness wanted the full high school experience. Having fulfilled the entire K to 12 curriculum and then some by age one, I knew Ness was going to rock high school. Ness looked like a freshman too, and oddly enough, so did Jacob. Ness may have hit her development years ago, but the girl knew how to dress the age she wanted to portray.
Jacob, on the other hand, literally aged younger. He was fully-grown man by age sixteen, but in line with the imprint, his body got younger to meet Ness's own development. Nobody noticed much because Ness grew so fast.
Last, but not least, Seth… He would be joining Emmett and I as juniors since he had no other reason to start at a different age. He also looked older so it made sense that he starts at in a later year. As he fiddled his thumbs, I felt sorry for him that he hadn't met his imprint yet. At my core, I believed that everyone had a soul mate. Having Emmett at my side was proof enough for me. But Seth would just have to wait, I guess. Who knows? He might find his imprint here in Maine.