Alex was now spending the evening with Addison more and more, often when Ella was there. It wasn't uncommon for Alex to be the first one to the apartment after work or to pick Ella up from Mark and Lexie. The nights spent with Addison and Ella frequently resulted in Alex sleeping on the couch simply because he was too exhausted from working all day and talking all night to drive back to Meredith's house.
By now, Addison was eighteen weeks and her bump was growing every day. After getting Ella to bed after spending the evening debating what her Halloween costume would or would not be, Addison settled into the couch. As Alex took her feet and began to rub them, he spoke, "So, I was thinking about getting my own place. I heard there's a two bedroom apartment upstairs that's going to be available soon. It will be easier for me to be close once the baby comes. I can set up a room for the baby and even though I know I'm not Ella's dad or anything, I'd be glad to watch her from time to time."
She pulled her feet from Alex's hands and sat up straight. "Alex, stop. You're not moving into Mark and Lexie's apartment. I know you want to, but I think it's stupid for you to move in there."
"You don't want me to take care of the baby in my room in Meredith's house, but you don't want me to get my own place. Zola's almost two, I can't keep living there. I need to live somewhere else. Where to expect me to live since you don't want me upstairs?" Alex was clearly getting upset with Addison.
"Here. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, Alex. Aside from those two weeks when I said I didn't want Ella to get hurt by us, we have been together almost all the time since I moved back here. It's crazy for you to pay rent for an apartment you're hardly ever in. You know that after this baby comes, you'd always be here, anyway."
Alex pondered the suggestion for a minute before responding. "Won't us living together just complicate everything even more? Our relationship is already weird; we're having a baby together, but we're not together. I don't know what we are to each other, but I know what I'd like us to be."
"What do you want us to be? Cuz I think I might want us to be the same thing you do, but I need you to say it first," prompted Addison.
Alex scooted closer to Addison on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. "I want there to be an us. I want to wake up next to you every day and tell you to go back to sleep when the baby cries in the middle of the night. Spending almost every night on your couch has made me realize how I'd do pretty much anything for you, including sleeping on an uncomfortable couch and loving a kid that isn't mine."
By now, Addison was looking Alex in the eye, trying to tell if he was being serious or just trying to get her into bed again. "I think I want the same thing as you. Move out of your room and into mine. I'll explain it to Ella tomorrow cuz I'm sure she'll ask after coming into the room in the morning and seeing you in bed with me."
As predicted by Addison, Ella entered Addison room early the next morning and found Alex with his arms wrapped around her mother. Crawling up on the bed, she repeatedly jabbed Alex in the shoulder until her turned to face her. "Alex, why aren't you sleeping on the couch? You never sleep in Mommy's bed."
Alex moving away from Addison caused her to awaken and prop herself up on the pillows. "Addie, you wanna explain this to her?" questioned Alex as he lifted Ella to sit on the bed between himself and Addison.
"Sweetie, Alex is moving. He's not going to live with Uncle Derek and Meredith anymore. He's going to live with us," started Addison.
Looking between the two adults, Ella asked, "If he's going to live in the empty room, where is the baby going to live?"
"The baby is still going to live in the empty room. Alex is going to share my room with me. You know how Daddy and Lexie share a room?" Ella nodded. "Alex and I are going to live together like they do."
"But they love each other and want to live together forever. Do you want to live with him forever, Mommy? He's a boy," Ella said with a tone of disgust in her voice.
Laughing, Addison said, "I know you think boys are gross right now, but you probably won't always feel that way. But, yes, I want to live with Alex forever. Now if you ask him nicely, I bet you can get Alex to make you some breakfast before he has to go to work."