Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 130

Bella's P.O.V.

Lucien is going to buy a house so he can be near me while I'm going to the University of Tennessee? It's just too much to imagine. If I'm pregnant we will have a place to raise our family, and even if I'm not, I won't have to pay for room and board, saving me thousands of dollars. I've never looked at houses before, so this is pretty exciting. We hop on his motorcycle and drive forty miles to the big city. Lucien has already contacted a real estate agent, and he pulls up in front of her office. When we walk in, an attractive brunette woman with a bright smile greets us and introduces herself as Marianne Hillmer. She looks at us and quietly inquires how old we are, wondering if we can afford to purchase a house or if we are just wasting her time. Lucien shows her a copy of the balance in his banks account, assuring her we have plenty of money if we see something we like. She nods, asks a couple of pertinent questions like price range, how many bedrooms, how many bathrooms, if we have any other requirements, and then enters our specifications into her computer. Correction, she enter's Lucien's specifications...I just stand there mute. I have never thought about what kind of house I want to live in, whether it's been updated or sits on a cul-de-sac. This is a completely new experience for me. When she returns with a few listings, we head to her car and climb in.

The first house is a two story clapboard house freshly painted in grey. It's got ceramic tile floors, three bedrooms two and a half baths, and the kitchen has been remodeled. Lucien looks around politely, but I can tell it's not his style, so when he looks at me, I shake my head. He smiles and tells the agent this house doesn't fit what he's looking for. The next property is farther away from campus, and sits on over two acres of land. It's a lot to take care of, and I can see Lucien considering that same point. I don't care for the white paint, white manufactured wood floors, white wainscoting, white marble counters and white cabinets. Lucien tactfully tells the agent no thank you, and we move on to see the next home. She tells us it's a little above our price range, but I happen to know Lucien doesn't have a price range, he just told her something so she could start her search. We pull up to a three story renovated four bedroom, four and a half bath house with hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and large built in's throughout. The house is lovely, but the two of us don't need something this large. The agent discretely walks away to give us some space to speak without her interference.

"Lucien, this house is too big for us. We don't need four bedrooms!"

He looks at me thoughtfully. "We can convert one of them into an office where you can study, and have two spare rooms, one of which can be a nursery if we need it to be," he tells me quietly, placing a gentle hand over my abdomen.

"What if I'm not pregnant?"

He quirks his lips at me. "Then we have two spare bedrooms to use as we desire." He leans close and whispers in my ear, "There is even a fenced in yard for JoJo."

I can see his point, and I really like this house, I can tell Lucien does too. It's close to campus and the Tennessee river, but I'm still trying to get my mind wrapped around the fact that Lucien can just...buy a house. "How much is it?" I ask him.

He pulls me into him and kisses me softly. "It doesn't matter how much it is. If you like it, I will buy it."

Geez, don't put this on me, I think in a panic. "Do you like it?" I ask him quietly.

He nods. "I do. It's got plenty of storage, I like the upgrade choices, and it's only fifteen minutes from campus." He gently runs his fingers down my back, and I lean into his touch. "As a bonus, we won't have to listen to my parents fuck anymore, and we won't have to make love in your barn, at the top of a mountain, or find other creative places to be intimate, we will have our own space to do what ever we'd like to each other."

I smile at him. "You and your father are cut from the same cloth. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you move out so he can have more alone time with your mother!"

He laughs. "My father is looking at homes in France. He thinks my Mom would like to go back there."

"Oh no! I hope they don't leave!"

He looks at me. "Really? Why?"

"I will miss Kate terribly! She's like my surrogate mother. Your Dad's not so bad either," I smile at him, remembering how scared I was to meet him.

He chuckles. "Well that's good, because I asked them to stick around for a while. If we're going to be parents, I want their help and guidance, or, if I'm going to be a big brother, I want to be there for them." He's quiet for a moment and then smiles slowly. "You're very good at changing the subject. Should we put an offer on this house?"

"I honestly don't know. Shouldn't we look at other houses before purchasing the first one we like?"

"We're only going to be here for the time you're in school, it's not our forever home," he tells me. "I think I'll make an offer and see what happens."

I shrug my shoulders as if to say, if that's what you want to do, go for it. He knows more about this than I do, and it really is a nice house. I wonder what my Dad is going to say when I tell him I'm moving in with Lucien instead of getting campus housing. Since I have to pay for half my tuition fees, he's probably going to be pretty happy. I turn away to inspect the house more closely while Lucien speaks with the real estate agent. He put an offer in for asking price and Ms. Hillmer says she'll get back to us after the selling agent contacts the owners with Lucien's offer. We ride back to her office and then hop on Lucien's bike, heading out for a celebratory dinner. I don't know what we're celebrating...the end of school, the new house, the start of our potential family, or the simple fact we found each other, but I like this side of Lucien. He's carefree and happy. He takes me to Conner's Steak and Seafood where he orders a ten ounce center cut filet and I get the Atlantic salmon. We talk about the future, how owning a home makes better financial sense, how being able to cook healthy meals and sleep in each other's arms all night will be good for our psyche. All these things I didn't know I wanted until I was given the opportunity to have them. Before we head back to Pigeon Forge, Lucien informs me he will be staying at my house tonight...his parents want some more alone time, and he wants time with me.