This Is Who I Am

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Edward's P.O.V

"Edward, seriously, I know this city better than you do. You're going the wrong way!"

"This is the way the GPS is telling me to go!"

"Then you have the wrong address, this is not the way to Carlisle's house!" Bella pulls out her phone. She types in madly the address and then nods. "Yup, we're going the opposite direction we're supposed to. I knew we should of had Carlisle picked us up from the airport."

"You're kind of hurting my ego here. Relax and just let me drive. This is the address my dad sent me."

"It's the wrong address, Edward," Bella insisted.

"Sorry, can't hear you." I turn up the volume on the radio and shrug. "You said something?"

Bella rolls her eyes and leans back on her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. She can be mad all she wants, we're going to the address Carlisle sent me. I'm not going to turn around or ask for directions. I take the chance to sneak a quick glance at Ava through the rear view mirror. She's fell asleep as soon as we left O'Hare airport. The ride from California to Chicago left her exhausted. My baby girl has a big fear of turbulence on the plane, it took a lot from me to get her to relax and sit on my lap, even when the flight attendants gave me disapproving glances.

After ten minutes and a whole lot of complaining about how we were going the wrong way from Bella, we arrive at our destination. I look at the house it brought us to, obviously not my father's house, but a different one. This house was a little bigger than my father's house, with a big garden where Ava can play and roses growing under the porch, where Bella can work on her garden. The whole house on the outside is brick, giving it a pleasing look. The living has a big window that gives view out to the neighborhood where we can put up our Christmas tree when the time comes. Everything about this place screams home.

I get out of the car before Bella can begin protesting and round up to her door. She's sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, looking around the area with uncertainty.

"Let's go," I tell her.

"Edward, where are we?" She turns back and looks at me. "Seriously, this isn't Carlisle's house, where have you brought us?"

"Home," I said, simply.

She chuckles nervously. "This isn't home."

"It is. Well, it has been for almost four years now." Her eyes widen. I reach in the glove compartment and pull out the yellow folder that holds the deeds to the house, and hand it to her. "This is our home, Bella."

She pulls out all the papers inside, reading everything that tells her that this is in fact our home. I watch her eyes fill with tears. When she's done, she drops the papers on her lap and looks at me shocked, asking me with her eyes how is this possible.

"Do you remember the night of the accident I left to go back to the hospital for some paperwork?" I ask. She nods, biting her lower lip. "That's because my dad had the finalized paperwork that made this our home. I was going to surprise you for your birthday, but then... You know what happened. Dad kept it a secret, though it hurt him to see you struggling, he knew you wouldn't want to come here unless it was with me."

"You bought us a house?!" She cries. Bella takes off her seatbelt and throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, her legs around my waist. She pulls away, takes my face between her hands, and kisses me. "You bought us a house," she says against my lips. "You bought us a fucking house."

I laugh against her. "I bought us a fucking house. Well, with the help of my dad, but I did."

Bella throws her head back and laughs. "I love your dad, I honestly do. Perhaps a little more than I love you."