Loving A Marine

17. Bella

November 4,2020 ( Atlas is 4 weeks and 1 day old)

"Have you started looking at places?" Aaron asked as he and Nikko stopped by the house a few days after I had told my family about Enzo's offer to move in together. I nodded my head and he hummed, "don't you think it's too soon for you two to be moving in together?"

Nikko rolled his eyes and jabbed him in the side, "we moved in together a week after we began dating."

"I've been looking at places that have three rooms so each boy can have their own room when they are older," I said and he nodded, "but each one I had searched called out to me or Enzo."

He nodded before pulling his phone out, and scrolled through his contacts before scrubbing a number onto a piece of paper next to him on the island. I raised a brow at Nikko who lifted his shoulders into a shrug. Aaron added the paper over to me, "this is our real state agent's number." I blinked as I took the paper form him and looked down at the number scribbled on the paper, "this is the same real state agent that helped mom and dad find this house as well as the others and us." I nodded and made a mental note to save the number into my phone and also give it to Enzo.

"She's a wonderful agent," Nikko said with a smile, "she will help you find the perfect house for the four of you." I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you big brother," I said and he nodded, "you might have just helped us relieve a little stress."

"Speaking of, I heard you ran into Dylan again," he said and I sighed nodding. Mom must have told him and the others about both run ins with my ex.

"Yeah, it was five days ago," I replied, same amount of time since Enzo asked me to move in together. Aaron clenched his jaw, running his fingers through his hair, "he threatened in taking Atlas."

"He can try all he wants but with Atlas carrying Enzo's last name it'll be impossible for him to take him form you." He stated and I bit my lip, "he has more to tálale then you do, Bells,"

"What if the judge sides with him though?" I asked fear creeping up bones as I looked towards the portable cot where Atlas slept, "he could say I kept him away the entirety of my pregnancy and didn't tell him about it until recently."

"No judge will side with an abuser, Bella." Nikko said as he gave my hands a light squeeze on top of the marble island and I swallowed the knot in my throat.

****

November 14, 2020 ( Atlas is now 1 month and 8 days)

Ten days later, Enzo and I found ourselves standing in front of a two story house with a wrap around porch. There were shrubs lining the driveway leading to the entrance. The first floor had large floor to ceiling windows.

"This house is beautiful," I murmured in awe and Enzo nodded as he held Declan while I gently pushed the stroller holding a sleeping Atlas.

"Hello, you must be Bell and Enzo?" A young woman asked as she opened the door and we nodded, "I'm Esther, come on in." She moved aside to let us through and damn. The entrance was just as breathtaking as the outside. "Shall we begin?" She asked as she she led us through the property. We nodded and she began describing everything that the house held. The home boasts five individually-designed bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, a large outdoor pool and even its own separate retreat which contains a spa room and an aquarium.

"As possible new owners of this stunning house, you can look forward to enjoying the delights of al fresco dining on the grand outdoor terrace before taking a dip in the swimming pool." Esther said as she s showed us said terrace and I was taken aback by how beautiful it was. The pillar-lined terrace over looked the outdoor pool, and I could already see myself having a swim during the summer nights while the boys slept.

"Other stand-out features include a snooker room, a 1000-bottle wine cellar and an ornate spiral staircase in the centre of the property." She explained leading further down the hall, "a grand library, fully-equipped gym and sport court are also contained within its 32,000 square-feet surface area."

I liked at Enzo and he smiled, he was already liking the house just as much as I was. Whoever the first owners were, they had a taste for the finer things in since it's very prevalent throughout with decorative chandeliers, antique furniture and Spanish marble pillars offering extra touches of luxury. Esther lead us to a living room. A mixture of endearingly vibrant colours, makes this modern, multi functional living room come to life in an instant. The colours of choice used impose a delightful air of trendy sophistication. Cotton white walls and dark wood floors acts as a blank canvas allowing colour to be introduced by its furnishings and accessories.

Stripped back and neutral tones dominate the walls and floor surfaces. Apart from the Ultra Marin lightweight curtains which covers the full length of the window, from ceiling to floor and a striking feature wall. Different sized mirrors arranged in an abstract manner, creates a funky and trendy vibe highlighting just how much character this design possess.

We continued down the hall towards the kitchen/dining room. The walls were white with marvel counter tops and stainless steel appliances that just made the kitchen pop. I could already see myself making my family meals here on a daily basis and grinned. Across the archway was the dinning room which had the same color walls with a table and chairs set with a white cloth in the center and a flower pot.

"It's beautiful," I murmured in awe and Enzo hummed in agreement making Esther smile before pulling us away from the dining area.

"We're going to see the master bedroom first," She said as we climbed the stairs—I had the stroller partied at the bottom before I strapping Atala from the car seat. She opened the door and I felt my breath leave my lungs as I took in the room.

It was huge. There was so much room that we could fit both cribs in here until the boys were big enough to sleep in their own rooms. The bed was up against the wall to the left that looked out into the backyard. There a door next to it that led to the en-suite bathroom that had marble counters, a large jacuzzi bath and a shower that could fit at least 8 people comfortably. The walk in closet was twice the size of the bathroom with two stories. It was probably one of my favorite things about the master room. The rest of the rooms were smaller than the master bedroom but by much each had their own bathroom and closet. They each also held the beds that the previous owners left behind when they put the house for sale.

"So, what do you think?" Esther asked once out tour fi she's and we were once again downstairs at the front entrance.

"We love it," Enzo said as he looked down at me, "we want to make an offer," she blinked and rose her brows before a smile overcame her features and nodded.

"Wonderful, let's go fill up the paperwork," she stated as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Are we really doing this?" I asked him and he grinned.

"We are."