"Willa, baby, we're almost there," I sigh, Willa's cries filling the car.
"Mommy! Mommy!" she screams.
"Willa," I try again, reaching back and offering my hand, feeling her slap at it. I retract my hand, close my eyes, and lean my head back, taking a few deep breaths.
"Mommy!" Willa screams, trying to wiggle her way out of the car seat. "Mommy!"
I feel the car slow before coming to a halt, my hand immediately reaching for the door handle, opening the door, getting out of the car as quickly as possible, being careful of my now bigger belly, and rounding to the other side. I swing open Willa's car door, her voice a whine rather than a screaming cry now that she can see me.
"Mommy," she whines.
"Hi, baby," I tell her, getting her out of the car seat and taking her into the house, Joe following closely behind and putting our suitcases in the laundry room. I crouch down, putting Willa on the floor only for her to go limp, starting to scream again.
"No," she screams, continuing to cry.
I sigh, gently setting her down on the floor to have her moment as I stand, moving into the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water, chugging it down quickly.
"You okay?" Joe asks, walking in.
I nod. "Yeah, these tantrums are getting worse."
"We need to figure out how we wanna handle them," Joe agrees, nodding.
"I mean she's getting closer to two, so, that's part of the problem. Also, maybe the baby? We're making a lot of changes and we've been talking about the baby to get her as ready as possible. Maybe it's everything altogether," I sigh, rubbing my face with my hands.
"I don't know, baby," he sighs. "I think it's good we're making her aware. I think you're right about her turning two getting closer which is definitely a factor. All the change may be a factor."
I sigh, staring at the floor. "I think we're putting too much on her."
"What do you mean?" he asks.
"Well, think about it. She's not even two yet, babe... We're acting like she should know better. She doesn't know, it's our job to teach her and we're so busy getting ready for her little sister that we're forgetting she's still a baby too."
Joe sighs, nodding slowly. "You're right."
"We've gotta fix it," I tell him.
"Yes," he nods again. "We do. I feel bad, we've been awful being so hard on her."
"We haven't done it on purpose," I sigh. "I guess we've gotta cut ourselves some slack too."
A sniffle makes us both turn, Willa standing at the entrance of the kitchen from the living room, her finger in her mouth as her eyes are red from crying, staring at me.
"Come here, baby," I tell her, holding my hands out to her.
She walks over, raising her arms to me.
I lift her, sitting her on my lap. She lies her head on my chest, cuddling into me as she lets out a staggered sigh. "We've been traveling a lot, which isn't a problem, she's used to travel but I think she's just getting confused with us moving into new places, never being home, preparing for the baby, all of the things. I mean the smaller place we have in New York is a week from closing so we stayed in a hotel there last week which probably confused her, before that we were in Paris for a week which was out of the ordinary. So much fun though, we definitely need to look into getting a place overseas for when we want to get away."
Joe nods. "I agree. Back to the topic, though, I hadn't thought about that."
"She also hasn't seen Jessica in a few weeks. She's used to having her around most of the time now, that may be throwing her off," I sigh.
At the sound of Jessica's name, Willa sits up, looking up at me while still picking at her lips.
"No, baby, don't do that you're gonna make your lips bleed," I tell her, gently moving her hand. "Did you hear Ms. Jess's name?"
"Yeah," she nods.
"Yeah. Do you wanna see Ms. Jess?"
She nods again, now playing with the hem of my shirt.
I sigh, looking over at Joe. "I mean, we've been with her non-stop for the past month. Is there anything we wanna do just us?"
Joe grins, shrugging. "I mean I guess a date night would be nice."
"Or even a day. We can see if she can come tomorrow. We can go shopping for the baby, grab lunch, maybe go visit Nick and Pri, and check in with them."
Joe nods. "Yeah, that sounds good."
I nod, grabbing my phone and tapping on Jessica's name before hitting the FaceTime button. Only a moment later, her smiling face appears.
"Hello!" she says.
"Hi! Hi!" Willa says, waving as she pushes herself into the camera's view.
"Hi, sweet girl!" Jessica says, waving back.
I grin, moving the camera back to me. "How's your time off been?"
"Good," she nods, looking around. "I've been going through my stuff, trying to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of since I'm gonna be moving in with you guys. I wanna downsize the amount of things I have," she says, laughing.
I grin. "Well, I hope you've taken some time to relax too."
"Definitely," she nods. "I have. How was your little vacation you guys took?"
I nod. "Good! Willa loved Paris and so did we. We're thinking of going overseas more often."
"Aw, awesome!" she grins.
"So, as much fun as we had without you," I tell her, wiggling my eyebrows making Joe laugh.
"Daddy," Willa says, reaching for him.
Both of us stop, looking at each other shocked as she climbs off of me and makes her way to him, reaching up.
"You want me?" he asks, shocked.
"Daddy," she says, going on her tippy toes. "Up!"
"What do you say?" he asks.
"Peas!" she says, signing it as well.
He looks at me, shocked as he picks her up and she smiles, sitting on his lap.
"Sorry, that caught both of us off guard, she's been all over me lately," I laugh, giving Jessica my attention again.
"No worries!" she grins. "You were saying you had fun without me."
I laugh, shaking my head. "I'm glad we took a little vacation the three of us but we have missed you and Willa is asking for you so we were thinking of having you come tomorrow, and Joe and I will go out for the day so she can have some Ms. Jess time."
She smiles wider. "Yeah! I'd love that! I've missed her too! I mean, you guys too but I spend the most time with her."
"Understood," I smile. "Okay, so we'll see you in the morning then?"
"Sounds good!"
"Willa, say bye to Ms. Jess," I tell her, turning the phone.
"Bye, bye," she says, waving.
"Bye, sweetheart!" Jessica says, waving back before we hang up.
"Cool," Joe grins. "So, here's the question."
"Okay," I reply, setting my phone down and giving him my attention.
"Do we want to wait to sell this place or just do it now?"
"I wanna do it now," I tell him.
He nods. "You knew your answer."
"It's not that I don't love this place, but with Jess moving in and us having another baby I just feel like it's not big enough. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of all the cameras that are now always on the street at the end of our driveway."
Joe nods. "That's true. I'll call my LA realtor and we'll get a few listings set up to go see."
"Sounds like a plan," I grin.
Spending the rest of the afternoon with Willa, I allow Joe to do her bedtime routine tonight as she's finally asking for him rather than me again. I take the time to fold some of the laundry and simply sit on the couch, taking in the feeling of being home for a moment. It feels as though we've been on the move forever and with being pregnant, it's not the best feeling... though also not the worst.
"You okay?"
I open my eyes seeing Joe round the corner and walk over with a concerned look, making me nod. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just enjoying being home for a moment."
He grins, sitting nearby. "I know, it feels like we haven't been home in a while. I feel like we may need to go through Willa's clothes again. It took me three pairs of pajamas before she fit in one."
I sigh, nodding. "Let's add it to the to-do list."
He sighs as well, leaning his head back and letting out a yawn. "So much to do and it feels like we have so little time."
"How fast do you think our realtor can get us some tours?"
He raises his brows. "How fast are you hoping for?"
"Tomorrow or the next day," I tell him. "Closing is going to take a month at the very least and I'm already almost 25 weeks pregnant and we agreed we'd be prepared and now we're about to move in the middle of when we're supposed to be prepared. We're not gonna move until I'm probably 30 weeks and we have nothing ready at the Malibu house, we haven't closed on the New York one so there's nothing we can do with that yet and now we're about to sell this one and we'll be starting new in a new home where we'll have to get Willa's room ready and the nursery ready and unpack and I'll have to nest," I continue, making Joe grab my hand to stop me.
"Let me call Daniel. I can see if he can get us a few tomorrow."
"Okay," I sigh, nodding.
He grabs his phone, scrolling through his contacts before putting the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Daniel! How's it going? Pretty good, pretty good. Listen, my wife and I are expecting our second, and- thank you, we're excited. Yeah, another girl. Yeah. Yeah. So, anyway, we're looking to move as soon as possible into a new place. This one just isn't right for us anymore, we have the nanny moving in, another baby, there's not enough yard, we're just outgrowing it. So, is there any possibility that you'll have time or a way to get us some tours tomorrow or even the next day? ... I know it's short notice, my man. We're just over halfway through this pregnancy and we're running a bit behind so we're trying to rush... you can? Yeah? No, that's perfect, we can definitely do 9 am. Yep, just send me the address of where to meet you and we will be there. Thanks, man," he finishes, hanging up and looking at me. "We're in. Tours start tomorrow at 9 am. He said he'll throw a few together and hopefully, we'll fall in love with one because he'll be out of town after tomorrow."
I let out a sigh of relief before furrowing my brows. "Are we going to be able to move in quickly if he's out of town?"
He nods. "Yeah, he'll be able to handle most of it virtually. But for anything in person, he'll send out his second to help us."
I nod. "Okay, good."
"Now, if we're doing tours in the morning do we wanna do a later lunch and then still shop or skip the shopping?"
"No, we need to shop for this baby. We haven't done much yet and I feel so behind. Even if we're gone all day, Willa's been missing Jess, so it'll be fine."
He nods. "I just wanted to check, my love."
***
"Okay, we've gotta go," I sigh, leaning down to Willa who is sitting on Jessica's lap on the couch. "Give Mommy a kiss."
She puckers her lips, lifting her head and kissing me.
"Daddy, too," Joe says, walking over.
She kisses him as well before paying attention to the unicorn in her hands again.
"Alright, we love you, princess," Joe says.
"We don't know exactly what time we'll be back," I tell Jess. "But you've got her so no worries."
"Yeah, I got her," Jessica smiles. "Have fun!"
"We will!" Joe grins, leading me outside. "Alright, the first house isn't too far away, so let's get it."
Arriving at the first house in no time, Joe and I exit the car, Joe's attention immediately set on Daniel. "Good morning!"
"Good morning, good morning," Daniel smiles, shaking Joe's hand and then mine. "Congratulations on the newest addition."
"Thank you," I grin politely, a hand falling on my belly.
"Thank you so much for fitting us in, man, we really appreciate it." Joe grins before gesturing to the home. "This is beautiful."
(House 1:
"It is," Daniel nods. "It is. And it's not a problem. I'm happy to help you guys out anytime. Should be head inside?"
"Yeah," Joe nods.
"Absolutely," I grin.
Walking through the front door of the home, I immediately notice the dining area and bar to my right, accompanied by an enclosed wine storage area. Moving in more lies the living room and kitchen, though instead we take a right off of the dining area, leading us to a small guest area with a good amount of storage, full bathroom, and even a desk. It's small but honestly, it would be good for Jessica. Further away from the rest of the house, tucked away so she could have her own space. Moving through we next come across a miniature kitchen. Though miniature, it lacks nothing. Full stove, oven, dishwasher, sink, fridge, and freezer... Jess could even have her own kitchen to store all of the things that she either buys or requests. Also to not feel as though she's bothering us, as I know she sometimes does. Next, we make our way through the pantry and into the main kitchen which includes two islands... not my style but I can keep an open mind. A small breakfast nook, however, catches my eye and makes me grin. I can imagine us and Willa sitting there... soon with her little sister too. After then taking a look at the main living room, we make our way outside. Instantly underwhelmed if I'm being honest. Not that it's not beautiful, but it's not really what I had in mind for my children. There's a grass area, and a pool, along with an outdoor grill and entertainment area, a fire pit, and even a basketball court... which Joe would for sure turn into an outside gym.
Another family room from behind brings us back inside before we head to the entertainment wing that includes a ping-pong table, home gym, and theater room as well as a seated area.
This leads us to the second floor, Joe and Daniel chatting away about the house as I stay silent throughout, taking in as much detail as I can. Yet another small family room leads us to the massive master suite with more room than Joe and I would know what to use, in my opinion. Though the bathroom is beautiful, the identical his and hers walk-in closets are huge, and there is a balcony outside of the room. The other side of the upstairs is loaded with bedrooms and attached bathrooms along with the laundry room, beautiful though I don't know how I feel about the idea of so many guest rooms being on the same floor as the girls as well as Joe and me. I'd rather them be a little more separated if I'm honest.
Going back to the main floor and stopping in the foyer, Daniel looks at me.
"Quiet, I'm nervous," he chuckles.
I grin. "I'm taking in details and listening to all you have to say, I promise."
"She's observant, I promise you," Joe chuckles.
"Well?" Daniel asks.
"It's a beautiful home," I grin. "I love the guest bedroom and small kitchen off to the side down here and although I know it would be for a chef, we don't have one and I think it would be great for our nanny. That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the backyard, I feel it doesn't have as much space as I'd like for my daughters, as well as so many guest rooms upstairs. I'd rather the master suite and my daughters' rooms along with possibly one other bedroom upstairs would be more my speed."
Daniel nods. "All very fair points made, Mrs. Jonas."
I grin. "I'm glad you understand."
"I was thinking similarly, actually," Joe nods.
"Alright, great," Daniel says, smiling and clapping his hands together. "Shall we head to the next home?"
"That sounds great," Joe nods.
"Alright, I will text you the address when I get into the car."
Joe nods and we go back to our car, getting in as I let out a breath.
"I'm impressed," Joe grins.
"At?" I question.
"You."
I raise my brows at him.
"You're telling him exactly what you do and don't like. You typically aren't the one."
"We're in LA a lot and we need this home to be one that we can stay in for a long while. I need it to be exactly what we need."
Joe chuckles. "That's fair. Let's go," he says, starting the drive to the next house.
A while later Joe pulls into a driveway, though more like a courtyard, parking so the both of us can exit the car, my hand cradling my belly as we stand outside.
"Okay," Joe nods at Daniel excitedly.
Daniel grins, chuckling. "You like?"
"It's nice," Joe nods.
"This courtyard is nice," I grin.
"Yeah," Daniel nods. "Over there is a basketball court. I know Joe, you said you'd probably turn that into an outdoor gym area, so there's that over there, it's a really nice size."
"Oh, nice," Joe says, peering over to the area Daniel pointed at. "Nice."
After another moment, we walk into the house, finding the dining area to the left, there is a beautiful light fixture as well as a large window allowing a large amount of natural light into the area. In front of the windows there is also a countertop, allowing the perfect place to place food in a buffet-style serving place.
"I really like this natural light, babe," Joe says, looking over at me and gesturing to the window. "I know we were talking about that."
I nod. "Yeah, this setup is really nice."
"If we come this way," Daniel starts, smiling as he leads us across the foyer again to the opposite side, showing us the home office. We could use it as a downstairs playroom if we wanted. More natural lighting though, which is really nice. We then move into the living room, followed by the beautiful open kitchen. I find myself in awe of the kitchen, loving the colors and the countertops that were chosen. The island is large enough I could see myself cooking or baking with Alena, Valentina, or my girls in the future. I could see Joe making homemade pasta or some of the other recipes he tends to go to. We walk through the walk-in pantry and then move on to the gym and home theater, taking a stop by the half bath first. We then get to the backyard, and Joe immediately grins.
"Yeah, this is more like it."
"Yes," Daniel grins, cheering himself on a little.
I grin, walking down the stairs and looking at the very large grass area before noticing the fire pit behind the pool and the smaller sitting area outside of where the office is.
"I'm loving all the grass," I tell him, grinning.
"I'm winning," Daniel chuckles.
Joe chuckles. "You got a positive comment, Daniel, watch out."
"Pool house?" I ask, gesturing over to the building to our left.
"There's the small pool house over there, yes, however, it only has a full bathroom and a covered patio area. This closest to us here is a guest house."
I raise my brows. "Guest house?"
Daniel nods, leading me inside to a full kitchen, living room, and dining room. "Yeah, so here is the guest house, the bedroom, and bathroom are right through there, of course, it's only a one bed one bath being the guest house."
Joe and I look at each other, him already knowing my thinking.
"Jess could have her own space," he reads my mind.
I nod. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."
He nods in agreement as Daniel takes us from the guest house back into the main house and upstairs to the second floor. Straight ahead of the stairs lies a storage room followed by a guest room with a private balcony, a full bathroom, and a walk-in closet. There is then another common area living room with a minifridge followed by going down a hall and finding the large laundry room with a good amount of storage... a plus with one kid let alone two. Two more guest rooms on this end of the hall along with the master suite which includes a small hallway from the door to the actual room. The hallway includes a small amount of storage with a counter, cupboards near the floor as well as a built-in mini fridge... a little excessive but a possible plus for while I'm breastfeeding or storing snacks. The bedroom itself has high ceilings making it look even larger, its own fireplace, a private balcony, his and hers walk-in closets, and a large, beautiful bathroom yet again.
(Second House:
"Wow, this place is amazing, Daniel," Joe comments as we head back downstairs.
I nod. "It is, it's beautiful."
"Are we headed in the right direction?" Daniel asks as we stand in the foyer again.
I grin, nodding again as Joe rubs my back in circles a few times. "We definitely are. This home is incredible."
"Good," he smiles. "I can't wait to show you the next one. Are there any questions about this home before we go?"
Both of us deny any questions, making our way to the car and Joe starts to drive to the next house.
"How many more are there?" I ask, looking at the time.
"I think this one and then one more," Joe says. "Why?"
"I'm getting hungry," I sigh.
"I packed you snacks, they're in the back."
I gasp lightly, turning to look at the backseat and grab the bag of chips from the lot of food. "God, I love you."
He chuckles, grinning with his hand on my knee. "So, you liked that one?"
I nod. "I really liked that one. It's a potential."
"Yeah?" he asks, eyebrows raised.
I nod. "Yeah, I think it may be the one... but we'll see what else he's got in store for us."
Chomping away on the chips, I lose track of time as we continue to drive, meeting our next destination as a light gasp escapes my lips.
"Oh shit," Joe chuckles.
"Modern farmhouse exterior," I whisper.
"I'm in trouble," Joe chuckles.
We get out of the car, making our way over to Daniel who is smiling widely.
"Well?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Joe chuckles.
"This exterior," I tell him, jokingly jaw-dropping as I look around at it. "Absolutely stunning."
Daniel chuckles. "If you like this, you'll love the inside," he grins. "It's modernized but still has some of those farmhouse vibes. Ready?"
"You bet I am," I nod.
Joe follows us around this time, although staying in conversation as we go through the beautiful home with tons of natural lighting, storage, and a picture of my family already in it... well that parts in my head but still.
(House 3:
"Okay, pros and cons," Daniel says, looking at me as we finish the tour.
"Okay, so all of the natural lighting is a huge plus for me. I really loved the backyard, I think the pool being off to the side is a big yes," I mention, looking at Joe.
"Really?" Joe asks.
I nod. "I feel like it'll be easier to keep the girls away from it with it not being the center of attention."
He nods. "That's true."
"Um, I like the layout of the guest rooms. I like the way upstairs is laid out. The extra storage throughout. The kitchen," I pause, giving Joe a look. "You look good in that kitchen."
Daniel and Joe both laugh.
"Oh, I do, huh?" Joe asks.
I nod. "Mmhmm, but enough talk about this one. Let's move to the last one."
Daniel nods. "Your wish is my command. Let's go."
"That snack did you a world of good, huh?" Joe asks, climbing into the car with me.
"I mean the snack and that house. Babe, did you see it?"
He chuckles. "I did, baby, I was right with you the whole time."
"Gorgeous," I tell him.
He nods. "It was."
"But then the house before this one!"
He nods. "Also beautiful."
"And Jess would have her own whole fucking house in our backyard. How cool is that?!"
"Very cool," he grins.
I sigh, shaking my head as I look out the window, watching the scenery pass as we move through to the last home of the day.
Before touring the last home, Daniel warns us that now knowing my style, it's probably not going to be the winner, but we looked anyway, and he was right. The last home isn't for us, it's too party house for my liking. Too entertainment based rather than family based in my opinion. Although the inground fire pit area in the backyard was really cool, it's not something I'd consider a necessity for me, Joe, and our growing family.
(House 4:
Thanking Daniel yet again, Joe and I get into our car, heading to a restaurant of Joe's picking for lunch in silence, both thinking to ourselves about the homes we've seen today. We're seated at a table and our drinks are ordered before we even start the conversation.
"I miss Willa," I sigh.
He chuckles. "I felt that coming. I miss her too. Wanna try to get home before bedtime?"
I sigh. "I want to but I also really wanna give her the time with Jessica. She missed her a lot."
Joe nods. "We'll play it by ear. Maybe call Jessica later and see if Willa's even asking about us at all."
I grin, laughing lightly. "Okay, thoughts."
He shakes his head. "Absolutely not, my love. You first." eHe sh
"Why?" I ask, grinning.
"Because you know exactly what you want. I know you do."
"But I want your opinion too."
"Okay, fine," he clears his throat. "I agree a total no to the first and last houses. It's definitely between the middle two, but I think the farmhouse is more your speed."
"What about yours?"
He nods. "I loved the farmhouse, actually. I'm just curious how you would use the space that we would have."
"So, here's my thing. I loved the first of the two middle houses because of the guest house for Jess. I think she definitely deserves her own space. Um, I think the backyard was great. I really liked most of the house, but I think my biggest selling point on that one in particular was the guest house for Jessica."
Joe nods. "Agreed."
"The farmhouse I instantly fell in love with the outside. We walked in and it felt inviting. There's a ton of natural light. There's still the small pool house outside which I was thinking could turn into a bedroom if we added curtains or whatever Jessica would want to have her own space. Then she could just use our kitchen and whatnot but have like a super private bedroom."
"I like that idea, I hadn't thought of that," Joe admits.
"Okay, so then the bedroom next in the back corner that opens up to the backyard could be a guest room. The office since neither of us would use an office could be the downstairs playroom."
"You say it as though there's two..."
I grin.
"Babe," he gives me a look.
"You can't tell me our kids have such a small amount of toys that they can only have one."
He opens his mouth before closing it again, gesturing for me to continue.
"Okay, so yeah, the office is the downstairs playroom. Big playset in the middle grass area in the backyard, obviously. Anyway, basement. The movie theater stays a theater and the guest bedroom stays. I think everything else down there is fine unless we decide to change anything. Moving to the top floor. Our bedroom is on the one side of the hall and three bedrooms on the other. I don't want any guests upstairs, so my idea is to have two of them be their bedrooms and the third be the upstairs playroom."
He grins.
"What?" I ask.
"You picked our house."
"I love the other one though."
He chuckles. "Baby, I know. But..."
"The farmhouse just... I don't know. We walked in and it felt like... home. It's not even really a farmhouse, it's just the exterior. The inside is modern and all. It just has the little details that make it feel different. We're not the glamorous type of people, Joe. We don't care about the flashy stuff. We want somewhere private, safe, and comfortable to raise our daughters. That's what's important. The farmhouse house feels like that."
Joe smiles, holding my hands. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
"We will put in an offer today. I'll offer a larger down payment to see if we can get through closing quicker. We need to get all three of our new homes ready," he chuckles.
I nod. "Yes, we do. And thank you for cooperating with my crazy pregnancy brain and ways."
"Team effort making that baby, I gotta do my part while you grow it."
A laugh flies through my lips, shaking my head. "I love you."
After lunch we make our way over to Nick and Pri's, sitting and listening about their little girl's progress. They say she's doing better, which is a plus, but they're still not sure when she'll be able to come home. We take the time to inform them of our moving, selling the Jersey home, and buying a new place in New York as well as Miami. They find it surprising, especially with the pregnancy, that doing so much right before having the baby is a huge risk, but we explain our reasoning and they express more understanding, and excitement for us to be doing whatever we need to do.
After dinner with them, Joe and I head home, knowing that Willa is asleep considering what time it is. Jessica is on the couch when we arrive, scrolling on her phone with the house spotless.
"Ahh, to not have to clean," I say, leaning my head back.
She laughs. "Tired?"
I nod. "Definitely, it's been such a day. I'm going to head up to bed. Get home safe, Jess."
"Goodnight, thanks, I will." She grins.
"Was she good today?" Joe asks.
"Yeah! We had a blast!"
"Awesome, thanks, Jess. We'll see you the day after tomorrow like we texted you about?"
"Sounds good," she says. "Goodnight, Joe!"
"Goodnight, Jess," he says, soon following me up to bed, my eyes already closing by the time he climbs into bed next to me.
I feel his lips on my temple before I drift off to sleep.
***
yes i know it's midnight (ET) but i just finished it even though I should be asleep lol
what house was your favorite? let me know! I'm curious!
all my love,
shan:)