A Ilha do Amor

Closing One Chapter ...

Carrots? Has anyone seen any carrots? The plot bunny attacked and well, you all are going to reap the benefits. NEW STORY! I've been writing some pretty heavy stuff lately and well, I'm going to lighten it up a bit. It's not going to be a humorous story (though there will be some funny bits) but it will be romantic. Some drama...some light angst (there needs to be some sort of conflict or it wouldn't be worth reading, kids).

Up next will be Bella's last days at work, moving into the house and going back down to the island for the wedding. We've got one chapter of that transitional stuff, then the wedding (which may be broken up into two chapters, I'm not sure OR going back and forth between both of their POVs), the honeymoon and an epilogue. So, four, possibly five chapters left.

Chapter Thirty-three: Closing One Chapter...

EPOV

"This apartment doesn't even look like the place I moved into," I said as I leaned against my paint roller. "It's so white."

"This is why I painted it red or purple or turquoise in the first place," Bella retorted. She looked so adorable, wearing a pair of overalls, a tank top, pigtails and ratty shoes. She was covered in paint. So was I, but I wasn't complaining. I was just happy to be back with my beautiful fiancée. "Edward, you've got paint in your hair!"

"Eh," I shrugged. "It'll wash out. We could christen our new bathroom..." I waggled my brows at her.

"Tempting, my sex god, but I'm surfing the crimson," she replied, making a wave gesture with her hand. "I'm going in for my last Depo shot appointment on Tuesday and then it's in the hands of nature."

"Really?" I asked, smiling brightly.

"Okay, Romeo, it may take a year or so before my girly issues become regular, but we could get pregnant as early as September," Bella blushed. "For now, though, I wanted to have one more quarter of no periods so I could enjoy our wedding and honeymoon. Which is where?"

"Nice try, Mrs. Cullen," I deadpanned. "Are we done for the day?"

"I think so. My arms are freaking killing me," Bella grumbled. "We can finish the office, bedroom and master bathroom tomorrow. I want to go home, soak in the tub and just veg." I nodded, closing up the white paint. We put everything in the kitchen on top of a drop cloth. We had moved Bella out of the apartment as soon as Roger gave us the thumbs up, which was the weekend after the award ceremony. I paid for expedited delivery of our new furniture and we spent that weekend making our Bellevue house into a home. However, once we moved out the apartment, we had to repaint it so Bella could get the security deposit back. On Friday, we had a painting party, getting most of the edges and the kitchen done with Angela, Ben, Jessica and Mike. Today, we had the help of Renee and Charlie in the morning and we got the living room, kitchen and office finished. We also got the edges of the guest bedroom before I had to go out get more paint. Once I got back, we worked on the guest bedroom.

Locking up the apartment, we went downstairs and drove home. Bella crashed in the car. She had been working herself to the bone the past week. Her win for the Newsroom Awards had made her a hot commodity. She had several interviews with radio shows and television shows, speaking about domestic violence and what women can do to get help. She had all of those engagements plus her regular job on top of that. Her assignments were light pieces, but she still threw herself into her job, wanting to keep her boss on her good side. Thankfully, she had one more week, with a surprise going-away party on Friday before we flew out to Rio at the end of the week after her party.

Caressing her cheek, I tried to rouse her but Bella was down for the count. Parking my car in the garage, I picked her up easily. She was so tiny. Carrying her into the house, I laid her on the couch before I closed the garage door and locked up. I brought her upstairs and let her sleep while I scoured my body, washing the paint off my skin and out of my hair. Being anal, I also scoured the bathroom when I was done. I didn't want my paint-covered body ruin our brand new tiling.