[A few days later – Charlie's Home]
Charlie sat at his desk with a cup of black coffee, scrolling through real estate listings on his laptop. The morning sun spilled through the window, glinting off the gold Grammy on the shelf beside him.
He muttered to himself as he scrolled. "Four bedrooms? Too small. Five bedrooms? Still too small. What's the listing for this one... eight bedrooms, private gym, two pools? Now we're talking."
He clicked on the photos. The house looked good. White marble floors, glass walls, an elevator, and a backyard that could host a small concert. He imagined Lily running around the garden while Lisa and Kate argued over where to put the piano. Laura would definitely claim the basement for a tattoo studio. And Prudence? She'd probably take the guest room and start turning it into a makeshift music lab before the ink dried on the deed.
He leaned back, smirking. "Alright, Charlie. You've officially outgrown your bachelor pad. Never thought I'd see the day."
"Humm, the next door..." He mumbled to himself. The owners had been trying to sell for months. He'd joked once about buying it just to turn it into another studio. But now, the idea didn't seem so crazy.
He opened a new tab and started comparing options. "Buy the next house, tear down the wall, expand the studio, make a nice garden… yeah, that could work." He tapped his pen on the desk. "Or just buy something new. A mansion, maybe. Something with enough space for a family, a studio, and… Oh, yeah. A big pool."
He rubbed his chin. "Alright, priorities. Needs at least six bedrooms, soundproof rooms, a big kitchen, a pool, and a garden for Lily..."
He took a sip of coffee and kept scrolling, eyes lighting up at one listing. A sprawling cliffside mansion with panoramic views, an indoor theater, and a private recording studio already installed.
"Oh, now we're talking," he said, leaning closer. "Four-car garage, spa, guest quarters, staff quarters… yeah, that's big-family-level right there."
Just then, Lisa peeked in from the doorway, her hair still wet from a shower. "You've been in here since breakfast. What are you doing?"
Charlie grinned. "Real estate shopping."
Lisa smiled. "For the studio?"
He shook his head. "For us."
She blinked. "For us?"
Charlie gestured to the screen. "Think about it. We've got me, you, Kate, Laura—half the time—and Prudence whenever she's here. Lily's growing up fast. Then we are going to have kids. I love this house, but we're running out of space. We need something bigger. Something that fits all of us."
Lisa smiled softly and walked closer. "You're really serious about this? Like, really serious? Moving away from your beach house just for the family?"
Charlie looked up at her, his grin turning genuine. "Yeah. Guess I am. Besides, this house will be here and we can drop by every now and then."
She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at the listings. "A mansion, huh? Malibu's going to start calling you 'Charlie the Responsible.'"
He chuckled. "Yeah, that's how you know the apocalypse is near."
Kate climbed down the stairs, still drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing a loose blue robe and slippers, the scent of lavender shampoo trailing behind her. "Apocalypse?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Who's dying, and why wasn't I invited?"
Charlie looked up from the laptop. "No one's dying. Just me leveling up another level toward being a full-grown adult."
Kate smirked. "So, the apocalypse, then."
Lisa chuckled. "He's house-hunting."
Kate froze mid-step. "Wait, seriously? Like, real house-hunting? You're not just scrolling Zillow for fun again?"
Charlie turned the laptop toward her. "Nope. This time, it's the real deal. Seven stories, rooftop view of the city, studio built in, pool on the terrace, and enough space for all of us, and maybe a few more we haven't met yet."
Kate leaned over the desk, peering at the screen. "Holy hell, that's not a house. That's a vertical village."
Lisa grinned. "Told you he was serious."
Kate looked back at Charlie. "You're really thinking of leaving Malibu?"
Charlie shrugged. "Not leaving. Upgrading. Malibu's home, but this house is bursting at the seams. We need room to breathe."
Kate crossed her arms, pretending to think it over. "Hmm. Seven stories, huh? Do we get an elevator? Because I'm not doing cardio between floors just to grab a snack."
Charlie smirked. "It's got two. And a dumbwaiter, so you can send snacks to yourself."
Kate laughed. "Okay, that's impressive."
Charlie leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms. "So, what do you say? I just booked a viewing for noon. We could grab lunch, take the drive to L.A., and check the place out. Make a day of it."
Lisa smiled. "I'm in."
Kate hesitated, looking toward the stairs. "What about Laura? She still asleep?"
Charlie checked the time. "If she's not up by now, she's hibernating. We'll wake her later."
Kate smirked. "You're doing it, not me. Last time I woke her, she tried to tattoo 'Don't Disturb' on my arm."
Charlie stood, closing the laptop. "Fine, I'll handle it."
"What about Prudence?" Lisa asked.
"Oh, she's in college, and then she got tuition. She had an exam coming up next week, so we can't disturb her," He said.
[Noon – Los Angeles] [After lunch]
Charlie drove with one hand on the wheel. Lisa sat beside him, scrolling through the property details on her phone, while Kate, Laura, and Lily were in the back seat.
Lily was pressed against the window, eyes wide. "Whoa! Look at that house! It's huge! Is that the one?"
Charlie smirked. "Nope. That's a hotel."
"Oh." She squinted at another one. "What about that one?"
"That's a museum," Kate said, sipping her iced latte.
Lily frowned. "Why are all the houses here so big?"
"Because people in L.A. have something called money addiction," Charlie said.
Kate laughed. "Says the guy looking for a house with two pools."
"Correction," Charlie said. "One pool, one koi pond. I'm trying to be spiritual."
Lisa smirked. "You're trying to be bougie."
"Same thing," Charlie said, pulling into a driveway that could have doubled as a runway. "Here we are. Our potential future fortress."
They all stepped out, squinting up at the mansion. It stretched wide across the cliffside, all glass, stone, and sunlight.
"Holy…" Laura whistled, pushing her sunglasses up. "Okay, this place is insane. Like, 'Do we have a moat?' insane."
Kate grinned. "I could host fashion shoots right on that terrace."
Lisa smiled. "And I could record entire albums without ever leaving home."
Charlie looked over his shoulder. "And I could finally get a moment of peace without hearing Kung Fu Panda through the studio wall."
"Hey!" Lily protested. "Po's my friend!"
They laughed as a realtor in a sharp gray suit appeared, clipboard in hand and smile perfectly practiced. "Mr. Harper," he said, shaking Charlie's hand. "I'm Daniel. Welcome to Sunset Crest. Ready for the grand tour?"
"Lead the way, Daniel," Charlie said. "And try not to upsell me too hard. I've already promised the kid a unicorn room."
Daniel chuckled nervously. "We'll see what we can do."
The tour began. The living room was massive, sunlight flooding through twenty-foot windows. A grand piano sat near a marble fireplace. The kitchen gleamed with stainless steel and enough counter space to host a cooking show. Upstairs, bedrooms lined the hallways like private suites. Every one had a balcony and a view.
"This is ridiculous," Kate said, peeking into a marble bathroom. "The shower's bigger than my old apartment."
Lisa ran her hand along the wall of a room that looked as if designed for a studio. "Oh, this is perfect. The soundproofing's already here. I could produce everything right here."
Charlie nodded, impressed. "Yeah, and it's big enough for the band. Maybe even a live room. We can amp up our production and recording."
Laura wandered off and came back grinning. "So, that side garage? It's empty. I could turn it into a tattoo parlor. It's gonna be a blast."
Kate smirked. "That actually sounds cool."
"And the basement?" Charlie asked.
"Perfect for a man cave," Laura said. "Or wine storage. Or, you know, hiding from responsibility."
Charlie chuckled. "Man cave it is."
Meanwhile, Lily tugged on Lisa's sleeve. "Can I see my room?"
"Sure, sweetheart," Lisa said, smiling. "Let's find the perfect one."
Lily ran through the hallway, peeking into each door like a little explorer until she found a room with big bay windows. "This one!" she said. "I want this one! And I want Po, Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Crane, Viper, and Master Sifu on the walls! And unicorn and bunnies everywhere!"
Charlie laughed. "Everywhere? That's a lot of unicorns, kiddo."
Lily nodded seriously. "Everywhere."
"Okay. Let me see what I can do," He said while patting her head.
As they finished the tour, they stepped out onto the terrace. The ocean stretched wide below, the horizon a blur of blue and gold.
Lisa leaned on the railing beside Charlie. "You really see us here, don't you?"
Charlie looked out at the view. "Yeah. I do. I mean, look at this. There's room for music, art, tattoos, modeling, unicorns… all of it. It's not just a house. It's… life 2.0."
Kate smiled, brushing her hair back. "Life 2.0, huh? That's catchy. Sounds like a Harper album."
Charlie smirked. "Don't tempt me. I'll write a song about mortgages."
Laura wrapped her arms around Lisa and Kate from behind. "So? We're really doing this?"
Lisa smiled at Charlie. "You tell us."
Charlie looked at them, then back at the mansion. "Yeah," he said finally. "We're doing this. Let's make it home."
Lily threw her hands up. "Yay!"
Charlie picked her up in his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you so much, Daddy," Lily said with a large smile.
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