As much as I wanted to stalk Bella on New Year’s morning, I decided to be a non-creepy boyfriend and stay away.I thought about what I needed to accomplish today. Knowing that no matter how Tanya dealt with the dissolution of our arrangement, my life was going to change as of Monday. There was no doubt that Felix would no longer be working for me, so I decided to broach the subject of working for me full-time with Sidney.
I had no idea what his personal situation was, but knew that it would be much easier for me if I were to replace Felix with someone I was already comfortable with.
The night before, I’d arranged with Sidney to take me to my parents’ home for breakfast. Hoping to meet with him beforehand, I sent a text.
Sidney-
If you’re free, let’s meet at the hotel’s coffee shop at 9am. There’s a matter I’d like to discuss with you.
-Edward Masen
I received a response almost immediately.
Mr. Masen-
Will do. See you at 9.
-S Coleman
As soon as we were seated with our coffee, I began. “Sidney, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I need a new head of security in L.A. I don’t know what your living situation is, but I wanted to see if you were interested before offering it to someone else.”
Sidney looked a little surprised, but definitely interested. “I’d like to hear more about it Mr. Masen.”
Holding out hope that this matter at least could be resolved today, I continued. I’ll have my accountant contact you with an exact salary offer. My current bodyguard has a slightly different arrangement than what I’ll require from you.”
I plan to need Sidney more than I needed Felix. With Bella now in my life, the days of reclusive Edward Masen were hopefully behind me.
“Also, you would be able to live in the guest house on my property, if you wish, rent free with all utilities paid.”
I never use that house anyway. My parents always stay with Alice when they visit.
“Is it something you may be interested in?” I asked.
Sidney cleared his throat. “Very much so sir. I don’t have any family here. My son lives in Colorado. I’ve been divorced for years. Parents are dead. I’ve got a brother in Nevada. So, if the salary is right, I think we’ll have a deal.”
I smiled, this was the most Sidney had ever spoken to me at one time. “How soon could you move to California?”
“Give me three weeks to a month sir.” He smiled back.
On the ride to my parents’ house, I had one more phone call to make.
“Happy New Year Edward. To what do I owe the honor of a call from your grouchy ass so early in the morning?” Alec’s voice blared through the phone.
“Sounds like you’re the grouchy ass this morning Alec. Happy New Year to you too. I need you to do something for me.”
“Whatever the fuck it is Edward, I hope it can wait until I’ve had coffee. Unlike you, some of us actually partied on New Year’s Eve.” Alec yawned in my ear.
The photos of Isabella and I dancing last night must not have hit the internet yet.
“I’m going to need a new bodyguard for a few weeks when I get back.”
“Is Felix finally making the move over to Tanya’s security?” He questioned.
“Something like that.” I answered.
“I sense you’re not telling me everything.”
“I’ll fill you in on Monday.”
“Yeah that reminds me, why aren’t you coming back tomorrow? And what’s with the photos of you on the internet with that Swan chick? The tabloids are going to blow that shit up into a romance. She’s hot, though. Do you know if she’s single?”
“Her name is Isabella” I growled. “And you will stay away from her. Do you understand?”
“Ho, a little touchy there aren’t we Edward? I didn’t mean anything by it, really. Are you actually seeing her?”
“Alec, you know that I’m uncomfortable having these types of conversations over the phone. It’s all part of what we’ll speak about on Monday. Especially since, knowing you, you aren’t alone, and your girlfriends like to blab to the tabloids.”
Alec chuckled quietly. “Dude, last night was New Year’s Eve. Can I help it if I’m a pussy magnet? And you know that I never discuss you with my hookups.”
I cringed at Alec’s blatant disrespect for women. “Alec, you know that half those women follow you home because you tell them you work for me.“ I sniped.
“I’ve got to use everything I’ve got Edward.” He continued to laugh quietly. “Okay, well I’ll see what I can do about the security. I’ll send you a text later. See you Monday dude.”
“Thanks, see you then. Goodbye.”
It was always like this with us. We insulted each other constantly, but deep down I really liked Alec. He was like a younger brother, an irresponsible, partying, whoremongering, younger brother.
I had an enjoyable breakfast with my family, although I wished more than once that Bella could have been there with me.
My parents kept trying to pull me into conversation, but I was very distracted. Every few minutes I glanced at the clock, trying to calculate if Bella could be out of church yet.
“Jasper, Alec informs me that there are photos of Isabella and myself on the internet. Have you seen them?“
“Edward, they’re just photos of the two of you going into your hotel, and some at the Arboretum. Perfectly innocent.“
I made a mental note to check into that later.
At the exact moment that I’d actually reached the bitter end of my sanity, while waiting to hear from Bella, my phone chimed with an incoming text.
E-
Arriving home right now. How soon can you be here?
-B
The way the text was worded, told me something. She didn’t ask when would I arrive, but when could I arrive. She needed me. I texted back that I was on my way.
The doors to both apartments were wide open, as Bella and Rose worked in both kitchens, carrying the prepared food to Emmett and Rose’s dining room table.
As soon as I got there, Emmett handed me a beer, and felt the compulsion to share the story of their very eventful morning at the Cathedral.
“Edward, dude, you should have seen our little Bellaboo in action today. I was damn proud.”
I looked at him questioningly.
He laughed as he thought about something. “I was so exhausted from last night’s events, that I really zoned out through most of the Mass. I perked up just in time for the ‘sign of peace’ when I noticed Bella avoiding shaking hands with this little dude sitting in front of us.”
“When I tried to force her she screamed at me, in the House of God.” He snickered.
Still not getting it. Maybe Emmett is easily amused.
“Let’s just say that is wasn’t the fact that she yelled in church that made this funny, it was what she yelled. I’ll paraphrase “THAT KID’S GOT A BOOGER ON HIS FINGER AS BIG AS JUPITER, I CAN’T SHAKE HIS HAND. FROM NOW ON WE DON’T SIT NEAR ANY FUCKING CHILDREN.” It was priceless.”
Even though I knew that Bella was mortified by the incident, I couldn’t help myself, I laughed with Emmett for five solid minutes.
Damn I wish I’d been there.
After the laughter ceased, I watched Bella as I always did, but noticed that something was off. Surely she wasn’t still agonizing over her slip of the tongue in church?
“What’s wrong Bella?” I asked as I moved closer to her. Not able to stand there to be much distance between us.
“I think I’m going to Hell.” She stated plainly.
She was beating herself up over this. I laughed again. “I doubt it Bella. You’re too good a person.”
“Edward, I said the ’F’ word in Church, in front of children!”
Probably no worse than they hear at home.
Trying to improve her mood, I decided to share my most humiliating moment.
“Would it help if I told you my most embarrassing story ever?” I asked.
“I guess so.” She answered in a small voice.
“Let’s see, when I was twelve, my friends dared me to sneak into a neighbor’s yard with them one night, and skinny dip in their pool. The neighbors were out of town, and the deal was that we would each take a turn accepting the dare.“
“I was so gullible that I decided to go first. I stripped and cannon-balled into the cold pool water. When I came up for air, I saw my friends grab my clothes and run out of the yard, laughing their asses off.”
“I chased them down the street, hoping no one would see me, trying to get my clothes back, and, I was freezing. As luck would have it, I had to pass by the house of a girl I had a crush on.”
And her gorgeous sixteen year old sister.
“Oh no.” I could tell she wanted to laugh.
“Oh yes.” I grinned. “She was out on her porch greeting friends because, as I found out later, she was hosting a slumber party. I’m sorry to say that those girls got a glimpse of the Full Monty.”
Should I tell her the most humiliating part? I don’t know if Bella will feel comfortable with me mentioning my junk in polite conversation.
“What Edward?”
“I don‘t know if I should tell you the most embarrassing part.”
I’m really not sure about this.
“Oh come on Edward.”
“Well, I have to admit that I‘m not hurting in the size department, but because the air was really cold, and I was completely freaked out….” I coughed. “Let’s just say that those girls were less than impressed.” I chuckled at the memory.
Thank heavens she giggled, obviously not offended.
“I gave up trying to catch my friends, and headed for home. There on the front porch was a small stack of clothing and a note, from Alice of course. She reminded me that she had tried to talk me out of going, but I wouldn’t listen. She’d left the clothes to spare me any further embarrassment.”
Alice has saved me countless times over the years, and she helped plot the perfect revenge for my jackass friends.
She looked happier by the time we sat down to dinner.
Bella was a fabulous cook. She had told me that she taught herself at a young age, because her mother was a disaster in the kitchen.
One dish I’d never tried before was black-eyed peas. The peas themselves didn’t have much of a taste, but Rosalie had mixed a little pork and stewed tomatoes with them, making all the difference.
A few minutes into the meal, Emmett jumped up from his seat. “I’m just going to put on some ‘holiday’ music.”
It struck me as weird to still be playing Christmas carols on New Years Day, but Emmett was a little unpredictable.
What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside your trunk?
I’ma get, get, get you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps
Rose dropped her face into her hands and muttered. “I’m so glad we only eat black-eyed peas once a year.”
I could feel my shoulders shake with my silent laughter.
--LRM--
I was ecstatic when Chief Swan headed for home. As he was saying his goodbyes, I found it quite difficult to keep the smile from my face. When we finally went across the hall to Bella’s apartment, it was as if every muscle in my body relaxed.
“So. The photo-shoot was rescheduled for tomorrow morning, and I promised you a car ride tomorrow afternoon.” I suddenly had the urge to be alone with my girl in a darkened movie theater.
“Yes?” Bella asked.
“Let’s go out.”
“Out where?” She was always so curious.
“I have a few ideas.” I smiled as I grabbed her hand “Change into your jeans and a hoodie.”
I changed into the casual clothes I’d brought. It was my usual ‘disguise’ clothing when venturing out into public places.
Bella chuckled when she saw me. “Much less recognizable Mr. Masen.”
We ended up at the old Majestic Bay theatre. I wasn’t kidding about taking her to the movies. “Wow, we’re going to the movies?”
“I thought it might be fun.” I suppose if I were a marine biologist, I’d want to take her to an aquarium.
“Okay, but I get to pick.” Something about that suggestion made me uncomfortable.
“I want to see Time Stands Still.”
I couldn’t help the groan that escaped. As a rule, I never watched my own movies.
Somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew this would be Bella’s choice.
“I haven’t seen it yet Edward. I wanna go!” She whined.
I laughed.
How could I refuse her anything?
I admit that I saw red for a moment when she wouldn’t let me purchase her ticket, but she was right when she pointed out that this technically wasn’t a date. Not yet. This caused a new wave of guilt to come crashing over me for not being able to tell her my whole truth yet.
I’m still an asshole.
I soon forgot my feelings of guilt when I had my arm around Bella and she snuggled into my shoulder.
Admittedly, I paid no attention whatsoever to the movie, spending the time watching Bella’s face instead. I studied her profile as she became engrossed in the film. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. I often found myself just staring at her, trying to memorize her face for the times we would be forced to be apart.
If we were in the same room, I couldn‘t stand to not be touching her. I had become addicted to the feel of her soft skin and the electric current than hummed between us when we touched. And her eyes, I could get lost in those brown eyes, the windows to a beautiful soul. Whenever I looked into those eyes, I would see the love I felt reflected back to me. Those beautiful eyes, always so full of hope for the future.
Those eyes that for some reason were starting to fill with tears at this very moment.
What happened?
I wasn’t sure what was wrong. Was she in pain? Did the movie remind her of something traumatic? I started to panic as I led her to the lobby.
During out stilted exchange which existed of blurted words between Bella’s sobs, I was able to discern that the bout of tears was brought on by the movie’s sad ending.
Just when I think I can’t possibly love her more, she does something adorable.
Once she’d calmed somewhat, Sidney helped us escape to the car.
“Bella, are you okay?”
“You died.” She said, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“Bella, it was just a movie.”
She suddenly looked very determined. “Edward, this is really important, you can’t die, promise me. You can‘t leave me.”
She was being immature and irrational and I loved her completely. “I promise Bella. I’ll try my best to stay alive so that we can be together. Better now?”
“Yeah, it just came as a terrible shock you know?”
“Maybe I should have warned you.”
“No, it’s okay, I’m just being silly.”
“And I love you for it Miss Swan.”
“I love you too Mr. Movie Star.” she grinned.
--LRM--
Five more fucking minutes. That’s all I’m giving these people before I tell them we’re done, and walking out.
When I agreed to a few shots for their magazine, I didn’t think it would include being dragged all over greater Seattle to do it.
The only thing keeping my temper in check was my view of the lovely Isabella as she sat on a bench watching me.
Sidney was certainly earning his pay today, his secret service background serving him well. The crowds had grown larger at each subsequent location throughout the morning but, thankfully the magazine had seen to it that a lot of Seattle police officers would be on the scene.
The minute I was finished with this shit, I was taking my girl for a ride in the Vanquish. I couldn’t wait.
Before my five minute deadline arrived, the photographer walked over and shook my hand, thanking me profusely for my time.
I said my polite goodbyes before making my way over to Isabella. She was chuckling about something.
“What are you thinking about Miss Swan?” I asked quietly.
“To be honest, Mister Masen, I was thinking about that fuckawesome car ride.”
On the same page with me once again.
“Well, everything is wrapped up here, shall we go?” I asked as I offered my arm.
Bella seemed to enjoy the ride. Except maybe the first few minutes when, neglecting to have put on the seat belt, she slid onto the floor when I stopped at the end of the driveway.
I’d learned that her emotions were somewhat unpredictable, so I wasn’t sure whether she was laughing or crying at first. Sweet silly girl.
Within fifteen minutes of being on the highway, Bella dozed off.
She looked like a small child when she slept. All the cares and worries of her life disappeared, and she was at peace.
It was difficult to keep my eyes on the road and off of the angel to my right, but I did my best.
When I stopped the car beside a lake just inside Olympic National Park, Bella woke up.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I fell asleep.”
I laughed. “I think you needed it Bella, it’s been a very busy, long week.”
“Yes it has. Full of surprises.”
Life-altering surprises.
“Not all unwelcome I hope?” I asked.
“Definitely not Edward. You are the perfect surprise. You’re better than all my Christmases and birthdays wrapped into one.”
My sentiments exactly.
“Do you realize that my hometown is on the other side of this park?”
Thankfully Chief Swan is also on the other side of this park.
Bella was quiet for a moment as she thought about something. “I think.” She began. “I think I’d like to tell you the rest of my story now, if that’s okay?”
If this was what she wanted and needed, then I was ready to listen. I took her hand in mine. “Anything you want Bella.”
**************************************************************************************************
Chapter 11 & 12 - The Calm Before The Storm
Even after all these years, I could tell that she still felt guilty about not going with her mom to Flagstaff. Maybe she just felt guilty about fighting with her. I hoped that Bella understood that even if they’d left town, this maniac Jeff would have taken the opportunity to attack them at a later date, and Bella might not have been lucky enough to survive that attack.
Lucky? How could I think of any part of that day as lucky? Bella watched her mother brutalized and murdered in front of her eyes. She, herself, was beaten to a pulp. Nothing about any of that was lucky.
Except… Bella wasn’t murdered. Bella wasn’t raped. She survived because of her mother’s courage and the fact that her friend Lianne had the presence of mind to call the authorities instead of stumbling into that scene, and possibly becoming a victim herself.
I tried to console her as she shared the events of the most horrific day of her life. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t fathom how someone, anyone, could ever want to harm Bella. And yet, it had still happened. She had suffered so much at the hands of this monster. He’d not only stolen her mother, he’d stolen her youth, her innocence, her peace of mind, and her chance to have a ‘normal‘ life for the last seven years.
As she forced herself to share the details of that horrid day, I felt my mood waver between extreme sorrow, my heart literally breaking for the woman I loved, to all-consuming hatred for that soulless monster who dared to hurt her.
After she described her mother’s last moments, I felt remorse for the low opinion I’d held about Renee Swan until then. Whatever mistakes Renee had made, she’d been punished far more than she deserved. That this man was even in their lives, was a direct result of her poor judgment, and she paid for that mistake with her life. In the end, she did the most selfless thing imaginable. Knowing that she probably wouldn’t survive the bastard’s anger, she forfeited her life in an attempt to save Bella.
As I stood beside the lake with Bella in my arms, I vowed to myself that Renee’s sacrifice would not have been in vain. She’d saved Bella’s life, and I would do everything in my power to help her to become whole again.
As I held her, the hatred I felt for the monster started to overwhelm me. My body literally trembled with it, and in turn, I found myself running through different scenarios in my head of how I could have him killed in prison. I had enough money to get away with it. It would be easy, people were killed in prison all the time. Then I remembered my parents’ and Alice’s faces when I was in jail, falsely accused of harming Meghan.
No, I could never run the risk of causing them that pain and sorrow again. Not to mention what it would do to Isabella.
“Don’t ever tell me his last name Bella.” I needed to purge these murderous thought from my mind. “Don’t ever tell me what prison he’s in.”
“Why Edward?” She was bewildered.
“Because I want to kill him Bella. I want to end his miserable life. I want to torture him first though. I want to make him feel more pain than you can even imagine for what he did to you.” I couldn’t believe I was sharing this with her. Didn’t she just go into graphic detail about the effects of having a violent, murderous, monster in her life?
She will probably be utterly disgusted with me.
Instead of reacting the way I expected her to, Isabella surprised me by kissing me. This wasn’t a normal kiss though, it was passionate and painful, emotional and sorrowful. I felt every ounce of her overwhelming grief and gladly took it upon myself to help share the burden of it, I would do anything to lessen her pain.
We didn’t speak during most of the drive back to my parents’, I just held Isabella’s hand as I processed everything she’d said.
I loved her so much. She was, and always would be, the most important thing in my world. I knew that I would do everything in my power to protect her from anything or anyone that would ever try to do her harm.
Upon our arrival, Alice greeted us at the door. I could tell by the expression on her face that she’d had a premonition about Bella. She immediately hugged her “I sensed that you would need a cup of tea.”
I never left Bella’s side during our visit. After everything she’d been through today, I couldn’t bear to be away from her.
“So” My sister began. “I’ve changed our flights so we’ll be traveling with you on Monday Edward.” She smiled. “I thought you might like the company.”
Ordinarily, that would be the last thing I would want. Now, the change brought about by knowing and loving Bella was affecting we in ways I never expected. I no longer wanted to be the solitary figure I’d been for almost seven years.
Parting from Bella was going to be painful. Maybe having Jazz and Alice with me would help.
“Thank you Alice, that was very thoughtful.” I smiled at her in return.
Bella was quiet for most of the ride back to her apartment.
She stirred, and I knew she was going to speak. “Edward, the night of your, er, prom.”
Well, that got my attention.
“Yes” I answered.
“Did Alice sense that anything bad would happen?”
“Not until it was too late. She tried to calm me down after Meghan stormed out, she agreed that I should go back to my hotel suite. It wasn’t until the next morning that she knew something bad was going to happen. She and my parents raced to the hotel. It was too late, I was already at the police station, and the damage was done.”
It was painful to think about that time, much less speak about it. But after everything Isabella had shared with me, I could deny her nothing.
By the time we got back to Bella’s, I was exhausted, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go back to my hotel right away. We sat close together on her sofa, reveling in our time together. It was growing short. I would be back in L.A. this time Monday.
When Bella started to doze off, I made my move to leave. I didn’t want to do it, I hated the thought, but she needed her rest. “I think it’s time I headed back to my hotel.” I forced a chuckle to mask my sadness.
“No, not yet.” She mumbled.
“Bella, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I reassured.
“Are you going to the football game with us?” She asked, suddenly more awake.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” I smiled and kissed her goodbye.
--LRM--
Sidney pulled up in front of my hotel. “Sidney, I’ll need you fairly early tomorrow morning. I’m going to take Isabella to church. I‘ll text you with the exact time.”
I saw Sidney’s lips quirk, as if he was trying not to smile. “Yes sir.”
After my shower, I crawled into the bed, mentally and physically exhausted.
The next morning, I woke an hour before my alarm and dressed hurriedly. I really wanted to surprise Bella, so I needed to be at her apartment early in order to be sure she wouldn’t leave without me.
When Bella answered her door, and I caught sight of the way she was dressed, or a better term would be ‘disguised’, I was overcome with a bout of uncontrollable laughter.
“Why are you laughing?” She asked.
“Bella, this is quite a different look for you. Did you become a spy since the last time I saw you?” I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Ha Ha. Yuck it up. It’s all shits and giggles until Bella drops the ’F’ bomb in Church. I need to NOT be recognized today.”
“I have that problem all the time, not the ‘F‘ bomb, but the trying not to be recognized.” I laughed again. “Seriously though, are you ready?”
“Yes, um, Edward why are you here exactly?”
Oh, damn it, time for the truth.
“I wanted to take you to Church today, if that’s alright?”
I really hope she doesn’t reject the offer.
“Of course Edward, that would be really nice.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as I grabbed her hand and we headed out.
--LRM--
I’d never been to St James Cathedral before, it was really quite beautiful.
I realized about ten minutes into the service that rather than Bella, I should’ve been the one in disguise. All around us were the familiar stares and glimmers of recognition as we tried to pay attention to the Mass. I really didn’t want to deal with ‘fan encounters’ while attending church.
My usual method of tuning out everyone around me wasn‘t going to work today because there were too many so-called ‘church-going’ men ogling my Bella. I glared at each until they looked away in embarrassment.
What the hell? You are in church you lecherous bastards. Keep your eyes off my girl. Although I realize that even in disguise, she’s an exceptional beauty.
I had no problem ignoring the women aiming lustful stares in my direction. Bella, on the other hand, was having a difficult time dealing with them. In fact, she was getting pissed. Thankfully, the elderly couple sitting next to me seemed oblivious to our presence.
Finally, I was able to settle in and listen to the Archbishop’s sermon which was all about the Holy Family. I found it to be quite interesting, and it had a calming effect on me which I hadn‘t felt for years.
While sitting there, I realized that I hadn’t been to a church service since I’d moved to L.A. That is, if you didn’t count the odd wedding here or there that I’d attended.
Soon, it was time for the ’sign of peace’. I was chuckling to myself as I remembered Bella’s run in with ’boogerboy’, and wondered if he was somewhere in the cathedral.
I turned toward my Bella, the only one with whom I had any interest in sharing a ’sign of peace’. Suddenly, the little old lady to my right grabbed my shoulders and turned me round. I politely leaned toward her, thinking she was going to ask me a question. Before I realized what was happening, she had me in a lip lock. I desperately tried to break away, especially when I felt her trying to force her tongue into my mouth.
What the …?
I tried to gently pull out of her grasp, but she was having none of that. One of her arms snaked around me traveling up under my suit jacket, enabling her claw-like hand to grab my ass cheek in a death grip.
I realized that her other arm was on the move, so I quickly placed both my hands over my junk, just in case she attempted copping a feel.
What a loon.
I was still stunned when Bella stepped around me, effectively switching seats.
Thank God. I’m pretty fucking certain that crazy little old lady just broke several laws against God and man.
I feel so dirty. And molested.
For the next few minutes, I was treated to a show by the little girl standing on the kneeler next to me. Evidently, she had absolutely no interest in the Mass, but a lot of interest in me. More specifically, she had a great deal of interest in flashing her Hello Kitty underpants at me.
Soon, people started shuffling out of the pews, heading for the communion rail. The underpants flasher remained.
It was at that very moment that I remembered the pair of Little Mermaid underpants I’d stolen from Bella and tucked away in my suitcase. I thought about how thrilled I’d been to find them.
Fuck, does that make me some sort of pedophile? Because I like Bella’s Disney underpants? The same underpants worn by little girls. I fell sick.
My stomach formed a knot at the thought. At that same moment I felt Bella stiffen beside me.
Oh Christ, she thinks I’m a pedophile too. I need to go back to Dr. Gould.
I turned to try and explain myself to Bella, and realized she wasn’t looking in my direction. Instead her gaze was fixed on a little boy walking down the center aisle with his mother.
Bella grabbed her purse, frantically looking for something.
What the hell is she doing?
Suddenly the little boy shouted while pointing at Bella, “Dere’s da fwucking ladee. Hey fwucking ladee, I gots no boogers, I wicked them awf. Can I shake you fwucking hand now?”
Oh my God. Little boogerboy. This shit is too funny.
Everyone stared at poor Bella while I tried to keep my laughter in.
Just wait until I tell Emmett about this.
Bella grabbed her sunglasses and my hand before we made a hasty departure.
Once we were in the car, neither of us could hold back the laughter any more.
“Miss Swan, I have to say that that was the most fun I’ve ever had in a Church. I can’t wait to do it again.” I leaned in to kiss her lips.
“Hold on right there Mister.” She said while jabbing my chest with her finger. “I don’t know what denture cream tastes like, and I don’t want to find out now.”
Fuck me…she doesn’t know how right she is.
I groaned as I thought about the crazy old lady trying to shove her tongue in my mouth and grabbing my ass. “That wasn’t the worst part Bella.”
She looked puzzled.
“While she was kissing me, she grabbed a handful of my ass cheek. I feel so violated.” I whimpered.
At least I successfully protected my junk. No one gets to grab that but Bella.
Someday.
Back at Bella’s apartment, we changed for the game. After brushing my teeth, I made sure to collect the kiss I was owed.
--LRM--
I was beginning to learn a little more about Sidney every day, and realized that we were going to get along well once he came to work for me. When I informed him that he would be attending the game today, and would be seated in WIRI’s box with us, he actually smiled.
I must remember that Sidney’s a football fan.
Normally, I would enjoy watching the game, but I was fast coming to realize that when Bella was with me, nothing else was ever quite as interesting as her.
She really seemed to be enjoying herself, especially every time Rose was able to have her image plastered across the big screen. Bella smiled and laughed, as carefree as a child.
She was enchanting.
She became less carefree after the arrival of that asshole Mike Newton. I saw him glare at us a few times, but paid no attention to him after that.
We’d all been drinking, except Sidney of course, and the girls were obviously tipsy when they decided to leave together for the ladies’ room.
I knew that if I followed them, Bella would not be pleased. Therefore, I quietly pulled Sidney aside and asked him to shadow the girls, ensuring that no one bothered them.
I’ve become such a worrier. But only about Bella.
It was then that I noticed that horrid makeup woman standing in a shadowed corner of the skybox, another equally unattractive woman by her side. They both tried to smile at me in what they probably believed to be an alluring manner. I narrowed my eyes and glared at them, wanting to make clear my feelings.
It seemed to have been effective, because they both left a minute later. I sat down by Jazz, drinking my beer.
“Back to the grind tomorrow Edward.” He remarked
I looked down at the floor, unable to respond. The thought of leaving Bella was physical torture.
“Glad you came home for Christmas this year?” Jasper asked quietly.
I looked at him, his eyes were gleaming. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made Jasper, bar none.”
He grinned and clinked beer bottles with me.
Before long, my beautiful girl made an appearance back through the door. She seemed a bit flustered. I couldn’t help myself, I swept her into my arms, embracing her tightly.
“Wow, what was that for?”
“Just for being you. I missed you by the way.”
Why did she even have to ask?
I went to the bar for more drinks, when I turned back toward Bella, that ass Mike Newton was sitting beside her as if he belonged there.
I don’t fucking think so.
I returned to Bella as quickly as I could. “Yes Mike, I’m with Edward. You need to leave now.” I heard her say.
“Just remember Bella, when he dumps you, because you mean nothing to him, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.”
Son of a whore.
“I think I heard Bella ask you to leave.” I barked out. “Although I don’t owe you an explanation of any kind, I feel the need to correct your assumptions. I’ll have you know that Bella doesn’t mean nothing to me. On the contrary, she means everything to me.”
I truly don’t deserve her.
I looked at Bella, and she was beaming up at me.
--LRM--
The rest of the game flew by quickly. As expected, Emmett was masterful at entertaining the sports reporters afterward.
We opted out of participating in any end of the season celebrations, and headed back to Bella’s apartment with heavy hearts.
We spent hours talking, or saying nothing, just being together was enough. We argued about silly things, each of us trying to put off the time of my inevitable departure.
It was late, she was lying in my arms when I spoke again.
“Bella, it’s late, I should go.” She needed to get up for school and work.
“No Edward, not yet.” She almost pleaded.
How am I going to do this?
“Bella, you have a very busy day tomorrow, I don’t want you to be exhausted. I’ll call you every day until I return, I promise.”
“I know you will, but when will I see you again?”
At that moment I decided come hell or high water, I would be back in Seattle next weekend.
“I’m going to try and come up next weekend. Would that be too soon?” I smiled, knowing her answer already.
“You’re kidding! Wow Edward, I thought you had a lot to do in L.A.”
“I do, but I think I can squeeze a weekend trip in. Besides, we need to have that ’first date’.“ My mood was already lighter, thinking about seeing her in less than a week. “I start filming my next project in about a week and a half. Once that starts, my free time will be rather piece meal, but I’m still going to try and see you as often as I can.“
She sighed. I knew she was feeling as happy as I was. “I’m going to miss you like crazy.” she said quietly.
“Me too Bella. You have no idea how hard it’s going to be for me to get on that plane tomorrow.”
“I have an idea, believe me.” She said as she started to cry.
It broke my heart, but I had commitments. More importantly, I needed to resolve the Tanya situation in order to truly be with Bella.
I held her close, realizing that it was getting later and later. I finally stood to leave, giving her a kiss to remember me by.
I wouldn’t let her come to the door, not wanting my last image to be of her standing, crying in the hallway.
Two short weeks ago I had dreaded coming home to Seattle. It represented the most difficult period of my life. Now, it represented love, home, family, and everything good in my world, starting with Bella.
I sent her a quick text, before crawling into bed.
My dreams were filled with visions of my beautiful girl, and the happiest two weeks of my life.
***************************************************************************************
Chapter 13 - Destiny Interrupted
“Hello Alice.” I smiled as I removed my earbuds. I decided to ask her something that had been on my mind since Saturday. She looked at me expectantly as I began. “How much did you know about my conversation with Bella when we got back to Mom and Dad’s Saturday afternoon?”
She continued to smile gently at me. “I knew that she told you something important, and that it was traumatic. I surmise that it was about the day her mother died?” She asked softly.
I ran my hand roughly through my hair. “Yes. She told me everything that happened.” I said quietly, my voice cracking with the memory of that afternoon with Bella.
Alice placed one hand on my bicep. “Edward, Bella has been saved, you both were, and that had to be for a reason. I believe there’s more at work here than meets the eye. You were meant to find each other, meant to be together.”
I looked at her questioningly. It wasn’t that I didn’t agree with what she was saying, it was just that I’d never heard Alice admit to being very spiritual before.
“Look Edward. I’ve had a lot of reason to think about these types of things over the years.” I knew we weren’t talking about me and Bella any more.
“Having this gift is both a blessing and a curse. There were so many times I could have butted into someone’s life and changed their course, and from time to time I have. But, I’ve always been afraid that maybe I wasn’t supposed to, like I was interfering with destiny. I’ve finally settled into a place where I offer advice and support when needed, but try not to interfere too much.”
“Admittedly, sometimes I do intervene to save a loved one from a disastrous mistake. That is, if they will listen to me.” She said with an arched glare aimed at me.
“Sometimes, I get the feeling that I’m being tested. Like I was given this gift for a reason, and I’m being judged by the way I use it. I try very hard not to use it for selfish self-serving purposes. Sometimes it’s a hard line to walk. Does that make any sense?”
“Perfect sense Alice.” I said as I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. “Have I told you lately what a great sister you are?”
She giggled. “Maybe. But I never get tired of hearing it.” She said as she smiled.
My poor sister. Never once in all our years growing up had I even thought about how difficult having her gift must be for her. Once again, I had been too wrapped up in my own selfishness to care about the shit that others around me have gone through.
I thought about what she’d said about Bella and myself, and knew it was true. Something or someone had allowed us to be broken, allowed us to be saved and healed, although not healed completely. Now I realized we couldn’t have that until we found each other.
The thoughts running through my head were truly mind-boggling. Something or Someone, call it Divine Providence, the hand of God, whatever you like, but Bella and I were meant to be together, just as Alice had said.
Alec was waiting for us at LAX. We dropped Alice at home, and headed over for a meeting with Jane. On the way up to Jane’s office, I sent a quick text to Bella.
Beautiful-
I’m here. I’m lonely. About to step into a meeting.
Miss you more than I can say.
Love You
-E
My phone chimed almost immediately in response.
E-
I know how you feel. Never been lonelier. About to step into class.
Then work with Rose, after that, home to my empty apartment.
Wish I could snuggle with you instead.
Love, B
Jane was overzealous, as usual, in promoting different movie roles she thought I should be interested in doing. I had to make it very clear that once I was finished shooting The Harvest of Avarice, I wanted my summer off. The movie with Clint wouldn’t start until September, and I had no desire to squeeze a six-week shoot for some indie flick in before that.
“But Edward, this could be the role that will land you an Oscar. This movie is going to be amazing.” She pleaded.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I want my summer off. End of discussion.” I said forcefully.
There was no way that a stupid gold statuette was more appealing than spending the summer with Bella.
After the meeting, I was buoyant. I always took secret delight in pissing off Jane. There was something about the way her nostrils flared and her lips pursed like she’d just sucked on a lemon, that warmed my heart.
I knew she was going to be shitty to everyone in her office for the rest of the day, and that it was my fault.
I didn’t give a fuck.
--LRM--
Alec, Jasper and I decided to grab a late lunch. While waiting for our food to arrive, I called Tanya’s number.
Her assistant Dennis answered the phone. “Hello Edward, how was your vacation?”
Magnificent. Life-changing. “It was the best I’ve ever had.” I said in answer.
“Is Tanya available?” I asked, needing to get to the point of my call.
“She’s at the salon, well we both are, but I refuse to stand around feeling stupid so I’m walking down to the bookstore while babysitting her phone. I can tell her you called.”
“I was hoping she and Felix could meet with me tonight. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“I know for a fact that she’s free tonight. I’ll text you as soon as I speak with her. Is that okay?” He asked.
“That sounds good, thanks Dennis.”
I hung up just as our food arrived.
Alec gave me a strange look. “Edward, pardon my bluntness, but what the fuck is going on with you? Is this all about that chick?”
I glared at Alec as Jasper tried to shut him down, “Alec you need to quiet down, and don’t refer to Bella as some chick please.”
Jasper was a little too polite, I was livid. “I told you once before Alec to watch the way you speak about Isabella.”
Alec looked bewildered. “Sorry bro, I just don’t understand it. Are you really interested in this ch.., I mean Miss Swan?”
“I’m in love with her.” I stated simply.
Alec’s mouth fell open in shock. Normally, I would have found this funny, but I was still angry with him.
After a moment, he spoke. “Dude, seriously?”
I nodded.
“Damn. I sort of suspected you were gay. But when you never hit on me, I kind of assumed you just didn’t like sex.” He stated bluntly.
I glared at him incredulously. “Alec, you my friend, are a pig. Remind me why I keep you around again?”
Alec grinned. “Because Edward, you can’t do shit for yourself.” Alec said through a mouthful of ravioli. “And you had pity on me when my sister wouldn’t hire me to work in her damn agency.”
I sighed and shook my head while Jasper chuckled.
“Jane’s just a bitch and she knows I’d steal all her clients away.”
The boy was unflappable.
After lunch, I had the driver deposit Jasper and Alec at their homes, and me at mine. I needed to relax and think about what I was going to say to Tanya.
Before doing anything else, I phoned the florist and had two dozen roses delivered to Isabella, promising her that I would be holding her in my arms before they started to wilt.
It had been less than twenty-four hours since we’d been together, and I was already miserable.
I pulled out my guitar. Playing usually helped relax me.
Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before and seems to have a vague
Haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel
Whatever tomorrow brings
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes yea
Whatever tomorrow brings
I'll be there, I'll be there
I was interrupted by the chime of an incoming text. It was from Tanya.
Spago 8:30. I’ve made reservations. Call me if there’s a prob.
-T
I wasn’t surprised that she chose a very trendy spot full of paps.
Shit.
The sooner this is overwith the better.
--LRM--
I arrived at the restaurant early, securing a private table near the back. Tanya arrived about fifteen minutes later, dressed for the paps, as always. I stood as she approached, Felix close on her heels. She gave me a brief hug, then she and Felix took their seats.
We made small talk until we’d order our entrees, then I decided to get to the point.
“Tanya I needed to meet with you for a specific reason.”
She looked at me questioningly.
“I’ve met a someone. She means the world to me. I’m in love, and we need to come clean with the public.” I blurted.
Tanya’s face froze in shock. Her eyes started to blink rapidly as she processed what I’d just said.
“But..” she sputtered “Edward, you..” she started to look a little panicked. “You aren’t serious. Tell me you’re not serious?” She whispered.
“Dead serious Tanya.”
Christ, she’s acting as if this is a real breakup.
I watched as she drew in a deep breath and exhaled. Felix reached over and discreetly squeezed her hand. I couldn’t help but notice that he looked very pleased about what I’d said.
“Edward if I’d known this was what you wanted, I would have met with you in private.” She said through gritted teeth.
This riled me slightly. “Tanya, I never wanted to meet in public. You’re the one who assumed that. You never even spoke with me, you just made plans. Let’s eat, then we can go somewhere private to hash this out.”
“Okay” She answered quietly “We’ll go to my house.”
Not surprisingly, the paps were waiting outside when we left. Upon arrival at her house, I looked around, not spotting any photographers, but I wasn‘t taking any chances. I rushed Tanya inside.
After showing me into the living room, Felix fixed us all drinks. As I prepared in my head what I wanted to say, Tanya spoke.
“Edward, I’m sorry. I realized how I must have sounded back there. It just came as quite a shock. I have to be honest, I’ve known you for years and you’ve never had a real girlfriend. I kind of assumed you were gay.” She gave me a slight smile as I rolled my eyes.
Why the fuck does everyone keep saying that?
“Maybe you were just emotionally closed off?”
Could this conversation become any more awkward?
I breathed out a sigh before admitting the truth. “That’s exactly what I was Tanya, and everything you just said was precisely why I needed to tell you about this in person. I realize this is all completely out of character for me. Suffice it to say that I had a very bad experience years ago which fucked me up royally.” I took a deep breath. “Isabella has changed all of that.”
“Are you sure Edward? I mean the backlash from this will probably be bad. I’ll admit I am completely selfish about my reasons to continue this charade.” She looked down at her lap. “If the public finds out the things I did before, I ..”
Felix put his arm around Tanya and pulled her into his side. “Tanya, this is the best thing that could have happened. I wish you two had never agreed to this shit in the first place, but what‘s done is done.” He tried to calm her. “Look, if you’re worried about the video the studio has of you, why not do a preemptive strike? Confess to the public before it can be used against you?”
Tanya looked as if she was going to cry. “I… , I don’t know if I can do that Felix.” She said in a whisper.
Tanya was quiet as I saw a few tears escape. I felt horrible. Alice had warned me years ago not to agree to this arrangement, but I stubbornly ignored her.
“Look Tanya, I promise to take my share of the blame. I’m not innocent in this. I just need to fix things in order to go forward with Bella. I have a chance for a real future with her, and I’m just selfish enough to do whatever’s necessary to bring that about.”
Tanya studied me for a long moment. “No, Edward. You really don’t need to do this. This mess is my fault. I will be the one to fix it.”
I started to disagree with her, but she cut me off. “No. If I had simply done like you and kept my mouth shut, I wouldn’t have as much to explain now.”
She looked at Felix and smiled. “This could be a good thing, I mean I never intended to go on forever like this, living a lie.” She then turned back to me. “Can I ask one favor Edward?”
“Of course.” I answered.
“Can I have a little time to get my life in order, speak with my attorney. I don’t want to say anything that will incriminate me.”
“That’s not a problem Tanya, but you should know that I’m going to reveal everything to Isabella this weekend. Even the information about the video. I’m sorry about that, but I’m not going to hide anything from her any more.”
“You haven’t told her already?” She asked, surprised.
“No Tanya. The contents of that video are your personal business. I didn‘t feel right discussing that with anyone before letting you know.”
She smiled at me. “I have to say that you’re a rare breed Edward, a true gentleman.”
I laughed “My mother would appreciate the compliment.”
“So” Tanya settled back into the sofa “Tell me more about this Isabella.”
And so I did. I revealed how from the moment we met, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. How awed I was when I found out that she felt the same.
I didn’t reveal the details of Isabella’s past or my stalking on Christmas Day.
I’m pretty sure Tanya would question whether I really was a gentleman if she knew about that.
Tanya and Felix both sat there grinning at me as I rambled.
After a while Felix laughed “Edward, you’ve got it bad man.”
“And it looks like you’ll finally get what you’ve wanted for years Felix, a job working for your wife.” We both laughed again.
“Oh my God, Edward.” Tanya startled as if she’d just thought of something. “I was questioned by reporters this weekend. They asked about photos of you and Isabella. I figured they were blowing your relationship with her out of proportion, so I played it off as ‘you having your fun but coming back to me’. That’s not going to cause a problem for you is it?” She looked worried.
“I don’t think so Tanya, but don’t worry about it. I’ll be seeing Bella this weekend and will explain everything.”
“Please tell her I apologize for that. I really thought she was just working for you and never considered there was anything more to it.”
“Sure Tanya, no problem.”
Soon, I could feel the exhaustion of the long day catching up with me. I stood to leave.
“Well, thank you both for hearing me out.” I hugged Tanya goodbye, and shook Felix’s hand.
“Just give me some time Edward. This isn’t going to be easy.” Tanya looked pleadingly at me.
I nodded, and was out the door.
When I finally crawled into bed, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep without talking to my girl. I looked at the clock and realized how late it was.
If she’s asleep I’ll just leave a message.
I dialed Bella’s number.
“Hello.” came the voice of my angel over the phone.
“Hello sweetheart, I was afraid you’d be asleep.” I murmured.
“I stayed up, hoping you’d call. I really missed you today. Like I said, I‘d rather have spent the day snuggling with you on my sofa.”
She may possibly be a mind reader.
The next voice I heard definitely wasn’t Bella’s “Jeez, I can’t tell you how much this is creeping me out Bellaboo.”
Emmett.
“More than humping dead goblins Emmett?” Bella retorted.
What the..?
“De-fin-ite-ly. I’m going to go to bed Bells, goodnight Eddie.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t ask but, humping dead goblins?” I was confused.
“We were playing Lord of The Rings Online, and Emmett was being Emmett. Need I say more?”
I chuckled. “Actually no, I understand.”
“You sound tired.”
“Yeah, it’s been a long day, and a long evening. My meeting was… draining.”
So draining, but so worth it.
“Did you want to talk about it?”
I definitely couldn’t go into this right now.
“Not now, or over the phone. We’ll have a long talk this weekend. I can’t wait to see you again, and it’s only been a day.”
“I know what you mean Edward. It’s going to be a long week.”
After that, exhaustion starting to overwhelm me, we decided to say goodnight. We said our goodbyes and ‘I love yous’, and promised to speak again tomorrow.
--LRM--
It felt really good to sleep in the next morning. While drinking my morning coffee, I glanced at the time and realized that Bella was already in class.
I had a lunch meeting with the producer and director of The Harvest Of Avarice, so I decided to get in a workout before I had to get ready.
On my way to the restaurant for my lunch meeting, my phone rang.
“Hello Alice.”
“Edward” she sounded upset “Have you spoken with Bella today?”
“No, by the time I woke up she was already in class. Why? Is something wrong?”
I could feel myself starting to panic. Did Alice ‘see’ something bad happen to Bella?
“Don’t freak out okay, but there are pictures of you and Tanya from last night all over the internet. They‘re making it look like a date or a booty call, whichever you‘d like to call it.”
“Shit” I muttered. “Look I’ll just call Bella, she knew I was having meetings this week. She’ll understand.”
Fuck, I never told her I’d be meeting with Tanya.
“Let me know if you need me to do anything Edward. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Okay Alice. I’ve got to go to a meeting. I’ll let you know.”
I could feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. I decided to call Bella.
The phone rang several times before switching to voicemail.
“Bella, call me as soon as you get this. There’s some stuff going around the internet that’s misleading. Please don’t look at anything until I have a chance to talk to you. I love you Bella, please call me.”
The lunch meeting went well. I’d never worked with either of these men before, but after getting to know them a little better I knew this project was going to be a great experience.
I checked my phone as I left the restaurant, and started getting nervous when I found there were no return calls from Bella.
I called again, leaving a message similar to the last one. After arriving home, I called again, still nothing.
I was starting to freak the fuck out, so I went on my laptop to see for myself what was being said.
It was so bad. If Bella saw this before I was able to explain, I was fucked.
It was getting later, and I couldn’t understand why she didn’t call me back, even if it was to tell me to drop dead. I spent the rest of the afternoon burning up her voice mail with messages.
“Oh God Bella, why won’t you call me? Baby if you’ve seen that stuff on those gossip sites, please don’t believe them. I need to talk to you. Please, please call me.”
I was in full panic mode now, not knowing how I would ever be able to explain anything if she wouldn’t even speak to me.
I dialed her number again. This time someone answered.
“You are a fucking dead man.” I heard Emmett’s low menacing tone.
“Emmett, please, you have to listen, none of that stuff is true.”
“I don’t have to listen to one fucking word you say asshole. How could you Edward?” Emmett’s voice cracked. “How could you do that to her? Hasn’t she been through enough?” He took a deep breath “Don’t you fucking call back.”
The line went dead as I sank to the floor. I drew my knees up and dropped my head into my hand, while I held my phone in the other.
I don’t know how long I sat like that before I heard Alice frantically calling my name.
“There you are” she shouted as she and Jasper moved quickly into the room. “You don’t answer the door now? I was knocking and knocking. I finally had to use my key.”
Alice dropped down beside me on the floor. “Edward, what’s going on?”
“I haven’t been able to reach her all day Alice. I know she hates me.” I tried very hard not to fall apart in front of my sister. “Emmett answered her phone just now. I think she believes the reports.”
Why wouldn’t Bella have a little more faith in me?
Why should she trust me? I should have told her everything about Tanya from the beginning. Instead, I put Tanya’s feelings before Bella’s.
“Edward, no matter what you think, this isn’t a lost cause. Keep trying to talk to her. She’s just in shock right now. Be persistent, she’s going to listen to you.”
It is time to learn from my mistakes and listen to my sister for once.
“Okay Alice, I’ll keep trying.” I said despondently.
“Jasper and I are going to stay here with you. I’ll go fix you something to eat.”
Alice disappeared into my kitchen while Jasper sat down in a chair watching me.
I stayed in my spot on the floor cradling my phone, willing it to ring with a call from Bella.
Alice brought me a sandwich, I couldn’t even look at it, much less eat it. After a while, she gave up trying to get me to take a bite. I did however drink the glass of orange juice she forced into my hand.
“Edward” Jasper said quietly “Why don’t you go take a shower, I’ll let you know if your phone rings.”
I shook my head. There was no way I was going to miss a call. Jasper brought me the cord to my phone so I could keep it charged.
Alice and Jasper finally gave up trying to get me to move, and eventually they went to bed.
Around midnight I tried Bella’s number again. It went straight to voicemail.
“Bella, I spoke with Emmett. I don’t blame him for wanting to fucking kill me. Believe me Bella, if I’d really done anything to hurt you, I’d want to kill myself. Please let me talk to you, I need to explain. I love you Bella.”
I’d hoped she would eventually listen to my messages and know that I love her. I continued to sit on the floor, keeping vigil over my phone for the rest of the night.
****************************************************************************************
Chapter 14 - A Life Preserver For The Drowning Man
I woke with a start and looked at my cell phone. 5:30am.
No missed calls. No voicemails. No text messages. Nothing.
In a zombie-like state, I stumbled into the kitchen to fix coffee. There was no way I was staying around here much longer despite Alice’s advice. My thoughts ranged from flying up to Seattle and camping out in front of Bella’s apartment until she listened to me, to traveling as far away as possible, perhaps Australia, and not returning until Tanya had made her statement.
I was screwed. There was no easy solution to this.
As I stood at my kitchen island with my head in my hands, I was pulled from my brooding by the voice of my sister. “Edward, I told you to keep trying. This will work out. Bella is having a perfectly natural reaction to all this craziness, remember that.” Alice advised.
I looked up to see her and Jasper standing right in front of me.
Jasper cleared his throat before speaking. “Edward, I know this is a bad time to mention it but, you have a meeting at 10am with a couple of Plateau Studio executives. I can see you’re not up to it, so I’ll call to cancel.”
Plateau Studios? The same fuckers that suggested Tanya and I have a phony relationship?
“No Jasper, I’ll still be able to meet with them.” I tried to affect a calm, disinterested demeanor.
Jasper’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You sure?”
“I look forward to it.” I answered flatly.
I’ll be lucky if I’m not arrested after this meeting.
Jasper was a little freaked out when I refused to shower or change my clothes before the meeting.
Those assholes are lucky I decided to brush my teeth.
As I sat in the conference room, I looked around me. My eyes narrowed at the sight of Sal Gardener and Herb Palatine. They were key players in the establishment of my fake relationship with Tanya. There they sat like Roman Emperors surrounded by their assistants and various other lackeys.
Sal was babbling at me and I had to focus in order to understand his words.
“Edward, your upcoming projects are such promising roles. I’ve been informed that they were either hand-picked for you, or written with you in mind. Next year, as part of your contract renewal, we’ll be proposing that you be given free reign to green light a project of your choosing. Our number one goal is to make sure you are happy.“
This struck a chord. I started to laugh. Actually is was more like a cackle. The exact sound an insane person would make when someone in the room, either real or imagined, said something which they found to be extremely fucking funny.
“Happy?” I laughed as I held my stomach with one hand and ran the fingers of my other hand through my hair. “You want to make sure I’m happy?”
They nodded, a little dumbfounded at my reaction.
“You bastards are the reason that today is the unhappiest day of my entire miserable life!”
They looked at me, confused.
“Edward, please calm down.” Jasper hissed at me and tried to place a calming hand on my arm. “I knew coming here today was a mistake.”
I glared at him. “No Jasper, it wasn’t a mistake. Letting these assholes manipulate my life was a mistake.” I hissed back.
Alec was on the other side of me, grasping my shoulder. “Dude.” He muttered in a way that made his confusion evident.
I need to calm down. I also need to tell these shitheads off and get the hell out of here.
After taking a few deep breaths and rubbing my face with my hands, I forced a smile for Herb and Sal. “I’m sorry gentlemen, I’ve been upset. Dealing with personal issues, you know.” I said in a low voice while waving my hand as if to imply that the matter was inconsequential.
I watched as they seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
“Sal, Herb, you mentioned that you just want to make sure I’m happy right?”
“Yes, of course Edward.” Herb stated as Sal nodded in agreement.
“Well” I paused as I placed my elbows on the table and stared at the fingers of both hands as I laced them together.
“There’s one thing that would make me extremely happy at this moment.“ I said quietly.
“You have only to name it Edward, and it’s yours.“ Sal said with a big smile on his face.
I took a deep breath and stood up. “I would really like it if the both of you and your entire crew would go fuck yourselves.”
I turned on my heel and bolted out the door, slamming it as I went.
Jasper chased after me, begging me to come back inside and apologize. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t curse him out, and got into my waiting car. I instructed the driver to take me home.
Once I arrived there, I decided to call Bella again. I wasn’t surprised that the call went immediately to voicemail.
“Bella. I guess you hate me. If I were you, I’d hate me too. I can’t live without you, though. It’s too much, I hate it here. You know what I just did? I was in a meeting with some studio execs, and I told everyone to go fuck themselves and left. I don’t care. I just want you. Please talk to me.”
I sat and stared at my phone for a long time. When no response came, I got up and walked to my music room. Sitting down at the piano, I tried to play, but couldn’t will my hands to move.
“How did things get so fucked up so fast?” I asked aloud of no one.
Even if Bella hated me, I knew I would love her forever. There would never be anyone else. I forced myself to recollect every happy moment we’d shared together.
I laughed out loud when I remembered how she blushed after spilling coffee on her shirt that first day.
I smiled as I remembered the conversations we had in my hotel suite. There was an ache in my chest as I recalled the look on her face after we declared our love for each other on my parents‘ boat.
My throat constricted and my eyes filled with tears when I remembered kissing her on New Year’s Eve. My mind filled with the memory of every shared smile, every touch, every kiss, until I couldn’t take it any more.
My cell phone sat ominously silent as I broke from my thoughts, and went to the liquor cabinet.
Nothing good ever came from drinking while upset.
I pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Wild Turkey, trying to decide on my poison, all the while trying to talk myself out of it.
This will not end well. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.
As I continued to debate whether I should try to eat something first, my phone chimed with a text.
Drinking will only make matters worse. Stay strong brother dear.
-Ali
I went into the kitchen, forced down a banana, along with some grapes and cheese.
Maybe I should be a little more patient. Alice said that Bella will listen to me. But how long is this going to take? It’s been hours since my last text.
I looked at the liquor bottles again.
“Fuck it.” I muttered as I reached for a tumbler and the Wild Turkey.
Just as I brought the glass to my lips, my phone chimed with another text.
Damn it. Alice is determined that I will not take a sip of this drink.
I reached for my phone. As soon as I glanced at the screen, the tumbler fell from my other hand smashing into pieces as it hit the floor.
Bella.
I could hardly stop my hands from shaking in order to read the message.
Edward-
I’ll talk to you.
-Bella
I forced the shaking to stop in order to send a reply.
Beautiful-
Thank you, that means so much to me. I love you so much.
-Edward
She was going to give me a chance. It was all I had hoped for. I ran out my front door, leaving the mess on the floor. Mrs. Hernandez, my housekeeper, would not be pleased.
I sent a text to my temporary driver that I needed to get to the airport. He arrived less than five minutes later.
--LRM--
Fuck airports. Fuck airlines. Fuck airplanes. Fuck winter storms.
It turned out that some southern snow storm had held up a lot of the planes that were supposed to land in LAX. Something about connections being screwed up in Atlanta and Dallas. The airlines had to scramble to reaccommodate a shit-ton of passengers, and in the meantime, a lot of the direct flights from LAX to Seattle were diverted to other places.
The bottom line for me was that the flights I needed were sold out. Even using the Edward Masen charm got me nowhere.
Probably doesn’t help that I look like shit right now.
The best I could get was a seat on a flight with a stop in Salt Lake City, that would put me in Seattle at 9:30 tonight. I had to sit in coach next to a dude that wouldn’t’ stop talking.
I kept having flashbacks to the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I decided to suffer in silence, instead of being a prick to the guy, like Steve Martin’s character had been.
When we finally touched down in Seattle, I was tempted to kiss the floor of the airport, but thought better of it when I saw a couple of paps lurking around.
Damn it. Someone already alerted them to my arrival? Un-fucking believable.
I hopped in a cab and, before long, I was at Isabella’s apartment building. It dawned on me at that moment that I never told her I was coming.
Oh shit, maybe she wanted to talk over the phone rather than in person.
Putting my self-doubt aside, I made my way up to her apartment. It seemed like a lifetime since I’d been there, but in all actuality it had been less than three days.
I knocked on Isabella’s door and heard muffled cursing come from behind it, before it was yanked open.
“I should have know you’d show up here tonight. Lucky me.” Rose sneered.
“Rosalie, I really need to see Bella.” I pleaded.
Rose blocked my way. “She told me that she sent you a text. But you know what? I don’t give a shit what she told you. I’m not letting you in here.”
This is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.
“Please Rose, I have to talk to her. None of those reports are true, you have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do anything Masen, except kick your sorry ass back to Hollywood where you fit right in with all the other phonies.” Rose barked at me.
“I never lied to Bella, I’ll admit I didn’t tell her everything, but I was planning to tell her this weekend, I swear.”
I’ve made a mess of everything.
“I’ll do anything. Please Rose I can’t lose her.” I was not above begging. Bella was the most important thing in my world.
Rose seemed to consider what I’d said. “Alice called me tonight. For some reason she’s on your side.”
“Alice knows everything.” I said in a quiet voice.
“Well then why don’t you enlighten me Edward? I’m dying to know what the big secret is. I can promise you that it better be fucking impressive if you expect to get past me to talk to Bella.”
At that moment, I spotted movement over Rose’s shoulder. Suddenly my angel came into view.
“Bella” I whispered. She looked so broken. I wanted to run to her and take her in my arms and explain that it was all a stupid mistake.
“Stop Bella! Don’t you move one step closer to him.” Rose yelled at her. She was incensed. Bella didn’t move.
Rose thought for a minute. “Masen, come with me.” She then turned to Bella. “Bella, you stay here until I come back.”
“Okay.” I heard Bella whisper.
She looks so sad.
I watched Bella until Rose closed the door to her apartment.
Rose stood in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed over her chest.
“By all means don’t make yourself at home.” She glared at me. “Start talking Masen.”
Before I got two words out of my mouth, Emmett burst into the room.
“Who the hell let you in here?” He yelled as he crossed the room headed straight for me. I braced myself for the ass-whipping of my life.
Rose stepped between us. “Stop Emmett.”
Amazingly, he stopped at her words. “I need to speak with Masen alone. Go across the hall to Bella, it’s better if she’s not by herself right now.”
Emmett looked at her incredulously. “What the hell Rose? Why would you need to speak to this liar?” The look on his face as he turned to me, was one of absolute hatred.
“Emmett just go. I need to do this.” She said forcefully as she opened the door to the apartment and motioned for him to go across the hall.
“No one should be talking to him. I should be tossing his ass out onto the street!”
“Emmett! Go! I’ll come get you in a little while.”
He gave me one last glare and stomped across the hall.
Rose closed the door and continued to watch me. “Well?”
“Okay” I breathed out a sigh and ran both hands through my hair as I always did when I was nervous. “There is no relationship with Tanya, the studio invented it years ago, and we were encouraged to go along with it.”
Rose’s mouth fell open in shock. “What are you talking about Masen? Do I look like some gullible little bimbo that will believe your bullshit? You’re about thirty seconds away from never seeing Bella again.”
“Rose it’s the truth! Just, let me start from the beginning and maybe you’ll understand why I would agree to that stupid arrangement.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, but didn’t say another word as I told her of Meghan, and my ordeal seven years ago, and the emotional scars left behind.
“Actually Tanya said it correctly the other night when she referred to me as ‘emotionally closed off’.”
Rose got a disgusted look on her face. “And so we come to the reason we’re even talking right now. Tanya Madison.” She said with a sneer.
“Yes.” I fidgeted nervously with the cuff to my shirt. “What I said was true Rose. Tanya and I have never been more than friends. We’ve never had a romantic relationship.”
“From the beginning, the studio loved us as a couple. They promoted it. I didn’t care because I didn’t have any desire to have a real girlfriend, so a made-up one took the focus off the fact that I didn’t date. I made it clear to Tanya that it could never be the real thing. I’ve never even as much as kissed her off-screen.”
Rose looked skeptical. “Why the hell would Tanya Madison agree to this charade Edward? What exactly was in this for her?”
I thought about it. Would I be breaking Tanya’s confidence by telling her the reasons for Tanya’s acquiescence?
To hell with putting anyone else’s feelings ahead of Bella. I’ve got to do what it takes to get her back.
“The studio convinced her. Tanya has done a few things in her past which she regrets. The studio acquired a video of her doing illegal drugs. They implied that the video could find its way into the hands of the paps if she wasn’t cooperative.”
Rose’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh”
“Please tell me that you’ll keep that information to yourself Rose. Tanya’s changed so much since she met Felix. I never understood it before, but now that I’ve met Bella, I can see how…”
“Felix? As in your bodyguard Felix?” Rose interrupted.
“Yes. Well, former bodyguard actually. Tanya and Felix got married last year.”
Now Rose looked stunned. She sat down on the sofa, and invited me to do the same. We sat quietly for a few minutes.
“Okay so, providing all of this is true” She said as she shot me a worried look. “How can I trust you with Bella? I wasn’t kidding Edward when I told you she was fragile. You know her history.”
“I do Rose. I would never intentionally hurt her. This was a big fucked-up misunderstanding.”
Rose bit the inside of her cheek as she thought. “Alright Edward, here’s the thing. Your old girlfriend did a number on you, I get that. But then I find out that the one real relationship we all assumed you were in was a fake, so that leads me to realize that the only interaction you’ve had with women these last few years have been the numerous hook-ups reported by the gossip rags. You are what I would call a ‘man-whore‘. For that reason, I believe even more strongly than I did before that you’re not the right guy for Bella. You may only be capable of meaningless sexual relationships. I can’t let you do that to her.”
Shit. I’m going to have to tell her everything.
I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. “Rose, those ‘hook-ups’ weren’t real. They were dates staged by the studio. The girls were all models and aspiring actresses. I barely remember any of their names, nothing happened between us.”
Rose frowned at me, not believing a word.
“How can I say this so you’ll believe me? After my breakdown, I wanted nothing to do with any kind of relationship. I didn’t want to be intimate with anyone. I could never put myself in that vulnerable a position again. I admit to a couple close calls over the years, mainly brought on by my use of alcohol as a mood-enhancer. Thankfully, Alice always saved my stupid ass from making a drunken mistake. But no, there have been no sexual relationships, no sexual encounters, no one-night stands, nothing.”
Rose was abruptly furious as she bolted off of the sofa. “You know, you almost had me. I almost fucking believed you Masen. You and your little sob story. But this last bit of bullshit just did it. I want you the hell out of here right now. If you’re not gone in one minute, I’m calling Emmett back over here to fuck up your shit.” She seethed.
I threw my hands up in surrender as I stood. “Rose, I’m telling the truth. You can call Alice, as I said before, she knows everything.” Then I did something I thought I would never do, I collapsed to the floor my head in my hands, and pleaded. “Please, please I can’t lose Bella. Please call Alice.”
I was in fucking agony.
Rose watched me in silence for a moment as I dragged my hands furiously through my hair. She didn’t say a word as she walked slowly to the coffee table, never taking her eyes off of me. She reached for her cell phone and dialed.
“Talk to me Alice.” She said in a quiet voice.
I watched her face as she took in whatever Alice was saying to her. “Yes, he told me that. Okay. She’s going to make a public statement? Well, it’s good to know that part of the story wasn’t a lie.”
She listened again for a moment. “The high school girlfriend? Yeah, I know. If you’re backing him up on that, I’ll accept it. The part I can’t accept Alice is this last bit of bullshit he just threw at me.”
“He’s trying to tell me that he never had sex with any of those stupid whores he’s been photographed with, and I ….”
Rose paused and listened for a moment. I watched as her eyebrows shot up in complete surprise as she stared at me. She didn’t look pissed anymore, just freaked out. “Alice, I’ve know you a long time. You wouldn’t lie to me about this would you? I mean Bella is so vulnerable, I can’t risk her being hurt.” Rose’s voice cracked with emotion.
She was silent again. “I’m glad you feel that way about her already, she’s very precious to us.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to see that. I really don’t know what to say.” She was almost whispering now. “I’m stunned.” Then she laughed quietly.
“Okay, well, thank you. I’ll give you a call later. Bye Alice.”
Rose placed the phone down on the table and turned to face me.
“I can’t believe I’m actually asking this question of anyone, especially of you Edward. It’s really none of my fucking business but I’m having a lot of trouble processing what your sister just told me.”
She sighed. “Edward, have you ever had sex?”
I looked her straight in the eye. “No Rose, I have not. I think the technical term you’re trying to avoid is ’virgin’. I. Am. A. Virgin.”
One fucking humiliated virgin.
“Wow.” She said with a smirk. “Do you realize what it would do for my career if I broke this story?”
I frowned as I felt myself starting to panic. “But…”
She chuckled. “Relax Edward. I would never do that. Your secret’s safe with me. However, you’d better never hurt her.”
After breathing out the biggest relieved sigh of my life, I stood up.
“You’re not in the clear yet Edward. You still have to explain things to Bella.”
I smirked at her. “That should be a piece of cake after this. You really missed your calling Rose. You should be interrogating suspected terrorists for the C.I.A.”
Rose burst into laughter. “Come on. Let’s go see your girl.”
My girl. Let’s hope she still wants that as much as I do.
As soon as we walked into Bella’s apartment, we were met with the angry glares of her brother.
Rose spoke authoritatively. “Bella, after the events of the last two days, I find it hard to believe I’m going to say this.”
“What Rose?” Bella whispered. It looked as if she’d been asleep.
“Come with me Emmett, we’re going back to our apartment. Edward needs to speak with Bella alone.” Rose commanded.
I noticed that Emmett and Bella both gasped in shock.
Rose turned to me and patted my hand. “Good luck.”
At that moment, I realized I was going to need it.
*****************************************************************************************
Chapters 15 & 16 - Humiliation For A Worthy Cause
.
I hope I can see,
You not just in dreams
I will let you be, Why can’t you believe,
how much you really mean?
December won't you come,
back with snow, even sun?
Don't say that it's done
I will carry you home
Take you from the loneliest place
you have known
I will carry you home
Take me from the loneliest place
I have known
.
I wish I could go back to December. December when I first met Bella. If I knew then that my twisted sense of chivalry would have caused Bella pain, I would have confided everything that first day we had lunch in my hotel suite.
After Emmett and Rose went back to their apartment, I was able to take a good look at the love of my life.
She looked like she hadn’t slept much in the last two days. I hoped she’d been eating.
She looks like I feel.
Bella seemed to need a little distance from me, so we sat at opposite ends of her sofa as I explained my so-called ’relationship’ with Tanya. As soon as Bella started asking questions, I knew she believed me, and I hoped we were going to be okay.
“Edward, why would you agree to this? What if you met someone and fell in love?” She asked.
“Bella, I never thought it would happen. I’d been so utterly destroyed by Meghan, that I never put another thought into the fact that there may have been someone out there for me. Looking back, I realize just how foolish that was.” I watched in order to gauge her reaction.
I explained Tanya‘s reasons for wanting our ‘arrangement‘, and saw the surprise in her eyes when I revealed that Tanya and Felix were married.
Evidently, that shocked her enough into needing to drink alcohol. I found myself laughing because if the stuff about Tanya freaked her out, I can only imagine how the rest of the story would affect her.
I continued. “Anyway, Felix and Tanya are married. I asked Sidney to move to L.A. as my full-time bodyguard. He’s coming out next month. Felix is going to be with his wife, where he belongs. I also told them that they need to make some decisions because I wasn‘t going to keep my relationship with you a secret.”
“Tanya’s got the most to lose. She has lied to the media, kept her marriage a secret, and also, keep in mind that the studio could release that video and ruin her career. That’s why I’m letting her and Felix decide how they want to handle this. I will continue to be silent about Tanya in order to allow them a little time.”
“Well I guess it now makes sense that Tanya was never bothered by the other women.” Bella said quietly.
Now comes the moment of fucking truth. I’ve told Rosalie, so there’s no way I’m keeping this information from Bella.
“I promised I would tell you everything, and I will Bella.” I took a deep breath. “There were no ‘other women’ Bella. Those dates started about three years ago, and were the studio’s attempt to promote my ‘bad boy’ image. I never chose to go out with those women. Once again I was just ‘playing a part’.”
“For some reason, every time I was seen with someone other than Tanya, my popularity, along with hers, would explode. Hers was because everyone felt sorry for her. But mine was because people evidently like me better when I’m naughty.” I hoped she could see the humor in that.
“Edward, forgive me for doubting you but, that’s impossible. Some of those women would have blabbed that information to every gossip site and magazine out there.”
“They wouldn’t if they wanted to have a career in the business. The studio’s choices for these ‘dates’ were always very carefully thought out. They chose aspiring actresses or models, and always had them sign a non-disclosure agreement.”
I don’t blame her for doubting me, even I think I sound like I’m full of shit.
“So you see, every bit of the public image of Edward Masen has been manufactured. None of it is real. Edward Masen is not real. On the other hand, Edward Cullen, sitting here with you now, loves you more than anything, and hopes you will give him another chance.“ I decided to move closer to her, hoping she wouldn’t reject me.
“Hold on, what kind of women would want to play the part of the ’other woman’ in public?” She asked.
“Ambitious ones Bella. Look, those girls came away thinking I was a wonderful guy that would never cheat on his ’girlfriend’, and they got a shot at their ‘dream career‘.” I smirked. “It was a win-win situation.”
I thought about Tanya telling me she suspected me to be gay, and laughed out loud.
“What are you laughing about Edward?”
“I was just thinking. I’m pretty sure that, up until I told her about you, Tanya was certain I was gay.”
If everyone only knew how my body reacted every time I was close to Isabella, they’d never question my heterosexuality again. I chuckled as I shook my head.
“Why would she think that Edward? Is her ego so inflated that just because you didn’t want her, you must be gay?“
“Bella, haven’t you been listening? When I said there have been no ‘other women’, I meant it. There have been no other women.”
Yes Bella, you heard me correctly.
“Edward, what are you saying?”
She’s still not understanding me, maybe she shouldn’t be drinking.
“Do I need to spell it out Bella. Until you, I haven’t had a relationship with anyone since Meghan. Apart from that, I haven’t had a physical relationship with anyone.”
“Edward, are you telling me that you’ve never had sex?”
Finally.
I nodded slowly as I studied her reaction. As embarrassing as this was, I didn’t care as long as it brought us back together.
I love that blush.
The next words out of Isabella’s mouth almost stopped my heart, while making me laugh at their irony. “Fuck Me” she breathed.
What a taunting little phrase.
I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Really Bella?”
She looked bewildered as she fixed herself another drink. It had been one hell of a couple of days, so I decided to join her.
We sat quietly for a long time. I knew Bella needed to process all the information I’d just given her.
I felt my heart leap in my chest when she suddenly moved closer to me on the sofa. “So?” She said.
“So?” I couldn’t help but smile at her.
“You realize I’m having a hard time processing this right?”
“I understand. Believe me, I would have gladly gone to my grave with that information but, you’d already been through so much in the last two days. I’ve put you through so much pain because of my stupidity Bella. I just decided that you should know everything.”
I’ve been a fool. But from now on, Bella will be my first priority.
She sat quietly for a while at she studied my face. “You know what? I think it’s pretty great.”
I was shocked. “You do?”
“Yeah. I always thought you were one of a kind Edward, this just proves it more.” Then she crawled into my lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
This is heaven. Right here like this. I never want to let go of her.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the scent of my Isabella, and then breathed into her neck. “I was so afraid I’d lost you.”
“I was afraid too Edward, I couldn’t see my future without you in it. It was terrifying.” She sounded so sad.
“Bella, do you remember when we were in my old bedroom?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“I thought you would have figured it out that day when I told you that I wanted you that way. And about you being the ‘only one ever’.”
It’s funny how I’ve been giving her hints all along, and she never picked up on them.
“Edward, I know it won’t be today, or even next week but, someday I’d like you to be my first and my last.” She whispered.
God I want that too.
Hearing her say the words made my heart soar. I didn’t know what I’d ever done to deserve Isabella’s love, but I thanked God for it now.
“Me too Bella, me too.” I whispered back.
I pulled her to me and kissed her passionately, making it clear without words that she was and would always be the only woman I would ever love.
I held her in my arms for a few minutes. I knew that I desperately needed to shower.
I can’t smell very nice at the moment, but Bella either hasn’t noticed or doesn’t care.
Bella sat up a little to look at my face. “Edward, how much of this did you have to tell Rosalie?”
Just the thought of that conversation with Rosalie was mortifying. “Pretty much all of it.”
“Pretty much?” She asked warily.
“Okay, I told her everything. I had to Bella, she wasn’t going to let me speak with you otherwise. I was desperate.” The expression on her face was making me want to panic.
“Edward, you don’t understand. If you told Rosalie, she will tell Emmett!”
No way. Rose promised to keep it quiet.
“Bella, she said she’d keep the sex part to herself.” I answered.
“Oh Edward, I’m sure she’ll try, but you don’t know my brother. He will figure out that there’s more to the story, especially since Rose looked so freaked out. God help us if he finds out you’re a vir-”
Just then the door flew open, startling the shit out of me. Before I realized what I was doing, I jumped to my feet, effectively dumping Bella on the floor.
I helped Bella off the floor as I glanced up to see her brother stalking towards us like a mad man.
“I want to hear it from you, because there’s no fucking way I believe that you’re a virgin!” Emmett boomed.
What. The. Fuck. ?
Rose came in right behind him apologizing. “I’m so sorry Edward, I didn’t tell him, he figured it out.”
“I want to hear it Eddie? Is it true?” Emmett was a little freaked.
“Yes.” I sighed.
Why not take out a full page ad in the Seattle Times announcing that Edward Masen is a fucking virgin? Make that a non-fucking virgin, because Edward Masen’s obviously not been doing any fucking.
Fuck it.
Emmett was actually quiet during my internal rant. “You mean to tell me that you’re twenty-four and never had in-ter-course?“ Emmett pronounced each syllable.
Will this embarrassment never end?
I shook my head in answer.
“Bumped uglies? Split the wishbone? Knocked boots? Mashed brakes? Bulled a chick? Laid Train?”
I continued shaking my head, all the while wondering what the fuck Emmett was talking about.
I wonder if I’m being punk’d?
“Emmett! Who are you Austin Powers? Shut Up!” Bella yelled at him.
“Edward, are you gay?” Emmett asked.
And there it was, the winning question of the day.
I couldn’t even verbalize an answer, so I continued to shake my head.
“Are you sure?” Emmett pressed.
I’m sure that I want to take Bella and get the fuck out of here if this doesn’t stop pretty damn soon.
“Emmett!” Bella yelled at her brother.
“Alright, alright!” Emmett got very quiet as he contemplated his new-found knowledge. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke.
“Okay Eddie, tell you what I’ll do.” Emmett placed his arm around my shoulder as he walked him across the room.
He must not notice how bad I smell either.
“I won’t tell anyone about your ‘issue’, but you’ve got to do something for me.”
I wasn’t sure how to handle this. Luckily Bella jumped in to advise me. “Agree to it Edward!” She shouted. That was enough for me, I nodded.
Emmett smiled. “Before setting up the meeting between Charlie and Clint, you need to let me know so that we can plan things together.”
I felt a knot forming in my stomach.
This is not going to be good. I think I may be getting an ulcer.
“I’m going to teach you how to fuck…..um let me re-phrase, because I’m definitely not teaching you that. And you’d better not practice on my sister, oh God, I mean you’d better not practice on anyone else either and hurt my sister. Oh shit…my advice is just stay a virgin til you die dude.”
It’s amusing how he and Bella both have a tendency to verbally spew when they’re nervous.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I’m going to teach you how to fuck with Chief Charlie Swan.” Emmett had a scary smile on his face.
Why did I feel like I’d just sold my soul to the devil?
--LRM--
Bella persuaded me to stay at her place after Rose and Emmett left. Honestly, it didn’t take much persuading. Being without her for three days had been long enough.
I helped Bella make up the sleeper sofa, and then went off to get a much-needed shower.
Afterwards, wrapped in only a towel, I studied the pile of clothing now strewn across the bathroom floor.
I left my house with absolutely nothing.
Deciding that there was no way the boxer briefs I’d been wearing for two days were going back on my body, I slipped my jeans on.
There was nothing else for it, I’d have to go commando.
My shirt was tolerable, so I put it back on, and headed off to bed. Before lying down, I noticed that Alice had sent a text.
Having a change of clothes and some toiletries delivered from Neiman Marcus in the morning. I’ll pack your suitcase and have that couriered to you.
-Ali
What would I do without her?
--LRM--
I was awakened by the smell of coffee brewing and a warm soft hand on my cheek. I looked up to see my angel standing beside me.
“Morning.” She said with a smile.
“Morning beautiful.”
“I’m just heading out to class and then to work for a little while. I’ll be back by 4:30 at the latest. I’ve started a pot of coffee.”
“Thanks. I’m supposed to have some clothes and toiletries delivered shortly, I left L.A. without anything. Alice knew I’d need them of course.” I smiled. “After that, I was going to see about checking into a hotel.”
I really don’t want to, but I don’t want to crowd Bella either.
I watched as her smile disappeared. “Edward, you don’t have to. I mean, were you comfortable last night?.”
“Yes, very comfortable, especially knowing that you were so close. I just didn’t want to impose…”
Oh how I’d love to stay here with my beautiful girl.
“Edward, I want you here. I don’t know, it just feels better with you here.”
I smiled. “Then I’ll stay, if you’re sure it’s not any trouble?”
“Edward, I love you, I’ll always want you here.” She smiled back.
She kissed me goodbye before she left.
I slept for a little while longer, but the coffee was beckoning to me, so I padded into Bella‘s kitchen to fix a cup.
It was so strange being in her apartment alone, but in a way, it also felt right for me to me there.
Even though I missed her, being apart for the day would give Bella a chance to think over everything that was said last night.
While I sat nursing my coffee, the items from Neiman Marcus were delivered. I felt a lot better after changing into clean clothes, so I decided to grab some breakfast. Before I had my jacket on however, my mother called.
I had spoken with her the other night as I’d kept vigil over my phone, but I refused to stay on the phone very long in case Isabella called me.
“Hi Mom.” I said as I answered.
“Hello dear. Alice told me everything is better now, but I want to hear it from you.” My mother asked.
“It’s good Mom. I had a long talk with Bella.”
“How is she Edward? Alice said that you were both a mess.”
“Yeah, we were. I think we’ll be okay now, especially after Tanya makes her statement.” I breathed deeply, surprised at how relaxed I was after the last two days of hell. “Mom, I want to apologize for cutting the call short the other night I ..”
“Edward, don’t apologize. I understand. I’ve been keeping tabs on you through Alice, and I’m so glad everything worked out. I was considering making a visit to Bella myself if she wouldn’t listen to you.“
I chuckled. “Thanks Mom, but I’m really glad that wasn’t necessary.”
Why do I fell like I’m in kindergarten again with my mother wanting to fight my battles?
She chuckled too. “Yes, I suppose not. Anyway, I’ll let you go. If you have a chance before returning to L.A., we’d love to see you and Bella.”
“I’ll see what I can do Mom. Talk to you later. Bye.”
“Goodbye dear, we love you.”
“Love you too Mom.”
I slipped on my jacket and grabbed the extra key Bella left on the counter when my phone rang again.
Alice
“Alice, I can’t thank you enough for everything, including the conversation you had with Rosalie last night. You saved my ass.”
Alice chuckled. “How many times do I have to tell you Edward? I want things to work out with you and Bella. I want you to be happy, but I also have selfish reasons. Bella and I are meant to be sisters.”
I coughed out a laugh. “Let’s not scare her away with that kind of talk, shall we Alice?”
Even though I may be ready, I’m not sure Bella is.
Alice giggled. “Edward, you know I am the soul of discretion. So I take it that Bella knows everything now?”
“Yes Alice”
“And how are you?” She asked.
“I’m good. Sort of drained, but good.” I answered.
“Maybe now everything will calm down.” She said.
“Hopefully. Well, it will after Tanya makes her statement anyway.”
“Let’s hope that’s soon.” She said quietly. “Anyway, now for the reason of my call Mister Messy. I’m at your house right now packing, or should I say repacking your suitcase. Half the clothes from your Christmas vacation are still in there, and some others are on the floor. Mrs. Hernandez is laundering your clothes while I pack. I’ll have this and a garment bag delivered to you by tonight.”
“Thanks Alice.”
“Mrs. Hernandez also said to tell you thanks for the broken glass on the floor.” She announced sarcastically as she laughed. “I explained that you’ve been a little distracted.”
I could hear Alice bustling around as she talked. Suddenly I heard her take in a quick breath. “Edward?”
“Yes. Alice is something wrong?” She sounded strange.
“Um. This is none of my business but, is there any particular reason you have a pair of Little Mermaid underpants in your suitcase?”
Shit. How the hell do I talk myself out of this one?
“Maybe they fell in there?” I said weakly.
Lame, Edward
Alice was quiet for a long moment, then she started to laugh. “You stole these from Bella didn’t you?”
Oh for the love of…
“I can’t….” I began.
Alice was still laughing.
I just sighed and waited for her to finish. “Alice please don’t give me a hard time. If you forget about this, I promise to make an appointment with Dr. Gould next week.”
“Why would you need to do that Edward?” She stopped laughing to ask.
“Because I’m obviously a pervert.” I blurted out. “We already knew I was a stalker, now I’ve turned into some pervy guy who steals his girlfriend’s cartoon underwear.”
This brought on a new round of laughter from my sister.
“Cut it out Alice.” I said exasperatedly.
“Oh Edward, you truly have lived an isolated existence.” She was still laughing a little. “You’re not the first guy to steal a pair of his girlfriend’s panties. I would assume it’s quite common. I remember when we moved into this house and I found a pair of my old panties in a box of Jasper’s books from college…”
“Alice! Okay, I get it, you don’t need to explain any further.” I interrupted.
She laughed again. “Sorry Edward.” She sing-songed. “Okay, so everything’s packed and ready to go. I’ll have this delivered to Bella’s. Oh, also your backpack containing Bella‘s flight information for Aspen will be inside your big bag.”
“Thanks again Alice.” I said.
“Don’t mention it. I’ll talk to you soon little brother. Love you.”
“Love you too Ali, and please don’t mention the underwear to Bella. She doesn’t know.”
I could hear my sister’s ringing laughter as I ended the call.
My stomach was rumbling by this point, so breakfast was the next thing on the agenda.
This time I headed for the door, hoping for no further interruptions. Just as I touched the knob someone knocked loudly on the other side.
“Gah!” I shouted as I grabbed my chest.
When I opened the door, Emmett was leaning against the frame, laughing hysterically. “Man, Eddie, you are one jumpy dude. Let’s go eat.” He bellowed.
“Christ, Emmett, you scared the shit out of me.” I said as I laughed.
Breakfast with Emmett was surprisingly enjoyable. We talked about a lot of things, thankfully Emmett waited until we were in the car to discuss the revelations of yesterday.
Rosalie had told him very little of my past, so I filled in the blanks as we rode back to the apartment building. He was quiet as he thought. “You know what Eddie?”
“What?”
“If your old girlfriend hadn’t done that to you, you may have ended up married to her. Which means you wouldn’t be with Bella now.”
It was a painful thought, but he was right.
“So, as sorry as I am to say this, I’m glad that girl treated you like shit. My little sister deserves to be happy. She’s happy with you. Despite the clusterfuck of the last couple of days, Bella is becoming her old self again. I’ve missed that carefree little girl so much.“ He said solemnly.
“That’s exactly what my family has said about Bella’s effect on me.” I answered quietly.
He also informed me that he had called his Father, trying to smooth things over with him, but Charlie was resistant. “Don’t worry about it Eddie, he’ll come around. He did make me promise to make your life hell though.“ He said with a grin. “I told him that I planned to do that anyway.“
Great.
Back at the apartment, I was bored. Jasper called to let me know that he’d smoothed things over with the big wigs at the studio, but that I’d have to ‘do lunch’ with them next week to apologize in person.
Fucking fantastic.
I’d sent Bella a couple text messages throughout the day, but I really couldn’t wait until she got home.
Home. When she’s with me, it feels like home.
.
B-
Hope your day is going well. I miss you. Can’t wait until you come home to me. Love you.
-E
.
Despite Alice’s reassurances, I resisted the urge to snoop through Bella’s lingerie again.
My sister just convinced me that I wasn’t a pervert, and I have no desire to prove her wrong.
Just as my luggage was arriving at the apartment, Bella sent a text announcing that she’d gotten to work. I changed into my most comfortable clothes, taking note that Alice had left Bella’s underwear hidden in the bottom of my bag.
As I’ve said before: Best sister ever.
Missing my girl, I decided to walk over to WIRI and surprise her.
I got a few stares, and questioning looks along the way, but no one tried to speak with me, so I determined that my usual disguise of hoodie, dark glasses and jeans had done its’ job.
I rounded the corner, heading for Bella’s desk when a familiar, albeit unwelcome sight, met my eyes. That motherfucker Mike Newton had my girl cornered, again.
“Mike, first of all you don’t know what you’re talking about, and secondly you shouldn’t be the one to accuse anyone of that. Or do I need to go ask Jessica’s opinion of what kind of a person you are?” Bella said in a raised voice.
Newton sneered. “I don’t get you Bella. You play hard to get for months, then you meet Masen and are all too willing to become his whore.”
Son of a motherfucking bitch
I don’t even know what came over me. My body moved of its own accord as I grabbed Newton by the throat and held him against the wall.
“Who the hell do you think you are? You will never speak to Bella in that manner again. She’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever known, you’d do well to show respect when speaking to her.” I spit out.
The ass was having trouble breathing, and I was having trouble not ending his life.
“If I hear that you’ve been speaking to her or about her in that manner again, I will drop whatever I’m doing, come back here, and rip your fucking head off. Are we clear?”
Newton answered by nodding his head. I released him and glared as he proceeded to have a coughing fit.
I held on to his shirt. “Apologize to Miss Swan.”
Newton turned to Bella. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“You bet it won’t.” I turned to find Rosalie had joined us. She stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. “You know what Newton? I’ve got a new taser in my office, and I’m just dying to test it out on your ball sac.”
Newton looked at her with genuine terror in his eyes, before turning tail and running away.
“Well done Edward.” Rose congratulated.
I nodded toward her, still livid. Then I turned to my angel. “Are you ready to leave?” All my anger melted away as I looked at her, and I smiled.
She took my arm. “Absolutely.” She said as we walked out.
--LRM--
We ordered Chinese food for dinner, and it brought me back to that first lunch at my hotel. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching television.
“How is it that you don’t have to be in L.A. right now?” Bella asked.
I had a sudden twinge of embarrassment at how I’d left Jasper to clean up my mess. “Well, after I lashed out at everyone at that meeting, Jasper cancelled my appointments for the rest of the week. I’m free until I fly back on Sunday.”
“Speaking of flying.” I pulled out the Aspen information which Alice had stowed in my backpack. “Here’s your flight information for Aspen. After I leave Sunday, I won’t see you again until then.” I hated the thought of leaving her again.
After my shower, I set up the sleeper sofa while Bella got ready for bed. I don’t know how she managed it, but Bella even made flannel pajamas sexy. I coaxed her into lying down with me while we watched a movie.
Before long, exhaustion overcame her, and I watched as she drifted off the sleep.
I followed soon after.
The next morning, I was the first one awake, so I started the coffee brewing and crawled back into bed with Bella.
There I waited, leaning on one elbow as I watched her sleep. She was so beautiful.
As soon as her eyes fluttered open, she began to apologize. “Sorry, I must have fallen asleep, I hope I didn’t crowd you.” She said quietly.
“No, Bella. Truth be told, I loved having you here beside me. I don’t know how I’m going to stand it when I have to go back to California.” I whispered sadly. She reached up and stroked my cheek.
I felt the familiar electric hum between us.
“Look, you can call me every day. You already know my schedule. We’ll make it work. The time will fly by, you’ll see.” She tried to comfort me.
I nodded.
She left for class, promising to return early since she didn’t need to go to work today.
Emmett and I went for a workout and a light breakfast. I phoned Sidney to make sure he was available to work for me tonight and through the weekend. Then I made reservations at Alice’s favorite restaurant.
By the looks of what she sent in the garment bag, Alice knew I’d be taking Bella out.
Later that morning, I devised a plan to see her earlier than we’d planned.
At about 11am sent a text.
B-
Where are you getting lunch today?
-E
Her answer chimed back.
E-
I’ll probably pick up a sandwich from the Hub. Why?
-B
Perfect.
B-
Just curious as to where my girl is spending her time. Love you.
-E
Hopefully, I’ll be able to surprise her.
E-
Love you more.
-B
My response was prompt.
B-
Impossible.
-E
Sidney dropped me off a few minutes before Bella would arrive. My breath caught in my throat as I saw her rounding the corner, walking toward me.
I smiled, hoping she’d be glad to see me. “I missed you. I had Sidney drop me off.”
“This is a wonderful surprise Edward.” She said as she hugged me. Her eyes shot around then, noticing the many curious eyes gazing our way. “Aren’t you afraid of the publicity?”
“No, Bella. I told you that I’m not hiding our relationship. Tanya is the one that has a lot to explain, not me.” Making my point with a hug and a quick kiss on her lips.
A crowd was starting to form, so I quickly ushered Bella inside. After lunch, I sat in on Bella’s last class. I was so busy watching her, that I didn’t hear a word the professor said.
--LRM--
This was overdue, but as they say better late than never.
“Miss Swan, I know I’ve been remiss in not asking this sooner but, would you do me the honor of going out with me tonight?”
We were riding home in Bella’s car.
She smiled “Why Mr. Cullen, am I right in assuming that you are asking me out on our first date?”
Why did hearing her use my real name make me so happy?
“Yes Miss Swan, you are correct.” I smiled.
“I accept your invitation, and thank you Mr. Cullen.”
“You’ve made me very happy.”
We weren’t able to relax for very long before Rose came to the door and kidnapped Bella. Evidently, Alice had clued her in to my plans for the evening, and Rose’s job was to get Bella ready for our date.
--LRM--
I stood outside Rose and Emmett’s door ready to pick up my date.
When the door swung open, I thought I’d somehow gone to the wrong apartment. There stood Emmett looking eerily like his father.
A knot immediately started to form in my stomach.
Shit. I think I really am getting an ulcer.
When I spotted Bella over Emmett’s shoulder, I calmed considerably.
Emmett folded his arms across his chest and looked me up and down. “Yes? May I help you? Edgar was it?”
Holy shit, he sounds just like the chief.
“Edward.” Bella and I answered together. “I’m here to pick up Bella.”
I guess I’ll just have to play along.
“I see. Well Edward, have a seat, let’s have a little chat.”
I watched Bella flop on the sofa next to Rose, who just looked amused.
I was still confused, but decided this may have been what Emmett meant when he said he was going to ‘make my life hell’. I sat down waiting for him to continue.
“I want you to take a good long look at our little girl sitting over there. Her feelings are not to be toyed with. Do you understand?”
I nodded and looked over at Bella. She was stunning. She was so beautiful in fact, that I was having a hard time dragging my eyes away from her face and body when Emmett spoke again.
“Good. I’ve prepared a list of questions. The way you answer will determine whether you are worthy to escort Bella tonight. Still following Edwin? You won’t find the answers written on Bella’s legs, eyes over here boy.”
Damn it. I am such a perv.
I blinked and looked back at Emmett.
“Question number one. Your car runs out of gas while on your date with Bella, what do you do?”
Somehow, I didn’t think a normal answer would be enough, but I didn’t know what else to say.
“Um, I call my roadside service to gas up the car?” I answered.
I sound like a pussy.
“Wrong. You gas the vehicle up before the date, therefore there will be no chance of that happening Edmund.”
“Let’s try again.”
“Bella trips, falls and cuts her leg on the way into a restaurant. What do you do?”
“I administer first aid. If I determine she needs stitches, I take her to the emergency room?” I answered knowing it was probably wrong.
“Wrong. You sure are fucking this up Edwina. The correct answer is that you should have been holding her arm, so that she wouldn’t have tripped in the first place.”
“One more.”
“You take a wrong turn and end up in a dangerous neighborhood, then you discover your tire has gone flat. While waiting for roadside assistance, a hooker propositions you. How do you handle that one?”
“I stay in the car with Bella, and lock the doors.” I was just about to tell Emmett to kiss my ass, grab my girl, and leave, when Bella intervened.
“Enough Emmett. You are driving me crazy.” She said.
“What am I going to tell the Chief Bells? Eddie just can‘t seem to do anything right. So far he‘s let the car run out of gas, let you fall so that you need stitches, gotten a flat tire, and paid fifty bucks for a BJ from a hooker. I am damn disappointed in you Ed.” Emmett said while shaking his head.
What the fuck is he talking about?
“Emmett! He didn’t do any of those things. You’re just an idiot.” Bella shouted.
“How about I just let my driver take us, as planned. I promise to protect Bella from drug-dealers, crazy fans, and even roving bands of gypsies if we come across any.” I smiled.
Emmett thought about it. “Sounds good. I guess I’ve got to let the bird leave the nest sometime.” He sighed, defeated.
“Have a great time guys.” Rose said as she hugged Bella. Bella in turn hugged her brother and kissed his cheek.
Once out in the hall, I offered my arm. “Shall we Miss Swan?”
“Definitely Mr. Cullen.” She smiled back.
************************************************************************************************
Chapter 17 & 18 - A Prelude To Aspen
I was so glad that I let Alice guide me when reserving this restaurant. She told me to reserve the ‘private’ dining room, that way Bella and I wouldn’t be disturbed by the unwanted attention of the other diners.Unfortunately, when I phoned, the ‘private’ dining room was already reserved. For the entire evening. After speaking with the manager, I was able to convince him to contact the party that had the room on hold and find a way to get it. I even gave him permission to use my name.
Fortunately, the other party was a huge fan. Unfortunately, I now had to make an appearance at his daughter’s ‘sweet sixteen’ birthday party in May.
Shit.
I had to admit, the guy was a very good negotiator.
When I saw the private dining room, I realized that it was worth whatever I had to do to get it. I would appear at ten birthday parties if it meant I could have Bella all to myself while enjoying the wonderful meal and spectacular view. Although, as usual, I didn’t take my eyes off of her long enough to notice much else.
We spoke a bit about my schedule for the next few months. It’s funny, I’d been so obsessed with the almost three weeks we’d be apart starting Sunday, that I hadn’t given much thought to the much longer spans of time I’d be without Isabella after Aspen.
It made me sad to think about it, and I could tell by her reaction that she felt the same way.
I could have kicked myself when I realized about halfway through dinner that I was rattling on and on about the movie I’d start filming next week.
Damn it Edward, you’ve got to be the most boring date in the world.
Isabella, on the other hand, seemed to be hanging on my every word.
We skipped dessert, that would come later.
For the next part of our date, I took Bella to a little jazz club that I frequented when in Seattle. I knew the manager, and he always looked out for me by keeping the paps away as best he could. The crowd was usually laid back, and I’d never had any trouble there with overzealous fans. Every time I’d gone, it had been a great experience, and tonight was no exception.
After much begging on my part, I was finally able to coax Bella to the dance floor. She always claimed that she wasn’t a very good dancer, but you couldn’t prove that by me. When I held her close, it was like she was made to dance with me. Our movements were so fluid.
Of course the sex-driven part of my brain that seemed to have awoken the day I met Bella, started thinking of other ways we could move very well together.
Such a horny pervert. Think of something fast in order to kill your burgeoning hard-on before Isabella notices it.
Emmett. Emmett in women’s underwear. Ew. Emmett in my Grandma’s underwear. Even worse.
That did the trick.
After I mentally castigated myself for my perv tendencies, I gazed down into my girl’s beautiful brown eyes.
The next few weeks were going to be more than difficult. While filming, I knew I’d be okay. I had a talent for easily losing myself in my work. It was the times when I would be alone that I dreaded. My arms would ache to hold Isabella, but I would have to be satisfied with phone calls.
“Bella.” I murmured in her ear as we danced.
She looked up at me questioningly.
“This moment, right now is the one I want to keep with me. For the three weeks that we’re apart, this is the moment I will think of when I miss you the most, it’s perfect. This is my moment to treasure.”
And then I kissed her. I kissed her with every bit of passion I’d felt since the day we met. I wanted her to feel everything in that kiss, my undying love for her, my hope for the future, my sorrow for the way I’d botched things, and also how much I was going to miss her while we were apart.
At that moment, in my arms, I held my entire world. Everything felt right when we were together, and I knew it would all feel wrong once we were apart again.
While I held her in my arms and saw the love she had for me shining in her eyes, it was easy to remember how much she loved me, but once we were apart I knew that my fear would begin to eat at me again. The fear that one day Bella would wake up and realize that it was just too difficult to be with me.
She didn’t have any idea how cruel the media could be. How could I prepare her for that? Was I really willing to put her through that? What if she realized that this life in the glare of the media spotlight was not the one she wanted, and she eventually decided to leave me?
As I looked at her, I told myself to stop being a fool and make sure that I did whatever it took to keep that from ever happening.
I leaned down and sang along with the band, low in Bella’s ear “Some day, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you... And the way you look tonight.”
“Edward, I never knew you could sing.” She whispered.
“I also play the piano, but don’t tell anyone. I don’t necessarily want to do that in the movies.” I definitely want to keep that part of myself private.
Dessert was the next stop. I had arranged with the owner of a little gourmet ice cream shop to open after hours just for us.
Isabella was thrilled.
It truly doesn’t take much to please her.
I was happy that everything I’d planned had gone off without a hitch. The two or three paps that were shadowing us weren’t going to ruin the evening, I wouldn’t let them. Isabella seemed to be unaware of their presence.
The kiss in the elevator of her building wasn’t long enough. When I kissed her again at her door, Isabella had to be the one to end it, because I wasn’t able.
She finally broke away, and whispered goodnight before slipping into her apartment. I was halfway to the elevator before I realized our mistake.
Chuckling to myself, I went back and knocked, leaning against the door frame as I waited for her to answer.
“Bella.” I said sweetly.
“Yes Edward.”
“All my stuff is here.” I grinned.
“Sorry.” She laughed and blushed.
--LRM--
After getting ready for bed, I was able to coax Isabella to lie down with me on the sleeper sofa again. I was glad, because knowing I’d be leaving soon, I couldn’t bear to be apart from her for an entire night.
“Edward.”
“Yes, love.”
“Tomorrow is our last night together for a while. You did such a wonderful job planning tonight, that I‘d like to plan a special evening for us tomorrow, if that‘s okay?”
“Do I get to know ahead of time?”
“No, I think I’d like to surprise you. Are you game?”
“I’ll go anywhere you lead Miss Swan.”
Early the next morning, I was awoken by Bella’s sleep talking. At first, I thought she was awake. When nothing she said made any sense, I realized she was still fast asleep.
I wrapped my arms around her as I watched her face.
Still asleep she whispered “Edward, love you.”
She must really love me if even her subconscious is willing to say so.
I breathed out a contented sigh and held her close.
A short time later, her eyes opened.
“Morning beautiful. Did you know you talk in your sleep?”
She looked worried.
“What did I say?” She asked nervously.
I smiled. “It was very jumbled, most of it didn’t make sense. You did say my name, and that you loved me.”
That part, I will remember forever.
“I do.” She said, and then inexplicably she tried to escape my arms.
What the?
“Where are you going?” I whined.
I have turned into such a pussy.
“Morning breath.” She whispered with one hand over my mouth.
I laughed and released her while I flopped back down on the bed. “I don’t care about that Bella.” I really didn’t.
“Yes, but I do.” She said before running off to the bathroom.
I got up and started making coffee. When Bella returned, I decided brushing before kissing her was probably a good idea. Upon exiting the bathroom, I was finally able to give my girl a ‘good morning’ kiss.
“Hey I thought morning breath didn’t matter?” She smiled as she asked.
“Yours doesn’t, mine does.” I laughed.
---LRM---
We went over to Mom and Dad’s for the afternoon. They planned to take us out on the lake for lunch. Even though the air was cold, I knew it would be comfortable on the boat. I had the feeling that Mom wanted to speak with Isabella alone, and I knew that as soon as I was busy helping Dad, she would grasp at the opportunity.
“Feel better now that everything is out in the open between you and Bella?” My dad asked as we prepared the boat.
“It’s like a weight has been lifted off of me.” I admitted.
He smiled. “I can’t tell you how happy it makes your mother and I to see you in love son. We’ve hoped and prayed for that for some time now.”
“I’m sorry for making you worry Dad” I muttered.
“Don’t be sorry son. You can’t force yourself to fall in love.” He grinned. “It happens when it’s meant to.”
“That’s true. It wasn’t something I ever looked for or expected to happen, and when it did, it hit me with the force of a Mack truck.” I laughed. “The way I described it to Bella was as if I had been ‘struck by lightning’ the moment I met her, and it was true.”
Dad laughed. “Son, you are a mess.” He smiled as he shook his head. “The best part of all this for us is that we’ve got our son back. You’re more the person you used to be, before…”
I sighed. “I know Dad. Every day I’m with Bella helps make the things that happened in the past matter less and less. She’s the best medicine for me.”
He continued to smile at me.
“She lived through worse than I did, so Bella really understands me Dad.”
I saw his forehead crease as he took in what I’d said about Bella. I dropped the subject, knowing I wasn’t at liberty to say anything more.
We spent a couple of hours on the lake, until the mist turned into more of a downpour, and forced us to head back to the dock.
Back at Bella’s we took a nap because her plan for tonight was starting very late. I had no idea what we would be doing, I only hoped the paps wouldn’t ruin it.
To be honest, the control freak in me was losing his mind.
When Bella told me to dress casually, I was already liking this date. I donned my comfortable ‘disguise’ clothing: jeans, t-shirt, hoodie and baseball cap.
We left the apartment at about 9pm, traveling by cab, at Bella’s insistence. Amazingly, the paps never followed. All I could assume was that they didn’t recognize us as we left.
The first stop was for hamburgers at a little place which Bella said was near our final destination. After eating, we started to walk up the street.
Obviously this place is really close by.
As soon as I could see the marquis, I realized what we were doing, and laughed. “Really Bella? The Rocky Horror Picture Show?”
I was a bit skeptical about how the people inside would react to my presence, but I had to admit I’d always been curious about the ‘Rocky Horror’ experience. I didn’t have the life of a normal college student, and never got to experience these things. Until Bella, I’d never wanted to.
“Yes Edward. Emmett and Rose go all the time, I’ve never been. Of course I’ve seen the movie, but never experienced it with an audience. Emmett loves it because he can act like an idiot in a theatre and not get tossed out.” She grinned. “I never wanted to go before, but when I’m with you I feel normal, and I want to try new things, it’ll be fun. Besides, from what I hear, the entire audience becomes part of the act, so you should feel right at home, Mr. Movie Star.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the doors.
“If you say so.“ I smiled. She was always so unexpected.
Before I knew it, we were seated inside, waiting for the movie to begin. I had noticed a few looks from other moviegoers, but no one intruded on our little bubble.
They are all probably wondering why a beautiful girl like Bella would date an asshole like me.
Every time we went out, I wanted to kick my own ass for allowing myself to be branded a ’womanizer’. Bella knowing the truth helped, but I would be glad when Tanya finally puts an end to all the speculation.
Just then, a frightening thought crossed my mind. Bella had mentioned her brother and Rose.
“Bella, you said Emmett and Rose come to this all the time. Are they going to be here tonight?”
Please say no.
“Definitely not. I made sure of it. I got all the information about it from Rose, but she told me that they had plans this evening.”
Thank God.
At precisely that moment a voice boomed in my ear, “Well look what we have here.”
That sounded just like Emmett.
“I believe I’ve found two virgins.”
Fuck! It is Emmett. He promised to keep that shit to himself. Son of a….
“Come on virgins. Get up on stage.” announced the freaky-looking asshole, while some weird looking girl ushered us toward the stage. She whispered something to Bella.
“Rose?” Bella whispered back to her.
I did a double-take, and sure enough under that crazy wig and makeup was none other than Rosalie Whitlock.
We’d been had.
I truly believe that any date with Bella would be wonderful, but this plan may officially suck ass.
We held hands as we walked up on stage, feeling as if we were going before a firing squad. There were a lot of ’virgins’ up there.
What’s up with that? There’s a dude and his girlfriend that were dry humping while they waited in line. No damn way are either of them virgins.
“Since this is your first time here, you are all Rocky virgins. Welcome to your initiation.” Emmett announced.
Bella and I both sighed in relief.
I really don’t think my heart can take much more excitement this week.
A single smack with a paddle symbolized our initiation into the world of all things ‘Rocky Horror’.
We enjoyed the rest of the evening immensely. I had to admit that I kept my eyes on the ‘live’ participants a lot more than the ones on the movie screen. With our bag of props, Bella and I were soon participating as much as everyone else. It was a lot of fun.
After the movie, I spent a little time signing autographs and posing in photos with fans. Others just wanted to chat, and I obliged them. They’d all been so great before and during the movie that I felt the need to thank them somehow.
“Sorry my brother almost turned our night into a disaster.” Bella apologized during the cab ride home.
“Don’t worry about it Bella.” I had almost forgotten about the ‘virgin’ nonsense. “I’m starting to get used to him. I guess with Emmett I should always ‘Expect the Unexpected’.”
--LRM--
Bella insisted on going to the early Mass the next day. Even though I was tired, I forced myself to go with her. I wasn’t going to waste a minute that we could be together.
There was nothing out of the ordinary during the Mass. I wished I could say the same for what was awaiting us outside, and back at Bella’s apartment building.
The damn paps found out where we’d gone.
Outside the Cathedral, they started their barrage of asinine and insulting questions.
“Hey Edward, how many other women do you have stashed in cities around the world?” We ignored them and kept moving.
“Isabella, does it ease your conscience to go to Church after spending the night with someone else‘s boyfriend?” It took every ounce of my strength not to go after that fucker.
More were waiting outside the apartment building. I said a silent prayer that as soon as I left this afternoon, they would go too, and leave my girl alone.
When we headed to the airport, I made Bella wear her earbuds and listen to her ipod so she wouldn’t hear any more.
I still heard them though, as did Emmett and Rose, who looked as angry as I felt. They told me that once we got to the airport they would keep everyone away so I could say goodbye to Bella.
Knowing that Rose and Emmett would be there to look out for her once I left, made it a little easier to go.
No, it really didn’t.
At the airport I held Bella in my arms for as long as I could. “Nineteen days beautiful girl. Only nineteen days and we’ll be together again in Aspen.” I told her as a couple tears streaked down her face. I wiped them away.
“I don’t think I need to say this, but I will anyway. Please don’t believe anything said about me while I’m gone.” I said with a chuckle.
“Point taken Mr. Cullen.” She grinned while she sniffled. “I’ll never believe anything about you again, unless it comes from you.”
“Bella, I’m going to miss you so much. I’m miserable even thinking about it.”
“Hey, like you said, only nineteen days right? That’s not long. You have work to keep you busy, I have school.” She looked at me and began to cry harder. “Oh Edward.” She sobbed.
I rubbed her back. “I’ve got to go beautiful, they’ll be boarding my flight soon.”
I didn’t want to be like those other asshole celebrities that expect airplanes to wait for them. My reputation was bad enough already.
“I’ve ruined your shirt.” She said.
“I think I’ll survive.” I couldn’t care less about the stupid shirt.
“I have a confession.” She half-smiled through her tears. “I stole the t-shirt you slept in last night because it smells like you.”
I smirked at her. “I guess that’s okay. Especially since I did the same thing with yours, it’s in my carryon.”
Not to mention your panties at the bottom of my suitcase.
We both smiled at each other. “I love you Edward.” She whispered.
“I love you too sweetheart. I’ll call you when I land.” I murmured back.
We kissed goodbye, each not wanting the kiss to end, both panting for air when we finally broke apart. One last hug, and I turned to dash to security, and down the hall, away from my future.
Remembering the look on Isabella’s face this morning when the photographers were shouting at her, I made a promise to myself that when Tanya finally said her piece, I was going to have my say.
I’d talk to Jasper about my options, maybe a magazine interview, or television appearance with someone like Oprah or Barbara Walters. Either way, I was going to make clear to them that Isabella was the best thing that ever happened to me, and express how much she’d changed my life. Not just changed it, saved it.
--LRM--
Once I arrived in L.A., the time did move quickly. As long as I was working that is.
Isabella and I fell into an easy pattern of phone calls when she was at school or work, and skype when we were both at home. It was tolerable. But I still couldn’t wait to have her in my arms again.
“Alec, how’s the business about the laundry room at Isabella’s apartment building going?“
“The landlord balked because by only refurbishing and remodeling the one on Isabella’s floor, he’s sure to get complaints.“
“Well then maybe he needs to make all of them just as safe.“ I retorted.
“Exactly what I said.“ Alec grinned. “If anyone complains, he’s going to say that one of the tenants paid to have it done, and leave it at that.“
Not a tenant, but a man hopelessly in love with one. I was quickly finding out that I would do anything to keep Bella safe, even if it was from a rogue washing machine.
“Sounds good. As long as Bella never finds out that I'm the one paying, there won't be a problem." I sighed. "I need you to do something else for me. I need you to find and purchase a certain car.”
Alec started to rub his hands together. He loved this shit. “Oh please tell me you’re going to buy a Ferrari this time.” He whined like a little girl.
“It’s not for me” I smiled “It’s for Bella.”
His shoulders sagged in disappointment. “I have to get a girl car?”
“Could you maybe try for like five minutes to not be an asshole?” I barked at him.
“Yeah, yeah, just tell me already.” He answered, totally disregarding my insult.
“I want you to find a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, she said it can be 4 speed or automatic, I‘d rather it be an automatic.” Alec perked up, suddenly interested.
“Find that, then we will need to have it restored. Bella wants it to have a white top, white pony interior, and the exterior painted ‘poppy red‘. And I need all that done by early June.”
Alec thought. “That should be plenty of time but, why June?” He asked.
“I’m giving it to Bella as a graduation present.” I answered.
Hopefully she’d be gracious in accepting the gift, if I gave it to her for a specific reason.
“I’m on it.” He answered.
“And I’m on my way to get a haircut.” I replied as I headed out to the waiting car.
--LRM--
“Well, what do you think?” I asked Bella as we spoke on Skype that evening.
“I don’t know Edward. I kind of liked running my fingers through your unruly mop. I may not be able to date you anymore. Maybe Carrot Top is single? Might be worth a shot.” She said as she giggled.
Funny. Motherfucking Carrot Top is getting nowhere near my girl.
“Very funny Miss Swan.” I grinned.
“Seriously though, Edward, you look tired. You’d better be taking care of yourself, I don’t want you to get sick.”
“I could say the same about you sweetheart. I can see the circles under your eyes, even on Skype.”
We both sighed.
“We’re a fine pair aren’t we?” She murmured. “Okay, I promise to take better care of myself, if you do the same. I just haven’t been sleeping well. I miss you.”
“I know how you feel. I got used to having you beside me. Those few nights were the best sleep of my entire life.”
“Wow, I sound like a security blanket.” she chuckled.
“Not exactly, I miss your warmth, your scent, your sleep talking, the sounds you make when you breathe.”
“Are you saying I snore Edward?”
“Well..” I laughed.
She definitely didn’t snore, but I found the talking in her sleep to be fascinating, and couldn’t wait to hear more.
“I do not!” She said indignantly
“No, you don’t, but if you did, I’d miss that too.” I answered truthfully.
“I love you.” She said in answer.
I rested my chin on my hand while looking into the screen. “I love you so much it hurts Isabella.”
We were pathetic.
“I have an idea.” She said.
“Why don’t we leave Skype on while we’re sleeping, it would be just like being next to each other again. Well, sort of.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I answered smiling. “Sixteen more days baby.”
That was the first night I watched Bella sleep on skype, but not the last.
------------LRM------------
Every time I left the car, they were there. Photographers were stalking my every move. It was starting to drive me crazy. I hoped that this meant they were so busy bothering me, that they were leaving Isabella alone.
As I found out later, that was wishful thinking on my part.
Bella never complained to me about them, but I heard from Rose, via Alice that Bella was still being followed. There were only about four paps, but that was four too many.
“Edward we need you on set in five” One of the assistants tapped on my trailer door to let me know.
The filming had been going extremely well, but the trip to England in April still loomed.
I walked onto the set and saw Yves and Tony, my costars in the film, talking to a couple of very pretty girls.
After taking a seat in my chair, I leafed through the script reviewing the upcoming scene once more in my head. Alec brought me a coke as I worked in silence.
I was suddenly aware of someone standing next to me. I jumped up when I realized it was a woman.
Yes, my parents drilled it into my head to never remain seated while a lady is standing.
The woman in front of me smiled as if she’d just won the lottery. “Hi, I’m Nicole French. I play Tony’s girlfriend.” She said as she reached for my hand.
I remembered that the character Tony plays, falls in love with a British nurse he meets while stationed in England, before the D-day invasion.
This girl didn’t sound British. Couldn’t they have hired a British actress?
I shook her hand politely. “I’m such a fan Edward.” She breathed. “I can call you Edward right?” She said as she rubbed my arm, and moved her body uncomfortably close to mine. I jerked my hand away and moved back.
Her flirting is downright puke-inducing.
I felt myself morph into the asshole almost immediately. “Calling me Edward is fine. Touching me the way you just did however, is not fine. If you need to speak to me, you can do so whilst keeping your hands to yourself. As a matter of fact, that’s how I’d prefer it.“
She appeared startled, but I’d learned from experience that if you didn’t draw the boundaries immediately, some people never got the message.
“I apologize Edward. You seem a little out of sorts. Is there anything I can do to help you with that?” She purred.
She’s still trying to fucking flirt with me, what a moron.
Damn it. I can blame no one but myself for the way I’m regarded by the public. I’ve sat back and let myself be painted as a man-whore, neither confirming nor disputing it. But now that I’m looking forward to a future with Isabella, I’m going to dispute it. I refuse to act unaffected by this type of treatment, even if Tanya hasn’t made her statement yet. I need to take control of my life.
“Believe me when I say this Nicole, was it? There is absolutely nothing that you can do for me.” I barked. “Is there a reason that you’re on set right now? I don’t recall any scenes they’re filming today in which you appear?” Now I was being a bastard on top of an asshole.
I didn’t give a shit.
“Well, um, I just wanted to meet um, everyone.”
“That’s nice. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go over my lines.”
It was a lie, but I wanted her to leave. Where the hell is Alec when I need him?
“Oh, I could help you with that.”
Good God, she is clueless.
“No, thank you.” I said before turning my back on her, and spotting Alec walking toward me. I met him halfway.
“You need to keep her away from me” I gestured with my thumb so there would be no confusion as to what I was talking about.
“Already?” Alec asked incredulously. “A little over a week into shooting, and you’ve already got one after you? That’s got to be a record.” He smirked.
“Alec, make sure the trailer is locked at all times, I’ve had to deal with her type before.”
“Gotcha” He said as he winked.
The director signaled that he was ready for me. After shooting the scene, the other two guys started joking around. Evidently they’d been witness to my ’conversation’ with Nicole.
“Hey Masen, you were a little harsh weren’t you?” Tony asked.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I answered.
“To Nicole. You didn’t even try to let her down easy.” He said.
Just then, the two women I’d seen them talking to earlier walked up. “Edward, I want you to meet my wife Molly.” Tony said as he introduced me to a beautiful redhead.
“Glad to meet you Edward.” She grinned as she shook my hand.
Then Yves spoke up. “And this is my fiancée Crystal.” I turned to greet the stunning blonde.
“Hi Edward, nice to meet you.” She smiled sweetly. “And don’t listen to these guys. Molly and I heard your conversation with Nicole. You said exactly what needed to be said.”
Molly nodded her head in agreement. “My husband and Yves don’t realize that they are way too passive. If you’re nice to some people, they walk all over you.”
I smiled. “Actually ladies, that’s exactly what I was going to tell them before you walked over.”
We sat and chatted for a while as the next scene was set up. After a couple more hours of work, I headed home, having not seen Nicole for the rest of the day.
--------LRM---------
Isabella looked so sad when she told me about her mother‘s upcoming birthday. “We’re driving out tomorrow and coming back on Sunday.” she said quietly.
“I wish I could go with you Bella. Are you going to be okay?” I was so worried about her.
“I think I’ll be fine Edward. Her birthday isn’t as hard to deal with as the anniversary of …you know.”
“Besides, my family decided early on that her birthday was the day to celebrate Renee’s life, not mourn her death. We have dinner at her favorite restaurant in Port Angeles, and we have birthday cake for dessert. After the first couple of years, it stopped being a sad day.”
“I still wish I could be there. I want to help you face these things from now on.“ I felt so useless so far away.
“I won’t be alone, but I have to admit that I wish you could be there too…maybe next year?”
“Definitely.” I nodded. “Only seven more days my love.”
------------LRM-----------
“Alice, my advice is to just send them without any fanfare. Bella seems to accept things better when they just arrive without notice. Put a note with it explaining that it’s for Aspen. Hopefully she won’t blow a gasket. I won’t tell her that I paid for everything.” I chuckled.
I was having dinner with Jasper and Alice. It was a working dinner. The waiter arrived with our entrees while Jasper and I talked about a couple of scripts that had come across his desk. He was still intrigued by the upcoming vampire movie, but the script wasn’t ready for us. Alice was busily texting back and forth with Christopher.
“Keep in mind Jasper that I’ll give special attention to any script that would require filming in Seattle.” I grinned.
He shook his head and laughed. “Once Bella graduates, that really won’t matter any more, will it Edward?” Jasper made a good point.
It shouldn’t matter, but what if Bella gets a job? That would be a continuation of the nightmare.
-------------LRM------------
“So, I got a special delivery today.”
“Oh yeah?” I questioned while knowing that it was the dress and shoes from Alice.
“My dress and shoes for the wedding. Alice sent them, but I know that you paid for them Edward.”
“Bella, don’t give me a hard time about this. It’s only money, and believe me when I say that I have more than I could ever spend in my lifetime.”
At that, she became very quiet.
“I won’t give you a hard time, and thank you.” She smiled. “The dress is lovely.”
That was a relief. I was prepared for a long argument.
“You make anything you wear ‘lovely’ Miss Swan. Truth be told, I haven’t seen the dress, but I’m sure Alice is coordinating our outfits. She’s very thorough.” I chuckled.
“So” she began.
“So?”
“Have you had to kiss any girls during filming, Mr. Movie Star?” I wanted to laugh, but she actually looked worried.
“No, but even if I did there’s only one girl I’m interested in kissing.”
“Oh? And who would that be? Your girlfriend?”
“Why yes, as a matter of fact. You may know her, she lives in Seattle.” .
“What a coincidence. My boyfriend lives in L.A.” She smiled.
“Tell me about this boyfriend.”
“Well, he’s sweet and gentle, handsome, intelligent and sexy. His kisses are ‘to die for’.” I laughed as she faked a swoon. “He’s the best thing in my life.” She added sincerely.
“Tell me about your girlfriend.” She asked.
“She’s witty and smart, absolutely gorgeous.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I think you may need glasses Mr. Movie Star.”
Not again. Bella really needs to wake up to the way the rest of the world sees her.
“Hey! Don’t knock my girlfriend.” I glared as she chuckled. “As I was saying, she’s absolutely gorgeous, with the most beautiful brown eyes, and when she smiles I think my heart might stop.” I said in a low voice, while clutching my chest
“She’s everything to me.” I added.
“Four more days baby.”
------------LRM------------
“Edward, you may want to look at these. Just remember, I’m only the messenger.” Alec said with a smirk as he handed me two gossip rags.
Until Alec’s interruption, I had been sitting in my trailer on break, trying to read.
“Damn it.” I muttered as I saw the front page photo of myself and one of my co-stars Rachel Harrison having lunch. The headlines screamed about Edward Masen’s ‘new woman’. Alec was still standing there watching my reaction. “You know what pisses me off?” I asked.
“Well, it all pisses me off, but the fact that Rachel’s husband was at the table with us. They cut him out of the photo just to be able to print something sensational.”
Alec was still watching me. “This is really weird Edward.” He said as he shook his head.
“What’s really weird?” I asked, confused.
“This stuff never used to bother you. I mean, I knew you didn’t like it, but now it really upsets you.”
I paused before answering. “It’s because now I have someone whose good opinion of me matters. So very much….” I practically whispered the second part.
“You know man, I think it’s great. I don’t think I’ll ever find the one for me, but I think it’s great for you.” He said sincerely.
“Alec, you should really consider cutting down on the womanizing a bit. I mean if you ever do find ‘the one’ as you call it, she probably won’t be a fan of your past.” I smirked.
“Hey Edward, not all of us can live the life of a monk.” He grinned at me.
Just then my phone chimed with a text.
.
E-
Don’t worry, I don’t believe any of it. I love you.
-B
.
And just like that, my day instantly got better.
B-
Well thank God for that. Call me as soon as you’re out of class. Love you.
-E
A little while later, my phone rang. I was still fuming about the headlines.
“I just can’t believe this shit. Rachel is a friend. She’s also married with two children. Her husband Sean was sitting at that table with us, but they conveniently cut him out of the photos.” I barked into the phone.
“Hello to you too Edward.” She said with a laugh.
“I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m just kind of angry at the moment.”
And I’m a bit of a jackass.
“Really? I couldn’t tell.” She was still laughing. “Look Edward, this stuff is probably going to get worse before it gets better. You said you’d give Tanya time to speak out, but even after she does so, we’ll never fully escape the rumors and gossip. We just have to learn to ignore it and live our lives.”
“Wow. Bella you’re amazing. You’re handling this so much better than I am. I just can’t stand anyone thinking poorly of you. If they only knew the truth…”
“They would still say terrible things Edward. Some of those people make a lot of money off of other people’s misery. I’m starting to develop a thick skin. I can take whatever they want to throw at me.” She stated.
She is the most amazing woman I’ve ever known.
“Have I told you today that I love you?” I asked.
“You just did Mr. Movie Star, now get back to work. Two more days babe.”
------------LRM-------------
It was finally Friday. I didn’t have to shoot today, so Jasper, Alice and I were flying to Aspen early. Sidney was flying to Aspen from Seattle and securing the car before we arrived. He would spend next week moving to L.A., and into my guest house.
Alice and Jasper arrived to pick me up. My temporary driver and Alec were going to create a diversion to lure the paps away. If we could pull this off, they’d never know I left town.
Alec, disguised as me, left in the car with the driver. I watched on the security monitor as every single pap outside my house hopped in their vehicles to follow them.
At the airport, it was pure luck that saved me from the paps, when Brangelina and their entire brood arrived from who knows where, and every pap in the airport followed in their wake.
Once we were seated on the plane, Alice, Jazz and I laughed. “What were the odds that Brad and Angelina would arrive at exactly the moment we needed them to?” Alice giggled. “I have a feeling this is going to be a good trip guys.”
I couldn’t help but agree. After so many days apart, I could barely contain my excitement. I would see my Bella tonight.
*******************************************************************************************
19. A Long Awaited Reunion
I had some time to kill because Bella wouldn’t arrive until this evening, so Jasper and I went skiing for the afternoon. Alice was never one for skiing so, no surprise, she decided to spend her time shopping.
I enjoyed skiing, although I rarely got the chance to do it. I tried to remember the last time I’d had the opportunity to enjoy the slopes, and realized that it had been an entire year.
After skiing, we changed and I went down to the hotel bar where I found Sylvia, Mark, and a couple of friends who were all wedding attendees. I wasn‘t surprised that Sylvia and Mark had invited very few ‘Hollywood’ types.
“Hello Edward, glad you made it.” Mark said as he shook my hand.
Sylvia grinned and gave me a quick hug. “So where’s your ‘plus one’?”
“Bella will arrive tonight.” I was pretty sure I was grinning from ear to ear as soon as I mentioned Bella‘s name.
Sylvia quirked an eyebrow at me. “So, this is the real deal?”
Sylvia and Mark were part of the small group of friends that knew my relationship with Tanya was a fraud.
“Yes. Quite frankly, I’ve never felt this way before.” I answered solemnly.
Sylvia nodded sagely. “And she knows the truth about Tanya?” She whispered the question.
“Bella knows everything.”
Even more than you do.
“We can’t wait to meet her.” Mark said with a smile.
Knowing that Bella was probably a nervous wreck today and most likely wouldn’t have eaten much, I made arrangements for the hotel to deliver a food tray this evening after she arrived.
Alice had made reservations for ‘spa time’ with Bella tomorrow, I hoped she wouldn’t mind. The only thing I’d set up was a ski lesson in the morning. I knew she’d never skied before, and decided that there was no way I would allow Bella to come to Aspen and not ski.
As the day wore on, and evening approached, I could feel myself becoming giddy with nervous excitement.
Damn. I feel like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time.
Jasper, Alice and I ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, my nervousness keeping me from eating much. “Edward, are you going to survive?” Jasper asked with a small laugh.
Ass.
“I’ll be fine Jasper.” I said through gritted teeth, which only caused him to laugh more.
“Edward, I’ve been with you at award shows where you’ve seen your acting idols, and times when you’ve met directors that you’re in awe of, and I’ve never seen you this nervous.” He kept chuckling and my sister had the nerve to join in.
“It’s true Edward. I find it funny that tiny little Bella has this effect on the mighty Mr. Masen.” Alice chimed in.
I thought about that. For years, I’d been a closed-off monumental prick to almost everyone I came in contact with. Not much could ruffle my composure. Isabella had me a nervous quivering mess.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
During dessert, in which I opted simply for coffee, our conversation took a more serious turn. “Edward, something’s been on my mind and I feel the need to speak with you about it.” Alice said in a voice just above a whisper.
“What’s up Ali?”
“For the last few days, I’ve been plagued with a feeling that you are going to do something stupid, and screw things up with Bella.”
Where the hell did that come from?
My mouth fell open in shock. “Don’t hold back Alice. Please tell us what you really think why don’t you?” I remarked sarcastically.
She shook her head slightly and let out a nervous laugh. “I really didn’t mean that the way it sounded Edward. It’s not that I think you’d ever willingly do anything to hurt Bella. Your mistakes will always be made in a misguided attempt to protect her.“
Is Alice purposely being cryptic? Maybe this is just a distraction to calm my nerves?
“Alice, I don’t know what to say. I love Bella. I don’t ever want to hurt her.”
She tilted her head to the side as she studied my face. “Just remember to always be honest with her Edward. And don’t treat her as if she’s made of glass. Bella is a lot stronger than you think.”
Still bewildered, I answered. “Okay Alice, I’ll try to remember that.”
--LRM--
As much as I wanted to greet Bella as soon as she landed, I opted to wait in the car. We’d been able to elude the paps this long, and I found no reason to tempt fate by standing in the middle of the airport in full view of everyone.
Sidney left me waiting in the car, as he went inside to retrieve my girl.
After what felt like an eternity, they both appeared, walking toward the car.
As soon as the door opened, Bella dove onto my lap. “Edward.“ She sighed.
She felt so warm and soft. I buried my face in her hair for a moment to fill my lungs with the unique scent of Bella.
“I missed you so much sweetheart.” I breathed.
We spent the short ride from the airport wrapped in each others arms, kissing as if our lives depended on it.
I could tell by Bella’s reaction, that she liked the hotel. It was quite beautiful. The perfect setting for a winter wedding.
God, I sound like a woman. Next thing you know, I’ll willingly watch ‘The Notebook’.
Fuck me.
I led Bella up to the suite, silently hoping that my sister gives us some time to relax. It seemed we’d been apart so long that I just wanted to revel in her closeness for the rest of the night.
The rest of my life….
As I put Bella’s bag in our bedroom closet, I heard Alice’s voice in the sitting room.
I came out of the bedroom as she was informing Bella of their ‘spa afternoon‘. Bella seemed a little quiet, but not upset.
Good. She and Alice deserve a little ‘bonding time‘. But not tonight.
At that moment, the food tray I’d ordered arrived. Once again, I knew I’d made the right decision, as Bella dug into it as if she were starving. Having had very little dinner, I found myself eating quite a bit of it too.
The champagne was the finishing touch, and succeeded in taking the edge off, seeing that I’d let my nerves do a number on me today.
Bella yawned widely after drinking her champagne, and then informed me that she was off to take a shower. I continued to relax in the sitting room for a few minutes, then also retreated to our bedroom.
I was stretched across our bed, channel surfing, when Bella emerged from the bathroom.
Now, I’d seen Bella in sweats, jeans, t-shirts, dressy shirts, skirts, and dresses, always finding her to be the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in the room. But, nothing prepared me for Bella in a sexy satin nightgown. I almost swallowed my tongue in surprise. It was lovely, and hugged every inch of her beautiful body.
My mind shut down most thought processes, it even forgot how to think in full sentences, opting instead for Cavemanese, as all my blood left my brain, traveling south to my dick.
Bare skin, cleavage, breasts (so glad I didn‘t think ‘tits‘ …shit, I just did).
Hips, ass (I thought ‘ass’ too…because I am one).
Gorgeous legs, even has sexy feet (perv).
Oh God….
Several different scenarios flashed through my mind in which I would successfully talk Bella into having sex with me. Right now. Right here. Or over there on the bed, or on the floor, or in the dressing area, or in the shower, or all of the above.
Fuuuuuccckkkk
I’m not sure what my face looked like, but Bella must have felt the need to explain her clothing choice.
“Um, Rose re-packed my suitcase, removing all my comfortable clothes. Do you think this looks okay?”
Okay? If okay translates to mean fuckhot? Fuckhot as in I want to throw you down and make you scream my name…
yeah I guess the nightgown is… okay.
I made a valiant effort to pull myself together and speak.
Come on, you can do this.
I cleared my throat. “You look very nice.” I said quietly.
“I need a shower.” I blurted as I stood abruptly and ran into the bathroom, knowing that if I stood there for one more minute, I would be begging Bella for sex.
Begging, pleading, coercing….
Why the hell is this so difficult?
In the shower I stared down at my traitorous dick. “You are a stupid fucker.“ Then I laughed at my unintentional joke.
I think I may be losing my mind.
Realizing what an ass I had made of myself in front of Bella, I was overcome with remorse for the thoughts that taken hold of me just before my escape into the shower.
She probably realizes what an asshole I am now, and will want to be on the first flight back to Seattle.
After freezing my ass, and other body parts in the shower, I dressed and joined Bella in the bed. Thank God she was hidden under the covers.
I laid on my side facing her, as I tried to think of the best way to word my apology. Bella seemed to catch on to my mood almost immediately.
“What’s wrong Edward?”
I sighed. “You know Bella, I’ve always prided myself on my self-control.” I chuckled darkly at how I‘d almost fucked up tonight. “I realized when I met you that I’d never really been tested until then. Despite that, I still felt I was handling things pretty well.” I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. “I owe you an apology.”
She looked confused.
“When you came out in that nightgown just now, it was everything I could do not to go all caveman, throw you over my shoulder and take you to bed.” I murmured.
She gasped in shock.
“Maybe if I’d had a little warning, I would have reacted more gentlemanly. I’m so sorry.”
Watch now as the love of your life tells you off before leaving your sorry ass.
But Bella didn’t tell me off. “Edward please don’t apologize. It’s hard for me to say this but, I’m feeling really flattered right now.” She whispered. “It makes me happy to know you want me in that way. I know we talked about wanting to be each other’s firsts, but you’ve been so reserved that I wasn’t sure if you were really interested.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
Wow, I’m a better actor than I thought. I should receive an Oscar for disguising the fact that I really want make love to Bella.
Yes, I want to kiss every square inch of her naked body. I want to make her see stars or whatever the hell it is that girls do….over and over again.
How the hell did she not see this?
“Forgive me Miss Swan for not expressing my thoughts before now.” I took hold of her hand. “Bella, don’t hate me for this but, I’ve thought of little else since you spilled coffee on your shirt the first day we met.” I chuckled. “Let’s just say that I’m getting used to cold showers.”
That was the sad truth of my pathetic existence.
She was so sweet as she knelt in front of me on the bed and stroked my face with her hand.
We kissed again, and my lust-addled brain was still too much in control of my body. My hands traveled, trying to caress as much of Bella’s bare skin as they could find. I deepened the kiss. When she sucked on my lower lip, I almost moaned out loud.
In the heat of the kiss, and without my permission, my hands wandered lower to Bella’s thighs. I couldn’t help myself when I felt her small warm hands skim across my back muscles.
Bella pulled back slightly, and I realized that my erection had been pressing again her stomach.
Damn traitorous dick again. Ruining a perfect moment.
I pulled back and looked into her eyes. I forced myself to blink, willing the lustful thoughts away, and sighed.
“Maybe we should just talk for a little while.” I suggested.
We both relaxed and sat down. The only physical connection, our clasped hands.
“What do you want to talk about?” Bella asked as she pulled herself together.
I blurted out something that I’d been curious about for some time.
“Well, since we’re already on the subject…. Oh hell, I’m just going to ask. Bella, how much do you know about sex?”
Why the hell did I just ask that? Could I have been any more insensitive?
“Um.” She muttered as she thought, seemingly taken by surprise.
“I’m sorry, I’ve made you feel uncomfortable.”
I wish Emmett was here, I’d gladly let him kick my ass. I deserve it.
“Edward, stop. I’m not uncomfortable. I’m just trying to think how to word this without sounding stupid.”
“Bella, you’re not going to sound stupid.” I smiled, a little relieved, and more than curious.
“Okay. Well, about three years ago Rose discovered that I was woefully ignorant about sex. She made it her mission to become my own personal ’Dr. Ruth’.” I could tell that this was unpleasant to speak about.
“She started forcing me to read all the sex-related articles in Cosmo. At first I pretended to read them. She found me out pretty quickly, so she started quizzing me on what I was supposed to have read.” She cringed. “It was horrifying, and it went on for months. The worst part was that she would decide to quiz me at the most bizarre times, and sometimes in public places. I’ve never been so embarrassed before or since, even by the things Emmett has done.“
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Bella continued without noticing.
“I explained to Father Pat that I didn’t think it was a sin, because I hated every minute of it. And at the time, I was more afraid of Rose than of my punishment from God. She can be pretty intimidating.”
Somewhere in the middle of that last bit, I couldn’t stop myself from cracking up at Bella’s bizarre conversation with her priest. As a result of trying to keep quiet, my body started to shake with silent laughter.
Bella noticed.
“You know, I’m so glad I amuse you Mr. Movie Star. I suppose you know everything about sex?” She said as she smacked my arm.
“Bella, I’m a guy, I think we’re born knowing it.” I was still laughing, but at least I didn’t feel like quite a heel any more. “What we’re not born knowing, we learn from each other and other sources.”
“At the risk of sounding like an idiot, what sources are you talking about Edward?”
“Bella, come on, every guy I know has watched at least one porno, or a hundred.” I laughed again.
Christ, what made me say that? It had been years since I’d seen one of those.
“I think that was too much information Edward.”
Damn it, now I’ve made her feel awkward.
“Don’t feel bad.” I said, looking at her warily. “It was back in high school Bella.”
“Listen” I decided to be completely honest. “I know your history, and I would never push you into anything you weren’t ready for. When we are ready for the next step, I think we’ll know. I don‘t just want you for a few months or even years, Bella, I want you forever. Believe me, I’m willing to wait as long as I need to.“
I felt relieved that I’d shared my hopes of forever with Bella, and slept better that night than I had in almost three weeks.
--LRM--
The next morning, Bella began to fret about her ski lesson. Her biggest fear seemed to be that she’d crash into someone.
“It’ll be fine Bella, you worry too much.” I tried to soothe.
“You don’t understand Edward, I‘m a walking disaster. When I was eleven, Emmett took me roller skating. I lost control when I was coming off the rink, and crashed into a group of older boys that were standing there talking. They cursed me out and I spent the next twenty minutes crying in the bathroom.”
Bastards, who would do that to a young girl?
“Please tell me that Emmett did something to them.”
“Well, when Emmett finally coaxed me out of the ladies’ room, he had all three of them lined up to apologize. When I asked him later what happened while I was in the rest room, he told me that he never laid a finger on them, but that he was so verbally persuasive that one of them started crying, and the other two pissed their pants.” She smiled.
I like Emmett more every day.
Unbeknownst to Bella, I watched from a distance as she took her lesson. Alice and Jasper chuckled at my ‘voyeurism‘.
Asses. It wasn’t like I was watching her shower. Although that would be infinitely more stimulating that this ski lesson.
Exactly the kind of stimulation I don’t need at the moment.
--LRM--
While the girls had their ‘spa time’, Jasper and I decided to go for a work out, and then swim a few laps in the hotel pool.
“I have to hand it to you Edward, you’re faithful to your work-out schedule.”
I nodded. “I was a little lazy during Christmas vacation, so the first day I got back with my trainer, I whined like a little bitch.“
We both laughed. “This movie is pretty physically demanding so I have to push myself. You have no idea how much I’d rather be back in the room right now, playing my guitar.”
Jasper grinned and nodded.
After our swim, we went for drinks at the hotel bar, expecting the girls to arrive back at any time.
While we sat at the bar, Jasper got a text from Alice informing him that she and Bella had arrived back at the suite.
Once we finished our drinks, we headed back upstairs.
The girls were dressing for the wedding when we arrived. Bella was a vision when she stepped into the sitting area. I walked over to her, taking her hands in order to get a better view.
I think Bella may be about to break some unwritten rule about not ‘outshining’ the bride at a wedding.
Jasper smiled and went in search of Alice.
“Bella“ I said “you take my breath away. You‘re absolutely stunning.”
And she was.
She smirked. “Now you know how I feel all the time, Mr. Movie Star.”
I smiled back. “Silly girl. Okay, I’ll go get dressed, and then we can go downstairs.”
She seemed equally as pleased with me when I stepped back into the room in my suit. Of course my tie matched Bella’s dress perfectly.
Before long, it was time to go downstairs for the wedding.
--LRM--
We were all seated at circular tables for the ceremony and reception to follow. The Grand Ballroom was beautiful and elegant. Knowing Sylvia and Mark as I did, I was surprised that their wedding was so formal. They were such quirky, fun-loving people, and always full of mischief. They were always to ones to play practical jokes on the film set. When they met each other, I knew it was a match made in heaven.
During the moments that I was able to drag my eyes away from my beautiful Bella, I did notice that Sylvia made a lovely bride. The ceremony went off without a hitch, and the reception to follow was great fun.
Never expecting anything less, I was still gratified that Sylvia and Mark were so welcoming to Bella, making her feel right at home immediately.
The evening was winding down and I was holding Bella in my arms dancing to the strains of Truly Madly Deeply. My girl suddenly looked very sad, almost as if she was very close to tears.
“Why do you look sad Bella?” I asked.
“It’s our last night.” She whispered.
That was a thought that had already crossed my mind, and I‘d had to push it away to enjoy the evening.
“I’m looking forward to the day that we won’t have to be apart any more Bella.”
“Me too.” She whispered.
--LRM--
That night, our last night together for a while, I laid down with Bella and thought about how I was going to face the long weeks ahead without her.
She was crying quietly as I sang low in her ear until she finally drifted off to sleep.
I want to stand with you on a mountain
I want to bathe with you in the sea
I want to lay like this forever
Until the sky falls down on me….
*************************************************
See Next Page for Chapter 20
