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A/N: I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. It is pretty heavy, but the next one will be a lot more fun.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, unfortunately. They are owned by Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 3 – Guests and Gifts
BPOV:
Edward and I walked through the front door, hand in hand. There were several people sitting in the living room I didn't know, but I assumed they were the family from Denali. The strawberry blonde one got up, walked over to us, and gave Edward a hug that lasted a little bit too long for my liking. It didn't look like Edward reciprocated the hug fully, but he did hug back a little.
I know they are old friends, but I could tell that Tanya wanted there to be more between the two of them.
I just glared at her. What the hell was that? Who does she think she is? I am his girlfriend remember? She turned to me and stuck out her hand as if she wanted me to shake it. I reluctantly took her hand and smiled timidly.
"Hi, I am Tanya. You must be Bella. I have heard so much about you."
She turned around to introduce everyone else.
"This is Irina, Kate, Carmen, and Eleazar. It is very nice to meet you."
They all smiled and waved at me.
I waved back and said, "It's very nice to meet you too. Edward has told me so much about you and your family. How long are you guys in town for?"
I knew I was being very forward and somewhat mean, but she rubbed me the wrong way.
"Well, Carlisle invited us to stay for the weekend, so I guess we will be going to graduation and the party afterwards with everyone. Isn't that just great news? We are going to have so much fun together," she said with a little too much enthusiasm as she was taking my hand in hers.
"Sounds great," I said with as much interest as I could muster.
When she turned around, I glowered at Edward. He just shrugged his shoulders, but pulled me closer to him. We went to sit on the couch, the spot farthest from Tanya.
"What have you guys been up to since I last saw you?" Edward asked without his eyes leaving mine. I am sure Tanya was getting annoyed by the fact that Edward didn't even pay attention to her.
I knew he was just trying to be polite, but it made me angry that he was indulging her. I didn't want to give her any false hope that she had a future with him.
I was his future, I was screaming to myself. Jasper must have felt the tension because he sent a wave of calm into the room. I turned to him and mouthed, "Thank you."
"I believe the last time you saw me was when you came to Alaska to escape from Bella. I really haven't been doing much. Laurent did stop by, but he didn't stay long. We haven't seen him since. Have you?" Tanya answered eagerly.
I could tell she was rubbing in the fact that he had run away from me, but I was over that. I understand why he did it, and it didn't matter because I loved him and he loved me.
"No, he hasn't come back, but I didn't expect he would after he heard what we did to James," Carlisle answered quickly. He probably realized how uneasy I was. "Do you guys want to go play some baseball? Alice said there was a storm brewing over town."
Irina answered this time, "Sure. We would love to. It's been a long time since we have played."
"I think Bella and I are going to stay behind, but you guys go ahead and have fun," Edward said with a little grin on his face.
I could have sworn he winked at Alice, but she didn't show any emotion on her face.
Everyone got up to leave, including us, but I didn't know where we were going. Tanya walked over to us, but she probably saw the look on my face because she didn't try to make a move on Edward. She just said, "See you guys later."
We walked out to the Volvo, and Edward opened the door for me, waiting for me to get in.
"Where are we going?" I asked impatiently.
"Last night you said you needed new books, so I thought it would be a good idea to go today since I could tell how uncomfortable you are around Tanya. Why is that anyway? She was just trying to be friendly."
"No I didn't," I said curtly. Did I? I couldn't remember.
"Let me rephrase that. You said it in your sleep. You were complaining about the poor status of your favorite Jane Austen book."
I could tell by the direction we were traveling that we were headed to Port Angeles, but I didn't think there was a decent bookstore there. The truth was I didn't really care where we were going as long as it was away from Tanya.
Even though Edward didn't take his eyes off me the whole time she was in the room, she couldn't take her eyes off him. I decided I needed to tell Edward exactly how I felt so there wouldn't be any confusion between us. I loved Edward and would for the rest of my life, but I needed to make sure that there wasn't the slightest chance he would leave me heartbroken for someone like Tanya.
"My problem is that she was being too friendly towards you. She likes you. Couldn't you tell from her thoughts that she would have jumped on you right there if I wouldn't have been there?" I said angrily.
I was angry, but I had to remember I wasn't mad at Edward. I was mad at Tanya for thinking she could ever be an important part in Edward's life.
"She does not like me, and even if she does, my eyes are only for you. I was so concerned about you that I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else." He smiled at me.
He was trying to dazzle me, and it was working.
"I love you Isabella Swan. More than you will ever know."
"I love you too, but I can't help but think that you would be happier with her because she is more like you than I will ever be since you refuse to change me. If you were with her, you wouldn't have to hold back like you do with me, and you wouldn't be worried about her getting injured or killed every time you turn around."
By this time, I was in tears. I didn't know where all this emotion had come from.
"Bella, stop it. You are being utterly ridiculous. Tanya and I will NEVER be together. I will be with you forever, but I refuse to let you lose your humanity just for me. I don't want you to be a monster even if that means we can be together forever. We can make this work, but you have to trust me. There is one thing that will never change; I will love you everyday of my existence and I won't be able to live without you." He looked at me with pleading eyes.
I knew he was sincere about everything he had said, but I was still angry that he refused to change me. I wanted to be with him forever, and I would do anything to make that possible. "I love you Edward Cullen," I said as I leaned over to lay my head on his shoulder.
He turned his head so he could give me a kiss. "I love you too. Forever and for always." He brushed my hair behind my ear and a tear off my cheek.
I leaned closer into him, and he put his free hand around my shoulders and rubbed them gently.
We rode like this the rest of the way to Port Angeles. Once there, he pulled up in front of a huge bookstore I had never seen before. It looked new. The sign above the door read 'The Lion's Den'.
He came around and opened my door.
"How did I not know about this store?" I asked as I got out of the car.
He took my hand and led me into the store, smiling widely at me.
"I called in a favor. I figured it would be easier to explain a new bookstore here than in Forks. I knew you would need new books eventually, and I thought the people around here could use some decent literature."
I was bewildered. He knew I hated it when he spent money on me, and now he had an entire bookstore built for me. It dawned on me just then what the name of the store meant: He was the lion.
"You shouldn't have done that, but thank you. It's very thoughtful of you."
I looked around the store in amazement. Everything about the store made me think of Edward, from the huge windows that caught the light and made rainbows on the walls and floor to the building to the blue paint. It was the same color blue that he loved on me. I started to tear up; I couldn't believe that I had such an amazing boyfriend.
"Oh, Bella please don't cry again."
He pulled me into an embrace.
"Happy graduation, my love."
I stayed as close to him as possible.
"You aren't mad at me for doing this are you? I did it with your best interest in mind. There is a whole section dedicated to romantic classics because I know how much you love them. There are also some other sections just for you."
"No, I am not mad at you. Of course I am not mad. I am just trying to come up with some way to express what I am feeling right now."
I stood up as far as I could, threw my hands around his neck, and gave him a deep, passionate kiss.
I was disappointed that he broke our embrace, but soon realized that people were staring at us.
"I am glad you aren't mad at me, but we may want to save this display of affection for when we are alone," he smiled at me.
"Are you ready to go shopping?"
"Yes. Do you have a certain preference as to where we start, or can I just have the run of the store?"
"It's your store, so you can do whatever you want I guess."
My store. I still can't wrap my head around it. I looked around the store trying to figure out where I was going to start. I led him further into the store, but Edward started to walk in front of me leading me to the section I was already heading towards.
"I thought you couldn't read my mind," I snickered.
He led me directly to the Jane Austen section. "I can't, but you are very predictable. I knew this would be your favorite section in the whole store, and if you look in the back corner, you will find a couch identical to the one in my room. The one you love you so much."
I recalled all the good memories we had had on that couch over the last year and half.
There was a sign over the couch that said 'Bella's Corner'. I ran over to the couch and motioned for Edward to join me. He grabbed the Jane Austen book I needed to replace and joined me on the couch.
"Edward, this is perfect. I really don't deserve you. I love you so much."
"You deserve everything in the universe, even if you don't believe me. I love you."
I cuddled next to him on our couch with my book after I gave him a kiss. We stayed like that for an hour. "Bella, it's time to go."
"I haven't picked out all my books yet. Where do we need to go? It's only three o'clock."
"Don't worry. I called ahead and had them lay aside the books that were on your list. They are waiting for you at the counter. I have a request for you, but if you don't want to, you don't have to."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I wanted to take you shopping for the vacation. I know Alice is going to make you go next week, but I thought you would enjoy it more if it were the two of us. Alice picks out gorgeous clothes for you, but I want to try too. If you don't want to go, say the word and we won't."
I loved how considerate he was for me, and knew I couldn't refuse.
"I am the luckiest girl because I have the best, most thoughtful, and sexiest boyfriend in the universe. I would love to go shopping with you. How could I say no after all you have done for me today?"
"You are so wrong Bella; I am the lucky one to have you in my life. Let's get going then. Are you hungry? We should get you something to eat before we start shopping."
I reluctantly got up, knowing I really didn't have a choice.
"Edward, you are too good to me."
Edward grabbed my books from the counter and started to guide me out the door to the car, but I stopped him before we made it to the door.
"Don't I have to pay for those?" I said as I motioned to the bag of books he was carrying.
"Silly Bella," he said trying to suppress a laugh as he continued to steer me to the car. "This is your store. You don't have to pay for anything. Everything is already taken care of, so the next time you want a book, just call here and they will have it waiting for you, or they can send it to you."
"You really are too good to me." I smiled and gave him a 'thank-you' kiss.
After stopping at a little café for a snack, he pulled up in front of the store that I had gone shopping with Jessica and Angela for their dresses for the spring dance. That night seemed so long ago. It was the night I learned the truth about Edward; the night my life changed forever.
We walked into the store hand in hand, and Edward escorted me to the changing rooms.
"Wait here. I will pick out stuff for you to try. I will be right back." He gave me a kiss as he set me down in a chair.
He came back five minutes later with a pile of clothes that rivaled Alice's when she took me shopping. He hung the clothes in the dressing room and told me to go try them on. I did as I was directed, anxious to see what he brought.
"You have to show me everything. There is also something special in there, but you don't have to show me that. It's for our vacation, but I want to wait until then to see it on you. If you don't like then we don't have to buy it." Edward winked at me as I entered the dressing room.
I started looking for the special outfit he was talking about, but I couldn't find it. Then I spotted it: at the back of the pile there was a simple bikini in Edward's favorite shade of blue.
Normally, I would have never picked out anything like that, but I was definitely going to get this. Just for Edward. He has done so much for me that I wanted to do something special for him.
"I love it Edward, and I will be wearing it just for you," I said from the dressing room.
"I know I said I would wait, but I don't know if I can. I have a feeling when I see you, I might faint, if that was possible of course, and I would rather do it here with just you than in front of my whole family."
"Well since you have been so good to me, I guess I can give you a sneak peek, but you have to promise to keep your hands to yourself."
"I will try my best, but no promises. If you look as good as I think you look, I don't think I will be able to control myself."
I opened the door, but stayed back far enough so Edward couldn't see me. After taking a deep breath, I slowly walked out of the dressing room and made my way over to where he was sitting. I couldn't look him in the face. I could tell I was blushing, but I couldn't help it; I knew he was staring at me.
When I finally got up the courage to look at him, he looked star-struck. He smiled, started to say something, but shut his mouth as if he was trying to compose himself before he went on.
"Bella, you look much better in it than I was picturing. Thank you very much for this, but I think I am going to have the same reaction each time I see you in that."
He got up at inhuman speed and was holding me in his arms instantaneously.
"Edward, I thought I asked you to keep your hands to yourself, but I am glad you like it. I have to admit, I really like seeing you speechless. Now you know how I feel when you dazzle me."
His eyes became softer as he leaned down to kiss me. The electricity that flew through us was something I hadn't experienced since that day in biology when we were watching the movies.
We continued to kiss, while Edward ran his hands up and down body as if he was seeing it for the first time. I was thankful that no one interrupted our "discovery session".
He broke our kiss and whispered into my ear, "You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Sometimes when I see how beautiful and caring you are, I don't feel like I deserve you."
"You are crazy and have no idea what you are talking about. I am the lucky one in this relationship, and I don't see myself as being as beautiful as you say I am."
"Now who is crazy? You are the most stunning person on Earth, and I treasure every moment we have together."
I pulled myself up so I could lay my head on his shoulder so I could inhale his scent and hopefully capture this moment forever. It was the first time I thought I might finally be seeing myself the way he sees me.
He kissed my head and squeezed me gently. Even though I was standing in a dressing room in nothing but a bikini, I could have never felt more comfortable.
I wanted to stay like this longer, but between his cool skin and my lack of clothes, I was getting very cold.
Edward must have felt me shiver because he let me go.
"Okay, you go try on more stuff and I will go compose myself once again. I hope you like what I picked out."
With that, he walked over to the chair. I could tell he was trying to regain some control because he was breathing in and out heavily. I was doing the same thing. I would definitely have to get over this dazzling thing eventually.
I continued to try on his outfits for the next two hours. I had no idea he would react as he did each time he saw me in a new outfit- it was almost as embarrassing as his reaction to the bikini. Every outfit took 10 minutes longer to get through than if he would have just sat quietly and nodded or told me I looked nice.
He was being very hands-on with the clothes, so at one point I asked jokingly, "Why do you insist on checking out every inch of the clothing, Edward? I am sure they are high quality just checking the price tag."
I had looked at a few of them, but stopped because I was going to have a nervous breakdown if I kept seeing all the prices.
"I am not checking the clothing. I am checking you out," he said unflinchingly. "You just look incredibly sexy in everything. I can't keep away from you."
I laughed wearily. I didn't know how much more embarrassment my face could take. I was sure it was bright red now. I turned to go back into the dressing room.
After trying on the rest of the clothes, I had settled on getting just the bikini because it was all I could afford, and I knew Edward enjoyed it the most.
I still really wasn't comfortable with the amount Edward had already spent on me today, so I was going to do my best to stop him from spending more on me. I picked up the bikini and walked to the register.
"Bella, don't you like the rest of the clothes?" Edward asked as he rounded the corner with the rest of the clothes I had left in the dressing room
"Of course I do, but I can't afford all of them. I refuse to let you spend another dime on me today, so I am just going to get the bikini."
"Actually, I already bought all of the clothes. I knew you wouldn't let me buy you anything else, so I did before you tried them on." He smiled at me trying to figure out what my reaction was.
It took me a moment to respond. "Edward, you know I hate it when you spend money on me. I can't believe you would do that. The bookstore was one thing, it also benefits other people, but these are just for me. I can't let you waste your money on my clothes."
"I'm sorry Bella. It was my idea to go shopping, so I figured it would be okay if I paid for them. If you are really upset, I can return them or given them to charity. Whatever you want to do with them, consider it done," he said as he looked at me with pleading eyes.
He took my hands in his as I started to tear up again, and continued to apologize, "Bella, please forgive me. I didn't do this to upset you."
I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulled him into a hug, and tried to get control of my emotions.
"It's okay Edward. Please don't feel bad. I am sorry I snapped at you, I overreacted. Please don't do it again though. Okay?"
"I promise I will talk to you first from now on. Are you okay now?" He kissed my hair, and then laid his chin softly on my head.
"Yeah, I think so, but let's try not to have anymore drama tonight. I want to enjoy this evening with you. I think we deserve it." I loosened my grip around his neck to lift myself up to give him a kiss.
"No more drama. I have one more surprise for you, but I promise I didn't spend a penny on it." He smiled at me as he led me to the car with my shopping bags in tow.
We walked in silence. He opened the door for me, but as I got into the car, he pulled me into another embrace.
"I love you. I just want what's best for you, but sometimes I get greedy. I want to give you everything this life has to offer, but what I want isn't always what's best for you. The best thing for you is what you want, and I have to learn that. I have been so used to getting and giving everything I want that when someone doesn't feel the same about it as I do, I don't realize it until it's too late."
"I love you too, but Edward you have nothing to apologize for. I, also, have to get used to you spending money on me. I have been so self-sufficient over the years that when someone wants to do something nice for me, I see it as a sign of weakness, and I don't like being weak. I hope you will forgive me for overreacting, and I will try not to do it again."
"I will forgive you even though you have nothing to apologize for either." He kissed me once again. "Now that that is over, are you ready for your next surprise?"
"Yes, but where are you taking me?"
"That's a surprise." He laughed as he sped out of the parking lot towards our mystery destination.
Thanks again to my wonderful beta Flamingo1325!
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