Notes: I was utterly flabbergasted by the response to the prologue and first chapter. I will do my very best to respond to every single review. I love them so much, and every favorite and follow alert that popped up in my inbox was a thrill. You guys are all amazing and I'm so excited to have you on board for this story!
As always, big thanks to Sunflower3759 for cleaning up my spelling and grammar, and LisaDawn75 for validating. Without them, this story wouldn't be possible.
Chapter Two: Brunch
Edward's POV
I watched Bella drive away and once the taillights had disappeared around the corner I turned to head back into the house. I stumbled, my legs still weak and shaky from my encounter with her. She was incredible. I could still feel her soft skin and taste her lips against mine.
I'd been unusually cocky tonight, which was kind of out of character for me. A couple of drinks and a desperation to sweet talk Bella into opening up to me brought it out, but it wasn't my usual approach. I'd gone through a bit of a cocky phase in college; I had quite a few girls pursuing me, and it was easy to let it go to my head. I didn't want to be an asshole though, and as I got older I realized that there was a distinct line between being charming and being a cocky, arrogant jerk. I didn't think I'd been too bad with Bella tonight, but I hoped that wasn't the only thing that had attracted her to me. To be honest, I tried really hard to be a good guy and I hoped that was what she was looking for.
Once in my old bedroom, I showered and brushed my teeth, wondering if Bella would come to the brunch the following day if I asked her. When I was ready for bed, I took a deep breath and typed a quick message on my phone.
At the risk of sounding like a creeper, I don't think I can wait to see you again. Come to the brunch tomorrow? -E
There was no answering response and I threw myself down on the bed, worried that I had scared her off. Grandchildren? I thought. What was wrong with me?She had to be freaking out that I was a clingy, obnoxious weirdo. I threw my forearm over my eyes and took a deep breath, not sure why I was so worked up over this. One quick fuck in the back of a car hardly meant anything, but I couldn't get her off my mind. There was something about Bella that made me want to see where else this could go. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and calm down. I was nearly asleep when my phone finally beeped, but I eagerly reached for it.
Are you sure that's a good idea? I'd like to see you, but I don't want to make things weird… -B
It's up to you. I'd really like to have you here, but if you don't feel comfortable with it, I understand. -E
I'll come, but I reserve the right to leave if it gets awkward. -B
Fair enough. -E
What time do you want me? -B
Now. -E
At the brunch.:) -B
You could come back over now, then you won't have to worry about what time. -E
You're awfully persistent. -B
Scaring you off? -E
No, just having a hard time wrapping my brain around it. -B
Around what? -E
The whole situation. How we met. What we did. The fact that we're seeing each other now. I mean, I think we're seeing each other, right? -B
I scared you off with the comment I made just before you left, didn't I? And yes, I hope we are. -E
Surprised me. -B
I was joking. Kind of. I mean, I was joking, but you know, if we DID end up together, it would make for a great story. -E
True. It's okay. I'm not freaking out or anything. You just keep surprising me. -B
Tell me if I am making you uncomfortable. -E
I will. (yawns) I'm wiped out though. Need to head to bed. What time tomorrow? -B
11am. -E
Should I bring my camera? -B
No, you're a guest. -E
K. See you tomorrow. -B
Night, Bella. -E
Night, Edward. -B
I fell asleep thinking about her and when my alarm went off in the morning I got out of bed reluctantly, even though I was eager to see Bella. The last week had been exhausting; I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. I was glad I could help out my family, but the amount of work that went into a wedding was ridiculous. I understood the yard work and landscaping we'd done, after all, the wedding was outside. But did any of the guests really care if the basement was swept? No one even went down there. The minute attention to detail my mother had put into it seemed way over the top to me.
It didn't take me long to get ready; I put on jeans and a blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and made a half-hearted effort to calm down my hair. I slipped my phone into my pocket and went downstairs, kissing my mother good morning and diving into the chaos. Things were less frantic than they had been the day before, but there was still quite a bit to be done for the brunch. My sister-in-law, Rosalie, and I set the long dining table and arranged everything for the buffet. She was fairly subdued this morning, she was four months pregnant and still struggling with some morning sickness and I knew she was tired.
"You can go rest, Rose," I offered.
She smiled gratefully but shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. I'll never get anything done if I rest every time I feel bad."
"Just don't push yourself, okay?"
"I won't," she assured me.
"Good. We're all looking forward to the next Cullen being born."
She smiled and rubbed her stomach gently. "I know. I don't know how I got so lucky, marrying into this family."
Rosalie's history was a rough one, with divorced parents and an abusive step-father. She had really struggled to trust Emmett initially, but my brother had doggedly pursued her, and they were both eager to begin their family.
"We're glad you didn't run screaming from our craziness," I joked.
"I thought about it." She chuckled and nudged my side with her elbow as I stacked plates and she arranged coffee cups. "So, I saw you and the photographer checking each other out all night."
I grinned. "I got her number and she's coming to the brunch today, as my guest."
"Very nice."
"Yeah, I really like her."
Rose grinned at me. "I could tell."
I finished laying out the silverware and moved on to stacking the napkins, trying to hide the smile I got every time I thought about Bella. "She's really great."
"You are smitten, aren't you? How much time did you actually get to talk to her?"
Although I couldn't get the memory of sex in the back seat of Bella's car out of my mind, I didn't think Rosalie really wanted to hear about it. "Uh, we talked for a little bit after the wedding. She burned a disc of the pictures for Tanya last night in Dad's office."
"Oh wow, that's awesome."
"Yeah, Tanya wanted to edit her own."
Rosalie nodded. "I guess they aren't going on much of a honeymoon, are they?"
I shook my head. "Unfortunately, she could only take a few days off work. But, even just a few days away will be nice. I know things have been crazy for them with moving the wedding up."
"Sometimes I wish Emmett and I had done something smaller," she said wistfully.
"Yours was a little over the top," I replied, trying to be diplomatic.
It had been located at the Fairmont ballroom, with over two hundred guests and lavish decorations. If the work that had been put into Tanya and Riley's wedding was over the top, Rosalie and Emmett's was insane. At least in that case I hadn't been roped into doing all of the work. I shook my head, the things I did for this family…
She shrugged. "At the time, I really thought it was what I wanted, but now…I think I'd rather just have something quiet. Although, I ended up married to the love of my life, so that's what really mattered."
I smiled. "You guys really are amazing together."
She smiled at me and put her hand on top of mine. "You thinking about settling down, Edward?"
I squeezed her hand and sighed. "Maybe? I don't know. Seeing Tanya and Riley, and you and Emmett, and my parents…it made me think about it."
"And did your hot little photographer have anything to do with it?"
I shrugged. "I was thinking about it in general before I met her. But yeah, last night, it certainly crossed my mind."
"Just be careful," Rosalie warned. "It's easy to get caught up in the idea of how things might play out, and not focus on the real relationship."
"I know," I reassured her. "I'll keep that in mind. I just have a good feeling about things."
"I can't wait to actually meet her. I didn't really get a chance to talk to her last night."
"I think she'll be here pretty soon. I told her eleven."
She glanced at the silver watch on her wrist. "It's ten to eleven. Think you can wait that long?"
I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm sure I can manage." The truth was, I was getting antsy to see her. What was it about this girl that had me feeling so eager? I shook my head to clear my thoughts and went back into the kitchen to get out the drinks ready. I had just set out the ingredients for Mimosas and Bloody Marys when there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," I called out, and Rose shot me a grin from where she was arranging flowers at the dining room table. Sue me, so I was eager. I opened the door to see Bella and my face lit up with a smile.
"Hey." She smiled back at me.
"I'm glad you came."
We stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. She shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't really sure what to wear, is this okay?"
She had on a blue and white print skirt, with a blue tank top and white short-sleeve cardigan. It was summery looking and relaxed, without being too casual. Her hair was down and curly and I couldn't stop myself from reaching out to touch a curl that hung down over her left shoulder. I really wanted to see her naked with her hair down like that, preferably in my bed.
"You look great." I stepped forward and kissed her forehead and she relaxed against me. "I am glad to see you."
She smiled. "Yeah, you, too. I have to admit you surprised me with the invitation to brunch."
"Obviously. You swear I'm not freaking you out? I'm not usually this…obnoxious." I chuckled, feeling awkward for the way I'd been acting.
She laughed. "There are worse things than a hot guy pursuing me."
"I promise I'm not a stalker or anything. I'm just really looking forward to getting to know you better," I explained.
"I'd like that."
"C'mon, come inside." I tilted my head at her and held out my hand. She took it and walked inside with me. My mother was just pulling the French toast out of the oven when I led Bella into the kitchen. She turned to place it on the counter and her face lit up with a smile when she saw Bella.
"Bella! I am so glad you came. I would have invited you last night if I'd had a chance."
"Oh, it's fine. I actually wanted to thank you for hiring me to photograph the wedding. It was a great opportunity."
"Good, I am so glad. No more work talk now, though. You're our guest. I am so glad you and Edward hit it off so well."
"Uh, yes. I was a bit surprised by that myself," Bella admitted. She looked up at me and smiled and I felt my heart thud in my chest. Shit, what was this girl doing to me?"Your matchmaking worked."
"Mom?" I turned to look at her and she smiled sheepishly at me.
"I didn't do anything. I just saw a lovely, brilliant photographer and suggested she be sure to take a lot of photos of you."
I shook my head. "I don't believe that for a minute. Bella?"
She raised her hands in mock surrender and laughed. "No way am I getting in the middle of this."
"Smart girl." I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Let's go get a drink. There are Mimosas and Bloody Marys in the dining room."
She followed me inside and once we were away from everyone else I spoke. "You feeling okay? Not too awkward?" I asked her.
She shrugged. "A little awkward, but I'm glad I came."
"Good. Drink?"
"Mimosa, please."
She took one from my fingers and I grabbed a Bloody Mary. "Don't like champagne?"
I shrugged. "I like vodka more."
She giggled. "At eleven A.M? Is there something you need to tell me, Edward?"
"I promise, I don't have a drinking problem. I'm just really ready for all of the wedding stuff to be over. It's great, and I am glad my parents could host it for Tanya and Riley, but it's a lot of work. We've spent the last few weeks going non-stop."
"I thought you lived in Seattle?" she asked.
"I do. I took last week off work to help though, and I've been here the last couple of weekends in a row."
"Oh, wow." She smiled sympathetically. "That is a lot."
"It was alright. I had plenty of vacation, and it was nice to spend more time with my family."
"They seem great," she said, taking a sip of her Mimosa.
"I can't wait for you to meet my sister-in-law, Rosalie."
"She's married to your brother, Emmett?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, I'm just trying to keep everyone straight."
"It's going to get a lot harder once the extended family shows up."
Her eyes widened and she gave me an apprehensive look. "How many people?"
"About the same as last night. So, maybe fifty, sixty people."
"Oh, wow. All relatives?"
"No, some are friends of Riley and Tanya. But I do have quite a few aunts and uncles and cousins, and all of their spouses and kids. And my grandma."
"I met her last night. She seems really sweet."
"She is, kind of a spit-fire, though, sometimes. I wouldn't underestimate her."
Bella gave me a nervous look and took another drink. "I guess I am kinda nervous about meeting her then."
"I thought you met her last night?" I asked, confused.
"I know, but I met her as the photographer, not as the girl who is dating her grandson. I mean," she looked down at her drink, twirling it in her fingers, "we are dating now, right?"
"Hey." I gently tilted her chin up so her eyes met mine. "If it's not moving too fast, I'd really like to date you. And my grandma is going to love you, I promise."
She sighed and set the champagne glass down on the table and wrapped her arms around my waist. I followed suit with my drink, and when my hands were free, I held her close to me.
"I'm sorry I'm being so weird about this." She sighed.
"Hey, this is all new to me, too," I admitted. "I've never felt like this about anyone before, Bella. I just really think there's something here, and I want to find out if I'm right. No pressure, and if I'm moving too fast, let me know, okay?"
"Okay." She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to mine briefly. "I'm fine. No more freaking out."
I gently pulled her lips to mine again and kissed her more thoroughly. She tasted like oranges, fresh and sweet, and I wouldn't have stopped, except for the person quietly clearing their throat in the background. I reluctantly pulled back from Bella to see her eyes, bright and shining at mine, and I smiled involuntarily, feeling unbelievably happy to have her in my arms. I turned to look, and saw Rosalie in the doorway with a grin on her face. Maybe we were getting a little out of hand, but I really didn't want to stop. For a moment I wondered if anyone would notice if I dragged Bella upstairs to my old bedroom.
"If you two can separate long enough, I could use some help getting the food in here." Bella and I gave each other sheepish grins and followed Rosalie into the kitchen. Rose stuck her hand out at Bella, and introduced herself.
"I'm Rosalie, I'm married to Emmett, Edward's older brother. I know we sort of met yesterday, but I thought I'd officially introduce myself."
"It's nice to actually meet you." Bella gave Rosalie a smile and I fell into step behind them.
"I am really excited to see the pictures you did yesterday. How did you get into photography?" Rosalie asked.
Bella smiled at her, and they both took large platters to carry into the dining room from where they were waiting on the kitchen island. I followed with several more, surreptitiously listening to them talk.
"I've always enjoyed it. My parents got me a really basic camera when I was a kid, and I've been fascinated with it ever since. In high school I was on the yearbook committee, took a class, and did a few senior portraits for some friends. When I graduated and went to U Dub, I decided to major in photography and minor in business. Right now, I work at Victoria Winter's Photography in downtown Seattle. During the school year I just work a few days a week, but for the summer I'm full time. Summer is the busiest season, so it works out well."
"That's really great. Do you get to do much photography at the studio?"
Bella shook her head. "No, it's mostly office work, but I've learned a ton. She has an assistant, Bree, who is a bit older than I am. She's really amazing. I know someday she hopes to take over for Victoria."
"What about you?" Rosalie asked.
Bella shrugged. "I'm going to play it by ear. I need more experience before I feel comfortable branching out on my own. That's why I was so excited to get this gig."
Rosalie squeezed Bella's shoulder and they headed back into the kitchen for more food.
"We're so glad you came. I know Tanya was really happy, and we're all thrilled that you and Edward hit it off."
Bella glanced back at me and smiled. "I'm pretty happy about that, too."
We carried the last of the food into the dining room, and just as we finished, the doorbell rang. My mother answered it, and the guests began to trickle in. Bella, Rosalie and I fixed plates and took a seat in the living room, balancing our plates on our laps as we ate.
"So, what do you do, Rosalie?" Bella asked.
"I'm an accountant. I know, number-crunching doesn't seem exciting, but I love it."
"No, that's great. I think it's wonderful that you enjoy it so much. I may need your services when I do have my own studio someday," Bella said.
Rosalie smiled at her, no doubt happy to have someone who didn't immediately roll their eyes and make disparaging comments about her career. In fact, at her wedding she'd nearly decked an old guy who condescendingly told her she didn't need to worry her pretty head about a career now that she was married. I'd nearly decked him as well. It was just a good thing Emmett hadn't been around.
"It will be nice to have a little bit of a break once the baby comes," Rosalie smoothed her hand over her stomach and Bella glanced down. Rosalie was only four months along, and on her tall frame, it wasn't very obvious yet, but there was a distinct roundness beginning to show.
Bella giggled. "I wondered if you were pregnant, but I am always afraid to ask someone, in case they may have just gained a little weight. I would hate to be rude."
Rosalie laughed. "No, I'm sixteen weeks, so any day it'll start becoming really obvious."
"Is it your first?"
"Yes, we're very excited."
"Well, congratulations."
"Thank you." Rosalie beamed at her, and I smiled and took a bite of the egg casserole on my plate. It was nice to see that they'd hit it off. Not that it was difficult. Rosalie had come a long way from the withdrawn girl I'd met when she and Emmett had begun dating. Now she was much more friendly and open.
Bella ate quietly for a minute before she turned to me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you."
I reached over and squeezed her thigh, wanting to reassure her, but also completely unable to keep my hands off of her. "It's okay, I'm glad you and Rosalie are getting to know each other."
"She seems really great," Bella said quietly.
"She is. She and Emmett are perfect together."
"I talked to him a little bit yesterday; he was nice."
I laughed. "Most of the time. He's my brother so I have to hate him occasionally."
"Is that how that works?" Bella laughed. "I'm an only child, so I missed all of that."
"We still like to drive each other crazy, but we are close."
"That must be nice."
"Are you finished with your food?" I asked.
She took another bite of her French toast, and when she finished, she smiled at me. "I am now."
"Would you like to go talk to my grandma with me?"
"No, but I will."
I laughed, pleased by how up front she was. "You don't have to."
"No, it's fine. I am a little nervous, but I'm sure she's very nice."
I took her plate and dropped it off in the kitchen. Grandma Platt was sitting in a chair on the sun porch, talking animatedly with my Aunt Ruth. "And that bitch stole one of my chips. We were in church! I couldn't believe her nerve."
I stifled a laugh. The woman was eighty-seven and still as spry and feisty as ever. She had a running rivalry with one of the other women who played poker at the church. They used to play Bingo, but she had decided it was too tame and somehow convinced the pastor to introduce poker. They played for charity with the winner choosing where the proceeds were donated, so it was all above board, but it had scandalized a number of long time church-goers.
"Grandma," I said, when she took a deep breath.
She turned to me and smiled. "Edward, my darling boy. Come here."
I leaned down to hug her, realizing how frail her shoulders were. She kissed me soundly on the cheek, and her bright eyes reminded me that although her body wasn't as strong as it used to be, mentally, she was still as sharp as ever.
"Grandma, I have someone I'd like to introduce you to." I stepped back and Bella smiled bashfully at her.
"Just how bad do you think my memory is? I met this lovely young lady last night."
I laughed. "I know you did, but I want to introduce her as the girl I'm dating."
She chuckled. "You move fast. Good for you though. Someone else might have snatched her up. She is a looker."
Bella smiled at Grandma, still looking a little bashful. "It's very nice to meet you, ma'am."
"Ma'am? Oh no, that won't do. Call me Grandma Myrtle."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Grandma Myrtle."
She patted the seat beside her. "Have a seat; I want to get a good look at you."
Bella glanced over at me for reassurance as she sat down; I gave her a comforting smile and she relaxed and turned back to Grandma and said, "The wedding yesterday was beautiful, wasn't it?"
"Yes. I do like this trend of outdoor weddings. So much less stuffy than in a church."
"Better lighting, too," Bella commented and grandma smiled.
"I can't wait to see those photos you took. You make sure I get a copy of Edward dancing with Lucy, okay?"
"Well, Tanya has all of the photos and she's the one who is going to touch them up and get them ready to print, but if she doesn't give you one, tell Edward and I'll make sure you do."
"Thank you, dear." She patted Bella's hand. "I knew I was going to like you."
"So, explain to me exactly who Lucy is to you, Edward," Bella said, looking up at me. I took a seat on the floor next to her and began.
"Tanya and I are cousins by marriage. My mom's brother Bud was working for the State Department as a diplomat. He got sent to Russia during the Cold War, and fell in love with a woman named Sasha Borovsky. He ended up staying there permanently, because it was very difficult for her to leave the country at that time. They married and had three girls. When Tanya came over from Russia to study here, my parents sponsored her and they got to be very close. She met Riley while she was here. Her two sisters came shortly after. Kate met her husband, Garrett, and they had Lucy. So, I guess Lucy is a distant cousin. I think that's how that works, I don't know. She's the only little kid in our family at the moment, so everyone dotes on her. Once she was old enough to walk, she pretty much latched on to me. No idea why."
"It's the hair," Grandma Myrtle said in a stage whisper. "All the girls love the hair."
I rolled my eyes at her but Bella nodded. "It is pretty spectacular."
I groaned. "I see, you two are going to start ganging up on me, aren't you?"
They nodded and smiled at each other. "I've been needing an ally, Edward," Grandma said. "I like this one. Hold onto her."
I reached over, grabbing Bella's hand and squeezing. "That's the plan."
We talked to Grandma and Aunt Ruth for a while longer before we made the rounds to the rest of the family. Bella was a bit nervous, but she was friendly and polite. It wasn't hard to see that they were all charmed by her, and I had to practically drag her away from my Great Uncle George who was attempting to flirt with her.
I pulled her away, intending to see if she wanted to go outside, but Tanya and Riley's arrival sidetracked us. The entire family descended on them and we waited patiently to give them our congratulations. When the crowd cleared and Tanya saw Bella, she reached over to give her a hug.
"You came! I was going to invite you, but I ran out of time before we left."
"Edward invited me," Bella said quietly. Tanya gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks in a gesture of surprise so comical that I had to stifle a laugh.
"Are you…? Oh my goodness, this is so wonderful. You two are…" she trailed off and I completed her thought.
"Yes, I asked Bella out on a date for next weekend."
"Oh, this makes me so happy. The thought that my wedding might have brought you two together." She grabbed Bella by the shoulders and loudly kissed each cheek. "This is the best wedding gift ever."
Bella tried not to flinch away from the excessive display of affection, but I could tell that she was a little overwhelmed. I gently pulled her away from Tanya and put my arm around her shoulder.
"Easy, Tanya! Not everyone is used to you."
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry," she apologized to Bella. "I am a little bit…how do you say,,,? Excitable. Yes, that's the word. I am just so very happy."
"It's fine," Bella reassured her. "Now, your photos are in a disc on Carlisle's desk in the study."
Tanya gasped. "I must see them. Come, Riley."
"But I was going to get food," he protested as she dragged him away.
"Food later, pictures now."
I laughed as he looked wistfully over his shoulder at the dining room table. I looked down at Bella. "Why don't we make up plates for both of them so they can eat while they look at the photos."
"Okay," she agreed. "Is there anything Tanya doesn't eat?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
We filled plates and took them into the study where a small crowd had gathered around my father's desk, all enraptured by the photos. Tanya and Riley took the plates distractedly; even Riley was too intent to really focus on the food. I looked at the photos, amazed at how good they were, even raw and untouched. Although, I had to admit my focus wasn't completely on the pictures. I kept thinking about Bella bent backwards over the desk and the way her body had moved against mine. So not appropriate for a family brunch, but I couldn't seem to think of anything else when she was around.
Bella groaned and buried her head in my shoulder. "Sometimes I hate looking at my photography."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just always feel weird about it when other people are around."
"Would you rather go outside and talk for a bit?" I asked, hoping to at least spend a little time alone with her today.
"That would be great," she said.
We turned, only to see Kate, Garrett and Lucy in the doorway. At this rate we were never going to escape my family.
"Uncle Edward!" Lucy cried out and hopped down from her father's arms. She launched herself at me and I managed to grab her and swing her up into my arms.
"Lucy-girl." I covered her with kisses as she squealed and squirmed. "Did you have fun last night?"
"I did. You wanna dance with me again?" she asked hopefully.
"Not right now, but maybe sometime soon," I promised, and she cheered.
"C'mon, let's give your Uncle Edward a break. You need to go have breakfast," Kate said, taking her from me. Lucy pouted and buried her face in Kate's neck.
"Not hungry," she protested in a muffled voice.
"You were just talking about Great Aunt Esme's French toast on the way here."
"Okay." Lucy sighed.
I turned to Bella and smiled. "Let's see if we can make it outside this time."
She smiled at me, and once we were outside and away from prying eyes, I leaned down and kissed her. She relaxed against me and kissed me back, her fingers clutching at my shirt as the kiss grew heated.
"I see why you wanted to come out here," she teased me breathlessly when I finally pulled away.
"That wasn't the only reason."
"It was a good reason though." She smiled at me and I brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek.
"Hey, let's go sit on the swings while we talk," I suggested.
She smiled and followed me over to the old swing set that Emmett and I used to play on. I held the ropes while she took a seat, and then pushed her gently to start her swinging before I took a seat on the other one.
"Was today too much?" I asked.
She shrugged, a bit of a frown forming on her forehead. "Not really. I mean, I feel a little bit turned around. I certainly never expected this to happen. And spending the day with your family, before we've actually gone on a date, is a little bit overwhelming, but I like you, Edward, and I'd like to know you better. I'm not going to freak out just because the situation is a little bit different than anything I've ever dealt with."
"So, meeting the relatives wasn't as bad as you thought it would be?"
She chuckled. "No, I like them all a lot."
"Grandma adores you. And she is notoriously picky. She hated one of my ex-girlfriends."
"Well, I'm glad."
I heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. Because I like you too, and I want to get to know more about you. I'm really, really not trying to scare you off. My comment last night was probably not the best idea. I was trying to be funny, and maybe it kind of backfired. I'm not saying I'm in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, even though it kind of came across that way." I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "What I am saying is that I see a lot of potential for us and I'd like to give it a shot. I hope this week we can text and maybe talk on the phone. And I'd like to take you out next weekend. Does that work for you?"
"That sounds perfect. And I guess we should have this talk now. You say you'd like to date, does that mean exclusivity or not?"
I was glad that she asked, and that we didn't seem to be having a difficult time communicating, aside from my idiotic rambling. "To be honest, I'd prefer to be exclusive, but I don't want to push you. I will say this though, I'm not dating anyone else at the moment, nor is there anyone I've been interested in."
"That's fine. I'm not dating anyone right now, either." She sighed. "I think I owe you an apology. I had this assumption in my head that last night was just a one-time thing, which obviously wasn't the case. And I think it's because I assumed certain things about you, and that's not fair."
"What kind of things?"
She looked down and scuffed her toe across the grass. "That because you're so attractive, you're not the type to want something more serious. Which is about as far from the truth as possible, I guess."
I nodded. "Yeah. Christ, I might as well just tell you about my past." She gave me a startled look and I hastened to reassure her. "No skeletons or really horrible relationships, I promise; nothing that you need to worry about. It'll just give you a better idea of where I'm coming from."
"Oh, okay."
I opened my mouth to continue, but I was interrupted by Emmett barreling out of the house. "Edward!" he called out.
"What's wrong?" I stood up quickly, knowing that Emmett wouldn't look that worried for no reason. "What happened?"
"It's Lucy, she fell and broke her arm, and she's crying for you. We've got to take her to the E.R., but she won't go unless you ride in the car with her."
"Shit. Okay." I turned to Bella, but she had already stood up and was brushing herself off.
"Don't worry about it, Edward. I'll grab my stuff from the house and head out. Text me when you get back from the hospital."
"Thank you." I kissed her quickly and we both jogged to the house. She gathered her things and I kissed her again by her car before sliding into Carlisle's already packed car. Lucy was in her car seat in the middle of the back, Kate was on Lucy's right, and Garrett was in the front passenger seat.
"It hurts, Uncle Edward," she sniffed. She had tear tracks down her cheeks, but I could see that she was trying to be brave.
"I know, Lucy." I grabbed her uninjured hand and held on. Thankfully, the ride to the hospital was short, and thanks to a quiet afternoon and a bit of pull from Carlisle, she was in and out as quickly as possible. Some x-rays, a bright pink cast, and some painkillers later, and she was snoozing in her father's arms as I kissed her blond curls and packed my things to head back to Seattle. I sent Bella a quick text before I left.
Thanks for being so understanding, Lucy's ok. Just a simple break. Headed back to Seattle now. -E
Good! I was worrying about her. I just got back to Seattle about 20 minutes ago. Going to have a relaxing evening watching movies and then go to bed early. I'm exhausted. -B
Sounds nice. I'll probably do the same. -E
Night! I'll give you a call tomorrow night, okay? -Bx
Sounds great. Night. -Ex
Notes:
Did you like Edward's POV? I'm dying to hear what you thought about the chapter!
