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Chapter 4 – Breaking and Entering
The week after dinner with Bella was absolutely hellacious for Edward. His alarm hadn't gone off on Monday, which made Reagan late for school and himself late for work. On Wednesday, he had to leave in the middle of the night to pick Reagan up from Rosalie's because she had a nightmare and refused to go back to sleep. On Thursday, his computer crashed.
By Friday, Edward was ready to throw in the towel. To top it all off – he hadn't heard from Bella at all. Granted, his week had been so busy that he hadn't tried to call her either, but still. She did say she would call. It was the twenty first century, Edward thought. If a girl wanted to be the one to call then she should go right ahead. Also, it had been a very long time since Edward had to think about calling a girl. He was nervous.
He had made up his mind to call Bella Friday after work. That way, if she wanted to get together over the weekend, there would be plenty of time to prepare. It was getting close to lunchtime and he was just putting the finishing touches on some data he'd recovered from his computer when there was a knock on his office door.
Edward didn't look up from his computer.
"Unless you come bearing whiskey, I don't need the distraction," he said as his fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.
"How about some coffee and a cute kid?" Edward's head snapped up at the voice. At Bella's voice. She smiled warmly, held up a cup of coffee and gestured to the little girl beside her. Edward beckoned both of them forward.
"Fancy meeting you here." He smiled and gratefully took the coffee from her while little Sophie climbed into his lap.
"Alice brought Jasper lunch. She mentioned that you'd had a rough week." Bella smiled and leaned against the desk. Sophie looked up at Edward with pleading blue eyes and he nodded. Bella watched in amusement when the little girl opened the top drawer of the desk and pulled out a bag of Gummy Bears.
"Ah, my rough week has gotten around, huh?"
"I was hoping it was something like this that kept you from calling me," Bella said softly.
"How many?" Sophie's little voice interrupted them.
Edward smiled and held up five fingers. Sophie frowned, but carefully took out five pieces of gummy candy and set them up in a line on the desk.
"I promise you, there was nothing else keeping me from calling you. Well, besides my extreme nervousness," Edward admitted. Bella laughed quietly.
"You? Nervous?"
"It's been… a very long time since I've had to worry about… anything really."
"Oh. Well, I should have taken that into consideration," she replied with her eyes on the little girl in Edward's lap. Sophie was giggling to herself as she made the Gummy Bears dance across the desk before she popped them into her mouth.
"No, no. I should have been more of a man."
"It's the twenty-first century, Edward." Bella snorted.
"True. Very true," he said, not bothering to voice that he'd had the same idea earlier.
"More?" Sophie looked up at Edward and he nodded. Bella laughed.
"Do all the girls in your life have you wrapped around their finger?"
Edward grinned. "Pretty much."
"I'll have to remember that." She mused quietly.
"Do you want to be one of my girls, Bella?" He asked, his smile turning smug.
"Oh, I don't know if I can compete with all these blonde beauties."
"Ah…" Edward fidgeted slightly and lifted Sophie until she was sitting on his desk. Bella watched his ears redden slightly and wondered briefly what had gotten him so… oh.
"She's blonde isn't she?"
"Who?" Edward asked innocently.
"Your wife."
"Ex-wife. And yes."
"Great." Bella muttered. Edward opened his mouth to reply, but Sophie chose that moment to throw a handful of Gummy Bears at his head. She grinned widely and Bella dissolved into laughter, and then started to pull the candy out of Edward's hair.
"She has incredible aim, you should really be more careful." Jasper said from the doorway.
"Yeah, just like a woman. Always throwing gifts back in your face," Edward joked. A Gummy Bear hit him in the nose. "Hey!"
"Oops." Bella shrugged. Sophie clapped gleefully and Bella scooped her off the desk. "C'mon, let's not bother Edward anymore."
"Yes, he's got more sulking to do, I'm sure," Jasper threw in from the door. Edward glared at him, but his friend simply shrugged and slunk away to find his wife.
"I'm not sulking," Edward said as he walked Bella to his office door.
"I'm glad," she said with a smile.
"Can I see you? This weekend?"
"I'd like that. Tomorrow?"
"Perfect. As long as Reagan can manage a whole night at Rose's." He frowned. Bella touched his arm softly.
"If not, we'll figure it out then." Edward nodded and leaned down to kiss Sophie's cheek then Bella's.
"Thank you," he said against her skin. She shivered and smiled before leaving Edward's office with her stomach full of butterflies.
xXx
"Can I call you if I get sad?" Reagan asked softly. She touched the top button of Edward's shirt and he frowned.
"Reagan, it's just one night. Mommy misses you."
"Will you be okay?" she whispered. Edward smiled and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be fine, I promise."
"And we can have French toast tomorrow?" Reagan asked with a big smile.
"We'll see."
"Okay. Bye, Daddy. I love you," she said as she skipped away and up the stairs. Rosalie smiled as Edward got to his feet.
"She loves you so much." Rosalie smoothed his shirt and Edward smiled again.
"Well, the feeling is mutual." He laughed. "I'll call you in the morning."
"We'll be here." Rosalie led Edward to the door. She kissed his cheek as he walked out and Edward gave her a polite smile. He remembered the days when her touch would send him into overdrive, when she could look at him and he knew exactly what she wanted. Edward was sometimes sad those days were over, sad that his wife had had fallen out of love with him. Not that he was still in love with her - because he wasn't. He loved her well enough, that was true. It was for Reagan though. Everything Edward did was for Reagan.
But tonight… tonight was most definitely not for his daughter.
Edward took the stairs to Bella's apartment two at a time, almost giddy at the thought of seeing her again. He fixed his white oxford and ran a hand through his hair before knocking on the door. Bella answered quickly, a smile crossing her face as she did.
"Hi," she whispered. He stepped to her and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. It scared her to think how happy she was to see him, how much she was looking forward to their night out.
"You look… beautiful." Edward told her. Bella gave him a wry grin and looked down at her jeans and simple black v-neck.
"C'mon, Casanova. Let's get this show on the road." She closed the door to her home and took his hand. He laughed, and let her lead him down the stairs and out of her building.
"Feel like walking?" Edward asked.
"Sure," Bella answered. She hooked her arm through his, pulling him closer as they walked. "Was Reagan okay tonight?"
"Yeah, yeah. She'll be fine. She knows Rose misses her, so she'll try harder." Edward explained with his gaze set on something ahead of him.
"I'm sure this hasn't been easy on her," Bella said with a frown.
"It hasn't, no. But she's doing better."
"How did you get custody? I mean, I think it's great but it's usually the mother who…"
"Rose relinquished full custody. About a month after we started the divorce, she decided that she… needed some time for herself."
"Oh," Bella whispered. She frowned and focused on her feet as they walked, not understanding how someone could just… let go of their child. Maybe she had a good reason for it. Maybe they'd just been too young when they had Reagan and got married. But then again, Edward wasn't running from his responsibility. From what Alice had told her, he rose to the challenge quite well.
"We should… change the subject." Edward laughed quietly.
"Okay," Bella said with a smile."Tell me something that isn't about Reagan."
"Oh, c'mon!"
"No, Edward! You have to try." She laughed.
"It's going to be really difficult. I mean, I don't know much else. Unless you want to talk about accounting..."
"Huh, maybe I should just stick with the kid."
"She's pretty amazing. I could talk about her all day," Edward said softly. Bella rested her hand over Edward's and gazed up at him. The reverent look on his face made her heart warm.
"Fiiine," she said with a laugh. "Tell me about her."
Edward grinned and slipped his arm around Bella's shoulders, pulling her closer against him and kissing her head.
"Well, for starters, she's fascinated by you."
"Oh, that's nice to hear." Bella couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"Well, you and the penguins," Edward corrected himself.
"Of course, it's always about the birds," Bella sighed.
Edward laughed. "They're extremely cool, even I'll admit that."
Bella stopped walking and looked up at Edward with a wide smile. She really did love her job, and the fact that Edward thought it was interesting and not pathetic made her happy. They found a little restaurant down from Bella's building where they had dinner and talked for hours though it only seemed like a few minutes to them.
"Where did you grow up?" Edward asked after they'd ordered dinner.
"Forks," Bella answered. "My dad is the Chief of Police there," she added with a proud smile.
"Nice. What is there like, one stoplight in Forks?"
"Two actually." Bella sniffed indignantly. Edward smiled at her over his glass. "And aren't you from Sequim? It's basically the same there."
"Oh, I know. I just like teasing you." he shrugged and she narrowed her eyes at him good-naturedly. In truth, Bella liked his teasing, too. A lot.
"I know you do." she sipped her wine and thought about what else she wanted to know. "Did you play sports or anything in high school?"
Edward snorted into his beer. "Bella. I'm an accountant. I don't do sports."
"Well, I don't know! You're so… fit," she explained and then blushed spectacularly. It was true though, he was very fit. And she noticed.
"Have you been checking me out?" Edward raised an eyebrow at her and Bella smiled.
"Of course I have," she answered.
"Jasper makes me go to the gym with him," he explained with a sigh. "It's kind of embarrassing. I'm really clumsy, so I just stick to the treadmill."
Bella couldn't help but laugh at the notion that Edward was clumsy. She had yet to see it so she would wait to make a final decision.
"So, does your dad have any deputies or does he patrol the town by himself?" Edward asked.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? I bet your parents were doctors or lawyers, weren't they?" Bella shook her head but smiled.
"Both, actually." Edward grinned. "Well, Dad was a doctor. Mom was the lawyer."
"Of course," Bella replied. "Do you see them a lot?"
"Enough, yeah. They love Rae. It's hard because they're far away, but we try to get together at least once a month," Edward explained. "Do you have any other family?"
"Not really. Just me and my dad. He has some close friends in Forks, but that's about it," she told him. Edward nodded because he knew what she meant. He felt like he had that with Reagan and his friends. That whole "it takes a village" thing was kind of hard to do when family was so far away.
"My Dad's great, though. Everyone loves him." Bella's smile had grown to a full-blown grin while talking about her father. Something that Edward found contagious.
"It's too bad you didn't get any of his personable traits," Edward teased.
"You know, I think you hang out with Jasper too much." Bella wrinkled her nose and tossed her napkin down on the table. Edward laughed heartily and ordered two more drinks for them.
They continued to talk, each story leading into another until their plates and glasses were empty and Edward was smiling more than he had in a long time.
Being with Bella made Edward feel lighter than he had in years - since before his daughter had been born.
Everything after Reagan's birth had been overshadowed by work, bills, and a marriage that fell apart.
Edward sighed and pushed the thoughts out of his head, then focused on the beautiful woman beside him.
"How do you feel about riding the bus?" Edward wrinkled his nose but Bella rolled her eyes and dragged him to the nearest bus stop.
"Public transportation?" He pretended to shudder once they were situated on the bus. Bella poked him softly and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. She went quite willingly, tucking her head under his chin and resting her hands on his chest. "Where are you taking me?" Edward whispered, making Bella's blood warm.
"It's a surprise, silly," she teased. He frowned, but leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Edward pulled away too soon for Bella's liking, a smile playing on his mouth. Bella put on a pout, but leaned into him for the remainder of the bus ride. When the bus stopped, she tugged his hand and pulled him off with her.
"Now will you tell me?" Edward asked before taking Bella's hand in his. She smiled and looked ahead. He followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow at her. "You brought me to the zoo?"
"Of course," she said pulling him into a dark alley and walking faster than before.
"Are you planning to murder me and feed me to the lions?" Edward asked nervously. Bella laughed, the sound of it echoing through the darkness. He smiled and followed her without a second thought. When they finally reached a large building, Bella thrust her bag into Edward's hands and dug through it. She pulled out a set of keys, smiled up at him, then turned around and opened the door.
"Stay here," she commanded when the door opened. He obliged and waited. She emerged a moment later and held out her hand. Edward took it and let her pull him into the building. She led him down a dark hallway and then into a small office.
"Where the hell are we?" He set her bag down on the counter and looked around.
"My office," she said as she sat down and spun around in her desk chair. He stopped her, his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned down to kiss her – the kiss on the bus not nearly enough to satisfy him. She wound her hands in his hair and pulled him closer, trying to deepen the kiss until she started to roll away. Edward stumbled and laughed against her lips, her body warmed at the feeling of it.
"C'mon on," Bella said as she stood up gestured to the open door. She led him through another corridor and to what looked like a large freezer door.
"Christ, you are going to kill me, aren't you?"
Bella laughed loudly. "You're much too handsome to kill." She leaned up to kiss his cheek and then opened the door.
"Yeah, you think that now," Edward grumbled.
"I just wanted you to meet some uh… people that are important to me," she said as she opened the door. Edward smiled at the sight in front of them. The birds were sleeping, huddled together in the warm climate. "They're obviously sleeping right now, so we can't play with them or anything."
"You play with them?" Edward smirked. Bella shrugged and looked out at the habitat she helped design and build.
"They're like… little people."
"Bella…" Edward's voice was quiet in her ear and his arm wrapped around her waist from behind.
"Yes?" She breathed, not daring to look at him.
"You really need to get out more," he whispered. Bella gave him a gentle shove with her elbow, while Edward laughed.
"You're a jerk," Bella said as she stalked out of the habitat. Edward laughed again and followed her out. She waited until he exited and closed the door securely behind him.
"I'm kidding," he said and pulled her to him. Bella pretended to struggle, but stopped when his lips met the skin under her ear. She leaned into him, running her fingers through his hair and pulling his mouth to hers. He kissed her feverishly, his arms tight around her, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
Bella pulled away slowly, breathless, and rested her forehead against his chin. She felt giddy and nervous at the same time. It had been so long since anyone made her feel.
"We should go before you get me into trouble," Bella told him, reaching for his hand. He grinned down at her hoping that she meant a very different kind of trouble than normal.
"Where are you taking me now?" Edward laughed, as Bella pulled him down the street. It was late, the night-clubbers and partiers milling about, scantily clad and drunk already.
"Some place." Bella shrugged.
"Some place like… a river to drown me in or a landfill to dump my body?"
Bella laughed and stopped walking, then threw herself into Edward's arms, her limbs wrapped securely around his body. He grinned and kissed her, there in the middle of the sidewalk, as people passed them by.
"Silly boy, if I kill you I won't have you around to kiss anymore," she said as she slipped down and took his hand again.
"I like how you think." Edward laughed and followed her a little ways down the street until they reached a small diner.
"They have the best apple pie in the entire world," Bella said, as they took a seat in one of the ratty booths by the window. They ordered coffee and pie, and played footsies under the table until their order came.
"I tried to make apple pie for this Thanksgiving thing Reagan had at school, it was awful. She ended up bringing the whole thing home. She was so embarrassed," Edward mused quietly.
"I'm sure she got over it." Bella frowned.
"Well, yeah. But not until after I let her have a sleepover with three other girls and they all thought she was 'cool' again," he said making little air quotes with the word cool. "Seven year olds, I can't even tell you..."
Bella tried not to laugh at his frustration. Truth was: she had no idea what it was like. She didn't know anyone besides Alice and Jasper who had kids, so she learned something new every minute she spent with Edward.
And she really, really liked it.
"So it's basically like Mean Girls for elementary kids?"
"Mean Girls?" he asked, confused.
"It's a movie Edward," Bella said with a laugh. "I'll show it to you one day."
"Will I like it?"
"Probably not." She snorted. "It's a silly movie. A lot of the truth though," she explained.
"Hmm." Edward hummed and took a bite of the pie that the waitress had set in front of him. Bella watched the way he slipped the fork into his mouth and couldn't help but envy the little piece of metal. He sliced off another piece of the pie and held it out to her. She almost laughed at the thought of him feeding her pie in the crummy little diner. Almost – except the pie was delicious and so was the man feeding it to her.
They finished the pie and left the restaurant hand in hand, making their way back to Bella's apartment in hardly any time at all.
"Do you want to come inside?" Bella asked, looking up at Edward with hopeful eyes. He gazed down at her, a small smile on his face.
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Bella," he replied as he wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger.
"No?" She asked quietly. "Not even for a minute?" Bella stood on her toes and placed a kiss just under Edward's ear. Her hands were spread on his chest and she could feel his heart beating beneath her palm.
Edward gave a soft sigh and wrapped his arm around her waist. She pulled away and grinned up at him.
"Fine," he said as he leaned down and kissed her quickly. Bella's smile grew as she unlocked the door and led him into her apartment. She showed him around quickly and then pushed him on the couch, ordering him to relax while she turned on music and grab drinks for them.
When she returned, Edward was leaning back against the suede sofa; his eyes closed his mouth moving with the lyrics of the song. He smiled when he saw her and gratefully accepted the cold beer she handed him. She settled on the couch next to him, her feet tucked under her and her knees resting on his thigh. They sat in silence for a moment before Edward laughed softly, covering his hand with his face and then leaning up with his elbows on his knees.
"What's funny?" Bella asked, confused.
"This. Me. Ah, God. I have no idea how to do this," he said sadly. Bella frowned and touched his face softly.
"You're doing okay by me," she whispered.
"I just… I was with Rose for over ten years. We were just kids. Everything is so new to me and I don't know what's too fast or -"
Edward's words were cut off by Bella's lips against his. She kissed him quickly, just enough to get him to stop talking.
"Edward, technically this is only our first date. I didn't bring you up here to get you naked or anything," Bella said with a smile. "I just didn't want the night to end yet."
"Me either," he said softly before he leaned over and kissed her again. Bella ran her fingers through the short hair on the back of his neck, then pulled away and rested her head on Edward's shoulder. She took his free hand and laced their fingers together, hoping he knew that she wasn't going to ask for anything more than what he could give.
Even though she also hoped that what he could give would be everything.
"Stop feeling sorry for me," he whispered with a soft chuckle.
"I'm not," she whispered back.
"Tell me what you're thinking then," Edward said as he pulled away. He shifted until his knees were touching hers and set their drinks down so he could take both of her hands in his.
"That I really… enjoy your company," Bella stated lamely and then wished she could crawl into a hole. That was the most un-romantic thing she could have possibly said.
Edward frowned. "Are you giving me the brush off? Already?"
"What? No! I'm sorry! I say the dumbest things sometimes, I swear…" Bella bowed her head and heard Edward laugh. He tipped her chin up and looked down at her with earnest eyes.
"I enjoy your company too, Bella."
"Clearly we both need to work on the romantic-talk," she said with a weak smile.
"Fine. How about… you're beautiful and intelligent and I think about you all the time? Does that work?"
"Yeah." She nodded and swallowed, trying to rid her head of the ringing that had suddenly started. "That works… just fine."
"Now, say something nice about me." He grinned and rested back against the couch again, completely at ease.
"You're kind of an ass."
Edward laughed loudly and took a long pull from his beer before pouncing on her.
"You'll pay for that one," he said as his fingers dug into her ribcage. Bella squealed and tried to push him away. He kissed her cheek and tickled her until she couldn't breathe. Then, when he thought she'd had enough, he buried his face in her neck. With his lips on her skin and his hands on her body, Bella decided that she would most certainly never get enough of Edward Cullen.
