Chapter 4 – Bella

When Edward meets Emmett

Edward and I talked for the rest of the morning in my kitchen, the strips of sunlight moved slowly across the floor as we got to know each other that little bit better. At times I couldn't help but stare across the table at him. He was, quite simply, the most handsome man I had ever met, and the fact that I had known him in the biblical sense wouldn't leave my head. I knew that underneath his lightweight t-shirt he was packing abs of steal, and the well defined muscles that pointed the way to happy town tensed under the lightest of touches.

I couldn't help but notice the matching purple shadows under his eyes and the way he tried to stifle yawns as we talked. He looked like he needed a nap. I knew I definitely felt like having one myself. It would slightly odd of me to suggest that we nap, right? I'm not sure I cared, to be honest.

"...ideally I want to open up my own practice as soon as possible. Obviously that would make it easier for me to see Simba." He continued, nodding his head towards my stomach with a tiny smile. I liked that we already had a nickname for the baby, that it was an inside joke.

"That sounds..." I couldn't help the massive yawn that escaped my mouth. "...good." I finally managed to finish my sentence.

"God, I'm sorry, you said you were tired and I just keep going on and on. I should go."

"No!" I blurted emphatically, shaking my head at him. Now that he was here I was seriously reluctant for him to leave. While it was true that I had been constantly tired, for some reason after our conversation earlier and knowing that we were both on the same page of this particular book I was already beginning to feel better.

"No?"

"Please, don't think that you have to leave. I was thinking we could, uh, go through to the couch? A comfier seat?" I didn't mention my wicked plan to lull him into a sense of comfort and security so that I could literally sleep with him.

"Sure."

I led the way through to my living room, turning occasionally to see his eyes glued to the photographs that I had dotted about the walls and on top of cabinets. He seemed interested in my life prior to our meeting. It had been hilarious to watch the comprehension dawn on him that Emmett was one of my best friends and that he would want to kick his ass. It was true, and something that Edward needed to be warned about.

That conversation had come after Edward had kissed me ever so softly. I swear he actually just killed all of the tiny butterflies that had been fluttering about in my stomach. I almost couldn't breathe after his lips had sparked against mine. If there had been kindling lying about there would have been a kitchen fire.

My tongue glanced out and licked my lips quickly, hoping that a trace of Edward still remained, before I turned again and motioned to the couch with a smile.

"Thanks." He smiled. I love his smile. No, I like his smile. I love his sexy teasing smirk that lifts a little higher on the left.

"No problem." I watched him sink into the cushions with a groan.

"Oh my God. This is amazing, so comfortable and soft."

"This is nothing." I laughed, taking a seat beside him. "You should feel my bed."

"Excuse me?" We both let out shocked laughs. His face remained a normal colour, however, when I could feel mine burning brighter than the sun. I couldn't even look at him, shaking my hair around my face to hide my burning cheeks I looked at the blank television screen above the fire place.

"I mean, um, just that it's soft and welcoming. Y'know, comfy?" I heard the fabric of the couch shift as he moved closer to me. Long, musician looking fingers tucked hair behind my ear before they pressed their coolness against the heat of my face.

"Bella, please don't hide. I kind of like it when your face goes that pretty pink colour."

"I'm just so embarrassing." I groaned. "It's like I've never interacted with people before, you make me nervous. Like, a good nervous."

"You make me nervous too." He admitted, gently turning my head towards him, the honesty shining out from him made it impossible for me to scoff like I normally would have. My face was cupped in his beautiful, and incredibly talented, hands and my breathing stuttered again. Without any cognitive thought, my body leaned forward to bring my lips against his, softly scuffing against the sensitive skin and feeling that indescribable spark of energy pass between us again.

Neither of us pulled away, just millimetres separated our mouths, when we smiled against each other they made contact and brought forth another spark.

"I've never kissed and made sparks before." I muttered, breathing heavily and pulling away slightly.

"I'd quite like you to see stars as well as feel that spark." He replied, bringing his lips against mine all too briefly before pulling us down onto the couch and tucking me under his arm. "As much as I would enjoy taking this further I think that maybe we should have a nap."

"It's like you can read my mind." I sighed, curling into his side and resting my head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat, which I noticed was as erratic as mine.

My dream was still blank. There were only noises. The rev of the machinery was gaining momentum, the engine still not catching quite right. I knew I was waving my hand in front of my face again but still I could not see it. This time, however, I became aware of someone else in the room along with me. I somehow knew that they were searching for me. I could stay where I was or I could take my chance and walk with my hand outstretched in the hope of finding the person. Before I could make my decision I felt a finger stroke across my cheek and I jumped both in the dream and in reality.

The shock of the jump woke me up and I found Edward hovering above me wide eyed with his finger still on my cheek.

"Shit. I'm so sorry." He searched my face for any sign of distress. His patent concern softened my face and I smiled gently.

"It's ok. I was dreaming I was in a black room and someone was looking for me, it just shocked me when you touched me because I felt it in the dream."

"Sorry." His finger finished its sojourn across my cheek before being replaced by his lips. "Is this ok?"

"Mmmm." I became aware of the fact that we had shifted in our sleep. I was lying flat on my back along the length of the couch and Edward was crushed up against the back. His lips continued to flutter across my face, my fingers scrunched up into his soft hair.

This was going to be an interesting courtship. Usually I was pretty firm on the rules of touching when it came to dating. But no one had ever made me feel this way with simple kisses. We had slept together in the non literal sense on the night we met. I was pregnant with Simba, his child. I smiled at that.

I had spent P-Day crying with Rosalie over what had happened, but now it felt like there was nothing to cry about. I knew I wasn't going into this alone. I had a support network of people who not only loved me, but would love Simba with every fibre of their being. Then there was Edward, he had made it clear that he was going to be there for our child.

He had also made it clear that he was going to be there for me too.

That was the only vague worry I had. What if it doesn't work out? What if he ends up not wanting me? What if it ends horribly? Those were the doubts I was feeling, and I was happy that the doubts weren't about having our baby.

Not that I thought a few wouldn't creep in at some point. Mainly about my abilities to be an actual mother, but I refused to spend the next eight months full of panic and worry.

Edward was reluctant to put any of his weight on me, but I was really craving it. Guiding him down to me with one hand in his hair and the other on his waist I turned my mouth towards his, capturing his bottom lip and making him freeze.

"I don't know if I should." He freed his lip to tell me.

"I don't know either." I admitted, feeling the loss of his reassuring kisses already. "I'll go on top." His eyebrows shot into his hair line and I giggled. "Nothing untoward, I promise."

"Shame." He groaned with his delicious smirk plastered across his face and his eyes sparkling at me. Secretly pleased but rolling my eyes outwardly I tried to manoeuvre myself around so that he could slide underneath me.

I don't know how long we had been sleeping, but my lack of stretching out after had made my muscles grumpy. Cramp pierced through my calf and I yelped with the pain. I've never seen a man move so fast. Edward was off the couch and gripping my leg in seconds, instantly understanding my pain. Trying to stretch out my calf he pulled my leg up and put some pressure on my toes.

"Oh god. No. Ow, ow, ow, ow. Jesus Edward!" I wasn't thinking about what was coming out of my mouth, the stretching finally alleviating the cramp.

A blur of motion occurred above me, my leg thumped back down onto the couch unceremoniously and I looked up to see Emmett grabbing at Edward's shoulders, hauling him backwards and pinning him to the wall by his neck with his forearm.

"Get your fucking hands off her. She said no, didn't you hear her?" Edward looked panicked, his eyes darting to me and back to Emmett. I hadn't even heard him come in.

"Emmett McCarty!" Emmett glanced over at me quickly, before he lessened the pressure slightly on Edward's throat at my tone. "You get your fucking hands off him!" I hauled myself up from the couch, anxious not to cause my leg to cramp up again. Storming over to them I stood on my tiptoes, grabbed the back of Emmett's shirt and yanked him back.

"Bella...he was..."

"He was helping me with my cramping calf, Emmett. He's a doctor, he knows what he is doing."

"But you didn't see it from my angle, and I heard you say no..."

"Jesus Emmett." I scowled at him before pushing past and walking to Edward. His hand was massaging his neck, his ego severely bruised and his breathing heavy. I pushed my hands into his hair briefly before stroking my hand along his neck to move his hand away so that I could have a look. There was a red mark but it didn't look like it was going to turn into a bruise.

"I'm ok." He told me.

"You are lucky that he is ok!" I rounded on Emmett who, to his credit, was looking more sheepish than a herd of sheep. Rubbing the back of his neck and trying to pull the big-eyed-pouting look that usually got him out of trouble. "What do you think this kind of thing does to a pregnant woman's stress levels, McCarty?"

"I'm sorry."

"What the hell are you doing here anyway? I told you not to come round here today." My annoyance was finally ebbing away.

"It's after five, and I was worried."

Rolling my eyes at him I turned back to Edward who still had a massive frown on his face and was staring at the floor. Ducking under I caught his eye with a smile and a quirk of my eyebrow. A quick nod let me know he was fine, I took his hand and brought him over to Emmett.

"I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself. Emmett, this is Edward. Edward, this is Emmett." Despite the fact that Emmett had just pinned him to a wall by his neck I could still see the formation of fanboy excitement in Edward. Emmett stuck out his hand for a shake, there was a slight pause before it was accepted.

"I'm really sorry man, I'm just protective."

"It's fine, really, I'm glad she has someone like you around, to be honest. Though, please don't pin me to a wall again."

"Not unless you deserve it." They both laughed, Edward slightly nervously.

"This, right here, way harder than meeting my Dad, Edward." With a smile, he took my hand again before answering.

"Baptism of fire, huh?"

"You haven't met Rosalie yet." Guffawed Emmett.

The talk with Edward definitely helped. I wasn't exactly leaping about like a ballerina when I got out of bed the next morning but I was never exactly known to do that anyway. There was a distinct spring in my step, whether this was due to knowing my baby...Simba...was not going to grow up fatherless or down to the Edward kisses I couldn't tell. It was most likely a combination of the two.

Throwing on some work clothes I grabbed breakfast before I left. I wasn't looking forward to the clothes shopping I was going to have to do to accommodate my growing belly. Hopefully I would be able to throw my credit card at Rosalie and she would work her fashion magic for me. It was the way we had worked in the past and I was optimistic she would agree to it again.

Work was going to be interesting. I had to keep this to myself. I didn't want to cry wolf and if, god forbid, something happened prior to my 3 month scan I didn't want the constant questions and concern. This was going to be between 6 people until then.

It was going to be hard to keep if from Angela and Ben, however. They are my work wife and husband, as well as being real life husband and wife to each other. I find it practically impossible to keep anything from Angela, all she needs to do is look at me to know that something major is going on.

Angela wasn't in her office when I walked by on my way to my own. What greeted me was a pile of folders all relating to a different subsidy of the conglomerate that I worked for. I knew that every single one of the unassuming folders meant around twenty hours of work, and I was dying to dive into them.

I wandered through the almost empty department while I waited for my computer to boot up. Our floor was pretty non-descript with regards to the decoration. The occasional plant dotted the floor and the standard inspirational yet bland pictures adorned the walls. Thankfully it wasn't divided by those stupid cubicles, nothing says just give up and kill yourself more than being herded into tiny cubicles. I was lucky, I had my own office which allowed me some privacy and I had worked damn hard to get it.

I left my office door open before logging into the system and rifling through the folders, sorting them into a priority order. I made folders for them on the computer and got a geeky spike of excitement when I thought about all the Excel work I was going to have to do. How I ended up bagging Edward, if that's what I have managed to do, I have no idea. He obviously has no idea about how much of a geek I am when it comes to stuff like this. Whenever I need a moment alone I go to the stationery cupboard to wonder at all the items. I roll my eyes at myself frequently.

Angela and Ben strolled through the department hand in hand just before nine. I had been in since eight, knowing I would have some catching up to do. Looking at them you could not imagine them with anyone else. Angela stood a good five inches taller than Ben. They both had brown eyes and brown hair, they always more the matching smiles of people in love at all times. It would sicken me if it weren't so damn sweet.

As usual, they stopped at his desk and parted with a chaste kiss on the cheek before Angela floated on air through my office door. With a grin she sat herself down in the chair on the other side of my desk.

"Morning."

"Good morning to you, Bella. You look...nice...have you done something different with your hair?" It took her less than a minute to recognise a change. This woman scares me on several levels.

"Um, no, nothing different." I shook my ponytail to emphasise the point.

"Did you meet someone?"

"Are you a witch?"

"Why are you answering my question with a question?"

"Does it bother you?" We stared at each other for a beat before dissolving into giggles.

"Spill it, Swan. I don't want details, just give me a synopsis."

"Edward, Doctor, seriously hot." There was nothing wrong with spilling just a few of the details.

"I like your style." She grins at me, obviously pleased with the information I choose to part with and more than pleased that I have finally found something other than my work to keep me occupied. "Seriously hot, huh?"

"Yeah, like on the scale of Matt Followill to Caleb Followill he is Jared."

"Wow. Off the scale. And a Doctor? Don't blow it." She teased, blowing a raspberry at me before leaving me grinning like the Cheshire cat in her wake.

"Don't you worry, I have a feeling he's going to be in my life for a very long time!" I yelled after her.

My day passed in a blur of Excel sheets and yanking on my ponytail in frustration. Sometimes relevant costing just isn't easy. Rosalie called twice and Emmett called me once. The concern and love was appreciated but interrupted the flow of my thinking.

It was past seven when I finally gathered my things and threw them in my bag, bundling my folders under my arm to work on at home I made my way out of the office. Half way down to my car my phone started ringing, glancing at the display I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face. I did a little hop in the elevator, lucky I didn't turn my ankle in the ridiculous heels Rosalie had convinced me I needed to wear as part of my every day work wardrobe. The hop made the tiny little metal room bounce which in turn made me seriously terrified. I almost forgot the reason I had done a little hop in the first place.

"Hello?" I answered breathlessly from the terror.

"Bella? Are you alright?" He sounded concerned and I swooned again. I need to stop the swooning, it's getting a bit Scarlett O'Hara.

"Yeah, the elevator just bounced and scared me."

"You're just leaving work?"

"Busy day, take a few days off and you have to make back the time."

I tucked the phone between my cheek and shoulder to push my way through the door to the parking garage. Nodding to the guard on my way past I finally made it into my car.

"Could you hold on a second?" I waited for his agreement before I fiddled with some buttons and hooked my phone up to the built in telephony system. "Sorry about that. How are you?"

"I'm good, I keep thinking about, well, about you." His voice petered off at the end with what I assumed was embarrassment.

"Really?" Something built in my chest, making the strangest noise come out of my throat. "Sorry, I have no idea what that was." I laughed, pressing my head onto my steering wheel as it dawned on me that the noise may just be the actual sound of happiness.

"Yes, really." He joined in with my laughter. We seemed to laugh with each other a lot, and smile at each other. I liked how easy it was already, but part of me was waiting for the bubble to burst. "What are you doing with the rest of your evening?"

"Um, I have some stuff I want to do for work, and I guess find something to eat." I started the car and drove out of the parking garage. "I don't think I've eaten anything since breakfast." I admitted.

"You haven't eaten? Promise me that you'll eat something as soon as you get in."

"Sure I will." Envisioning myself tucking into something quick as I easily agreed to this promise.

We spoke the entire drive home, which to be fair wasn't long but still made me gooey inside. I hoped the random phone calls would continue. We said goodbye after talking some more as I sat outside my house.

The fatigue set in the moment I crossed the threshold. I went straight to the kitchen to make good on the promise I made to Edward. My fingers brushed against a massive bag of cheese puffs when I rooted through the cupboards so I settled for that. The bag was open before I left the kitchen and I shoved a fistful into my mouth, savouring the synthetic cheese taste. I would normally have gone to the gym after work with Rosalie then opened a bottle of wine. I guess wine was off the menu for the next eight months, to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms I snatched a bunch of grapes on my way to where I set my laptop up in the living room.

It was twenty minutes later, when I was tapping the keys on my laptop with orange stained fingers and alternating cheese puffs with grapes that there was a knock on my front door. Frowning, I glanced at the time and went to the door. I knew it wasn't Rosalie or Emmett, they had keys.

"Hello?" I called through the closed door.

"Hi, it's Edward." My knees wobbled at his voice.

"Hi." I beamed at him when I yanked the door open. He looked exhausted but his smile was genuine. He shook the brown bag in his hand at me.

"I brought you dinner."

Swoon.

"You didn't have to do that." I let him in, he went straight to the kitchen and I ran straight to the downstairs restroom to scrub the orange stains from my fingers.

"I got a feeling that you wouldn't get yourself something healthy." He called, his voice moving from the kitchen to the living room and back again. When I finally got my fingers back to reasonable colour I joined him in the kitchen.

"I had grapes." I pouted.

"And cheese puffs." He looked pointedly at the half empty bag he had thrown in the trash.

"I'm sure it's a food group."

"Trust me, I'm a Doctor, it's really not."

He had somehow found where I kept my plates and cutlery. Broccoli, steak, potatoes and carrots were already on the plates in the living room by the time I got to the kitchen.

"You like pineapple juice?" I nodded yes and followed him when he walked through to the food.

Edward and I sat side by side on the couch. He had moved my laptop to the floor to accommodate the plates. We ate in almost complete silence. Our knees nudged against each other in between sounds of appreciation of the food, we kept stealing glances at each other with sly smiles and heavy on the eye contact. It was the best meal of my life and I was glad I was sitting down because otherwise I would definitely have swooned in front of him.

"Thank you, Edward. That was fantastic." He frowned down at my plate, looking pointedly at the potatoes I had left there. "I don't like them, plus they have no nutritional merit, unlike sweet potatoes." He looked like he was about to argue but he couldn't fault my logic on the nutrition.

"Yeah, I can't take the credit for it though. You can find healthy take out if you look hard enough."

"I appreciate you looking hard." I looked up at him through my eyelashes and everything else in my world blurred. Green eyes loomed seductively over me and I was pulled infinitesimally closer to his mouth like we had magnets in our lips. The air was charged with static, our lips scuffed together and, like we had been waiting for an unseen signal, our mouths opened in a synchronised motion to unleash matching yawns.

Massive, body shaking yawns.

Followed by body shaking giggles.

"Way to ruin the moment, Swan."

"You started it!" I punched his arm with no force whatsoever because I was just so tired.

"Whatever. I'll take the blame for this one, but you only get one free pass."

"That would have been so convincing if you hadn't just almost swallowed your face with another yawn." I teased.

"I should go." He yawned at me, trying to get up but losing his balance slightly.

"I can't let you leave, I don't believe you can drive without crashing."

"You're right. I'll call a cab." His hands scrubbed his face before continuing up into his hair, making it stand at every single angle imaginable. My breath caught in my lungs when my mind automatically imagined my hands making it look like that. I couldn't help my actions, but my hands scrunched into his hair, my body pressed firmly into his and I whispered words that surprised even me.

"You can stay here tonight."

A/N: Hi, review me...I'm needy.

Hope you enjoyed it :D

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