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Chapter 6

EPOV

Watching Bella walk away sucked. It sucked ass big time. Three days until Wednesday, until I would get to see her again. Well, at least I had to give myself props for having the balls to ask her out to dinner on Saturday, right? I seriously thought I would throw up or some shit like that trying to convince myself to just ask her. Thank God she said yes though. I would have hated to put my contingency plan into effect, not that I had one, but I would have made one that was for damn sure, if she would have told me no.

And, I got her phone number; I gave myself a slap on the back for managing that as well. I thought I handled that pretty well if I did say so myself…on second thought, I really didn't. Bella let me off the hook easily and I loved the way she didn't take my shit. I would definitely be using that number, and soon.

I wasn't kidding when I told her I didn't think I could go until Saturday night without talking to her again. I did want to get to know her better. Her voice. I could still hear it in my mind. And that fucking laugh, with the exception of the Wonder Twins, I had never heard a laugh I loved to hear more. Oh, did I mention the smile? Damn that smile would stop traffic I was telling you. And her eyes, and her perfect pink lips and gorgeous brown hair and well fuck, everything about her really. Bella was perfect, an angel.

The kids couldn't stop talking about her or Rufus. I'd have to ask her where her friend got him. I was thinking I should get one and that way they could have puppy play dates. Nice, huh? Not that she wouldn't have seen right through that in heartbeat. Guess I should have waited just a little bit before I started planning on play dates for puppies, and take her out on a date first.

We really did have the best day at the park. I couldn't remember me or the kids laughing like that in I didn't know how long. Oh, we had fun; with Emmett around it was hard not to. But this was different, you could feel it. It was like it was supposed to be this way, with the four of us. It felt right. There was no other word for it but just… right.

And like I had said, she didn't take any shit from me. Such a fucking turn on. I still couldn't believe I got suckered into picking up puppy poo, but I did. I would do again, willingly as a matter-of-fact, if it got Bella to smile at me like she did back at the park.

I couldn't believe we managed to talk her into having lunch with us, but that turned out so much better than I could have hoped for, especially because I ended up with a phone number and a date. Holy shit! A date! It had been months since I had been on a date, and I knew for a fact I had never looked as forward to any other one, as I was my date with Bella. I'd have to give some thought into where to take her; it would have to be special, but not too over the top. Being the first of what I hoped to God, were many more dates, I'd save the big guns for later.

That thing with her facing the deli and not the street was strange though. I didn't think she noticed, but I caught her looking around…a lot. Like she was trying to see who was all around us. She did it when we were leaving the park, too. Plus she put her hat and sunglasses back on and tried not looking up. I wondered what that was about? I'd have to pay attention on Wednesday and see if she did it again. Perhaps she was nervous around crowds or something? Maybe while we were talking on the phone this week, I could try to bring it up in a conversation.

She was amazing with Maddie and Masen, that was no fucking lie. My kids were pretty easy-going, I knew this, but the way she kidded around with them made me smile. Masen already had the crush of all crushes on her. I could hear him telling Maddie that he bet the nickname Bella would come up with for her would be even cooler than his.

How did she even know how to do that with him back at the park? I meant really. A little boy just all of a sudden popped up beside you, no parents around, and you kept him calm and had him laughing by the time you found the "lost" parent. Yeah, I totally caught that back at the deli. I did need to have a very stern talk with Masen about wandering off like that. We were lucky, incredibly lucky in more ways than one I hoped, that he found Bella, but it could have been so much worse if it would have been anyone else.

But Maddie, yeah my little princess had a new role model. When Bella complimented her pink Con's, I knew she shot to the top of Miss Maddie's favorite people list. Probably even ahead of me. Maddie was so shy, the fact that she opened up to Bella the way she did was truly astonishing. She was so careful all the time. We teased her and told her it must have been because she was the oldest, but it was true nonetheless. If nothing else, I needed to thank Bella for getting Maddie to relax for the day.

Lunch was a lot of fun, even if we didn't get to talk to each other too terribly much. I did get to whisper in her ear a time or two. Bella was all kinds of crazy if she thought I didn't catch the way her heart started beating faster and she started breathing heavier when I did it, because I did. Her biting her lip? Made me want to throw her down on the table and nibble on that bottom lip for an hour or two! Yeah, score one for the Edmeister. Okay, that sounded just fucking wrong, but you got my point. I did give myself an internal 'hell yeah' when I saw the blush on her face after I kissed her ear. Had I mentioned how incredible she smelled up close like that? Like strawberries and vanilla. Yummy!

The kiss she gave before she left… fuck me! The second her warm lips touched my cheek my whole body felt like it was on fire. I thought part of that was because her little hand was pressed against my chest and I could feel her body pressing against me, but I could have been mistaken. Nope, that was what it was. I definitely wanted more of those kisses in the near future.

We finally made it back home and Ma and Pop weren't back yet. When the kids and I spent our Sundays at the park, my parents usually used that time to go visit Uncle Marcus and Aunt Diane. Dad and my uncle were pretty close and Mom and Aunt Diane spent a lot of time together, especially because they both sat on the Board at the Foundation together. My cousin Demetri and I were close, too. Not as close as me and Ben or Emmett and me, but he was a really good friend. He helped me a lot through the Lauren mess. He had a great head on his shoulders and gave me some of the best advice out of anyone during that time.

The kids and I played Rock Band for a little bit and then we sat down to watch a movie. I napped on and off during the movie. I had seen Harry Potter 1 so many times I thought I knew all the words by heart, but both of them liked it, so I couldn't argue. After the movie was over I told the kids to go get cleaned up and changed into their night clothes while I made dinner. When Mom and Dad were with my aunt and uncle, they tended to spend all day and night over there, and more often than not, had to take a cab back home because they had been drinking wine all damn day.

I decided to make spaghetti and marinara with some garlic bread for dinner. I was pouring the kids their glasses of milk and grabbing myself a beer as Maddie and Masen came downstairs. We finished talking about what we wanted to do for the week, deciding on things they both want to do, the museum and aquarium for Maddie and the pizza place with the games and 6 Flags for Masen. The kids asked if Uncle Demetri could come with us; he was as big a kid as Uncle Emmett. I told them I would call and ask.

I sent the kids up to play in their rooms before bed once we got the kitchen picked up and I walked into the living room to watch some TV before heading up to bed myself.

Speaking of Demetri, I heard the front door bell and as I walked to the door, I heard it open and watched as Dem let himself in.

"What's up, cousin," he said as he walked into the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge.

"Sure, Dem, come on in and help yourself, we don't mind." I laughed at him as he handed me a beer, too.

He looked at me and grinned. "Oh come off it, Ed, this is my home away from home, you know that. And because all the parents are at my house, I figured you'd be all sad and lonely here by yourself so I decided to come keep you company my friend." Dem laughed at me as we clinked our bottles together.

"Uncle Demetri!" my little ones said as they came racing into the living room.

"Twin Terrors!" Demetri shouted as he stood up to throw Maddie and Masen over each of his shoulders.

Demetri was a good-looking guy, as are all Cullens. He was about my height of 6'2" and had short black hair and blue eyes. If Em looked like a grizzly bear, then Dem looked like a gorilla. Almost as big as Em, but not quite. The twins adored him, and loved when he came over to the house. He was three years younger than me, a fact which he had rubbed in on more than one occasion, especially because he was still in his twenties and I was an old man at the age of thirty-two. Jackass.

He sat down with them on the couch, one kid on each side of him, and asked them to tell him all about school and everything they had been doing since he saw them last. He had been out of town for the last two weeks and had missed one of Maddie's ballet recitals and one of Masen's peewee baseball games.

I let him know that I was going to excuse myself for a minute while he had them occupied and made my way upstairs to my room to change my clothes. I took my clothes off, putting them in the hamper and jumped in the shower. I wondered what Bella was doing right then, hoping she was thinking about me like I was her. I began to picture her long, dark hair, and hoping she wore it down on our date on Saturday. It looked cute in the ponytail but I was sure it was magnificent when it was down. We already knew all about how it smelled. Jesus! Then I pictured how she looked biting her bottom lip and looking at me from under her eyelashes. How were her eyes even that color of brown? They were so clear, but so deep. I could have gotten lost in them. I hoped I got lost in them.

My hand had a mind of its own and the next thing I knew I was gripping my extremely hard erection in my hand. I began to pump up and down as I continued to picture Bella's face and her lips. I imagined her smiling at me over the table when we were at dinner on Saturday. I could almost hear her voice as I talked to her on the phone or when we were sitting in the cab as I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me, my lips finding the spot behind her ear. I wondered if that got her hot and made her wet? I could practically taste the skin of her neck as I trailed kisses down it to her collarbones. Yes, I paid close attention to them and couldn't wait to see for myself. My hand was moving faster and faster, images flashing through my mind, my thumb pressed over the head, sliding through the pre-cum on the tip of my cock. I pressed one hand on the wall in front of me as I felt my stomach and legs tense. With a hiss I came, hard, shooting the wall in front of me.

Damn, what the hell was that? I hadn't jacked off in ages. Well, it had not been that long, but shit.

I finished my shower, making sure to wash the wall, and stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around my waist, I walked into my room and looked at the time. It was 9:30. I walked over to the bureau and picked up my phone, checking to see if I had any messages. I was hoping there would be one from Bella, but there wasn't. Fuck, I wanted to call her so badly, especially after that shower, but I didn't want to come across too strong or anything. I wanted her to know I was thinking about her so I decided to send her a text message instead.

Night, Beautiful. Thanks for the perfect day. I'll call you tomorrow, sweet dreams. I know I will have them since they will be of you. E

I was tempted to sign it 'love E' but stopped before I could make an idiot out of myself. Damn, Edward, that would surely have her running in the opposite direction, don't you think?

I hoped she got it before she went to bed. I did want her to know I was thinking about her.

I got dressed in some basketball shorts and a tank top and headed downstairs to make sure the kids were ready for bed. I laughed as I made it to the bottom of the stairs and found them asleep on Demetri, one on each shoulder and he was out like a light. And he called me old? Fucker. I quietly woke up Masen and pointed him up the stairs then I grabbed Maddie and carried her up to bed. I tucked her in with a kiss to her forehead and made my way to Masen's room. He had fallen asleep again, lying sideways across the bed, his little feet sticking out over the side. I got him tucked in with a kiss to his forehead and then went downstairs to check on the other kid.

I prodded Demetri until he was lying on the couch, his head on a pillow. I took his shoes off and threw a blanket over him. I doubted he would still be there in the morning, but you never knew. Sometimes when he was out, the only thing that would wake him up was the smell of coffee. I kissed his forehead, too. Yes, my family hugged and kissed a lot, all of us. I made sure the front door was locked and turned the TV and the lights off and made my way up to my room to go to bed.

My phone was blinking at me. I hoped that meant Bella had replied to my text.

Hot damn! She did!

Night to you, too, Edward. I can't remember a more perfect day, so thank you and thanks to M&M. I'll be seeing you in my dreams. Until tomorrow…B XOXO

She gave me hugs and kisses, that was a good sign, right? Hell yes, it was!

I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

The smell of fresh coffee was enough to pull me out of my Bella-induced dream state. I was not exactly sure what I dreamed about last night, at least nothing specific, but I knew it was about Bella from looking underneath the sheet. How embarrassing. Hadn't done that in awhile either. What was this girl doing to me?

I pulled on my pajama pants and a t-shirt and made my way downstairs. I guessed Demetri slept through the night on the sofa because he was sitting at the table with the twins and my mom and dad eating breakfast.

"Morning, everyone," I said as I walked over to the coffee pot to make a cup of coffee.

"Daddy, didn't you pick up doggie doo doo yesterday at the park? I told Uncle Demetri you did, but he didn't believe me," Masen said to me while giving Dem a scowl.

I finished making my coffee and grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon and took it to the table with me. Looking at my son and then rolling my eyes at my jackass of a cousin I said, "Yes, Masen. I picked up doggie doo doo at the park yesterday. Now, no more talk of Rufus's business while I am trying to eat breakfast. Deal?"

My dad quirked an eyebrow and said, "Rufus? Edward, do we have a puppy we don't know about?"

"No, Papa!" Maddie excitedly told him. "Rufus is Bella's puppy. She let me and Masen walk and play with him yesterday at the park. Then we got to walk him all the way to Mr. Saul's to eat lunch. It was so cool and he is sooo cute. We get to see him again at the park on Wednesday, too!"

As soon as she got the last word out of her mouth, I looked up to see three sets of eyes staring at me. Oh shit, here we go.

"Edward, who is Bella?" my mom sweetly asked me with that gleam in her eye.

"Nana, Bella is mine and Maddie's bestest friend and she calls me Mace face and I call her Bella smella," he giggled to my mom.

Dem was about to fall out of his chair because he was laughing so hard. "Damn, Ed, what did you and the terrors do yesterday at the park?" he asked as he reached over to mess up my hair.

"Demetri, language!" Esme reprimanded him.

"Sorry, Aunt Es," Demetri contritely said to her. Turning to me he grinned evilly and said, "Well, Edward, are you going to tell us who this Bella is or not?"

I knew he was just doing that to get my mom to forget she just yelled at him. Bastard.

"Bella is a woman we met at the park yesterday. She has a puppy named Rufus. The kids wanted her to eat lunch with us, to thank her for letting them play with her dog while we were at the park. End of story," I huffily told all three of them.

What a damn lie, but I didn't want to explain everything just then.

"Daddy, you forgot about the part where me and Bella had to find you because I left, and that we are going to see Bella on Wednesday, and that you asked her to eat dinner with you on Saturday," my mini-me, turned traitor, sweetly said to me.

Yeah, Masen, you were getting replaced as my wingman, pronto like.

"Edward, is this true? You have a date on Saturday?" my mom gushed.

Taking a deep breath I said, "Masen and Maddie, because you are done with breakfast, why don't you guys go get cleaned up so we can figure out what the plan is for today? I have to go to the shelter for a little bit, but I'm thinking we'll do Maddie's aquarium today, and Masen, we can do pizza tomorrow for lunch, sound like a plan?"

"Okay, Daddy!" they both said at the same time and scampered off to go upstairs like I asked.

I did want to talk to the three of them about Bella, but not in front of the kids. They were already so captivated by her; I didn't want to say anything that might have given them the wrong idea.

"Okay, you three, stop looking at me like I just discovered the cure to cancer, or some shit like that. Really. Yes, I met a woman at the park yesterday. Yes, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Yes, we are having dinner together on Saturday, as in, going on a date. Yes, I am going to see her on Wednesday at the park with the kids. Yes, she is amazing. No, I will not be bringing her home to meet any, or all of you any time soon. We barely got to talk yesterday with the twins all over the place. Yes, I like her. I really, really like her," I huffed at them all.

"Shit, dude, you are so whipped already, and you haven't even been on date one yet. Oops, yes, Aunt Es, I know, language. But the terrors aren't down here so you can't get mad at me!" Demetri pouted to Esme.

"Son, I am very excited for you. I haven't ever seen you this excited to go on a date before. Your Bella must be something else to get you and the children so worked up after only one meeting," Carlisle said to me.

I looked at my father and grinned. "Pop, you have no idea how right you are. She is something else, and hopefully she'll be even more of a something after our date on Saturday!"

I looked at my mom who was giggling behind her hand. "Ma, I know you. Please don't get too excited yet. I only just met her yesterday, you know. Let me go on at least one date with her before you start meddling, okay?"

I loved my mother, adored her like no other, but she had been so worried about me being alone since the Lauren debacle, that anytime I was even remotely interested in a woman, she went nuts. I really hoped this whatever you wanted to call it with Bella went somewhere. I didn't need the added pressure of my mom on top of that.

Taking her hand in mine I softly said to her, "Ma, if this becomes something, I promise you'll be the first to know."

I stood up and kissed both my parents on the head and gave Dem a slap on the back, after a slap on the side of the head, and told them all I would be back from the shelter at lunch time and to tell the kids to be ready to go after they had lunch.

I went upstairs to get dressed for the day. Because I was volunteering at the shelter, I put on a pair of loose jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I rolled the sleeves up, put my belt on and slipped into my favorite pair of Chuck Taylor's. That brought a smile to my face as I thought about Bella's black ones the day before. I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed out the door.

It was such a nice day that I walked to the shelter. I loved volunteering, I honestly did. It was not always easy, some of the stories would break anyone's heart and when the kids came in all battered and bruised, it was even worse. I enjoyed being a doctor, and I was a damned good pediatrician, if I did say so myself. Like Lauren told me all those years ago, I really had my pick of specialties while I was in med school. But, like my father in oncology, I really felt like pediatrics was my calling.

My parents had taught my brother, sister, and me that because we were as fortunate as we were because of who our family was, we had a duty to help those not as fortunate. Our family had been volunteering for as long as I could remember. When I was 8, I remembered going with my mom to visit the sick kids in the hospital. It was Christmastime and we were bringing gifts to kids who didn't have any family, and were in the hospital over the holidays. It didn't matter what they got: a ball or a book or a stuffed animal. I just remembered the look of gratitude on their faces that anyone remembered them at Christmas.

Because my dad and I ran our own private pediatric practice, we volunteered our services three days a week at the Women and Children's Shelter. Even though my dad was an Oncology specialist, he was a general practitioner first. Our other partner, Tanya Denali, was an OB/GYN. She was responsible for attending to the women at the shelter and Carlisle and I saw to the kids.

As I entered the shelter, I saw the director, Zaphrina Mendez. Zaph was a very tall, very attractive woman, with long, straight black hair and eyes that were almost black they were so dark. She worked tirelessly for the shelter and it was not an easy job. Constantly dealing with abused women and children must have taken a toll on your psyche, no matter how strong a person you were. Zaph was one of the strongest people I knew and it was an honor to call her a friend.

"Mornin', Z!" I told her as I made way into the shelter and past her desk.

"Hey yourself, Edward. Thanks for coming in today. I know the twins are out of school this week, but we have a few kids that need some attention. We had one come in last night that is running a fever. Poor thing was so exhausted we gave her some medicine and juice and then put her to bed. It's not a high fever, but I'm sure she needs to be looked at. We have a few that will need shots so we can get them enrolled in school and then a few check-ups as well," she finished telling me.

Nothing too serious, thankfully. "Okay, Zaphrina, let me get my doctor coat on and you can start sending them back in about 15 minutes," I told her as I made my way to the exam room.

The shelter was not capable of handling anything but the most minor of things, but the kids needed attention and I enjoyed coming in to help.

I saw Tanya in her office as I walked back to mine.

"Hey, Tan, did you have a good weekend?" I asked her.

She looked up and rolled her eyes at me. She had a date Saturday night that she was really excited about. I was guessing by the eye roll it didn't go well.

"Fuck, Edward, it was awful. My date had to seriously be the most boring man on the face of the planet. He works in insurance and all he talked about all damn night was insurance. Life, health, car; didn't matter. Just insurance, nothing else. I had to have Alice call and pretend there was an emergency to get me out of it, it was so bad!" She laughed at me.

Well, at least she could laugh about it. Tanya Denali and I had been friends since high school. We went to the same prep school and our parents had been good friends since they were in college. She was a very pretty woman. I wouldn't say beautiful, that was only for my Bella. My Bella, I liked the sound of that! She was an exceptional doctor and she was highly sought after in her field. She specialized in high-risk pregnancies and was very successful. For someone so intelligent, she had the most horrible luck with men. I didn't understand it at all.

"Sorry, Tan, maybe next time you'll have better luck!" I told her.

She looked at me for a second, her grey eyes piercing mine. Oh shit, I knew what was coming.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, you met someone! Get your ass in here right now and spill!" she hollered at me.

Luckily for me, I couldn't because Zaph was going to be sending kids to me any moment, so I unapologetically told her, "No can do, T. Zaphrina has kids coming in any second now, gotta run!"

"Eddie, you know I'll find you later, you can't hide forever, buddy. Besides, I can just call Demetri or Emmett or Alice and get the details without you," she cockily told me.

That stopped me in my tracks, and I turned to her and said, "Um, Tanya, Em and Ali don't know anything yet, so please don't call them, okay? And Dem, shit you know how he is. I'll tell you about her, in fact, I want to. Just give me a little time?"

"Only if you buy lunch while you spill," she told me.

"Deal. I'll catch you later, Tan," I said as I made my way out the door to head to my office.

The morning flew by as I saw patient after patient. Zaph was right, nothing too major, but some of those kids had never seen a doctor before.

I finished up my last patient and closed the door to the exam room. I went to find Zaphrina to fill her in on the status of all the kids I saw. I found her in the kitchen, and I skidded to a halt. I just got the strangest feeling, like Bella was there. I felt that electric charge, but it was not very strong, almost like she was just there or something. Huh, that was some freaky shit.

As I walked toward Zaph, I saw and smelled that she was unloading a box of the most amazingly delicious-smelling oatmeal raisin cookies I had ever seen. Yes, oatmeal raisin, my favorite!

"Z, where did those amazing things come from and please tell me I can have one?" I asked and exclaimed at the same time.

She handed me a cookie. Fuck me, they were still warm. "Here, Edward, wouldn't want to deprive your fine ass of your cookie, now would we. These came from one of our behind the scenes volunteers," she finished explaining to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked around a mouthful of cookie.

Zaphrina looked at me and said, "Well, it is important to her that she volunteer here, without anyone knowing who she is. She bakes cookies for the kids every week and drops them off. She is in and out before anyone would have time to notice her. The kids love them, and they so rarely get a treat. I wish she would let us acknowledge what she does here, but she adamantly refuses."

I thought about that for a moment. Whoever the woman was, she had my respect. There were more people than I could count that volunteered just so they could tell others what they had done. This woman did it solely to help, to try to give the kids something they wouldn't normally get.

"She must be a special person. I hope I can meet her one day," I told Zaph as I grabbed two more cookies on my way out of the kitchen.

As lunch time approached, I made my way to Tanya's office. She was on the phone so I made myself comfortable and waited for her to finish her call. I thought back to high school with Tanya. She didn't have many friends except for Alice, Emmett, and me. She was the same age as Ali and Dem, so she was only at school one year with Emmett and only two with me. I didn't know what it was, but Alice and Tanya didn't have many friends when they were in high school. I thought they just intimidated people. They were both freakishly smart; sometimes I didn't even understand what they were talking about.

I guessed money, brains, and good looks was enough to intimidate most people. Our classmates did not ever seem to grasp that Tanya and I were only friends. We had never been involved romantically, or involved period. Not so much as a kiss, ever. She and I just got each other, often in ways my siblings or even Ben and Dem couldn't. We were both very attractive people; I guessed that common bond let us understand each other or something. Not that Ali, Em, or Demetri weren't fine-looking people, but, well, shit, Tanya and I were just different!

She hung up the phone and looked at me, cocking her head to the side. She said softly, "Edward, you look happy."

That was all she said, nothing else.

I gave her a small smile and said, "Yeah, I am, Tan."

I told her that I was taking the kids to the aquarium if she wanted to come with us and we could talk then. My kids adored Tanya. Tanya and Emmett were Masen's godparents and Alice and Demetri were Maddie's. They were my best friends as well as family. Who else would I trust my kids to if something were to happen to me?

We got to the house and as expected, we were both met with peals of laughter and squeals of happiness. Like I had said, everyone in my family loved Tanya. After Esme finished hearing all about Tanya's date from hell, we gathered the kids and took a cab to the aquarium. We walked through the exhibits for an hour or so before we made our way to the play area. I let Maddie and Masen wander around for a bit giving Tanya and I time to talk about Bella.

"Okay, Edward, spill it, I'm dying here!" Tanya playfully punched my arm.

So I spilled, telling her everything, right down to the hand job I gave myself in the shower. Don't judge, like I had said we just got each other. I talked and talked, telling her what I felt when I looked at her the first time. How warm her hand felt in mine. The way she bit her lip when she was nervous or shy about something. That damn adorable blush. The fucking electricity that I felt when I was close to her or touched her. I told her all the things I was scared to say out loud to anyone else. How right it felt to sit with her and the kids. How it felt like I was whole when she smiled at me. How my heart felt like it might explode when I thought about kissing her. How my dick had a mind of its own when I thought about doing more than kissing her. I told Tanya everything.

She listened patiently, never once interrupting. I realized with a start how badly I needed to talk to her. I couldn't talk to Ali about these things because she was worse than Mom about meddling. Emmett had the emotional capacity of a 5-year-old, Demetri passed out on the couch, and Ben was on vacation.

As I finished, I looked at Tanya, who was sitting there with her mouth open, chin almost hitting the floor. She had the most shocked expression on her face. She sat for a full 3 minutes without saying a word, just staring at me.

"Tan, say something, what do you think?" I begged her.

"Oh my God, Edward! You've found her, you've found your 'one', the person you said you would search for until you found her. I think you can stop looking because I think your Bella is it," she reverently told me.

I was dumbstruck, completely shocked to my very core. Holy hell, Tanya was right, Bella was my 'one'. I knew it the moment I saw her. I could feel it. That was why everything felt so right around her.

"Fuck, Tanya, I think you are right. Well, what the hell do I do now?" I asked a little shakily.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Edward, if she is your 'one', you won't have to do anything but enjoy the ride my friend. Just don't fuck it up!" She jabbed her finger at me. "But seriously," she continued, "just get to know her. Take things at whatever pace it seems like she wants to set. For God's sake, don't push or come on too strong. Just be your normal, charming self and everything should work out just fine. Edward, I am so incredibly happy for you. I knew this would happen for you someday. You are too amazing a person to be alone all your life. You deserve this, never doubt that. Bella would be a fool not to see the kind of person you are. She is so lucky to have found you," she told me sincerely.

I reached over and grabbed Tanya's hand. "Tan, I am the lucky one, I promise you. She is an angel, my perfect angel, and I can't wait for you to meet her!"

We finished up our talk and rustled up the kids to head out, stopping for ice cream on the way home.

All I could think about was Bella being my 'one' and knowing I couldn't wait to get home so I could talk to her.

Tanya said goodbye to the kids and I let the kids run up to their rooms to play until dinner. Walking into my room I pulled off my shirt and jeans to change into shorts and t-shirt and grabbed my phone dialing her number with shaking hands and when she answered I smiled and said, "Hey, Beautiful, I've been thinking about you all day!"

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