Six Geese-a-Laying

December 20

~~~Edward~~~

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My hand crashed down on my alarm.

Why was I up at six in the damn morning again?

Oh yeah. I had to get to the store.

I jumped out of bed and took the quickest shower ever. Once I changed, I ran down the stairs and wrote a note to Bella in case she woke before I got home.

The clerk at the store must have seen the desperation on my face because he kept his smirks to a minimum when I requested every piece of mistletoe they had.

MMBM was moving along swimmingly, and Bella herself had laid down a new path.

I loved whichever genius originally made up the mistletoe-kissing rule. I needed to send the kind soul a thank you card and maybe a fruit basket.

With enough mistletoe to hang from every doorway in my house, I whistled with glee as I drove back home just thinking about kissing Bella again. Having tasted her lips the night before only made me want her even more, and I didn't think that was possible. It was a crime we'd spent almost a week together without kissing.

I hadn't wanted to let her out of my arms last night, but eventually said goodnight so she could go to bed.

I had to talk my dick down from the ledge. He was still ignoring me.

Patience had never been one of our virtues, but I was willing to try it with Bella.

To a degree.

Perhaps now that I knew she was amenable, I would try to speed things along, and that was where the mistletoe came into play. As soon as I walked in, I started hanging plants from every available flat surface. I considered weaving that shit together to form a canopy over the whole house but didn't have the time.

"Edward? What are you doing?"

I looked down at Bella from the top of the ladder.

Hanging mistletoe from the light fixtures wasn't wrong… was it?

I decided to go with my signature grin and see if it worked. She raised her eyebrow and shook her head before walking to the kitchen.

Hmm.

I put away the ladder and the last bagful of greens before joining Bella in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, loving the way she relaxed against me when I embraced her from behind.

I brushed her hair to the side so I could nibble on her neck, and she moaned and reached up to run her hand through my hair.

Didn't she know what her sounds did to me?

I pulled her tight, pressing my body into hers. Her skin tasted so good as I sucked at the base of her ear.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked, taking her hand from my hair.

Your legs wrapped around my face.

"Whatever you want, beautiful."

I grabbed bowls and milk while she nabbed boxes of cereal and spoons… we worked well together.

"What's on the agenda today?" she asked after our breakfast was served.

I wanted to play under the mistletoe, but I was up for anything.

"I thought maybe we could stop by a couple more bookstores, and perhaps a library or two," she added.

Except that.

I pouted a little and rubbed her foot with mine. "Are you that eager to get away from me?" I didn't care if I sounded like I was whining.

She sighed. "It's not about getting away from you. It's about doing something. I can't just sit around here all day mooching off you. I need to get a job, make some money."

I wanted her here all day, though. I liked having her here with me. Maybe I could talk her into being the Julia Roberts to my Richard Gere? My beck-and-call girl.

Yes, I'd seen it. Get over it.

She'd probably hate that idea, though, with the whole hooker aspect and all, so I kept it to myself.

"We can go check out some more if you want," I finally replied.

I would indulge her until I could figure out a plan to make sure she stayed. MMBM would have to be taken to a whole new level.

My thoughts were interrupted when she shouted out in surprise.

"What in the…" She bent over, looking at side of the table. "Edward, why did you tape mistletoe here? Did you plan to kiss me under the table?"

"Yes."

Under it. On top of it. Around it.

She squealed and laughed when I left my chair and pulled her down to the floor with me.

~~~*~~~TDoC~~~*~~~

We were getting ready to leave, having been delayed by a couple rounds of mistletoe mischief, when the doorbell rang. Bella stared at me with wide eyes, and I shrugged, not having a clue who it was. When I opened the door, my mother stood on the other side.

Fuck!

"Mother… um… what are you doing here?" I kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Do I need an invitation to stop by and visit my boy?"

Yes.

"It's just surprising. You rarely come here."

Actually, what the fuck was she doing here? Did Alice or Emmett spill the beans?

"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by and talk. Is this a bad time?"

Yes, I just had Bella pinned against the wall.

"Well, I was about to head out."

"It won't take long." She walked in and glanced around. "Why do you have mistletoe hanging from your chandelier?"

I swallowed a couple of times, peeking over to where Bella had stood a minute ago.

Where did she go?

"Oh, just messing around. What did you want to discuss?"

"Well, I ran into Tanya yesterday at the salon, and she told me you hadn't called her yet about escorting her to the Christmas benefit tomorrow. You promised me you would attend. Did you change your mind and not tell me?"

"I'm planning to go," I said.

"Shouldn't you have given your date more notice? It's not very polite to call her at the last minute."

I'd rather take the guy who tried to stab me than Tanya.

"I'm not taking Tanya. I already have a date."

Her eyes widened, and she frowned. "Really? Who?"

"Bella Swan."

She furrowed her brow, trying to put a face with the name.

Good luck with that one, Mother!

I kept my chuckles to myself.

"I don't recognize that name. Do I know her?"

"I doubt it. She's relatively new to Chicago."

"How did you meet?"

I contemplated how much to tell her, not wanting her to go postal with Bella in the house.

"We met at the homeless shelter the other night when I did the charity food service."

She pursed her lips and stared at me with narrowed eyes, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Hmm… it's surprising Tanya didn't mention you cozied up to another girl when she was there with you."

"First, she wasn't there with me. We both happened to be there. Second, you really need to get the idea of Tanya and me together out of your head. It's never going to happen."

I'd rather saw my own arm off with a butter knife than let that wench anywhere near me or my dick. We both shuddered at the thought.

"So, I'll meet this Bella tomorrow then?" she asked, ignoring my statement about Tanya.

"Yes, Mother. Tomorrow."

~~~*~~~TDoC~~~*~~~

"She won't hate you," I assured.

At least not for long.

Bella shook her head, not believing a word out of my mouth. We were on our way to another Barnes & Noble, while I tried to calm her nerves. She'd been upset since my mother left the house.

I reached for her hand over the console, feeling the now familiar charge of energy every time I touched her. I was determined never to be without it again.

I craved it.

Her.

"Edward, what about there?"

I looked in the direction she was pointing, seeing a small bookshop I'd never noticed before.

Huh.

It was in an upscale section of retail shops, very close to home. I turned the car around and found a parking spot.

"It's cute," she said as we approached the front, walking hand-in-hand.

"Yeah, it's nice," I agreed.

I loved the location. It would be perfect to have her close, but I had major doubts they were hiring. It appeared to be a relatively small-scale operation.

I followed Bella inside, finding an elderly woman behind a counter and nobody else in sight. I smiled weakly, imagining our inquiry would prove futile.

Bella did her spiel, and the lady answered as I expected her to in that they weren't hiring, but my attention was grabbed when she explained that she and her husband owned the store. I gave the place a thorough inspection, a brilliant idea forming in the back of mind.

"Is your husband around?" I asked nonchalantly.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand toward the back. "He's back there somewhere, probably watching golf or something," she muttered.

I wanted to inform her it was the end of December and there likely wasn't any golf on, but held my tongue.

I leaned down and gave Bella a chaste kiss. "I'll be right back, okay? Why don't you look around? Pick some things out that you like. Only five shopping days left."

She shook her head at my grin and returned to talking with the shop lady. I turned and followed the rows to a back hallway, chuckling when I found the husband in his very own man cave, complete with recliner and big screen TV. I knocked lightly on the wall and he turned his head toward me.

"No public restrooms," he said with a grunt.

I laughed, liking him already. "I'm not here for that. I understand you're the owner of this place?"

"Unfortunately," he grumbled. He leaned toward me like he wanted to tell a secret. "Worst damn decision I ever made. Wife wanted a bookstore, and I wanted to retire. Guess who won?"

I pulled up a chair and sat down with an understanding nod. "Is it a money drain?"

"Sucked me dry. I've tried to sell it a few times, even knowing it'd break her heart, but nobody's biting in this market. Not even selling at a loss. These small shops have no chance with those huge superstores."

If I'd had a mustache, I would have begun twirling it between my fingers.

"If I may, I think I might have a proposal that will solve both our problems," I started.

He held his hand up and looked me over from head to toe.

"If you're in here trying to sell me encyclopedias or some other nonsense, you can just leave right now."

Yeah, I liked him a lot.

"No. I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm here to buy. I'm Edward Cullen." I watched the recognition wash over his face.

My family name could get me just about anything I wanted in Chicago—actually in a lot of cities, but especially Chicago. It was understandable considering my family owned half the city. He met my outstretched hand and shook it.

"Max Tolsen."

"Max, can I show you something for a second?"

He nodded and followed my lead, standing up and walking back to the hallway. I furtively peered around the corner, finding Bella at the other end of an aisle, flipping through a novel.

"You see that girl?" I whispered.

"Yeah."

"She's the future Mrs. Edward Cullen, she just doesn't know it yet." I quickly pushed him back toward the cave before she saw us.

I didn't know it yet either, but my mouth apparently did. I guess I was all in now.

He snickered and raised his eyebrows. "Women make you do strange things."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess they do. Bella needs a job, and I need her job to be flexible and close."

"You want to buy this store to give your girlfriend a job?" he asked in disbelief.

I shook my head. "Not quite. I'm willing to be a co-owner with you. I'm willing to pay half your initial investment right now. And how about we add the option for me to buy you out fully in say five years? Or if you and your wife decide to retire early, I could buy you out then as well."

His jaw dropped open, and I could see the dollar signs in his eyes.

"Then your wife… what's her name, by the way?"

"Laura."

"Okay, so then Laura and Bella can run this place and split time or hire others… however they decide to do it."

His eyes fell to his lap for a minute before he lifted his head again with a frown. "You realize you're not going to make a profit, right?"

"Yeah, I kind of got that impression." I chuckled.

It was obvious the store was unprofitable now, but I was a fucking Cullen. I'd figure out a way for it to make money eventually. Change the displays, add some marketing, maybe put tables out and add free Wi-Fi for an internet café… there were a lot of ideas running through my head.

He shook his head and grinned. I felt better knowing he was at least attempting to be honest with me.

"Well, you have a deal, Mr. Cullen. I'm not sure exactly what to say except thank you… and maybe you're a little crazy."

"Probably more than a little… and it's Edward," I told him. "I will have my lawyer draw up a contract and bring it to you in a day or two. Will that work?"

"Absolutely."

He shook my hand again, and I gave him a card with my number and told him I'd be in touch.

"She's a lucky girl," he said as I walked toward the door.

I turned around and shook my head. "Nope, I'm the lucky one."

~~~*~~~TDoC~~~*~~~

"I'm going to embarrass you," she said.

"No you won't. Look, watch again." I repeated the steps to the waltz I was trying to teach her.

Her eyes were focused and her lips pursed as she tried to mimic my feet in time to the music. I couldn't resist any longer, pulling her close to me and lifting her up to swing in my arms.

"Besides, it's all in the leading," I whispered in her ear. "I plan on having you in my arms all night at the ball."

She smiled against my cheek. "I'll step on your feet."

"That's okay. My toes will survive."

I spun her around again before setting her down. We tried starting from the top one more time and she finally seemed to get it.

"See, you're dancing!"

Suddenly, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. I groaned when her tongue met mine, and my hands moved from her back down to her perfect ass, which I was only beginning to familiarize myself with. I lifted her up until her legs wrapped around me and carried her over to the couch, where we fell into a heap of roving hands, panting kisses, and tangled limbs.

My lips sought out every spot on her neck while my hands desperately touched anywhere they could reach. I couldn't get enough.

"I want you so much," I panted.

Her breathy moan in response nearly made me come undone. My hands slid under her blouse, touching her soft skin and memorizing her tempting curves. Her fingers gripped my hair, trying to pull me closer.

It could never be close enough.

"I want you, too," she said.

I unbuttoned her jeans, needing to feel all of her.

"I… I'm scared."

I stopped everything at her whispered red flag, lifting my head up to find her pained face.

She's scared of me?

"I would never harm a hair on your head, Bella," I told her, brushing my thumb lightly across her cheekbone.

I would, however, kill that asshole son-of-a-bitch in Seattle for doing this to her.

"I don't believe you'd ever physically hurt me, Edward." She paused and looked away from my eyes.

I leaned in close, tilting her chin until she faced me again. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I'm afraid this is all going to disappear. You… me… us… is it real? I keep waiting for the dream to end, to wake up and realize none of this happened. It scares me right to my bones." Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

I lifted myself off of her and pulled her onto my lap. I brushed her hair back from her face, contemplating the right words.

"I think any relationship worth having involves some risks on both sides. There has to be trust. I can promise you that my intentions toward us—our future—are good. I want you with me. Do you want me?"

"How could I not?" She gave me a small smile.

"Oh, I don't know. There are plenty of people who would probably tell you I'm quite the asshole."

"I think you're perfect," she said softly. "For me."

I grinned at her addition. It was exactly the right thing to say.

"I think you're perfect for me, too," I agreed. I brushed her cheeks again with my fingers, glad to see her full smile had returned. "Why don't we make out like a couple teenagers in the back of a car for a while before bed?"

She laughed, but willingly went along with my request. It was the hottest make out session I'd ever had… by far. And when it was time to bid goodnight at her bedroom door, I was shocked when she pulled me in with her, asking me to hold her.

Holding Bella in my arms as she slept instantly turned out to be my new favorite activity.

I would see to it that it became a permanent fixture in my life.


Lots packed into this chapter: Esme, bookstore, dance practice. Will Bella like being the future Mrs. Edward Cullen?