A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Love them so much…
SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. Just borrowed them.
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7.
Speechless and head over heels in love was the only way that Edward Masen could describe himself that night after he kissed Bella goodnight and left her house.
When he and Alice had walked into Bella's house behind Jacob and Jared that afternoon and heard her part of the conversation she was having with the boys' father, he could tell that it was bad news. He hated that her sons had heard what a miserable son-of-a-bitch their father was being in the fashion that they had, but when Bella asked that he and Alice give her time to talk to her sons, they quickly went into the living room, remaining silent to listen to the explanation that she was recounting for her boys.
"Uncle Eddie, this is completely awful," Alice had whispered to him. He only nodded in affirmation because he could hear in Bella's voice that she was devastated at having to deliver the news that their father wasn't going to come to Washington to see them.
He knew in his heart that there was more to the story, and when he heard her tell them that she'd make sure they could do something fun, he texted a friend who was associated with the Mariners to see about tickets.
As he settled into his bed later that night, he was wracking his brain regarding what he could do…that she would allow…to make things better for the family that he knew he cared for deeply. Jacob and Jared Uley were two very special young men, and if their father wasn't planning to step up to the plate, Edward Masen believed with all of his heart that he could and would.
When Esme had mentioned that the garden shed needed to be painted before her garden party, he was quick to jump in and suggest that the Uley twins could do it with his help. She agreed with a smile and told him she'd pay them what she was planning to pay the regular guy, and he told her that he'd make certain that it was up to her impeccable standards.
The thing that surprised Edward the most that night, after the comprehension that Bella's financial circumstance was far direr than he'd imagined, was the realization that he truly wanted her to be on his blue cotton sheets again with him lying next to her, panting after making love to her.
He wanted to take care of her and her sons, but he was at a loss of how to go about it without her pushing him away. He knew she was a proud woman, so he knew getting her to the place he was in his heart would be like scaling Mt. Rushmore.
He settled into those same sheets and prepared for a night of no sleep when he heard the thunder clap and the rain on the roof. It wasn't anything new considering the climate of the area, but it didn't give him the usual comfort that he'd found over time. He'd always found the sound of rain soothing.
Just as he punched his pillow again, he heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand and when he picked it up, he was surprised at the message. He checked the time and saw that it was after 11:00, so the text was unexpected.
I had a bad dream and I think there are monsters under my bed. I miss you. Are you asleep? B
He smiled as he looked at her comment, and he quickly responded.
I'm wide awake and I miss you too. Want me to come and check for you? E
He sat up on his bed and waited for her response because after the night they'd had, he truly had no idea where he stood with the woman.
Would you please? Since you're coming anyway, wanna have a sleep over? B
Without responding, he grabbed the pillow he'd punched, pulled on a pair of old shorts, and ran barefoot through the Hornbeck's backyard to the sidewalk of Abingdon Place, barely noticing the rain as he dodged the puddles. He trotted down the sidewalk until he reached her front door, and he knocked quickly on it.
When she opened the door in a t-shirt and shorts, he picked her up and carried her inside, kicking the door closed behind him as he kissed her soft lips. He heard her turn the lock on the front door and without letting go of her, he moved them into the living room, settling them on the couch. He pushed the pillow behind his head and pulled her on top of him, pulling a throw from the back of the couch to cover them as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
Her nightmare was the best thing that had ever happened to him. As he felt her melt into his body, he knew that she was meant for him, and it was the best feeling in the world.
##
"You think they did it?" Edward heard whispered from the doorway of the living room. He'd intended to leave Bella's house before the boys got up for school, but he'd been so comfortable that when his cell phone chirped an hour earlier, he'd ignored it.
"You're stupid," he heard in Jake's unmistakable voice. He cracked an eye to see the two of them standing in the doorway with backpacks slung over their shoulders, facing each other. He glanced down to see Bella's sweet smile in her face, and he wondered if she'd be pissed that he hadn't left before the boys discovered the two of them on the couch.
"I think we got frozen waffles. Alice should be here in a little while. She said we're stoppin' for coffee," Jacob informed his brother.
"Should we wake Mom? She's gotta work," Jared replied. Jacob shrugged and the two left the room.
Edward kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter to him. When he felt her stir, he looked down and saw her smile at him. "You're better than a blankie or a teddy bear," she whispered against his chest.
While he appreciated her adorable acknowledgment, he felt the need to inform her that her sons were up and had actually witnessed the fact that the two of them had slept on the couch together. He didn't feel the need to inform her that Jared was curious as to whether they'd "did it."
"Your two are up and saw us here together. By the way, have you had the talk with them?" Edward whispered as she pushed herself up from his body with the aid of the back of the couch.
"Sam did…if you could actually call it the talk. He told them to keep it in their pants until they were old enough to be able to afford the consequences of it. I was kind of waiting for them to come to me with questions because I really have no idea how to begin to broach the subject with them," she whispered to him.
She sat up on the edge of the couch and pushed her hair out of her face, turning to look at him and smiling gently. "Thank you for coming back over. I was just feeling in a funk last night, and you were better than a glass of warm cocoa," she whispered as she rose from the couch and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
He captured her around her waist and sat up, pulling her down onto his lap. "I'm available for sleepovers anytime you want to have one. Not to be critical but I don't think I'd wait until they have questions. By then, they've got a reason to have questions, and you might want to head that off at the pass. They're going to be twelve this fall, and I'm guessing that a whole lot of changes have already started for them," he offered.
He leaned forward and kissed her neck, fighting the temptation to place a mark there. That would be one of those things she'd have to explain, and he was pretty sure she wasn't anywhere near explaining it to her sons. He was also pretty sure that they weren't ready to hear it about or from their mother.
Bella turned to him and responded, "Really? How soon does that stuff start?"
He tried to remember back to his own sexual awakening, and the first thought he had was of a Jenny Foster coming back to school after summer break with boobs from which he couldn't take his eyes. That had been the beginning of seventh grade.
"Pretty much anytime now," he answered as they heard the doorbell chime. He saw Bella look at the clock and smile.
"That's Alice. I told her that I'd take them because I'm cleared to drive now, but she told me she likes the company. Can I fix you breakfast after they leave?" she asked sweetly.
Edward looked at the clock and saw that he was going to be late for the meeting he'd called the day before, so he had to decline breakfast. "Trust me. I'd love to but I called a meeting at 7:30 and as it stands, I'm going to be late. Please let me have a rain check," he replied.
"No problem. Have a great day," she called as she rose from the couch and went to answer the door. Alice walked in and saw him sitting on the couch in his shorts, and she shook her head and smiled. He had nothing to offer except a huge smile.
As Edward cut through his backyard to get home that morning, he failed to notice Emmett McCarty in his uniform in the backyard with a plastic bag on his hand, standing up…bending over…taking a tentative step…and repeating the process.
Emmett, however, didn't fail to notice Edward in a pair of shorts, a white wife beater, and no shoes as he strolled through the backyard, seemingly in another world.
"Hey, nice workout duds. What the hell are you doing?" Emmett called as he walked over to the fence that separated his yard from Edward Masen's.
Edward looked down, noticing his unusual attire for such an early hour. He laughed at the fact that he hadn't given a second thought the night before to leaving for Bella's without shoes or proper clothes, and he determined that he didn't really care what the neighbors thought. He'd had a great night's sleep, feeling Bella next to him, and if he had the opportunity to relive the experience, he'd crawl through molten lava for the chance.
"Um, I had to kill a spider," he called as he fished his spare key from the rock bed outside his back door. He'd left in such a hurry the night before that he hadn't even grabbed his keys.
"How big was the damn thing? I saw you hot-footin' it through Jim and Vicky's yard last night about 11:00 with a pillow. Where's the pillow, by the way?" Emmett teased.
Edward had forgotten his pillow at Bella's house that morning because when she kissed him good-bye at the front door and squeezed his ass, he could barely remember his name. The pillow wasn't the only thing that he'd left at her house that morning…he'd also left his heart.
"I forgot it. I guess I'll just have to go back tonight and pick it up," he replied smugly. He heard Emmett laughing loudly as he let himself into the house. He was fairly confident that it was going to be a great day because he'd started it in a way he hoped he'd start every day for the rest of his life…with Bella.
The 7:30 AM meeting that ended up starting at 7:45 AM was tense with Edward tearing up all story boards and copy that his staff had offered. Nothing felt right for the campaign, and he looked at Siobhan sitting off to the side with a smile on her face.
"So, what did your kids say?" Edward asked her.
"It was boring. They'd never fall for it. The phones are boring, and the plan isn't one I'd actually sign up for because my kids text more than they talk on the phone. You're screwed," she offered.
He knew it before she said it, but her articulating his position, plus the fact that his team hadn't brought anything new to the table, had pissed him off.
"We only have a few weeks…think about this. All of our futures ride on this. I've got a meeting. Go…be productive, please," he called as he flopped down in a chair and ran his hand through his hair in frustration at the situation.
##
As Bella was stowing her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk on a rare sunny morning in early June, she was surprised when Carlisle knocked on her open door and stepped in. "How's the shoulder?" he asked as his arms crossed over his chest. He had the ever-present smile on his face, and Bella was struck by how attractive the man actually was. He was forty-five his last birthday, but he looked to be not one day over thirty, in every woman's opinion who walked through the door of his office.
"It's better. The PT is helping a lot. Look, I wondered if you'd dictate chart notes for a few cases today so I can get back into the swing," she asked, hoping he'd agree.
They'd hired a temp to come in and transcribe, but from what Angela had told Bella, the young woman wasn't very good, and they'd let her go. Carlisle had begun making handwritten notes on the charts, and Angela had complained about his handwriting when she reviewed charts. She hoped that Angela would be supportive with regard to getting back into the routine.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm having lunch today with a representative from a software company to automate our charting system completely so that I can simply type the notes in from a workstation in each of the exam rooms. I'll have access to the charts at home or at the hospital if I need them. The hospital is currently automating their system, and they are encouraging the doctors to take advantage of a group discount situation. I was hoping you'd come with me and listen to the guy's pitch," Carlisle asked.
Bella felt the blood drain out of her face. If he was going to automate the charts and records, she was going to be obsolete. She felt the tears in her eyes and tried not to look at him directly because her fears were being realized and that tent in her father's garage was looking more and more like a new address.
She knew she couldn't make it on a salary that she could earn at the Thriftway. She quickly determined that they probably weren't even hiring, what with the economy being so shitty. She'd had one of the best jobs in town, and she believed in that moment that she was about to find out that she wasn't needed any longer. She felt the panic begin to set in, and she felt her stomach begin to roll.
She started ticking off in her head the things that she'd lose…her salary…her health insurance…her 401(k)…and most importantly to her, the friendships she'd developed in the years she'd worked for Carlisle.
In a quick rundown of her options, she determined that at the very least, she'd have to move to Port Angeles and get two jobs to be able to make the salary she made working for Carlisle. Moving the boys again felt completely wrong, as did being away from her family, and she felt like she was going to pass out as the panic set in. She had nearly no idea how to stave it off.
Carlisle was standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face. She knew she needed to answer him. "Oh, sure, I can do lunch. Sounds like it would be quite an improvement. I'll offer any help I can, but I guess I'll need to get my resume together," she replied, hoping she sounded nonchalant about the entire exchange. She pretended to look at e-mail on her computer hoping he'd go away so that she could cry. He didn't.
"Whoa! Hang on there. You're not going to leave me are you?" he asked as he pulled out the small chair in front of her desk and sat down across from her with a concerned smile on his face.
"Well, I'd assume that if the entire process is automated, I'll be out of a job," she answered glancing at him. The one thing that Bella Uley knew about Carlisle Cullen was that he was a compassionate, honest man, and she knew that he'd tell it to her straight, so if there was an hourglass marking off the time that she had left to work for him, she just wanted to hear it from the man so that she could begin making plans. What those plans would be, she didn't know, but she knew she needed to make them.
"Dammit. I should have explained it better. I'm depending on you to head this up for us, Bella. You'll need to train at the hospital so that we can make sure our system is compatible with theirs, and you'll need to train all of us on staff. I'll probably be the worst, you know. Anyway, I want you to head this up for me. You'll be our IT person. I'm going to give you a raise, and I'll knock a wall out of this office or something. I think this was a stupid closet at some point. How do you not have claustrophobia?" he joked.
At his words, Bella wanted to lunge over the desk and hug him. She didn't really care about the bigger office…she was just grateful to still have the job, and if there was a raise in it, she counted herself lucky.
"Oh. Thank you, Carlisle. I was scared for a minute. I'd hate to lose my job because I love working here with all of you. You've all been so supportive of me over the years, and I'd hate to lose that," she answered feeling the tears fall down her cheeks in relief. He handed her a tissue from the box on her desk and smiled at her.
"Bella, I couldn't let you get away because you're very valuable here. Now, I'll have Gail let you know when that guy gets here. His name is Alec White or something. Anyway, we'll go to the diner and listen to the pitch to see what you're in for.
"Now, I understand that my brother-in-law is here for some blood work, so I better not keep him waiting. He doesn't like needles," Carlisle joked. Bella laughed as she dried her tears, surprised to hear that Edward was at the office that morning because he hadn't mentioned anything about it to her.
"Thanks, Carlisle. I appreciate it," she answered as he left. She was doing a happy dance in her head. Even if she just got a dollar an hour raise, it was something. Maybe she wouldn't have to accidentally mail the check for the electric company to the phone company any longer. Maybe, just maybe, she was on the road to financial recovery. It was what she hoped, anyway.
At 8:40, Angela, Carlisle's head nurse, knocked on the door to Bella's office with a sly smile on her face. "Bella, can you come help me in Exam Two? The patient is having a hard time letting me do my job, and I need someone to talk to him and get his mind on something else," she asked. She walked away chuckling, and Bella followed her and walked into the room behind her, finding Edward sitting on the table looking very pale.
"There, now can I draw blood?" Angela asked sarcastically. Bella walked over to where he sat and took his left hand, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. She wasn't exactly certain why he was there, but the fear on his face was very apparent, and as many times as he'd been there for her, she was determined that she would be there for him.
"Fine. You love this, don't you? You people are vampires, I swear," Edward complained as he looked into Bella's eyes. She saw him furrow his brow and figured out that he could tell that she'd been crying. She didn't really want to give him the reason because it was moot at that point, but the fact that he picked up on it reminded her of how in tune the two of the actually had become.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked. He was concentrating on Bella and not paying any attention to what Angela was doing, so she decided to tell him what had transpired to try to make Angela's job easier. There was a full day of appointments, and Bella knew that Angela needed to move on quickly, so being the team player that she was trying to be, she decided she'd do anything she could to help. Hell, she was happy it wasn't the Newton kid because that little fucker was a biter.
"I thought I was going to lose my job. We're making changes here, and I thought Carlisle was going to have to let me go, but it turns out I was wrong. Now, why didn't you tell me you had an appointment today and that you were afraid of needles?" she asked him as Angela filled the second vial of blood.
"Oh, yeah, like I need to tell you something else negative about me to add to your list of pros and cons?" he replied. Angela pulled out the needle and placed a small gauze pad on his elbow and bent it to hold the pad in place for a minute while she labeled the vials.
"You have one con in the con column, and it's that you're an arrogant ass. Now, extend your arm and let the pretty nurse put a Band-Aid on your boo boo," she teased as she squeezed his hand. Angela laughed as she grabbed a Band-Aid and handed it to Bella.
"I'll let you do it. I've got Mr. Ivers in the next room waiting for his blood pressure check. We'll call you with results, Edward. Take care," Angela called as she walked out and closed the door behind her with a grin on her face. She'd known Bella for five years, and if anyone deserved to be happy, Angela believed it was Bella Uley.
Bella walked around the bed to the other side of it, lowering his arm to rest on his leg. She pulled off the piece of gauze and turned to toss it into the hazmat bucket near the bed. She walked back over and kissed his arm above where Angela had drawn the blood and then she peeled the backing from the small Band-Aid and put it on his arm. "There. Now, you want a lollipop?" she teased as she went to the jar on the counter where Carlisle had the stash of suckers for the kids.
"I've got your lollipop, sweetheart," Edward teased as he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her sweetly. Well, it started out that way. When he swept his tongue along her bottom lip, Bella couldn't help but open her mouth and suck his tongue inside, tangling it with her own. After several minutes, she knew that they were waiting for the room, so she pulled away from him and smiled at him.
Things had been progressing. There had been dinners with the boys, and Edward had slept over on the couch with her a few times since the night of the thunderstorm, but they'd been yet to take the next step, though they both knew that they wanted to take it.
She was worried because of the fact that she'd had twins at an early age, and she was concerned about what he expected, or was used to, from his women. She was certain she couldn't live up to any of it.
Edward worried because he wasn't sure how to broach the subject with her, being in love with her and not knowing how she felt about him, but he knew she was worth it, and he was trying to figure out how to take the next step. They'd been taking baby steps with regard to their relationship, but the couch wasn't very comfortable. It's only redeeming quality was feeling Bella next to him.
He was at the office that day for his semi-annual screening, and he'd told Carlisle to give him the full battery because if the opportunity ever came up to make love to Bella, he wanted to be sure everything was okay. He wanted to be sure that when the pair came together, there was no reason for worry.
"We need to vacate the room. They're likely waiting for it because we've got a full day. Oh, I can't do lunch. I'm having lunch with some salesman and Carlisle regarding a new project. How about we try again next week?" she asked. The couple had made plans to try to get together at lunch that day, but she was sure he'd understand that she needed to take care of work obligations.
"Fine. I'll make dinner tonight at your place. Call me when you get home so I can come over," he replied as he visibly adjusted himself in his dress slacks.
"Uncomfortable there?" Bella asked as she opened the door and took his hand, leading him back to her little office.
"Just a little, but not anything new when I'm around you. Now, anything in particular you want for dinner?" he asked without elaborating. He was about at the end of his rope with regard to the physical aspect of their relationship. He was holding back so much of himself that he was about to explode, and he didn't know how much control he had left. Taking care of himself in the shower was most certainly a daily routine…often more than once.
"How about some sort of chicken?" Bella asked. Edward smiled and nodded, looking at his watch. She knew that he was under the gun at work, so she knew he needed to get to his office. The fact that he took a little extra time to talk to her made her quite happy.
"I gotta run. I'll text you later," he told her as he stepped around the desk and kissed her again. God, he could kiss like nobody's business in her limited opinion. After a few minutes of not-so-innocent kisses, Edward pulled back and smiled at her.
"I'll see you later, sweetheart. Have a great day," he told her as he walked over to her door and opened it.
Bella shook her head as he walked out, but she got a great view of his very attractive ass as he left. In that moment, she wished that she'd actually seen it naked because the man was so fucking attractive that she couldn't believe that he was spending time with her. In her mind, it didn't make sense.
##
Babe – I know I was going to make dinner, but I'm stuck here on an account. I'll call you later – E
Edward hated sending the message, but it was a reality. His team had been sequestered in a conference room all afternoon, and no one was coming up with anything new, which pissed him off. He'd removed his jacket and tie, and he was about ready to remove his team.
He'd talked to Jared and Jacob Uley when they'd painted the shed in Esme's yard, and they told him that they didn't have cell phones, but if there was a way to have one that they could afford without putting it on their mom, they'd likely buy it. That got him thinking.
"People, think. You're a twelve-year-old kid, and your parents aren't wealthy, so they can't get you a top-of-the-line cell with an unlimited package. You're the parent…wait. If you were the parent and could afford a phone-to-phone situation for eight bucks a month, would you take on another phone?" he asked his weary staff.
"What's that mean?" Claire Hanson asked as she seemed to perk up. The meeting was draining for everyone in the room.
"Well, I talked to my girlfriend's kids, and they said that if there was a plan that they could afford, they'd pay for it themselves. What if we packaged it as no longer having to share a cell phone? My girlfriend gives her boys her phone when they leave, but what if they didn't' have to? What if the plan was so affordable that the kids could pay for it with babysitting money or grass cutting or dog walking? What do we think?" he asked as he took a drink of his water, waiting for his team, the best and the brightest…or so he thought…to respond.
"My little sister has an iPhone, and she's eleven. I can't imagine that she'd ever settle for this phone, even if we could make it in the shape of 'Hello Kitty'," Dianna responded as she perused her Droid.
Edward didn't really like her closed-minded approach so he replied, "Okay, you can't relate. You're out. Next?"
He saw the woman look at him in surprise, and he pointed toward the door, waiting for the next fool to step up to the plate. If he had to do it by himself, he would, but he wasn't going to nurse a spoiled, rich kid on his team. It was a waste of time.
Bree Tanner cleared her throat. She was shy, but she actually understood what her boss was talking about because she was from the Midwest and her family wasn't wealthy. She felt like maybe she had something to offer, and if it was her time to shine, she was going to swallow her nerves and offer it.
"Um, actually, my siblings would jump at the chance to have a phone like that. If the company would be willing to allow free minutes to a subset of numbers…say your parents, grandparents, a best friend, and then the rest of the minutes played into the fee, and then if they'd lower the price of texting, I could see that my brothers and sisters would be up for it," she responded as she looked down at the table, not looking her boss in the eye.
"There…that right there is what the hell I'm looking for. Thank you, Bree. Okay, we've got a direction. Copy and art get together and work up some concepts by Friday. We'll have a meeting, and if we're not there, then we're all going to be keeping each other company over the weekend. Class dismiss," Edward called to them as they all left the room grumbling about the work.
As he climbed into his car, he checked his watch to see that it was only 9:30, and since the boys were out of school, Bella allowed them to stay up later. Alice was supervising them…because they refused to be babysat…during the day, and he knew it was a relief to Bella that they weren't a band of marauders going unsupervised over the summer.
As he pulled into her driveway, he thought about sending a text to ask if it was okay to stop by, but the front porch light flipped on before he got his phone out of his pocket. He hopped out and climbed the stairs to find Alice in pajamas laughing at him.
"Uncle Eddie, what are you doing here?" she asked quietly.
"I came by to see Bella and the boys. What are you doing here?" he asked her as he stood on the top step.
"Well, you can come in and see the boys, but I'd bet you'd rather go home and see them tomorrow," Alice suggested as she smirked at him.
"Where's Bella?" he asked with concern in his voice.
"I believe that she's over on Bennett Circle waiting for you. I might have given her my key," Alice volunteered with a laugh.
"Bye," Edward called as he turned and ran back to his car, not wasting any more time. He heard Alice laughing behind him, but he didn't care. If Bella was at his house waiting for him, he was most certainly going to get there as quickly as possible…though remaining ever mindful of the neighborhood pets that seemed to roam around at night unsupervised.
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E/N: Just to clarify…a bit of time passed in case you didn't pick it up. We're moving along in the relationship, though not leaps and bounds. It's still building, mind you.
Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.
Till next time…xoxo
