Big shout out to SunflowerFran! She's my new beta and her work was superb and insightful! Thanks so much! You're simply the best! (sung in Tina Turner's voice)
Chapter Nine
"I'm sorry about Tanya," Edward says. "It was rude of her to cut in like that when we were dancing."
I look over to him, the dim cabin of his car slightly illuminating his face in the dark. "It's fine," I say to him. "She's your ex-girlfriend, right?"
He purses his lips. "Yes."
"She's very beautiful." I look back out of my window and watch the city dissolve away.
"Most people think that." He replies.
"It seemed like she was still interested in you."
"She's a great girl, but we just aren't meant to be together. Our families have been friends for over thirty years and my mother had been pressuring me for a very long time to date her when I asked her out. She's always wanted us to be together, and I tried, but it didn't work. At least not for me it didn't."
"Your mom still wants you to be with her," I say.
"That was before she met you." He says, and I look back to him. "She likes you a lot. If she didn't, she wouldn't have asked to come over tomorrow."
I give him a smile before I turn and look back out of the window.
In all honesty, I'm glad she interrupted when she did. I was on a dangerous slope that would have led me to do something I would regret.
I mean, I haven't even been gone for more than one day, and I'm already struggling not to kiss him.
I really need to lay down some boundaries for myself and do it quickly.
The next day arrives after a night of hardly any sleep. I have to be showered and dressed by 11:00 because that is when his mother and father will be here. Esme was insistent last night about coming over and showing me how to make Edward's favorite meal.
I studiously avoid leaving my room until I'm dressed and ready. When I leave my self-imposed confines, I find Edward lounging on the couch with a book in his hands. When he hears me, his head turns and his face lights up. "Good morning, Bella."
"Morning," I say back, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a fruit bar to hold me over until Esme's meal is ready to be eaten. I hear Edward approach behind me. When I turn, he's leaning over the island, resting on his elbows as he watches me. "You must have been tired. You slept late."
"Your dad wouldn't take no for an answer and kept me dancing all night," I say to him, not wanting to admit I was awake and just hiding from him.
"I know. He hogged you for himself. I was quite jealous."
I roll my eyes playfully and shake my head.
Yes. That's a good, almost neutral response.
I clear my throat after drinking from a bottle of water I took from the fridge and pull out my professional side. "Before your parents get here, I think we should revise some terms in the contract, mainly pertaining to physical contact."
He stands up straight, his face turning professional as well. "Alright. Let me go grab the contract." He walks swiftly to his office and is back before a minute has passed. He sets it down in front of me and flips to the last page. "My lawyer had an amendment page drawn up just in case."
I smile down at it. "He's a good lawyer. Very prepared."
"He'd better be. He costs me a fortune." His eyes widen with mock horror, and now I'm laughing. This makes him happy. He smiles beautifully at me.
"Okay," I say, clearing my throat, trying to maintain my professional demeanor. "I think we can add on here that you can place your hand on my lower back. It's only natural to want to guide me places by putting your hand there or while in conversation in a crowd, introductions, dancing…especially since I see on the schedule that there are two other balls to attend."
He nods, his face serious as he writes out the amendment. While he does that, I'm having an internal war with myself, trying to argue the pros and cons of…. "And I think we can put cheek kissing on there as well." I spit out without thinking.
Oh god. I said it. I can't believe I said it. Why did I say it? I wasn't even sure if it was a good idea or not.
His head snaps up to me, pure surprise on his face.
"Well, if we are going to be spending time with your family here at your house, it would be weird if there were absolutely no kissing of any kind since we're supposed to be together. I figured it was a good enough compromise that held just enough intimacy to maybe ward off them noticing we weren't kissing."
"Sounds reasonable." He says as he starts to write. "Would this include a kiss on your head as well?"
"Yes," I reply. Why not? I'll just douse myself in gasoline as well while I play with fire.
He writes quickly while I bite my lip nervously, trying very hard not to overthink this.
When he's done writing that amendment, he looks at me, uncertainty coloring his face. "There is another thing I thought about last night." He says nervously. "Are you okay with pet names?" When I furrow my brows, uncertain of his meaning, he continues. "Like 'love' or 'honey'...things like that?"
Trying not to overthink it, I just nod. "That's okay."
His huge grin is contained by pursing his lips, and I think biting the inside of his cheek.
Once he's done writing, he slides it over to me and I read over it. Checking to make sure everything is correct and specific, I grab the pen and sign my name on each amendment. Edward does the same.
"I'll just go put this back, and then I wanted to take you to the end of the driveway so I can add your thumbprint to the gate. I don't know if I'll always be here to let you in."
"Okay."
When he comes back, we walk out to the back of the garage and he opens up a storage space on the far side of the outside wall. When I look inside, I laugh. "You have a golf cart?"
He looks back at me and grins as he goes to sit in the driver's seat. "Of course. I have a really long driveway. It's either this or walk for almost fifteen minutes. Getting in a car just to go to the end of the driveway seems ridiculous."
I giggle again at the sight of him in the cart. "It's just that I didn't picture you having a golf cart. I mean, from million dollar cars to this?"
"Cars are my one weakness." He says defensively, yet I know he's playing. "That's the only thing I drop serious money on." I laugh lightly as he drives the cart out of the small area it was in. He stops in front of me and waves his hand dramatically. "Your chariot awaits." I roll my eyes at him as I get in.
I notice Edward and I are both barefoot as he opens the door for his parents. Looking up at what we're wearing, we totally look as if we are just lounging the day away at home. We're both wearing jeans, and while I am in a slightly nicer shirt, it's still reasonable for staying at home. Edward is in an old, Weezer band t-shirt, one of my favorite bands.
After Esme steps through the door, grabbing Edward and hugging him with free hands, and I get a sight of Carlisle and have to cover my mouth to stifle my laughter. He's completely loaded down with grocery bags and is still somehow managing to carry one of those heavy, stand mixers and what looks like a couple of books.
"Dad." Edward chastises. "I could have come and helped if you'd just waited." He grabs the stand mixer and one handful of the groceries.
"I'd rather lose an arm than make two trips." He says, and I giggle. Esme spots me then and hurries over, smiling and pulling me in for a hug.
"Still just as beautiful as last night." She coos when she stands back, holding me at arm's length.
"Thank you, Esme."
She waves her hand at me dismissively as she starts to move around me and head for the kitchen. "Don't mention it." I follow and watch as she sets down her purse on the island and opens the fridge. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Emmett and Rosalie." She calls over her shoulder.
"Mom!" Edward says, almost sounding like a petulant child, setting the groceries on the counter a little harder than necessary. "Why would you do that?"
"Because he's your brother." She spins around and levels him with one of those looks that moms give when they don't want to be argued with. "And since you don't tell us anything, I took the liberty of telling your brother about Bella. He was insistent upon meeting her and coming here after I told him we were coming for lunch."
"Of course, he was," Edward mutters under his breath.
"I'm excited to meet him," I say with a mischievous grin. "After all the stories I've heard, I'm dying to put a face with the name. I think he'll be a great addition to our little get together."
Esme beams at me. "He'll love to hear that."
"Traitor." Edward murmurs to me as passes me and walks out of the kitchen. He grabs the books Carlisle set down on the counter and turns to go to his library. Carlisle follows behind, asking about borrowing some more books.
"So, what are we making?" I ask, looking around in the bags, pulling out items of food, trying to figure out what she is going to teach me.
"Creamy Tuscan Style Chicken. It's a recipe that I inherited from my grandmother. She was from a small town north of Milan."
"That's incredible. A real authentic Italian recipe."
"Not only is it Edward's favorite, but it's also both Carlisle and Emmett's favorite as well. I only make it on special occasions."
"Special occasions?" I ask. "Why is that?"
"Because if I didn't say that, they'd nag me to make it almost every day and I'm not having that." She says with a chuckle. "It takes a lot of time to make the sauce that goes on it, and I don't have that much time to devote to cooking. That's why I enlisted Carlisle to cook dinner three times a week so I can have a break."
"I understand." I tell her and think about how much Jake eats and how the first thing he asks me when we get home from work is 'what's for dinner?' I've always thought it was endearing just how much he loves to eat, but as I think about it now, he's never made any effort to learn how to cook. Instead, he's just always waited for me to come home and do it.
Hmmm. That's something I will want to talk with Jake about once this month is over.
Esme is wonderful as she directs me, telling me a 'pinch of this here' and a 'gob of that there,' saying that her grandmother never measured anything. After almost half an hour, Edward and his father come back to the kitchen, Carlisle holding a new stack of books.
"I borrowed enough to hold us over for a while," Carlisle says to Esme and holding up the books for her to see. She smiles warmly at him.
"Everything smells great so far," Edward says, moving into the kitchen, coming to stand next to me and placing his hand on my back as I whisk together the sauce ingredients. When his other hand comes forward, his finger extended, and moves to swipe some of the sauce from the bowl, I swat at his hand.
I look at him, and he scowls playfully at me. "It's not done yet. It won't taste good. We still have to add another four ingredients."
He gets this determined look on his face, and I know what he's about to do, but I'm not quick enough to stop him. His hand moves lightning fast and he swipes a big finger full of the sauce and shoves it in his mouth. I watch and wait for the reaction I know is going to come.
It only takes a few seconds for his cheeks to pucker and his eyes to squint as the bitter taste registers on his tongue.
I bite back my own giggle and say, "I told you so." In a superior tone.
He narrows his eyes at me and tries to look annoyed. He fails miserably because of the slight upturn of his lips letting me know he's trying not to smile.
"What's the matter?" I ask innocently. "Was it the sauce or the 'I told you so' that left the bitter taste in your mouth?" That's when he reaches my side and squeezes, making me jump and giggle.
Esme laughs behind us. "Oh, I think you've met your match, Edward." She says with a dubious tone.
"I know," he says and then turns to grab something to drink out of the fridge.
That's when I think about what he just did and realize that that kind of touch wasn't laid out in the contract. Before I start to overthink it, I shrug to myself.
Oh well. It was harmless. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it.
"Honey! I'm home!"
There is a deep booming voice that comes from the front of the house.
"For what is about to happen, I'm sorry," Edward says lowly to me. I turn and see his eyes widen with warning and a bit of humor.
I set down the whisk and wipe my hands on a towel before turning around. Walking into the kitchen is one of the biggest guys I've ever seen. A contrast to his hulking size, his face is warm and friendly with a huge smile that reminds me of a giant teddy bear.
"As I live and breathe!" He exclaims with shock, looking right at me. "It is true!"
"You must be Emmett," I say. I hold out my hand for him to shake and he shoves it away, scooping me up into his arms and lifting me off my feet.
When he sets me down, he holds me at arm's length. "When Mom told me you showed up to your fancy shin-dig last night with a girlfriend, I thought she was pulling my leg."
"Are you done accosting my girlfriend so I can introduce you to her?" Edward asks.
"For now," Emmett says, looking at me and then winking.
"Bella, this is my brother Emmett."
"It's nice to meet you, Emmett," I say as Edward steps closer to me, placing his hand on my back.
When we hear high heels clicking on the floor by the front door, Emmett's smile fades, and he looks at Edward. "I'm sorry about Rose. She insisted she bring her."
"Who?" Edward asks just as an incredibly beautiful blonde walks around the corner with Tanya Denali.
"You've got to be kidding me," Edward mutters.
Tanya's eyes land on me. "Oh. I thought this was just going to be a family get together." She says with a fake smile.
"I thought so too," I say, wanting to smack her over the head with the frying pan that is on the stove not too far away.
I turn back to the bowl of sauce and pick up the whisk. Edward leans down and says to me, "She and my sister-in-law are best friends."
I just nod and start stirring. When I feel a hand on my shoulder, I turn to see Emmett looking apologetic at me. "I'd like to introduce you to my wife."
I set the whisk down again and turn to see the stunningly beautiful blonde. Even with the fake smile she is giving me, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. "Bella, this is my wife, Rosalie."
"It's nice to meet you," I say, shaking her hand.
Thankfully, Edward is still beside me. "Why would you bring her?" he says lowly, glancing at Tanya who is engaged in a very animated conversation with his mother, laughing and flipping her hair.
"Oh, come on, Edward." She says, rolling her eyes. "She's my best friend, and she was saying how she didn't get to see much of you last night."
"That's because I was avoiding her." He says.
"Why?" Rosalie feigns innocence. "She's one of your best friends."
"Used to be." He says bitterly. "Now she's just an unwelcome ex." She opens her mouth to say something, but Edward isn't done with her. "You knew you were coming here and meeting my girlfriend and you still brought her. That was incredibly disrespectful to Bella, and you know it."
"Take it easy, Ed," Emmett says softly.
"No.," he says back. "I've had enough of Rose trying to force us together for her own purposes."
Edward's harsh tone catches the attention of Esme and Tanya and they both turn to look at us. Over in the corner of the kitchen, Carlisle is sneaking small, sun-dried tomatoes from the frying pan, oblivious to what is going on.
"Edward, it's okay," I say lowly to him.
"No, it's not." He says back.
"For the sake of keeping the peace for today, it is," I tell him, reaching out and touching his forearm gently. He looks over to me, and after searching my eyes for a moment, his soften as defeat sets in. He gives me a tight nod and then wraps his hand around to the back of my head. He then leans down and places a kiss on my forehead before turning and walking out of the kitchen, presumably to cool down.
I'm momentarily surprised before I smile to myself.
His lips felt so soft on my forehead. Not to mention, the tingling sensation left by his touch is electric.
I blush and turn back to the sauce. Only a second goes by before I see Emmett's big bear paw he calls a hand reaches around me and swipes some of the sauce.
"I wouldn't eat that if I were you," I warn him with a little smirk, not bothering to turn and watch his reaction. From what I've seen of Emmett so far, I'll hear his reaction more than anything.
"Ewww!" His loud voice calls out. "What's wrong with it?"
I chuckle. "It's not done yet. It still needs three more ingredients."
"That's for damn sure," Emmett says seriously, and I laugh some more.
Esme comes over and stands next to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "It's looking good, Bella." She says. "I think we can go ahead and add the rest."
"What can I do, Esme?" Tanya asks. I spare her a glance before paying studious attention to stirring the sauce and pouring in the rest of the ingredients.
"I didn't know you developed an interest in cooking, Tanya," Esme says, walking over to her.
"Well, if I want to be a good wife and mom someday, I need to learn how to cook and pass on family recipes."
While I know Edward is not really my boyfriend, the nerve of this woman is seriously testing my patience. She said it like she was the one that was going to marry Edward and pass on this recipe to their children.
Fucking bitch.
"I think we have everything covered, for now, Tanya," Esme says sweetly. "We're almost done."
"Oh, okay." She says, trying to sound sad. "I guess I'll just go find everyone."
I turn to see that everyone has left the kitchen. I can hear conversation coming from the living room, but when Tanya leaves, she turns right and heads to the back of the house in the direction Edward went. I can't help my reaction and narrow my eyes at her.
"She's really a sweet girl once you get to know her," Esme says with a smile.
"I'm sure she is." My voice is dead and unbelieving.
After another few minutes of cooking, my curiosity and worry get the best of me. I set down the spatula I'm using to cook the chicken with and turn to Esme. "Can you take over for a little bit? I'm afraid I need to use the bathroom."
"Of course. You go ahead."
After wiping my hands on a towel, I pad down the hallway with my bare feet, and just as I'm about to get to his piano room, I hear Tanya. I press myself up against the wall and double check that no one is watching me eavesdrop. It's not exactly the best quality to have but I have to know what they are saying and doing.
"You've only been together a month?" she asks softly.
"Yes." He replies.
"That's nothing compared to us. We've known each other for twenty years, and we were together for six months, and you're saying you don't want to give us another shot for something that's only been going on for a month?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Tanya. I tried, we tried the relationship thing and it just didn't work."
"It worked great." She says in a whisper-yell.
"Not for me it didn't," he whisper-yells back. "My feelings never developed past friendship for you. I tried to get them to, but it just didn't happen."
"But you know how I feel, Edward. I love you." She says. There is a catch in her voice. My heart starts to pound in my ears as I wait for someone to say something. "I know if you really gave us another shot, a real shot, not just one where our families push us together, you'd feel the same way."
It's quiet for a long moment, and it takes everything I have not to die of anticipation, waiting for his response.
"Tanya, we've been over this. I don't like hurting you, you know this. But I just don't feel the same way, and it's not going to change. Now or in the future."
"Is it because of your girlfriend?" she asks, venom in her tone.
"Yes and no," he answers. "No, because even if I weren't with Bella, my feelings would still be the same towards you. And yes, because I'm serious about Bella. I have been from the first moment I saw her."
I know it's not real because we're not a couple, but when he says that, my heart jumps in my throat and my body hums with a sensation that I can't describe.
I push myself off the wall and walk a few steps back down the hall before calling out, "Edward?"
I pretend like I wasn't just listening and that my heart isn't in my throat as I walk down the hall and appear at the entrance of the room. "There you are," I say with a smile, sending Tanya a small glare before looking back to Edward. "I was just coming to find you and tell you that the food is almost ready."
He takes a deep breath and releases the tension that was holding his body rigid, giving me a warm smile. "It smells fantastic, baby." He says as he walks over to me, grabbing my hand and placing a kiss on it. "Come on. I'm starving."
Edward pulls me back towards the kitchen by our joined hands, leaving Tanya alone as she gives me a death glare behind his back.
Sitting down to a late lunch with Edward's family is nice. I love his brother Emmett who has told me quite a few embarrassing stories about Edward as a child and as a teenager. My favorite so far is when Edward was a senior in high school and he was feeling up his date in his truck. Just when he was about to get some under-the-shirt action, Emmett, who had seen him parked down the street from her house, came up outside the truck and banged on the window pretending to be a cop, scaring them both half to death.
The way Emmett described how Edward, in his haste to get off the girl who he had laid down on his truck bench, accidentally elbowed her in the face, giving her a black eye. It was hysterical! What was even funnier was the look of pure hatred Edward was sending Emmett's way and how unaffected Emmett was by it.
Emmett is a really easy guy to like.
"Everything was so good, Mom, Bella." Edward rubs his stomach. "I definitely ate too much."
Tanya, who had been quietly sulking the whole time next to Rosalie, not joining in with the conversation, cleared her throat causing everyone to turn and look. "Edward's right. The meal was incredible, Esme. You've always been such an amazing cook."
"Actually," Esme says, looking to me. "It was mainly all Bella. I was just there to show her the recipe."
"It was really good, Bella." She reluctantly says, looking down at her plate.
"Thank you."
Carlisle, the wonderful man he is, changes the subject, ending any continuation of the conversation between Tanya and me. "So, now that you've graduated law school, Bella, what are your plans?"
From the corner of my eye, Edward stiffens a bit. His father has brought up my plans and Jake without knowing. "As of right now, I'm taking the Bar exam on Tuesday. I'm going to be neck deep in law books tonight, studying right up until I take it."
"Oh my goodness. Why didn't you tell us you had to study?" Esme asks. She stands and starts clearing the table. "We should get out of your hair so you can go home and study."
"Actually, Bella is practically moved in here, Mom," Edward says.
The brows of everyone in the room with surprise. Tanya's the most.
"Really?" she asks, looking to me for confirmation.
"It's true," I say. "I spend most nights here instead of my place."
"Way to go, big bro," Emmett says with a waggle of his brows.
Edward rolls his eyes. "But I do agree with you, Mom. I know she's been wanting to study all day, even though I'm confident she'll ace it without studying." He gives me a wink and a smile. "But she's thorough and wants to be fully prepared and study till her eyes close from near exhaustion."
Seeing Esme pile the dishes up in her arms, I quickly stand and help her. "Let me help."
"Not at all," Edward says as he takes what's in my hands. "The both of you cooked, so that means that we clean."
Jake never offers to clean.
I look over to see Carlisle slap Emmett on the back of his head and watch as he grumbles and grabs his plate, following Carlisle to the kitchen. He drags his feet the whole way, looking every bit like a child being forced to do chores.
Rosalie, who has barely said two words to me or even acknowledged my existence, stands and clears her throat. "So, Bella. Where do you live?" Her tone is verging on incredulous as her eyes bore into me.
"Well, now that I'm done with school, I'm in the process of moving here to Seattle to find a job," I tell her, going with mine and Edward's story full of half-truths. "I've lived in a small town about three hours from here in the peninsula since I was sixteen. I went to school online, but it took me a while to get my degree because I was paying for school as I went along."
"How so?" she asks, walking over to the living room and sitting on the couch. Esme, Tanya, and I follow. "Your parents didn't pay for your school?"
I shake my head and give one mirthless laugh. "No. My dad is the police chief of the town where I'm from, and my mom is a pre-school teacher. They couldn't afford to pay for my college so I worked two jobs, one full-time and one part-time, for seven years now because I didn't want to have to get school loans that would take thirty years to pay back."
"Wow," Esme says. "And yet you finished 3rd in your law school?"
"Yes, ma'am," I tell her proudly.
"That's truly something to be proud of." She says seriously. "You're beautiful, smart, hardworking, a great cook, and it seems you've managed to get my boy, the eternal lonely bachelor, to settle down." She shakes her head as she studies me. "Is there anything you can't do?"
I blush profusely and look down at my hands in my lap.
"Excuse me," Tanya says. She stands and is gone before any of us look up at her. From the small glimpse of her face that I got, she's about ready to either cry or scream in anger.
"Her feelings are hurt, Esme." Rosalie chides her. The tone she took with Esme irritates me to no end. "Just yesterday you were helping her get ready for the ball, determined to get her and Edward back together. Telling her how perfect they were together."
"That's because I didn't know about Bella," Esme says defensively. "I just want him to be happy, and it is obvious that Bella is doing that."
Rosalie, queen of the icy stare as I've nicknamed her, stands in a huff and then goes after Tanya who has disappeared out the front door.
Esme blows out a breath and falls back into the couch, kicking up her legs beside her. "I think I'm going to need a drink." She says, and I chuckle. "I've got months now of Rosalie sending me daggers. She can hold a grudge like no one I've seen before. She's very protective of those she loves. It can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but it's a good quality to have for my Emmett. He needs protecting because he's so trusting."
"I just wish we didn't meet like this," I admit. "I hate getting off on the wrong foot."
"Don't worry about it too much," Esme says. "She wants her friend to be happy and having Edward would make her happy. Soon she'll realize that that's not going to happen because he has you now and she'll eventually come around."
Too bad I won't be around long enough for that.
"Alright my fair ladies," Edward says. "I have the leftovers boxed up for dinner." He's standing behind the couch with a dish towel slung over his shoulder.
Damn, he looks so good looking all domesticated and shit. I never knew a dishtowel could get my motor running.
"I do believe, Bella, you have some studying to do." He turns to his mom. "And you and Dad have to drive back to the suburbs."
"True." She says. She struggles to stand up for a moment before Edward gives her a small shove from behind. "I swear, I'm going to disappear inside your sofa one day, son."
I kick my legs and am able to get up without too much of a struggle. Emmett comes from the kitchen with a thoroughly, soaking wet shirt and a bag of chips from the pantry. "Where are Rose and Tanya?" he asks.
"Outside," Esme says knowingly. "I think Tanya is ready to go."
A look of dread passes over his features. "So, it's going to be one of those kinds of nights..." He says mournfully.
After a few rounds of hugs and promises to have dinner with his parents, they are out the door, and Edward is crashing on the couch while I stand behind it on the opposite side. "Well, that was eventful."
"Rosalie hates me," I say.
Edward's eyes snap to me. "No, she doesn't. She's mad at me. She hates me for not wanting to be with her best friend. She's had this dumb idea for years that she and Tanya would marry Emmett and me and they would become sisters. We'd all then ride off into the sunset, all holding hands with one another." He rolls his eyes before dragging a hand down his face. "I tried, but I never came close to loving her. I knew even after a month together with Tanya that it would never work, but I stayed with her, thinking that maybe it would change. All it did was make things messy and awkward."
I'm not really sure what to say so I just nod. I don't really have any insight or background of the situation or relationship between them to give the right advice.
So, I divert the conversation.
"Was the girl with the black eye your first girlfriend?" I ask.
His face morphs from downtrodden to fake annoyed in .2 seconds. "I can't believe you just brought that up."
"Why?" I ask. I'm trying to hold in my giggle. "If she was your girlfriend, I'll bet she wasn't after seeing what a scaredy-cat you were and how dangerous you were when you were flailing with around with fear."
This time, I can't hold back my smile.
"You, Bella Swan," he says slowly, leaning up on the couch, "are skating on thin ice. There will be consequences if you continue to make fun of my stumbling blocks on my way to get to this." He motions to himself.
I laugh. "What consequences?" I challenge him, putting my hands on my hips.
"Did you see Emmett's shirt?" He asks, and I nod. "That was payback for him telling you that story."
"So…what? You're going to spray me with water?"
"No. I'm going to eat all the leftovers before you get a chance."
My eyes widen in horror. "You wouldn't," I say seriously.
"I would." He says, rising from the couch. "There are three pieces of chicken left, but I'll eat them all."
"Not if I get there first," I say. We stare at each other for a moment and then we are both running. Since I was already standing behind the couch while he was on the other side of it in the living room, I reach the kitchen first. I grab the Tupperware container with the leftovers from the counter and run to the far end of the island just as he barrels around the corner.
I crack open the top and take a long sniff of his favorite home-cooked meal. "Mmmmm. Smells like dinner for me. What are you going to have, Edward?"
There is mischief in his eyes and an easy grin on his lips. "I'm going to eat that chicken." He says, nodding to what's in my hands. He moves closer, and I skirt to the opposite side of the island from him.
"You'll have to pry it from my Cold. Dead. Hands." I say to him.
We stare at each other for a long minute, waiting for the other to make their move. I fake right, and when he falls for it, I go left and leave him in the dust, wild giggles spilling from my lips as I dart into my room and slam the door shut. "Your threats are meaningless, I tell you! Meaningless!" I shout through the door, still laughing wildly.
Edward
I can't stop smiling as I rest my head on her door, slightly glad that she is in there. I don't know what I would have done if I caught her. "I'll get you back somehow!" I say through the door, knowing I won't. I'll let her have or do anything she wants.
"That'll be hard for you to do if I lock myself in my room." She quips back a little breathless. She laughs again and my heart soars at the sound.
Just then, an idea comes to me, and I'm grinning even harder. "I'll hang a shade on the glass wall and ruin your view." I threaten.
Her giggles stop. "You wouldn't!" Her outrage is adorable.
"I would." My voice holds no room for question.
"Then so be it. The food is worth it."
"You'd really let me starve?" I ask with hurt, trying a different approach.
"Definitely."
I laugh a deep bumbling laugh. "You're cold, Isabella Swan," I say, knowing that she is the exact opposite.
"I guess that means that I fell in that thin ice I was skating on."
God, what I wouldn't give to kiss her right now.
Hell, I'd give away all the money in my bank account just to be able to touch her face.
Fuck! I am so far gone and I'll be damned if I don't love it.
We heard from Edward! Albeit it was brief, but we heard from him!
It's been a long week for me. My kids have been playing hot potato with a stomach virus and I think I might need new carpet by the time this week is over. Lol! I would have updated sooner but that has been my week.
Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to follow and review to tell me what you think!
Thanks to all my new followers!
