We're in the third and final installment in the Renovations trilogy. I'm happy for those of you who stuck with me throughout all of this. This was a challenge to write, but it helped me grow as an author. I hope you see that, too. Now, the story will update on Wednesdays and Sundays, with teasers on Mondays and Fridays. It's pre-written and complete. Thank you to Christina Downs for her help with this – guiding me with suggestions for the story, editing and just being a sounding board for this journey – you rock, girlie! MWAH!

Chapter Ten

After Bella's declaration, Edward noticed that Garrett was dressed fairly nicely. He felt like a schlub in his work clothes, a pair of dusty jeans and a ratty t-shirt. Garrett noticed his discomfort and led him to one of the refinished bathrooms. Garrett had brought some dress clothes from Edward's closet along with his body wash, shampoo, cologne and hair goop. Garrett never used hair goop. He just kept it fairly short to avoid using the hair goop.

Edward showered, scouring his body and taking the extra time to shave. He dressed in the clothes that Garrett brought for him. Shockingly, Garrett did fairly well in his choices. A pair of black dress pants with a white shirt, black skinny tie and one of his vests. Garrett teased him because of his vests, but Edward liked them. They accented his lean, muscular frame and gave him a place to hang his grandfather's pocket watch that he received when he had died when Edward was in high school. It was one of his most prized possessions.

Finishing getting dressed, Edward went out into the main area of the condo. The sleek dining room table had been set and dinner, catered from Pink Door, had been laid out on the table, along with an elegant, but sexy table setting. Garrett had some music playing through the sound system they'd installed and Bella was dancing unconsciously, her sexy body swaying to the music. Edward walked over to her, spinning her to his body and leading her in a simple, but seductive dance. She laughed, following his lead, rolling her hips along with his in the sensual dance. Garrett joined them, standing behind Bella. His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her ass to his crotch. Slowly, he kissed her neck, tasting her warm skin.

However, Garrett would not kiss Bella on the mouth. That was for Edward and Edward alone. It was one of the things that Bella and Garrett discussed while Edward was washing up. Bella loved Garrett's kisses, but she wanted to ensure that Edward knew that she was going to be with him forever. Yes, they shared a closer bond with obviously being in love with each other and the trust of having anal sex, but Edward would get all of Bella's kisses.

And after tonight, Garrett would be relegated to the friend-zone. Garrett was okay with that. He recognized the attraction between Edward and Bella. He knew it was something incredibly special and he would not do anything to get in the way.

The song ended. Edward cupped Bella's cheek. Garrett stepped back, pushing Bella closer to his best friend. She giggled as she stumbled into his arms. Edward leaned down, kissing her soft, sweet lips. She moaned, her hands sliding up into his still, slightly damp hair as he bent her while he deepened the kiss. Garrett finished setting up their meals as the two of them continued to maul each other. Once Edward started to lift Bella's skirt, Garrett stepped in. "Hey, now. No nookie until you both have eaten. You're both too thin."

"Oops," Bella laughed, straightening in Edward's arms. He released her skirt, shocked at how much it had been lifted in their heated kiss. He gently patted her ass and guided her to the table, helping her sit down at the head of the table. "The work that you guys did in here is amazing," she said, taking a sip of wine. "Essie showed me pictures of the fire damage to this place when I stayed up with her. I didn't remember much of it, but seeing it now, you would never know that there was a fire in here!"

"That's because I'm the shit," Garrett said smugly, serving up the salads.

"We're both the shit," Edward retorted, pouring himself a hefty glass of wine.

"Yes, you are," Bella snickered. "But this is absolutely gorgeous. I know that Esme designed it, but the execution is flawless. I love that waterfall countertop with the white quartz. Perhaps with my next renovation, I'll do that."

"We know a couple of very capable …" Edward began.

"And handsome!" Garrett snorted.

"Guys who could do this," Edward finished, his heart flying and a lightness in his body that he hadn't felt in almost six weeks.

"I'm happy with what I have, but I'll keep you in mind for the future," Bella smirked, tucking into her salad.

"How are things going at the office?" Edward asked, curious as to how her job was going. From their conversations, Edward could tell she was incredibly busy.

"Good, excellent, really," she answered. "I got some amazing news from my boss a couple of days ago. He wants me to be a full partner in the firm. The Seattle firm will now be known as Volturi and Swan and Associates. That's if I decide to take the opportunity." She blushed and took another sip of her wine. "I haven't told Marcus my decision since I wanted to talk to both of you about this."

"Why?" Garrett asked. "This is your job."

"I wanted your opinions. In addition to being an owner, my workload could easily double," she murmured. "It's going to impact my time with you." She took Edward's hand and smiled shyly.

"I think that it's too good of an opportunity for you to pass up, love," Edward smiled, his crooked grin reemerging. "Marcus obviously thinks very highly of you and he wouldn't have approached you about it if he wasn't serious. It may impact our time together, but it will make reunions that much more special." He waggled his brows and his ears reddened from his cheeky comment.

"Well, I'll still think about it. I don't want to jump into something too quickly," she replied, picking up their salad plates. She sashayed to the kitchen and placed the dishes into the dishwasher while Edward and Garrett plated the main course, which was some pasta with pesto cream sauce, shrimp and scallops. "Before we eat dinner, I wanted to show you both something. It's a present for both of you," Bella said, her face flaming.

"What is it?" Edward asked.

"Well, you both know about my tattoos and what they mean to me," she answered, playing with a bracelet around her left wrist. "I got a couple new ones. This one represents the three of us." She removed the bracelet and revealed an infinity symbol with three hearts on the inside of her wrist. "The dynamics of our relationship has obviously changed, but I wanted you both to know that I will love both of you, in some way, forever. You both have touched my life in so many ways. You helped me grow, laugh, love." Her smile fell. "And almost losing this, losing both of you, made me realize that I sacrificed too much with my job. I love creating new families, but not having love in my life, it affected me more than I realized."

"You're not the only one who got a new tattoo," Edward chuckled. Garrett nodded along with him. "This is absolutely gorgeous and I love that you have a representation of us on your body. We also decided to get matching tattoos that represent you, too. You'll see them in a little bit."

"Edward got it because he wanted to feel something other than numb. I got it because it's a fucking cool design," Garrett smirked. "Edward got another one just for you."

"At the time, I wanted something to remember you," Edward whispered, his cheeks heating up. "Now, it represents the feelings that I have for you, Bella. I never stopped loving you. Even after you drove away, my heart was in a tailspin, but I still loved you. I wanted to remember that love and now, I want to share that love with you." He rolled up his sleeve and revealed a black tribal swan tattoo with colorful water color accents all around it.

"That is so pretty," Bella whispered, running her fingers over the colorful ink. It looked amazing on his pale skin, ethereal and magical. "I'm shocked you got color. All of your other tattoos are black or black and gray."

"You are a vibrant, colorful, beautiful woman, Bella. I wanted something that represented you. Your beauty, your grace, your strength, your dedication, your love," Edward said, picking up her hand and kissing her tattoo on her wrist. He looked up at her, his eyes glimmering with the adoration he felt for her.

She smiled, a lone tear tracking down her cheek. How could I have thrown this away? I love him so much. Unable to contain herself, she leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. He sighed happily, eager to accept her kiss.

Garrett grinned, ecstatic for his two closest friends. They both deserved this happily ever after. And he knew he'd eventually get his own fairy tale ending. Kate and he were talking almost daily and they had a lot in common. Maybe he'd get his romantic, all-encompassing, feel-it-in-your-bones love with her? But, it didn't stop his feelings for Bella. He did love her and he knew that what the three of them shared was special. He would always carry a special piece of Bella in his heart. She made him realize that he was capable of a real, adult relationship. Commitment didn't terrify him anymore. Being alone did. He didn't want that and now, he wouldn't.

Breaking apart, Bella and Edward eventually continued eating their dinner and the three of them spoke about anything and everything that they missed during their six week time apart. Bella told them about her time with Essie and how Marcus made her pull her head out of her ass. Edward reluctantly told her about how he just crashed when she left them, falling into himself. It made Bella hate herself for walking away. Edward saw her beat herself up and he apologized for making her feel badly. Her appetite was gone after that and she pushed her pasta around, not eating much of anything on her plate.

Garrett got up and took their plates, placing them in the fridge. Edward pulled Bella onto her lap, wiping her tears away. "Bella, love, we learn from the past and look forward to the future. Right now, it's a gift. That's why it's called the present," Edward soothed.

"Where did you hear that? Hallmark?" Garrett chuckled, sitting on the table in front of them.

"Possibly," Edward quipped. "I don't want you to cry any more, love. I don't want you to feel badly about what happened. I understand why you did it. It took a lot of convincing, but I get it. I understand completely why you pulled away. What James did to us was abhorrent! He threatened your livelihood because of his petty need to bring you down. He got off too fucking easy with what the judge charged him with." He wiped her tears, holding her tightly against his chest.

Bella was still feeling like total and utter shit. Both of them had forgiven her, but she was still a mess. She hated what she'd done to them. She hated that she felt ashamed about what they'd done. All they ever did was make love. It was in the privacy of her home but it was made very, very public by James' actions.

"Pretty girl, look at me," Garrett said sternly, cupping Bella's chin. When her eyes were raised, both men could see the tear brimming. "We forgive you. We love you and we do not want to see you cry anymore."

"You might have forgiven me, but I'm still struggling with forgiving myself," she muttered, two tears falling down her pale cheeks. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for what I did to the two of you. I should have had more faith in us."

"Do you have faith now? Do you love us? Do you love me?" Edward questioned, wiping her tears away.

"I love you so much, Edward," she whispered, her lips quivering. "My heart beats for you." Turning to Garrett, she took his head, threading their fingers together. "I couldn't have done this without you, Garrett. I love you, too."

"Do you know what I think would be the cure for all of these tears?" Garrett asked, kissing Bella's knuckles and looking at the fridge. "Orgasms."

"For a second, I thought you were going to say cheesecake," Bella giggled.

"The cheesecake is for later," Garrett said, waving his hand dismissively.

A/N: Can we say citrus? Pervy pic teasers are on my blog and tumblr. Links for both of those are on my profile. *Grins evilly* You'll need new panties, I assure you!