Early Update! YAY! Iris is the BEST beta there ever was! Seriously, she's amazing. Nic and Nin, thank you ladies so much, I adore you both. And every single person reading this, thank you!

BPOV

He just left, and I hate that the needy girl inside of me is screaming, "What about me? What happens now?" When I woke this morning, I hoped to find Edward still asleep beside me, but I was greeted with country cuckoo in my yard instead. I stepped onto the porch and saw him engaged in a reverse bear hug with her, and it only took me a second to understand what was happening.

I still can't believe she came to my house. She's all kinds of batshit crazy, and I seriously thought for a second she was going to try and beat my ass. I haven't been in a fight since the fifth grade, when Katie Mathis snapped by bra and I pushed her to the ground. Part of me was hoping he'd let her go, because I'll never back down from someone coming at me, but the city girl inside me was hoping it wouldn't come to that.

About the time I was trying to remember MMA moves from watching UFC, she looked away from me and said something to Edward. That's also when I began to feel for her, which really sucks because I'd like to just keep hating her. The pain etched on her face when she turned back to him made me wince. It's obvious that she's all in. Well, I am too, so I guess it's just tough shit.

I was waiting for her to explode again before she left, but I didn't get any of that; she just drove away. Everything felt really heavy all of a sudden, so I went back into my room ā€“ back to where things had been perfect the night before. The sheets still smelled of him, and I breathed him in deeply, reveling in them.

I'd really wanted to keep his shirt, which is kind of why I was wearing it, but he didn't have another, so I figured if I had to give it back, I'd show him the goods and, in the process, make his leaving incredibly difficult. When he saw my chest, the look that crossed his face was adorable. His eyes glazed as his hands reached for me, and it took everything in me to not let things progress further.

After reminding him of his obligations, he got dressed and we exchanged numbers. An awkward goodbye ensued, neither sure what the appropriate amount of affection was for the situation. We finally gave in to our wants and held on for a few minutes. He was the first to break away, dropping a kiss on top of my head. Leaning back to look at him, he kissed my forehead and my lips. Then he was gone.

He didn't say if he'd call or text, but I just hope I'll hear from him before the day's over. The ball's in his court, because while I don't know where he's at, I do know who he's with. Knowing I'll go nuts if I sit here, I grab my tennis shoes and decide to head to Lake Junaluska. Maybe the pounding of my feet on the pavement will help sort the insanity inside my head.

It's crazy busy, with it being a Sunday and the summertime. Church groups hold conventions here from all over the country, and the participants are out in all their Jesus-loving glory. Families line the sidewalks five-wide with strollers, matching WWJD t-shirts, and their home church's name stamped on the back.

What was supposed to be a calming activity has quickly turned into me huffing my way around these oblivious people, trying to keep my pace and heart rate accelerated. They're out for a leisurely stroll with the family, taking in the ducks and scenery of the lake, while a line of people actually wanting to break a sweat forms behind them.

After finishing the short route, I head back to my car, and although my body's physically worn out, it doesn't stop my mind from wondering what's happening with Edward. Is he breaking up with her? I've had my phone with me the entire time, but I can't stop myself from checking it for any missed calls or texts. And of course, there are none.

I call Alice on my way home and apologize for my abrupt departure last night. Apparently, Chase left right after me, and she thought maybe we'd left together. I quickly reassure her there's nothing going on there. He's a nice guy, but no. She tells me she, Jasper, and the kids are going to Sliding Rock the following weekend and asks if I'd like to go.

I don't want to commit to anything this early in the week, so I say I'll let her know. She has to get off the phone when an argument breaks out between two of the kids. I say my silent thanks for unruly children and finish the drive home in silence.

For the rest of the night, my phone becomes an extra limb. I hear and feel phantom rings and vibrations that cause me to check the damn thing incessantly. I finally give up and decide to text him around nine. Everything okay? I'm disappointed and hurt when sleep finally consumes me in the early morning hours, with no response from Edward.

I'm up and moving well before my alarm clock sounds the next morning. There are still no messages from him, and I'm starting to get angry. Even if he spent the entire day talking or fighting with her, he could've taken a bathroom break at some point to let me know he's still alive. I almost broke down and called him around two this morning, but I figured if he was still with her, it might not be good for him. Then I got pissed thinking about the possibility of him actually being with her at that hour.

I'm the first one to arrive at the yard, and given it's a Monday morning with over an hour before I need to be here, it's not that shocking. I'm hoping Edward will show up early, too, but those hopes are diminishing with every revolution of the second hand on the clock.

When Emmett breezes past me toward the coffee pot, I know there'll be no talking to Edward this morning. I've noticed Emmett doesn't roll in until it's dead-on 9:00 and needs coffee before he's back to his gregarious self, which means Edward's probably going to roll up late. My phone chirps to let me know of a text message, and I almost fall out of the chair I'm sitting in trying to get it. Granted, the phone was lying right beside me, but in my excitement of thinking it could be Edward, my hands reached too fast and ended up flipping it into the air, catching it right before it hit the ground.

All of that only for it to be Alice, letting me know she's running late and wants me to give the guys their job dispatches. It's still too new to me, and I'm not really all that familiar with who works best together. I could kick myself for not listening better when Alice was talking about it. Damn it! The jobs are listed on the board, so I just need to throw out some names and hope for the best that they'll work well together.

I could probably ask Emmett, but he's still slurping down coffee and not looking like he's ready for conversation quite yet. Nothing like jumping in the deep end, I stand and say, "Okay. Alice is going to be late, so she's asked me to assign men to jobs. Since this is my first time, take it easy on me, please."

Edward walks in right after and looks in any direction other than my own. I knew it! I knew he was avoiding me! He joins the group of guys hanging out toward the back. I'm pretty sure he's trying to put bodies between the two of us. Dick.

Refocusing myself on the task at hand, I ignore Edward and finish pairing workers with jobs. "Emmett, Jake, and Crowley, you guys take the Sutton's vacation rentals in Maggie Valley and Barber's Orchard. Edward and Seth, you guys take the Gaylord, Boyd and Messer places." I'm pretty sure I sound like I know what I'm talking about. When I'm done, the guys exit the office, and it's doesn't escape my attention that Edward's one of the first outside.

It's not like we could have a conversation right now anyway, so I let him go. For now. Once I'm alone again in the office, my mind resumes overthinking things about Edward. He wouldn't stay with her, would he? And she wouldn't take back someone who'd cheat that easily, right? By the time Alice arrives, I'm actually excited to have someone to distract me from my thoughts.

"Did it go okay this morning?" she asks, sitting gingerly into the computer chair. "I think I did all right. I put Emmett with Jake and Crowley, and Edward with Seth." Nodding her head in agreement, she reassures me my pairings will work fine.

"So, you given anymore thought to going with us this weekend?" I really hadn't thought anything about it since she mentioned it yesterday. "I don't know. You know I'm not really an outdoor kind of girl." Even as a child, I wasn't one to take advantage of the activities living in the mountains affords you.

"You're a mountain girl now. You have to start broadening your horizons! Get dirty and play with the boys!" At this, my nose scrunches automatically. It's always been my knee-jerk reaction to the term "mountain girl."

"Alice, that rock is, like, 100 feet tall, and the plunge pool at the bottom's close to freezing." I remember people talking about it when we were younger. We might've even been there once, but I know I've never gone down it.

"It's the ride down that's the best part! And it's only cold at first. You get used to it pretty quickly." Yeah, so fast you almost don't feel the pain when water hits your skin and the air's sucked from your lungs when you plunge below the surface. Sounds like a good time to me.

I never give a definitive answer as to whether or not I'll go, but gratefully, she drops it. The rest of the day passes quickly, and before the rest of the guys get back, Jasper comes in, Chase following closely behind.

Jasper stops directly in front of Alice before bending his knees and wrapping his arms around what he can of her waist. He leans in and kisses the tip of her nose as she looks up at him adoringly. Sometimes they make me sick with the level of sweetness they still show to one another.

Chase is standing awkwardly off to the side, looking like he has something he wants to say but doesn't know how. I'm sure he'd like to inquire about my hasty exit the other night, but thankfully, he minds his manners and doesn't ask.

"What's up, Chase?" His hands enter the pocket of his jeans as he makes his way over to me.

"Well, I was wondering if you have any plans for the weekend?" Here we go. I want to turn him down as nicely as possible, without encouraging him, but I'm really not good at this kind of thing. I'm sure I look like a fish when my mouth opens and closes several times while I try to come up with something to say.

"Chase, Iāˆ’" That's all I get out when the office door opens, the guys coming inside to cool off and shooting the shit before leaving for the day. Edward's one of the last inside, and our eyes lock over Chase's shoulder. His eyes narrow, mouth forming a hard line across his face.

The balls this guy has, ignoring me for over 24 hours and having the nerve to give me the stink eye. Chase's head turns to look behind him, to see what's caught my attention, but when I place my hand on his bicep, he returns his gaze to me.

"Alice invited me to go to Sliding Rock, but I haven't said yes, yet." I'm pretty sure I've just done the opposite of discouraging him, because Chase's face lights up brighter than a Christmas tree.

"Well, a few of us are going muddin' up at Black Camp Gap, and I was wondering if you wanted to ride with me." He looks so hopeful, and I'm not sure if there's anything I'd rather not do more than what he's just proposed. Taking one last glance over his shoulder, I meet Edward's eyes. They're stone cold, and I'm infuriated at his audacity. The incredulity I feel spurs me on as I tell Chase, "Sure. Why not?"

I hesitantly give my digits to Chase, knowing full well what I'm doing is completely shady, but I just don't feel bad enough to not do it. I compensate by telling myself I'm going outside of my comfort zone to possibly gain a new friend, which I'm sorely lacking in. Chase seems like the kind of person who's an amazing friend, so why wouldn't I want that? Maybe if I repeat it enough in my head, I'll begin to believe it.

After telling Chase I'll talk to him soon, I duck out the door to go home and overthink what I've just done. I'm almost to the fence when a hand grasps me around my upper arm and yanks me behind a work truck.

Soooooooo...Thoughts?