Stephenie Meyer owns the copyright to Twilight and all its characters
The original characters, plots, and storyline contained within this derivative work are the property of Brits23 and Lazykate
(Translation: if you steal it, we will send Bitey after your ass…and not in a good way)
Just as a reminder-Lazykate writes the girls and Brits23 writes the boys.
Chapter Eleven - The L-Word
CPOV
As I collapsed into my desk chair on Tuesday evening, I couldn't help but wonder at what point this would get easier. Nothing could replace the freedom I felt over owning my own business, but the long hours were starting to take their toll. I wanted my practice to reflect me as a person. I wanted to establish the fact that I wasn't money hungry or corporate-minded by any means. And to prove that meant I had to spend an endless amount of time showing the patients what my staff and I stood for.
Two months ago I would have welcomed the extended hours. I had always been one to stay busy, especially when it came to the profession I enjoyed so much. But now that Bella had wiggled her way into my heart, my need for something more than a gratifying career had made its presence known.
Oftentimes, when the sun had set and I was elbow deep in paperwork, I wondered what it would feel like to leave before nightfall. To go home and change into something other than dress clothes and spend an evening with the woman that mattered most to me.
It was still unclear whether Bella and I would end up in a relationship together, but even I couldn't deny the gleam in her eyes when she looked at me. There was something there, and it was comfortable and heartwarming and right.
If things progressed the way I wanted them to and I could one day call Bella mine, there was no doubt in my mind that I would do whatever it took to balance my career with my personal life.
But she still wasn't ready.
I was doing my best to stay as patient as possible. I would never pressure her into something she didn't want, or give her some sort of ultimatum just because I yearned for something more. I had to have faith that after a lifetime of unanswered questions and bewildering forks in the road, something would go my way.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and retrieved a text from my son.
What's up, pop? Bracing yourself for Hurricane Esme? I'm thinking about boarding this shit up and heading to Ethiopia, myself…
I shook my head and smiled, typing out a quick reply.
Don't book your plane ticket yet, kid. I think we'll survive the storm.
Ever since Edward had received that fateful call from his mother, informing him that she would be visiting soon to attempt to patch the gaping hole in their relationship, we had both been on edge.
I tried not to think about it, losing myself in my work and talking to Bella any time I got the chance. The only positive outcome of Esme's impending visit was that Edward and I had never been closer.
And the reason was because she had the power to destroy us both. We had to rely on each other in this situation. And if she managed to break my son again, she'd see a side of me that few people ever have. I was a level-headed man, until it came to the people I cared about. I refused to let her toy with Edward's emotions again.
Every day my son and I would find a way to chat for a couple minutes or exchange a few texts. The main purpose was to silently confirm that we had each other's backs, and by making light of Esme's forthcoming arrival, ease our nerves of what she had the potential to evoke within us emotionally.
Edward responded once more, informing me that he'd call me later and I pulled at my tie, loosening it as I worked my neck from side to side to stretch out the kinks. A thorough massage was exactly what I needed. Immediately I envisioned Bella's hands on my back, kneading my skin with her delicate fingers. I saw her straddling my thighs and leaning down until her hair ghosted along my spine as she worked me over, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck as she whispered for me to "relax."
I abandoned that fantasy before I completely lost myself to it. It was bad enough I had to endure being painfully aroused every time I sat at my desk. It was barren and cold without her on top of it, but my hungry imagination had no problem replaying the afternoon I nearly took her right on this very surface.
I abandoned all other thoughts besides the task at hand, going through the stacks of paperwork that never seemed to dwindle in size. A quiet knock at my door had startled me. I assumed I was the only one left since it was already past dinnertime, but Gladys popped her head into the parted door, smiling widely. "Do you have a minute, Doctor?"
I winked at her and looked down to sign my name on the document I was going over. "Come on, Gladys. Don't call me 'Doctor' when it's just us here."
She smiled and stepped into the doorway. I looked at her for a moment and realized how tired she appeared to be. She had dark circles under her eyes and she rested heavily against the doorframe. Immediately I was overcome with guilt. "You shouldn't put in such long hours, sweetheart. You know I appreciate everything you do, but I'd be so much more thankful if you didn't overwork yourself."
She waved her hand at me and approached my desk. Her eyes were watering and she looked as though she'd been crying. "Oh quit it now, Carlisle. I didn't come in here to talk about my schedule. I came in here to tell you that you have a visitor."
I looked at her questioningly. "Okay?"
"Just as I was about to lock up, three familiar faces came through the door and…" Gladys choked up, holding the back of her hand to her mouth as her eyes watered. "He's gotten so big, sweet pea."
It took me a minute for my over-worked brain to realize who she was speaking of but once it did, my eyes widened. "Riley?"
She nodded and I stood from my chair, the smile broad on my face as I followed Gladys into the reception area. The second I dropped to my knees, there were two little arms wrapped around my neck. "Doctor Carlisle!" was bellowed into my ear and I literally felt my heart melting, like an ice cube to a flame.
I would never forget the night I met Riley.
It was about three years ago during one of my night shifts in the ER. We had gotten the call that a three-year-old little boy with a severe headache was coming into the ER. I steeled myself and waited for the ambulance outside the doors. Anytime a child was being brought into my care, I felt an even bigger sense of responsibility.
When he and his parents arrived by ambulance, we took the little boy inside and began assessing him.
Once we sedated him and he managed to calm down, he instantly became fascinated with me. He was a vibrant child with huge blue eyes and curly auburn hair. He asked me a million and one questions, politely requested to wear my stethoscope, and by the end of our first encounter, I was unequivocally attached to this boy. It wasn't something I usually did, become personally involved with a patient and their family, but in this circumstance I was powerless to stop it. He was simply an amazing kid.
The X-rays later showed the numerous masses on his brain. Medulloblastoma was a form of brain cancer that was typically only found in children above the age of five. But at three years old, Riley was diagnosed with a type of cancer that far too many children on this planet were plagued with.
There was nothing left for him to do but fight the poison that was attempting to destroy his little body.
I became a constant in his life. I was in unremitting contact with his pediatric oncologist, staying updated on every inch of progress and every step taken backwards. I was there when he was officially diagnosed. I was there when his parents fell to the hospital floor and cursed God for doing this to their only child. I played with Riley when his hair fell out and when his stomach ached. I sat in the waiting room with his parents for hours during surgeries and late night visits to the hospital. For the longest time, the health of that child was my number one priority.
About a year after Riley's diagnosis, his parents had decided to move back to New York for the time being, where his mother was originally from. Their children's hospital was far more advanced than Mercy's pediatric unit, so it was an understandable decision on their part.
On their final day in Miami, I hugged Riley's parents goodbye before getting down on one knee as the little boy fell into my arms. "I'll come back so we can play," he promised, his eyes wide and far wiser than his four years on this earth.
When they left, I locked myself in my office and cried like a baby. It was one of the most heart-wrenching situations I'd ever had to go through personally or professionally. It was so much more than a job when it came to Riley.
They stayed in touch via email and I talked to Riley about once a month on the phone. I'd get pictures of him sent to me, sparing me of the days that were harder than others. Two months ago I had received the ecstatic call from his mother, informing me that he was in remission again and so far, things looked more promising than ever before.
Relief washed over my body so heavily that I had to sit before my legs collapsed beneath my body. I knew he would never be fully out of the woods, but the progress he had made in his long battle against an unforgiving disease was nothing short of amazing.
After we had hung up, his mother promised that they'd visit soon. I knew how those things usually went, but I was just happy to know that Riley could start living like a normal six-year-old boy.
And now here he was, in my private practice, three years since the first day I met him…and he was healthy.
"How are you, buddy?" I chuckled, squeezing him tightly against me before releasing him.
"I'm good. I've got hair finally and my doctor said I should be able to play baseball this year," he smiled.
I nodded approvingly. "Don't tell me you still like the Yankees, kid."
He laughed and pushed my shoulder. "The Marlins suck, Doctor C."
His mother scolded him for his language, but the smile on her face couldn't be contained. "So what brings you back to the Sunshine State?"
Riley's dad put his hands on his son's shoulders as he spoke. "We came back to visit my parents and to see our favorite doctor, of course. This place is amazing, Carlisle."
"Thanks. I'm quite proud of it."
"Hey, I brought you something!" I looked down to see Riley pulling on my sleeve, his laughter barely contained.
"Well let's have it!"
His mom followed him as he ran out the double doors, returning shortly with his hands behind his back. He was nearly bursting with excitement as he presented me with a Yankees hat.
I blanched playfully. "This is my present? You've gotta be kidding me!"
He doubled over in laughter before motioning for me to bend down. He placed the fitted cap backwards on my head and continued chuckling. "Now you've got style."
I laughed and picked him up, throwing him over my shoulder. "That's it, we're going to get you some Marlins memorabilia, buddy. I need to teach you what baseball is all about!"
He giggled as I tickled his sides, begging me to put him down. As soon as Riley's feet hit the floor, he was pulling Gladys and I out the door in the next instant, informing us that we "had to come get pizza with them from Pizza Hut."
My heart was pounding, the joy of seeing Riley in such a healthy state nearly bringing tears to my eyes. It was moments like these that convinced me there was a God up above.
Gladys and I ate pizza with Riley and his parents, reminiscing about the good times and staying clear of the moments that had made each one of us question our faiths. We talked with one another until Riley was fast asleep in my lap, the Yankees hat still backwards on my head as I conversed quietly with his parents and Gladys.
I carried him to their car and he awoke just as I set him in his car seat. His eyes fluttered open and he immediately wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me down until he could whisper in my ear. "You're my doctor and my friend. That's why you'll always be the one that saved me."
"I'll never stop being your friend, Riley, no matter what." I rustled his hair and fought against the burning in my eyes as I gave him one last one-armed hug. "See you soon Ry…I want to see pictures from your first game."
He nodded and waved goodbye before letting his eyes drift back shut. After a handshake from his father and a hug from his mother, I quietly watched their SUV retreat into the night until I could no longer see them.
This.
This was why my job meant so incredibly much to me.
By the time Gladys and I had gotten back to the office and she departed for the night, I finally thought to check my phone. It was only then that I realized it had been sitting on my desk the entire time we were gone. I immediately checked the screen, seeing Bella's name under the "missed call" log. I was definitely sorry to have missed her, but my evening with Riley was one that could never be replaced.
I knew Bella would understand.
I locked the doors behind me and listened to Bella's voicemail as I walked out to my car. As soon as I heard her voice, I started to get worried. She just sounded…off. I tried returning her call a few times but she never picked up, which only piqued my anxiety. My mind immediately went to the worst scenarios I could conjure up, but there was nothing I could do about it if she wasn't answering her phone. I briefly entertained the idea of showing up on her doorstep, but immediately dismissed it. I didn't want to overwhelm her, or come off as some sort of stalker. Boyfriends showed up on doorsteps. Men that you causally dated just waited for the phone to ring.
I quickly chastised myself for thinking so negatively, and decided that at this point there was nothing more I could do. I would try to get a hold of her the next day and if she still didn't answer, then I would take the necessary steps to make sure she was all right.
That night held nothing but a restless sleep.
The following day Bella proved that I was worried over nothing. She briefly recounted the conversation she had with her ex, and told me how much it had upset her. Thankfully she seemed to be more than over it the next morning, assuring me that she was fine and that we didn't need to dwell on it. We talked for a good half an hour, and it was heaven. It still ended too quickly.
Days passed by in a blur. Work was dominating each moment I had but it was worth it to me. Despite my exhaustion I thrived on gaining the trust of new patients. On Sunday Edward called me with the exciting news that he would be attending a veterinary medicine convention in Las Vegas. I sort of envied him - I never got whisked away to Sin City for the sake of my profession.
He asked me if I'd be able to take Taylor, but with my busy schedule for the following week, there was just no way I would be able to care for her properly in the amount of time I'd be home. Edward assured me that his friend Jasper would more than likely be able to take her, and that it was no big deal that I couldn't.
I still felt bad…I loved having Taylor around. After we moved on from the subject of his dog, I realized just where my son was jetting off to. I momentarily went parental on him, something I rarely did considering he was my best friend first and foremost. I just knew that with a city full of scandalous temptation, Edward would be like a kid in a candy store. "You better not get arrested, Edward. If I have to fly across the country to bail your ass out of jail, there will be hell to pay."
Edward chuckled. "Aw come on, pop. In return for missing all those years of changing crappy diapers, you can spare me a couple dollars for bail."
I knew he was kidding, but the words still tugged at my insides. "Well as long as I approve of the crime you commit, I suppose I can handle that."
"Thanks, Carlisle, but I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping it legal."
"Bringing a girl?" I pried.
Edward chuckled cockily. "Wouldn't you like to know!"
"Are you hiding something from me, son?" I teased.
He was quiet a moment before he said, "Trust me, if I ever figure out what the hell's going on, you'll be the first to know."
"Fair enough, Edward. Just be safe and call if you need anything."
"I will. Love you, pop."
"I love you too, Edward."
-x-x-
BPOV
I was starting to think that moving to Miami had brought me some of the best days of my life personally, but quite possibly some of the worst professionally.
My personal life had never been better. Tuesday evening Edward had literally pried me off of him and talked me out of doing something that he knew I'd regret. Waking up on the floor Wednesday with his morning wood pressed against my hip had been a painful lesson in self-denial, but we both knew that having mad crazy sex whenever the impulse struck was only going to make me feel guilty later, since I wasn't willing to commit to dating only him. I knew at some point we were going to need to have some kind of conversation about exactly what commitment meant to him, but in the meantime I was just happy to have him in my life, and that he wasn't pushing me too hard about the "other guy"...yet.
I hadn't seen Carlisle again since Monday, but we either spoke on the phone or e-mailed every day. I knew how hard he was working, that the first few days and weeks of a new business were the most challenging, and I was happy that evidently his new practice was doing so well, but I couldn't wait to see him again. Being around Carlisle was like taking a long sweet deep breath of air after being underwater.
It did occasionally cross my mind that this situation couldn't go on forever, that at some point I'd have to make a decision to see only one or the other, or neither of them. Right now, though, I couldn't have picked one over the other if I tried. They both fulfilled and complimented different parts of my personality so incredibly well, and I was selfish enough to hope I could keep seeing them both for as long as possible. Hell, I was selfish enough to hope they'd maybe agree to move to Utah with me and make Bella sandwiches every night.
So it was a good thing that my personal life was making me smile, because that week was the point at which my work life went right down the shitter.
I got home Wednesday morning to find a notice from the IRS in the previous day's mail, requesting documentation for some work-related purchases I'd written off. That night I accidentally knocked my Blackberry off the bathroom sink and into the toilet, and despite all my best efforts to dry it out and save it, it was toast.
Thursday I got a phone call from my boss in California, informing me that one of the biggest clients we'd landed in months was backing out of our contract, claiming that working with me was too difficult, that I didn't communicate effectively enough, and that I was generally the deal-breaker that justified them pulling their account. It was bullshit, I knew it and my boss knew it, but it still stung.
Friday I got another call from my boss with the news that they'd landed a huge contract, but the client was up against a deadline that was almost impossible to meet. They were based in Oregon, three hours behind me, so I was up until two a.m. that night working with their IT representative, outlining the basics for what they would need. I was going to have to work on it all weekend, much to the chagrin of Alice, who'd booked a Saturday spa date for us after she came home and found me crying on Wednesday.
Saturday and Sunday passed in a fuzzy blur as I focused with single-minded intensity on the new client's website. By Sunday afternoon I'd passed responsibility off to the builders in California, but I was still essentially on-call until we had the absolute end product and a happy client.
"Have you ever thought about doing something else?" Alice queried, as we sat with our Chinese takeout Sunday evening. "I mean, not a total career change, but maybe going it all on your own, instead contracting?"
"I don't know enough about the more complicated coding, Alice," I replied tiredly, poking at my sesame chicken.
"You could take some community college courses and get up to speed on it, right? Just think how much marketable and profitable you'd be!"
I thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, I guess I probably ought to do that regardless, to stay in the loop with what's new in the field...but I don't know if I'd want to do it all on my own. Then everything would be completely on me, and that's more than a little scary. And it could get crazy...what if I had two clients like this one now? How could I juggle that?"
Alice hummed thoughtfully. "I didn't think of that. Well, maybe this is just one of those shitty weeks, and the next few months will even out. It's moments like this when I don't envy you being self-employed."
"Yeah, me too," I sighed.
As if on cue, my new Blackberry rang. I cringed, but picked it up slowly, and then blurted out an abrupt "Oh thank God!" when I saw the caller ID flashing Edward's name. I barely got a hello out of my mouth when he interrupted me, his excitement tangible even over the phone.
"Hey baby! I've got a surprise for you!"
"A good surprise?" I couldn't help smiling, his enthusiasm was contagious.
"A very good surprise, I promise!"
"Well I could definitely use one of those, lay it on me!"
"Pack your bags, baby, we're going to Vegas!"
I blinked in silence for a moment, not quite sure that I'd heard him right. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, there's this convention that I didn't think I'd be able to go to because of staffing at the clinic, but I just found out that they've got someone to cover for me, so I just booked us two plane tickets to Vegas! The convention only runs through Wednesday, but I figured we could stay an extra day and have a nice little vacation...you've been so stressed out this week I thought getting away would be the best thing for you."
My mouth dropped open as my tired brain broke down his rambled statement. "They have conventions...in Vegas...for vets?"
"Veterinary medicine, sure, there's always new innovations and treatments and equipment, just like with human medicine. And Vegas is the convention capital of the country, along with being one of most fun places on earth! Have you ever been to Vegas? You're gonna love it. I mean, I'll be busy during the day but the nightlife..."
"Edward," I interrupted finally, "I can't just drop everything and go to Las Vegas. Are you kidding me?"
"Well I know it's kinda last-minute, but we'll only be gone four days at the most, and you could bring your laptop if you want to check in on work while we're there. I mean, are you pissed that I already booked the tickets?"
I took a deep breath. "I'm not pissed, Edward. But I can't go to Vegas with you. I'm in the middle of a really important project for work, I can't go anywhere right now. It was sweet of you to think it would be a nice stress-reliever for me, but there's no way it can happen."
There was a moment of confused silence on the other end of the phone. "But baby...I mean, you work from home. Why can't you just pack up your laptop and work from the hotel room? It couldn't be that hard."
"Edward," I said calmly, willing myself not to lose my temper. "Yes, it would be that hard to just 'pack up.' Not to mention the jet-lag I'd be dealing with when I need to be concentrating, and the fact that I've been working well past midnight the past few days, when you would want me to go out with you. I'm on-call until this thing is done, be it four o'clock in the morning or in the afternoon. Vegas is not even in the realm of possibilities for me right now."
"Bella," his voice more petulant now, "Okay, I probably should have asked you before I booked the tickets. But come on…this is the perfect chance for us to get out of town, have some fun together. I just figured that since you work for yourself, you could move your schedule around and catch up when we got back."
I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth together. One of my biggest pet peeves was when people assumed that "being your own boss" was the easiest, most flexible job in the world. It drove me crazy that people figured that my schedule was completely flexible and could be changed on a whim. Just as Edward was doing now.
"I am not going to Las Vegas. End of story."
"Do you not want to go? Because if you don't, just say so."
"Jesus Christ, what do you not get?" I finally snapped. "I can't go because of work. And I have to work to pay my bills. Not all of us were trust fund babies that can afford to work for free."
"Bella, what the fuck…"
"Okay, listen Edward, the past three days have been really long and stressful, and I've gotten a combined total of about eight hours of sleep since Friday. I appreciate that you were trying to be thoughtful, but you had no right to assume I'd be available to drop everything and leave town with you for four days. I may not punch a timeclock or commute to an office, but I have a job just like you do, and right now happens to be a time when it's impossible for me to take any time away from it."
He huffed into the phone. "Well fuck, when you put it that way…"
"Don't. Just don't."
Neither of us spoke for a long moment, and in my stressed-out state I briefly contemplated just hanging up on him. Alice was staring at me wide-eyed, her chopsticks frozen in her hand.
"Okay, I'm sorry, Bella. I was a dick for assuming you'd be available. I guess I just don't get exactly what your work day entails."
"No. You don't."
"That doesn't mean I don't want to, though." The defensive note was creeping back into his voice, and I was tempted to tell him to stop being such a brat.
"When you get back, I'd be more than happy to fill you in on what it's like to do my job."
"Baby…I'm sorry, I really mean it. I don't want to end our conversation like this."
"Okay…me neither," I replied, accepting his offer of a truce. "I wish I could go to Vegas with you…I definitely need a vacation right about now. Maybe some other time?"
"I'll hold you to that. My plane leaves first thing in the morning, so I've got to go pack and then take Taylor over to Jasper's…she usually stays with my pop but he's not available this week, and I won't be flying back until Thursday. Can I call you this week, or will you, uh, be busy?"
"I'd love it if you called me from Vegas, have fun for me, okay?"
"It would be more fun with you, but I'll try. I hope the work shit slows down for you."
"Thanks, me too. Goodnight, Edward."
"Bye baby, sweet dreams."
I set the phone down on the coffee table and took a long deep breath before looking back at Alice. She immediately shook her head. "Don't worry about recapping, I got a pretty good idea of it just from your side of the conversation."
"If he wasn't so damn charming, I'd fucking kill him for being so clueless."
"That's nature's way, you know," she said sagely. "Make 'em cute so you don't chomp them for breakfast. That's why baby animals and humans are proportioned the way they are and have big eyes…their cuteness is their defensive mechanism."
I gave her a skeptical look. "Where in the hell did you hear that?"
"Jasper, duh."
"Naturally," I groaned. "Now that I've had my biology lesson for the day, I think I'm going to bed. "I've got a lot of sleep to catch up on." I stashed my leftover Chinese in the refrigerator, changed for bed, made sure that my Blackberry was on the bedside table, and then fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
When I woke up the next morning, sunlight was pouring in the windows, and I automatically reached for my phone. 9:03am and no missed calls. Thank God.
Since it was likely I'd have a reprieve until after the builders were done with the first version of the website, I decided to pamper myself a little. Alice had finagled vouchers from our canceled spa day instead of losing the reservation deposits altogether, and I decided to catch up and have a beauty day on my own…meaning I could leave at any time if work called.
I called the spa and managed to snag an 11:30 waxing appointment, then enjoyed a long hot shower. I'd been a waxing convert ever since Alice had dragged me kicking and screaming to my first professional appointment in college; it didn't hurt as much as I'd been sure it would, and the results sold me on it for good. I was due for a bikini wax, and I might as well have my legs done while I was at it. It beat shaving hands-down any day.
I was just leaving the spa a few hours later, blissfully hair-free, when my Blackberry rang and I saw it was Bill, the guy I answered to in California. Thankfully, the first words out of his mouth made me smile.
"Bella, good news! The boys are done with the first mock-up ahead of schedule, and it looks pretty darn good. I already called the client, their IT guy won't be available until tomorrow, but I went ahead and sent over screenshots and they're very happy with the look of it so far. They want to know if tomorrow around ten a.m. your time would work to sit down and go over it."
"That works perfectly for me, I'll call them at ten on the dot." I couldn't help but grin at the idea of a full day off after working all weekend.
"They seem like a really easy-going company, and since they already like the way the site looks, as long as it works, I don't think we'll have any problems."
"Good to hear, thanks for letting me know!"
"Thank you for all your extra work on this, Bella, believe me when I tell you how much I appreciate it. We have the potential of getting a lot of business referred our way by this client, and that success can definitely be credited to you going the extra mile on this account. They've had nothing but wonderful things to say about you every time I've talked to them."
"I'm glad. I'll call you tomorrow after I'm done with them, okay?"
"Sounds good, thanks Bella!"
I was still in such a good mood when I got home that I changed into a cute lacy bra-and-panty set I rarely wore, admiring the job the aesthetician had done on my bikini wax. I threw on a cotton sundress over that, then pondered what to do with my unexpected free day. Finally spend some time acquainting myself with the closest library? Visit the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens like I'd wanted to do since I'd arrived? Or maybe just slather on some sunblock and relax in the backyard with a good book?
I was putting together a salad for a late lunch when my Blackberry chimed with an incoming text message. Without even looking at it I smiled, knowing that it was Carlisle. I'd been so busy the past three days, he'd taken to texting or e-mailing me around two o'clock, not wanting to interrupt me if I happened to be on the phone with my client or right in the middle of working on something that required my full attention. I picked up the phone and my smile grew when I saw his message.
Hope you're having a beautiful day, beautiful girl! I'm actually going home early today, call me if you have a chance.
Well if that wasn't fate handing me an ice cream sundae on a golden platter, I didn't know what was. I texted him back immediately.
What a coincidence, I have the evening off too!
I sent the message and waited, grinning, without putting the phone down. Exactly ten seconds later, it rang, and I was laughing as I answered it.
"Carpe diem, Bella," Carlisle chuckled.
"Is that your way of saying we should seize this rare opening in both of our schedules, chuck the workaholic thing, and have…a date?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. At the rate we're both going, we'll probably only get to see each other once a month, so I'll take the opportunity when it presents itself."
"Name a time and a place, and I'm there."
"Well, there's a new restaurant that just opened not far from my house, it's getting rave reviews, but I hate to have you drive all the way over to this side of town…"
"It's not like you're on the other side of the moon, Carlisle, why don't I meet you at your place? What time should I get there?"
"You're more than welcome to come over any time. If you want to avoid rush hour, I'll be home by four, or you can come over afterward. Whatever is easiest for you."
"Before," I said promptly, already looking forward to seeing him again. "As long as you don't mind me coming over that early."
"Mind? I was hoping you'd say that. Looking forward to it will give me the energy I need to finish this paperwork up and get out of here."
"Four o'clock, then," I promised him. "Dinner and a date. No shop talk, let's just have fun."
"Perfect. See you then, beautiful."
xoxoxoxoxoxo
It was four o'clock on the dot when I pulled into Carlisle's driveway, he had evidently just arrived himself and seen me coming, as he was leaning up against his car with a grin on his face.
"Believe me when I tell you that you're a sight for sore eyes," he murmured, before planting a firm kiss on my lips and wrapping his arms around me. "You look great."
"Thank you." I smiled up into his bright blue eyes and felt my insides warm immediately. "I'm glad we finally managed to find time to get together."
"Me too." He kissed me again before reluctantly letting go and leaning over to pick up his briefcase. "So how did you manage to get the evening away from the procrastinating clients from hell?"
I laughed and followed him into the house, to the living room. "They may be procrastinators but evidently they aren't as picky as most of them are. Plus, the IT guy I've been working with wasn't available today, so I'm talking to him tomorrow morning at ten. What's your story?"
Carlisle made a face as he dropped his briefcase onto a chair and then reached up to loosen his tie. "Gladys, my secretary, threatened to nail my office door shut if I didn't take a little break. The new extern is there, the office closes at five, and we didn't have any more appointments, so it was pretty safe for me to leave at three-thirty. I was there until eleven last night, so Gladys put her foot down and threw me out."
"Eleven? What in the world were you doing there that late on a Sunday?"
He shrugged and ran his hand through his blond hair. "Paperwork, schedules, organizing, all that fun stuff. I don't have an office manager yet, and Gladys is helping me where she can, but the majority of it is on my shoulders for now."
I cocked my head and studied his face, noting the faint shadows under his eyes, the fatigue around his normally-smiling mouth. "How much sleep have you been getting?"
"Doctors learn quickly how to run on very little sleep," he said easily. "Don't worry, beautiful, just seeing you has woken me up considerably. I'll go shower and change real quick, and we can head out. We shouldn't have a problem getting a table this early."
"I have a better idea," I said slowly. "Unless you're really set on trying out this restaurant, why don't we order in pizza, drink some wine, and watch a movie? Something a little more low-key, so you can relax?"
Carlisle smiled and then reached up to brush the back of his fingers along my cheekbone. "You're sweet to think of me, Bella, but I wanted to take you out as a reward for all your hard work lately."
"So we'll use your good wine glasses, then, to make it fancy. I don't care where or what we eat, Carlisle, I just wanted to see you again. Let's just relax here. What's that line from Pretty Woman...we'll veg out, lay around like broccoli."
He looked at me incredulously for a moment before bursting into laughter. "I know I've seen the movie, but I missed the broccoli reference."
"It was pretty epic. Come on, let's just chill together tonight, what do you say?"
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
"Yes," I said firmly, guessing that he just wanted to do whatever would make me happy. "I was lucky enough to get a solid amount of sleep last night, but I'm pretty worn-out too. Let's relax and watch the news, then order the pizza. Sound good?"
"You're amazing, do you know that?" Carlisle leaned forward and kissed me again, more slowly this time, sending tingles pleasantly down my spine. "I'll go shower and change anyway, and be back in just a few. Make yourself at home."
I turned on the television, flipped it to the local channel with a four o'clock news program, and then looked around the room curiously. On my one prior visit to his house, I'd only been in this room for a short time before the power went out, and then we'd ended up in the bedroom…one place I'd have to make myself avoid this time. The room was decorated in a clean modern style, but it was warm and inviting. It was void of any personal touches, though…it could have been a beautifully-decorated room in a model house, with no trace of its owner. I was surprised he didn't have pictures of his family around…but maybe they were in another room, or in albums.
I wandered down the hall to the kitchen, thinking I'd grab a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator. It was surprisingly well-stocked with mostly non-perishable items, plenty of condiments, and bottles of Guinness. I couldn't help but grin as I made a last-minute decision and grabbed two bottles of Guinness instead of the water.
Just as I settled onto the couch, Carlisle came back into the living room looking sinfully-delicious with his wet tousled hair, plain white t-shirt, and running pants. I handed him a Guinness and his eyebrows went up. "You found my stash?"
"Well, when you hide your stash in the refrigerator, it's not very stealthy," I said dryly, popping the cap with the bottle opener I'd found. I handed him the beer and he chuckled.
"Oh, that's not the stash, that's the overflow containment. The real stash is over there." He gestured at a solid wooden side table next to the couch.
"Behind the couch?"
He smirked and reached over, then tugged on the front of the side table. To my surprise, the front was a wood-grain façade, and I leaned over to see that the interior was a mini-fridge stocked top-to-bottom with Guinness. "I'm lazy on game days."
I gaped for a minute, and then shook my head. "That is pretty awesome, I must say."
"You're pretty awesome," he countered, settling down next to me as I opened my own bottle. "I've never met a woman who liked Guinness, let alone drank it straight out of the bottle."
"I'm usually more of a martini girl, but I figured we could have Guinness and pizza for our evening of lying around like broccoli."
"I know I'm going to end up having to watch that movie again," he grumbled, and I clinked my bottle against his before snuggling into his side as we watched the news and drank our beer. It was the exact afternoon that I needed, one that was just low-key and comfortable. Carlisle's arm felt perfect over my shoulder, and I could hear his steady heartbeat under my ear as I lay my head against his chest.
We both finished our beers at the same time, and Carlisle gave me a quick peck on the head before taking my empty bottle and setting it on the coffee table. "Are you hungry?"
"Hmm, not yet. I had a pretty late lunch."
"Well, without sounding like I'm trying to proposition you, I think we both might be more comfortable if we were horizontal for a little while." Without waiting for a reply he grabbed me more tightly and flopped over onto his side, taking my body with him. I squealed as he hooked a foot under my ankles and pulled them up onto the couch; we ended up spooning with his arm wrapped firmly over me and my back tucked into his chest, our legs tangled together. He sighed contentedly and kissed the back of my neck. "Now I'm comfortable. How about you?"
Comfortable wasn't exactly the word I'd use, but I wasn't going to tell Carlisle that I was more than slightly turned on by his actions, and by the warm hand that was now resting over my lower abdomen. "Yeah, I'm comfy."
"If I fall asleep, wake me up in an hour, or sooner if you get hungry, okay?"
"I will. Take a nap, Carlisle."
"This wasn't the date I had planned for us," he mumbled into my hair, "But I'm not going to complain about it at the moment."
"Me neither," I replied softly, and within the space of a single news story, his breathing had changed and I could tell he'd fallen asleep. Evidently doctors also learned early to fall asleep on command.
I relaxed fairly quickly, lulled by his even soft breathing against my neck and the monotonous mumbling of the newscast on the television. It was strange, but I felt more calm and at peace than I had since the whole ridiculous fuckery with work had begun. The heavy solid comfort of his arm draped across me, along with the warmth of his body pressed along the length of mine, soon had me unwinding enough that my eyes began drooping and I dozed lightly as well.
I stayed in that easy floaty zone, not ever completely falling asleep, but relaxing enough that my mind drifted aimlessly, finally at ease after a week of almost non-stop stress. Carlisle sighed softly in his sleep a couple of times and mumbled once against my shoulder, his lips barely brushing over the sensitive skin there. Despite myself, I couldn't help but remember the last time we'd laid together with our bodies pressed so closely together, his lips kissing every inch of me...
My body was so attuned to his, I could tell the moment his breathing changed and I came fully awake. "And here I thought I was the only one of us who talked in their sleep."
"Did I say anything interesting?" His voice was still slurry with fatigue.
"I don't know, I couldn't understand you."
He hummed wordlessly and then rubbed his nose gently against the nape of my neck. "Great nap, but I like waking up even better."
"I won't be offended if you want to sleep a little while longer."
"No...I just needed a little nap, I'm good now." He shifted his body slightly, tilting his hips away from mine, and it wasn't until I arched back into him, seeking the comfort of him fully surrounding me, that I understood why. The rigid length of his arousal brushed against me, hard and unmistakable through his running pants, against my ass. Before I could stop myself, I'd pressed back harder against him and a small moan escaped my lips.
"Bella..." His protest was no louder than a whisper. "You don't want to do that."
"Why?" The word had escaped my lips before my conscience had a chance to catch up.
"Because I want you," he said hoarsely, "But I'm not sure that's what you really want right now."
A tiny smile twisted my lips and I immediately began wriggling in his grasp, turning over until our chests were pressed together. "Are you cockblocking me, Carlisle?"
He groaned low in his chest as I rubbed up against him. "Of all the things I'd like to do to you again with my cock, blocking isn't one of them. But I'm not doing anything until I'm convinced you're fully awake and aware of what you're doing."
"I'm awake," I grumbled, tucking my head under his chin as he gently put a hand on my hip, keeping me from grinding against him again.
"In that case you won't mind waiting until later to seduce me, then?"
I yawned widely. "Are you accusing me of sleep-humping you?"
A soft laugh ruffled my hair. "Sleep-humping...that's something I wouldn't mind doing research on."
"I think the sleep deprivation is catching up with us both," I murmured, nuzzling the soft skin of his neck.
"I think you're right."
"So what would you like for me to do instead of sleep-hump you?"
His hand moved from my hip up to cradle my face. "Oh Bella," he said softly. "You really don't know, do you?"
"Know what?"
His crystal-blue eyes studied me even as his thumbs stroked gently over my cheeks. "How much I care about you. How much you mean to me. And what you do to me…"
"I know that…I mean, I care about you too." His words had taken me by surprise, but at the same time I knew how much he meant them. The emotion was in every look he gave me, his thoughtful gestures, even in the way he touched me. If I told Carlisle that I wanted us to date exclusively, to make our relationship more serious, I knew without question that he'd be telling me yes even before I'd finished talking.
And part of me wanted to, so badly that it almost hurt. Carlisle and I clicked so very well, understood each other, had an automatic easy connection that was uncomplicated and red-hot at the same time. I could see myself settling easily into a relationship with this man, a real secure relationship with amazing chemistry to boot. If only I didn't feel equally as comfortable with Edward when I was in his arms…
"Your eyes are so expressive, Bella," Carlisle said quietly. "I can see you thinking, but I wish I could read your mind. You look very conflicted right now."
I flushed guiltily, Carlisle could read me more thoroughly than I'd realized. "Why do you say that?"
"Because when you look at me sometimes…you look happy, but not sure if you're supposed to be that happy."
"I'm happy when I'm with you," I whispered truthfully.
Carlisle's eyes studied me for a moment longer before he spoke again. "Bella, I don't know if this is something I need to put into words, or something that goes without saying, but I'm going to nevertheless. I've put myself out there and told you how I feel about you because I don't want there to be any confusion about my feelings for you. But I don't want you to feel…that I'm pressuring you. You've made it clear that you aren't ready for a full-on relationship again yet, and I respect that. I just want you to know that…" Here he stopped and took a deep breath. "That whatever you decide, I will understand, and I won't try to convince you to change your mind, or make you feel guilty about your decision."
The honesty in his eyes backed up his words, and I ached even as I reached up to put my hand on his chest. "Why do I somehow feel that you're giving me permission to break your heart?"
"Maybe I am," he said quietly.
I bent until my forehead was tucked under his chin, too ashamed meet his eyes any longer. "Carlisle…I really don't deserve someone like you. You're better than I could ever hope to be."
He sighed and wrapped me more tightly in his arms. "I didn't say that to make you feel bad…I just want you to know that if you…ever need me to let you go, just tell me. I won't do it happily, but your happiness is too important to me to hurt you. Whatever you want, whatever you need, it's what I want for you too."
"You're not dumping me, are you?" I mumbled against his neck. He laughed and squeezed me again.
"Hell no! I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to."
I thought for a moment. "Carlisle, I think I've been clear about what I want, but what about you? What do you want out of…this…us?"
"Do you want the truth?" he asked softly.
"Yes."
He kissed the top of my head gently. "You've been honest with me, so I'll be honest with you. I want you to someday tell me that I'm the only man you want to be with, that you feel the same way for me as I do for you. I want to make love to you again and again. I want to wake up in the morning with you in my arms so I can kiss your eyes open. But more than anything, I want you happy. That, my beautiful Bella, is what I want for us."
I didn't reply to him right away, guilt for what I was putting this wonderful man through warring with my own selfish nature. Was it really fair to keep him around waiting while I tried to figure out what I wanted, and how much I was able to give at this point?
I didn't want to lose him, but I couldn't let him go. Not when I could see myself falling in love with him as equally as I could fall in love with Edward. Love. Oh shit...
"Don't feel guilty, Bella," Carlisle said quietly, interrupting my mad train of thought. "I'm not asking you to say the same thing back to me until you're ready…if that time comes. I'm content with what we have for as long as it's what you need."
"That's not fair to you, though," I said abruptly.
He reached between us to my chin and tilted my head to meet his calm gaze. "It would only be unfair if you weren't honest with me about it. You've told me as much as I need to know, and I've made the decision that I'm willing to wait. I enjoy the time we spend together, I enjoy talking with you and getting to know you better, I enjoy being with you like this…" he hugged me again. "So no guilt, okay? If I ever decide I can't deal with this situation, I'll let you know."
"Argh!" I groaned, twisting to lie on my back. "Why do you have to be so fucking…good? You're like the perfect man that every woman dreams of meeting!"
"I'm hardly perfect," he said dryly, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me. His face was amused now. "I have my shortcomings just as any man does: I'm selfish, I'm jealous, I'm horny. Your typical man."
I grinned up at him. "I like the way you say horny."
"You might like what I do about horny even more," he growled, before leaning into me. I hummed happily as his lips settled firmly against mine, kissing me while simultaneously moving his body more on top of me. I moaned as I felt his returning erection brush against my leg, and ran my foot up the back of his calf, guiding his hips between my thighs.
"Fuck," he muttered as he settled squarely between my legs. "You're driving me crazy, woman."
"Good," I mumbled into his mouth.
"Hmm," he replied, before brushing his soft lips back and forth over my jaw. "Not that I want to stop what we're doing here, but should we, ah, set some limits before we get completely carried away?"
"What's your limit?" I purred, threading my fingers into his hair.
"Bella…when it comes to you, I have no limits." He punctuated his statement by grinding slowly against my heat, and I moaned again. "I was more concerned with your limits."
"You're pushing them, and I like it."
He chuckled and pushed his hips against me again. "Good."
"Third base," I gasped out, all the blood leaving my brain and heading to where a very pleasurable pulse was building between my thighs.
"Third base?"
"Yeah if, um, a home run is sex, our limit is third base."
"It's been a long time since I was in high school, Bella." His mouth was hot against my ear now. "Does that mean I can go under your clothes, or do I have to stay on top of them?"
"As long as the clothes stay on, anything goes."
"Really? I'm sure I can come up with some very creative things to do to your body without taking your clothes off."
"I was wondering about that…last Monday…"
"At my office?" I nodded jerkily, and he licked my earlobe. "I wanted to do unspeakable things to you on my desk, I'm sure you know that." One of his hands trailed down my side and curled around my hip, balling the material of my cotton sundress in his fist so the hemline scooted further up my bare legs.
"I…got that impression."
"If you ever want to revisit my desk, just say the word…I know you can't resist me when I'm at work and smelling like cotton balls."
We both laughed a little at that just before his mouth returned to mine and he began a persuasive stroking of my lips which had them parting almost immediately, allowing his tongue to dip in and tangle with my own in a languid manner. I could just barely feel his fingertips as they slipped under the hem of my dress and ran slowly over the bare skin of my outer thigh.
Something about knowing that we'd established set limits, and that nothing would ever make Carlisle violate them, untied a knot somewhere deep inside me, one that was always conscious of what I was doing, making sure I wasn't going too far with either of the men I was dating. The limit that Edward had recognized, and that Carlisle respected. And when the last of that knot slipped away, I felt my body relax into his touch even more deeply, enjoying and appreciating it for what it was. And it was wonderful.
We were in no hurry, simply enjoying the movement of our bodies against each other. I bent my knees and cradled Carlisle's body between my legs, he began a slow grinding against me that was almost painfully erotic. Our lips only separated when he moved away to lick or kiss my face, neck, shoulders, and collarbone. I scratched my nails down his back, feeling the smooth muscles I remembered so well underneath his thin t-shirt, and he groaned.
"So your clothes have to stay on," he muttered, before moving lower to kiss my breasts through my dress and bra. "But I can go under, right?"
I would have laughed if I'd had the breath to. "Yep."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is actually fun," he teased, just before he rolled his lower half away enough to allow his fingers to stroke my inner thigh. "It's forcing me to think creatively."
"Creativity is good…"
His fingers stroked higher before dancing back away again, and goosebumps erupted over my skin. "You're not cold, are you?"
I took a deep breath, my heart was beating so hard I was almost light-headed. I'd never imagined that over-the-clothes making-out could get me so damn horny, but I could tell it was having the same effect on Carlisle. His pupils were dilated, his skin was flushed, and he was breathing more heavily…and now his rock-hard cock was pressed very firmly against my hip as his fingers ventured upwards again.
"Your skin is so soft," he mumbled as his fingers reached the lacy strap of my panties where it crossed over my hipbone. He paused there for a moment before placing his hot palm on the bare skin of my stomach. "And does whatever beautiful piece of lace you've got on under here count as clothing?"
In my head I thanked Victoria's Secret, God, and Amy, my wonderful aesthetician from that morning. "Uh-huh."
His fingers were sliding under the waistband then, along bare skin, those wonderfully-skilled doctor's fingers heading exactly where I wanted them and doing exactly what I needed. He brushed over me lightly at first, then pressed more firmly. I shut my eyes and whimpered in pure pleasure, throwing my head back and just letting go.
He was propped up on the arm he had under my neck, and he watched me squirm with increasing vigor as his fingers moved, an almost instinctual knowledge of what would make me respond, without ever completely allowing me over the edge. I refused to allow myself to be self-conscious or embarrassed…even when my hand crept up to grip in his blond hair, when I felt his teeth biting my shoulder, or when the insistent movement of his hand had me panting so hard that I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
It wasn't until I came, with one final swipe of his thumb over my clit, that his lips met mine again, kissing me as my own mouth froze in exquisite pleasure, dragging in gasps of air, trying to meet the sensations that were roaring over me. His fingers were still stroking and curling inside of me throughout, coaxing another orgasm almost immediately after the first, until I finally just shivered underneath the warmth of his body, pressed tightly against mine.
"Bella…Bella…" he breathed into my hair, his hand slowly retreating, allowing me to come down from the pleasurable haze he'd dragged me into. Even through the echoes of pleasure that were only starting to fade, I felt an almost immediate sense of obligation when I realized that his cock was still hard and straining in his pants against my leg. Automatically I reached for it, to curl my fingers around him…only to have his hand intercept mine.
"No."
"What?"
"You don't have to…"
"But I want to," I insisted fuzzily, trying to tug away from his firm grasp.
"I'm sure you do. But just…for once, let someone do something nice for you, without worrying about doing anything in return. Just enjoy yourself."
I gave one last useless tug against him. "But it's not fair to you…"
Carlisle's lips muffled my protests and he kissed me until I relaxed slightly and began to respond to him again. "Bella…regardless of what anyone else may have told you, a man doesn't always have to come too. How many times have you been with someone who's come and you haven't?"
"That's different," I protested weakly, but despite myself, I couldn't help but think of all the orgasms I'd faked so that Jacob had the go-ahead for his own. But despite completely logical reasoning, coming myself without my partner enjoying the same release just seemed…wrong.
"If you can explain to me how it's different, then I'll let you do whatever you want. But for the time being…" He brought up my hand, firmly clasped in his own, and kissed it. "Believe me when I tell you as a doctor and a man, that no one has ever died from a case of blue balls. Male or female."
I giggled, I couldn't help it. "Is that an actual clinical diagnosis?"
"Oh, absolutely," he insisted, wrapping his arm around my waist and then placing a line of soft kisses along my cheekbone. "What most men won't admit or recognize is that seeing a beautiful woman fall apart under your hand is a climax in and of itself. Especially when that woman deserves it so very much…even if she doesn't realize it herself."
I swallowed hard, a tidal wave of guilt threatening to crash over the blissful cocoon surrounding us. Blue eyes studied my face for a moment, and then Carlisle spoke again. "Starvation, on the other hand, will most definitely kill you. Are you hungry?"
"I don't know." It was the truth, but the moment the words left my mouth I realized how stupid they sounded. "I mean…yeah, we should probably have dinner. If you're hungry."
"Still worried about everyone else," he said softly, before planting a loud smacking kiss on my lips. It was so completely unlike him that I could only stare up into his beautiful features before I finally started laughing.
"Pizza?"
"With more of your Guinness."
"What do you want on your pizza?"
"Ummm…I like anything except anchovies and pineapple. Those are just too weird on pizza for me."
"How do sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, and mushrooms sound?" At my approving hum, he reached over me for his phone, sitting on the coffee table. As he began scrolling through his phonebook, I noticed the blinking red light on the top of the phone.
"Did you…I mean, do you need to check your voicemail or something?"
Carlisle found the number he was looking for and pressed the button to connect it even as he shook his head and kissed my cheek. "Nope…I looked at my call log, and none of them are important enough to interrupt our date."
"But if you…" I cut off my protest abruptly as I heard the loud voice from the pizza joint blare loudly between us. Carlisle quickly placed our order and requested delivery before tossing his phone back onto the coffee table.
"Dinner will be here shortly. Although I may have to give you the cash and have you answer the door, so I don't scare the poor deliveryman…or woman." He bumped against my hip for emphasis.
"I offered to…I mean, twenty minutes or so is more that long enough for me…I mean, us…"
"Bella…" he interrupted my stutters. "A little self-denial is a good thing every once in a while. And at this moment, I have everything I want right here. With pizza on the way. What more can a man ask for?"
"A blowjob?" I was more than a little surprised the moments the words left my mouth, but I meant them, and a small smile quirked the corners of Carlisle's lips.
"Although I can almost guarantee I will never turn that down in the future, should it be offered, I would like to put you ahead of me for the evening. You took one look at me and knew I needed sleep, allow me this small way of paying you back."
"That's hardly a comparison," I snorted, flipping over onto my side so that our fronts were pressed tightly together again.
"But you're here, and that's enough for me," he countered softly, before pulling me more tightly into him.
The rest of the evening was perfect: the pizza arrived within twenty minutes, and Carlisle had…calmed down enough to answer the door himself while I retrieved another Guinness for each of us from the auxiliary stash in the kitchen. We debated briefly over a movie to watch before mutually agreeing on the Bruce Campbell marathon on the horror movie channel. I started drinking water around the beginning of the windmill scene in Army of Darkness, and I kissed Carlisle goodnight promptly at 10 o'clock, promising I'd text him when I got home.
I did just that, right before I changed into my pajamas and crawled into bed.
It had been exactly what I needed.
xoxoxoxoxo
The next day passed smoothly, as perfectly as I could have hoped for. The client in Oregon was very happy with the website we'd built for them on such notice, and Alice and I went out for dinner in South Beach to celebrate.
Wednesday evening found Alice and Jasper, along with me and my date, curled up in the living room, watching Paranormal Activity. Alice screamed and buried her face in Jasper's neck every five minutes or so, but I wasn't afforded that luxury…since it would have freaked her out.
Taylor lay splayed across my lap, her head hanging off my thigh and smashed against the upholstery as she snored blissfully into the couch cushions. Jasper had brought her over, since she was still staying with him in Edward's absence, and he was afraid of her tearing apart his burgeoning collection of Lord of the Rings Tonner…still in the box, he'd informed me…character figures. Not dolls, character figures.
Alice had fallen in love with her immediately, just as I had, and Taylor bounded around the house, investigating every nook and cranny available to her. She'd yapped through the first fifteen minutes of the movie until Alice came up with the brilliant idea of feeding her some leftover French-bread pizza…she passed right out.
There had been at least seven minutes without an unexpected movement and subsequent scream from Alice, when my Blackberry rang on the coffee table. Alice screamed anyway, clutching Jasper, and Taylor opened one eye to study her with a mixture of exasperation and disdain. I leaned over the dog in my lap to grab it, noting Edward's number on the caller ID, and answered it quickly.
"Edward, hi!"
"Hey baby!" His voice was slurred, and I guessed right away that he'd been drinking. I didn't have to hear more than two words to figure it out.
"Wow, so…partying it up in Vegas?"
"Actually I just landed here in, uh, Miami. My pop's on the way to pick me up at the…the airport."
I breathed a quick sigh of relief that he'd had enough sense to not attempt to drive in his obviously-inebriated condition. "Did you get bored with the nightlife in Vegas so soon?"
"Nah, I, uh…hang on a second, baby." There was muffled noise as he pulled the phone away, but I heard a mumbled another double Johnnie Walker before he came back to the phone, and I realized suddenly that he was in a bar. At the airport. What the hell?
"Edward?"
"Yeah…sorry, baby, I'm still here. Just trying to drink up for the inevitable, I guess."
My brow furrowed, Taylor pricked up an ear, and even Jasper pulled the remote away from Alice to pause the movie, concern in his expression.
"Edward, are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Oh yeah, I'm great," he drawled, sounding anything but. "Everything is just fucking hunky-dory, peachy-keen. Except for the fact that I had to come back a day early due to a phone call I got this afternoon."
"What phone call? What…"
He kept talking, evidently unmindful of my words. "I mean, I would like to have fucking seen you again before this, but no one gives a shit what I think, obviously."
Edward's voice had risen so much that I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear. My companions' faces both mirrored their worry, and Jasper gave Alice a quick look before getting up and crossing the room to sit on the couch next to me, his eyes meeting mine in a long concerned gaze that said more than words ever could. "Bella, is he…"
"So yeah. That's where I sit right now. Feeling like shit. Since the proverbial shit has hit the proverbial fan. Or whatever. I feel like shit. Enough said." His words were punctuated by ice clinking against a glass, as clear in my ear as though he were sitting right next to me taking a drink of his over-priced scotch. "Fuck, I should have known it was too good to last, just when I even start to think about getting happy, it all just goes to hell."
"Please…Edward…tell me what's wrong," I begged, pushing Taylor off my lap onto the couch.
He laughed roughly. "It doesn't really matter, just know I won't be around for a while."
"Why?"
"Are you an Elton fan, baby?"
"What, Elton John? Yeah sure…why?"
He hiccupped slightly. "Because…the bitch is back."
A/N:
Kate drags Brits out from under the bed by one leg Twin! I know we've been dreading this moment, but Playboyward NEEDS you! He's fragile and will need a hot piece of ass like you to take his mind off THE BITCH.
Brits cries Noooooo...I'm staying under here until Hurricane Esme passes. Please send Robporn, PFach porn, and vodka!
Kate scowls threateningly at Brits I am NOT weathering THAT storm by myself...get out here before I re-write the story to star ME instead of Bella!
Brits scrambles out from beneath the bed Fine, fine, I'm here. Can't we just write more Dr. McYummy sexy-time scenes and Edward's memoir entitled "Ode to Manaconda?"
Kate: Uhh, you won't have to twist MY arm to do that...outtake after outtake of McYummy/Playboyward porn? I'M THERE! Which reminds me...
Brits: Oh yes! My twin and will be combining our perverted minds to support an amazing cause! We'll be donating a DLS outtake for the Fandom for Preemies compilation...it's only $5 to get a stack of one-shots, INCLUDING a DLS outtake that will NOT be available anywhere else! For more details, go straight here: http:/fandomforpreemies(dot)blogspot(dot)com/
Kate: And NO, we will NOT be telling anyone in advance what's IN the outtake...so please go help out this amazing cause. Now, on another serious note...Bella said the L-word in this chap. Is anyone getting worried? Or have you all been worried all along? evil grin
Brits sings Bella and Carlisle sitting in a tree...no wait. Bella and Edward sitting in a...wait, GAH! I dunno which one, Twin. HELP ME!
Kate: Pffft, I'm no help, there's no way in hell I could choose between those two right now. They won't take away my Team Carlisle card for that, will they?
Brits: No, I don't think so. It's an understandable predicament. I think I better start working on the next chap so we can officially meet Edward's Mommy Dearest.
Kate: Yep, and I've got to go answer the door...the UPS man just arrived with my life-sized Dr. Coop cardboard cutout! Now I'll have TWO hot PFach doctor cutouts watching me as I write! Okay lovelies, thanks for being patient and leaving such fuckawesome reviews, we love you!
Brits: Follow us on Twitter (brits23 and lazykatevamp) and keep those reviews coming! We love to hear what you think. Until next time! :-)