Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't say it enough.

I have a paper due tomorrow and a final and paper due next Wednesday, but I'm doing this instead. I also spent a good part of my day taking typing tests and I type between 72-83 wpm. Somehow I'm not surprised, lol.

What are you binge-watching on Netflix/television lately? I fall asleep to The Office every night but I've been rewatching Outlander and Veep during the day. I had to watch a lot of Veep today to put a smile on my face after that horrible Cardinals loss to the Diamondbacks last night. Yikes.

…

September 4, 2015

Waking up in Edward's bed, with his arm stretched out and touching me, was nothing new. But now, it was our bed, and somehow that felt so much different to me, in my heart and in my mind. He slept on his stomach, as always, and I loved seeing how relaxed he looked in his sleep. It was different than how he using looked, and it seemed so exclusive, to see him like this.

We had spent the whole night wrapped up in each other, thanks to the excitement of moving in together, saying "I love you", and my alcohol induced friskiness.

Remembering the words we had said yesterday brought a smile to my face, even though I could still hardly understand it myself. I knew that I loved him, without a doubt. We had moved through this relationship very quickly, but that did not change or lessen what I felt in my heart. I couldn't believe that it had happened like this; that I had found the love of my life without even looking, but the sight of Edward in bed with me reassured me that this was real.

"I can feel you staring at me," Edward murmured, not opening his eyes. He reached his hand out and ran it over my bare skin, the small smile on his face growing.

"Good morning, sleepy beauty," I whispered, moving closer so that my body was flush with his.

His eyes fluttered open then, beautifully green but still hazy with sleep. "Good morning," he replied.

Edward pulled the sheet away from me silently, his eyes doing all the talking. I just smiled while he uncovered my body, naked beneath the soft cotton sheets. "What a thing to wake up to," he said huskily, dropping the sheet and reaching his hand out to touch my skin.

I laughed as he covered his body with mine, kissing me firmly. The sheet fell away from him, too, and I traced my hands over the lines of his abdomen and hips. "I love you," I said, the words still a novelty to me.

"I love you, too," Edward echoed. "Roomie," he added in a hushed whisper, wiggling his eyebrows at me lightheartedly.

My laugh turned into a moan when his hand slipped between my thighs. "Again?" I asked, my voice breathy. We had done it three times the night before; I was surprised that he had anything left in him.

"Oh, yes," Edward said, smiling wickedly. "Breakfast of champions."

I moaned again as he slid down until his face was between my thighs.

He made quick work of me, and by the time he moved up and pushed himself inside of me, I was blissfully incoherent.

…

"Is this how it's going to be?" Edward asked a little later, as we lay side my side and stared up at the ceiling.

"I hope not," I said jokingly. "I'll never be able to walk again."

Edward nudged me, rolling over onto his side so that he could look me in the eye. "I've said it before, I think, but Bella…I've never felt like this before. I can't keep my head on straight around you. I just want you…so badly."

"I gathered that," I said dryly, but smiled at him. "We're very lucky, Edward."

He nodded, kissing me one more time before sitting up in bed and climbing out of it. "That we are."

"No," I cried, reaching out for him. "Come back to bed."

Edward laughed, dodging my arm and t out of my reach. "Rise and shine," he said with a laugh.

I grumbled, but got out of bed, following him into the bathroom. "No funny business," I warned as we waited for the shower to warm up. "I can't take anymore."

"Wore you out, huh?" Edward asked, smiling triumphantly.

I rolled my eyes, but shrieked with laughter when Edward pulled me into the shower with him.

Twenty minutes later, we sat at the kitchen counter eating fruit and yogurt; me reading the paper, and him scrolling through his phone. "That guy from the pub last night tagged me in his Instagram picture," Edward said, frowning. "Well he tagged me in the post."

"What does it say?" I asked, putting the paper down.

Edward cleared his throat. "'Got to meet the Edward Cullen and his girlfriend at Llywelyn's Pub in Central West End last night! Nice guy. Rookie of the year?'. Then he added a bunch of hashtags…cardinals, stlcards, mlb, mlbwags…and some more that I don't even understand."

"I guess the cats out of the bag, then," I said. "Cardinal Nation is going to find that, one way or another. They really love you already, and they're interested in you. There goes our bubble."

"It's not a bad thing," Edward replied, putting his arm around the back of my chair. "I've never wanted us to be a secret, Bella. I'm just not sure exactly how to handle it. What do you think?"

"Well, I've been having the same problem," I admitted, shifting in my chair so that we were facing. "It's not that I want to hide, it's just that I don't know what to say about it."

Edward chuckled and shook his head warily. "That's exactly how I felt about telling you what I do for a living," he explained. "It's wonderful and I'm proud of it..." he trailed off.

"But it's awkward as hell to bring up out of the blue," I finished for him. "I know, Edward. I know. What did you say to your parents before they met me? I struggled finding the words when I told mine, especially when I decided to move in here."

"I just told them that I had met someone, and that it was fast, but that I was pretty sure she was the one," Edward said, leaning in closer to me. "They were just excited that they got to meet you before they went back to California."

We kissed gently, only parting when I smiled. "That sounds an awful lot like what I told my parents when I said I was moving in. Only I added the 'I love him' bit."

Edward groaned, smiling ruefully at me. "God, you saying that…you have no idea what it does to me."

"I think I do know," I said with a laugh. "It's probably very similar to how I feel when you say it to me."

"I hope so," Edward murmured, kissing me again. "If it is, then we have nothing to worry about."

…

"I'll see you tonight, then," I said, pausing in the doorway of his…well, our, bedroom. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Edward said, looking up from his laptop. "Come here, give me a kiss goodbye."

I obliged, walking towards him and placing my hands on his broad shoulders as we shared a brief kiss. "Love you."

"I love you, too," he replied sweetly, then returned to his computer as I left the room.

Work was busy, as usual, but therefore went by quickly. My feet were sore halfway through my shift, as always, but I didn't mind so much. I kept my thoughts occupied with work and with Edward, it wasn't so bad.

About halfway through my shift, while I was sitting in my office during a slow period, my phone started to ring. I frowned when I saw that it was Tyler calling, but answered immediately. "Hey, Ty, what's up?" I asked.

"Hey, Bells. Uh, I stopped at Llywelyn's this afternoon because I forgot to pay my tab last night. I just left there, actually."

"I'm not paying for the rest of your beers, Tyler," I said crossly. "We agreed on two in return for you helping me move."

Tyler huffed. "That's not what I'm calling about, thanks very much. Some girl was in there, asking about Edward. And you, too. If anyone knew whether or not he came there often, and who you were. It was…odd."

"Yeah, that's weird," I agreed, sitting up straight. "Did you recognize her?"

"No, definitely not one of the regulars," Tyler answered. "I'm sure it's not a big deal, but it just weirded me out to hear someone asking about you. I figured I'd give you a heads up. I wouldn't come back to the pub anytime soon, if I were you."

"Thanks," I said. "Yeah, I don't think we'll be back there for a while if someone is nosing around like that. It's a little creepy, honestly. What do you think she wanted?"

"Probably just information," Tyler said easily. "Edward's a hot new commodity, people just want to know as much about him as possible. I saw that instragram post of Edward shared on a couple of fan pages, so I guess it isn't really surprising. I wouldn't worry. I just wanted to let you know."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks again." I groaned when my pager went off. "Ugh, Ty, I've gotta go. Give Camille my love, and hopefully we can meet up for drinks somewhere else soon."

…

I left the hospital around eight, fully aware that the ball game had just started at 7:15, and Edward wouldn't be home until late. I listened to the broadcast on the radio during my short ride home, my heart beating faster every time I heard the announcers mention Edward's name. The Cardinals were already behind in the score, and I hoped that Edward didn't let it get to him.

He was usually so good natured, but I hadn't been surprised when I first realized that the outcome of games often weighed heavily on him. He took it to heart, even though I knew that he loved the game no matter what. He knew that they couldn't win every game, and that he couldn't hit RBI's or even a hit every time, either. But still, he didn't like losing no matter what. Edward was a good sport, but a bad game still caused him pain, and I hated that.

I headed up to the apartment, keys in hand, but stopped short in the hallway outside of the elevator.

An unfamiliar figure sat cross legged in the doorway; blonde head leaning against the door.

"Can I help you?" I asked, stepping closer.

The blonde startled slightly, but got to her feet quickly. She was very pretty, with golden skin and long, willowy hair. Her face was beautiful as well; elegant and refined with a slightly upturned nose. "I'm looking for Edward," she said, looking me up and down.

"Okay… and who are you, exactly?" I asked, not moving to open the door.

"I am his girlfriend!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who the hell are you?"

…

There's the other shoe, guys.

Keep calm and wait for the next chapter : )

Btw, Edward mentions the hashtag "mlbwags", which is really a website, but it stands for MLB Wives and Girlfriends. Just thought I'd clear that up here. Not important; but in case you noticed and were wondering.