Thanks to my beta, SunflowerFran. Any mistakes left are my own.


Chapter Twelve


My face immediately sours.

"Dimitri," Edward says in greeting. He looks to Chelsea. "What are you doing here, Chelsea?"

"I'm his date." She says, pulling Demetri closer, holding tightly to his arm.

I look up to Edward to see his jaw clench and then relax. "I hope the two of you enjoy the rest of your evening." He nods. When he places his hand on my back to guide us back into the ballroom, Dimitri steps forward and holds his hand up to Edward.

"Can I speak with you for a moment, Mr. Cullen?" he asks. "There was an issue that came up with the Marquis account."

"Whatever issue there is, you can take it up with John. He's running point on that account."

"But it's something I think you should hear about." He emphasizes.

"If that is true, then John will tell me about it after you go to him first. My focus tonight is on this charity and my girlfriend. Now, excuse us." Edward is clearly agitated with the two of them as he leads us away.

"You okay?" I ask him, placing my hand on his forearm and pulling him to a stop along one of the walls in the ballroom.

When he turns and looks at me, I can see fire in his eyes. "He's really starting to piss me off." He says, trying to reel in his anger that is simmering under the surface. "He's been staring at you all night and smirking. I hadn't seen Chelsea with him until just now, and I'm wondering why that is. I'm pretty sure he brought her just to piss me off after I fired her."

I can see the wheels turning when I look in his eyes, and the distress on his face upsets me. "Edward, it all could be nothing. Maybe Chelsea was trying to keep out of your sight because you fired her yesterday. She could have been his date before you fired her as well. You all do work in the same building so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for them to come here together." I reach out and grab both of his hands, which are clenched into fists. I rub his fingers until I am able to wiggle mine under his and lace them together. His whole demeanor changes from that action, and he sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. "And anyway, tonight isn't about Dimitri or Chelsea. It's about honoring Maggie and this incredible charity you started in her name."

He takes a deep breath, and I give him a small smile. "You're only $25,000 away from your goal. Don't let him or anyone else stop you from going up to some old rich guy and schmoozing him till he gives you all his money." He chuckles, and that makes me smile. "And I wouldn't even be that opposed to giving him a little bit of a shimmy if it would help." I wiggle my shoulders back and forth a little, making my chest jostle lightly.

His eyes light up with amusement and something else. "If you did that, he would sign over everything he owns."

I roll my eyes. "Sure."

"You could test it on me and see what happens."

I laugh and shove him in the chest playfully. "Honestly, Mr. Cullen. I thought you were a gentleman."

"That was before you shimmied."

I giggle and blush. "Come on." I tug on the hand I am still holding and turn to face the crowd. "Who haven't you hit up for money yet?"

His eyes scan the crowd. "That one, over there." He points, and I look. There is an older man, maybe in his late sixties, early seventies with a woman who looks vastly younger than me clinging to him. I look back up to Edward and raise a brow. He laughs. "I know. I think he has a granddaughter close to her age."

I shiver with revulsion.

"He's loaded but is notoriously stingy with his money. He only bid $10,000 on a prize that's worth $50,000 in the silent auction."

"Well then, let's go see if we can change that," I say and lead him to the couple as they speak with another old man. "Excuse me," I say to the girl on his arm. She turns and looks at me curiously. "Your dress is stunning. Where did you find it?" I lie through my teeth. The question is just an icebreaker because her bright pink dress would be better suited for Malibu Barbie. It is barely covering any skin. Large, slutty-placed geometric cut-outs plague the dress from top to bottom. It's clear she is wearing absolutely no underwear.

She turns a bit more towards me and catches sight of Edward. She immediately straightens and gives him a coy smile before looking back to me. "Stephen, how are you?" Edward says to the old man as he shakes his hand. "And you," Edward says, turning to the woman, "you look wonderful as well. I'm so sorry I don't remember your name. I know we met two months ago…"

"Nevaeh." She says, holding her hand out daintily. Her voice is airy and sultry. "It's heaven spelled backward."

Right here, at this moment, it takes every ounce of the willpower I've accumulated over my whole entire life to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

Of course, she has a stripper name.

Edward reaches out and quickly shakes her hand. "Of course. How could I have forgotten?" He then gestures to me. "Stephen, I'd like for you to meet my girlfriend, Isabella. Bella, this is Stephen Vachon. He owns more local radio and television stations around the world than anyone could count."

He eyes me up and down before shaking my hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I reply. I look back to Nevaeh. "You must tell me where you got your dress."

She gives me a sort of superior grin before she says, "I designed and made this myself."

"Wow." I sigh. "Such a talent. Are you a designer?"

"Yes. That's how I met Stephen." She looks to him with a fake smile. "My father set up a meeting with him and his horrible ex so I could design a dress for her. When we laid eyes on each other, that was it. The rest is history." She forces a giggle when he pulls her close and tickles her side.

"That's so sweet." I almost gag on my own words. "You must show me some of your other designs."

"Look at that, Edward," Stephen says. "It looks like your girl admires mine." His voice and smile are smug and triumphant as he looks at Edward.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it," Edward says, understanding lighting his eyes as he looks at me.

A man like Stephen needs to have his virility and manhood validated constantly. That's why he's with someone so young. Having me, the girlfriend of one of the wealthiest men in the world jealous of something he has, makes him feel superior to Edward, which is something someone like Stephen lives for.

Stroke his ego. Compliment him. Make him feel superior.

"I'd love to show some to you." She says to me. "I have a few on my phone." She pulls her phone from her clutch.

As she starts to drone on, showing me pictures of dresses that look as if they were attacked by bears with how many tears and shapes are cut into them, I hear Edward start to compliment Stephen on some business venture that went really well last month. Edward, who clearly doesn't need them, asks Stephen for some pointers in investing, and the old man loves that.

Ten minutes later, just as I'm about to scream if Nevaeh tells me about another clothing store her father owns, Edward touches my elbow, hopefully, to pull me away. When I look at his apologetic face, I know that won't happen. "Stephen wants to get one of his business associates to tell me this funny story about a meeting that went horribly wrong, but I don't want to leave you."

"Go ahead," I tell him, hating that he wants to leave me here with Miss 'My-daddy-is-so-rich.' "I'm having a great time with Nevaeh."

The look on his face says he knows I'm lying. He leans in, and when he kisses my cheek, he whispers, "Thank you. You're incredible."

When he turns and leaves, Nevaeh immediately changes pace. "So, you're with Edward Cullen?"

"Uhm...yeah," I say in an obvious tone.

"How in the world did you land him?" she says, ogling him as the two men approach another older man.

"I didn't do anything," I say. "I was having dinner at a restaurant when he saw me at another table and approached. We started talking and hit it off."

"Lucky." She says. "He's so gorgeous."

"Yes. I think so too." I try not to sound annoyed with her sudden change of subject.

"What I wouldn't give for one night with him." She giggles and elbows me playfully as we look at him. "Just kidding!"

Yeah, sure you are you, dumb bitch.

I force a laugh and recite the penalty for battery in Washington State to keep myself from hitting her. I try to focus my eyes on Edward instead.

"My daddy always said Edward was crazy though." She shakes her head. "He said that anyone who gives away half their personal and corporate money to charities every year is clearly off his rocker. It's so wasteful."

My head snaps to her so fast that my neck cracks. "What?"

Nevaeh doesn't see this because she's too busy staring at Edward. She just continues talking like I didn't say anything. "Cullen Enterprises pulls in over fifty billion a year. After operating costs are paid, he just takes half that money and gives it away before using the rest to invest." She sneers and shivers like the idea of giving away that much money to charity is disgusting. "That's crazy. I'm sure his future wife will put a stop to his insanity. I know I would."

"Excuse me," I say, needing to be far away from this woman. I walk away, still in shock at what she just said. I just might hit her if I stay.

My mind is reeling at this new piece of information. My heart, on the other hand, swells in my chest.

Every time I turn around, I find out something new about Edward that surprises me. And it's always a good thing, too. It's never anything bad. Even though I already knew he was a good man and very humble, I had no idea he was possibly the most generous person in the world.

I already knew he wasn't wasteful and didn't spend his money to excess. His home was a testament to that even though he admitted he spent a lot on cars. As he said, it was his one vice.

But to just give away half of his earnings...my mind couldn't properly comprehend it.

When I feel his eyes on me, I look up to him from where I'm standing by the door. He asks me with his eyes if everything is okay and I smile and nod. "Stay." I mouth at him. I don't want him to miss out meeting his goal because of me. "Bathroom," I mouth.

He gives me a small smile before I turn and go. When I open the door to the bathroom, I groan. Chelsea is standing at a sink, touching up her lipstick. Her hand stops halfway to her mouth when she sees me.

"Isabella Swan."

"Chelsea," I respond and move into a stall. I do my business and fully expect her to be gone when I come out.

She's not.

"You must think you're so fucking special." She half-smiles, half-sneers at me. "You got me fired."

"I did no such thing," I say, moving to the sink to wash my hands. "You did that yourself."

"Where did you come from anyway?" she asks, folding her hands across her chest. "No one's ever seen you before, much less heard of you."

"Have a good night, Chelsea." I dry my hands with some paper towels and leave the bathroom, grateful she doesn't follow me. In my haste to get away from her, I almost run into Esme when I step through the door.

"Bella! I've been waiting to speak with you all night, but the look Edward would give me any time I headed your way, had me backtracking." She chuckles nervously and looks down at her feet before looking back at me. "I wanted to apologize all night about Carmen. I had no idea she would react that way."

"It's all right, Esme. You have no control over her. What she said was not your fault. There's really no need to apologize."

"Yes, there is." She steps forward and takes my hands. "I'm sorry I brought you into that."

"Don't worry about it. I promise. I'm just glad she got that out of her system. Hopefully, it will be smooth sailing from here on out." I give her a hopeful smile.

She smiles warmly at me. "I'm sure it will be." She drops my hands, and we start to walk back to the ballroom. "Now, I have to warn you about something." She says seriously. "Carlisle hasn't stopped talking about what a wonderful dancer you are since the Musical Children's Ball last week. He'll be waiting to pounce and ask you to dance the first chance he gets now that Edward has let go of you."

"I'd love to. It'll be my way of thanking him for giving me such a wonderful compliment."

True to her words, Carlisle is waiting at the door. He grins at me. "Fortunately for me, Edward has let you out of his sight. This means I can now ask you to dance." He offers his hand for me to take.

"Not so fast, old man." Edward appears beside me and grabs the hand I was extending towards his father's. "The night is almost over, and I haven't even had the chance to dance with my beautiful girlfriend."

A huge smile takes over my features. "That's a little presumptuous of you, don't you think?" His brows furrow. "You haven't even asked me if I want to dance with you."

The confused look on his face quickly turns to relief and happiness. "I'm so sorry, Miss. Swan." He holds my hand up between us and bows lightly. "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

I blush. "Well, since you asked so nicely…"

He quickly pulls me to the dance floor, neither one of us taking our eyes off the other. His mom and dad are almost completely forgotten by me.

When we start to sway and spin to the music, his hand on my back and pulling us closer, I'm reminded of how dangerous this was for me last week. Before I can take a small step back and put some distance between us, he starts to talk. "I can't say this enough, but you, Bella Swan, are incredible." His eyes are twinkling as he looks down at me. "You are a genius. Stephen was beside himself that you liked his girlfriend so much. Apparently, most people haven't taken too kindly to her."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that I liked her…."

"Oh, I know," he says with a wink. "He loved the fact that you, my girlfriend, made her happy. He led on that she was more…giving and free…when she was happy."

I shudder, and he laughs.

"He donated $75,000 tonight, Bella, thanks to you."

"Really?! That's fantastic!"

"No. You're fantastic." He spins me then and pulls me back to him, a bit closer this time. I don't fight it and settle into his arms. It's not as if our bodies are pressed up against each other. There is a good inch or two between us. "You made my dream of expansion come through."

"No, I didn't. I just distracted his jailbait so you could work your magic."

He laughs at my joke. "Definitely jailbait."

"Do you think Nevaeh makes all her clothes? If so, God help us all."

When he laughs, I can't stop myself from staring at him. He's so beautiful when he laughs and smiles so fully.

After a moment, he leans down and whispers in my ear. "Don't freak out, but we're the only ones on the dance floor." He stands up straight, and I look around, noticing he's right. Everyone has cleared the floor and are watching us.

"Why?" I ask, holding my smile up at him for the crowd.

"Because I'm supposed to be accepting a check, but instead, I'm dancing with you."

I notice a man on the stage who is smiling at us with a piece of paper in his hand. He's clearly waiting for him. "Then what are you waiting for? Go ahead."

"No way." He says. "I'm finishing this dance with you first. The song is almost over anyway. They can wait."

I dip my head and stare at his chest feeling overwhelmingly special for some reason.

It's not long before the song ends. When it does, the crowd around the dance floor applauds. He kisses my cheek briefly before walking up to the stage and accepting the check. Edward grabs a mic from the man and turns to the audience. "First, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone for coming out tonight and donating to Maggie's Purpose. Thanks to a last-minute donation, I'm thrilled to say that we've reached our goal and will be able to take our cause further into the heart of America."

The room erupts with applause as he gives the mic back and walks off stage, his eyes on me while his feet carry him closer. He's stopped by someone before he makes it to me.

"I've never seen him so happy." Carlisle has come up and is standing beside me. He's watching his son. "It's almost as if he's woken up from a long coma." He looks meaningfully at me.

"And you think I'm responsible for that?" I ask surprised.

"No. I know you are."

I'm stunned into momentary silence. "No, I don't think that…"

Edward's voice interrupts me. "You ready to go?" He has made his way to me and taken my hand. "I'd like to get out of here and go home before I'm pulled into another conversation. I'd much rather curl up on the couch and watch a movie with you until we fall asleep."

"Go. I'll hold them off." Carlisle grins at me. "Take my boy home. Doctor's orders."

I chuckle. "Well, in that case…"

Holding hands, Edward and I walk back outside to a flurry of flashes, practically running the whole way to his car.

"Tell us her name, Edward!"

"How does your ex, Tanya, feel about her?"

"Since you're gay, is she really a man pretending to be a woman so you can stay in the closet?"

For some insane reason, I find the last question funny and so does he. We start laughing and don't stop till the city lights are behind us.


After I fell asleep in the car on the way back to his place, we went our separate ways, and I was in bed in under ten minutes.

Saturday morning for me starts around 9:00. I hadn't realized just how tired I was and overslept. I wanted to get up at 7:00 and workout since I have been so lazy this past week. After showering, I dress in jeans and a t-shirt and leave my room.

After getting an apple and some water, I go outside on the back deck, not seeing or hearing Edward inside the house. This deck has quickly become my favorite place to be. I love watching the birds flying around or just admiring the view. His home is so high on the hill that you can see for miles over the treetops, and now that it's late spring, the wildlife is more active. I swear I think I saw a bear the other day down at the water's edge.

Some movement catches my eyes. I look down and to my right, seeing something big moving on the ground through the small breaks in the trees. I don't move so whatever it is won't see me and be scared away. With the glimpses of color I get, I think it might be a deer.

Only four seconds pass before it breaks through the tree line.

Oh! It's Edward. He's jogging.

….and he's shirtless. And sweaty. And wearing a backward cap and dark gray shorts.

And he's shirtless.

His body glistens in the sun from the sweat covering his bare chest. The light catches his skin, and it almost looks like he's covered in glitter when it reflects the sunlight. In fact, it perfectly highlights his washboard abs and his sculpted pecs.

Swoon.

He checks the watch on his wrist and frowns, obviously disappointed with his time. He then rests his hands on his hips, slowing his pace before stopping. His chest is heaving with his deep breaths, much like mine is, only for a different reason.

My pulse is nothing short of erratic as I watch this beautiful man like a stalker. I thank my lucky stars when he starts to stretch, twisting his body in ways that make me clench my thighs together.

He finishes and runs inside through the lower level. I dip back inside the house and hear him running up the stairs by his bedroom before hearing his door shut. I lean against the glass wall, and when the Edward fog clears a moment later, guilt takes over.

"I'm engaged," I say aloud to myself, my mood drastically changing for the worse. I need to be thinking about all the years I've spent with Jake and all the love we've shared. The only reason I'm here is so we can have a great, happy future together. I shouldn't let Edward's physical appearance distract from that. I won't be here for the rest of my life. I will be with Jake.

My heart catches in my chest. It's a weird feeling, and I'm not quite sure what it's for or where it came from. It kind of hurts. It almost feels like it was being stretched or….moved.

Weird.

I shrug it off, not wanting to spend the day analyzing what that feeling was. I go back outside on the deck and eat my apple. When I am halfway done with my water, Edward comes out to join me. "Morning."

"Morning," I say back, peeking up at him. He's freshly showered, and his hair is somewhere between wet and dry, sticking up in a few places but somehow still looking perfect. I'm leaning on the railing, and he copies me.

"I was thinking about going fishing today." He says, giving me a nervous sort of smile. "I was wondering since you like to fish, I thought maybe you'd like to come with me. I'm just going to go down to the edge of the water there." He points out at the river bank down below.

Since my plans for today had been to sit around and read, I shrug. "Yeah, sure. That sounds fun."

He relaxes and smiles hugely. "Okay. I'll go get everything. Meet me downstairs in five?"

"Okay." I follow him inside and head towards my room. "I'm just going to change into some shorts since it's a little warm," I call after him.

"That's probably a good idea." He says looking down at the jeans he'd put on. "I'll see you outside."


Three hours and one mild sunburn on my forehead later, we are headed back up to the house with two rainbow trout and one cutthroat. "I can't remember which ones I caught," I say as I look down at the fish he's carrying.

He glares playfully at me. "All three of them."

"Oh yeah. That's right." When his glare intensifies, I laugh and elbow him lightly in his side. "I just got lucky, that's all."

"So, what do you want to do with them? I thought we could try to make some sushi."

"That sounds great." I smile. "I never get to have it because Jake refuses to try it."

The smile that was on his lips immediately dies. "What's wrong?" I ask him, even though I think I know what is wrong.

"Nothing." He says, shaking his head and looking straight ahead. "I have to warn you, though." He looks back down to me. "I'm still trying to get the hang of it. Sushi is really hard to make."

"So I've heard. I don't think I will ever know how they get all that rice to stick so perfectly together."

"That's where I've been running into trouble."

"Well, now that you have an extra set of hands, we might just be able to get it right. Do you have everything we need?"

"Actually, I don't think so." He says. "We might need to make a run to the grocery store."

"What time is the dinner tonight?" I ask him. We have to eat dinner at a nice restaurant with two of his biggest donors to thank them for their support.

"It's at eight."

"How should I dress? I don't know where we're going or what the expected dress is."

When he doesn't answer right away, I look up to him. There is a hint of nervousness in his eyes. "Well, is there any chance you brought the blue dress from the first night we met?" He chances a brief glance down at me before looking straight ahead. He betrays no emotion with that glance. "It looked really great on you, and it would be appropriate attire."

"Actually, that wasn't my dress," I tell him. He looks to me in confusion. "It was Alice's. I don't have anything that nice in my closet."

"Oh." He sounds downtrodden with that one small utterance.

I look down and smirk, wiping it off my face before looking back up to him. We've reached the house now, and he opens the door for me that leads into the gym. "But I did buy a cocktail dress in the same color blue the other day."

He smiles. "Great. That color looks amazing on you."

"Thanks."

We walk in silence up the stairs, and he sets the fish in the sink when we get to the kitchen. "Let me take a second to look around in the cabinets and figure out what we need."

"Okay. I'll go wash my hands and change shirts. I feel like I smell like fish." I wrinkle my nose after pulling up my shirt and taking a whiff of it.

"I'll do the same after I dump some ice on these babies." He grabs the ice dispenser from the freezer and pours the contents over the fish.

Five minutes later and he is leading me to the garage that is separate from his house. "We're taking one of your sports cars to the grocery store?" I ask.

He chuckles. "No. I like to take my old truck out every once and a while, so it's not just sitting there, wasting away."

My face lights up. "Yes! I get to ride in your infamous truck!"

He looks confused by my enthusiasm. "Umm, yes?"

"Sweet." I grin.

When he opens the garage, I run to his truck and waste no time hopping inside. I can hear his laughter without even looking at him. He's still smiling when he gets in. Looking over at him behind the wheel, he looks comfortable, as though this truck is somehow a manifestation of his personality.

He cranks the truck and buckles up.

"I do have one question for you, Edward before we pull out," I say. He looks over to me.

"What is it?"

I grin devilishly and throw myself down on the bench seat, resting my head on the door and kicking one leg up on the back of the seat while the other one rests on his knee. "Is this how the girl was when you gave her a black eye?" I slide down a bit more and throw my arms over my head. "Or was she like this?"

I watch as he tries to decide whether to be upset or amused by my antics. Although he narrows his eyes at me, there is a small smile on his perfect lips. "Oh. So you've got jokes, eh?"

I can't help but dissolve into a fit of giggles, clutching my stomach.

"Oh, ha-ha." He deadpans. When I am able to open my eyes again, wiping away my hysterical tears, I see him watching me with a huge smile.

I pull myself up when I feel the truck start to move. "The look on your face was priceless." I laugh at him.

"Well, I'm glad you find me so funny."

"And I'm so glad Emmett told me that story."

"You know, that doesn't seem all that fair." He says looking at me. "You know this incredibly embarrassing story about me, and I know none about you."

"And you think I should tell you one to even the score."

"It's only fair." He shrugs. We pull out onto the highway, Edward shifting gears with ease. His forearm muscles flexing with each movement are absurdly distracting.

"Okay. I'll tell you one." I relent. "Since we are going to the grocery store, I will tell one shopping cart-related incident."

"Oooo. Now I'm intrigued." He says with a smile.

"Ugh. I can't believe I'm about to tell you this." I put my hands over my face for a moment before looking at him briefly. He's patiently waiting with a smile.

"Okay. So, I went to the grocery store with my mom when I was visiting her after I moved here to Washington. When we walked in, there was the guy who I had a crush on for years working at the cash register. I had been gone two years at this point and had finally…developed." I raise my brows at Edward, willing him to understand. I know he does when he mirrors my look.

"Right. So, I walk in, and we catch each other's eye, and he actually does a double take at me. I go and grab a shopping cart, and when I look back at him, he's giving me this flirty smile and I giggle. Not thinking straight, high on my forever crush actually looking at me instead of through me, I try and do something I think would be cute. I don't know why I thought it would be cute, but I did. I blame my muddled, hormonal teenage brain for it." I sigh and shake my head at my stupidity.

"I hopped up on the cart, holding onto the handle, planning to push off and go gliding by him, riding it like a scooter or something. Unfortunately, I forgot that in order for that to work, there has to be something in the basket to balance my weight. So, when I hopped up onto the shopping cart with my full weight, mind you, all the while making heavy eye contact with the guy, I go flying backward, the cart sliding out from under me and landing on my legs as I fell on my back."

"Oh my gosh." He laughs.

"Yeah. I never got the hang of flirting. I was always pretty inept when it came to that." I shake my head at myself and nudge Edward when he doesn't stop laughing. "Oh, come on. I didn't think it was that funny."

"Did the guy you had a crush on say anything to you?" he asks.

"He came over, bent down to me and said, 'Are you okay? That was brutal.'" I shake my head. "Yeah, I left the store after that. My mom had to do the grocery shopping by herself while I hid in the car in utter shame."

"That's still not as bad as giving my date a black eye."

"No, it's not. But that experience solidified that I was never going to move back with my mom. Not to mention my ego was forever damaged."

"Does this mean I will have to push the shopping cart around the store?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes. I'm terrified of them," I deadpan.

He laughs. "All right. Weakness number four: shopping carts."

I cut my eyes to him. "I can't believe you're keeping track of my weaknesses! And anyway, shopping carts are not a weakness of mine."

"I think the guy you had a crush on would think otherwise."

I reach over and playfully punch him in the shoulder. "You just think you're so funny, don't you?"

"I happen to think I'm hilarious."

"I beg to differ." I fold my arms across my chest, smiling to myself.

"Liar."

"Jerk."

"Liar again."

I try to stop from smiling, but I can't.

"See. You can't even keep a straight face."

I scowl out the window, hating that he is right.


We're walking back out to his truck after grocery shopping when he calls my name. I turn to him from where I am by the front of the cart. True to his word, he didn't let me push it citing he was afraid for my safety.

"Hey, Bella."

"Yeah?"

"Wanna drive the truck home?" He holds the keys up and jingles them.

My eyes almost pop out of my head with surprise and excitement. "YES!" I shout. "Oh my gosh, I wanted to but didn't want to ask. I know what the truck means to you." I bound over to him and grab the keys before he can change his mind.

"I knew you wanted to." He says with a contented smile as he watches me.

"I promise I'll treat it perfectly. I won't even go over the speed limit."

"The gear shift will sometimes stick when shifting into fourth. It's always been like that though."

"Good to know." I jump up excitedly when we reach the truck and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much." I squeal as I get into the driver's seat and he chuckles at me. When he finishes putting the groceries in the bed of the truck and gets in, I look over to him. He's got the biggest smile on his face as he looks at my excited one. "Ready?" I ask.

"Very ready." He replies.

I roll my window down and nod for Edward to do the same. There's nothing like riding down the road during the summer with the windows down.

Once we're back on the highway, my hair flying all around my face, I look back over to Edward, feeling his eyes on me. "What?" I ask. He has this easy smile on his lips, and his eyes are so soft.

"Nothing." He says. "I like seeing you smile so much."

"Well, you letting me drive your truck is the highlight of my week so far. Of course, I'm smiling."

"That's just it." He says watching me as I look back out at the road. "You've been to two grand balls where you got to dress up and ride in expensive cars. And yet, driving my old truck is what makes you the happiest."

I shrug. "I like your truck. I know what it means to you and the fact that you let me drive it…it makes me feel special. More special than when I got to dress up and have my picture taken with the most eligible bachelor in the U.S., even if he is gay."

His guffaw of laughter startles me, and when it doesn't stop, I join in and laugh with him.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" he asks.

"I happen to think I'm hilarious," I say back, echoing his earlier words.

His laughter at my statement only proves it.

"I really like you, Edward Cullen," I tell him. "I really hope we can be friends after this month is over."

I glance at him when he doesn't respond. The smile he was sporting is completely gone. "Yeah. Me too." He says.

Only when he says it, it sounds like he hopes for anything other than for us to remain friends. The rest of the ride back to his place is quiet with only the radio providing background music from the nineties.


So, how do you think Bella handled everything? How did you like them spending a more laid-back and normal day together?

Anyway, thanks for reading my story and don't forget to follow and review!

The holidays are upon us and because of that, I'm busier. I am going to try to keep up the regular pace at which I've been updating, but I make no promises that the schedule won't be delayed by a few days here and there. Sorry. :(