A/N: I love that you guys love these two. :) It warms my heart.

Just so you know, we're not too far from the end now. I've finished writing the entire story I wanted to tell by Chapter 17, so that'll be the last one.

Loads of thanks to Payton79 and Pamela.

CHAPTER 14: RITUALS

I fell into the chair with a huge sigh. With my legs stretched out before me, I leaned back and scrubbed my hands over my face. My eyes fell shut and remained shut, every muscle protesting even the thought of opening them again.

"You've been lucky so far. Usually, we're pulling all-nighters like this thrice a week," Tyler announced, startling me.

You could damn well bet my eyes went as wide as they could go at that. I threw him a look of utter horror.

He just snickered. "Fine, I'm kidding. Not every week. Every other week . . . maybe."

I groaned and resumed my position. "Could you give me a break here, Tyler? How long is your version of Believe it or Not for the rookie going to go on?"

"As long as it's fun, little one."

"Fine. I can take it, but not an hour after spending the entire night chasing a scumbag of the lowest order across the state. Put your inner clown on a timeout until I've regained some sense, please."

I heard him heave a sigh before the squeak of his chair indicated he'd planted himself on it. "Yeah, go on and ruin all my fun. And here I was about to offer you an hour or two to freshen yourself up."

I managed to squint at him through one eye. "What?"

He shrugged. "What? My kid's play doesn't start until noon. I can afford to give up a bit of my day off to make sure you don't lose your pretty neurons. They don't grow back, you know."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, didn't you ever pick up a science textbook?"

"Tyler, don't shit with me. I'm firing on my last piston right now, and it's about to run out any second."

He rolled his eyes. "Millennials. So dramatic." He crossed his legs and settled in. "Go on and get yourself some coffee. And take a shower before a skunk decides to adopt you. I'll hold the fort until you get back."

I was on my feet before he was finished talking.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as possible." I clapped him on the shoulder on my way out, and he waved me away with a grin.

I reached my apartment in record time, leaving behind a trail of clothes in my wake as I marched on right into the shower. A deep sigh left my lips as soon as the warm water was cascading down my body. My skin let out a protesting burn at the temperature, but my sore muscles sent a prayer of thanks for the same. For a long moment, I just stood there and let myself relax, bit by bit. The adrenaline of the chase we'd undertaken was finally draining away. I grabbed the soap and lathered myself up before I could lose the energy to move.

My mind, though, was free to wander as I went through my routine. It didn't take long for my thoughts to drift to Bella, as had become the norm since the first time I'd seen my beautiful girl.

I'd managed to whisk her away on a special date to her favorite restaurant the weekend after the fashion show. I'd planned it as a surprise, and Bella protested a little when she realized I'd gone all out.

"You didn't need to do this, Edward," she'd whispered, eyeing the blueberry cheesecake the waiter brought over at the end.

"The show was a huge success that went on without a hitch. That's an achievement to be celebrated," I'd replied, handing her a knife. "I'm just so proud of you, Bella. And don't forget that my offer still stands. I promise I'll help you burn off every last one of the calories, if that makes you happy." I'd thrown in a wink, which had made her blush, but she'd taken the knife and cut us both a piece with a smile.

And once she'd had a taste, the moan that resonated from deep within her throat told me there would be no more protests on the matter.

A week had passed since that evening, and it'd been a tough one. With the inquiries piling up at Trending after the fashion show, Bella and Alice had been working longer hours. The work at the boutique was growing leaps and bounds, and they were struggling to catch up on all ends. In fact, after a couple of instances of Alice falling asleep at the computer, she'd actively begun conducting interviews to hire more employees.

Things had been hectic on my end as well. Our unit had caught a high-profile case involving the Senator's daughter. We'd been working on it all week, burning the midnight oil. Our search for the murderer had ended with an interstate car chase that took us several hours of last night.

As a result, my time with Bella had been decimated severely. Now that the criminal had been caught, every part of me longed to be with her, but I was required to complete the documentation at the precinct. With Tyler's son's performance scheduled at noon, I couldn't begrudge him a day off. I'd just have to bide my time until the evening and hope that no one else killed anyone, so that I could get my much-needed fix of Bella.

Just the thought of her sent warm desire pulsing through my veins, my body wasting no time in reacting to it. My hand reached down of its own accord, but I worked to restrain the urge to take matters further. There just wasn't enough time. I sighed and grabbed the shower knob instead, turning it the other way. After dousing my thoughts and myself in cold water until they'd both calmed down, I stepped out of the shower.

I got dressed quickly and then walked down the street to The Busy Bean to grab my caffeine fix to go. The sight of the door brought back memories from the day when I'd run into Bella unexpectedly. I recalled the fury on her face and chuckled, marveling at how far we'd come in the past two months.

I stepped inside, making my way toward the long line of people waiting for their turn to order. I sighed, a little frustrated with the wait, even though it was to be expected. My usual schedule afforded me the luxury of walking out of here before the rush hour, but I was running two hours behind today.

Fortunately, the line seemed to be moving along at a steady pace. I pulled out my phone and texted Tyler to let him know I'd be there within the next hour. I checked my messages, finding several from aunt Esme. I opened them, smiling at the photographs she'd sent. Her best friend was celebrating her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary by renewing her vows with her husband at a beach in Miami. Esme and Carlisle were in the wedding party, and judging from the pictures, they seemed to be having the time of their life. I shot Esme a quick reply before placing my phone back in my pocket.

Resurfacing back to the real world, I noticed that the line had made no progress for over a minute now. I craned my neck to see who was at the counter. I could only see the top of a brunette head swaying from side to side as the indecisive woman took her time in placing her order.

I felt a pang of irritation, but then thought of my beautiful girl who would probably be the same way, picky as she was about her beverages. My petulance melted away. I pulled out my phone once again, resigned to wait as long as it took.

Soon enough, the lady was done. I vaguely registered her movements from the corner of my eye as she grabbed her mug before stepping aside. The line advanced, and I followed along.

Seconds later, the brunette who'd held up the line made her way toward the door. I was looking straight ahead, so, at first, she was merely a blip in my peripheral vision.

But as she drew closer, the shade of the long tresses obscuring her face from my view was familiar.

Far too familiar.

Before I could make a move, another patron walked into the café. The open door brought in a cool breeze, and the mahogany locks that'd caught my attention parted to reveal the beautiful face of my girlfriend.

Blissfully unaware of my presence, she grabbed the door before it had a chance to shut and ambled out on to the street, completely at ease, while my mind was spinning in circles.

It took me a couple of seconds more to command my feet to move.

I nearly ran out the door, swinging my head from side to side to look for her. Fortunately, she was just a few paces away, swiping over the screen of her phone with one hand, while the other held the coffee mug to her lips.

"Bella!" I called out. I made sure to keep my voice just loud enough for her to hear, but not so much that it'd startle her.

A fair lot of good it did.

She jumped anyway, dropping her phone on the ground. I walked over to her and picked it up.

"Hi." The word came out far more tentative than I would've liked, so much so that it was almost a question.

Regardless, it thawed Bella out of her daze. She plucked the phone from my hand. Her cheeks flushed with color, and given the way she was gaping at me, I highly doubted the nip in the air had anything to do with it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked after a moment of silence, which she seemed unwilling to fill. I frowned, thoroughly unsettled with the turn of events. "Wait. Is it . . . Thursday?"

She huffed out a breath. "No, Edward. It's Tuesday."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Then, again . . . what the hell are you doing here?"

"Getting coffee."

"You and I both know it's not that simple. You're . . . indulging," I said, using the word of her choice. "And it's not a Thursday, so something else brought this on." She bit her lip and looked away with a sigh. "I hate to badger you, Bella, but I get the feeling that you're hiding something. Please tell me everything's okay with you."

"I'm okay, I promise. You don't need to worry about that." She raked a hand through her hair and muttered something else under her breath.

I leaned closer. "I'm sorry?"

Another sigh followed.

"It's my birthday today, Edward," she admitted quietly. "That's why I'm breaking the rules."

"Wait, what?" I shook my head to clear my muddled thoughts. "It's your birthday? And you didn't tell me?"

That earned me a cocked eyebrow. "We've barely seen each other this week."

"True, but this is important information. Like, top priority," I spluttered. "I wish you'd told me, Bella. I would've loved to—"

"I know. I know you would've enjoyed making a big deal out of it, but I just wasn't feeling up to it. This is the first time I'm so far away from my family that I can't even see them for my birthday. Our celebrations were always small, quiet affairs. I like it that way, but this time, I had no one to celebrate with. Rose is working three jobs, Alice . . . Well, I knew she'd blow the whole thing out of proportion if she knew."

It was probably highly immature on my part, but I couldn't deny the sting of hurt coursing through me.

"And what about me?" I asked her, trying to mask my feelings. When she let out another sigh, I figured I hadn't done a thorough job.

"Edward, if it were just you and me, that would be perfect. But I thought you weren't going to be able to get away from the precinct until your case was sorted. I didn't want to tell you and then have you feel guilty about not being able to do anything special for me."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, the case is over. I have to get back to the precinct because Tyler has the day off today. His son has a performance scheduled at school. So enjoy all the alone-time you want in the day because we're going somewhere in the evening."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Be that way. But keep in mind that I don't want to do anything that requires more than this much energy." She held up her hand, her thumb and index finger a mere inch apart. "We've both had a busy week, and all I want is to spend some time with you."

I nodded. "Understood. Now tell me about your birthday rituals."

"Huh?"

"You said your family celebrations were simple and quiet. Tell me what you did with your mom and dad," I requested.

Bella smiled fondly. "Well, my mom has always been a very good piano player, so she would play some of our favorite songs while Dad and I would listen and sing along. Okay, I sang along. Dad would just sit there with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. I've never seen him look more peaceful and just relaxed."

An idea was already taking root in my mind as I asked her, "What else?"

"Hmm . . . We'd make our favorite desserts together. Chocolate chip cookies for me, cupcakes for Mom, and pecan pie for Dad. We'd binge on that and then pop in a movie or something. Like I said . . . low-key."

"Low-key is perfect." I leaned in quickly for a quick kiss, eliciting a gasp from her. Now armed with a plan, I could feel the excitement for this evening mount within me. "I'll pick you up at seven."

She glared at me through suspicious eyes, but I simply grinned and left it at that.

I would respect her wishes, but I'd do my damn best to give my girl a memorable birthday to cherish.

A/N: Do I sound crazy if I admit that I want one of him for myself?

Well, what do you think? Now that I've finished writing it, should we celebrate Bella's birthday with an early update? Say . . . Tuesday?

Teasers, photographs, and other details about my stories can be found in my Facebook group: Fanfiction by ForeverRobsessed. The link is available on my profile here.

See you next time!

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