Chapter 14

BPOV

I wasn't sure where Edward was this morning; he'd left before I woke up and hadn't left a note. With the tension from my strange behavior last night, I didn't know how things were between us. I'd shut Edward out. Actually, it was more that I had avoided the conversation. I wasn't ready to let him in on what I had originally planned to tell him.

I would have liked to think that things were okay because when I'd snuggled up against his back last night, he'd taken my hand and laced it with his, clutching our hands to his chest. He had claimed his feet were freezing, which I quickly discovered was a lie the moment my foot brushed against his, but I didn't question him. I would be lying if I said that I didn't sometimes wonder whether he may have felt the same for me as I did him, but each time my mind took that route, it would detour and the negativity and doubt would start to settle in–especially now. Why would a man as pure and amazing as Edward want someone as weak as me? I willingly stayed in an abusive relationship for years and refused to leave. I'd used Edward as a safe haven. Surely he wouldn't be attracted to that. Then add in my physical appearance these past few days. There was absolutely nothing attractive about me.

Before I could delve further into my thoughts, my phone buzzed from the bedside table, alerting me of a text message.

Hey bitch, let me in. I'm at the door. - R

I released an exaggerated sigh. I wondered if Emmett or Edward knew about her coming. None of us thought it was wise for her to see me like this so late in her pregnancy. Lord knew if something were to happen, I'd never forgive myself. I heaved and winced as I struggled to bring myself to a sitting position before gingerly rising to my feet and slowly heading for the door.

She owed me for this.

When I reached the door and opened it, Rosalie's eyes ignited with rage as she looked me over. I couldn't help but look down in shame, uneasy under her gaze.

"That bastard better be glad that Edward got his hands on him before I did. I'm sorry to have made you get up, but the door was locked. Where's Edward?" she questioned, walking in as I shut the door behind her.

"Your guess is as good as mine. He was gone when I woke up."

"Did he leave a note?" she shot back at me, her eyebrow raised.

"If he did I haven't found it yet. Does Em know you're here?"

"No, but who gives a shit? He's just being over protective, but you're my girl and I'll be damned if anyone is going to tell me I can't see you."

With that said she gently took my arm and helped me back to the bedroom. Once we were settled in the bedroom and I'd downed another pain killer, I felt Rosalie's eyes on me from where she sat a few feet away. I slowly turned my head to face her.

"What?"

"So, you and Edward, huh?" she asked with a wicked smile.

I inwardly groaned. These interrogations were getting old. "Me and Edward, what?"

"Oh come on, Bella, cut the shit. You're pregnant, living with Edward; you're done with James…what brought you two to your senses?"

"I hate to disappoint you, Rose. Edward and I aren't together. We're doing this as friends, nothing more."

"Exactly who are you trying to convince?"

"No one!" I told her exasperatedly.

"Bella, you and Edward haven't been just friends for years, and everyone knows it."

"Rose, please, can we not talk about Edward? I've already had this discussion with both Em and Alice. I really don't want to do it again. I'm tired of talking about it. Yes, it's no secret that I am so in love with him that I can't think straight, but that's me. He doesn't feel that way about me, so there's nothing to talk about," I ranted, taking in a deep breath.

When I looked to Rose again, her eyes were sympathetic, but that didn't hide the wheels turning in her head. I wasn't sure what was going through her mind, and being that it was Rosalie, there was no telling.

"How are you feeling?" I inquired, hoping she'd take the bait for a subject change.

"Like a fucking cow. I'm so ready for this to be over and done with. And what's worse is the baby will be here in a month, and we still haven't agreed on a name."

"Brutus didn't make the cut?" The daggers she shot at me had me desperately trying to hold in the laughter as it hurt each time I did laugh.

"Emmett fed you that bullshit too? Just think of what type of ideas he and Edward will be shooting your way when it comes time for your baby."

"Yeah well, Edward I'm not worried about, but Em can leave his suggestions at the door."

"Let me know if you get into the healthier eating habits while you're preggo because I've got some killer recipes that are to die for."

Fuck that!

-OoO-

A few hours had passed and I still hadn't heard from Edward. In all honesty, I was starting to become worried that what happened last night had really gotten to him. Maybe I'd finally pushed him too far. Rose was still here. We'd covered just about everything as far as pregnancy goes, and had even started mapping out our futures, or rather our kids' futures considering they'd be born so close together they could be lifelong playmates. She'd caught me up on what I'd missed the past few days, and confided in me some of her aggravations concerning my pig-headed brother. It seemed I was going to have to have a talk with him and soon. Not only about his resistance to eating Rose's food, regardless of how rancid it tasted, but also his insatiable libido. He just couldn't get it through his thick skull that Rose was big and pregnant and those activities weren't comfortable for her. Though it would put me way out of my comfort zone, I had to talk to him about backing off and giving her some much needed space.

I could only hope that Edward wouldn't be as insensitive to my needs as Emmett was to Rose's. Then again, we wouldn't have the issue of sex to deal with considering we weren't a couple.

Right as Rose brought our lunch into the bedroom, my phone rang out and relief washed through me. It was Edward. I had never even thought of him going for a run, though it shouldn't have surprised me because it was a part of his everyday routine. But it didn't escape me that he was taking longer runs than normal. I was also wary once the call ended as Edward now knew Rose was here with me, and if I knew Edward, he had called Emmett the moment we hung up. And that meant that any minute now Emmett would come crashing through the door, beyond angry with Rose. I mean, I could understand why Emmett and Edward would be fearful of Rose seeing me this way, but Rose had a point. She was my best girlfriend, next to Alice and Angela. Nothing would keep us from being there for each other, and while I too feared what seeing me might do to her, she'd been perfectly fine since she'd arrived.

I'll admit, she had gotten a little out of hand with anger once she pulled the full story from me on what happened with James, but she managed without incident.

"Who was that on the phone?" Rose asked around a bite of her salad.

"Edward. He just finished his morning run and was going somewhere to get something to eat and asked if I wanted anything."

"Um, not to question his honesty or anything but if he was taking a morning run, why would he need his car? Surely he won't be running to get food and running back home."

I paused mid-bite, considering what she'd said. Why would he need his car? I knew he was in it because I could hear the faint sound of the radio and the hum of the motor. It seemed I had questions for him when he returned.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. Oh, and by the way, Edward heard you in the background so he knows you're here."

"Shit that means he called Emmett, and he's probably on his way as we speak. You got my back?"

"You know I do. Don't fret. Once he sees you're fine, he'll chill out."

"Oh, Bella, honey, I'm not fretting. I can handle Emmett. I just don't want to listen to his bullshit. If he pisses me off that's what the couch is for, and trust me, he and the couch know each other well."

"Don't be too hard on him, Rose. He's just worried about you and the baby. I'm sure Edward is going to be the same way once I get that far along."

"Bella, I'll be praying for you because the way Emmett worries now isn't going to have anything on Edward when it comes to you and your bundle of joy."

"Oh come on, he may be protective but he's not that bad."

"Famous last words," Rose laughed smugly as a pounding resounded from the front door. Rose and I looked at one another and echoed the name Emmett.

With an exaggerated huff, Rose got up and it was suddenly like something out of a movie. Her eyes darkened and set with determination as she took on a confident strut to the door. I'd never been more intimidated by a pregnant woman until that moment.

I wasn't about to miss this confrontation for the world, so I once again heaved myself to my feet. I reached the door of the hallway just as she swung the front door open. Emmett glared down at her, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly in anger.

"Well, hey sweetie," Rose greeted him.

Damn, she's got balls.

"Don't you sweetie me, Rose. Do you have any idea what kind of thoughts have been going through my fucking mind these past ten minutes?"

"Oh good God, Emmett! I'm fine, okay? Now chill the hell out before your head pops off," she told him dismissively with a roll of the eyes and headed back in my direction. His eyes then averted to me.

"And you, why the hell did you even let her in? Why the hell didn't you call me? Do you have any idea what could have happened…"

"Emmett, back the fuck off of her. NOW! Bella is not to blame, and don't you think a 'hi sis, how ya feeling' is a little more appropriate?" The silky smooth voice of my knight in shining armor spoke out as he came from behind my brother, his angry eyes directed at Emmett. "Fucking ass hat," Edward mumbled as he set the food down on the bar and came over to wrap his arm gently around my waist.

"Nice timing," I told him softly.

All my breath then left my body as his lips brushed my ear, "Do you want to sit in the living room? I grabbed you a bite anyway, and I'd rather not listen to these two hash it out."

As his breath fanned over my ear, my knees went weak and I meekly smiled up at him as he helped me to the couch. I took the few seconds he was gone retrieving our food from the bar to compose myself a bit. Maybe it was just me being overly hormonal, but I couldn't remember a time when he'd ever done that –and so sexily might I add.

When he returned, I caught a strong whiff of perfume, which was exactly the wrong smell on him. Especially if he'd been running.

"So, where were you?"

"What? I told you. Why are you looking at me like that?" he questioned, raising a brow and sipping on his coke.

"Yeah, I know what you told me, but here's the deal, snoop. You don't reek of sweat. Instead, you smell of perfume and you took your car. So, who's the lucky girl?" As I said that last bit, I tried to keep the look of hurt from my eyes.

"Okay, one," he started after clearing his throat, "there is no girl. And two, you busted me. I ran by your work to talk to Ben about a leave of absence for you, but ran into Angela. She told me she and Ben would be by tomorrow afternoon and you could talk to him then."

Fuck! As soon as he mentioned talking to Angela, I choked on my water.

I could only hope she hadn't told him anything because if she had, I was going to kill her!

"You didn't have to do that, E. I am fully capable of going to talk to Ben."

"I know you will be fully capable, but Bella, right now you can hardly move around the loft, and it's right now that you need the leave of absence. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds but I was only trying to help."

"No, thank you for that; it was really sweet of you. I was just saying that I could have done it myself, regardless of my pain. So how was Angela?"

"She was good from what I could tell. She asked about you and I informed her of our new living arrangement. I also gave her a heads-up about Alice as it seemed the wedding planning was getting to be too much to handle. Then on my way out she told me that she'd referred to me as your boyfriend when she was talking to the Fig."

EPOV

I watched as Bella winced through laughter at, I assume the part about the Fig.

"Oh that's great! Now the Fig is probably going to destroy his office and sabotage all my cases. You knew he asked me out last week and I turned him down flat, right?"

"Asked you out? Wait, did he not know about James?" I inwardly seethed as I spoke that prick's name.

"No, we never talked about that kind of thing at work. But apparently, he thinks you're the guy so I'd hate to be you the next time you run into him."

"Yeah, hopefully it'll be at the grocery store and I can buy the fucker a damn toothbrush and introduce him to the hygiene aisle."

We both laughed at that. I grabbed the opportunity to look Bella over. Her bruises had faded somewhat and the swelling had gone down to nearly nothing. She was very slowly returning to the Bella I was used to seeing. When I'd brushed my lips across her ear moments ago, my nose had slightly buried in her hair and I was provided a good whiff of her natural scent…freesia and jasmine.

I honestly hadn't planned on telling Bella the truth about where I'd gone this morning, but obviously my head had been so preoccupied with getting to the bottom of things that I hadn't thought about her putting together the fact that I'd taken my car or that I, more than likely, smelled of Angela or–in Bella's eyes–another woman. Thankfully, she wasn't angry at me and so far, she appeared to be okay with my explanation. I'm sure she wondered whether Angela told me anything or not. In a way, I kind of hoped she thought Angela had told me because maybe then it would have encouraged her to come forth with it herself. But it didn't matter now. I knew and that was all I cared about; the rest would come later. I just had to let Bella figure it out in her own mind, and if I had to spend every day of the rest of my life showing her affection until she realized my feelings, I would. At the same time, this only made me want to beat James' ass again. If he hadn't been a prick and hadn't laid a finger on her, things may be different. Then again, from what Angela said, it wouldn't have changed anything because all things aside, the fact remained that Bella was pregnant.

"He really gets under that skin of yours, doesn't he?" Bella asked me with a smile as she reached into the bag to grab a french fry.

"I just can't stand the guy. I don't like the way he looks at you like you're something to eat and the dude fucking reeks."

"Like I'm something to eat? Did you seriously just say that?" she laughed softly, but I could see through the smile that she was struggling to chew.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, setting down my burger.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like you're trying to bite through steel."

"I don't know. I guess it's my cheekbone or something, but it hurts like hell to chew. I ate a sandwich earlier with Rose and that was bad enough."

"I'm sorry. Have you taken your pain meds?"

"Yeah, I did when I got up," she nodded.

"Maybe you should try eating soup and softer food for a few days. Some ice on it probably wouldn't hurt either."

"Why didn't you ever go into medicine rather than law? Dr. Edward Cullen has a nice ring to it."

Is Bella flirting with me?

"Because my passion is law and trust me, not everyone receives my exceptional bedside manner," I winked at her as she actually fucking blushed and looked down.

"Well aren't I the lucky one," she whispered and grinned as she recovered from embarrassment, or whatever it was, and looked up at me.

"Um, hello?" Emmett interrupted as he came to stand in front of us. "Hate to pop the bubble you two seem to be in, but Rosie and I are going to head home. Seems I'm in the doghouse again tonight. Bells, I'm sorry for snapping at you. You know I love you and I'll call you later to see how you're feeling, okay?"

"Thanks Em, and don't worry about it. I know you were just concerned about Rose."

"Hey, Rose, any chance you might let Em out for a bit tonight to get a couple drinks with me and Jasper?" I questioned.

Rose tapped her foot in irritation and then arched a brow. "I guess, but only if me and Alice get to hang with Bella while you guys are out."

"That's up to Bella," I told her as Bella glanced at me and Emmett pleaded with his eyes to his sister.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine with me."

"Okay, I guess just text or call us when you're ready to head out. Bella, I'll see you later." Rose then grabbed her purse and walked out the front door while Emmett fist bumped me and said his goodbye to Bella by kissing her forehead. Once they were gone, I turned to Bella. Her head was hung down and she was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"Hey, you okay with me going out for a few drinks tonight? I'm sorry I didn't even think to ask you."

Bella's head snapped up in alarm.

"E, you don't have to ask me for permission to go out with Em and Jazz. I'll be fine. In fact, it'll probably be good for me to hang out with the girls and I know after the past few days, you and the guys need a few drinks. Don't worry about me."

"I know I don't have to ask your permission, B, but we're living together now and I want to be sure you're okay. If it's too soon for you and you don't feel like hanging with the girls, the guys and I can go out another night, no problem. I'll stay here and we'll have a movie night."

"Edward, stop!" she laughed and took my hand. "I want you to go out and I'm fine, like I said. Now stop worrying like a mother hen and eat your food."

"Mother hen?" I guffawed. "You've both flattered and insulted me all within fifteen minutes. I hope Alice talks your ear off. I'll make sure to enlighten her about your sudden interest in fashion design."

Bella then shoved my shoulder roughly, "You'd better sleep with one eye open if you do." She winked cheekily and then started to shift around, attempting to stand. I quieted my laughter and immediately stood, taking hold of her elbow and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Thanks, I'm okay. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom. Sit back down."

"You sure you don't want me to help you?"

"E, it's the bathroom for Christ's sake. I think I can manage. I'll be right back," Bella said teasingly and slowly walked off.

Apparently, Bella was starting to become annoyed with the helplessness. Not that I blamed her. Hell, I knew if I had someone asking me if I needed help every time I so much as blinked, I probably would have exploded by now. As much as I wanted to back off of Bella and wait for her to ask for help, I couldn't. I knew that if I did that, she'd never ask.

As I continued to ponder how to go about helping Bella without offending her, my phone began to ring and vibrate in my pocket. I looked to the bathroom to see if she was on her way out, then pulled my phone from my pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

"How's Bella doing, son?" Carlisle questioned. He was obviously working as his voice always seemed to be more hushed when coming from within his office.

"I'd say for the most part she's doing okay. Her cheekbone is causing her pain when she eats solids, so I just suggested to her that she eat soups and softer foods for a while. We took the wrap off of her ribs for her to shower, but she didn't want to put it back on. I know Bella's hurting a lot more than she's letting on."

"That's natural for her, isn't it? "

The question took me off guard and sensing that I was about to delve into a conversation I'd rather Bella not hear, I walked out onto the balcony, closing the sliding glass door behind me.

"Sorry, I had to come out onto the balcony. It's best Bella not hear anything I might say. Yeah, it's pretty natural for her. She's always been very independent in every aspect of her life with James being the only exception. Dad, I don't know what to do. She's becoming frustrated with her inability to do things for herself and although she hasn't really snapped at me yet, I know my asking her if she needs help all the time is wearing on her. I don't want to offend her or put any more stress on her than there is already."

"Edward, you aren't doing anything wrong. Bella is grateful and needs you right now. She may or may not explode, but she's dealing with a hell of a lot which is why I'm calling. Whenever she is ready, I've got a psychologist lined up for her. Dr. Kate Roberts is the best I know at helping people in Bella's position. She is willing to take Bella at any time and she'll be expecting the call. I won't keep you long, but I wanted to call and check on her. I'll email the phone number to Bella. Getting back to Bella's frustration, I do think that it's something you need to discuss with her. Only Bella can tell you what it is she needs from you. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"I won't and thanks, Dad, for everything."

"You're welcome, son. Maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow."

"That actually sounds great. Just holler at me whenever you get free tomorrow."

"I'll do that. Love you."

"You too. Bye." As I hung up, I took in a deep breath. Carlisle was right. I needed to sit Bella down and find out what it was she expected of me regarding help. Maybe that was yet another issue the guys could help me out with tonight.

BPOV

Going to the bathroom was a task I was adamant about doing on my own, without assistance. It was nothing against Edward, but despite the pain it caused me to hunch over, I needed to keep the last shreds of my dignity intact. It was bad enough that he had to help me with my wrap the other night.

Yeah right, that was pure pleasure and you know it.

I was ashamed to admit that I never really realized how blessed I was to be in great health until I couldn't do anything for myself. Kind of brought the overused phrase 'don't know what you got 'til it's gone' to mind. I guess a lot of my frustration was directed at the fact that I couldn't help Edward out around the house. Hell, he wouldn't even let me wash or dry the fucking dishes last night. I knew that he didn't do it out of spite or anything of the sort, but it still angered me nonetheless. I really needed to talk to the girls about some of this stuff tonight because the last thing I wanted was for everything to build up and for me to explode on Edward.

In truth, none of this had anything to do with Edward directly. It was all me and issues that I needed to work out and deal with myself. I was completely out of my element. The only constant I had–the only normalcy I had–was Edward. I couldn't put my makeup on; I didn't have any of my things put away because they were all still packed up. Edward had been getting my clothes for me each day to prevent me from having to get up and walk around. And the biggest part of my daily routine was missing; going to work. I'd undergone so much change in under a week that I was beyond overwhelmed and stressed out by it all. I wasn't talking about James or even the baby although they both played a large part in the stress and change. I was talking about my daily life in general. I had yet come to terms with the fact that I was now living with Edward and sharing his bed. That alone was huge.

Even though I knew his loft like the back of my hand, it had always been just that; Edward's loft. But now I had to accept it as my home as well. He'd already mentioned that he was going to begin searching for a new place with more space. Perhaps that was where I could start in transforming my life. Maybe if I just put forth the effort and interest into finding a place, maybe if we did it together, I would start to ease into this new life I was about to embark on. I don't think I was hesitant about it. I think the word scared was more fitting. I didn't know what would happen tomorrow or the day after that. My future was undetermined. All I knew was that Edward and the baby were going to share it with me and that left me feeling content. As long as I had him by my side, I felt I could do anything and confidence soon started making itself known after days of being missing in action. I smiled at my own horrid reflection and made my way out of the bathroom.

As I entered the living room, Edward was not where I'd left him. Instead, he was out on the balcony. One arm was braced against the railing as the other held the phone to his ear. He seemed to be caught up in a serious conversation from the facial expressions he was making so I took it upon myself to go through the paper and begin looking for places we could check out. I grabbed today's paper off of the coffee table where Edward set it every morning and flipped to the classifieds. As I reached into the drawer of the end table, hoping to find a pen there, I noticed the picture which sat on top in a frame. It was of Edward and me from about three years ago, before James came home. We had been at Alice and Jasper's when they'd thrown a barbecue. A water fight had broken out, and as I was running away from Emmett, who had been spraying me with the water hose, I'd stepped in a hole and rolled my ankle. Edward had come to my rescue and threw me up onto his back. Alice, always armed with a camera during those kinds of functions, captured us on camera perfectly. My arms were wound tightly around his neck and he held me on his back, slightly hunched over. We both had smiles of pure joy on our faces. I had just found my favorite picture of us. What ate at me was I'd been here countless times and had never noticed it. How could I have missed it? How long had he had it, and why? Edward didn't even have photos of Esme and Carlisle displayed around the house, so why this one?

I continued my search for a pen and just as I closed the drawer, disappointed not to have found one, Edward came walking back inside.

"Snooping around?" He joked, sliding his phone back into his pocket and taking a seat beside me.

"No, I was just looking for a pen. I saw you outside and figured that I'd go through the classifieds and start hunting for our new place."

"The other day when I brought it up, you got mad. What changed your mind?" Edward asked softly.

"I was never mad about finding a new place. I was mad because I feel like you're giving up so much of your life just to help me out. Why have I never noticed this picture?"

My question surprised even me. I had meant to say something to prevent him from arguing with me, but not that. Edward glanced at where my finger pointed and smiled my favorite crooked smile.

"You really never noticed it? How many times have you been here?" he laughed. "B, I've had that photo for two years."

"But why do you have it? That's like the only photo in this place. I haven't seen any of your family or friends."

"To be perfectly honest, that was the last time I remember you having been truly happy," Edward told me on a whisper. He never broke eye contact, but the moment seemed to become tense and I shifted my eyes downward. "But as for not having pictures up; you must have never been in my office."

"Your office? Edward, I've been there a thousand times," I replied, completely baffled.

"Not my office at work, Bella. My office here. I guess I've just never used it while you've been over. I've got tons of pictures in there. And I have this one because it's my favorite picture of you."

We seemed to fall into a few moments of silence after his declaration. Now I was really confused. I felt like I was missing something. Like that one statement held a multitude of meaning, but I was totally missing it.

"B, can I talk to you about something?" Edward asked. He seemed so serious when he asked that I was slightly dreading what he would say next.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing bad, I swear. I'm just… I don't know what to do. I want to help you in every way that I can. I could be totally wrong, but it sometimes feels like I'm offending you by offering to help you with things and I don't want to do that."

"E, you aren't offending me, okay? I'm frustrated, yes, but it's not because of something you did. I'm struggling in coming to terms with not being able to go about my daily life as I usually do. I miss work already, and it's embarrassing when I have to ask for assistance in something as mundane as walking from one room to the next. I'm not saying that I won't lose my cool, or snap before I'm fully healed, but I want you to know that if I do, it'll be out of frustration with the situation and not you. You've been my knight in shining armor through all of this, as you always have been."

"So you're ready to begin the search for what is to be our castle, milady?"

"You are such a dork," I laughed; shoving his arm playfully, but suddenly had the urge to wrap my arms around him in a hug.

So I did.

Edward's arms wrapped around me gently so as not to hurt me. We stayed like that for I'm not sure how long, his face buried in my hair as I took the moment to breathe him in. When he began to pull away, it was painfully slow. His mouth stopped at my ear, sending tingles down to my toes.

"I'll be your knight as long as you need me to be," he spoke softly into my ear and then pulled back, placing a gentle, lingering kiss on my cheek.

Just when I thought it wasn't possible, I think I fell in love with him even more after that moment and became all the more confused about his feelings toward me at the same time.

Thank God Angela was coming by tomorrow and that I was hanging with the girls tonight. I had a lot of talking I needed to do and a lot of advice to ask for.