Emmett knocked timidly at Rose's door. She'd been reluctant to see him since their trip to the dealership. It had actually been a little more than a week, and she'd finally called him, telling him that they needed to talk about something.
"Hey," she said softly as she opened the door. He was more than a little shocked by her greeting. He'd never seen her so meek. She'd always seemed like such a fireball. "Would you like to come in?"
"Yeah," Emmett stepped forward as she stepped back. Who was this woman who was replacing the one that he had been falling so hard for? This definitely wasn't the Rosalie who had the car dealers trembling last week.
"There are some things that you should know about me," Rose said taking a deep breath and forcing her spine to straighten. She didn't want to appear weak. Every time she thought about Royce, though, it caused her to slip back down that path.
"What is it?" Emmett sat on the couch, hoping that she would sit next to him to talk about whatever it was.
But she couldn't do that. She sat in the chair cattycorner to him. "There is a lot that you don't know about me, Emmett. Mostly because I really didn't want you to know it about me."
"You can tell me anything," he leaned forward, hoping to appear open.
"I don't do relationships, Emmett," she looked into his eyes, hoping to appear more in charge of the situation. "I haven't done relationships for a really long time. Because people get hurt in relationships."
"They don't have to," Emmett scooted forward a bit more.
But Rose held her hands up to stop him. "I need to get through this. If you start to talk, I'll never get this out, and you're the first guy in a really long time that I've wanted to try with. So that means that you need to know this."
Emmett sat back in his seat and waited for her to continue. He didn't have the slightest idea of what it was that he was going to find out, but he knew that, outside of finding out that she was actually a man, this wasn't going to change anything. Rosalie was the most impressive woman that he'd ever known. And he had no intention of letting go of her.
"When I was in college, I was dating this guy named Royce King. I thought he was perfect." She tried so hard to keep eye contact with Emmett. "He came from what is considered 'old money' and he was far from unattractive. When he took interest in me, there just wasn't anything I wasn't willing to do to become who he wanted."
Emmett remained as still and as calm as he could. He didn't particularly want to hear anything about former relationships. The idea of other men touching Rosalie was not something that he was comfortable with. But he listened, knowing that he may finally be getting to her, getting her to let him in.
"We dated for three years. I thought it was my fairy tale come true. I was going to get the perfect life, with the beautiful babies and everything." Rose finally looked down, finally unable to handle her own weaknesses. "But I was so wrong. Royce did plan to propose to me. He intended to make me his wife, but only in name. Only because I was acceptable to his parents. Only because I would look pretty on his arm when we went to society events."
She scratched her nose, trying not to cry. "It was the ultimate betrayal when I discovered who he was really in love with. It was my best friend, the girl I had roomed with my freshman year. I actually caught them in his bed one night. I suppose it wouldn't have hurt so bad if it had been anyone else. But they had been together before we even got to college. His parents hadn't accepted her, so they had found a cover. They found me. Vera actually chose me and then became friends with me." She shook her head, "I can't understand what they did, because I always thought that he loved me. He lied to me, she lied to me."
"It was screwed up," Emmett scooted forward again. "Rosalie, something was seriously wrong with those people. Both of them. Royce for not realizing that there's not a more perfect woman in the world than you. And Vera, well that was just kind of sick, wasn't it?"
Rose choked on a laugh. "I have a really hard time trusting people," she admitted. "My parents had been disappointed that I'd run from such an advantageous marriage. My parents had come into their own wealth, but the name Hale doesn't carry near as much weight as King. And when I told them about the whole situation, my father disowned me for not thinking about the family and what good it would have done us."
"There have only been two people who I've let in since all of that happened. The first was Alice." Rose shook her head. "The pixie was standing in front of my house with her car door open when my parents shoved me out the door without so much as a suitcase. She just stood there, 'Don't ask, just get in. You're going to need me.' If I had been thinking clearly, I never would have gotten in that car. But I'm thankful every day that I did. Alice and her parents were the only people who stuck with me. Even though Alice's parents didn't have much money, they supported me through my last year of college, just because Alice told them to. Whenever Alice tells you something, there's not much use in going against her. She's always right."
Rose finally looked back up at Emmett. "That's why I'm taking this chance. I'm betting on Alice, which means that I'm willing to bet on you."
"What's Bella's story? Why did you let her in?" Emmett asked quietly.
Rose smiled, "Are you snooping for Edward, or are you honestly curious?"
Emmett shook his head, "Edward doesn't need my help. He and Bella are supposed to be together. They'll figure that out on their own. You just said that there were only two people that you'd let in, I only assumed that the other one was Bella."
"It is," Rose admitted. "I suppose that was a sense of kinmanship. I felt a connection to her when I saw how awful that husband of hers treated her."
"I want to be one of those people that you let in," Emmett said after a few moments. "I know that you have to have men coming at you from every direction, but I want you to give me a chance. I really think that you and I could really have something amazing."
"I want to believe that. But you have to understand how difficult this will be for me." She stood and went to sit beside him on the couch. "I need you to accept that I'm going to try, but that I'm going to get scared sometimes."
"Just tell me when you're scared," Emmett took her hands gently in his. "Talk to me, let me in."
Rose nodded, leaning forward she pressed her lips to his softly, giving into her desire for him for the first time.
"I'm done with the club at the end of the week," Edward said as he and Bella enjoyed their lunch.
"Wow," Bella placed her sandwich down. She had known that this was coming soon, but it was still a bit of a surprise when it happened. "You're last day is?"
"Friday night," he placed down his own sandwich. "We're going to introduce the new boys in throughout the night. And then, as soon as I get off, that's it."
"That's it," Bella said quietly. "Are you happy?"
"Yeah," Edward smiled and bounced his knee, Jacob gurgling and giggling from his spot in Edward's lap as he bounced. "I've been waiting since you fell back into my life to be out of that hole. I want to be able to spend time with you and Jacob. I want to actually go on a date with you on a night outside of Tuesday."
Bella smiled, "How do you want to celebrate?"
"Let's go home," Edward said pulling out a couple of pieces of paper from his briefcase and sliding them across his desk to her. "I think it's the perfect chance for us to do so. Next week is Spring Break. I've already talked Mrs. Cope into letting you go for the week."
Bella pulled the pages toward her, realizing that they were a flight itinerary for three. "You shouldn't have spent so much money," her brow furrowed. "Three round tickets must have cost you a fortune."
"Not so much as you'd think," Edward reached out and took the papers so that she was looking at him again. "Come home with me, Bella. When was the last time that Chief Swan saw his grandson?"
"Just after he was born," Bella admitted. "He caught a flight here when he found out that I'd gone into labor."
"I want you to come to Forks with me." He reached out and took her hand. "I haven't spoken to my parents in years. And I'd really like to go home and talk to your father, maybe get him on my side, get his help on getting you to marry me."
"I'm not sure he's really your biggest fan," Bella squeezed his hand. She didn't want to accept something so expensive as a plane ticket. It made her feel like she was being bought. But the tickets had already been paid for, and she couldn't deny that she'd like to go home to see her father. She missed him. And she wanted him to know that she'd picked herself back up, that she was supporting herself and Jacob pretty well. She wanted him to be proud of her.
"I don't blame him." Edward shrugged. "I was stupid, and he has every right, responsibility really, to hold it against me."
"Maybe," Bella acknowledged. "Where are we staying?"
"Well," Edward scratched the back of his neck. "As much as I'd like to continue to sleep with you, I know that you're father would probably prefer that we stayed in separate beds. It wouldn't be easy to convince him that all we do is sleep. And your father will want you to be with him. He'll want to have you under his roof, and I won't keep you from him. So you'll probably stay with him and I'll stay with my parents. I have a lot to make up to them."
"That seems reasonable," Bella picked her sandwich back up. Bella didn't like the idea of not having him in her bed anymore either. After that first night, she had given him a key. It had been a big step, but she hadn't slept that well in so long. So she'd given him her key and told him to come to bed after work, when he could.
And Edward had. There had been only two nights in the past week that he hadn't come in late and wrapped himself around her. The first had been the night that he and the others had declared the new boys to be ready. Instead, they'd gone to Emmett's, drinking themselves until they couldn't get off the couch. The other had been the night before. He'd really needed to do laundry. If it weren't for the lack of clean underwear, he would have forced it to wait. "We'll see each other during the day, and in the long run, a week is nothing. I mean, I plan on spending the rest of my life with you."
"Oh, don't tell me that you're going to propose here," Bella sighed. "This is where we work."
"I wasn't going to propose," Edward patted his pocket. "If you suddenly change your mind, though. I think you should know that I always have it on me."
Bella smirked. She wasn't surprised. "And you can keep it, for now." She knew that if he stuck around, she was going to give in.
"Hey, Ally," Jasper pulled on his jeans as he walked around his apartment, trying to find his illusive little pixie. She'd been in bed with him only moments ago, but she seemed to have disappeared. "Alice, I have to head into the club soon, where are you?"
"Jeesh," he heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on before Alice joined him. "Can't a woman go to the bathroom in peace?"
"Sorry, darlin'. I just didn't want to leave without sayin' goodbye." He wrapped his arms around the tiny woman and pulled her into him. "Are you still gonna be here when I get back?"
"I'm probably going to go hang out with Bella for a little while. But I'll come back after that." Alice placed her chin on his chest so that she was looking up into his eyes. "Why, were you looking for another ride cowboy?"
"Always," Jasper smirked. "But I really just wanted to know if your warm little body was going to be taking up my whole bed when I got back from work tonight."
"Always," Alice laughed. She looked up into Jasper's eyes, seeing, not for the first time, where she was supposed to be. She'd been right when she first said that they would make a good team. They'd proven it when they gotten Bella and Edward together. Then they'd proved it again when they had gotten together themselves. "Marry me."
Jasper chuckled, "Well it sounds like you're stealing my thunder a bit there, darlin'. Where I come from, the man asks the woman."
"You were taking too long," Alice pouted.
"You're right," he smiled. "Less than a month is just way too long. Heaven forbid we'd gotten the full month before marriage entered the equation."
Alice huffed, "Are you going to marry me or not?"
"Well since you asked so nicely," Jasper leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "I just wished you'd waited a few more weeks, then I would have gotten down on one knee and everything."
"What were you waiting for?" Alice asked curiously.
"Well to stop allowing other women to touch me for one," Jasper shrugged. "I was hopin' that when I got out of the club, I would have more time to think of a romantic way to propose."
"I don't need romance," Alice laid her head over Jasper's chest. "I just need you."
Jasper squeezed her more tightly. "Still want a ring, right?"
"You think I'd give up the chance of a huge rock?" Alice smiled up at her fiancé.
"NEWS!" Alice sputtered excitedly as she entered Bella's house. "I've got something I have to tell you."
"Okay," Bella couldn't stop herself from laughing as she watched her friend bounce excitedly into the apartment. "What's this big news?"
"Jasper and I are going to get married," she smiled smartly and plopped down on the couch. She bounced giddily. "I asked him just a few minutes ago."
"Wow," Rose sat down the glass of wine she was about to take a sip from. "Talk about stealing the wind from a guy's sails. Did you even give Jasper a chance to do it himself?"
"Why?" Alice shrugged her shoulders. "It's not as if it's going to make Jasper question his masculinity. If it does, I could always let him prove it to me in the bedroom."
"How many times am I going to have to chastise you about what you say in front of my son?" Bella huffed.
"Is no one going to give me the proper response," Alice's eyebrows shot up.
"Of course we're happy for you," Bella sat down and hugged her friend. "You just took us by surprise with the whole 'asking Jasper to marry you,' thing. I really figured that you'd want him to propose to you."
"Who knows how long that would have taken." Alice shrugged and hugged Bella back.
"Congratulations, Alice," Rose scooted over so that she could join the girls in their hug.
A few minutes later, Rose was pouring everyone a glass of champagne to celebrate properly. "I have some news as well," she said biting her lip slightly. "I don't want to steal your night, but I know you'll want to hear this Alice."
"What is it?" Alice bounced excitedly. She wasn't sure how her day could get any better, but Rose had good news.
"I told Emmett about Royce," she passed the glasses out. "I told him everything. I told him about Vera and my parents. I didn't leave anything out."
"Thank God," Alice bounced excitedly. "You and Emmett will be so good for each other."
Bella was still a little shocked to hear that her friend had opened up to Emmett. She hadn't opened up to her until after her divorce. Even then, she got the feeling that there were parts of the story that she wasn't getting, not that she was going to force the situation.
"So what do we want to do to celebrate all this good news?" Alice asked excitedly.
"We could go to the club Friday night," Bella suggested. "It would be our last chance. That's the night that the new boys are going to be shifted in. It could be fun."
"That's perfect," Alice smiled at her friend before bringing the champagne to her lips and downing the whole glass. "That's where all of this started it would be so wrong not to be there when they leave. I mean, they're really leaving because Bella came back into Edward's life."
"Oh, I will miss seeing Emmett up on that stage," Rose lamented.
"How many times did you go?" Bella asked incredulously. "I've only been to the club once during working hours."
"I may go more often than that," Rose admitted. When the other girls looked at her in question she raised her hands. "I wasn't ready to date Emmett, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to see him. It was just easier to do so from a dark corner of the club. I always made sure that I was in a section that he didn't serve."
"If you weren't so adorable, that would be stalkerishly creepy," Alice pinched Rose's cheek. "So it's a plan then. We're going to do an early bachelorette by watching our boys in action on stage one last time."
Bella laughed at the absurdity, and decided not to bring up that watching your fiancé strip was not a normal bachelorette party.
"Now," Rose snuggled up to Alice. "It's time for the more important question. Who is going to be your Maid of Honor?"