"Last night boys," Charlotte knocked on their door before poking her head in. "I expect one hell of a show as your farewell."
"You always get a hell of a show from us," Jasper huffed as he put on, what he prayed would be, his last coat of eyeliner ever.
"Make it extra special tonight. I want there to be talk so that way people come in to watch the new guys." She smiled sweetly at the boys, "And if my business goes under because you three left, don't doubt that I will come after your asses."
Emmett laughed as she closed the door and walked on to the next changing room. "As much as I'm glad that we're going to be moving on with our lives, I'm gonna miss that woman. She's kept us on our toes."
"I'm sure we'll still see her," Jasper said turning from his mirror. "Did you hear that she's taken Peter on as a partner in business. There's no way that we won't be hearing from those two. Now that they're on this track, I'm sure a wedding will be soon."
"Do you have marriage on the brain, Jazz," Edward said as he came around in his first outfit.
"You're just jealous because my woman didn't need so much convincing," Jasper poked.
Edward smirked, "A bit yeah. I did tell you I was happy for you man, right?"
"Yeah, you did." He stood up and patted his friend on the back. "Bella will come around. She loves you. We can all see that."
"I know," Edward smiled. "She gave me a key to her house. I figure that's a step in the right direction. And we were meant to be together. I'm not really worried."
There was another knock on the door. Peter stuck his head in. It was the first night that he was getting to walk around as a partner rather than a dancer, and everyone could see the excitement in his eyes. "Jasper, we've got a cage request, and you're up."
Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Why is it my turn."
"Because you forced me last time," Edward shoved his friend toward the door. "Don't keep the poor woman waiting."
After watching his friend leave, he reached into his bag knowing that he didn't have much time. Pulling out his phone, he typed a quick message to Bella. Last night. I'll be home to you soon.
Bella laughed as she looked at her phone. The boys still had no idea that they were there. She couldn't wait to see their faces when they walked out, especially Jasper's. Neither he nor Alice realized what was about to happen. She'd worked it out with Charlotte, even getting a discount. It appeared that Charlotte was a woman in love, and was willing to only charge her four hundred rather than the usual five hundred.
Alice was bouncing in her seat, downing a sex on the beach that she'd snagged from the bar as she waited anxiously for her fiance to come into view. She wasn't sure whether he was going to be on the floor or the stage first, but she knew that she was going to drink in every moment of this night.
One of the dancers, or rather, former dancers took the stage. All three girls were confused to see him fully clothed in dark wash jeans and a t-shirt with the club's logo on it. "Good evening ladies," the man smiled charmingly. "Tonight is a special night. Tonight, we are going to introduce the new boys to you. But before we do that, we're going to send one of the old ones off with something special."
He smiled again and nodded to someone. Suddenly a light shone on the girls' table and the entire room turned to look at them. "One of our boys has gone and gotten himself engaged. So tonight, we're surprising him with some time alone with his fiance in the cage."
There was a combination of cheers, congratulations, boos and groans from the room. But Alice turned her teary eyes on Bella. "Did you do this?"
"It's the least I could do after what you did for me," Bella reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "Now get up there and claim your man."
Alice squealed and jumped from her seat, rushing up to the stage. The man on stage laughed and helped her up the stairs. And then Jasper was there. He wasn't wearing the same outfit that Edward had worn, and part of Bella was grateful for that. She hadn't really wanted to watch a reenactment of her own time in the cage.
"That was the perfect gift," Rose said over the music as they watched Jasper circle Alice like a man stalking his prey. "We'll never hear the end of it."
"I couldn't resist," Bella laughed as Jasper actually lunged, and Alice stepped out of their way. Jasper bared his teeth at her, and Bella could swear that she could actual heard him growl. "I mean, we probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for that first dance."
"True," Rose smiled and glanced around. She was waiting to see Emmett. Ever since she'd told him about her past, she'd had a fluttering feeling in her stomach when she knew that he was near. "Topping you will not be easy."
"We could say it's from both of us," Bella offered.
"No," Rose smirked at her friend. "This should be from you. It means a lot coming from you because of what she did for you."
"You'll think of something," Bella glanced up just in time to see Alice finally let Jasper catch her. He pinned her so that her chest was pressed against the bars and his face was buried in her neck. A cheer went up around the room as Alice clutched the bars.
"How far do you think they'll let it go?" Rose choked on a laugh as Jasper's hand snuck up Alice's shirt. "It looks like he might strip her down right there. It would be a completely different show than everyone here paid for."
"I think some of them would get off on it," Bella glanced around the room and saw how many of the women had their eyes glued to the erotic scene unfolding before them.
Jasper's mouth had ascended to Alice's ear. He appeared to be whispering something and Alice's eyes rolled into the back of her head. And she actually yelped when he bit down on her earlobe.
Chuckling was heard behind them and both Rose and Bella turned to look at a blonde they had never seen before. He bowed his head, the tips of his ears blushing. Bella raised an eyebrow. He was going to have to get rid of that habit rather quickly if he was going to remain here. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Is there anything that I can get you to drink?"
"Just a glass of Merlot for now," Bella said as she looked at the stage again.
"I'll take a SoCo," Rose said distractedly. Emmett and Edward had made their way on stage and were having a good laugh at the show that Jasper was putting on.
She leaned closer to Bella, "How long do you think it will take before they realize that we're all here?"
"Not long," Bella smiled as the idea seemed to occur to Edward. He began to glance around the room. But the lights on the stage were too bright and he couldn't see past the front three tables.
They watched as Edward called over the man who had announced Jasper and Alice's cage time. They talked for a moment before pointing him in direction of the girls. Smiling, Edward nudged Emmett and pointed in their direction before heading over.
"Hey, sweetheart," Edward leaned down to kiss Bella's cheek. "I wasn't expecting to see you for a few more hours."
"Wouldn't miss your last show for the world," she smiled. "Plus, it really seemed like the best bachelorette party."
Emmett chuckled before leaning down and pressing his lips to Rose's. Now that she'd allowed him to start kissing her, he couldn't stop. "Well I think that Jasper would agree with you."
"Don't stand around boys," Charlotte said as she passed the table. "We still have a long night ahead of us."
"Go," Bella shoved Edward back toward the stage, though her efforts were really only half hearted. She'd prefer him to stay at the table with her. "I don't want to get you in trouble with the boss on the last night."
Edward leaned down to kiss her one last time before making his way back to the dressing area. He knew that this was the last time before he would get to spend every night with the woman that he loved.
"You three are really going to stick around till the end, aren't you?" Peter approached the table with a smile on his face.
"Of course," Alice snorted. "We're taking our boys home."
Smiling, Peter placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, "I want to thank you girls."
"For what?" Bella looked up at him in confusion. What could this man have to thank them for?
"You set a lot of things in motion," he shrugged. "When Edward decided that he was ready to go, he made Charlotte see that someday I'd need to go as well. He forced her to see that it was time for a change." He stood back up and crossed his arms over his chest, smile still firmly in place. "And now, she's finally taken our relationship to the next level."
"Congratulations," Bella smiled. "I'd hate to think that Edward's decision to leave would cause everyone trouble."
Peter shook his head. "They'll be done soon. Why don't you three head back to the dressing room?"
"Thanks," Alice popped up out of her seat, ready to see Jasper again. Bella chuckled as she stood up and followed her. But they both stopped and turned around when they realized that Rose hadn't followed them.
She hesitated, staring at the empty glass on the table in front of her. She was still nervous, but knew that she couldn't really hide behind that anymore. She had bared everything to Emmett and he still wanted her around.
"Do you want to stay out here?" Alice asked as she took a step back to the table. "I'm sure the boys would be fine if we waited for them out here. I mean, their dressing room is probably going to be pretty boring."
"No," Rose stood up and shook her head. "Let's go on back."
Alice was only able to knock twice before the door was thrown open by Edward. "Hey, Pixie. How's the bachelorette going?"
"It'd be going better if you'd let me at my stripper," Alice said as she squeezed by Edward.
Everyone laughed as Alice practically launched herself into Jasper's lap. "How much did y'all let her drink," he asked around her persistent lips.
"Just as much was appropriate for a bachelorette party," Rose said as she snuggled into Emmett's side. If she was going to do this, she wasn't going to let her fears hold her back. And if she were being honest with herself, there was something very safe in the warmth that she felt in Emmett's embrace.
"So basically," Bella plopped down in Edward's chair, "All the liquor that the bar tender was willing to give her. And now she's yours to deal with."
Alice turned to glare at her friend. "I have dirt on you, little missy. So you better be nicer to me."
"You have nothing," Bella rolled her eyes and laughed as Edward forced her out of his chair and up onto the counter so that he could sit down and remove the rest of his makeup.
"I don't know," Rose taunted in a sing song voice. "I do remember a very specific tequila filled, spill all kind of night. I'm sure there was something in there that we could hold over you."
Bella felt her stomach drop. She wasn't sure if that was true. She couldn't remember much about what happened that night after about the fourth tequila shot. But she shook her head anyway, hoping the fear didn't show on her face. "You have nothing."
"Okay," Alice turned so that she was sitting comfortably in Jasper's lap, who seemed pretty content to wait until she was ready to move before he continued getting ready to leave. "I didn't want to have to do this, but I think it's time to reveal to all these boys that will make them think very differently of you."
"Alice, don't," Bella pleaded.
"You've never had sex outside of a bed," Alice blurted out.
Bella snorted, feeling an immediate sense of relief. "Is that really the only thing that you have on me? That's nothing. Lots of people only have sex in beds."
"Not normal people," Emmett snorted.
"Don't worry," Edward said as he reached down into his bag. "I'll fix that for you as soon as," he placed the ring box on her leg, letting it balance there. He didn't say the words, but it was a reminder. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his face when she didn't flinch away from the box.
Bella picked it up and turned it around and around in her fingers. She was so tempted to open it, to look at the ring so that she could remember the exact details. It worried her that the idea of it on her finger didn't scare her anymore. Was she ready to say yes?
Instead of finding out, she pushed the ring back into his chest. "Nice try buster. But that's no way to propose." And when Edward tried to get up and get down on one knee, she shook her head. "You have a one question per day limit."
Edward snorted but decided not to push it. Besides, he was going home with her. If he pushed it too far, she might not be willing to share her bed with him, and he was addicted to the feel of her in his arms.
It was less than an hour later that everyone was ready to go. Edward wrapped his arm around his girl and watched as the other two men did the same. Rose had driven, but Emmett had somehow convinced her that she had had just a bit too much alcohol to drive home, so the car he was taking her with him. Edward shook his head. Something had definitely changed there.
"So," Edward kissed the top of Bella's head, "I'm assuming that we need to make a stop by Angela's to pick up Jacob?"
"Yeah," Bella snuggled into his warmth. "I can't believe that this is it." She glanced sideways at the building.
"I couldn't be happier," Edward said. "Well, I could be," he amended. "But I'll get my ring on your finger eventually."
Bella didn't say anything. She just let him help her into the car. She wasn't willing to put up a fight. Not when the likelihood of that happening was so high. So instead, she laid her hand on the console and waited until Edward placed his over hers and drove.
Angela smiled when she opened the door, but it looked a little sad. Bella couldn't understand why. She wanted to ask, but the way Angela held herself made her hesitate. "He's upstairs. Let me go get his bag."
Bella and Edward stepped in, and noticed Ben standing not too far away, watching his wife with a similar expression. "Bella, why don't you go on up and get him. He's on our bed."
Nodding, Bella squeezed Edward's hand before heading up.
"What's wrong?" Edward finally asked, not able to handle the obvious tension in the room.
Ben glanced at Edward. He wanted someone to be able to talk to. And for the first time, Edward seemed like he might be that person. Nodding his head toward the living room, Ben led him toward the couch.
They sat down at separate ends. Ben sat forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands. "Angela and I found out today that we can't have children naturally," Ben finally said. "It makes babysitting a little more difficult, because she has to watch Jacob go home with you two at the end of the night."
Edward swallowed. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Is there anything that we can do? Do you need us to stop bringing Jacob over for a while?"
"No," Ben shook his head. "That would really do more harm than good. It's just going to take some time. Maybe soon, I can convince her to look into adoption."
Edward nodded. Bella and he weren't really to that point in their relationship. He wanted more than anything to get to that point, to have children of their own, to claim Jacob as his own. But it had never occurred to him that something could be wrong...something with him that would prevent them from being able to have children. Bella was obviously able, after all.
"I thought it was going to be me. I thought that I was shooting blanks, but it's her." Ben fisted his hands so tightly that Edward saw his knuckles turn white. "It's not right. She was meant to be a mom. And, God, she would have looked so beautiful pregnant."
Edward shook his head, "There are thousands of kids out there who would kill to have your Angela as a mother. And if the last few months have taught me anything, God has a plan. I tried to defy his plan once, and it just caused us both a lot of pain and suffering," Edward glanced up at the ceiling. He could hear someone walking about up there. He was surprised that Bella hadn't come down yet. Perhaps he and Angela were discussing the same thing.
"I know," Ben nodded before dropping his head into his hands. "But I can't even begin to imagine how she feels. It should have been me. It would have hurt her less. She would be more ready to look into adoption. But now, she thinks there's something wrong with her. There's nothing wrong with her. She's perfect."
Edward and Ben sat together quietly for a few moments. It helped Ben to talk to someone on the outside. Edward wasn't able to offer any advice, but at least it wasn't festering. And maybe soon, he'd be able to talk to Angela about it as well.
"Are you ready to go?" Bella asked quietly as she peeked her head in.
Edward nodded as he stood up and made his way over to her. He kissed the top of Bella's head and ran his fingers down the side of her face. She had dried tear tracks on her cheeks, and he was sure that she and Angela had been discussing the results as well. "Let's go home."