Notes: Thanks to Sunflower3759 and Ashes Ashes for beta-ing and Content1 for validating!

Chapter Twenty: Getting Her Attention

EPOV

A lull in information from my sources led to a quiet morning for me. I found my thoughts straying to Bella and the fact that we still didn't have a resolution for what was going on with her. The dead ends in investigating Victoria, Angela, Bree, and James left me stumped.

On the off chance that it was someone from my past, I found myself poking around online and researching my ex-girlfriends. I felt vaguely guilty for suspecting them, but it was worth a try. I refused to leave any stone unturned. Bella's safety was the most important thing in the world to me.

The advantage of having the internet at my fingertips was that I could begin with Facebook. Conveniently, all three of my ex's had profiles. I shook my head, amazed that two of them had their profile set to public; stupid, but handy for me.

Faith had been the most likely candidate; jealousy had been a major issue for us. It was possible that she was still hung up on me and was taking things out on Bella; although, it seemed unlikely. After all, it had been six years.

As I went through her profile, it seemed even less likely. She was married—happily so, if the pictures were any indication—and had a new baby. In fact, as I looked through the photo, I realized she had been in the hospital giving birth the night Bella's car had been vandalized. Now that was a solid alibi.

Casey had moved to Miami and opened her own salon. Her posts seemed to prove that she had been in Florida during the vandalism. Thank you, Foursquare, I thought, as I noticed that she had checked in at a restaurant right on the beach that evening with her girlfriend. I looked quizzically at it. Yep, girlfriend. Huh, apparently my ex was dating a woman now. I shrugged; she's probably not jealous of Bella then.

Emma did not have a public profile, and I debated if I should add her as a friend, or just call her. Not wanting to wait for her to accept my friend request, I grabbed my phone, wondering if I still had her current number. By some miracle I did.

"Emma Markham speaking; how can I help you?" she answered.

"Emma, this is Edward Cullen."

There was no disguising the shock in her voice. "Edward! Hi. How are you? Sorry I didn't recognize you; I don't have your number in my phone anymore."

"I'm good. How have you been?"

"Great. I'm incredibly busy, but really great." She paused for a moment and laughed a little awkwardly. "I have to admit, I'm kind of perplexed about why you called."

"I understand," I said. "I have a couple of questions for you. It's about an article I am writing."

I gave her a bullshit story about writing an article on public transportation and comparing the different types offered in other major cities in the country. She still lived in Chicago, and apparently, my story was plausible enough because she happily prattled on about the El. She also managed to let me know that she was happily engaged, and that her wedding was just a few more months away.

It certainly wasn't concrete proof. But the more we talked, the more sure I became that Emma had nothing to do with the vandalism to Bella's car. We eventually said our goodbyes, and though I had no lingering feelings for her, it felt great to have caught up with an old friend. I loved that I could go home and tell Bella about my conversation with Emma without the slightest qualms that she'd get jealous or insecure about it.

Relieved to have at least three people knocked off my list, I spent the rest of my morning wracking my brain, trying to come up with anything that could possibly give us a lead. I was so goddamn frustrated, I felt like I was going to tear my hair out. I spent my lunch hour bitching to Mike and Eric about it, and they listened sympathetically but had little else to offer. We were at a dead end.

That afternoon, Bella texted me with the incredible news of her photograph being featured. It made my shitty mood turn right around. I was so proud of her, and I was actually whistling as I jogged up the stairs to my apartment at the end of the day.

"Hey, shutterbug; I'm home!" I called out when I finally had the door open. There was no answer, and I stopped abruptly when I entered the living room. Bella was on the couch, curled up into a little ball, wearing one of my hooded sweatshirts. Her face was a blank mask and she was staring across the room at nothing.

"Bella?" I said softly, and her head whipped around, her eyes huge and startled looking in her white face.

I dropped my bag to the ground and hurried over to her, kneeling on the floor by the couch. "Did something happen?"

She blinked and a moment later her eyes finally seemed to focus on me. "I don't know. It was so strange."

"What was?"

"James. He made a really odd comment when I left today."

She described her entire afternoon, and I frowned at her comment about Bree. She had been at the top of my list of possible suspects. But the moment Bella began to describe her encounter with James, my stomach dropped. I couldn't begin to understand a possible motive, but his comments were incredibly worrisome.

I pulled Bella close and rubbed her upper arms soothingly, my mind going a million miles an hour trying to find an angle. The problem was, there wasn't a single explanation of why James would be targeting her. At first, I'd thought maybe he was attracted to her, but he certainly didn't act like a man who was trying to get her attention.

Bree being jealous seemed like a logical motive, but nothing she had done had seemed even vaguely threatening. Her odd behavior was easily explained away by personal issues.

Even as I comforted Bella and assured her that we would figure out what was going on, I was thinking about the digging I'd already done on Bree and James. The maddening thing was I hadn't found anything on either of them. Their police records were clean, apart from a traffic violation or two, and neither had any history of violence in their pasts. Days and days of work, and I'd come up completely empty-handed.

I pulled Bella onto my lap and we sat together for a long time, her head buried in my neck, my hand softly stroking her back. I felt when the tension finally left her body as it became softer against mine.

"Do you want me to cancel tonight?" I asked softly. "We can just have a quiet night in if you want."

She sat up and shook her head. "No, I refuse to spend one more day upset about this. Whatever is going on, they're winning if I let them get to me. I'd rather just spend the evening with our friends and enjoy myself."

"Okay," I agreed. "Let's go get ready then. Want to take a shower with me?"

"Always."

When we stripped out of our clothes and stepped under the hot water, she melted against me. I leaned down and kissed her until she was moaning and whimpering against my mouth. I drew back and smiled down at her.

"Congratulations, by the way."

She sighed. "It took me a moment to even remember what you were congratulating me for. With everything that happened, I almost forgot."

"Well, try to focus on that. You're an incredible photographer and I'm so happy people are starting to recognize it."

"I was completely shocked," she admitted.

"You shouldn't be," I gently chastised her, sliding my hand down her wet back.

She shrugged. "I was up against a lot of photographers who have been doing this for years. I feel like I still have a lot to learn."

"I'm sure you do. I think one of the great things about a field like photography is that you'll always have something new you can learn. But you have a great eye, Bella. There's a raw talent there that you shouldn't discount, especially if others can see it so clearly." I brushed her wet hair off her cheek.

"Thank you." She looked down for a moment before lifting her eyes to mine again. "I love how proud you are of me."

"Of course I am," I said. "You're everything to me."

She kissed me again, and things quickly grew heated. I brushed my thumbs across her nipples as I pressed her to the slick shower wall and she moaned. I dropped carefully to my knees and took them in my mouth, licking and sucking them until they were tight. The heat of the shower made her skin flush, and she leaned her head back against the wall with a breathy gasp.

I kissed my way lower, over her stomach and down to the v between her legs. She shifted as I lifted her thigh and placed it on my shoulder, letting the heated air of my breath touch her before my lips did. She was wet and soft as I parted her lips and dragged my tongue between them. Her nails grazed my scalp as she threaded her fingers through my hair and I hummed appreciatively at the gentle tugs. It took her a little longer than usual to come; I knew she had a lot on her mind. But I could feel when she totally let go and stopped letting the thoughts in her head crowd out the pleasure.

I felt the pulse of her inner walls against the two fingers I had buried inside her. As I sucked her clit between my lips, she cried out, suddenly shuddering against me. I kept licking her softly as the orgasm subsided, and soft little tremors occasionally shook her frame when I hit a sensitive spot. She sagged against the wall as I lowered her thigh down, and she buried her head against my neck when I stood.

"Thank you," she said weakly. "I needed that."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know."

After a few moments she moved to reciprocate, but I grabbed her hand to stop her. "Not right now. That was for you."

She frowned and I grinned, kissing her pouted lips. "Later, shutterbug; you can have your way with me when we get back."

She grumbled good-naturedly, and we finished our shower and got out. I kept the mood light, teasing her with soft kisses on the ticklish spot on her shoulder and pestering her while she got ready. Although still a little subdued, I could see that Bella was making a valiant effort to not dwell on what had happened with James. By the time we were ready to leave, she was laughing and smiling, and I was able to relax a little.

We got to the bar before anyone else, although everyone trickled in shortly after. We pushed several tables together and ordered appetizers and drinks immediately. I watched Bella relax fully as she got a couple of drinks in her. She was tipsy in no time, and the stress seemed to melt away. Our group of friends was loud and happy; everyone got along well. Angela, Bella and Alice chatted about a book they were all reading, Eric and Jasper discussed video games, and Mike and I ended up talking about Jessica.

"I just don't know why she won't go out with me." He sighed and took another sip of his beer.

I shook my head at him. "Mike, you've slept with two of the other waitresses where she works. You don't exactly have a reputation for being a stand-up guy. Why do you care anyway? You want to get in her pants that bad?"

He shrugged. "Well, she really does have a killer rack. Believe me; I've fantasized about that often enough. I just … I dunno, I like her. She makes me laugh."

I nodded slowly, starting to put the pieces together. "Do you think maybe you want more than a quick hook up with her?"

"Look, man, I know you're going to give me shit about it, but yeah. I see you and Bella … and you're so fucking happy. It's kind of nauseating sometimes, but I guess I see why you were looking for that before."

We both glanced over at her, and I smiled at the sight of her giggling with her friends. A spot right in the center of my chest felt warm and full, and I reached over to touch her thigh. She gave me a distracted smile and turned back to her friends, but not before her hand dropped to mine and our fingers threaded together.

I looked back over at Mike and nodded. "It's worth it. Trust me."

"I just really think Jess is special," he said. "And you can say 'I told you so' all you want if you help me figure out how to win her over."

I grinned at him and nodded. "First of all, I fucking told you so. And second, yeah, of course I'll help."

He sighed, relieved, and I thought maybe there was a little hope for Mike Newton after all.

We spent the next half hour talking about Jessica, and I was surprised to find out that he knew more about her than I expected. She was working to put herself through nursing school. She had a son, Adam, who was six. The boy's father wasn't in the picture at all. She'd been out on two bad dates since her son was born and hadn't tried again since.

"Are you really sure you're up for this, Mike?" I asked a little doubtfully. "I mean, it's great that you want to give things with her a shot; I'm really glad you do. But a woman with a child isn't exactly who you want to be trying this with. She's always going to have to put him first, and you know, you'll have to spend a lot of time with her kid."

"I don't mind; I like kids," Mike said, and I nearly spit out my beer.

"You do?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I coach my nephew's little league team, actually."

I blinked at him in shock and realized that I'd been misjudging Mike a bit.

"So, what should I do?" He asked. "I want to get her attention and prove that I'm sincere."

"Uhm, why don't we ask the girls," I suggested. "I mean, if that's okay."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly then nodded. "Yeah, sure. We'll call it a first step in proving I'm ready for this."

I got everyone's attention and explained the situation. "So, Mike here has a bit of a thing for a girl who works at a pizza place near us. Her name is Jessica, she's a single mother, and Mike unfortunately gave her the wrong impression about the kind of guy he is."

Mike flashed me a grateful look for not elaborating further.

"Now, it's going to take a grand gesture to convince the girl that he's sincere," I continued. "He needs your help."

The girls all ooed and ahhed, and I caught the amused grin that Eric flashed at me. I trusted him not to give Mike too much shit though, and from the glances Eric kept shooting Angela, and vice versa, I thought maybe both of my friends might be settling down.

"What about flowers?" Angela asked.

"That's not bad," Alice said. "They're always a nice gesture. Edward got many points for not only bringing Bella flowers, but bringing them for me as well."

I flushed, and Bella grinned at me.

Alice continued. "But they aren't exactly that unusual. Jessica might think Mike was willing to shell out thirty bucks for a bouquet just to get in her pants."

Mike grimaced. "I want her to know it's not just that. But how do I convince her if she won't listen to me? She won't even give me a chance."

"How about writing a letter," Bella offered quietly. "You're a journalist; you obviously have some skill with words. Put that to your advantage. Write her a letter and be honest about it. Tell her what you were like before, and then tell her what's changed. Persuade her that you can be the kind of guy she's looking for."

"You think that'll work?" he asked hopefully.

"I can't promise you anything, but I think it's a great gesture that shows how sincere you are."

"Here's what you do," Angela said. "Show up at her work with Edward, give her flowers and the letter. Tell her that you have feelings for her, and you understand why she's been wary about going out with you, but you want a chance to prove that you're sincere about it. Tell her to read the letter when she gets home and call you afterward."

"Why does Edward need to go?" Mike asked, sounding puzzled. I silently agreed, curious to hear what Angela's reasoning was.

"Because girls know that a guy is way more likely to be legit if he's willing to do something potentially humiliating in front of his buddy."

Mike nodded. "Okay, fair enough. I can do that. But what the hell do I do if she agrees to go on a date with me?"

Several suggestions got thrown around the table before an idea occurred to me. "At the risk of turning into your permanent wingman, how about you and Jess go on a double date with Bella and me?"

I turned to Bella, hoping she wouldn't mind, but she was already nodding in agreement. "That will take some of the pressure off; she can see what a great guy you are without worrying about what else might happen."

"And seeing a disgustingly, in-love couple like you two can't hurt things either," Alice teased. "Maybe she'll want that for herself."

"Not to mention the fact that it comes across as a lot more sincere if the four of you do dinner and a movie; if you even attempt to be alone with Jessica at first," Angela pointed out. "It gives you way more credibility that you aren't just in it for sex."

"That's another thing," Jasper spoke up. "Absolutely, under no circumstances, are you allowed to pursue anything physical until she initiates it. Hand-holding and a kiss on the lips—no tongue—are the only exceptions."

Mike groaned, but nodded. "Okay."

"So, I think after the group date with the four of you, you should ask her out on a date that includes her son. Something kid-friendly, like a baseball game, the zoo, or one of those Disney on ice things," Alice suggested.

He nodded and didn't even flinch. That told me he was serious about this. I clapped him on the back, really glad I'd been wrong about him. As a group, we continued to discuss how he needed to behave on the dates, and I snickered to myself when he took notes on his phone. The guy had definitely fallen hard for her.

After we finished giving Mike advice, Jasper and Alice excused themselves. "Sorry man," he said, holding out his hand to me. "We have plans with my parents at an ungodly hour of the morning. They're visiting from California, and they want to cram in as much time with us as possible."

I shook his hand and grinned. "No worries. You know my family. Yours can't possibly be any crazier than that."

He chuckled. "You have a point."

He hugged Bella goodbye while Alice hugged me. It was the long, comforting hug of a good friend, and I saw her grin at something he said. He seemed good at helping cheer her up, and I was grateful that she had so many friends who cared about her.

"Thanks for taking care of my best friend," Alice whispered when I leaned down to give her a squeeze. "Keep her safe for me."

"You know I will." I smiled at her. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, you know that, right?"

"I know." She socked me in the arm with surprising strength. "Or I'd have to hurt you."

"Oww," I grumbled. "Your tiny fists are painful."

She grinned and looped her arm through Jasper's as he shook his head at her antics. "Night, guys!"

The evening broke up shortly after that, and I had just opened the door of the bar when my phone rang. I fumbled for it, surprised to see Jasper's number flash onto my screen. I was distracted, trying to hold the door for Bella and answer the phone at the same time. I nearly dropped it when he spoke, dread making my stomach churn.

"I think you better head over to the apartment, Edward," Jasper said grimly. "There's been a break-in."

Notes: First, what did you think of Mike, and their advice for him? Is he maybe redeemed a bit? It seems like Edward and Bella's relationship was a good influence on him!

And, yikes! Not good. I left you on quite the cliff-hanger, didn't I? Things are getting serious and we're just a few chapters from finding out everything!

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