A/N: Hey there! I'm glad I could keep my promise to post this before Christmas, if only barely. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to get this final chapter right.

Thanks to you all for being along for the ride. I know time between updates was long, and some of you were exasperated with our couple at times. However, I hope the grand finale will be to your liking.

Even though there will be an epilogue, I want to take the chance to thank my team of betas and pre-readers for all their hard work, and I can assure you it's not easy to handle my overuse of certain words, run-on sentences, and split infinitives. Midnight Cougar, evelyn-shaye and LaPumuckl, I'm grateful beyond words for what you've done for me. Without you, this journey wouldn't have been any fun.

Now, let's see how Bella managed her time away from Edward and if he succeeded with his plan. See you at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Married At First Side...

******TtK******

Chapter 25 – Home Is Where the Heart Is

~Bella~

When I came home from working at the diner the first night after Edward returned to Manhattan, I found my dad at the kitchen table, a can of Rainier in his hand.

"Hey, Bells. Long day?" He greeted me with concern edged on his face.

I sighed, then turned to the fridge to get myself a beer.

"Yeah, but I'm used to those." Opening the can, I sat down across from him and took a sip. When I looked up, my dad's dark eyes were on me expectantly. I let my shoulders slump, then continued. "It's just that I'm also used to coming home to my husband waiting for me."

Charlie stiffened almost imperceptibly, steeling himself for his next words. "Bells, I know I should have talked to you about it earlier, but maybe it took me seeing you two together to fully understand." He nervously ran his finger through the condensation on the beer can, his gaze glued to his action. "I should have been at your wedding. Hell, you're my baby girl. You have no idea how much I wanted to walk you down the aisle, but I couldn't stand by and watch you make possibly the biggest mistake of your life. Now I know that, whatever might have happened, I should have been there for you." He took another moment to gather his next words. "I still can't understand why you felt the need to marry someone you'd never met, but I'm glad it worked out for you." A smile broke its way onto his face. "That husband of yours is a decent guy, and he clearly loves you a lot."

I knew it wasn't easy for Charlie to admit to having made a mistake, but in doing so, he basically asked my forgiveness. In turn, I felt as though I owed him the truth. Well, enough of it he wouldn't change his opinion of Edward.

"It hasn't always been like that. In the beginning, we had our differences. To be honest, we fought like cats and dogs. It took us a major blow up to get our shit together. But since then, everything's been almost perfect." Hoping it would never become an issue, I decided to keep the bet and Edward's deception to myself. However, I needed Charlie to know I missed him at the wedding, so I added a low, but grave, "For what it's worth, I wanted you to walk me down the aisle, too." Then, to lighten the mood, I concluded, "Maybe you'll get the chance another time."

After looking contemplative for a moment, my dad shrugged. "Naw, I don't think you two will ever get a divorce."

"I hope we won't," I agreed. Although, part of me did wish for a do-over of our weird wedding — with me walking toward the man I loved, all my family in attendance, and real, heartfelt vows. Maybe we'd get a chance to do it someday.

Charlie changed the topic after that, and I was glad everything was back to normal between us.

****TtK****

One week in Forks, and I was ready to run away screaming. Sure, everyone was nice enough to the girl who'd supposedly made it big in New York and was now back to help her former mentor in need. Wherever I went, people who hadn't known my name back in the day were now friendly and chatted me up about our mutual past. I always smiled back and let them believe I was as happy to see them, as they were to have met me.

Charlie and I got the chance to spend some quality time together, talking deep into the night, going on walks, and even watching some games on TV. A couple times, he asked me about our honeymoon, our apartment in New York, and our plans for the future, but neither of us mentioned his absence from our wedding again, and that was fine with me. I hadn't spent that much time with my dad since I moved out eight years ago, and while that sweetened the deal for my staying in Washington, it simply wasn't enough.

Every night after work, I called Edward, mostly waking him from deep sleep, which was audible in his voice, and I felt bad for keeping him from his rest. He always tried to make our calls last as long as possible, but since he was often too tired to tell me much, our calls were rather short. Regardless, he never failed to remind me he loved me and missed me, which made my eyes prickle and my breath hitch when my need to be close to him overwhelmed me.

The feeling of loneliness and resignation was particularly strong the night I'd had to tell Edward I probably wouldn't come home as planned. In the beginning, Mrs. Cope was expected to be back on her feet after two weeks, and if not, her cousin from Seattle, who had some experience in running a kitchen, was supposed to take over for me. As it turned out, Shelly wasn't healing as predicted, and her cousin was delayed indefinitely for personal reasons.

Just as anticipated, Edward was disappointed and frustrated when I told him, but thankfully, he didn't take it out on me or even ask me to drop everything and rush back to him. For a moment, I considered doing exactly that, until reality caught up to me, reminding me that, while I was needed here, I was unemployed in New York. In light of that realization, I would have been stupid to leave someone who needed me to go back to sending out resumes, only to be rejected yet again. So, I let the tears fall and resigned myself to my fate, staying put in Washington for as long as I had to.

From that day forward, our phone calls changed. I still told Edward about my days, the time I spent with Sue, my dad, and the few other people I truly cared about, and he still told me about CMM and his job he hated. However, I felt as though he was leaving things out, not telling me something that was going on in his life. It wasn't that I doubted his love for me or suspected him to be cheating, it simply sensed something was off, and I didn't know what it was.

Jake was acting strange, as well. When he called me a couple days after I hadn't returned with Edward, he was incredulous, reminding me of how much I hated living in Forks. He also asked me if I was aware, my "hot-ass husband" was alone, pining after me.

Then, a week later, after I agreed to loan him a cookbook, our talks became fewer and farther between, almost as though he were avoiding me. I had no idea what was going on, and since he and Edward weren't the best of friends, I didn't connect his strange behavior with my husband's.

At least my girls were consistent in their begging me to leave Podunk, WA behind and rejoin them in the Big Apple. Tanya, having fled a hicktown in Tennessee, was the most adamant about me speeding back, so I wasn't stuck in the backwoods, while Jess whined about me having to meet her boyfriend, Lucas, who was "the One." Sadly, I suspected he'd turn out to be just "another one." Ange was the easiest to talk to, considering she only reminded me that she missed me and was hoping to see me soon.

****TtK****

Weeks passed, and I fell into a routine of working and missing Edward more and more each day. Many nights, I woke up drenched in sweat, breathing hard. When I came to, realizing my hot dream was just that, and the truth that I was in my old bed in Forks, cold and alone, sank in, I sobbed into my pillow until sleep was merciful and reclaimed me. The worst was, I had no idea how long our separation would last.

Even though I didn't know if I'd get a chance to be home in New York for the holidays, I'd bought presents for everyone who was important to me. As the days went by, Christmas came closer and closer, and although we'd avoided talking about it for weeks, there came a time when I couldn't deny it any longer. I wouldn't be able to get back to Manhattan in time to open presents with my husband.

Every time I started to steer the conversation in that direction, maybe to ask Edward if he could come to Forks to be with me, he changed the subject or ended the call. Then, beginning with the Monday prior to Christmas, I wasn't able to reach him at all. All my calls went to voicemail, either directly or after the allotted amount of rings. He only responded with a short text here and there.

I had a very bad feeling. In his messages, he still assured me he loved me, but I was getting the sense things were falling apart. My erotic dreams turned into nightmares, mocking me with memories of things I once had.

With stressful days and fitful nights, I was close to my breaking point five days before Christmas. Right when I was about to cave and have a long, hard cry, my phone rang with Jacob's tone. Wiping away the tears that had escaped already, I accepted the call and greeted my best friend.

"Hey, Bells. What's going on? You don't sound too good?" His inquiries proved how well he knew me.

"I'm fine, Jake." I was quick to let him know. "It's just that it's almost Christmas, and I haven't talked to Edward in days. Every time I bring up the topic of not being able to be home, he cuts me off. It's as though he's trying to make the problem go away by avoiding it or he's hiding something."

"How's Shelly?" He continued after a short break without saying a word about my predicament.

I sighed, wiping away another tear. "Her ankle's still swollen, and it has been almost four weeks. She won't be able to start physical therapy until she is able to weight-bear and more of the swelling is gone."

Only the previous day, I'd learned Shelly's forced vacation had been extended indefinitely. I was devastated, and really needed to speak with my husband, but once more, he wasn't available.

"Well, I have good news, so listen up, Bells." Jake interrupted my somber thoughts. "A friend of mine told me about his brother opening a new restaurant in Manhattan. It's going to be modern Italian, and he's looking for a head chef. I set up an interview for you on Saturday."

Stunned, I stuttered, "S-Saturday, like this Saturday? Like Christmas Eve? And in New York?"

Jake chuckled. "Yes, silly. The guy is very eager to meet you. I'm sure this is the chance you've been waiting for!"

It sure sounded promising. But, dammit! What about Shelly? "Jake, what about the diner?" I asked with my heart pounding in my chest. What if this was my chance and I wasn't able to go for it, because I couldn't leave Shelly hanging?

After a moment of silence, Jake's deep, soothing voice said, "I know you're the one who's kept everything afloat for the past month, but talk to her. I'm sure there is a way."

I wasn't, but I agreed to try. We said good night and decided to make plans for my return once I'd spoken to Mrs. Cope.

****TtK****

I still hadn't talked to Edward when I went to see Shelly the next morning. As usual, she called for me to come in, and I found her on her couch, foot elevated.

"Hey, Bella. What brings you here?" She motioned for me to take a seat.

I felt bad, coming to ask her if there was a way she could let me get out of our arrangement, but I had to think about my future. Taking a deep breath, I told her. "Shelly, I had a call last night, and I was asked to come in for an interview at a restaurant in Manhattan this Saturday."

Nervous, I looked at her to gauge her reaction. Surprised to see her smile instead of looking disappointed or worried, I waited for her to let me know what she was thinking.

"Bella, sweetheart, you've been a godsend these last four weeks. There's no way I could have kept the diner open without your help. I'll never be able to thank you enough or repay you what I actually owe you. But even though I'd love to keep you here, I knew it was only temporary. If you have to go, you have to go."

Her words stunned me even more than her mild expression. "But what about the diner?"

"Well, I'd already considered closing after lunchtime on Christmas Eve and reopening the day after Christmas when my cousin should be able to take over. Don't worry, honey. We'll manage."

Without a word, I got up and threw my arms around her, sniffling into her shoulder.

"Oh, Bella, don't cry. It's okay. Now, book a flight and show New York who's boss."

After assuring her I'd do my best, and I'd finish my shifts at the diner that day and the next, I left her with my best wishes for a quick recovery.

****TtK****

Charlie and Sue weren't happy I was leaving so close to the holidays, but on Christmas Eve morning, I boarded a plane from SeaTac to JFK. I hadn't talked to Edward since Monday, apart from the few voice mails we'd exchanged.

Not wanting to tell him about my return in a message, I decided to leave him a last, vague voice mail. I hoped I would surprise him when I came home to celebrate Christmas with him.

"Hey, baby. So, here's another message. I wanted to let you know I'm okay and you won't be able to reach me for the next several hours. I'll talk to you tonight. I love you."

I wasn't sure what I'd find once I returned to our apartment. Edward wasn't the tidiest person and often left a mess, but that wasn't what I was worried about. Not having talked to my husband in almost a week, I felt there was more separating us than just the expanse of the continent. Regardless of how I suspected he was keeping things from me and pulling away, I still believed he loved me and wanted me back. Maybe the time apart had gotten to him, and it was easier for him not to talk to me.

I'd never missed anything or anyone as much as I'd missed Edward these past four weeks. While my heart ached every time I heard his voice but couldn't feel his touch, I needed to talk to him every day. Even more, the last several days without our phone calls had worn on me. I didn't think I could take any more separation.

Although I hadn't slept at all the previous night, I was too nervous and keyed up to get any rest on the flight. I had no idea where the new restaurant was or what it would be like, but I knew I wanted the job — needed the job. I also needed to be close to Edward. Four weeks apart was enough, and I had to make up for lost time.

Jake was the only one who knew my itinerary. He was supposed to pick me up and take me to my interview, since he was the one who'd set it up in the first place.

After retrieving my luggage from the carousel, I exited the airport and found Jake leaning against a blue Ford sedan, waiting for me in the pick-up lane. He beamed at me the moment he laid eyes on me, and rushed forward, crushing me to his chest.

"Dammit, Bells, I missed you. Don't you ever stay away that long again."

I hugged him tight, assuring him, without words, I didn't intend to. After a long moment, we let go of each other, and Jake loaded my luggage into the trunk.

"Where did you get the car?" I asked as I buckled up. I'd expected him to pick me up in a cab.

"Oh, Jack and Cynthia from across the hall offered to let me borrow it whenever I wanted. I thought today would be the occasion to take them up on it," he explained. Starting the car and weaving out of the parking spot, he merged into the bumper-to-bumper traffic around the airport.

We made small talk, not touching on the heavy stuff — like my husband avoiding me and the impact my long absence might have had on my marriage. I had no idea where exactly we were going, but Jake assured me we were right on time.

I didn't pay too much attention to our surroundings, but did a double take when he finally killed the engine in front of what used to be Volturi's.

"What are we doing here?" I demanded in complete confusion. Surely, Felix wasn't in the market for a head chef. As far as I'd heard from my former coworkers, things weren't going too well for his modern approach to Italian cuisine.

"This is where your interview is," he replied, as though it were the most logical thing in the world.

Looking at the front of the building once more, I was surprised to see the GUSTO! sign gone, and in its place a new plate, stating the name of the restaurant as Spezia.

I had a million and one questions on my mind, but before I got the chance to ask one of them, Jake rushed me out of the car.

"Come on, it's time. You don't want to be late and make a bad impression." He gestured for me to get out. "Call me when you're done, then I'll take you and your luggage home. Good luck, Bells."

He leaned over the middle console, placing a kiss on my cheek, then made me hurry out of the car. Standing rooted to my spot in front of the building I knew so well, I heard the car pull into traffic and vanish, leaving me behind with absolutely no desire to walk into the new restaurant.

Even though what Felix had done with the place wasn't particularly my taste, I'd had to admit it turned out appealing. However, it had hurt to watch him make so many changes at something I loved the way it was. With that knowledge, I didn't really want to go in and see what the new owners had changed. Regardless, I'd made up my mind when leaving Washington that I'd do whatever was required so I could stay and work in New York.

Steeling myself for what I was about to find inside, I walked toward the unlocked door. With a last deep breath, I pushed it open and entered.

The guest room wasn't what it had been under Felix's reign. The cold and modern chairs had been replaced by comfortable-looking, dark-wood frames with light cushions, the abstract paintings on the walls were gone, and in their place were classic Italian landscapes, and the steel lamps had been exchanged for warm, vintage-looking glass ones that created a particularly romantic atmosphere. The walls, which Felix had painted white and gray, were restored to their old beigey-off-white color. Overall, the new setting was precisely how I'd pictured my own restaurant.

I swallowed the sadness that was bubbling up, reminding myself I'd done the right thing by declining Marcus's offer, and carefully put one foot in front of the other in search of the newest owner.

"Hello?" I called out as I made my way into the familiar rooms, confused when I didn't get a reply.

As I turned the corner to the back part of the guest room that also led to the kitchen, my breath hitched when I found the whole room lit by hundreds of tealight candles. But, what shocked me the most was to find my husband standing in the middle of the room, his eyes shining with nervous excitement.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You're here for a job," he replied, matter-of-fact, not giving anything away.

I took a couple steps toward him, but stopped, still at a good distance away from him. I hadn't seen Edward in four weeks, and my heart ached for me to touch him, kiss him, and hold him, and never let him go. However, my bewilderment was getting the better of me, and I stayed where I was. "Where is the owner of the place?"

Edward's face lit up as though he were in on a secret no one else knew about, and all he said was, "They're here."

I took another look around, not being able to find anyone but us. "Where are they exactly?"

Now Edward was the one closing the distance between us, tentatively taking my left hand with his right. "They're here. They're you and me, or rather, you."

His gaze held mine, and the total conviction in his eyes didn't do anything to clear up my confusion. "That's impossible. Felix bought the place from Marcus."

"And I bought it back," Edward stated simply.

I extracted my hand from his, not because I didn't want him to touch me, but I needed the freedom to walk a few steps without being held back. "How's that even possible? And where did you get the money?"

My back was to him, scanning the room for every little change I hadn't noticed yet, when his reply hit me like a ton of bricks.

"It's a long story, and I'll tell you later if you want to know all the details, but long story short, Microsoft offered us a deal to buy our game." He cleared his throat. "And after Jake told me you turned down Marcus's offer to buy the restaurant, I moved heaven and earth to get it back for you."

There was a lot of information in that one sentence, but one part stood out to me. Swirling around to face him, I choked out, "You sold your game? How will you run your business now?"

Edward smiled a smug little smile. "Well, they offered us a million, but we negotiated and sold for one and a half, plus the option of selling them our next one, as well. With your fifty thousand investment repaid and ten percent share in our profit, you and I are almost equal partners in this restaurant."

Tears of happiness, sadness, and bafflement brimmed in my eyes, and I had to shake my head to clear my sight. "Wally was your baby. How could you sell him?"

Edward walked to me for a second time, picking up both my hands in his. "The guys and I were in complete agreement that we wanted to do this to help you as you helped us. You mean more to us than any game ever could."

The sincere expression on his beautiful face caused a sob to escape from my throat, and I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding him in a vice grip. I'd never doubted his love for me, but not in my wildest dreams would I have been able to imagine him loving me that much.

"Oh Edward," I whispered between snivels. "I can't believe you did all this for me. No one has ever done anything so thoughtful. Thank you so much."

Kissing my neck soothingly, he cooed, "I love you, Spice. There's almost nothing I wouldn't do for you. But I don't deserve all the credit. I had a lot of help."

I knew, and I definitely planned to thank every single one of our friends, but right now, I needed to reconnect with my husband. Releasing my hold on his neck, I pulled back, locking my gaze with his for the blink of an eye, then I crushed my lips to his so hard it almost hurt. There would be time to be gentle later. Right now, the four weeks I hadn't seen Edward were taking their toll.

Within seconds, our tongues were tangling in a heated kiss, his taste I'd missed too much, driving me crazy. Hands were groping everywhere, tugging at clothes as I ushered Edward toward the small office. My coat and scarf fell to the floor somewhere on the way.

As the door opened, I stopped short when I noticed a very comfy-looking couch had replaced Marcus's old one. I shrugged it off, pushing Edward farther toward it until his calves hit the seat and he plopped down in the middle of the cushions.

Hooded eyes looked up at me from a startled face, and I smirked as I went down on first one knee, then the other, my hands reaching for Edward's belt, unbuckling it, and unzipping his dark jeans in record time. It didn't take a lot of coaxing for him to lift his hips so I could push all pieces of offending clothes down to his ankles.

"Shit, Spice, what are you doing," Edward hissed, as I wrapped my hand around his rock-hard dick.

"What does it look like?" With that being said, I stuck out my tongue and licked off the drop of pre-come that glistened at the tip. It wasn't the most delicious taste in the world, but the intimacy and eroticism of the act had me moaning alongside my husband.

I looked up at him through my lashes and found him staring at me through black eyes, his breath heavy. Running my tongue over my lips theatrically, I held his gaze as I leaned forward and slid my mouth down on him as far as I could.

The heartfelt "Fuck!" that fell from Edward's lips was all the encouragement I needed to start sucking him in earnest. I bobbed my head up and down, swirling my tongue around the tip, pushing back down. After only two strokes, I felt him throbbing in my mouth, and he placed his hand on the nape of my neck, his fingers gently weaving into my hair to guide my movements.

Instead of increasing the speed, he slowed me down, panting heavily with every lick and suck. It felt as though he was swelling further as I lapped at drops of pre-come that continued to appear. I was getting ready to swallow what he'd give me when Edward carefully but decidedly pulled me off him.

"Shit, Bella. I'm not going to last. It's been four weeks, and you can't imagine how desperately I need to be inside you."

He helped me off the floor, and in a frenzy, we both shed our clothes. When I was standing in front of him naked, he reached out for me, and I straddled him smoothly. With a deep look in to his eyes, I sank down on him, enveloping him in my heat.

The feeling of him inside me made my head spin, and for the first time in a month, I felt complete. With our arms wrapped around each other, I moved on top of him, our fronts pressed together in the most intimate embrace.

My movements, which had started out slow and steady, quickly accelerated and turned erratic as Edward thrust his hips up every time I pushed down. Our mouths shared sloppy kisses, our panted breaths cool on sweaty skin.

We were both too sex-starved and frantic to last long, and it only took a few minutes until we both cried out in a shared climax, holding onto each other tightly as we tried to catch our breath.

"Dammit, Spice, I missed you so fucking much! Promise never to leave me alone for that long ever again." His green eyes beseeched me to agree.

"I missed you so much it hurt," I admitted, and after a moment I added, "Not being able to talk to you for five days was hell."

Sighing, Edward handed me a box of Kleenex from the desk, then reached for a fluffy blanket that was on the arm of the couch. He spread it over us as he shifted our position so he lay on his back with me draped over his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't take your calls, but every day, it got harder to talk to you and not mention what was going on here. So, after speaking with Jake, I decided to avoid talking to you at all. You can't imagine how difficult it was to see your name on the screen and ignore the call."

I leaned up to touch my lips to his tenderly, then closing my eyes, I confessed, "I felt as though you'd given up on me. You were pulling away, and I was too far away to do anything about it."

A tear slipped out of my eye and Edward kissed it away, his face a mask of pain. "I'm honestly sorry for that, Spice. I hoped my messages would assure you that everything was okay between us. And I was so busy with all of this trying to get it done for Christmas."

"I can imagine," I replied with a rueful smile. "How did you do it anyway?"

"Well, I'd call it a lucky coincidence. The day after the offer from Microsoft came in, Jake came by for the cookbook, and he slipped by telling me about Marcus's offer. When I talked to the guys about it, the vote to sell the rights to Wally was unanimous. Then I … happened across Marcus's number."

The look on his face told me there was more to that story. "What do you mean, you happened across the number?"

"Um." Edward blushed a little. "I had Seth hack into your Google account."

Not sure if I should be upset or feel flattered, I went with, "Ooookay."

Edward seemed eager to continue his story, so we moved past his little illegal acquisition of information. "I called Marcus that night to hear everything from his side and discuss options. As it turned out, he had a clause written in the contract that grants him right of first refusal should Felix sell within five years after signing the contract. Apparently, his concept wasn't the success he expected, so it didn't take Marcus an awful lot of coaxing to get him to sell back to him. Then Marcus sold to us."

"Wow! And you did all that in three weeks?" I couldn't believe he made it all happen in that short a time.

He shrugged, stroking my arm with his thumb. "I had help. Em and Seth managed the Microsoft deal while I strategized with Marcus. Mike handled the financial side, and Jake talked to Mrs. Cope and helped her organize your replacement. Ange and Ben set up the paperwork. Not every last contract is ultimately signed, but everything's taken care of that we own the restaurant. You still have to decide if you want me to loan you the money or to be your business partner."

I didn't even have to consider it. With everything he'd done here, I wanted — needed — him to be my partner in everything. "I don't want a loan. If it's okay with you, I want you by my side."

His blinding smile brought tears to my eyes, and I'd never loved him more than in that very moment.

"I'll be by your side for as long as you want me," he stated meaningfully, pulling me into him. And I knew he would be. Sadly, with Edward condemned to staying in his day job, we'd be working opposing schedules again.

As regret made its way into my ridiculously happy state, my smile dropped, and I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry you'll have to stay in your shitty job now."

Edward's eyes turned playful, and I couldn't understand where that emotion came from until he replied, "I quit two weeks ago. We made some decisions about CMM and realized that, with the money from the Microsoft deal, if we take on some IT support jobs and a few commission orders for customized software solutions, we should be able to make a comfortable living. We rented office space three buildings down the street. I'll be able to mostly work my own hours, and we'll be close to each other."

He was extremely happy and content with the direction our lives were taking, and I was happier for him than I could put into words.

"So you didn't just get the short end of the stick?" I asked, hopeful that helping me didn't ruin their business plans.

"Oh, baby, I'd have thrown it all away for you, had it been necessary. However, in this case, I can assure you, it all worked out."

We were quiet for a while, enjoying being together while hands caressed and lips kissed. Then, looking around the office, I was reminded of the changes that had been made since Felix ran the restaurant.

"What happened to the furnishings? GUSTO! was decorated rather cold and modern, whereas everything looks cozy and romantic now; as though someone took the fantasy right out of my head."

Edward's arms around me tightened when he replied, "So you like it? I contacted an old friend of mine I'd grown apart from over the years. His wife is an interior designer, and she jumped at the chance to do this for you. Alice and Jasper can't wait to meet the woman who's stolen my heart so thoroughly."

I kissed him softly but deeply. "I don't like it. I love it. But what about the name? What does Spezia mean?"

Edward chuckled knowingly. "It was Marcus's idea. He heard me call you 'Spice' and said that would be the perfect name for your restaurant — in Italian, of course."

Before I could climb him and show him once more how grateful I was, he added, "Jessica made a layout for a new menu that fits the altered design of the rooms. It will go into print as soon as you decide on the contents. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, your old coworkers are all looking forward to working with you again. They cheered when they learned you were going to be their new boss. And everything's set up for a small opening party on New Year's Eve."

I was happy, a little nervous, and completely overwhelmed. It was all too much, and I needed Edward to ground me. So I crashed my lips to his, sitting up on his lap as he shifted to lie down flat. His erection stood proud and ready for me to slide down on when we both froze, hearing voices from the taproom.

"They have to be here. The lights are still on, and the Mustang's parked around the corner."

"But wouldn't they go home to celebrate their reunion?"

"Huh. They have lots of flat surfaces to christen here. No need to go home for that."

"Bella, Edward?"

With wide eyes, we both scrambled off the couch and picked up our clothes in a hurry, pulling them on as fast as possible. As the voices came closer, Edward was buttoning up his shirt while I did my best to pat down my wild sex hair, then he opened the door and we walked toward the voices.

There, in the middle of the still-burning candles stood Emmett and Rose, Seth, Jake and Mike, Tanya, Jessica, Ange and Ben. All eyes were on us as we stumbled toward them, most faces smirking knowingly, but Emmett was the only one commenting on our obviously rumpled appearances.

"Dammit, I guess we interrupted some celebrating. Ed, want us to go so you can continue breaking in the place?" He chuckled, until Rose hit him in the chest.

"Dumbass! Stop embarrassing them."

Edward pulled me against him, kissing the top of my head as he playfully mumbled, "I can't believe I trusted him to handle Microsoft."

Standing tall, Edward addressed our assembled friends. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"Well, Romeo," Jake spoke up with a smile on his face, "as it seems, you were so eager to … reconnect, you forgot to lock the door."

"No matter how you got here, I'm glad you came, so I can thank each of you for your help with this." I lifted my hands and motioned around in explanation. "All of you played a part in making my dream come true. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am. It's almost unreal."

Tears came to my eyes, and everyone grinned at me sweetly, saying they were happy to help.

Tanya was the first to come hug me. "I haven't done much yet, but your very exclusive, yet highly publicized, opening party will have guests flock to you. I'll make sure of that."

As I looked around the room filled with people I loved and who had proven they loved me enough to go out of their way, even risk their own dreams to make mine come true, I felt truly blessed. They were my family, and I knew, without a doubt, I'd do the same for them.

Edward's arms snaked around my waist and he pulled me against him, nuzzling the top of my head with his nose. He was everything I ever wanted in a man and more. When I signed up to get married to a stranger, I hoped for a nice guy who didn't look too shabby and treated me right. Never had I thought I'd find a smart, sweet, and gorgeous man who read every wish from my eyes and treated me like the most precious thing on earth.

Even though we had a rough start, we grew together and started building a life for us. Feeling his heart beat against my back and his warmth engulfing me, I knew, with him by my side, I'd be able to handle whatever life threw at me – forever.

********TtK********

A/N: Most of you were right. Edward pulled away from Bella to keep his plan a secret. It hurt Bella, but in the end, she understood. Did you like how it all turned out? Bella got her restaurant and the guys work for themselves now. Isn't that the perfect solution? I think it was. Tell me what you think, here or on Facebook in my group Payton79's Fanfiction.

I want to shout out a special thanks to ColouredWilde for her help with the right translation for "Spice." You were a great help.

So, I can't believe this is it. I've grown to love these characters so much that I have a hard time letting them go. There are a few more things I want to add, so I promise there will be an epilogue, probably some time in January. I have some ideas for outtakes/futuretakes, too, meaning we're not completely done yet ;).

Also, I promised you I'd share my initial outline for this story once it was complete. To keep that promise I'll post it as a short chapter, either next week or the first week of the new year.

One more thing, I've been nominated in the TwiFic Fandom Awards. Tie the Knot and Two Blue Lines are both up for Favorite Snuggle Fic, and I've been nominated for Best Veteran Author. It's such an honor to be named alongside the most famous writers and stories of our fandom. I ask you all to vote for me or anyone else you like. Here's the link:

twificfandomawards dot blogspot dot de/p/vote dot html

Until then, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!