The Last One

Chapter Twenty-Five

Edward had no idea what to expect for the evening—however, he looked forward to it. After all, he was spending it alone with Isabella. They worked for a few hours New Year's Eve morning, but he sent her home early—as promised when they negotiated the terms for her to continue working for him.

Had it really been only ten days since they sat across from each other, tense, with walls surrounding each of them?

He had a difficult time believing he was capable of falling so quickly; most people wouldn't think it was possible. Then again, most people weren't like his Isabella. There was also the fact he already had strong feelings about her before they started this thing between them.

What an inappropriate thought? What we have is not a thing. Edward's thoughts whirled around in his mind, and while a bit overwhelming, he welcomed it. He wanted nothing to come between him and Isabella, to accomplish that, communication was key. He would have to talk to her about labels, though most sounded so childish to him. Going steady? Dating, but exclusive?

"Uh, this shouldn't be so hard," Edward said, as he readjusted his tie, distracted by his thoughts. He always reserved a table at a nice restaurant for the holiday, even if he wasn't seeing anyone, he usually went with someone in his family.

Now, Isabella would be joining him.

"What's so hard?" Isabella asked, stepping out of his master bathroom and into a pair of tall, thin, dark blue heels. There was a distinct taunt in her voice; one he didn't miss. She had to get ready at his place since there was an electrical issue in her building.

"Do you need to ask that while wearing that dress with those heels?"

She batted her lashes, sliding one of her hands down her side. "You mean this old thing?"

He rolled his eyes, having caught her watching him in the reflection of the mirror. "I know for a fact you borrowed that from Rose."

She pouted. "How did you know?"

Edward smirked. "Garrett informed me while you finished packing another overnight bag earlier." He had picked her up since it didn't make sense for her to bring her car.

Her hands settled into fists on her hips. "That asshole! This was supposed to be a surprise."

He gave up on the tie and turned his full attention to the woman looking at him with warm, whiskey-colored eyes. "It's a surprise, because—"

"If Garrett told you Rosalie had come over and let me borrow something from her, then I doubt it." She worked on his tie, giving it a little tug once she had fixed it, and nipped on his bottom lip.

"Isabella Marie Swan, the dress, the way you look tonight is still a surprise."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you saying I do not look this good all the time—?"

Edward didn't let her finish, kissing her until she was breathless. "Will you stop interrupting me?" He nuzzled her neck.

"Like you just did?" She gave him a look that would cut through steel. "I know you're right. I shouldn't interrupt you, either."

He pulled her closer, tighter against his body so she could feel what she did to him. "It's a surprise the dress isn't on the floor already, Isabella. My first thought, when I saw you earlier, was to take it off and taste all the sweet curves this dress only highlights."

"Oh," Isabella whispered, as Edward's lips lightly brushed where her shoulder and neck met, lingering there. His teasing made her mind go Technicolor; so bright, she couldn't see or think straight. "Then I guess I won't kick Garrett's ass."

"Please do, since in the same breath he also admitted to seeing you naked once."

Isabella pulled back and made a face, indicating it had been a rather embarrassing moment. "He thought I had gone out already, started to make himself a sandwich, Jared was with his dad, and I had headphones on. I stepped into the hallway from the shower to grab a towel, topless."

"He said he'd never seen your face go so red." Edward tried to contain himself, watching Isabella's cheek flush with color.

"You're not upset about it?" She gave his tie one last adjustment and dusted off imaginary lint from his shoulders.

"Why should it bother me? You've said there is nothing between you; I believe you." Edward bent down to her eye-level and smiled. "Now, let's go have a nice dinner so we can come back, put on some music, have a few dances."

She gave him a big smile, her arms wrapping around his neck and shoulders. "Then we can see how good this dress looks on the floor."

Edward groaned.

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"Everyone is staring." Isabella tried her best not to fidget under the attention. She knew she looked good, that attitude came from the hard work she put into taking care of her body. Something she'd been lacking in doing since this thing with Edward started.

"Isabella, look at you, you're radiant; of course they're staring." Edward pressed a kiss to her temple, pulling out her chair for her to take a seat.

"You're so sweet, thank you." She looked around the elegant room, the floor to ceiling windows provided a view of the water and nearby park. All the wood added a rich warmth to the atmosphere. "I haven't been to Canlis in several years."

"I've had a reservation for New Year's Eve for the last five—usually, either my parents or grandparents join me." Edward took his seat and allowed their server, William, to pour the wine carefully chosen by the chef to complement their upcoming appetizer as he told them their six-course menu.

"You've never brought a date here?"

Edward shook his head. "The first time I made a reservation for this holiday, I had invited my parents, and Irina had no interest to spend the holiday with my family."

"Even if it was here?"

There was no ignoring the flush to Edward's cheeks as he winced a bit.

"What is it?" Isabella cocked her head slightly, wanting to know what made Edward react like that.

"I never told her what my family and I were doing for the holiday." A part of him knew deep down, even then, Irina wasn't the one he wanted to share something special with; it just took too long for him to realize it.

Isabella laughed. "How did you manage to do that?"

Edward slipped his hand across the table, plucking hers and nipping at the tip of her finger. "I gave her VIP access to a club opening for her and her friends. She gave me no fuss then. Do you want to spend the night discussing unimportant people?"

Isabella shook her head. "You're right, she is unimportant. What or who should we discuss?" She watched as Edward closed his eyes, his nose skimming the skin along the inside of her wrist, where her subtle perfume was the most potent. Her insides threatened to melt, the look of pleasure on his face made every nerve under his touch fire up.

"We can discuss you, me, Jared, my family."

She couldn't keep the smile from her lips, loving how he had just admitted he considered her and Jared important. "We could; though, we have done nothing but talk for days."

It was true. Since the first night they spent together, they'd been inseparable, except for the few hours he insisted he needed to work. They got to know each other, laughed through their most embarrassing moments growing up, even touched the painful ones that brought tears to Isabella's eyes.

"We didn't do much talking this morning in the shower." Desire flared up in his eyes, before turning his attention to William dropping off their appetizers, oysters. "Let's dig in and I can tell you what I have planned for our first outing together with Jared. That's important."

"You have something planned already?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Anal, remember? I'm a planner, as you well know."

Isabella snorted, then covered it up with a laugh. Edward didn't miss it, smiling at the sound of her laughter. "Your first 'to-do list' consisted of twenty-four bullet points and that was only until noon."

"Good times." Edward shrugged, not one bit apologetic. "I may have an eidetic memory, but not everyone does. I give as much detail as possible to avoid confusion that could cost us."

"We should probably discuss some kind of shorthand. After the holidays, I'm guessing your lists will be over five pages long for our first official day back."

Edward paused to watch her enjoy an oyster, pleased when she licked her lips. "There was something I've been meaning to ask you." He wiped his mouth and tried to think of the wording. "Please do not take this the wrong way; I'm simply curious."

Her eyes narrowed, but they quickly softened. "You're probably wondering if I want to be an assistant for the rest of my life."

Edward nodded. "Your organizational skills are impeccable, as is your ability to edit documents on the fly. You manage my calls with an efficiency that my grandmother does, but she's done this for over fifty years. Why aren't you in school?"

Isabella said nothing for a full thirty seconds, making Edward nervous.

"It's all right if you don't want to answer."

She held up a finger, taking a sip of wine. "I just needed a minute. I had to put my education on hold for a bit, since it wasn't the easiest of pregnancies. Then there was the fact I wanted to stay home with my son while James worked hard to get into med school. Then, when it was finally time I could go, I figured out, I'd rather do something that allowed me the freedom to be there for my son, keep my weekends work free. I type 106 words a minute, worked as a transcriber for a while, mostly from home for a doctor's office, so I simply wanted to be there for my son."

"Would you like to go back to school?" They had ample opportunities through the company for her to do so; all she had to do was ask. He told her, and she patted his hand.

"That is great that the company does help with that, and maybe in a year or two, I'll look into it. Right now, my son is my priority. If I'm working and going to school, quality time with him would be a lot less. There is nothing wrong with the fact I don't have a fancy degree."

Edward didn't detect any anger, only an almost rehearsed sounding speech. "You've had to explain yourself before, haven't you? I apologize. My first impulse is to help you go back to school, but you're right. Even if you cut back your work hours, which you've mentioned before was not possible, there wouldn't be much time for anything else."

"I'm glad you understand. I didn't mean for it to be like some cookie-cutter explanation. It's just between Jared's grandparents, James, and even Garrett, explaining myself gets old." She offered him another smile. "You, at least, seem to accept my decision."

"I do; though, I have to admit, I'm worried about taking some of your time away from Jared."

"Edward." Isabella made a soft sound, almost like "aw" with her hand on her chest. "If I feel I need to spend more time with him, I'll tell you."

"Good, communication and honesty are the only ways this will work, Isabella." They leaned closer to each other, his senses overwhelmed by her nearness. "Do you have any suggestions other than batting cages and the movies?"

"How do you feel about laser tag?" Isabella laughed, as Edward's eyes lit up. "Do you play?"

"I've gone with Emmett, Dad, and my nephew." He pursed his lips. "If we're going to do that, I'll have to sign up ahead of time. The last two times we had to wait a couple hours."

Isabella couldn't help herself, she leaned across the table, grabbed his face with both her hands and kissed him hard on the lips. "I'm so going to kick your butt in laser tag."

Edward grinned, intrigued with her lips for a moment, indulging. "I'd love to see you try."

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"I'm sorry about the lamp." Isabella whimpered as Edward plucked at her nipples with dexterous fingers.

"I'll buy five more to replace it, I'm sure we'll break more." He pushed her gently against the back of his couch, the blue dress that dipped low between her breasts, hugged every one of her curves. "At least until we get a handle on this." He groaned as her hand stroked his cock over his boxer briefs.

Isabella had carelessly tossed her borrowed dress, taking out a lamp. "I don't know about you, but I hope we never get a handle on this between us. I want to always be this passionate." She moaned as his lips and tongue teased her already taut nipples. "This desperate for more. Oh God, Edward. Please give me more."

Edward hummed, her nipple slipping free, as Isabella's body arched beneath him. His fingers thrust inside her, hard and fast. He needed to see her fall apart before he had her, already delirious from the desire that coursed through him.

All through dinner, they teased each other with whispered words, touches so light they felt like dreams, and kisses that always left them wanting more. Somehow, they managed to not attack each other on the elevator up to his floor, but the moment they stepped inside his condo, clothes started to fall to the floor.

"We're so good together," he whispered, kissing her softly, as her orgasm left her breathless. He pushed off his boxers with her help, slipping inside with a swift thrust of his hips.

She gasped, her eyes closing once again. "So good."

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"Are you sure?" Edward asked, swallowing hard. Why was he so nervous? Maybe it was because earning Jared's approval would mean the world to him. It was too important.

"He kind of insisted." Isabella pressed a kiss to his lips.

It had been a week since New Year's Eve. Work was back full swing; the announcement of Edward's taking his grandfather's place would occur the following week. Along with his grandparents' retirement, there was a lot to do before it all became official. Co-workers hardly noticed the change in Edward and Isabella's work, as they still got the job done, but with a lot fewer glares.

They were heading to the airport to pick up Jared. Her son was adamant he'd get to meet Edward immediately, Isabella had tried to persuade him to wait at least until he was settled for a day or two, but Jared would hear none of it.

"Why do you think he insisted?" Edward tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, hoping some of the restless energy he felt would leave him. Whenever he felt that way, he had a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth, which he didn't want to do with Isabella or her son.

"He said it was because first impressions were important, and he said if you were willing to leave work a few hours early to accompany me, then you're not a workaholic."

Edward looked over at her and wondered why her smile had disappeared. "That's what led to the end of your relationship with James?"

"There were several reasons why, but yes, it was one of them."

"You've worked for me for three months; do you feel I'm a workaholic?" He was genuinely curious about what she thought.

"At first, maybe, as we were closing the deal with McCollum when I first started, you hardly left your office before nine at night."

"How do you know that?" He always allowed her to go home early; except, for three times he had her work an extra hour or two. "Let me guess, security."

"Some of your notes and emails were time-stamped, Edward." She laughed, shaking her head. "Will you relax? It'll be fine."

"Emmett and Rosalie said I sound different as if I don't have a stick up my ass. Pompous." He shrugged, ignoring the reddening of his tips of his ears. "From everything you told me, Jared and I should get along fine. We like a lot of the same things. A part of me can't help being nervous; he means something to me."

Isabella made a soft sound, cupping his cheek and smiling at him. Traffic was at a standstill near their exit, but they had anticipated it. "You mean something to me," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Jared knows this, so he'll be just as nervous about meeting you."

"I needed to relax and your words do that for me. Thanks." They arrived at the airport in time, finding him and the airline's escort waiting for his bags.

"Jared!" Isabella leaned on Edward as she stood on her toes to get her son's attention. Her eyes were especially bright as she saw him turn at the sound of her voice.

"Mom!" He waved, hopping up and down, as the escort tried to convince him to wait.

Edward leaned in to whisper in Isabella's ear. "He's wearing a suit."

"I know." She bit her lip and shrugged. "First impressions, I guess." Her little man was dressed in a nice dark gray suit, a crisp white dress shirt, and matching tie.

Edward wanted to be comfortable for their day, dressed in dark jeans, a Star Wars T-shirt, and his usual winter coat. Once Isabella was within reach, her son was in her arms, both of them too preoccupied with their reunion to answer the escort's questions. Having anticipated this kind of reunion, Edward handed the woman Isabella's ID as per the airline's policy.

"I missed you, Mom." Jared's voice was a little choked up, much like his mother's, but he managed to keep from tearing up.

Isabella, on the other hand, had to wipe away tears, settling her son on his feet. It won't be long before she couldn't pick him up anymore. She barely could; as it was, at ten, her son was tall for his age. She ruffled his dark blond hair and smiled. "I missed you, too."

Jared scratched the back of his neck and looked at Edward, who was considerably taller than his father or Garrett. "You must be my mom's boyfriend Edmund."

Isabella stared at her son and started to laugh. "You know his name is Edward, stop playing around."

"Edwin?" Jared smirked, sticking out his hand for Edward to shake. "Nice to meet you, and Garrett said I should ask if you're going to make my mom an honest woman."

Isabella threatened Garrett violence under her breath as Edward chuckled. "Your mother is rather honest; she doesn't hold anything back." They shook hands, smiling at each other. "All I ask is that you're equally honest."

Jared exhaled sharply, pretending to wipe the sweat off his forehead, his shoulders slumping a little. His posture was no longer ramrod straight, much more relaxed. He dramatically opened his dress shirt, popping buttons left and right to reveal something resembling the Millennium Falcon. "Oh good, ties suck."

"Oh God, Jared, you're such a drama dude sometimes. I don't know where you get it from." Isabella giggled, helping him out of his jacket and tie, underneath was a Star Wars T-shirt, a newer one.

Edward laughed, taking Jared's bags and leading the way as mother and son got reacquainted. He felt a little lighter; there was a spring in his step. This was the start of something new, and for once, he couldn't wait to dive right in and enjoy whatever happened next.

AN: How's that for a first impression? lol I hope everyone had a good holiday, mine was pretty good (tamales!). As the end of the year approaches, I find myself wondering where did the year go? It has been a rather difficult one for me and mine, but we're still here and together. That's what matters. I'll be working on The Letter, a two-shot that of course decided to grow a bit, possible 3-5, it's out of my hands, my characters have completely taken over. Thanks to Midnight Cougar for your help with the chapter. This fic will be coming to a close soon, but first laser tag. We'll find out just how competitive Bella and Edward are ;)