I hope everyone who celebrates had a great holiday weekend!
Thanks to Iris, Midnight Cougar, ifyouweremine and SparklyMeg for helping me with this story. Big hugs.
Thank you to everyone reading!
Chapter 28
The following morning, I wake to the sun shining through the gaps in my curtains before my alarm goes off. Barely even sunrise, the dull oranges and reds create mixed patterns across the edge of my bed that dance onto the floor. I roll over, turning off my alarm before it has a chance to buzz at me.
Unable to lie or sit still, I immediately get up and get ready for work, a mix of dread and giddiness settling deep in my stomach.
I can still feel Edward's lips on mine as I put on my suit, the feel of his fingers entwined with mine as I put on my makeup, and his hard body against mine as I finish off my hair. As he left, he promised he'd be in touch and we'd see each other tonight, after what's sure to be a shitty day. I don't want to doubt him, but there's a small flicker niggling at the back of my mind.
But he said he'd prove it to me. Actions not words.
Once I leave the safety of my apartment, all giddiness fades and dread sits in my stomach like a brick. With each step I take, it's like the safety of what we had in there is gone. As much as I want to hide my head in the sand, I have to deal with Tanya and her father.
Unsurprisingly, Jess is there when I arrive. She's still struggling to cope with the volume of the workload, so she's taken to coming in early to attack the paperwork before the phones and emails go crazy. It'll die down, and she'll learn to juggle it all, especially when our assistant starts on Monday.
She looks up as I approach and smiles. "So?"
I stop by her desk. "He came by, and we talked."
"That's it? That's all you're giving me?"
I shrug and walk into my office. "There's nothing more to know." I smile, teasing her, knowing my lack of talking is bound to drive her crazy.
She follows, hot on my heels. "Lies, Isabella Swan. All lies. Why would you lie? To me?" She pouts, making me laugh. "What happened? Did he declare his love? Is the she-devil gone? Are you going to live happily ever after and produce ridiculously good-looking babies?"
"Produce? What am I? A machine?"
"Details, woman."
"We're… We're taking it slow."
"Slow? Why? I mean, you've both wanted this for weeks, right?"
I nod. "Yes, but he just broke off his engagement, Jess. You really think either of us wants to rush into anything?"
"True. And can we be expecting a call from the spawn of Satan today?"
"God, I hope so. Either her or her father. I don't know what I'll do if they don't call..."
"I know what I'd do," she mumbles, sticking her tongue out at me like a little kid when I frown at her. "So how are we treating it? Cancelations? Money back? Do they know why he dumped her? Should we expect a shit storm?" She grins. "Do I need to get security up here to protect you?"
I chuckle, her attempt at joking making me feel slightly better. "I'll deal with her. It'll be like any cancelation; once I have the go ahead, I'll call the suppliers and see about refunds. I think a lot of them will go for it to stay on their good side. And no security's needed. Edward didn't mention me to Tanya or her father."
"Good. About time he did something right," she mutters, just loud enough for me to hear.
"Jess."
She shrugs. "I'm just saying."
"I know, and as always, I appreciate it."
Her face softens, and she turns serious for a minute. "You're okay, though? He's being good, right? He's treating you like he should? No more messing around?"
I think back to Seattle — back to our take-out dinner and almost kind-of date, and back to our soft kisses and lingering touches. "No more messing around."
ooOoo
My phone rings at 9:00 a.m. sharp, and without answering, I know who it is. With the way things happened between Edward and Tanya last night, I can only assume she wants this over and done with as soon as possible.
And she's not the only one.
After a few rings, I take a deep breath and pick up. "Swan's White Weddings. Bella speaking."
"Bella, it's Tanya." Her voice is smooth, clear, and leaves no doubt that all earlier pretenses are gone. She has no reason to be nice to me now.
"Tanya, hi. I'm just waiting to hear back from some of the suppliers about postponing—"
She cuts me off before I can even pretend to suck up to her. "No need. Cancel it all."
I refrain from doing a little happy dance in my chair.
"Cancel?"
She huffs. "Yes. It's over. You know, some things just aren't meant to be. And Edward… Well, he's just not for me." She's trying to be casual about it, but there's no denying the underlying anger in her voice. I don't know whether it's because she's pissed at how things ended with him or the fact she still wants to be with him.
Frankly, I don't even care.
"Oh. Well, I'll get the appropriate paperwork over to you, and I'll speak to the suppliers about refunds—"
"Paperwork?" She sounds bored, and although I'm happy she's not being any more difficult than normal about this, it astounds me she can let him go so easily. "I just told you I want to cancel it. I don't see why I should have to sign any—"
"You know we need everything in writing, especially something this big and important. It's just to go with your contract and all the other paperwork we have. If it's easier, I can send it to your father."
"Please. Let's just get this done as quickly as possible, okay?" There's some shuffling and mumbling in the background before she speaks to me again. "Is that all you need from me?"
"Yes. I'll have this emailed over. And, Tanya? I'm sorry—"
"Thanks. I have to go. Bye, Bella."
And the line goes dead.
I stare at the phone, a mix of emotions coursing through me. I don't know why, but I expected it to be harder, for Tanya to sound upset, or angry, or… anything. Instead, she sounded cold and distant, like she couldn't even be bothered making the phone call. Like it was a big inconvenience to her.
Like Edward was an inconvenience.
And just like that, I can feel the guilt slither away. If she wanted Edward, she would've fought for him. If she deserved him, then I wouldn't have come into his life the way I did.
Unlike Tanya, I didn't have a choice. I couldn't fight for him. It wouldn't have been right knowing he was engaged to another woman. We fought against the intense attraction to make sure other people were kept happy.
But now? Now I'll fight to keep him.
"So, how'd it go?" I look up to find Jess standing in the doorway.
"It's over." I continue to stare at the phone before putting it back down. No matter how many times I say it, I still can't believe it's over.
"She canceled?"
I nod. "Yeah. She canceled it. All of it. The cancelation paperwork should go to her father."
She rolls her eyes. "Of course. Let me guess. She was too busy?"
"I... uh… She didn't say, actually. That's what it felt like, though."
"You look… confused." The smile falls from her face. "I thought you'd be happy."
I open and close my mouth a few times, the words just not coming out. Jess gives me the time I need to wrap my head around what just happened. "I think I expected more of a… fight from her or something to happen, but there was nothing."
Jess grins. "So, it's over. You get the man, the wicked witch is gone, and your company's not in ruins like you thought it would be. We're going out to celebrate, right?"
Relief washes over me. She's right. Everything seems to have fallen into place in ways I'd dreamed of only weeks ago.
"Yeah," I say softly. "We're going out to celebrate."
ooOoo
The familiar smell of beer, sweat, and fried food meets us as we enter the bar. The music's loud but still quiet for a Friday night, and the subtle hum of conversation can still be heard.
It feels good to be back, and it's only now I realize how much I've avoided O'Neills in the last few weeks.
Jess and I maneuver around the developing crowd and find a table near the back, away from the bar. Even though we both know we're having the same thing we always order, we each take a menu and quickly look it over.
"Burger?" Jess asks, taking out her wallet.
"Yeah, and—"
"Huh. And here I thought you were going to order a chili cheese dog."
I spin in my chair, the grin evident on my face the second I hear Edward. I quickly take in the sight before me and try not to swoon. I've never seen him looking so casual, but God, can he pull off the jeans and t-shirt look.
He smirks at me, and I know I totally just got busted checking him out.
"Nope. Not on a Friday night in O'Neills. Burgers and wine only." I shrug. "It's sort of a tradition now."
He laughs a full belly laugh that reaches his eyes. "I thought you had a thing for chili cheese dogs."
"I do." Our eyes meet as I think back to our date that wasn't a date. "Just not here."
I pull my gaze from his and glance at Jess who's looking between the two of us like she's watching a tennis match. She catches my stare and rolls her eyes.
"Well, as fun as this is, I'm starving." She glances at me as she stands. "The usual?"
I nod. "Sure. I'll get the next round."
"Sure, sure." She looks at Edward. "Are you joining us?" I could kiss her for asking him, especially given their past history. She's pushing everything aside for now and making the effort for me.
He shakes his head making my smile falter. "I just ordered." He points across the bar where I can see Emmett waving over at us.
"Oh. Okay."
He steps closer and takes one of my hands in his. His gaze doesn't waver, and the intensity makes my stomach clench. "I just wanted to say hi and ask if we can join you after we've eaten."
My stomach flips when he brings my hand to his mouth, his lips softly brushing my knuckles.
"S-s-sure." I clear my throat. "Of course you can."
He looks to the bar and then back to me. "Jess won't mind?"
"No. She'll be fine. You're going to be around now, and she has to get used to that, right?"
"Me being around? Definitely."
I watch him for any uncertainty, for anything that might say otherwise.
I find none.
ooOoo
True to their word, they join us as soon as our table's cleared. Edward immediately sits by me and places his hand on my thigh. I look down, thrown by how he naturally does it and how right it feels. When I look up, he's already watching me with a grin on his face.
"Bella, you remember Emmett?"
I roll my eyes. "How could I forget?"
He grins. "That was quite a night."
I laugh as Jess clears her throat. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Emmett, this is my friend, Jess. Jess, Edward's brother, Emmett."
"Ah. So you're the one who finally talked some sense into Edward." She's joking and looks at Emmett with a smile, but I don't miss the scowl she sends Edward's way.
He takes a drink of his beer and nods. "Yep. I'm glad he finally listened to me. I've been telling him for ages that Socialite Barbie needed to be kicked to the curb."
We all laugh, but I feel Edward's grip on my thigh tighten. I place my hand over his and squeeze softly, waiting until he looks up at me.
"I'm sorry." He's quiet but not so quiet that I can't hear him over the music.
I lean in anyway, just wanting to be closer to him. "Don't be."
"I told him not to mention her. He shouldn't—"
"She's going to come up. It's okay. And anyway, Jess mentioned her first."
"I just want to forget it. Forget her. Forget this whole mess…"
He leans in, closing the distance between us. His lips are so close to mine, his warm breath making me shiver. The urge to kiss him is overwhelming. All it would take is—
"Aaaand that's possibly my cue to leave."
We jump and pull apart. I eye Jess who's trying her hardest to look pissed off, but even I can see she's fighting a smile. Edward may have a while to go to gain her complete trust, but she's happy that I'm happy.
"Sorry," I reply sheepishly.
"No, you're not," she says wryly with a little roll of her eyes. "But it's okay, 'cause I really do have to go."
"But we were going to celebrate."
"I know, and we did. This is the first time in weeks we've done this, and I'm glad to have you back." She gives me a hug before grabbing her coat. "Now, go celebrate."
Her wink makes me laugh, and I can feel Edward chuckling next to me.
"You." She turns to Edward, all sign of mirth gone. "Hurt her again, and I'll have your balls for dinner."
ooOoo
Emmett leaves shortly after, saying Rose texted him and wants him home.
"It's true," Edward says as we watch him leave. "He seems to forget she's due to pop any day now and he'll be needed."
"Will she be mad at him?"
"Not really. She makes him think she is, but it's just to keep him on his toes, apparently."
"You like her," I say as I turn my attention to him. "You're smiling as you talk about them."
"She's great for my brother. She's… like the female version of Emmett."
I giggle, unable to imagine such a thing. "Really?"
He takes a sip of his beer and nods. "Yep. She's almost as tall as him, which I still find scary, and she gives what she gets, which we love since it keeps Emmett busy. He can be a douche at times, and she doesn't hesitate to let him know it."
"I like that. It sounds perfect."
He shrugs. "Perfect for each other."
Just then, tonight's band hits the stage. It's a local up-and-coming band that lets us know they'll be starting with some covers to get everyone in the mood before playing some of their own stuff.
The opening riffs start, and I can't help but laugh.
"Kings of Leon?" Edward asks.
"Yeah."
He stands and offers me his hand. "Well, it'd be rude not to. What did you say earlier? It's sorta like tradition?"
This time, I don't hesitate.
I take his hand and let him guide me onto the dancefloor. His body's hard and familiar against mine. I don't want to forget our first dance together, but this is the one I definitely want to remember. The way his hands grip me tightly as we listen to the words. The way his lips brush my forehead every so often just because he can. The way my heart soars at being able to be with him like this.
The last few weeks don't matter. The tears, the arguments, the heartache? None of them matter anymore, because we have this.
Someone like you, and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
The dance floor fills quickly, and Edward guides me through the couples to the same dark corner where we almost kissed all those weeks ago.
"Mr. Cullen, do you make a habit of hiding in dark corners with women?" I wrap my arms around his neck, toying with the strands there. He closes his eyes for a second as I tug on them gently before looking back at me.
"Only the pretty brunettes that like to plan weddings." He kisses me briefly — much too briefly. "I actually had something to ask you."
I smile softly, still feeling the effects of his kiss. "You did, huh?"
"I want you to come meet my mom."
ooOoo
Thank you for reading!
Fic Rec: Lack of Color by ColdplayWhore - He paints; she inspires. Together they are whole, until one day they are separated, breaking him of his soul. Five years later, she's not his. Can she be again? ExB AU AH M for language and lemons.
