Every day I'm receiving email notifications of readers adding my story to their favorites list and/or adding it to their story alert subscription. It makes me do a happy dance ~:D ~:D
Ok, now that I'm done dancing, here is Chapter 27. Jake tries to defend his relationship with Marie to his friends and finally turns to Bella for advice. Edward and Bella make an important decision about their relationship.
Happy reading everyone, I'm gonna resume dancing now. ~:D ~:D
Chapter 27
Jake's POV
I took Marie home on Sunday night and kissed her good night at the door. Then I headed out to the Roadhouse to meet Quil and Embry. They had been asking me to meet them all week but I preferred the dates with Marie instead.
When I walked in there was a live band playing and the music was louder than usual. I noticed Laura was bartending tonight. She flashed me a flirty look with her eyes and smiled widely. I returned her smile but made sure it didn't appear I was flirting back.
I ordered a beer and sat between the two of them at the bar. "How's that new girl?" Quil asked.
"You mean my girlfriend?" I asked. "Her name is Marie."
"She's your girlfriend already? Wow she must really be good in the sack." Embry mentioned. "You've had a lot of chicks but haven't had a girlfriend in a while."
"It's not like that Embry." I told him as I took a long drink of my beer.
"What's not like that?" Quil asked.
"Marie and I aren't having sex," I told them both.
"Huh?" Quil was surprised. "Why the hell not?"
I thought about how to word what I had to say. "Um, she's never had sex before."
They both laughed out loud. Embry spoke through his chuckles. "So you're taking your time before you tap that? Don't want to let that one get away, huh?"
I should have known not to say anything to these two. "No, it's really not like that. She really is special to me. I don't mind waiting."
They both laughed again. "Come on Black. You're too much in demand to be with a chick who's not putting out. Look at the way Laura's looking at you over there. She's staring at you like a dog in heat, man." Quill was staring down the bar at Laura as he spoke.
"I'm not interested in Laura. I've never considered a relationship with her."
"Since when do you have to consider a relationship with a girl before just hooking up with them? I realized right away that this was a rhetorical question. Then Embry tossed me a sideways glance and added. "If you don't want her then I might consider asking her out."
"Yeah, me too," Quil added. "And since when have you ever considered a relationship with anyone?"
"That's the point. I haven't considered a relationship with anyone, other than Bella, of course…until I met Marie."
"Yeah and you weren't doing Bella either. You're a pathetic sap. You only want the girls who won't have sex with you. Man, you need your head examined." Embry acted like I needed reminding.
"I can't expect you two to understand. You've never had a girl for more than one night at a time."
"That's fine with us. We both said the other night that we prefer it that way, no commitment, no next day calls to return."
"Yeah, Quil, because you two have so many other options. Listen, I'm going home. I'll see you at the garage tomorrow." I downed the last of my beer and left the bar, but not before I noticed Laura's disappointed look as I put my jacket on and nodded a quick good night to her on my way out the door.
Edward's POV
Since Bella's car had more trunk room for groceries, I opted to take hers instead of the Viper. I really loved my car but realized that there were sometimes it simply wasn't practical. There was soft snow falling as we headed north on the highway. I wondered if this might be our first real storm of the winter. I hadn't watched the weather forecast in the past few days since I'd been staying at Bella's house. Plus in the past few days, Bella and I had been otherwise engaged. Thinking back to our unforgettable lovemaking we had last night made me smile.
"What're you smiling about?" Bella asked me from the passenger seat.
"You."
She just shook her head and laughed lightly at me. "It's no wonder you're so hard to resist. You know just what to say to make me feel special."
"I say it because it's true. You are special"
She reached over and ran her fingers along the edge of my jaw. "I love touching you here. You are so sexy, especially when you leave just that little bit of stubble on your face in between shaving."
"You are going to make me drive off the road, Bella. Please stop."
She smiled. "If that's what you want…"
"For right now that's what I want. Sorry, Baby." I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
The further we drove up the highway the more snow began to fall. It was starting to stick to the road but thankfully wasn't slippery yet. By the time we arrived at the Super Market the snow was falling heavily.
"I don't think we should spend too long. I'm worried the storm's going to make the roads slippery before we get home." She agreed so we took our list and concentrated on buying what we needed as quickly as possible. We had everything on our list in just over a half hour. We placed all of our bags in the trunk and headed back to Forks. The road, as I expected was getting slick. Bella's car was light weight and slid easily but we made it home without a problem.
Bella and I brought the groceries inside and began putting them away together. We had planned a menu for the next two weeks and it appeared what we bought would be sufficient. "Do you feel like doing some of the cooking?" She asked me as she put the cans and boxes in the cupboard.
I nodded. "Sure, how do you feel if we take turns?"
"That sounds fair to me. I don't want you feel obligated at all."
"Bella, I'm willing to help with anything. I want to take care of you as much as I can."
"Thank you, Edward. But really, I can take care of myself. I only want you to do what you feel like doing. I also don't want you to feel like I'm the only one who can make decisions here."
"Of course I know that. We made the grocery list and did the shopping together." I finished putting the food in the refrigerator and wiped her counters down.
"You know, Edward. I was thinking that maybe we could talk about making this arrangement more…permanent?" She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.
I turned toward her and stared. She looked back at me with questioning eyes. "In what way?" I inquired.
"Well, I was thinking that… eventually you would consider moving in here…with me." Her face flushed bright red.
"Do you think it's a bit premature, Bella?" My voice sounded abrupt, even to me. That wasn't my intention at all.
She looked even more embarrassed than before. "Never mind. I'm sorry I said anything." She turned away from me and climbed up on a step stool to organize the upper cupboards in the pantry.
I immediately knew I had hurt her feelings by my response. "Baby?"
She didn't answer me.
I walked over to her and grabbed her around her waist, lifting her down to the floor against her will. I turned her around to face me and saw the start of tears swimming in her eyes. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. She turned her face from my gaze and I wrapped my arms around her back, cuddling her as close as I could without crushing her.
"Bella I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No, I really am sorry. There's no reason for me to assume that you're ready to move in with me, or even to discuss it yet." She clenched her eyes shut to keep from crying.
I held her chin in my strong hands and looked into her warm brown eyes with mine. "I would love nothing more than to move in with you - when the time is right. I only meant that a lot has happened in the past week and I don't want to make any hasty decisions. You're too important to me."
"I understand completely. I said eventually, remember?" She took a deep breath as she spoke.
I pressed my lips to hers, kissed her firmly and hugged her close to me. "So you're not upset?"
"No." She told me, shaking her head.
We were finishing organizing her kitchen when there was a knock at her door. Bella was up on the step stool again so I went to answer the door. I saw through the window that it was Jacob Black.
"Hello," I said to him as I opened the door.
"Is Bella home?" He asked me.
I opened the door wider and invited him in. "Bella, Jacob is here to see you." I told her, walking into the kitchen.
She stepped down from the stool and her face cracked with a wide smile. "Hey, Jake."
"I wanted to talk to you. I hope that's okay." He seemed awkward and hesitant. I guessed it was because of me. I was sure he and Bella didn't have awkward moments when it was just the two of them.
"Of course it's okay." She answered abruptly. "Come in and sit down."
She walked into the living room and he followed. They were talking quietly and I could see them sitting closely together on her couch. I began feeling uncomfortable and extremely out of place. I worked around the kitchen, organizing things that didn't really need organizing and wiping counters that had already been cleaned. I was running out of things to do. I could have gone upstairs but that would mean I would need to walk in on their conversation in the living room. I tried making a pot of coffee and organizing drawers and cupboards as they continued to talk in hushed tones from the living room.
"Bella," I spoke to her from the doorway. "I'm going to go back to Alice and Emmett's before we get any more snow. I have some things to do back there. I'll call you later, okay?" I felt like I didn't belong here, like I was in the way. I forced a smile at her from where I was standing.
She glanced warily toward me in the doorway, but smiled at me. "Alright," and then she added, "Bye." She didn't make a move to get up and kiss me, so I didn't know if I should go to her. I just smiled back and waved as I put on my jacket, took my keys and left.
My heart burned and I couldn't tell if it was jealousy or rejection. It was the first time in a week that we had been apart and I didn't know what to do with myself. I drove home on the slippery roads feeling confused and awkward.
Jake's POV
When Cullen left I felt like I could more freely speak to Bella. I was confused by the situation between Marie and I. I knew Bella would help me sort things out so I wouldn't be so confused. I told her the whole story, leaving nothing out. She didn't appear shocked at all, she just listened.
"I don't know exactly what to tell you, Jake. I can tell you honestly that I love the smile on your face since you've met Marie though."
"I really care a lot about her, Bella. Is it weird that we have no plans to sleep together, though?"
She chuckled at me. "Not to me. You and I always had a great relationship and never had plans to sleep together."
I laughed and shook my head at her. "That's not entirely true Bella. There were many times I would have given anything to get you into bed."
She blushed and scolded me. "Hey, let's not get into that. You have a girlfriend now…and I have…Edward."
I was surprised by her choice of words. "What exactly is going on with you and Cullen, anyway?"
"Well, we both love each other. We both told our parents about each other yesterday."
"Wow. How'd that go?"
She told me about her conversations with both her mom and her dad and the way Charlie had hung up on her. She didn't seem as upset by it as I would have thought.
"Are you going to call them back?" I asked.
"I don't plan to. Dad really upset me, Jake."
"Yeah, well he's bound to be angry. Hopefully he'll get over it soon. So, you really don't think that Cullen is going to hurt you again?"
"No, I trust him."
"Okay, it's your heart, Bella." I smiled at her and gave her a quick hug. "Thanks for listening. It means a lot."
"Yeah, anytime Jake. Just take it slow with Marie. It'll all work out, I'm sure."
"Okay, I have to go. I'm going back to the garage. Marie's working tonight again." I gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Love ya," I told her.
"Me too," She answered, blowing me a kiss as I walked out the door.
Bella's POV
I watched Jake leave from the kitchen door, and I noticed how the snow was starting to pile up outside. There must be more than six inches of snow out there already. I started to shiver so I closed the door and immediately realized this was the first time in more than a week that I'd been alone. I suddenly felt isolated.
I noticed right away that Edward hadn't given me a hug or kiss goodbye when he left. I must have angered him more than he admitted. Even though he had told me he would be with me forever, I had clearly caught him off guard with my suggestion that we move in together. It was too late now, I couldn't take it back. I could only try to reassure him that there was no pressure intended. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable at all. I loved him so much and he was all I'd ever want. My heart was heavy at the thought of him being so upset with me that he didn't want to at least hug me when he left.
I walked into the living room and picked up my phone to call him and then I remembered that he said he'd call me later. I put the phone back down on the table. I scowled at it sitting there and thought again about calling him. I wasn't about to let pride get in the way of what Edward and I had. I picked the phone back up and dialed him.
"Hello." I heard him say. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.
"Hey," I said quietly. "Are you busy, Babe?"
"Not really. Just working on a piece of music I've kind of forgotten about." He responded.
"Did you have trouble getting there? It looks like it's snowed a lot."
"I was careful. I didn't have trouble really."
This small talk was torture. I needed him. I needed him to know that. I sighed deeply and said. "Edward, I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry, Bella?"
"I'm sorry if you felt pressured by what I said earlier. I'll wait…forever if I have to. I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."
"Bella, I thought we settled that earlier. I didn't leave because of that."
"Why then?" I asked, nearly choking on my words
"We shouldn't talk about it over the phone."
"Alright." I could barely speak now. I pushed back a sob, thinking I might have to hang up soon or I was going to embarrass myself. He didn't sound angry to me, but there was something he definitely wasn't saying.
"Bella, are you okay?" His words were sincere and kind.
"I…don't know." I replied honestly. "I didn't want you to leave." I answered quietly.
He cleared his throat. "We need to talk about this in person."
"I'll come there. I can drive the truck. It's good in the snow."
"Baby, no! It's too dangerous. The roads are too slippery. We should wait until tomorrow when the snow stops."
"I'm not waiting! I'll take the truck or walk if I have to. I need you, Edward." I blurted out.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's practically a blizzard outside."
"It may seem ridiculous to you but it's not to me!" Tears began to well up in my eyes. I was feeling very emotional.
"I don't want you on the roads, Bella. I'll be there soon, okay?"
I nodded, tears still dripping down my cheeks. "Okay." I whispered.
"Bella?" His voice was quiet. "Baby, I love you."
"I love you too, Edward. Drive safely."
It was more than a half hour later when I saw a blue vehicle pull up over the pile of snow at the end of my driveway and park beside my car. I looked out the window and realized it was Marie's blue Land Rover. I watched Edward trudge through the high snow by my back door and stomp his feet on my doormat.
I opened the door for him and he walked inside, kicking his boots off by the door. He smiled gently at me and grabbed me up in his arms, hugging me tightly.
"I'm so glad you came back. Were the roads okay?" I breathed the scent of cold fresh air on his clothes.
"Truthfully they're awful now. I could barely see because the wind is blowing so badly. I knew neither Alice nor Marie would be on the road so I asked if I could take their vehicle."
"I'm glad they loaned it to you." I smiled, kissing his lips a few times. "Please tell me what happened when you left here."
He kissed me back and held me close again. "Bella, I sort of panicked when you said we should talk about moving in together. I think it's just so magical between us right now that I didn't want to take any chances by changing anything."
"Really, Edward. I don't care how long it takes for you to be ready. I'll wait…"
"Shh," he put his fingers to my lips. "Please let me finish." I nodded and he continued. "Then when Jacob came over and you were talking to him in the living room. I felt so out of place. I didn't know whether to leave you alone, or come into the room. I tried to stay in the kitchen but that didn't feel right. I realized that you two have a real friendship and I wasn't part of that…and honestly, Bella. I got jealous."
"Edward, that's silly. You have no reason to be jealous."
"I know that, I truly do. I completely trust you but it's my own insecurities that made me feel that way. Then I was thinking that there is no way I want to be without you near me…every day." He took my hand in his and ran his fingertips across my palm and back up over the back of my hand, gently caressing my hand with his. "and…I think we should talk about moving in together after all."
"Whatever you want, Edward," I smirked at him. I had to suppress the urge to cheer that he wanted to talk about us living together.
"I can't ever lose you again and when I drove away earlier it felt almost like I was leaving you all over again. I won't ever be happy staying alone at Alice and Emmett's again, without you."
"Let's talk about it then." I walked into the living room and he came with me, still holding my hand. We sat together on the couch. "I think maybe we should not jump right into it, like you said. If you're happy staying here then bring some of your things over and keep them here, so you'll be more comfortable. And if you want, I'll stay with you sometimes."
"I know that you won't be happy unless you're home. I'm at Alice and Emmett's home, not my own place. If it makes sense, I could get an apartment though. You know…maybe sort of a transition from there to here?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "If you really want to, but it doesn't make much sense to me. I have this whole house, why waste your money on rent?"
"You'll have to let me help with your expenses if I move in, Bella." He insisted.
"I don't care about that. Money is inconsequential to me."
"I do care about it though." He cleared his throat. "I was totally serious earlier when I told you…I want to take care of you as much as I can. You are the most important person in my life."
"And I was serious when I told you…I don't need someone to take care of me. I am perfectly capable. I just want to be with you, that's all."
"Okay, so let's agree to this first. I won't move in…quite yet. But I'll stay here with you. Every night if that's what you want."
I nodded in agreement and he continued. "But you have to let me pay…at least half of your expenses."
"That's too much!" I argued.
"It's what I want to do. It's the only way I feel is fair."
"I don't like it. I can handle everything on my own. I don't have to pay rent, my dad owns this house. I only have small bills, nothing I can't manage…"
"Then you'll be able to pay those small bills even easier. I won't agree to anything less. Plus I'm going to do half of the cooking and housework." He flashed me one of his gorgeous smiles, making my heart flutter.
"If I agree to that…then you have to let me do all of the renovations I want to do here, and not pay for one cent of those expenses. I'll let you help with the work but not pay for any of it." He started to argue but I reminded him, "It's not even my house, it's my dad's. If I owned it then you might have some wiggle room. Since I don't, it's not open for discussion."
He reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Okay, but I reserve the right to renegotiate at any time."
"Ok that's a deal. Should we shake on it?" I grinned, leaning closer toward him.
"Not a chance. Kiss on it or it's no deal." He leaned his beautiful face closer and when our lips touched I felt a spark of excitement ignite our bodies.
Our kiss was deep, passionate, and desperate. He moved his hands to my waist and I rubbed along his jaw line. He leaned me back into the couch and trailed soft wet kisses down over my jaw and whispered in my ear. "I'm going to make us dinner. I want you to sit here and do absolutely nothing. Please realize Bella, how very much I want to take care of you."
I smiled back at him as we leaned back onto the couch together. I pulled him closer to me, and as he tried to get up, I whispered "I'll let you be in charge of dinner…if…you let me be in charge of dessert." I winked seductively at him and his eyes widened.
"Mmm, Baby, I can hardly wait." He gave me a few wet kisses before he pulled himself off of me and walked into the kitchen to make dinner.
Edward's POV
I was relieved when Bella and I reached an agreement. It made me feel better that she was going to allow me to help with her expenses as well as with the cooking and taking care of her house. She stayed on the couch like I asked and didn't try to help in the kitchen as I made our dinner. I grilled some thinly sliced beef, cooked rice and sliced vegetables for our quesadillas. When everything was done, I made her and I each a plate and brought it into the living room to eat with her. We sat side by side on the couch and ate together.
"Did you bring a suitcase with you?" She asked me in between bites.
I nodded at her. "Yes, I brought two suitcases and my guitar."
"Dinner is delicious, Edward. Thank you for cooking tonight."
"You're welcome. Tomorrow night's your turn, remember."
"I won't forget."
When we were done eating, Bella took our dishes out to the kitchen and started loading the dishwasher. "Why don't you bring in your suitcases and put your things away in my room? I'll be up in a few minutes to clear you some space in the dresser."
When I came in from the car I stomped the snow from my feet. "I hope you know where your shovel is. We're going to need it in the morning."
"It's in the laundry room, I think."
I was hanging up clothes in her closet when I heard her coming up the stairs. She walked over to the dresser, opened two drawers and started shifting her own clothes to make room for mine. When I finished putting things away in the closet and put my arms around her, leaning over her shoulder. I watched as she folded my socks and put them into one drawer.
Something stirred in my stomach, watching her putting away my clothes. I was burning with intense love for her. "Thank you for suggesting this, Baby. I'm so glad you did. It means so much to me to know that you really want me here."
"You're welcome. I'm going to love having you here." She leaned back and pressed her lips into mine, kissing me deeply. "Edward, you taste so good." She licked her lips after our kiss.
"Time for dessert?" I asked her seductively.
"Ready when you are." She told me, walking us backwards toward the bed…
Bella's POV
I lay there in Edward's arms basking in the warmth surrounding us. I always felt this immense pleasure every time after we made love. Like I was only meant to be with him…as if I had ever had any doubt about that. I ran my hands along his chest and I gazed up at him. His eyes were gently closed and a smile turned up the edges of his lips. He looked blissful, the same way I felt.
I lifted my face to his and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you so much," I told him.
"Bella, there's nothing in this world I want as much as you. I love you with all of my heart."
We both were still and quiet for a long time and I had so many things going through my mind all at once. I wondered about what our future would be together…I wondered what it would be like when we went back to work next week…I wondered what would happen between my parents. But mostly I wondered about his past when we were apart. I wondered about this Tanya that he was involved with. I instantly got this knot of jealousy in my stomach and a wave of guilt for feeling that way, especially while we were cuddling so close after another amazing lovemaking session.
"What's wrong? Your body just got really tense." He observed, tightening his arms around my waist.
"Just thinking…"
"What about?"
"Um," I hesitated "…about your life in London."
He chuckled lightly. "What about my life in London?" His face contained a hesitant smile.
"Well…I was wondering if you ever miss being there?"
"No, I told you that I didn't like it there. Forks is home to me, it always has been."
"But is there anything you miss at all?"
"I miss my parents, of course. But you are my life now. Nothing could make me leave your side."
"Do you miss your friends there…" I cleared my throat. "Or…Tanya?"
He leaned his head over and stared into my eyes incredulously. "Absolutely not! I didn't have many friends there, and Tanya wasn't an important part of my life at all. She was just there to occupy my time. I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever."
"It just seems like if you spent much time together that there would be…well… kind of a bond between you and her. It makes me wonder if she meant more to you than you had told me. It makes me wonder what she was like."
"I did spend time with her, like I told you. But we didn't bond like you're thinking. I was being honest when I told you it was just a casual, albeit sexual affair. The whole time-she didn't love me - I never loved her."
"How long were you with her?" I asked quietly.
"More than two years. But please don't think it was constant. It was occasional, Bella. It was nothing, really."
I was shocked at his admission. Two years was longer than I would have guessed. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "I believe you. It's just hard to imagine you with anyone else."
"I try not to think of you with anyone else either, Bella. It kills me to think of another guy making love to you. If I had stayed I would have been the one with you, not anyone else…" Frustration clouded his words as his voice trailed off.
I shrugged my shoulders and realized we were kind of in the same situation. We both had to understand that the other had an entirely different life while we were apart. I still wasn't sure how to handle my uncertainty over his past. I didn't want to dwell on it so I decided to put it out of my mind and just concentrate on loving him.
"I told you I never loved Ben. That was the truth. There was never anyone who could make me get over you. You're my one and only. Then and now too."
He smiled down at me and held me closer. "I am going to make sure I prove to you that you're the only girl I want for the rest of my life, Bella."
I returned his smile, "I'm really looking forward to that."
He pressed his warm lips into mine and gave me the most amazing kiss. When Edward's lips were on mine, I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I returned his kiss with enthusiasm, running my hands into his hair. We ignored the storm outside of our windows and lay there kissing and cuddling the rest of the night. Content in each other's arms.
So I would really like to know what your thoughts are of this chapter. If I knew how to do a "poll" I would but instead I'll just ask readers to reply to me in a PM or just in a review...
Is it too soon for Edward and Bella to move in together? Do you see any difference between them 'living together' and Edward just 'staying over night' like he has been already?
About Jacob and Marie's relationship - how do you think they'll last in a celibate relationship? Do couples actually stay celibate anymore? I'd love to know your thoughts.
Also what about Edward and Bella's former lovers, Tanya and Ben? I can tell you that both of them will make an appearance later in the story. What kind of feelings will Bella have when she comes into contact with the woman Edward slept with for more than two years? What will Edward think when he meets Ben, Bella's ex boyfriend who he knows was in love with her? Time will tell.
Review and tell me what you think. I love input from readers!
