Hello Monday Coffee Girl fanatics. Hope you all had a great weekend. I know I did when I saw we hit over two thousand reviews on FFn and almost twenty-five hundred overall! You all rock my socks off! THANK YOU!

Thank you to Team Coffee Girl for their continued support and help: Brie, kitchmill, Jenn, Kelly, and Kim. Though, I have a tendency to tweak until I post.

Today we get to thank YesMyRealNameIsBella for her Hollywood encounter. Here's what she had to say:

"I'm from NYC, and was working at a bowling alley when I was 17. It was my first job. Bowling alleys here aren't very typical, well most of them aren't, this particular place had an age restriction. After 9 p.m. you had to be 23 or older to be there, it was more of a club with laser/glow in the dark bowling. On one Saturday evening while I was working the private party section, a group of about 7 people came in. They reserved 2 lanes and I was to be their server. I remember walking up to them and being a bit surprised that Amanda Bynes was sitting before me. This was way before her antics. And what surprised me especially was just how much more beautiful in person she is than on TV. She ordered a large diet coke, the people in the kitchen messed it up twice before admitting they didn't have any diet coke and she was a sweetheart about it all. But she was pretty adamant about her diet coke…lol… She took one sip and just knew it wasn't diet!

I don't remember if she tipped or not! lol I loved her growing up! What I remember the most was her eyes! She had the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen!"

Thanks for sharing YesMyRealNameIsBella! Now on we go! Enjoy! xx


Chapter Twenty-Eight

The paparazzi came out in full force the second the proposal video hit YouTube, and so did the calls from our parents and Edward's management team. We hadn't even been engaged for an hour before all the madness began.

While the calls from Jane and our families kept pouring in, we continued to ignore them all. This was our moment, and although we had shared it with the public, we weren't about to let the specialness be consumed by them—making an announcement wasn't needed when the video said it all. The nicest part was that Edward had whisked me away shortly after Angela let me leave. We went back to La Jolla and the bed and breakfast Edward had taken me to for Valentine's Day just a few short months ago. We even had the same room.

Once we were settled in, we began to discuss all the things we needed to do now that we going to get married. Things like deciding the type of wedding we wanted, the number of guests, and the when and where of it all. We hadn't even been engaged for twenty-four hours and I was already overwhelmed.

And to top it all off, we still hadn't found a house. That had been a nightmare in and of itself. The first house we saw was ridiculous. It had thirteen bedrooms and cost over twenty-five million dollars. I wanted kids, but there was no way in hell I would be giving birth to ten children. I had no desire to be the next Brangelina either. Four was my limit whether we had children naturally or we adopted. Four was plenty and led to the discussion that we didn't need more than six or seven bedrooms, and even that was pushing it.

We toured Bob Hope's estate when it went on the market, but that was too much of a house as well. It had its own guest parking lot, for Pete's sake. I was starting to get discouraged.

I understood the need for privacy, but it was discouraging and I was beginning to think we would never find the perfect house. After all, I was used to your run-of-the-mill tract houses in the valley, and these homes—these mansions—were nothing like any house I ever imagined myself living in. I was overwhelmed and so unaccustomed to the lap of luxury I now found myself heading toward.

It was all going to be about compromise, mainly on my part, to understand that my life had been forever changed. What I knew wasn't how life was going to continue anymore. I would have to embrace the fact that he—that we—had money now.

While we were lying in bed, we had been going through the most recent list of homes Edward had been sent by Jane's real estate agent. They ranged from too big still to too small as well, but one stood out. It was more of a home than I had ever thought I could live in, but it had so much to offer too.

It was a magnificent masterpiece of a home set behind private gates on one of the most prestigious and coveted streets in Beverly Hills. The private and gorgeous grounds were covered with impeccably lush landscaping, stone fountains, a Parisian style garden entry, multiple patios, green lawns, a pool and spa. The previous owners had spared no expense when designing the huge one-of-a-kind estate two years ago.

Within the exuberant living space there were seven bedrooms, eleven baths, and a unique subterranean six to ten car garage. That was more car space than we needed, but the gleam in Edward's eyes about owning a few sports cars in the near future told me he really like that bonus feature.

One of the many of the other high-end features of the estate was a state-of-the-art custom theater that would be perfect for screening his films without a large audience. That was something I had learned Edward was a bit uncomfortable doing. He couldn't stand the idea of the fans not liking his work, so sitting with them during premieres was pure torture for him.

There was a wine tasting room that also came with its own wine cellar, a stunning library, and too many great rooms to count. The biggest selling point for me was the dramatic gourmet kitchen with a separate preparatory kitchen that I could imagine myself fixing many holiday dinners in. It was more than I could have ever hoped for in a home…way more.

Other features the home boasted were the private gym, an indoor spa with waterfall, sauna and steam room, and the most spectacular man cave that any man on the planet would love, Edward included. When he mentioned turning the separate guest house into a recording studio for me, I was sold. I didn't need to read any more about the stunning spiral staircase or the elevator that the house also had. Not to mention the grand master suite with his and her baths, and a spectacular two-story closet and designer interior appointments that would and did shock me to pieces because it was almost the size of the whole house I grew up in.

It was an exquisite property and one I could see myself calling home for the remainder of my life, because there was no way I was ever going to go house hunting again. Edward immediately called and scheduled an appointment to see it in person once we returned from La Jolla. Until that time, though, we spent the rest of the weekend making love and just enjoying our time inside our bubble of love before it burst and we were forced to return to the real world.

It happened faster than I liked. Monday morning, after a delicious breakfast of French toast and turkey sausage, we made our way to the estate.

"Oh my God." It was huge, way bigger than I imagined, but security was tight. We had to drive through two separate gates just to get to the ones that led to the home itself.

The landscaping was truly magnificent, so lush and green with pops of red and white flowers mingling within the spectacularly designed European style garden. Roses and other tropical style flowers mingled together in perfect harmony.

"I think we'd need a gardener or three just to maintain this. I don't know anything about how to take care of it all." It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who was overwhelmed. Edward's awe was enough to calm the nerves that had set in once the home was in sight and no longer just pictures on an iPad.

The stonework was impeccable, as was the ironwork. It was a dream home…and not one I ever believed I might one day live in.

The realtor led us through all of the rooms and showed us all of the amenities that the house boasted. It was more house than we would ever need, but the upside was that I was right: we wouldn't have to move again…ever.

After she left us alone to discuss our thoughts, Edward began first. "So, what do you think?"

"It's a lot. Almost too much, but I love it." I continued to take everything in with a small smile playing on my lips.

"Is it our home then?" I nodded. "Good, because I love it too. Welcome home, love."

I squealed and jumped into Edward's arms. "Welcome home as well, Eddie."

The first step toward our future had been decided. We met up with the realtor again and proceeded to make an offer on the multimillion dollar home. The number of zeros on the paper was enough to have me hyperventilating, but I keep my cool as I shakily signed my name on the forms. With a final swipe of the pen, the initial paperwork was done. Now it was a waiting game to see if the offer would be accepted.

We left the house more excited than ever before and headed over to Edward's parents' house. We had yet to share our news with them personally, but we knew that the media had since the phone calls had still yet to stop. To say I was nervous to see them again would be an understatement.

"Would you relax? I'm starting to get anxious now, and they're my parents. At least you don't have to stare down the barrel of a gun like I'm sure I'll be doing when we see Officer Pornstache after this." Edward could be so dramatic sometimes, but he could put me at ease like no other.

"Oh God," I huffed between my bouts of laughter. "I can't wait to tell him that."

Edward slammed on the brakes. "You wouldn't dare?"

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I continued to laugh at the frightened look that had overcome his face. "No, I wouldn't. But that face of yours was priceless. I wish I could have caught it on my phone. It would have been the perfect screensaver."

"Just for that, I'm going to tell Mom it was your idea to avoid the phones while we were away." He continued driving again, proud to think he had the upper hand in our little dispute.

I cringed internally before I came up with the ultimate response, even if it was a lie. "You do that and I'll hold out until the wedding night. Lord knows I can, since sex is still so new for me."

My phone was ready that time and I captured the look of horror on his face. The sound of the picture being taken brought him back to the present.

"You wouldn't?"

He was underestimating my self-restraint, but so was I. "Oh, but I would."

He muttered something along the lines of 'pure evil' under his breath, and I couldn't help but cackle like a witch until I saw the line of paparazzi lined up outside his parents' gated community.

It was scary as they all swarmed our car. The bright flashes from their cameras were making my eyes water, and the rocking of our car as they tried desperately to get their money shot scared me. Security and the police quickly came to our aid, but it was too late. I was shaking, frightened, and worried about how my life was going to be now. I almost wanted to spend the rest of my life locked behind those gates that our hopefully house would be hidden behind. I guess it was a good thing that the house had so many things that could keep us busy after all.

The second we parked in front of Carlisle and Esme's, I jumped out of the car. I couldn't get away from the feeling of being trapped fast enough. The constant rocking motion and banging on the windows was still so fresh in my mind. They were savages, completely unrefined monsters who had no respect for people or their privacy. I wondered how they would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. Would they relax and go with the flow while strangers snapped pictures and shouted obscene comments, just hoping for a reaction? Or would they acknowledge what disgusting and poor excuses for human beings the paparazzi really were and leave us alone?

Sadly, I didn't think they would care, or that it would make any difference because they didn't see us as people, just dollar signs.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head as I attempted to literally hold myself together. "No." I just wasn't.

"I'm sorry that who I am and what I do affects you so much." There was a heaviness in his voice, and the strange tone to it made it so I was now more scared of what he was going to say than what had occurred just mere minutes ago. "If this is too much…I'd understand if you wanted to call everything off."

Everything in me snapped and I smacked him upside the head. I couldn't believe that I'd hit him, but I was angrier than I thought I could ever be.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" The dumbfounded and shocked look on his face spoke volumes. "You just want to give up…walk away from everything that we have because some lowlife scums scared me?" I shook my head. "I thought you were better than that—that I meant more to you than that."

I turned to and began to walk away, the ring on my finger felt heavier now that our relationship was on the verge of ending, but before I could get too far, Edward grasped my arm and twisted me around to face him. A retort played on my lips, but before I could get the words out, Edward's mouth descended upon mine. The fire and passion was still there as we kissed each other angrily.

The heat and desire rushed through my veins and clouded my thoughts. I could only feel and hold on for the ride as I tugged his hair and held his lips to mine. The frustrations of everything that had happened in the last ten minutes or so dissipated and nothing mattered but us. I was willing to fight for us, and Edward had been willing to fight as well, but was it all too much for him now?

It was the first thought to enter my mind since he began kissing me, and as much as I didn't want it to stop, I needed to know. I had already risked my heart, but I couldn't handle not having answers to all the questions that began forming in my mind.

"Well, look what we have here. The famewhore strikes again. Did you manage to trap him by getting knocked up?"

The questions were going to have to wait since Malice was at it again.


Dun, Dun, Duuuuuuuuuuuuun…

Bet you want to kill me for that, huh? Not too long of a wait, though, since I'll be back with it on Wednesday. Only 7 more regular chapters remain. Thank you for continuing to read and review. All of your sweet words of encouragement make me smile. xx Dee