Rating/Warning(s)/Note(s): T, Parkward
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Prompt: Blow
Plot Generator—Binding Blurb:Cost-cutting


I worked hard all through the morning, wanting to be sure I had as much done as possible before heading over to the clinic to meet Edward for lunch. I even went so far as to get up early, but that might have been because I had gone to bed early. Once Edward left there just didn't seem to be a reason to stay awake, especially with the prospect of dreaming of him lay before me. As a result of my goody-two-shoes behavior I needed to place another call to Mark to pick up more books. But first, I really hoped to run into Tanya to see how their night went.

It was difficult not to skip the few blocks to where Edward waited for me. I know I felt like a goofy teenager, even if those years were almost a decade behind me. Love does that to you, my mother had told me when she was all googly-eyes over Phil. I thought she was silly at the time, now I could see her wisdom.

The cool air of their clinic wafted out the door, causing me to shiver after the baking heat of the sidewalk. I found I instantly wished for a jacket but warmed right up when Edward came around the corner, talking to a patient. She was trying to stand quite close to him, even going as far as placing her hand on his upper arm when he tried to back away. The look of panic in his bright eyes when he felt the wall behind him was enough to elicit a giggle from me.

"You know, it's not nice to make him suffer so," I heard Tanya whisper from behind me. "You really should go rescue him." She was having trouble not giggling herself. Her eyes were dancing with unconcealed mirth when I turned to look at her, but she was only looking at the show going on in front of us. When she let out a snort I had to turn back to look.

The woman had managed to back him down the wall into a corner and he was starting to look like a trapped animal, and that's when his eyes darted out and landed on me. Taking in Tanya and my laughter he frowned and his eyes narrowed before one eyebrow rose as if asking me a question. She apparently noticed his change in demeanor and turned around to see us, or rather me, smiling back at him.

When my eyes met hers I could tell I was being evaluated as a potential threat, and obviously found not worthy of worry. Oh, she was going down. I sauntered, there was no other word to describe it, over to them with the whispered encouragement of Tanya behind me. As I reached them I put my hand on Edward's other arm and pulled him down to me. "Hello my love, I'm feeling rather, uhm, hungry at the moment and really need you to fill that need."

By the time I had finished I had his lips level with mine. The arm I had been pulling on wrapped itself around my waist as he pulled my body close. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the shocked look on his patient's face and started to shake with laughter. Edward turned my face with the hand he had pulled out from under the grasp of her talons and whispered in my ear, "Don't blow it by laughing, you're doing great, my love." With that he placed a small kiss right below my ear and stood up.

Turning to his patient he addressed her. "Sorry about that, Mrs. Roberts, I promised my fiancé lunch last night." I immediately started coughing.

"Bella? Love?" he called his voice full of concern as I tried to suck air into my lungs, "Are you all right?"

I felt a glass being pressed into my hand. Looking at it through my tear-filled eyes I took a sip of the cold water in an attempt to stop myself from coughing. "You really need to not throw around the f-word like that, Edward," I heard Tanya scold him from beside me as she pulled me away.

"What f-word?" he asked. I could feel myself moving and looked around and saw an examination table in front of me.

"Have you actually proposed, or was that to get Mrs. Roberts off of you?" she replied. He didn't answer.

"Tanya?" I called to her, "can I speak to Edward alone please?" My cough had calmed and now I only sounded slightly strangled.

I could hear the door close and looked up to see a very uncomfortable looking Edward. Not knowing exactly what to say I just waited for him to speak. It was a few minutes before he did, but he finally broke down. "You know that's what I have in mind, eventually, right? I mean, it didn't really come as a surprise, did it?"

"Why not girlfriend?" I asked quietly, looking down into my glass of water.

"Because that's not how I think of you. Fiancé is much closer." He paused another moment before stepping close to me and lifting my chin with his finger. "Last night, on the couch with you, all I wanted was to be your husband. I wanted to take you to bed and kiss my ring on your finger. Sometimes it scares me how much I want that because it just seems so fast."

"It is fast," I whispered back. "I'm scared, too."

"How do we slow this down?" he asked. "I want to do this right, in the right way."

I took a deep breath. "We budget, just like with money, only with our feelings. We're each other's shiny new toy. So, we stay on the couch," I could see he was going to argue so I hurriedly added, "in an upright position." That brought forth a chuckle and a sigh. "We spend most of our time in the company of others so we aren't tempted, and we take the time to really know each other in all ways."

"That might work." He pulled me into his arms with one hand and opened the door to the hallway with the other, "so I don't throw you down on the table" he whispered, causing me to chuckle. "Come on, let's go get some food. Esme is dying to see you again and Tanya will kill me if I'm not back on time. She has a date with Mark tonight."

I looked into his deep, green eyes and smiled. "Sounds good, I really am quite hungry."


This Edward is giving me whiplash. He wants to take it slow but as soon as she's near he kind of loses his head.