Not betad. But thanks to carenl for her eyes.

Prompt: discreet

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


I practically rip the door open when I hear a knock at just after eleven-thirty. It's either Bella or someone with news of Bella. Either way, I'm out of patience.

A blur of limbs and brown hair practically tackles me as she throws herself in my arms; I know it's Bella more by the way she feels than anything else.

"Are you all right?" I ask, kicking to door closed as gently as I can so as not to wake Maddie. Bella doesn't answer and my frayed nerves are about to snap. "Bella, please."

I feel her nod her head on my shoulder and I resist the urge to demand she tell me what happened. Instead I try to be supportive and give her what she needs for the moment. I'm just so relieved she's here and in one piece.

"I'm sorry," she says breathlessly. "It took longer than I thought it would and I couldn't find my phone right away when we were finished and I thought I'd just come over instead of looking for it because I really wanted to see you anyway and then I thought I heard it ring in the car and I was worried you were looking for me and –"

I take a step back from her and put my hands on either side of her face, then I place my mouth on hers to get her to stop rambling. I kiss her for a long minute and then remove my lips from hers. "Slow down," I whisper.

"I'm sorry. I know I need to calm down. I'm just…" She shakes her hands in front of her in agitation so I kiss her forehead and run my thumbs across her cheeks.

"It's fine. You're fine. I was worried, but I'm glad you're here now."

She nods and rests her forehead on my chest, and I can hear her take a few deep, steadying breaths. Once I think she's calm enough I release her and stow the bed and put the cushions back on the couch, then I pour her a glass of wine, leftover from one of our dinners.

She accepts the wine with thanks and a smile and we sit on the couch. I start off with a good distance between us, but I quickly realize it's too far. After all my worrying I need to make sure she's here and real. So I scoot closer and rest my hand on her leg, needing the contact.

"I'm kind of dying here." I tell her when she doesn't say anything.

"Oh God, Edward, I'm so sorry." She takes a huge gulp of her wine and then wipes her mouth. "It was… well, it was ugly. He was taken completely by surprise when he realized we were at my attorney's office to end our marriage. I actually felt a little bad for him."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and tell her he doesn't deserve her sympathy. She's known him longer than I have and by all accounts he was good to her at one point.

"There was some screaming and yelling and then he called an attorney of his own," she continues. "He's a business acquaintance, apparently. Anyway, it took a while for Demetri's attorney to convince him this was the best deal he was likely to get. Our pre-nup was rock-solid, just like my attorney told me.

"Once he realized he wasn't going to get any more money, he asked if he could to talk to me alone." She takes a deep breath and another sip of her wine and I'm starting to feel anxious again. But this is about her and not me so I sit still and try to appear calm on the outside, even if I'm the exact opposite on the inside. Having her so close helps.

"He and I went into an empty conference room," she continues. "He tried to prevail on our friendship, on the good times in our marriage, he even brought up… my miscarriage and how he'd been there for me."

"Son of a bitch," I say under my breath.

"It's all right," she says with a shrug. "We were dissolving our marriage and the baby I lost was the only reason we were married in the first place. It was fair game."

"I don't agree."

"Be that as it may, I handled it fine."

"I'm sure you did."

"Can I finish?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay." She gives my hand a quick squeeze. "So then he asked me straight out if there was someone else."

"And?"

"And… I evaded. Because the truth is I was leaving him whether I'd met you or not. Which is basically what I told him. But he's not an idiot and he knew what I was doing." She takes the last sip of her wine and then places the glass back on the table. "I didn't tell him about you specifically. That really frustrated him. He even punched the conference room table."

"Did he touch you?" I ask through clenched teeth.

"No, no. I've told you before, he's many things, but he's not violent. He would never hit me."

I nod and wait for her to continue. "Then we sat around and divided up the contents of the house," she says. "I just wanted enough to furnish the new house and I told him he could have the rest, but I doubt he'll take all of it. He'll likely move into his apartment in New York full time and it's already furnished. I'm sure we'll find a place for whatever is left." She shrugs. "Then we parted ways and I came over here."

I want to be happy it's over, but she seems to be forgetting one small and very significant detail. "Did he sign the papers?" I ask.

"Oh God, I left out the most important part. I'm sorry," she says with a short laugh. "Yeah, he signed." Her smile is wide and bright when she looks at me. "It should be final in sixty days."

"Wow." I'm having a hard time connecting the dots and articulating how I'm feeling. The papers are signed. There's no more reason to hide. We can be together, freely and without guilt or reservation.

"Why don't you look happy?" she asks me, swallowing loudly and twisting her fingers together.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I am happy." I take her hand and tug her so she's sitting in my lap. "I'm so happy I'm not sure what to do with myself, hence my lack of response. I don't think I said anything for three days after Maddie was born."

I was hoping for a laugh, but I'm grateful for the smile she gifts me instead.

"We should still be discreet," she says, touching my cheek with the back of her hand. "But I'm pretty sure someone asked if he could take me on a date."

"Who asked you on a date? I'll kick his ass," I say with a scowl. That gets me the laugh I was looking for. It's quiet and reserved, but I'll take it.

She sighs and gets up on her knees, one on each side of me so she's hovering over me with her hands in my hair. "I only want you," she whispers against my mouth.

Then she kisses me; it's slow and soft and if I was standing I'm sure it would buckle my knees.


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