Chapter 31 – Hidden Treasure
Bella
Edward had arranged for his piano to be delivered late Friday afternoon, so I slipped out of work early to be there when it arrived. As I walked into the house, I heard Oliver meowing loudly from the apartment. Felicity was lying against the closet door, trilling back at him and pawing under the door, trying to get to him. I opened the doors to let him in, as had become daily habit, leaving it open for him to come and go as he pleased. He and Felicity settled into a can of cat food together, and I quickly put dinner in the oven and made my way to the parlor to get ready for the piano delivery.
Edward and I had rearranged the furniture to accommodate the piano the day prior, and as I cleaned and polished the newly-exposed floor where the piano would sit, I remembered the many times I had been in this room with my Grammy and Poppa, listening to Grammy play. Poppa would hold my hands and help me dance when I had been too small to do it on my own, and as I grew, he would still hold my hands, reassuring me that I was doing just fine. I could feel them both now, and I felt that same reassurance in my decision to bring Edward's piano here. I just knew having it in this house was the right thing to do.
The movers were exactly on time, and I watched in amazement, as they removed the crating and padding from around the piano. It was truly a beautiful piece, a work of art. It appeared to be an older model, quite a bit older, in fact. I had never seen a baby grand like it. It was a vintage Ibach, ornately detailed and elegant. As the movers gently brought it in and set it up, I could see why Edward wanted to be able to get to it so badly. It made my little parlor look like a grand hall, as the soft lights played off the rich finish. I would find a master tuner for it next week and get it tuned and cleaned to sound its best for Edward. The thought brought a smile to my face.
I went to get Grammy's paste wax she'd used on the other antiques and set to work cleaning and polishing the piano's beautiful cabinet. I just imagined the talented, and probably not-so-talented, hands that had touched its keys over the decades. Remembering how Edward's hands had moved over the keys on the piano at the Cullen's house, I couldn't wait to watch him on his own. I was sure his hands would show me just how talented they really were. Had the temperature in this room just gone up a few degrees? I suddenly felt warm for some reason.
I had the piano absolutely glowing and was on my hands and knees on the floor, polishing the brass pedals to a bright luster, when I heard soft laughter behind me. The sound startled me, causing me to spin around and topple over onto my butt, my legs sprawling out in front of me. Edward stood in the doorway, doubled over with laughter. I threw the cleaning cloth at him, barely missing his head.
"Sneaking up on your neighbor isn't nice, you know," I growled at him. He straightened up and looked appreciatively at his piano with a tender smile on his face before he came over and offered his hand, helping me to my feet.
"Is it okay to sneak up on my girlfriend?" he asked, grinning at me. I was sure my heart had just stopped. Surely, he had just been saying that for the other doctors' benefit this morning.
"Is that what I am?" I asked, looking up at him curiously.
"That depends," he said, as he pulled me into his arms. "Do you want to be?"
I wasn't sure what to say. Of course, I wanted to be Edward's girlfriend. I wanted to be more than just a girlfriend, but how could I do that when we just barely knew each other? The past few weeks had been wonderful, but we were still so new at this, I was afraid of going too fast and ending up blowing the whole thing. I decided to shut up my inner rambling and just show him how I felt.
"What do you think?" was all I said, as I jumped up in his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist, kissing him like I had never kissed anyone before.
He moved towards the piano, sitting me on the top, his hands sliding under my shirt, caressing the skin of my back and sides. We finally broke for a breath, our foreheads together, as both of us started giggling.
"Could you be a little clearer? I don't think I understood what you were saying," Edward teased, as he slid his hands up and down my thighs, sending what felt like electrical jolts up my spine.
"If you're asking me, then yes, I'll be your girlfriend," I smiled at him, "but there's something I need to tell you before you decide for sure you want me."
"What is it?" he asked, as he raised his head to look at me, curiosity burning in his sparkling eyes.
"Ever since I was a little girl, both my Grammy and my mom taught me that a lady waited for the first man she gave herself to physically to be her husband. I know that's kind of old-fashioned these days, but I'm still waiting," I said shyly, my eyes on my hands in my lap. Edward wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. He just stood there holding me, gently rubbing his hands up and down my back.
"Bella, you truly are my treasure," he whispered against my neck. "I'll see that their wise counsel is followed to the letter."
"Do you still want me, then?" I asked, as tears played at the corners of my eyes.
"More than ever," Edward whispered, as he gently kissed my forehead.
