Hi guys! This is just some further journeying with these two on their path back to each other.

I just wanted to add on from the last chapter, with something like PCOS you need to pay attention to your body. It may be something you'd think would have absolutely nothing to do with your hormones be out of balance, but just always listen to what you body is telling you, and get checked out so you can catch onto it early enough. I told a couple people this last night from reviews, but I took care of my mom from the time I was seventeen(and I'm 35 now), when her Multiple Sclerosis started getting worse. And I just didn't pay attention to my own health, and I let it get too far along when I finally was diagnosed. I'd heard here and there little things about it, but never really looked into it. Someone finally told me when I went to get checked for my blood pressure problems, and I went home and looked it up. I've got just about every listed symptom for PCOS. So I went to get checked out at the GYN and they confirmed it. So, if you feel off or start noticing little things, go get checked out. Like I said in the last chapter, there is no cure for PCOS, but there is treatment and managing the symptoms that can help.

So, with that! Onward!

Chapter 5

BPOV

I think that this weekend was exactly what we needed to start back on the right track. We've got a plan to do some re-jigging at Cullen Construction; we've talked out the majority of our issues with Edward's lack of attention at home and ways to get back to our normal family life.

Hopefully this is the best first step in the right direction. I know we may blunder some of it along the way, but that's life. We're gonna do our best though. Because we're gonna make sure our family stays intact.

We spent the rest of the day Saturday snuggled up in bed, for the most part. We talked for a long time, but I could tell Edward was getting more and more tired, so I told him to try to get some rest, and that I wasn't going anywhere.

He finally dozed off and slept hard for a few hours. His exhaustion was fully on display and you could tell he doesn't sleep a whole lot on a regular basis. The majority of the nights over the last year, he's always come to bed well after midnight, a lot of times it was one or two o'clock in the morning. And then he'd be up again at five or five-thirty to get ready for work again. It definitely catches up with you when you don't sleep enough.

So, this is a much needed break for him to just recharge a little bit.

I wasn't as tired as he was, so I turned on the TV and put the volume on low and just watched some reruns on HGTV. I'm always looking for new projects to try or redecorating or remodeling around the house. This might be a good opportunity to get some new ideas going so, hopefully, when Edward is around the house a little more, we can work on these things together.

Once Edward starts to stir in the mid-afternoon, he looks up at me with a shy look on his face.

"Hey gorgeous." His voice is thick with the much needed sleep he got, and he stretched out his arms and legs in the bed.

"Hey handsome. Feel a little more rested?" I asked, pushing his unruly hair out of his face.

"Yeah." He said, lying flat on his back and just breathing in the quiet and peaceful time he rarely gets.

"We need some groceries, so maybe we can make a trip to the store and we can find something good to cook for dinner tonight. Any special requests?" I asked him.

He looked over at me and had a thoughtful look on his face.

"You know what sounds amazing right now?" He asks and I shake my head. "Your gumbo. I haven't had that in forever."

I thought that over and I think I could get that done this evening with no problem.

"That sounds good to me, too. Let's get going and you can help me in the kitchen when we get back." I smacked his leg and jumped up out of the bed.

We made the trip out to the grocery store and got started getting what we needed for the week, and our dinner tonight.

It felt nice to have my other half there with me, just having that adult conversation, as opposed to just me by myself or me with two kids that are ten and eight.

"So, what else do we need for tonight?" He asked as we were walking to the produce area.

"Can you grab some okra from over there?" I asked him as I was picking up a couple onions. "Oh, I need a bell pepper and some celery, too." I remembered that I was out of most all of the veggies I usually cook with.

We work well together, even if we're just in the store. Edward usually knows what I'm looking for when I'm getting stuff to cook. I always trust his judgement on stuff. He also loves my gumbo, so he made sure, a few years ago, that he knew exactly what went into it so he could get the stuff when he would do the grocery store run.

"Were the kids mad that we weren't joining them at your parent's house tonight?" Edward asked as we were walking through the meat department and grabbing chicken for tonight, a pork loin, turkey burgers, and some ground beef for the rest of the week.

"Not really. They've got a chance to stay with Nammie and Pop, so they're taking the opportunity to brown nose my parents into buying them more stuff. I told mom to stand her ground, but you know she's a wuss when it comes to them." I laugh, because really, my mom has got to be the biggest pushover with those two. It might have something to do with them being her only grandchildren, but I can't help that. It's not my fault I'm an only child.

Edward laughs, too, and takes my hand and kissing it. He gets a serious look on his face then.

"I really am so sorry about the past year, baby. I didn't realize things had gotten quite so out of hand."

I shake my head and pull his face so he's looking at me. "Edward, stop apologizing. I understand. And we're working on getting back to where we were. This, today? This is a good start. We've just gotta stay committed to it. You know I love you." I reach up and kiss his chin, in a sweet gesture we used to always do with each other.

"I love you too, gorgeous." He says, and responds with kissing my nose.

We continue through the store and finish up, and head home to get started on our meal for the night.

Getting everything put away at home, Edward and I set to work on chopping and cooking for the evening. Cooking with Edward has always been easy. We both love cooking, but he swears I'm the better cook. I don't know about all of that, but he's always had a long list of favorite things I've cooked over the years. He likes to make requests for them when his taste buds start jonesing for something in particular.

Today, it's my 'famous' gumbo. It's only famous in our family circle, but Edward always likes to say I should be a famous chef.

Cue eye roll.

Working together, we make quicker work of what usually is a lengthy process, but we get it done fairly quickly.

Sitting down to eat, just the two of us, is nice. For once, I've got my husband here with me, no kids in the house, and we can just relax. You need that every once in a while. You need to be able to be a couple and build on your relationship. And letting the kids spend time with their grandparents is always a plus.

When I was little, I didn't get that opportunity that much. My grandfather died before I was born, and my grandmother died when I was seven. That was on my father's side. My mom's parents moved to Ireland and we don't really get to see them all that much. The little bit of time I did get to spend with my grandmother, made me appreciate that time. So I want to make sure Jake and Kate have that time with my mom and dad, and Esme and Carlisle, as well.

"Babe," Edward started around a mouthful of steaming gumbo. "As usual, this is absolutely amazing. You always make the best gumbo. I still think you should open a place. You could serve just this, and probably make a mint."

I just laugh and look down at my own bowl of yummy goodness. He's got a point. Anytime I make this, it gets gone before I can blink, and everyone that's had it has fallen in love with it. I do love it, myself. It's one of those things that just hits the spot, and with all the flavors that goes into it, it just dances around in your mouth.

"I don't know about all that, but I'm glad you're enjoying it. This was a good idea for tonight. It's been a while since I've made it."

He arches an eyebrow and adds, "Babe, who else is the first to be asked to make food for whatever get together we end up going to? How many times have you gotten rave reviews for your food? You're good at making things taste delicious. Take a little more credit for your food passion." He smiles and shoves another spoonful in his mouth.

"Well, thank you. I think though that if I did try to open a food place up, I'd quickly lose my love for cooking. You know how people say don't make a career out of something you love to do? I think that'd be the case if I did. But I'm ok with feeding my family and friends good food."

He smiles, and gets up, leaving his spoon on the table and taking his bowl with him. Which tells me he's going back for seconds.

I just shake my head, smiling, and keep eating my first bowl. He's gonna have some killer heartburn tonight, but I got ahead of it, and set out the Pepcid for him.

He comes back out with his bowl and digs back into his food.

We spend the rest of the night just hanging out, even though Edward did have a couple of phone calls from work. It was things that could wait until Monday. We didn't let it ruin our night.

After we'd cleaned up the kitchen and locked up the house for the night, we made our way to our bedroom. I hadn't intended to, but I walked to Edward where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and started shedding my clothes.

He looked up at me with surprise at first, but then I saw the hunger in his eyes grow. It had been… I don't know how long since we'd had sex, but it was clearly overdue.

Edward ran his hands up and down my thighs and helped finish pulling the rest of my clothes off. He was only in his boxers, so that was easily taken care of.

"Are you sure, babe? I know we're working through stuff, but I don't want you to feel like we have to do this." He asked with a little uncertainty.

I just pushed him back onto the bed and climbed up his body, kissing as I went.

"Edward, shut up and get inside me." I told him, and of course, he obliged.

This was something we needed, too. We needed to reconnect as lovers, as a married couple. We needed this sweet, slow burn and the ecstasy of a well needed release.

As we were lying together after we'd come down off our amazing post coital high, Edward seemed less stressed after a day of relaxing and, well, a good roll in the sheets.

I asked him about it too.

"Well, I think knowing that we've got a plan forming, and that I'm making it a point to pull back at the office, it feels like I can start breathing a little more easily now… It probably doesn't hurt that my wonderful wife knows that I needed good food and good sex to help with the situation."

I just pinch his sides and he starts writhing and giggling, trying to grab my hands to stop me.

"You know, most men would be grateful for such an awesome wife to cater to their husband's every need!" I keep trying to tickle him but, he's about to fall off the bed, so he rolls over on top of me.

He gets this serious, but tender look in his eyes and pushes my hair out of my face.

"I am unbelievably grateful for such an incredibly amazing wife. One which, I don't know how I deserved." He says, and then leans down to kiss me.

We stay like that for a while, just kissing and caressing.

We finally settle down and turn in for the night. I've noticed throughout the day that he seems to keep pulling me to him and holding on tightly to me.

"You're awfully cuddly today, buddy." I joke, poking him in the stomach.

"Well, coming home and thinking that my wife and kids were gone and that my marriage could be over, kinda makes a guy want to hold on tight to what's important to me. I don't plan on letting go anytime soon, either." He kisses below my ear and burrows into my hair, for some reason.

He's always loved my hair. Which kinda makes me a little more sad that I may lose all of it at some point with this disorder I've got.

"I don't plan on letting go, either. That's why I did what I did. I don't want to lose you, but something had to give. We're getting on the right path, and hopefully, we'll be stronger after this than we were before." I whisper.

"I have no doubt that we will."

So, side note: I make a killer gumbo and my dad(who I take care of) always requests gumbo at the weirdest times. But it's never a bad decision. It's definitely one of my favorite dishes ever. My dad is always telling me to open a food place too, but I'm of the thinking, like Bella in this story, that if you make a career out of something you absolutely love, then you'll grow to hate it. I enjoy cooking, and I like finding good food to cook and putting my own spin on it.

So, there's that! Leave some love!