"Jacob Black is here."
"Do you want me to come over there?" I can hear him packing up.
"Uh, no. Everything's gonna be fine." I pull the phone away from my face and open the door to Jacob and tell him to come in. "I'll see you later. I love you."
"Love you too, princess."
I set my phone down and sit down behind my desk as I take in Jacob Black. He looks drawn, and he's got deep purple bags under his eyes. I just saw him a few weeks ago, so the fact that he looks this bad tells me everything I need to know. I still ask.
"Have a seat, Jake." I gesture across from me, and when he sits down with a sigh, I can't help but feel badly for him. "What's going on?"
His eyes meet mine, and he chuckles humorously. "I know you know what's going on."
I give him a quick nod. "I've seen the news. I'm asking more about what's going on with you. You look like shit."
"Well, I feel like it." He leans forward and drops his head into his hands. "I'm the one who turned her in."
While he's avoiding my gaze, I take a moment to freak out. I knew someone had turned her in, but I never would have guessed it was Jacob. I school my features, and when he finally looks at me, his eyes are watery.
"I don't know if I did the right thing."
Nodding, I sway in my chair slightly. "I think the most important thing is that you understand what she was doing was illegal. You and I both know that Maggie is a horrible person. This just proves it. Her moral compass is askew. Yours is not."
"I never wanted it to be like this," he mutters. "I feel like I don't have any real friends, and I was so stupid to think I was in love with her."
Sighing, I stand up and walk around the desk. "I loved her too. But at the end of day, the only person she cares about, the only person she loves, is herself. You gotta understand that, Jacob."
He nods and gives me a watery smile. "I know you're right, but it doesn't make it any easier right now."
"Come on." I grab his arm and hoist him up. "I'll buy you lunch, and you can give me all the gory details."
"I'm sorry I just showed up here," he says as I grab my purse and open my office door. "Why are you being so nice?"
"Because I've been where you are now." I roll my eyes slightly. "I came out better on the other side. I think you will too. Let's go."
"Well, lunch turned into liquid lunch, and then that turned into happy hour, and then you picked us up after that." I'm struggling to get out of my jumpsuit. I ditched my heels the instant I was inside the door, but this one-piece monstrosity I can't handle. "Help."
"I'd laugh if it weren't so pitiful," Edward says as he pulls the jumpsuit down over my shoulders, and then my hips. "How's Jacob?"
"I think he's gonna be okay," I say as I turn in place and immediately feel dizzy. "Oh, man, I drank too much."
"Yeah, you're gonna pay for that tomorrow." Edward hands me one of his shirts, and I pull it over my head. Then he surprises me with a bottle of Gatorade and a couple Advil.
"Thank you for taking care of me," I mumble around the pills before I swallow them.
He laughs. "Well, I have to. You gotta pay half the rent around here." Edward wraps his arms around me and presses his lips to my forehead. "Plus, you're kinda cute when you're drunk."
He drags me to bed, and I crash unceremoniously and wake in the morning with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. I check my phone to find that I still had about twenty minutes before my alarm was set to go off, so I grab my phone and make my way to the living room to let Edward sleep.
After making coffee and taking some more medicine, I turn on the early news and watch for any new information. My alarm goes off, and then my phone rings. Rosalie's name and picture flash across the screen, and I answer quickly.
"Hey."
"So, can you believe this?"
"Um, not really. But, I'm also not really surprised," I tell her as I turn the TV down a little.
"Alice says she won't be able to come to the wedding because, you know, bail and legal shit. But if she tries, she's going to have her removed."
"I didn't hear back from Alice or Jasper. Neither of them did any business with her, did they?"
"Jasper did, but that was a couple years ago when she was getting her footing. He hasn't worked with her since."
"That's good." I hear Edward shuffling around in the bedroom. "Are you guys ready to go?"
"I still need to pick up my dress from the seamstress, but yeah. Are you two ready?"
"I haven't even bought a dress, Rose." I groan, and she laughs. "It's not funny. I'm so screwed."
"Look, you have three days before you leave. Just run to Nordstrom or something and grab the first dress that fits."
"I know you're right." Edward gives me a sleepy grin as he emerges from the bedroom and makes his way to the kitchen. "I'll take care of it. I gotta go. See you soon."
"Good morning," Edward says as he sits next to me with his coffee. "How's the head, princess?"
"Awful, but I'll be fine."
"Anything new?" He nods to the TV, and I shake my head. It's all the same. I tell him about Alice and Jasper. Edward frowns and shakes his head. "She really tried to get to everyone, huh?"
"Maybe, but she's gonna get what's coming to her." I'm confident.
"We'll see."
Two days later, I'm sitting in a dressing room in a department store, waiting for a response from Jessica and Rose. I found a dress and sent them a picture, asking for their opinion. As I'm redressing so I can head back to work, my phone finally buzzes.
Rose: It's perfect. The color looks great on you!
Jess: Ugh, it's about time. Looks AHMAZING!
I send them a quick thanks and rush to check out and get going. I took a short lunch today since I'm leaving a little early. We're leaving for North Carolina tomorrow morning, and I can't wait. Wedding season is finally over, and it feels like we're closing a weird chapter in our lives.
Edward and I have spoken a lot about our future and what it holds for us. While we're not exactly sure what it'll look like, we know we'll be together. We've made plans to visit his family for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to the holidays as a couple.
When my workday winds down and Edward is waiting for me in the loading zone in front of my office, I smile at him through the window before entering the car. No matter what happens to us or anyone we know, this man is all that matters.
When I slip into the passenger seat, I sniff the air, and Edward laughs. "Hey, princess. I got you a present." He nods to the backseat and sitting there are two boxes from Tony's pizza.
"You went to Brooklyn? For pizza?" I ask as I lean across the console and press my lips to his.
"For you? I'd go anywhere."