When Love Lies

by twilightwhat

Bella's abusive ex-husband has just been released from jail. Fearing his daughter is in danger, Charlie gives Officer Cullen the job of keeping an eye on his daughter without raising her suspicions. What happens when Edward and Bella start to get closer, though? Will Edward be able to keep her safe? AU, AH, BxEmxJ sibs, ExA sibs Rewrite of a story on my former page

10. Chapter 9

Chapter 09

I sit up quickly, gasping for air in between coughing fits. Lingering images from my nightmare fill my mind. James on top of me with his hands around my throat. Me struggling beneath him, slapping his arms and shoving his face away from me in hopes that his iron grip will relent. As I take in my surroundings, one of my hands makes its way to my throat where I swear I can actually feel where his hands were in my dream.

Turning my body, I place my bare feet on the cool wood floor, trying to ground myself. My door opens and I jump slightly as Jasper quickly walks in. My coughing has died down but my breathing is still labored.

"I'm okay," I mumble shakily. He sits on my bed next to me, his body mirroring mine.

"Want to talk about it?" he asks and I shake my head, breathing in deep.

"It's nothing you haven't heard before," I frown.

"That doesn't mean you can't talk to me about it," he assures me.

"It was a memory. I had come home late from school and he accused me of cheating on him. I told him he was ridiculous and that I wouldn't cheat on him and things became heated. He told me not to talk back and when I told him I wasn't he put his hands around my throat." My hand rubs at the flesh of my throat as the memory replays itself in my head. Jasper rubs my back and I sigh, glancing over at the clock on my nightstand. 9:02.

Taking another deep breath, I stand, stretching and breathing in deep now that my breathing has returned to normal.

"I need to shower," I say, changing the subject. "Edward is supposed to be here soon to pick me up."

"Bella," Jasper calls as I make my way into my bathroom. I stop and look at him still sitting on my bed. "I know Edward's a good guy, but just be careful, okay? We don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I'm okay, Jas, I promise. Edward's been amazing."

"I know and we're all really happy to see you happy. I just want you to be careful."

"I will, Jas, thanks," I say, giving him a grateful smile. "You know, you and Alice looked really cozy last night," I add on. Jasper's face lights up in a big smile and, if I'm not mistaken, I sense a little pink filling his cheeks.

"She's great, isn't she?" he confesses. "She invited me to Riley's party today."

"That's great, Jas," I grin at him. "It was nice to see you happy with her last night." He nods, giving me a grateful smile as he stands.

"I'll let you get ready," he offers and I nod before closing the bathroom door behind me. I hear my bedroom door close, signaling that Jasper's left the room. Sliding the curtain to the side, I reach inside the shower and turn the knob, water spraying out a brief moment afterwards. I turn on the Bluetooth speaker that rests upon the towel rack in the shower and the monotone woman's voice rings out that my phone has connected to the device.

I sit on the toilet lid while I wait for the shower to heat up and scroll through my songs, trying to find one I want. Listening to Billy Joel on the way to Edward's house yesterday put me in the mood for nonstop Billy Joel, so I select a playlist of only his music. I press shuffle and set my phone on the counter, smiling to myself as the tune begins to play through the speakers. Bending forward, I pile my hair on top of my head in a messy bun so it doesn't get wet.

When I straighten up to look in the mirror, I notice steam has started to accumulate at the top. I shed my clothes and step into the hot spray, tilting my head to the side and closing my eyes as I feel my body relax into the steamy water.

As I wash my body, I duet with Billy Joel, harmonizing as best as my limited singing range will let me. I'll be the first to admit it, I'm not what you would call a great singer. I can sing in the right tune and pitch but my voice isn't American Idol worthy. Jasper's used to it, though, seeing as he grew up having to endure my shower concerts. Once he and Emmett figured out I wasn't going to stop singing, they stopped teasing me about it, too.

It doesn't take me long to wash my body but I stay in the shower for another song, New York State of Mind, before turning the water off and wrapping my body in my towel. I turn the music off and walk out to my room, making my way to the closet. I pull out a Led Zeppelin shirt and some skinny jeans, tossing them onto my bed before scrubbing my body down with the towel. If I have any sort of dampness on my legs, there's no way I'm going to be able to convince my jeans to slide on easily. Once I'm satisfied with the dryness of my body, I pull on my underwear and bra before pulling on my pants. It takes a little more effort than I wanted, but I manage to get them up without too much of a fight. I pull my shirt on and grab some socks out of my dresser before bending down to grab a pair of black and white checkered Vans slip-on sneakers from under my bed.

As I leave my room, I hear the familiar laughter that makes butterflies fill my stomach. I smile stretches across my face as I head down the stairs to be greeted by Jasper and Edward in the living room.

"Hey," I grin as I walk over to the couch, plopping down next to Edward. He leans over to place a soft kiss on my cheek and mutters a hello as he pulls away. I glance over at him and he grins at me. His eyes hold mine and I can't bring myself to look away. He reaches over and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear before leaning in to actually kiss me.

"Alright, don't do that shit around me," Jasper grumbles unhappily. Edward chuckles and pulls away, turning his attention to Jasper.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he laughs.

"You could just walk away, you know," I pout.

"This is my house, I have free rein," he argues, widening his arms. I shake my head at him, turning to put my socks on my feet.

"I believe I pay you rent, so I also have some say in this," I throw back.

"You pay the electric and Wi-Fi bill. That's hardly rent," Jasper laughs.

"It's still paying you," I retort childishly. Once I pull my shoes onto my feet, I stand and offer my hand to Edward. He takes my hand and lets me pull him up, although he does the majority of the work.

"We'll see you at the party, Jas," I smile as I take Edward's hand and lead him towards the door. Alice really hit it off with my siblings last night and insisted that they come to the party today, also insisting that no one brings gifts because Riley's going to be getting enough. I still can't imagine going to a kid's birthday party without a gift so I told Edward we still have to go this morning.

"Were you waiting for me long?" I ask as I open the front door and walk through.

"No, not too long," he assures me as he follows, closing the door behind him.

We head down the front porch to Edward's bike before Edward gently tugs on my hand. I stop and look at him, confused. He pulls me into his arms and kisses me, this one deeper than the kiss inside. I grin against his lips, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him enthusiastically. Before we can get too carried away, he pulls back, grinning.

"I needed a real kiss," he admits softly and I smile, loving that this has become our thing.

"So did I," I grin before pulling away completely. We finish our short trek to the bike and he hands me his helmet.

"I don't like that you aren't going to be wearing a helmet," I frown before pulling it onto my head, loving that it smells just like him.

"I'll drive carefully," he chuckles. "I've been riding a bike since I was nineteen, I think I've got this down." He gets on the bike before offering me his hand. Taking it, I swing my leg over the bike seat and press my body against his, wrapping my arms around his torso.

"You ready?" he asks and I nod, calling out that I am. He starts up the bike and I lift my toes off the ground, placing my feet on the footholds. He pulls away from my driveway and I tighten my grip on him as he speeds up.

It doesn't take us too long to get to the store and Edward parks the bike, putting the kickstand down. I loosen my grip on him and he holds onto my arm while I, not-so-gracefully, get off the bike. Once he's sure I'm steady on my feet, his hand releases my arm and he dismounts the bike, too.

I pull the helmet off my head and place in on the bike seat. Chuckling, Edward pulls me to him and pulls my bun out of my hair.

"Hey," I whine as I feel the long locks drop against my shoulders.

"It was all messed up anyways," he grins as he runs his fingers through my hair, skillfully and gently working through some of the tangles. "I like it down anyways," he winks before giving me a quick kiss. I feel the blush fill my face, which, let's be honest, isn't all that surprising. I feel like that's all I do with him around. Not that he cares, though. I mean, he does, but I think he finds it amusing. I swear he does anything he can to try to get this reaction from me.

Edward's hand secures itself around mine as he leads me inside. It feels sort of weird being out with him like this because we've only ever spent time at one of our houses as a couple. We've gone out for ice cream with Alice but that was before we started dating so that doesn't really count. I feel like everyone is staring at us but when I look at the people around us, it's clear that no one is even giving us the slightest bit of attention.

As we walk through the store, I look down every aisle, taking into account who I see. I don't know most of these people, but I like to be aware of my surroundings no matter where I am. Edward seems to notice because his arm wraps around my shoulders. I wrap mine around his waist and lean into him as we walk.

Edward steers us down the toy aisle and I stop by the Paw Patrol toys, figuring Alice would rather me get him something from this section instead of Avengers or Transformers. I look around the massive selection of toys. I never would have thought there would be this big of a selection for a single franchise but there so many options. There are towers with slides, action figures with cars, a pack of tiny figurines, plush toys, and so many more that the choices begin to overwhelm me.

"Which one is his favorite?" I ask, hoping that will at least dwindle down the options.

"Chase," Edward says with no hesitation as he points to a few toys featuring the police German Shepherd. I love that he knows the name of the dog even though most men wouldn't. It's so easy to see how much he cares not only for Riley but about what Riley is interested in, too. I look around at the toys before finding one I really like. It's an action figure of Chase and comes with the vehicle he drives. I pick it up and show it to Edward, grinning.

"I don't think he has that one yet," he muses as he takes the box from me, checking out the toy inside. He presses a button on the vehicle and a police siren wails throughout the aisle. "He's going to love this," he chuckles before pressing a button on Chase and the phrase Chase is on the case! calls out in Chase's voice.

"I'll get it, then," I smile. "Now I need a bag, tissue paper, and a card."

"You can still opt out of getting him a present," Edward teases as we walk back out of the aisle. "I can put your name on the card I got him."

"For the last time, no," I laugh as I take his hand in mine. His hand squeezes mine and I smile up at him. Edward pulls me down an aisle and I look around at the shelves lined with alcohol.

"You realize we brought your bike, right?" I say as he stops in front of the wine.

"I know," he chuckles before picking up a bottle. "What's that rosé you like?" he asks as he scans the shelf.

"I've never been able to find it anywhere accept the liquor store," I say as I look with him.

"Okay, now who's a snob?" he laughs, giving me a pointed look.

"I didn't say that's the only wine I drink," I defend myself, laughing. "It's just what Rose and I enjoy. Oh, look!" I grin excitedly as I find the brand. The clear glass bottle has a colorful mixture of daisies designed onto the glass above the label, which is the part of the design that helps me spot it. "I'll have to remember they sell it here. Thriftway never carries it." Edward takes the bottle and looks at it.

"This bottle looks like something someone would have at Coachella," Edward teases as he shifts it to his other hand, holding both bottles by the neck. His now free hand links with mine as he starts down the aisle again.

"I'm a little concerned that you not only know what Coachella is, but that you know Coachella's aesthetic. Do you go to Coachella?" I giggle, trying to turn the teasing onto him. He laughs, but doesn't let it happen easily.

"You're the one with a wine bottle that has a literal flower crown designed onto it. Should we get you one of those? I think Alice has a few from her teenage years."

"Ew, no," I laugh. "I was never a flower crown person. If I ever wore something on my head, it was a beanie."

"A beanie, yeah? Did you have the band shirt and skinny jean look back in school too?"

"Well, yeah. But mainly they were old band shirts that Jasper had worn to death that I stole because Mom and Dad wouldn't let me dress like a hooligan or whatever," I explain, laughing, and Edward joins in loudly.

"A hooligan? Your parents grew up with that music, didn't they?" he chuckles.

"Kind of, I guess," I shrug, still unable to stop grinning. "Dad is more of a country music lover and Mom, well, Mom likes anything Stevie Nicks. Oh, and Rod Stewart. There was a lot of Rod Stewart growing up."

"Both of my parents are pretty into 70's rock with a touch of 80's in there, too. My mom is actually a huge Beach Boys fan," he chuckles and I can't help but laugh with him. "I had actually never listened to country until I started dating Tanya," he adds, shrugging a bit.

We turn down the party supplies aisle where all the wrapping paper and gift bags are and make our way down to the large variety of bags for young boys.

"I never really got into country. Dad was pretty desperate for one of us to like his music but we never really could stand Willie Nelson or Conway Twitty." I pick out a Paw Patrol bag and some matching tissue paper, stowing them both under my arm. "Emmett did go through a country phase, though, but it didn't last long and mainly consisted of Taylor Swift."

"Why am I not surprised by that?" he chuckles. "Although, I can't say I could see you enjoying country music," he teases.

"No," I laugh. "I mean, I'm not opposed to all of it, but it's not my thing." Edward leads us down to the other end of the store to check out and I, again, make sure to check down each aisle as we walk, trying to be a bit more discreet about it this time.

As we walk, I can see multiple women look at Edward and do a double take. This isn't the first time I've noticed the affect he has on women but he still just seems completely oblivious to it. Any other guy would eat this shit up and take any chance he could get to find someone to give him the time of day. Most of these women are several times as beautiful as I am and he doesn't even notice they exist. The thought should be satisfying to me but it just adds to my wonder of what he sees in me. I mean, I'm not complaining or disputing his affections at all, I'm just genuinely curious what sets me apart from these other women.

When we get to the cash register, Edward goes ahead of me, setting down the wine bottles onto the conveyer belt. I leave some space between his items and mine as I place them on the belt, too.

"Put these on the same bill," Edward smiles to the cashier.

"No, absolutely not," I shake my head. "You already got Riley a gift. This is my gift, I'm buying it." I give him a pointed look at he looks at me and grins. Realizing that he finds this look, what he calls me "teacher look", adorable and amusing, I groan and glare at him. He kisses my cheek before handing cash over to the cashier.

"I had to try, sorry," he chuckles.

"You're not sorry and you know it," I frown and poke his side. He jumps a bit and laughs as he takes his change from the cashier.

"Miss Swan, you're causing a scene," he teases as the cashier starts to ring up my items. I blush and glance at the cashier, who's trying to keep their eyes on the items he's ringing up. I shake my head and pull out my debit card, sliding it into the chip reader once he's done ringing up my items. After several button presses and entering my pin, I grab the card and my bag before muttering an apology to the cashier and quickly ushering Edward towards the exit.

"You're the one that caused a scene, you jerk," I laugh as we walk outside. As the bike comes into view, I'm reminded that Edward never told me how we're going to be taking all of this with us. "And you never seemed concerned about how we're going to transport this all on your bike."

"You're going to hold it all, of course," he winks at me as we walk through the lot. "I have a backpack that I shove everything into. I just need you to wear it, if that's okay," he answers seriously this time.

"That's okay," I smile back at him.

"Do you mind if we stop at my house so I can change before the party? Did you want to change before the party? Not that you need to, of course, you look amazing as always," he grins, knowing he's making me blush again.

"Is this okay for the party? I can't say I've ever been to a three-year-old's birthday party."

"I mean, that's pretty similar to what I'll be wearing, so I'd say it's okay. But one thing you'll learn with Alice is that she always has to have makeup and her hair done and fancy clothes and just the whole nine yards. I wanted to make sure you didn't want to do any of that." The thought of putting on makeup for my day off of work sounds exhausting and I scrunch my nose at it. On the weekends, I tend to either leave my hair in a bun or braid it and forget it until Monday morning, too. I try to go for very low maintenance weekends when I can because I find putting makeup on to be a chore and styling my hair to be nearly unbearable.

We stop at his bike and he opens a storage compartment that sits in front of the seats and pulls out a backpack. Setting it on the bike seat, he starts to pile all of our items into it.

"Are you saying that I haven't done my hair today?" I tease and he looks over at me, slightly wide-eyed. I grin at him and he sighs, rolling his eyes.

"You know that's not what I meant," he grumbles, nudging me with his hip.

"For the record, I didn't do my hair today," I laugh. "It looks okay, though, right?"

"It looks perfect," he smiles as he zips his backpack. "You always look perfect." He grins at me before leaning in to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Stop doing that," I mumble against his mouth.

"Stop kissing you?" he questions as he pulls away, his face still fairly close to mine.

"Stop making me blush on purpose," I explain, trying to sound serious, but knowing I'm failing miserably. He chuckles a bit and straightens up.

"You're taking away some of my fun, you know," he teases as he holds out the backpack. I thread my arms through the loops, the pack hanging down over my butt. Edward reaches out and adjusts the straps so that the pack rests on my lower back. Once he's satisfied with the backpack, he hands me his helmet again.

"Sorry to be the buzzkill, I guess," I roll my eyes and he chuckles again and gets on the bike, holding his hand out. I think about not taking it just to spite him but, knowing me, I would fall over the other side of the bike and break the wine bottles and ruin the bag and paper and toy and then have to go buy it all over again. Putting my pettiness aside, I pull the helmet on, take his hand, and get on the bike, pressing myself against him again.

Edward pulls us out of the parking lot and we start the short trek to his house. If you would've told me a year ago that I would be riding on the back of a motorcycle, I would have claimed you were drunk or delusional. Rose always used to insist that I would ride on her motorcycle once she convinced Emmett to let her get one but I would just laugh it off and tell her absolutely not. Now, after being on this motorcycle several times, I can't quite remember what used to scare me about it. Maybe it's just Edward's driving that makes me comfortable, but I could do this every day. Plus, I'll take any excuse to be this close to Edward.

There aren't too many cars out on the streets, which is fairly typical for Forks. One of the nice things about the smalltown life is that it's generally quiet. We pass a few cars, but there's one in particular that passes us that catches my eye. A silver 2008 Mercury Mountaineer with a dent in the front bumper from where it collided with my truck two years ago. I tighten my grip on Edward, my whole body going rigid and he glances back at me briefly, noticing the change.

Hoping he didn't recognize me with the helmet on, I turn to look behind us and quickly realize my hopes were futile. The SUV has made a U-turn and is now behind us. Not too close, but definitely not where I want it to be.

"What is it?" Edward calls over the noise of the bike.

"J-James," I sputter back to him. I feel him tense up too before speeding up a bit. I want to tighten my grip even more but I'm afraid of hurting Edward by squeezing too tight.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have a run-in with James. Believing that the phone call with our wedding song is just a fluke encounter is stupid but I've grown comfortable again without having any form of contact with him since then. Now that he's following us, though, my fears are back in full force. Panic claws its way through my chest and up to my throat and my breathing shallows and quickens. I bite my cheek to keep from crying and will myself to believe that I am completely safe as long as I'm on this bike and with Edward. It's childish, I know, and has the same feeling as covering yourself with a blanket to prevent any night monsters from getting you, but I need something to anchor me into the feeling of security. I'm well aware that it's definitely not fair to Edward that I'm using his as a sense of security but it's what I need to do in this moment in order to not lose myself to the panic. I can be mad at myself for this later but right now I need to focus on staying calm.

I have to keep reminding myself not to turn around and look at the SUV behind us. Maybe he doesn't know its me, but if he has a hunch, it'll be more obvious if I keep looking back at him. The last thing I need right now is to confirm his suspicions. James has always been a jealous person but it was never really an issue in our relationship until after our engagement. If he realizes it's actually me being intimately close to another man, he's going to be jealous and mad. It won't matter to him that we're in the process of a divorce; all he'll see is his wife cheating on him.

We drive a few more blocks before Edward turns down a side street. As we slow to a stop at the end of the street and I can't stop myself from turning. My body physically relaxes when I see we're the only ones occupying the stretch of road. Edward turns down another street and I can see him glancing in his mirrors every few seconds. I glance backwards every so often but the Mountaineer never reappears behind us. After taking a very roundabout way to his house, we're finally parked in Edward's driveway. Not even waiting for me to get off the bike, Edward's off and gently pulling the helmet off my head.

"Are you okay?" he asks as he lets his helmet drop to the ground. His hands cup my jaw and tilt it so I'm looking at him. I know for a fact that he can see the fear and panic in my eyes because he lets go of my jaw and pulls my whole body to him, pulling me off the bike. As my feet touch the ground, I wrap my arms around him, burying my head into his shoulder and nodding. The panic starts to dissipate the longer I hold onto Edward, my heartrate starting to level out a bit and my breathing evens out. I don't feel the buildup in my throat that the panic always brings with it, but I'm not ready to let him go yet. I need the calmness he holds and the stability he gives me.

After a few more moments, I loosen my grip on him and, taking my lead, he does the same. I pull away completely and give him a small smile, hoping it's showing at least somewhat convincingly that I'm alright.

"Let's go inside," I say softly, my voice shaking slightly, effectively ruining any amount of convincing my smile did. He gives me a small, reassuring smile, and holds my hand in his as he leads me inside. The feeling of security becomes even stronger as soon as I'm in the house. James has no clue where this house is, he has no clue who I was with, and he didn't follow us here so the safety of Edward's home is still intact.

"You don't have to go today, Bella. If you feel better just staying here," Edward starts but I quickly cut him off.

"Don't, I'm okay, I swear," I say as I squeeze his hand. "I'll be okay going to the party. That just freaked me out a little. But I'm calm now, the anxiety is back down to its normal state. I just have to call my dad and let him know." Edward nods and squeezes my hand one more time before letting it go.

"I'm going to go shower, alright? Make yourself at home," he says, judging my reaction before walking up the stairs. Edward's always attentive to how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking but the look in his eyes as he tried to figure out how I would feel being alone down here felt different. It was more intense than normal, which is understandable given what just happened. The emotion in his eyes, though, makes my heart skip a beat and leaves me wondering if he actually feels as deeply about me as I do him so quickly in this relationship.

Pushing that thought away for now, I head to the kitchen and take the backpack off my back, setting it on the table. I fish for my phone in my purse as I settle into a kitchen chair. Swiping the screen upward, the phone unlocks by registering my face. I go to my contacts and press Dad's entry before holding the phone up to my ear.

"Hey, Bells," he answers, sounding a bit distracted.

"Hi, I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I ask, nervously.

"You're always allowed to call, Bella," he reminds me. "The guys and I just got in from fishing."

"Okay," I nod. "I just wanted to tell you, uhm, I was driving with Edward today and we passed James' Mountaineer. He turned around and followed us for a few blocks before Edward turned down a side street and James drove past. He could have even just not been following us. He could have just turned around because he forgot something."

"Bella, stop defending him." Dad's voice is firm, skirting along the lines of being harsh and I bite my lip, feeling a bit chastised.

"I'm just saying. Making the assumption that he was following me is kind of self-absorbed."

"Do you know for sure it was him?"

"Yes. Remember when he hit my truck a few years ago and dented his front bumper? That dent is still there."

"And he followed you in your truck?"

"No, we were on Edward's bike." Silence rings out for a moment and I can tell Dad is trying to process this information.

"I thought you said you and Edward had a falling out."

"We made up," I say lamely. "But that's kind of besides the point, isn't it?"

"I'm not so sure I like the idea of you being on a," he starts but I don't let him finish.

"I am a grown woman and you do not get to tell me what I can and cannot do anymore. If I was getting into hard drugs, sure, but not on whether or not I ride my boyfriend's bike."

"Boyfriend?" Dad sputters and I roll my eyes.

"Dad, can we please get back to James?" I groan.

"Right, sorry," he mutters sheepishly. "Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do at this point. Like you said, you aren't sure if he was actually following you and seeing as he didn't turn down the side street that Edward did, it's entirely possible that he wasn't following you. Let me know if anything happens with him again, okay?"

"Yeah, Dad, thanks," I say as I hang up.

EPOV

Stepping out of the shower, I towel dry my hair and body before wrapping the towel around my waist. I made myself take a quicker shower than usual because the thought of Bella alone downstairs kills me after what just happened on the way home. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it so I can't even imagine what she's feeling. I'm not entirely sure he knew it was Bella on the back of my bike or that he was actually following us but just the idea of it makes my skin crawl. The strength it took for me not to pull the bike over and kick the shit out of him for everything he did to Bella was insane but knowing that me stopping would have probably given her an immediate anxiety attack made it a little easier.

I can still feel where her arms were gripping me and the fear that radiated off her body. I know this job was never going to be easy but I think I've made this way harder than it needs to be by mixing my feelings into it. If he had been following us and I had to actually become Edward: The Police Officer instead of Edward: Bella's Doctor Boyfriend, I'm not sure I could have kept my calm. I've come to realize that I can't properly do my job if Bella's safety is directly in jeopardy. I would be too worried about her safety than I would actually getting the job done.

I have to talk to the chief tonight. I can't keep going on like this. I know I am beyond too deep in this relationship with her for any of this to end well when or if it does. Breathing deep, I try to push those thoughts away for at least the time being and head into my room to get dressed. I pull on a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt and head downstairs.

Bella's at the kitchen table wrapping Riley's gift in the bag she bought. I can tell she didn't hear me come down the stairs so I stand and watch her for a moment, trying to gauge to see if she's actually as okay as she claimed to be outside. I'm actually surprised when I realize that she is actually calm and genuinely looks fine. It's as if nothing ever happened. She has said before that being around me helps keep her anxiety low but that can't honestly be why she's acting so normal right now, is it?

Sensing my presence, Bella looks up and gives me that smile that I love; the small grin that shows she's happy to see me but doesn't want to seem too excited. The left corner of her lips pulls up just a tad farther than the right corner, giving it the perfect amount of unevenness.

"Hasn't anyone told you it's impolite to stare?" she teases.

"I'm sure someone has at some point, but I don't think they had ever seen you," I quip back knowing just how cheesy I sound. I've never been the cheesy kind of guy but talking like this makes Bella blush and I have never found anyone's blushing more beautiful than Bella's. Sure enough, I'm treated to that lovely pink tinting her cheeks and neck, which makes my lips break into their own grin. Realizing what I'm trying to do, she crosses her arms and gives me the teacher look, which makes me grin even wider.

"Edward!" she groans, covering her face. I laugh and close the distance between us, pulling her hands from her face. "You're the absolute worst," she pouts.

"Oh please, you'd be bored without me," I tease before kissing her softly. She sighs against my lips but doesn't let me deepen the kiss before pulling away.

"I'd be bored without you?" she laughs lightly. "I wasn't bored last month. In fact, I haven't been bored in a long time," she teases. I love when she challenges me. I think that's part of what makes this relationship so amazing. She'll give my bullshit right back to me and I'll do the same to her.

"Yeah, but now that you've experienced what it's like to have me around, you would for sure be bored without me," I gloat with a grin. She laughs and gives me a quick kiss before pulling away.

"I don't think we should test that theory," she smirks. "Come on, we should head over to Alice's before she kills you for not being there to help set up." I chuckle lightly before agreeing with her.

Grabbing the freshly packaged gift bag off the table, I lead Bella through the kitchen and to the entryway of my home. It's such an odd feeling having Bella so comfortable in my home. The only women that have been inside my home for more than just a night have been Alice and my mother. While Bella hasn't spent a night here yet, she seems as comfortable here as my family does and the feeling it gives me is something I've never experienced. It's more than being content or satisfied, there's a sense of peace with it, like Bella was a missing piece to make my house a home. Yeah, I know that's corny but there really isn't a non-corny way of describing it. As Emmett so bluntly pointed out in our training session on Friday, I'm whipped. While I don't typically resort to using that term, he's kind of got a point.

When we get to the Volvo, I open the door for Bella and hand her the gift once she's settled inside. After closing the door, I make my way around the front of the car to the driver's side. When I open the door, I notice Bella looking in the sideview mirror, checking the road behind the car. I don't say anything, knowing there's nothing I can say that will truly cause her anxieties to disappear, so I just grab her hand and squeeze it lightly. She looks over at me and gives me what I'm sure is supposed to be a reassuring smile, but it doesn't quite meet her eyes. Seeing James' car today really shook her and while she was alright in my house, it's clear she is having anxieties with driving now.

"You sure you're up for this?" I ask, wanting to really make sure she's alright.

"Edward, I'm fine, I promise. Just a little anxious, it's nothing new." She gives me that same small smile and her eyes are somewhat more into it this time. I nod, giving her a more convincing smile and pull out of the driveway.

Alice lives between Forks and La Push, wanting Riley to grow up going to the same schools we did. She loved her experience at La Push schools and wants Riley to experience that, too. The drive to her house isn't too far, only about ten minutes.

Bella tries to be inconspicuous about it, but I notice her checking the sideview mirror every minute or so to make sure the Mountaineer isn't behind us. Making it seem like an absentminded move, I place my hand on her leg without taking my eyes off the road, rubbing my thumb along the top of her jean-clad thigh. Through my peripheral, I see her head turn to look at me, a thankful smile on her face. I glance over at her and give her a playful wink, a smile of my own on my lips. Her hand reaches over to the back of my neck, her fingers weaving through my hair.

After another few minutes, I pull into Alice's driveway and park my car. I glance over as Bella starts giggling. She looks over at me before pointing at another car in the driveway.

"You're never going to live down not beating Jasper here." I groan as I get out of the car.

"You know I can blame this on you, right? You're the one that insisted on buying a gift at the last minute," I tease. I walk around to the trunk and pull out the giant wrapped box. Bella joins me, her present in hand.

"You better not blame this on me," she laughs. "You're the one that showered when we got back to your place."

"And we left your house late because you were jamming to Billy Joel," I quip, giving her a devious smile as blush creeps up to her cheeks again.

"Edward!" she whines. "You said you weren't waiting long!" I chuckle and kiss her cheek before making my way up to Alice's porch with Bella close behind me.

"We're both to blame, then," I compromise with her. She rolls her eyes, shaking her head at me. "Can you open the door, please? You don't need to knock." She opens the door, walking in ahead of me and holds the door open. I walk in past her, leaning down to give he a quick kiss as a thank you. She closes the door behind us and follows me through the short hallway to Alice's living room. I'm beyond surprised that I haven't been attacked by Riley, yet. It's like the kid keeps a lookout when he knows I'm coming and even when he doesn't know, it's like he can hear the front door from wherever he is in the house, no matter how quiet I am.

As we walk into the living room, I see Alice and Jasper outside setting up the party under a party tent.

"Well, that's why I haven't been tackled," I chuckle as I set the present down in the living room. I take Bella's from her and set it on top of mine before taking her hand and leading her outside.

"Are you usually tackled as you enter Alice's house?" she wonders as we walk through the doorway.

"Uncle Eddie!" Riley shrieks as he runs across the yard to the deck. I glance over at Bella, silently telling her that she's about to be answered, before Riley bounds up the wood steps. I bend down and Riley launches himself into my arms. Chuckling as I stand, Bella lets out a sound of understanding.

"Say hi to Bella," I instruct, with a quick tickle to his stomach. He giggles and squirms a bit before turning to Bella, a giant grin on his face.

"Hi Bella!" he practically yells before squirming his way out of my arms. I set him down and he runs over to hug her legs. Bella bends down and he hugs her fully, his arms secured around her neck. She wraps her arms around his torso and smiles up at me.

Riley really took to Bella last night at my house, following her around as she helped clean up and asking her to color with him. We sat around for about two hours after dinner just chatting and Bella sat and colored with Riley as we did. The patience she had with him last night was beyond amazing and I could physically feel myself falling for her even further; if that's even possible at this point. I watch as she lifts Riley into her arms, shifting him to one hip, and walks past me, grabbing my hand as she does. I follow her down the steps and over towards Jasper and Alice.

"Hey, man," I greet as I shake Jasper's hand and give him a half hug.

"Hey, it's about time you showed up," Jasper chuckles. "All I've heard from Alice is how you were supposed to be here early."

"Someone forgot to buy the gift she insisted on," I chuckle, looking over at Bella as she shoots a glare my way. "We had to go shopping."

"Hey, I could have gone myself, but you insisted on taking me," she counters as she sets Riley down. As soon as Bella straightens, she's pulled into a hug from Alice. Laughing lightly, Bella returns her hug, looking like she's known Alice for years instead of a few weeks.

"You really didn't have to get him anything!" Alice protests. "He's already got too much and he's no doubt getting a lot today."

"You can't come to a child's birthday party without a gift, Alice," Bella laughs, giving her the same reasoning she's given me countless times.

"Trust me, it would have been okay," Alice laughs and turns to me. "Edward, I need you to start setting up the activities for the kids. We have a bounce house that needs to be blown up, the sandbox needs more sand in it, I need the pinata set up, and Pin the Hat on Chase game needs to be set up. Make sure to hang the pinata up too high for them to reach for now but the Chase game can be hung at their height," she instructs, listing everything off on her fingers.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Bella asks.

"Only if you're really okay with helping; you are a guest after all," Alice smiles sheepishly.

"What can I do?" Bella smiles back.

"Come on, you can help me get the goodies and food ready in the kitchen," Alice says as she grabs Bella by the hand and pulls her inside. Bella shoots me a small smile as Alice tows her by.

"You two are gross," Jasper chuckles as he grabs two beers out of a cooler. He pops the top off both and hands one to me.

"Gross," Riley repeats with a grin.

"We are not gross," I chuckle as I lift Riley, turning him upside down, causing him to squeal.

"Oh please, no one else exists when you're with each other," he teases. I shake my head as I lower Riley, his hands bracing him on the deck. Backing up, I lower the rest of his body onto the deck before heading over to the easel Alice has set up for the Paw Patrol game. Picking up the game, I pull the posterboard dog out of the box and start taping it to the easel.

"She's really happy, you know," Jasper says after a moment. I straighten up and look over at him. "Happier than I've seen her in a long time." I know this is supposed to make me happy but him saying this leaves me with a pit in my stomach. I'm glad Bella's happy, I really am, but knowing I'm the reason she's happy makes me feel like an absolute ass, which I guess I am. I just hope that her finding out about my actual job doesn't ruin this happiness.

Realizing I haven't responded to Jasper, I nod, breathing in deep a bit. "She's made me really happy, too," I confess.

"Just be careful with her, okay?" he asks and I have to fight to audibly gulp. Bella has said he has a good intuition but he couldn't possibly have any clue, right?

"I will," I nod, hoping my voice doesn't sound off. I turn back to the Paw Patrol game, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.

BPOV

Alice has everything figured out down to the meaning behind everything in the goody bags. After not quite understanding any of the meanings—all being Paw Patrol related—I decided better not to ask for clarification. It's not like I'm going to be quizzed on this, right?

Regardless, she has me putting together candy jars to set on the dessert table outside. Yes, there is a whole dessert table for this party for children. I'm so thankful they're going home with their parents at the end of the party because children on a sugar high does not sound like a fun thing to be around. The jars Alice picked out look like they're actually meant for dog treats. Each jar has different colored paw prints on them and say GOOD BOY in long skinny letters.

"Alright, Al, these are filled," I announce before popping a Skittle into my mouth.

"Okay, so those can go outside on the table with the solid blue table cloth. Set them up with the blue one in the middle. That's Chase's color and he's always in the middle."

"Do you really think the kids will make that connection?" I ask as I pick up a few jars. Alice gives me a look as if wondering how I'm actually questioning her. I get the feeling her directions don't get questioned often. "Forget I said anything," I smile sheepishly. "Blue in the middle, got it." I hurry out of the house to the back, being careful not to trip as I make my way out the door. The last thing I need is for Alice to kick my ass for breaking these jars and sending candy all over her porch.

Making my way over to the designated dessert table, I set up the jars, making sure the blue one goes in the middle before going inside to grab the last few. I inspect my work, ensuring the GOOD BOY is centered. Proud of my work, I smile, brushing my hands against each other as if to get dirt off of them.

Looking around, I notice Edward hanging the pinata on one of the beams of the party tent. I make my way over to him but he doesn't hear me come up. Taking advantage of that, I pick up the pinata bat off the ground and tap his ass with it.

"Hey!" Edward jumps, turning around. "Oh my god, I thought you were Jasper," he laughs in relief.

"Why would Jasper do that?" I laugh, giving him a confused look.

"He was the only one out here so what did you expect me to think?" he defends as he takes the bat from my hands. "I don't think you can be trusted with this," he teases before dropping it and grabbing my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"I think I should be fully trusted with it, actually," I argue, my hands moving to play with the fabric on his chest. "It's not like I actually hit you. It just slipped," I finish with a shrug, trying not to smile.

"Oh, it slipped, did it?" he muses, clearly unconvinced.

"That's exactly what happened. I went to hand it to you and it just slipped."

"How could you hand it to me if I wasn't even looking at you?" he chuckles.

"Bella!" Alice calls and Edward groans. "I need your help!"

"Coming!" I call back. "By the way, does anyone ever question Alice's directions?" I ask as I pull away.

"No, never. Don't ever question Alice's directions," he chuckles.

"Noted," I smile tightly with a nod. "Noted a little too late, but noted."

"Alice, don't scare off my girlfriend!" Edward calls to his sister, looking over at her in the doorway. I laugh and kiss his cheek before walking away. "Hey, that wasn't a real kiss!" he calls to me.

"Later!" I call back with a laugh before heading inside. Jasper is in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as Alice cuts up vegetables.

"What are you doing in here?" I question as I grab a knife to help Alice.

"Can you cut the fruit, please, Bella?" Alice asks, barely glancing at me.

"I was outside but then you and Edward started being gross again so I came in here," Jasper smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Well, I'm not out there anymore so it's safe now," I retort. Jasper chuckles and walks back outside. Shaking my head, I set up my cutting board next to Alice and get to work on slicing apples.

"So, does Jasper have a girlfriend?" Alice asks, not even looking at me. I smile, glancing at her from my peripheral and can see pink filling her cheeks. For once, it's not me that's blushing and it's a good feeling.

"No, he's not seeing anyone," I shake my head. "He talked about you quite a bit after I got home last night," I add on. "You really made a good impression on him."

"He seems like a really good guy. I was telling him about the party today and he didn't even think twice before offering his help. Like who just offers their help for a three-year-old's party?" she practically gushes.

"He is a really good guy. If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you should go for it. I'm sure you'll get the reaction you want."

"Really?" she asks excitedly, setting the knife on the counter and turning to me, practically bouncing. "You wouldn't think that's weird with you dating Edward?" she asks.

"No, of course not. Why would I find that weird?"

"I just wanted to be sure," she grins, still vibrating with excitement. I turn and grin at her before we both set back to work.

I never quite realized how much work goes into a birthday party. Sure, I've helped set up a few parties over the years, but never one for a child. It's always been adult parties where you just cater food and set out some beer and wine, but this is a whole new level of preparation. By the time we're finished, I'm swearing to myself to never offer my help to Alice again.

Children start trickling into the party with their parents and Riley seems to be having the best time, running around with all his friends. The parents hang out in clusters, every so often looking around to find their child. Alice flits around, talking with all of the parents and guiding the children to the games.

Emmett and Rose got here a little while after we finished set up and Emmett immediately turned into a three-year-old, chasing Riley around the yard before his friends came. Now that his friends are here, Emmett has become a human jungle gym.

Edward and I are leaned against the railing of Alice's back deck, watching the commotion in the yard. Even with all the commotion—and Alice's constant movement between groups of people—things are pretty relaxed.

"You know, it doesn't really surprise me that Emmett is interacting with the children more than the adults," Edward chuckles.

"I don't think he ever truly grew out of his adolescence," I laugh with him. "Okay, but who has more energy? Emmett or Alice?" I look over at Edward as he scrunches his eyebrows together in thought, looking between our siblings.

"I don't think they can be compared. It's two different kinds of energies," he concludes.

"They can so be compared! At the end of it, it's energy," I insist.

"Yeah, but Emmett's energy is childlike and I'm almost certain runs off of sugar and Alice's energy is driven more by her party host anxiety."

"But it's still energy. I honestly think Alice has more energy because she's so little compared to Emmett. Emmett has that whole body to store his energy in but Alice is petite so for her to be on the same level as Emmett," I rant but Edward interrupts me.

"Hang on, if you're making the body size argument, I'm going to counter it. Wouldn't Emmett have more energy because of his monstrous size? Wouldn't he technically have more energy than Alice? I mean, Alice is clearly smaller and would require less energy to get her to this level." I spend a moment thinking about that, trying to come up with anything so that Edward's point doesn't beat mine but he does have a point.

"I think I win this one," he chuckles after I don't speak for a moment.

"That's not fair, I'm trying to think," I pout, which makes him laugh louder. He gently pulls me over so I'm standing between him and the deck railing, his arms resting next to mine on the railing, effectively caging me in.

"You can think all you want, but you'll admit sooner or later that I was right," he laughs, leaning down to kiss my shoulder.

"Don't bet on that," I roll my eyes. He chuckles before placing a few kisses up my neck to below my ear before straightening up a bit again. We stand like this for a few minutes, not feeling the need to talk and just enjoying each other's company. Riley and his friends are playing in the sandbox, his laughter the loudest out of everyone's. It's wholesome seeing a child have the time of his life at his birthday party and I can't help but to smile as I watch him.

The sound of a throat clearing pulls my attention away from Riley. Edward straightens up behind me and I follow suit, glancing over to look at the unfamiliar couple in front of us. The man is around Edward's height, maybe an inch or two shorter, with short blonde hair that's neatly swept to the side. His piercing blue eyes are almost exactly the same shade as Alice's. The woman is a few inches shorter than the man with long copper hair that flows in soft curls down past her shoulders. Her face holds a soft, loving expression as she looks at Edward. Holy shit, these are Edward's parents. They have to be his parents. I should have known his parents would be here. Am I ready to meet his parents? Has he told them about me?

"Mom, Dad," Edward greets, answering my fears. He hugs his mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek before hugging his dad. Being the idiot I am, I just stare at the whole encounter before realizing his parents have turned their attention to me. My cheeks heat up and I pull my stare from them to look at Edward.

"You must be Bella," the woman says as she grabs my hand. My hand holds onto hers as I struggle to figure out what to say. I've heard barely nothing about Edward's parents apart from their music taste. Bella, say something! Right, I haven't responded to her yet. They're going to think their son is dating a moron.

"Hi, yeah," I nod my head, dumbly, internally cringing. "It's nice to meet you," I add in a little more confidently. His mom drops my hand and pulls me into her arms. Shocked, I slowly hug her back, glancing over at Edward, who gives me a sheepish smile. When his mom pulls away, she holds me at shoulder length, giving me a proud smile before a look of realization crosses her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Esme and this is my husband, Carlisle," she says as she motions to the man Edward's now standing next to. "We're Edward's parents." Carlisle extends his hand and I take it. He squeezes it lightly with a nod and I smile and nod back to him.

"I'm assuming by how shocked you look, Edward hasn't mentioned anything about us," Carlisle chuckles. My mouth opens a bit to speak but I'm unsure of what to say and I'm sure if it were possible, the blush on my cheeks would get even brighter.

"Dad, come on," Edward chuckles. "You're pretty much right, but don't embarrass her." He comes over to me and wraps his arm around my waist, his thumb dipping under the hemline of my shirt and running along the bare skin above my pants.

"Sorry, I don't mean to appear so shocked," I smile a bit. "I shouldn't have been that taken off guard. This is your grandson's birthday party after all."

"Speaking of which, where is my grandbaby?" Esme grins as she looks around for Riley.

"Last I saw, he was in the sandbox," I say as I glance over to see him still playing in the sandbox with his friends.

"Come on Carlisle, let's go say hi to Riley," Esme smiles at her husband before looking back at me. "It was truly nice to meet you, Bella," she says as she grabs my hand again, squeezing it. "We'll talk later," she promises with one of the kindest smiles I've ever experienced. I nod with a smile in return before she and Carlisle walk off.

"Your parents have to think I'm an idiot," I whisper to Edward, making him laugh.

"They don't think you're an idiot," he assures me. "Trust me, my mother loved you before she even met you and my dad doesn't make a habit of finding people idiots."

"You could have at least warned me that they were coming," I whine. "I know I should've expected it, but I didn't." Edward pulls me into his arms and I wrap mine around him tightly, pressing my forehead against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I actually didn't think about it," he says, rubbing my back. I pull back and smile up at him, silently letting him know that while, yes, I am having a pity party for myself, I'm not actually upset with him. He smiles back at me and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. It's crazy how even the simplest of kisses can make my heart race and my stomach fill with butterflies. I want to yell out that I love him but—

I love him. I've never actually allowed myself to think that, yet. Sure, Rose has accused me of loving him but I've never actually confirmed that until now. The revelation is flooring and terrifying but so exhilarating at the same time. The thought of me loving him but him not feeling the same chills me to my core but what if it's not like that? What if he does feel the same for me? This is nonsense, though, right? I mean, it's only been a few weeks. He can't possibly love me; at least not yet. How am I so sure I love him, too? I mean, I know I love him but how did this happen so fast?

"Bella?" Edward pulls me from my thoughts and I blink a few times, resisting the urge to physically shake my head to rid the thought from the forefront of my mind. I focus onto Edward, letting out a questioning hum. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great," I smile before pulling away completely. I grab Edward's hand and lead him over to where Rose is sitting, watching Emmett. She looks over at us and smiles as we sit down.

"Did you give him sugar before you came here?" Edward jokes.

"He actually hasn't had any sugar in over a week," Rose laughs, looking back at her fiancé. "He's detoxing or something but he's been a real bear." I scrunch my nose, knowing all too well how awful Emmett can be when he gets into one of those diets of his. There was one time in high school when he cut out all simple carbs from his diet and he was an absolute nightmare to live with. He's always been a health freak but sometimes he goes to the extreme.

"I couldn't imagine cutting out sugar," I say, shaking my head.

"You'd have to drink your coffee like a normal person," Edward teases.

"Oh my god, her coffee is so sweet it's gross!" Rose adds in and I stare at her, my mouth agape in shock.

"I had to physically stop her from adding the whole jar of sugar at breakfast last weekend."

"I was not going to add in the whole jar of sugar!" I argue.

"It sure looked like it," he says, turning to me with a wide grin. I shake my head, unable to hold back my smirk. Edward looks over next to Rose as someone sits down next to her. Turning my attention to them, I notice it's Esme.

"Shoo," she says to Edward, motioning him away with one hand. "It's time for the ladies to talk." A bit of anxiety fills my chest but my mind keeps trying to bat it away, insisting that Edward's mom isn't a threat. I mean, Edward said she already loves me, right?

Chuckling, Edward kisses my cheek before getting up and heading over to Emmett and the children. Esme turns to Rose and extends her hand.

"We haven't met. I'm Edward's mother, Esme," she greets with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Rose, Bella's sister-in-law," Rose smiles back, taking Esme's hand.

"It's so nice to see some women Alice's age here," Esme muses. "Apart from the parents, that is. Alice isn't really friends with any of Riley's friends' parents. They get along, but she hasn't really taken to any of them. But she has taken to you, Bella," she smiles as she turns to me. "It appears both my children have." And just like that, my cheeks are pink again.

"I, uhm," I start, pushing my hair behind my ears. "I've really taken to them, too."

"I think that's an understatement with Edward," Rose pipes in and I shoot her a glare.

"I think that's an understatement in Edward's case, too," Esme agrees, nodding and looking at Rose.

"Bella hasn't admitted to herself that she's in love with him."

"Rosalie!" I whisper-yell, glancing over at Edward, who's completely engrossed in playing with the kids and Emmett.

"Dear, I knew from the moment I saw you how you feel about my son," Esme says with a knowing smile. Biting my lip, I look over at her to see she's completely serious. Great, if she can see it before even actually talking to me, how am I even supposed to hide that from Edward? I mean, not that I should want to, but it's so early. I don't want to say it and scare him off and ruin what we have.

"It's too early," I mumble. "We've only known each other a few weeks."

"There is no set time for falling in love," Esme says, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze before sitting back up in her chair. "But that's coming from a woman who's been off the market for thirty years, so what do I know?" she adds with a wink.

"That's nice that you and Carlisle have been together for so long. I feel like you don't see that much, anymore," Rose says appreciatively. "I hope Emmett and I have a long, happy marriage," she adds, smiling over at her fiancé.

"The key to a long, happy marriage is good communication," Esme advises. "And great sex," she adds in, making my eyes go wide. I had to have heard her wrong, right? Surely my boyfriend's mother that I just met isn't talking to me about sex. Rose lets out a loud laugh and Esme joins in but I can't find it in me to move past this shocked state just yet. After a moment, I begin to see the humor in it and start laughing with them. I can't believe she actually said that and why does it make me feel less anxious around her? I mean, that wasn't a comfortable statement but it somehow took away the nerves I had with being around her.

"We already have both of those," Rose laughs in response.

"Ew, Rose! That's my brother!" I whine, making Rose grin wickedly and Esme laugh a bit.

"So, Rose, when is the wedding?" Esme asks.

"June," she grins excitedly. "Alice is actually helping me plan it."

"Rose just got engaged last weekend and Alice heard about the short span of time they have so she elected herself as Rose's wedding planner," I explain with a giggle.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to if she would have given herself enough time to plan it!" Alice pipes in as she comes to sit next to me. "Hey, Mom," she grins at Esme.

"That really is a short engagement," Esme agrees before greeting Alice with a smile and a hand squeeze. I'm starting to think that the hand squeeze is a Cullen trait. I've never had my hand squeezed as much as I do now that I've met Edward and his family.

"We're actually going dress shopping tomorrow," Rose says. "I'm not sure how Alice managed to get us an appointment so soon, but she did."

"I've learned not to question how Alice gets things done," Esme jokes with a giggle.

"I'm just thankful that Alice is helping, I didn't even know where to begin with planning. Bella had her mom and a wedding planner help her but she also had a longer engagement."

"Oh, you're married?" Esme asks, confused, as she takes a glimpse at my left hand.

"Separated," I quickly correct her, tucking my hands into my lap. "I'm in the process of getting a divorce. I hope that's okay," I add in, unsure of how she's going to react. To my surprise, I'm greeted with a soft, reassuring smile, that reminds me of the one Edward has given me before.

"You don't have to worry, dear. How long have you been separated?" she asks, kindly.

"About four months. I know it sounds quick to move on, I didn't really expect to find anyone else for at least a few years and I was perfectly okay with that. I had told myself that I needed to be on my own for awhile but then Edward just kind of came out of nowhere," I ramble as I look over at him. Sensing my gaze, he looks over and grins at me and I can't help but smile back. Taking this as his cue to enter, he makes his way over.

"How's the ladies talk?" he asks before sitting down next to me.

"It's actually being rudely interrupted," Esme quips, raising an eyebrow at Edward.

"Oh, no, please, carry on," he challenges her as he drapes an arm across my shoulders. Esme looks like she's about to take up that challenge before Alice pipes in.

"Actually, it's time for cake anyways. Where's Jazzy? He said he would help me carry it out," she muses as she looks around.

"Jazzy?" I ask.

"Jasper," she says in a tone that tells me I should have known this.

"I didn't realize you already had a nickname for him," I laugh a bit.

"Well, yeah, of course I do. Oh, there he is," she grins as she stands. "Jazzy!" she calls as she makes her way over. I watch as she goes over to him and I see an expression on his face that I haven't really seen before. It's a sort of adoration and it warms my heart to know that he seems to feel the same about Alice as she does for him.

"Now who's Jasper?" Esme asks.

"Bella's brother," Edward answers her.

"Oh, so you both are falling for this family," Esme muses, although she doesn't sound upset by this realization. I look over at Edward to find that he's already smiling at me. I give him a smile back and he leans in to kiss me softly. I should be weirded out by the fact that he's doing this in front of his mother, whom, let me emphasize, I just met, but I can't find myself caring about anything but him in this moment. He engulfs every thought and feeling I have even with just the softest touch of his lips against mine. If I hadn't realized it before, this would definitely be a moment that would make me realize just how deep I am into this. I am insanely in love with Edward Cullen. There's no denying it or questioning it. It's irrevocable and terrifying but I can't stop myself from wanting to scream it off the rooftops.

Our moment doesn't last as long as I want it to, but if we made it last any longer, it would be probably be pushing what is appropriate for a child's birthday party. As Edward pulls away, Riley climbs into his lap, repeating the word "cake" over and over with an overly excited grin on his face. Emmett takes a seat next to Rose, draping his arm over her shoulder.

"Someone's excited," I giggle as I watch Riley bounce in Edward's lap. I reach over and ruffle his hair a bit and he turns to grin at me before looking around as all of his friends and their parents start to gather around. From behind us, Alice starts singing Happy Birthday and the rest of us join in, making Riley bounce even more on Edward's lap. Edward gently holds him down as Alice brings the cake to the table so Riley doesn't bump into her and make the cake fall. She sets the Paw Patrol cake down on the table and just by one glimpse I can tell she went to a professional bakery for it. The frosting is immaculately done and Chase looks just as good as he does in cartoon form.

"Make a wish, Baby," Alice grins when we finish singing. Thinking for a moment with a grin that matches Alice's, Riley squeezes his eyes shut before opening them a few seconds later and blowing out the candles in one big gust of breath. Everyone around him claps and the children scream in excitement.

Alice starts cutting the cake and handing it out, giving Riley the first piece. He wastes no time before digging in, his lips covered in the blue frosting. The cake is so big that all of the parents are able to have a piece of it, too, after the children have been served their pieces. Alice moves the leftover cake over to the dessert table before sitting with us and digging into her own piece. I turn my cake on its side, avoiding the frosting as I eat my piece.

"What are you doing?" Edward asks with a chuckle.

"No, you're not allowed to ask me that," I say after swallowing a mouthful of cake.

"But you're leaving behind the best part," he continues.

"Frosting is too sweet for me," I explain.

"There's no way that's sweeter than your coffee," he argues.

"This is pure sugar, Edward," I laugh. "Of course it's sweeter than my coffee." Shaking his head, he reaches his fork over and takes a chunk of frosting, shoving it into his mouth.

"It's so good, though," he insists.

"Here, you can have all of it," I laugh and take his fork, scraping the rest of the frosting off my piece and plopping it onto his plate.

"Okay, so first you don't like ketchup and mustard. Now you don't like frosting. What other things don't you like?"

"Chocolate ice cream," Rose throws out.

"Chocolate ice cream? How can you hate chocolate ice cream?" Alice protests.

"I'm allowed to not like things!" I groan. "It's not like I'm an insanely picky eater."

"Edward wouldn't eat anything outside of chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese until he was ten," Esme says, giving Edward a pointed look. I shoot Esme a thankful look, happy to finally have someone in my corner. She looks over at me and gives me a wink and a smile. I make a mental note to send her flowers or something for this little act of kindness.

"I was a child," Edward laughs.

"Do you know how disheartening it is to make a beautiful meal only to have you refuse to eat it?" she continues and Edward shakes his head at her.

"Again, I was a child."

"You know, I don't think you can use that argument twice. It doesn't hold the same weight the second time as it did the first," I lecture, looking over at Edward.

"Your teacher is showing," he chuckles.

"I'm not a debate teacher," I argue lightly. "I'm just enjoying seeing you being under fire instead of me."

"Mommy, presents, please!" Riley sings out, carrying out the vowel sound in please.

"Honey, you have to give everyone time to finish their cake," Alice answers him. He looks around at everyone chatting and eating cake before looking back at Alice. "Five more minutes and then we can open presents," she assures him, earning a grin from him.

After the majority of people finish their cake, Alice leads Riley over to the presents display. She wasn't kidding when she said he's getting a bunch of gifts today, the pile is massive. She starts handing him presents and he rips through the paper wrapped around each one haphazardly, throwing the shreds to the ground. I'm amazed when he says thank you after every gift. I don't know if I've ever met a child with this level of manners before and it's impressive on Alice's part.

Many of the gifts are Paw Patrol or Transformers related with some Avengers items thrown in. There's also a smattering of clothes and books, which he's not as enthusiastic about, but he puts on a good front whenever he encounters a present like that.

Alice saves Edward's gift for last, seeing as it's the largest. The box stands nearly as tall as Riley does and the look of sheer excitement that fills his eyes when he takes in the present's size is adorable. He rips the paper off the best he can with Alice helping a bit.

"A motorcycle!" he squeals, jumping up and down. "Thank you, Uncle Eddie!" he practically shrieks. "Mommy can I ride it? Can I ride it right now? Please?" he pleads.

"You have to wait for the battery to charge, Ri," Edward calls over to him. "You can ride it tomorrow, okay?" Riley juts his bottom lip out in a pout before nodding in agreement, clearly bummed that his favorite gift isn't ready to use.

The party doesn't last too much longer after that. The parents start to round up their children to leave, as the afternoon has starts to turn into evening and bedtimes are coming up soon. The parents pretty much all comment about how nice the party is and that they are really impressed with the setup, which Alice uses as an excuse to plug her event planning career. Some of them promise to use her to plan the parties they have coming up, which makes Alice beam with pride.

Once everyone has cleared out, including Emmett and Rose, we make our way into the house and start the cleanup process from the party. Thankfully, the cleanup doesn't take as long as the setup did and, with the added help of Carlisle and Esme, we're able to finish up fairly quickly.

"We need to get you ready for bed, Bub," Alice says as she walks out to the living room where Riley is snuggled up on the couch. She runs her fingers through his hair and he whines in protest of his impending bedtime. "You've had a long day and you have a playdate with Uncle Eddie tomorrow so you're going to want to be well rested." Riley mutters a resigned okay before clambering off the couch and going to the stairs. Alice bids us a farewell and a heartfelt thank you before heading upstairs with him.

Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and I make our way to the front door. Looking back at Jasper, I realize he's not following us.

"You coming, Jas?" I ask.

"I'm actually going to wait up for Alice," he admits sheepishly.

"I'll see you later, then," I smile before walking out the door.

"Bella, it was so amazing to meet you," Esme smiles before pulling me into a hug. "Please, don't be a stranger. You and Edward need to come over soon for some dinner," she insists.

"That sounds great, Esme," I smile genuinely as we pull away. "It was really nice to meet you." I shake Carlisle's hand before Edward says a goodbye to his parents. As they head to their car, Edward leads me over to his, opening the passenger door for me. Once I'm in, he shuts the door and makes his way over to his side.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asks as he pulls out of Alice's driveway.

"I was thinking we could go back to your place for a bit, if that's okay," I smile over at him.

"Yeah, we can do that," he smiles back. The ride back to Edward's house is fairly peaceful, but I can't help but keep looking in the sideview mirror, making sure I don't see a Mountaineer behind us. I try to be inconspicuous about it, but I'm not sure if it works or not. If Edward knows I'm doing this, he doesn't let on, though, which I'm thankful for.

The rain that miraculously held out through the day starts up, the sky unleashing the water in buckets, as we get closer to Edward's house. I can't even imagine how Alice would have reacted if the rain had come during the party. I'm sure Alice has had to rearrange events before, but I can't imagine she would have been calm while having to rearrange her own party.

Edward parks his car in the driveway and I glance out the windshield at the thick wall of clouds in the sky, still unleashing mass amounts of water.

"You ready?" Edward asks. I take a breath and nod before we get out of the car quickly and run to the porch. We don't have far to run but from how heavy the rain is, we're both pretty well soaked, our shoulders having caught most of the rain. I push the wet strands of hair out of my face, pulling all of my partially wet hair into my hair tie as Edward unlocks his door. He ushers me inside, following close behind, shaking his hair out as he does.

"Hey!" I laugh as I'm pelted with water. "What are you? A dog?" He doesn't answer me, but instead shakes his head closer to me. "Stop!" I squeal, putting my hands up to try to block the water that's coming off his hair. He chuckles and stops, pushing his now insanely crazy hair out of his face.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he grins innocently at me and I roll my eyes before kicking off my wet shoes, Edward following suit.

"I'm sure you couldn't," I smirk, pulling the wet fabric from my shoulders.

"I can get you a dry shirt," he says when he notices what I'm doing. "Come on." He takes my hand and leads me up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. He takes me over to his closet, opening the door.

"A walk-in closet?" I say in awe as I walk in. "I've always wanted a walk-in closet." I run my hand along his hung-up shirts, looking through them. The whole closet smells like Edward's cologne mixed with laundry detergent and it's intoxicating. I turn to see Edward leaning against the doorframe, watching me. "Oh my god, I'm being intrusive," I realize, blushing.

"No, no, you're not," he chuckles before walking into the closet. "I like how comfortable you are here." While the closet is spacious, it's not spacious enough for us to stand without being close to one another. The smell of his closet mixed with being close to him is overwhelming my senses but at the same time makes me want more. My fingers grip the hemline of his shirt, gently pulling him towards me. When I look up at him, I see a darkness in his eyes that I've only seen a few times before. I'm turning him on but this time I don't feel the nervousness I've felt in the past. I want this. I want him. And I want him now.

Edward leans down, his lips gently touching mine but the kiss quickly deepens. My arms make their way around his neck and one of his wraps around the small of my back, pulling me flush against him. His tongue presses against my bottom lip and I open my mouth, letting out a small moan as our tongues clash together.

"Bella," he mumbles against my lips before breaking away to kiss along my jaw and down my neck. I drop my head back, releasing his neck from my grip. My hands make their way down his torso to the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up as far as I can before he needs to help me. He pulls away, his eyes never breaking away from me as he pulls his shirt the rest of the way off and letting it fall to the floor. Breathing heavily, I reach down and pull my shirt over my head, too, letting it fall next to Edward's.

His hands cup my jaw, gently pulling my face back to his while my hands roam his chest. He groans a bit against my mouth before his hands travel down to my hips. Bending down slightly, he lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, one arm wrapped around his neck and the other hand gripping his shoulder. His teeth nip at my lower lip, gently pulling at it, making me moan again. My heart hammers against my chest and I can feel my body heating up in the best way.

"Edward," I moan once his teeth release my lip. "I need you." While I'm not as nervous as I have been in the last few times we've gotten close to this, the confession still brings a blush to my cheeks. He pulls back to look at me, searching my eyes for any doubt.

"You're sure?" he asks breathily and I nod before pulling him back in to kiss me. He leads us out of the closet, walking expertly over to his bed before laying me down gently, his body pressing some of his weight onto me. That electric hum between us makes itself known again, working its way throughout my body and I'm sure he feels it too; he has to feel it.

His lips leave mine again, this time not stopping at my neck, but continuing down to my shoulders and chest. He presses soft kisses along my skin by the bra strap on my right shoulder before pulling it off the shoulder completely and moving to repeat the action on the other side. He gently guides me to arch my back so his hand can reach behind me and unclasp my bra, which he seems to do with one hand effortlessly. If I wasn't turned on before that would have for sure done it. As I lay back down, he gently pulls the bra away from my body, tossing it aside. His lips continue their loving assault on my chest, this time focusing on my breasts. He nips and sucks at the sensitive skin while his hand massages my other breast. My head presses into the bed as I arch my back a bit, a moan escaping my lips. His lips are driving me crazy and I can feel myself losing control of my body. I'm as close as I can physically get to him but it isn't enough, I need to be closer and my body is reacting to that desire as I press myself into him. His tongue drags over my nipple before he sucks it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened bud.

"Oh my god," I moan out, the fingers on one of my hands finding purchase in his hair. "Edward," I breathe as he releases my breast. He kisses his way over to the other breast, giving it the same attention he gave the first one. His hand replaces where his mouth was, his fingers gently pinching the hardened nipple. The sensation works its way down to my groin and my hips buck up involuntarily. I feel his grin against my skin; he knows exactly what he's doing to me and he's loving every second of it. I mean, I am too, but this sweet torture is sending my body into overdrive and I'm about to lose it.

Once he's satisfied with his work on my chest, he kisses his way down my stomach. When he gets to my pants, he sits up to unbutton them. I lift my hips as he pulls them down my legs, tossing them aside once they're off. Like he did with my bra, he kisses along the skin by the fabric of my panties, his unshaven face tickling the sensitive skin a bit, making me squirm. His forefingers hook into the lacy material, slowly dragging it down my legs as his mouth kisses down one of them. After tossing them aside, he kisses his way back up my other leg, his hands gently pushing them apart as he gets closer to my thigh. The moan that I let out when he reaches my thigh is louder than the others, making it known how much I need him.

He pulls away a bit and looks up at me, his eyes again searching for any hesitation or doubt.

"Please," I practically whimper, lifting my head off the bed to look at him. His eyes don't leave mine as he leans down, his fingers spreading my pussy, and licks the length of my sex. "Fuck!" I cry out, my head dropping back onto the mattress and my hips pressing upwards into his face. I was wrong when I thought what he did to my breasts was torture. This is the purest, best form of torture and it's driving me wild. His tongue flicks against my clit, sending pulses through my body as I feel a tightening in my groin.

Slowly, Edward slips a finger inside me, curling it slightly when it's all the way in. My vision starts to blur and I know I'm not going to last much longer. He slowly moves his finger in and out of me while his mouth continues to tease my clit. Adding another finger, he quickens his pace, my walls clamping down against him as I'm about to be pushed over the edge.

"Edward," I moan as my hips match the rhythm of his fingers.

"Come for me, Bella," he practically purrs as his mouth pulls away from my skin. He blows cool air on my clit as his fingers curl inside me again and I'm finally coming undone, calling his name out over and over. He continues pumping his fingers in and out of me while I ride out my orgasm, his lips pressing soft kisses against the inside of my thighs. Once I ride out my high, he pulls his fingers out before sucking them clean. He leans down and licks the length of my pussy again, making me cry out.

He comes back up to my level, kissing me fully, his tongue pressing against mine and I can taste myself on him.

"That was," I mumble against his lips, "amazing." He grins against my lips before continuing to kiss me. My hands make their way down his chest to his pants, unbuttoning them and pushing them down along with his boxer briefs. Chuckling at my sense of urgency, he helps me get them off him and I pull away, glancing down at his cock. I feel my eyes widen a bit at the sheer size of him. His cock is bigger than any other one I've seen, not that I've seen a ton of them, but still. Realizing I'm staring, I divert my eyes, looking up at his patient expression. I sit up on my knees and take his face in my hands, kissing him hungrily. His hands grip my ass, squeezing the flesh there firmly as he pulls my body to his. I can feel all of his length pressed against my pelvis and I'm already ready for him again. My hand trails down his chest but he stops me by grabbing my wrist. I pull back, embarrassed, and look at him.

"Tonight's about you," he murmurs before kissing me again, gently guiding me to lay on my back. "I want you to feel exactly how happy you make me," he whispers as he lips trail across my jaw to my ear. His fingers trail down my body to my sex, a finger slipping between the lips of my pussy, and he groans as he feels how wet I am. Pulling away, he leans up to open the drawer of his bedside table and grab a condom.

"I'm on birth control," I breathe out as my fingers trace where the implant is in my arm. "You don't need that if you're okay with it." He grins as he tosses the condom back inside and shuts the drawer.

"I hate those things, so I'm more than okay with it," he confesses as he lowers himself back down, shifting so he's better lined up with me. I take his face in my hands as I spread my legs apart. The nerves start to flare up, making my breathing shallow a bit, but I push it back as best as I can. I trust him completely and I want this. I'm not going to let my nerves get the best of me. His eyes meet mine as he lines himself up with my entrance, hesitating a bit, probably to give me a chance to say no if I wanted. When I don't tell him to stop, he slowly pushes himself into me, my mouth dropping open and eyes shutting as he fills me.

"Fuck, Bella," he groans, his head shifting to kiss the palm of one of my hands. Once he's fully in me, he stills for a moment, letting me adjust to his size, before pulling out slowly and pushing back in. If I'm being honest, with how hungrily we started in the closet, I thought we would be fucking hard and fast and I wasn't expecting this to be slow and sweet. I can't think of any way for this to be more intimate and loving and, like he wanted, I can actually feel how I make him feel, how happy I make him. Every kiss and thrust gives me more insight into how far into this relationship he is. It takes everything in me not to tell him I love him in this moment. Fighting back those three words, I pull his face down to mine and try to show him instead, my mouth attaching to his.

His pace quickens a bit and he pulls one of my legs to hook around his hip, allowing him to thrust into me at a new angle. I moan his name against his lips as our hips move in sync. My name flows from his lips in return before his tongue meets mine again. Moving my hands from his face, my fingers grip the back of his shoulders, digging into his skin.

"Faster, please," I moan, feeling my groin tighten again. He quickens his pace even more, the sound of skin slapping against skin becoming louder. My head drops back and my back arches into him as pleasure courses through every vein, filling every spot of my body. His lips attach to my shoulder, nipping at the skin before his tongue swirls around it and I know there's going to be a mark there tomorrow. One of his hands reaches down, his thumb pressing and rubbing against my clit.

"Oh, fuck!" I cry out as my orgasm rips through my body. At this point, my brain has lost complete control as I writhe underneath him. My legs shake and toes curl as my hips continue to meet his. My walls clamping around his cock sends him to his climax and I can feel him release into me as he quickens his pace again and rides out his orgasm.

Even after we've ridden out our highs, I still feel spasms of aftershocks run through my lower half. Edward pulls out and lays next to me, both of our breathing labored. I can feel his gaze on me but my brain can't figure out how to turn my head to look over at him, too.

"Bella?" he breathes as he rolls onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. "Are you alright?" I have never, in the history of my sex life, come that intensely and I find that I can't even find it in me to form words so I just nod, finally figuring out how to look at him. He gives me a moment to recover, reaching a hand to my face, his thumb tracing my cheekbone.

"Fuck," I manage out breathily with a laugh. He chuckles and leans down to kiss me softly. I'm finally able to move and I lean up into his kiss, my hand reaching up to weave my fingers into his hair.

"You're beautiful," he whispers as he pulls away.

"You're beautiful," I smile back and he laughs a bit.

"You're not supposed to call a man beautiful," he argues.

"Well, what did you want me to call you?" I laugh as I prop myself up on my elbows.

"I don't know, maybe call me handsome? Sexy? Hot? Anything but beautiful."

"Anything but beautiful, you say?" I smirk and he groans, knowing I'm not about to call him any of the adjectives he gave me. "You're so pretty," I tease.

"Bella!" he groans before pulling me back down onto the bed, his body pressing me into the mattress. "You're the worst, you know that?" he laughs. "Here I am, trying to make this night romantic and you're making fun of me," he vents as one of his hands move down to my side to tickle me. I shriek and writhe under him, laughing uncontrollably as he continues his assault.

"Edward!" I choke out through my laughter. "Stop! Stop! Uncle!" I cry out until he stops.

"It's kind of rude of you to call me the worst after we just had sex," I point out and he pokes my side, making me jump and shriek. I grab his hand and pull it away from my side before he can start tickling me again.

"I mean, it was rude of you to make fun of me so I guess we're even," he chuckles before kissing me chastely and rolling off me. I roll onto my stomach as Edward pulls the blanket over us. He shifts closer to me, laying his arm across the small of my back as I let out a yawn.

"Get some sleep, Sweetheart," he mumbles as he reaches over to turn off the bedside lamp. The thought of sleeping in Edward's bed does the complete opposite of soothe me to sleep. I'm wide awake, the thought of having a nightmare working its way through my mind. Sensing that I've tensed, his hand starts to rub my back.

"What's wrong?" he asks and, while I can't see him, the sound of his voice tells me he's worried.

"It's stupid," I mumble and his hand stills.

"Bella, nothing you could say right now would be stupid," he says before adding in lighthearted tone, "unless you're thinking about Elton John again."

"I'm not thinking of Elton John," I smile. "I just, I get nightmares a lot and…I didn't really think about that until now."

"Would you be more comfortable if I took you home?" he asks, sounding sincere.

"No, no I'm okay, I just don't want you to think differently of me if I have a nightmare," I admit, glad the light is off because I'm sure I'm as red as a tomato. "My nightmares can give me panic attacks."

"Hey, I would never think differently of you for having a nightmare or a panic attack. If you do get a nightmare, I'll be here to help you through it, okay?" he asks and I nod, letting out a small "okay". Leaning over to kiss my shoulder, he mumbles against my skin, "it's okay, get some sleep, Love."

"Goodnight," I whisper as he lays his head back on his pillow.

"Goodnight," he whispers back.

Hey everyone!

It's been a while, I know, and I'm so sorry! I really am trying my best to upload in a timely fashion, but hey, at least this chapter was the longest one yet!

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! I love hearing your thoughts on the chapters!

I'll try to be a bit more speedy on my next update but thanks for everyone that's stuck with me!

Until next time

Twilight What?