Good Morning My Loves!

I hope those who were celebrating Independence Day yesterday had a good and safe holiday!

Let's jump right to it this morning!

Thank you to Fran S. Sunflower for beta work!

Chapter 18: Bella

There was a quick knock on my office door before Garrett poked his head. "Morning, Bella."

I smiled up at him. "Good morning. How was your Thanksgiving?"

He moved into my office, settling into the chair across from my desk. "Deep-fried," he joked, patting his stomach. I laughed. "I flew back to the East Coast, saw my family, spoiled a few nieces and nephews, and ate way too much turkey."

I laughed. "Sounds like a good time."

"It was. How about you?"

I grinned. "It was great. Gracie and I went to my parents' house in Forks. We had some friends over and definitely over-indulged."

Garrett laughed. "Sounds fun." He tapped the chair arms. "You ready to start the project today?"

A flutter went through my stomach, but I nodded. "I am. Did you, by chance, hear any more of what happened with the final decision?"

Garrett shook his head. "No, all I'm getting from the board is they feel more secure with WOL's reputation. I suspect there's more to it, but I can't be sure of anything." He sighed. "WOL is solid, though. I'm sure they will do a great job with it."

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

Garrett tapped the armchair again. "How are you doing, Bella? Is there anything you need to talk about?"

I frowned. "Not off the top of my head; why?"

He shook his head. "I just want to check in with you. You're about to start something pretty big, and I know you've never done anything like this before. I'm here if you need me, all right? And if I don't know the answer, we'll find someone who does."

His reassurance was unexpectedly comforting, and I took a deep breath, nodding. "Thank you, Garrett. Your support means a lot."

He nodded. "Of course." He stood, looking at me once more. "I'll be around. Knock 'em dead in that owner's meeting."

I grinned at him as he left my office. Despite the crush I suspected he had on me, Garrett was a good man and a fantastic boss. He'd never been anything less than reliable to me in the time I'd known him, and I was eternally grateful he was in my corner.

I spent the next forty minutes getting ready for the kickoff meeting before heading to the spare office space we'd designated to be the operation's headquarters for the project.

Inside, Laurent and his team were setting up their office spaces; the sight of the plans and binders around the room sent a thrill through me. It was really, truly happening.

Laurent looked up when I came through the door and offered me a bright smile. "Bella, good morning, come on in!" he called, ushering me in. I stepped further into the room, catching the eyes of several people. There were four men and one woman setting up spaces and, each of them stopped to introduce themselves to me. Irina, the woman, was tough but kind, and it was clear to me that though Laurent might be running the show, it was Irina who was in charge.

Once I'd met the four men-Jared, Paul, Peter, and Steve-we settled in around the conference table that had been brought in.

"Right," Laurent said, tapping the tabletop. "So, this is a little pre-meeting," he reiterated, looking at me. "Just so you can officially meet our team before we introduce you to everyone else," he chuckled, and I nodded, grateful to have the introductions come in stages. I was bound to meet many people today. "We can go over the project schedule and phases now, as well as any questions you might have had," he paused, glancing at Irina. "Irina here is strictly on budgeting. She's our numbers person, the one in charge of making sure we're all on track."

I looked at her. She was severe in her looks; icy blond hair pulled back into a tight bun, crystal blue eyes that bordered on haunting when she landed them on you. She was tall, elegant, and though she'd been nothing but pleasant so far, I got a strong sense of no-nonsense about her.

"At any point through this project," she said, picking up on Laurent's words and turning to me. "You can ask me about any numbers. I'll have them."

I nodded, grateful for her diligence. I'd be keeping track myself, of course, but it helped to have someone else on top of it as well.

Laurent spent some time going over more of the rolls the rest were playing; Paul was the head superintendent, and I was told he would be on-site daily, as would Jared and Peter. We discussed the schedule, which thankfully had not changed any since their bid, and by the time we were done with the meeting, I felt comfortable, ready to take on the next wave.

Our meeting broke for a few minutes while we waited for subcontractors to arrive, and I took the moment to speak to Laurent.

"Getting excited?" he asked as I stepped toward him. I smiled a little.

"I am. It's still nerve-wracking, but I am excited about getting things started. I've been dreaming about this for so long."

He nodded. "We've got a great team assembled. It'll be smooth sailing the whole time."

This struck me as an odd thing to promise. Even I knew construction was unpredictable and likely there would be many bumps and forks in the road.

Before I could ask him about that, though, he was turning to greet a subcontractor, effectively ending our meeting. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Laurent was likely just doing his job, trying to assure me that even if there were bumps, WOL would be right there to get me through them. I was overthinking this completely.

Taking another deep breath, I turned back to the room, which was quickly filling.

It was time to take control.

…

I was bone tired.

I'd met what felt like hundreds of people today, and very little actual construction had been done at all. I'd expected that since I knew today would be mostly meetings, but I had thought at least some work would have gotten done. All they'd managed today was to tape off the area, though.

Tomorrow, we would break ground.

"Mama, will you play with me!" Gracie came running into the living room, where I'd plopped myself on the sofa. She was holding out a doll that she shoved into my lap.

"Okay, Baby," I said between yawns. She climbed up on the sofa.

"You're Lulu," she told me. "And I'm Bebe, and I'm the princess, and I have a magic um… I have a magic horse, and she's rainbow and pink, and she can fly." She paused to fix Bebe's dress. "And you are … you don't have a horse."

I grinned. "Can I have a magic dolphin?" I asked.

Gracie considered this. "No, but I do. You can have," she paused, her nose scrunching. ", you have um… you have a kitty cat, but I do too, and mine is Diego."

I let Gracie direct our play as she told me the story of what Bebe and Lulu got up to. She was becoming quite the storyteller and deeply interested in directing even the most minute aspects of our games lately. I had read this was a phase of development, that she was trying to act out a vision, so I tried my absolute best to let her have her way with it, even though nine times out of ten I was doing it wrong, and we'd have to start over.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table while we played, and I glanced down at it, seeing it was a text from Edward.

My heart skipped a beat. It was a small chance that the text was suggestive in its nature, but I desperately wanted to read it and find out.

I held off for all of thirty seconds before I sat up and reached for it.

Edward:

How did your first day go?

My heart lurched into my throat.

I was so anxious about how this part of our relationship would go. I was scared that Edward might withdraw again, the subject of my project being too sensitive still to talk about. I was beyond relieved that he was reaching out about it, initiating that conversation.

Bella:

It was great. Can I call you in about an hour once Gracie is asleep?

Edward:

I look forward to it.

With this conversation planned, I felt lighter, the stress of the day melting off me somewhat.

I played with Gracie another twenty minutes before we set out to get ready for bed. Gracie knew our routine well, and though on some days she still fought me on it, most of the time, it was fairly easy.

After a bath and brushing our teeth, we curled up in her bed with a book. She used the same shampoo and lotion as I'd used on her when she was an infant, and the soft, powdery scent of the beeswax brought back a flood of memories.

My sweet baby.

"Mama," Gracie murmured, interrupting her book. I looked down at her.

"Yeah, Baby?"

She played with the corners of her blanket, a self-soothing gesture she did when she was tired or anxious. Her eyes were heavy, so I thought this time it was exhaustion.

"Can I call Daddy tomorrow?"

My throat constricted. "Of course, Baby."

I wasn't sure Riley would answer, but I'd never deny her the chance to talk to him. She let out a little breath. "What is it?" I asked, brushing her hair from her forehead.

"I want to tell him that I met a prince," she yawned. I smiled. It had been well over a month since Gracie had first met Edward, and the fact that she not only remembered him but was actively thinking about him made my heart twist a little bit.

"Was this prince at school?" I asked, just to be sure. Gracie shot me a look that made me snort.

"No, Prince Edward," she stressed, yawning again.

I brushed her hair back. "It was nice to meet him, wasn't it," I murmured. She nodded her little head.

"Can we meet him again?"

I considered that. "You want to see him again?"

Gracie nodded, her little eyes heavy. "I want to show him Princess Bebe and Lulu and Diego and all my toys," she yawned. "And I want him to play with me because he's a prince, and I don't have any princes."

I grinned, kissing the top of her head. "We'll see, Baby."

She was out in a matter of moments. I stayed curled up with her a little while longer, enjoying snuggling with her. Gracie was a cuddler, but she was so active these days, she seldom slowed down enough to snuggle.

After a few minutes of breathing her in, I slipped out of her bed, keeping her door open a crack as I headed back to the living room. I picked up my phone, eagerness making my heart jump a little bit as I dialed Edward's number.

He picked up right away. "Bella."

God, that voice; what it could do to me in a single, breathy whisper of my name.

I sat down, pulling my legs under me. "Edward," I responded, my voice also breathy. I would have been embarrassed, but Edward didn't seem to mind.

"How is Gracie?"

I melted into the sofa. He was always asking about her, always checking in. It was almost as much of a turn-on as his damn smile.

"She's great," I hesitated. "She asked about you tonight."

I could hear the surprise in his silence. "Oh, yeah?" he said after a moment. I hummed.

"She wanted you to come over for a play date." I tried not to giggle, and Edward chuckled.

"Did she now?"

I pulled a throw blanket off the back of the sofa and nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "She's not forgotten her encounter with Prince Edward."

At this, he barked out a laugh, and I couldn't hold back my giggle. "I told her I wasn't a prince."

I snickered. "She's four. She definitely didn't hear the negative."

Edward laughed with me. "I'm glad I could leave such an impression on her," he chuckled.

I bit my lip. "She's barely stopped talking about you," I admitted. "She brings it up all the time."

I could picture his face, his bright, warm eyes filling with joy, maybe even a touch of bashfulness, glancing down at my words. I could imagine the sweet smile on his face as he took in this news. I could tell he was pleased by this, and that pleased me.

"She's a great kid." He murmured. I smiled.

"Yeah, she is."

We were quiet for a moment, and I struggled with myself. I wanted to bring him into our lives; consequences be damned. I wanted Gracie to get her chance to play with her prince, wanted to see him light up in amusement playing with her. My heart ached to see them together again, but it still felt too soon, too sudden.

Edward took a breath, and I focused on him. "How was your first day?" he asked. I let out a long sigh. This was a safer subject, and I was happy to talk to him about it.

"It was good, I think. I met so many people that it's all feeling like a blur," I admitted. He chuckled.

I loved getting to talk work with him. I hadn't lied to him when I told him I trusted him with work. Edward was knowledgeable and a good man. I knew he'd be honest with me, no matter what, and if he thought I was getting a bad deal, he'd speak up. I could trust him to have my back about this, and that was more of a comfort than I'd expected.

We talked about work for a while; I told him about the people I'd met and the progress of the project.

"It sounds like a solid team," Edward assured me after I'd told him about the different subcontractors. I hummed.

"I hope so. Everyone seemed nice and on top of it today," I agreed. I bit my lip. "How was your day?"

He was quiet a beat before speaking. "It was actually nice. We got a job award from a new tech company just outside of town. A small start-up but promising work. Should be interesting."

I grinned. "Congratulations. That sounds like it could be fun," I told him sincerely.

"Thanks. I always like working with new companies. The little guys who don't know what they're doing yet. It's an honor to be able to work with them and guide them through this experience."

I grinned. Noble Prince Edward.

"I love that," I murmured. "You love this work so much, don't you?"

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, I do. Construction is great, but it's the people. I love them. I love working with them."

My heart thumped erratically in my chest as I listened to him. In my twenties, guys like Riley were my type, assholes who were cocky and emotionally confusing at best. I was young; I didn't know any better.

After I had Gracie, new qualities began to attract me to men; compassion, humor, kindness… these were some unbelievable turn-ons for me, and Edward had them in spades.

I cleared my throat lightly. "Edward, would you like to have dinner this week?"

I could hear his surprise. "I'd love to."

"Would… would you mind if I brought Gracie with us?"

If I thought he was surprised before, it was nothing to his shock now. "You're sure?" he asked, clearing his throat.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sure."

I was still scared as hell about falling too fast, about liking him too much. I was scared about Gracie getting attached, scared that one or both of us would get hurt because I was making a foolish decision.

But I couldn't keep living in fear. Edward had his flaws, but he was a good man, and if I wanted to get to know him better, I'd have to give him a chance. I had to let him in.

"Bella," he murmured, his voice thick with an emotion I couldn't quite name. "I'd love that."

I let out a shuddering breath, nodding once. "Good," I murmured. "Me too."

Life had taught me that nothing was certain or guaranteed. You had to take chances, put yourself out on a limb and make the leap. I didn't know what was ahead for Gracie or me. I didn't know if Edward would be a passing moment in our lives or if he'd be a more permanent fixture. It was all so up in the air, so undecided and uncertain, but as my mom always said, 'life's leaps always come when least expected.' You fall every time, but it's your choice whether you fall with grace.

Sort of an unexpected shift in the story for me, but a much needed one. I have an outline, but that got thrown out the window this week, which I'm sure most of you won't be upset over, lol.

I'll see you loves next week!