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Chapter Seventeen

"Good morning, Sunshine!" A husky voice bellowed in my ear.

"The hell, Em?" I buried my face in the couch and groaned. My hangovers were very punctual and had apparently begun before I had even opened my eyes.

Emmett sat himself on the couch, crushing my legs. No big deal. Not like I needed them for our annual ski trip or anything.

"I have class today," he said quickly, "so we've got an hour to figure out how the hell you fucked things up."

Opening one eye I asked, rather sarcastically, "You think it's only going to take an hour?"

He laughed. Then Rosalie laughed. Pretty sure the people who lived downstairs were laughing, too.

"Less than an hour, actually."

"How do you figure that?" I asked skeptically.

"Rosie and I have been keeping notes ever since you started this plan. So, look alive. We have business to tend to."

Mumbling, I covered my face with my arm. "Notes? I'm not sure if I trust your notes. You two are clearly biased."

Emmett pulled my arm away and said, "I wouldn't say we are biased. Since, well, we are on Bella's side."

"That's what he meant," Rosalie said with a chuckle, nodding towards a plate of pancakes sitting on the table next to the couch.

Slowly sitting up, I glared at the two biased fuckers. But they had pancakes, so my glare wasn't too deadly. I decided I owed them something for the pancakes, so I went with what first popped into my head. "I may or may not have told Bella I was in love with her."

They barely blinked. In fact, they didn't blink at all. "Okay?" Emmett eyed Rosalie. "I forgot...are we supposed to pretend we didn't already know this?"

"Uh..." I cleared my throat and ran a hand over my face. "How did y'all know?"

"Wasn't hard to figure out." Emmett laughed.

Rosalie held a hand up and said, "He's lying. I actually told him. He had no idea. You Cullen's can be so fucking clueless sometimes"

"Okay, yeah. I had no idea. Rosie told me," Emmett agreed.

"How the hell did you know?" I asked Rosalie as I reached for the pancakes. I needed strength to make it through this conversation. Sugar and carbohydrates would definitely help.

"Do you want me to be straight with you or beat around the bush?"

I laughed for obvious reasons. You try not cracking a smile when someone says 'beat around the bush'.

"Give it to me straight."

"I ran into Bella in the hallway the night after you two slept together. I didn't say much, but I did tell her to be smart and to not expect too much from you," Rosalie blurted out in a rush. "I didn't know you actually had feelings for her, okay? I wasn't mean about it; I thought I was helping." Rosalie shook her head furiously, looking almost...apologetic. Rose never looked apologetic, even after the time she convinced Emmett to get his balls waxed, forcing him to ice his junk for a week.

"What the fuck, Rose? That's probably why she was acting all fucking crazy eyes at Ben's!"

"Look, shut the fuck up" Rosalie snapped, her sympathy quickly fading away. "I didn't think you'd go and fall in love! I mean, really? It's you."

"I knew he would. I knew the entire time," Emmett said with a smirk, eying the food on my plate.

"What happened to being clueless?" I hissed, but not before shoving a forkful of pancakes into my mouth.

"I didn't know you two slept together, or that you already admitted anything. But I knew you were going to fall in love with her. That was easy."

Wiping the syrup from my bottom lip, I chuckled. "What? No you didn't."

"I swear on my life! You looked at her differently. It was weird; real fucking weird. But Bella kinda reminds me of mom..so, that's kind of how I knew."

The three of us fell silent. Well, besides Emmett smacking. The fucker stole my pancakes, but I suddenly couldn't care because he was right. Bella reminded me of my mom. That sounded fucking sick, but it was true. She was...innocent, despite her dirty fucking mouth. She didn't let me get away with shit, but she was also somehow very lenient of the shit I did pull. And her laugh. Her fucking laugh...

"Okay. So go on. You told her you...loved her?" Rosalie tried to keep from smiling.

"I did, yeah. She didn't take it so well."

"What did she say?" Rosalie pushed.

"Something along the lines of the only reason I think I'm in love with her is because I finally found someone who will put up with my shit."

"That sounds like a pretty good reason to fall in love with someone," Emmett agreed. "What else is there?"

"Right? That's what I thought."

"Women," Emmett said out loud, receiving a slap on the arm from Rosalie. "I don't understand why she wouldn't think that was romantic."

"Well, there's this ex of hers..." I trailed off, the two of them scooting closer as if I were telling a ghost story. "They dated, he cheated, got the girl pregnant."

"She told you this?" Rosalie asked skeptically. "I don't see Bella telling you this."

"No. Her friend told me. I brought it up to Bella, and she completely shut me out."

"Bad move, Bro! Bad fucking move!" Emmett walked into the kitchen, plate in hand. "You never bring sensitive shit up like that."

"How was I supposed to know? I thought she'd want to talk about it or something."

This was too fucking confusing. I thought couples were supposed to like...talk and shit. Not literally shit, but talk about their feeling and dreams and...whatever it is couples talk about. Now I was being told you weren't supposed to talk at all?

"You look confused," Rosalie said with a smirk. "Which part is confusing you?"

"All...of it? I don't know. Shit."

"You said Bella's friend told you about her ex, right? Bella was probably caught off guard with you knowing something so personal. She lashed out. And I'm assuming you didn't hold back with the harsh words, am I right?" The look on my face told her she was right. "I say wait it out."

"Wait what out? She's done with me. I even offered to pay her the money I promised, and she turned it down. Fucking flat out refused, claiming it was never about the money."

Emmett walked back into the living room, and I sat quietly as Rosalie caught him up with the details.

"Ouch. Yeah, I agree with the blonde. Wait it out. She'll come around." Emmett glanced at his watch. "I gotta go."

"Wait, what? We're finished?" I stood and ran a hand over the scruff covering my chin. "I'm supposed to just wait for her to come back to me?"

"Yep. She admitted she loves you, too. So, now you wait." Rosalie grimaced and patted my back. I had to admit, the only times we had been civil with each other were with Bella was involved.

"Bella never admitted that," I said, giving Rose an odd look. Bitches were crazy.

"It was never about the money for her. She even said it herself. Maybe it was at one point, but she turned down your offer. She's in love with you so let her figure this out on her own. Because she will, Edward. She will."

Maybe they were right. Maybe I'd just have to wait around for Bella to realize she missed me and my banter.

"Oh. One more thing," Emmett said as he grabbed his bag out of the closet. "You fuck anyone else, I fuck you up."

I could appreciate that.

After my chat with Rose and Em, I showered, threw on a pair of jeans, and headed to Seth's.

His mom, Carmen, answered the front door with a warm smile. "Edward, come on in! Seth is in his room with some of his friends."

"Am I early?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, no. They are about to head home. Come help me in the kitchen until they leave?" She asked.

Even if I wanted to say no, the smell of something roasting made my decision for me. Helping her in the kitchen actually meant leaning against the counter and sampling everything she was making which was fine by me.

"How is your family doing?"

"You probably see Carlisle more than I do. And Esme...I don't know. They worry too much," I explained, and Carmen laughed, saying it was their job. "Emmett is good. About to finish his first year of med school."

"That's exciting. And what about you?"

I paused with wide eyes. "What about me?"

Carmen pushed a tiny plate with garlic roasted potatoes in front of me. "You graduated a year ago, yeah? Have you been looking for a job at all?"

Seth ran into the kitchen with his friends following behind. "Edward! I didn't know you were already here."

"Thanks for making me wait. I was starting to think you were done with me," I scoffed, pulling him into a headlock.

"Never!" He squirmed away.

"Walk your friends to the door, Seth," Carmen instructed. "Edward. Eat."

Once Seth and his friends were out of ear-shot, Carmen turned to me and said, "I don't know what you're looking for, but I think I know of a recent job opening that might interest you."

"Oh. Thanks, but I'm not looking to work at the hospital". I said awkwardly. It really pissed me off that people always assumed I would take after Carlisle. It was a respectable career choice, yeah, but it wasn't me. Never would be.

"Not at the hospital." Carmen shook her head. "With Big Brothers/Big Sisters. You should go online and check it out. You never know." She winked and turned her back towards me as Seth walked back in.

"Can we go play basketball now?" He whined, pulling my arm.

"Yeah, sure. But then we have to go get ice cream to celebrate the end of sixth grade!" Throwing my hands in the air like I just didn't care, Seth's eyes lit up as he fist-pumped. Yeah. I totally taught him that.

"Deal!"

"I promise to ruin his appetite," I said to Carmen before we walked outside to my car.

"Oh, I don't doubt you will."

After two games of basketball, which Seth won "fair and square", we grabbed ice cream and talked about Seth's new love interest of the week. I dropped him off at home and promised to see him sometime next week.

Taking Carmen's advice, I searched the Big Brothers/Big Sisters website for the current job listings. I found the job posting that best suited me and my qualifications, submitted a cover letter, resume, and hoped for the best.

Saturday: Boring as shit. I watched in misery as Emmett and Rosalie made pizza together. Best part of the night was when Emmett attempted to remove the pizza from the oven and dropped it on the floor. The had to order Domino's which, come on, wasn't that bad of a trade-off. Their garlic crust was heaven.

Sunday: Boring as shit. I missed Bella. I wanted to text her something funny and...I had to get that shit out of my head. It had been only three days since our fight, but she still had yet to contact me.

Monday: Boring as, you guessed it: shit.

Tuesday was better because I received a call from BBBS, asking if I could come in Wednesday for an interview. I, of course, agreed and planned to meet with early the next morning.

Waking up fifteen minutes late, I skipped a shower and was somehow fifteen minutes early for the interview. Ironic part was they made me wait fifteen minutes past my interview time.

"Mr. Cullen, we're ready for you." A petite girl with glasses motioned for me to follow her.

I took a deep breath and was led into an office. Mr. Collin nodded towards the chair across from him, and I took a seat.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," Mr. Collin said without looking up. "I was pleased to see your name on the application. What made you decide to apply for position of Case Manager?"

"I just..." My leg bounced under the table as I thought for a moment. "I graduated with my degree in business, more for my uncle's sake. I volunteered here because my uncle suggested it. But my applying to work here, this is for me. I want to do this because it's one of the only things I'm good at."

Mr. Collin gave me an appreciate look before scribbling something down. "To be quite honest, this interview is already over."

My heart stopped. Had I already fucked up that bad? I mean, shit. He only asked me one question so far, and I was so brutally honest. My leg began bouncing again, and I was about to ask him why he was wasting my time.

"You've volunteered here for two years now. Seth's Case Manger adores you. You're qualified, you're responsible, and honestly, you're the only one who applied for the position."

I blinked. "So..."

"You're hired," Mr. Collin said with a nod. "You can start Monday. The pay will start at fourteen dollars an hour."

"That's it? I'm hired?" I asked in shock.

"After some training, you'll be able to go on home-visit intakes with prospective volunteers and children. I'm assuming you read over the other job responsibilities?" I nodded, still unsure of what was happening. "Then, yes. You're hired."

"Thank you." Is that what you're supposed to say when someone hires you? Was I supposed to hug him, or...

"Since you've been with Seth for two years and know him on a personal level, you'll be in charge of finding his new Big Brother," Mr. Collin explained. He shuffled some papers together and pushed his chair away from the table.

"That won't be necessary."

He stopped, halfway out of his chair, and said, "I suppose another employee can assist Seth, if you'd rather not."

"No. I meant he doesn't need a new Big Brother."

Mr. Collin stared at me, and slowly sat back down. "You're a Case Manager now, Mr. Cullen. You don't need to volunteer any longer. You're getting paid."

"It doesn't matter. Seth is my kid; he's my Little Brother. I really don't think he's going to want anyone else and...and if me being hired here as an employee is going to interfere with my volunteering with Seth, then...I don't accept the position," I stated as firmly as I could, despite my shaking hands.

Mr. Collin narrowed his eyes. "You would be able to visit Seth on your own time, even if he were to have a new Big Brother. You realize that, don't you, Mr. Cullen?"

"I'm selfish," I said, making him laugh. "I don't want him to have another Big Brother."

"Well, I suppose it would work out. Just make sure you have a flexible schedule." Mr. Collin shook my hand and said, "I have a good feeling about you. Prove me right."

"Yes, sir."

After filling out some new hire forms, I walked out of the building feeling light and just...happy. I was fucking ecstatic.

My first thought was to call Bella. She'd probably be proud of me. Sure, first she'd make some joke about me being immature enough to hang around kids all day, but she'd be happy for me.

Instead, I did the last thing I thought I'd do. I hopped in my car and drove to Carlisle and Esme's house. I knew Carlisle would be at the hospital, but it wasn't him who I wanted to talk to anyway.

Walking in without knocking, I called out for Esme to warn her I was there. When she didn't answer, I knew exactly where she was. I walked to the backyard, catching her working in the garden.

"I've never understood why you don't just hire someone to do this," I snorted as I walked outside.

Esme looked up from what she was working on and smiled, shielding her eyes with her hand. "Edward? What on Earth are you doing here?" She stayed kneeling, and I leaned down to peck her cheek.

"I was in the neighborhood," I lied.

"Liar," she teased. "Are you hungry?"

"Nah."

She looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Is Emmett alive?"

I chuckled a little too loud, probably not helping her suspicion. "Yes. He's alive."

"Well, you're not hungry and your brother isn't harmed. I'm not sure what else there is." Esme winked and pulled off her gloves. "Well?"

"I got a job."

"Edward, that's wonderful! Where at?"

"Working as a Case Manager for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The pay is shit, but...I'd do it for free," I shrugged. "Carmen mentioned it to me last week, so I applied and they called me Tuesday, interviewed today..."

"That was fast," Esme said in shock. "I'm so proud of you. You know that?" I smiled. Yeah. I knew. "You're a great kid...man, Edward. You know how proud your parents would be of you?

I focused on some bag of fertilizer on the ground. Shit. Yeah.

"I know, Esme. I know." She was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn't see the tears in her eyes, but the tone of her voice gave her away. "You're a sap," I teased.

Esme stood on her feet and pulled me into a hug, despite her dirt-covered clothes. I hugged her back, searching for the right words to say. Everything Bell said had been true. Esme and Carlisle deserved so much more credit than I gave them.

They didn't have to take Emmett and I in as their own. They didn't have to support us. Carlisle didn't have to change the oil in our cars; we could have paid to have that done. Hell, Esme didn't have to still buy us underwear; we could, and should, do that ourselves.

"Thank you for buying me underwear," I mumbled as she pulled away.

Esme smiled and pushed the hair away from my face, seeming to know I was thanking her for much more than just underwear. "You're welcome. Well, this obviously calls for a celebration! Have you told Bella yet?"

Frowning I said, "Not yet."

"Invite her Saturday. We can have a barbecue; all you kids can swim. It'll be fun."

"Yeah," I agreed. It did sound like fun.

Esme and I talked for a little while longer before I headed back to Emmett's. I was looking forward to eating the leftovers Esme forced me to bring back and watching Always Sunny. Again, another boring night.

"Now that you're employed, does that mean you're gonna start paying rent?" Emmett asked right when I walked in the door. Esme must have called him.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves..." I said, kicking off my shoes.

"No, no. Put those back on. We've got to celebrate!"

"We can't celebrate with FIFA and beer?" I asked, setting the leftovers in the fridge.

"Nah. Let's go to Cabel's."

"I don't know...what if she's working?"

"So? Are you not allowed to go there? Free country," Emmett declared.

"Pretty sure you're the only person who still thinks that is a valid argument."

"Pretty sure it's the only argument I need."

"You know I'm probably going to get drunk and try to talk to Bella, right?"

"That's what I'm hoping, Bro. It's been a few days; one of you needs to make the first move."

Emmett was partially right. One of us did have to do something. In the very least, if she were working, I could maybe apologize and tell her about my new job.

"Alright. But no whiskey. I need to keep my wits about me," I joked.

"Damn straight. You're a working man now." Emmett fist-bumped me.

Sure enough, Bella was working. I had a feeling Emmett was certain of this little fact. Yeah...the look on his face told me he definitely knew she was working tonight.

I let Emmett buy the beers, trying to stay as far away from Bella as possible. I wasn't even sure if she had seen me yet. That was probably a good thing.

"Am I supposed to stay away from her?" I asked Emmett, but kept my eyes on Bella, watching her hand someone a pint.

"Nah. Just go for it."

"What about all that shit you and Rose told me? I'm supposed to...do...something." Yeah. So much for listening to their advice.

"Don't listen to us. Come on, follow me." Standing from the table, Emmett stared as I stayed in place.

I looked up in confusion. "You just said to not listen to you..."

"Don't listen to that either. Come on, let's go. I'll be your wingman for old times sake."

Following Emmett, I cautiously approached the bar and stared at Bella, gauging her reaction.

"Hey..."

Bella's eyes softened for a moment. "Hi."

"Yo, wud up?" Emmett said loudly, ruining whatever moment Bella and I could have shared.

With a laugh, Bella waved at Emmett, but kept her eyes on me. "I need to talk to your brother for a second."

Even though she was looking at me, I knew she was talking to Emmett. She couldn't look away, and that little fact gave me...a boner. No, okay, it gave me hope. And, yeah, maybe a semi.

"Yeah, no problem. Edward, ya mind giving us a second?" Emmett asked.

"She meant me, Dumb Ass." At least, I hoped she meant me. Why would she have to talk to Emmett? "And to think, you're going to be the one saving people's lives?"

"We can talk over there. Less...crowded." Bella nodded towards the door that read Employees Only.

Leaving my beer with Emmett, he gave me a small smile and muttered 'kids today' under his breath. Bella stood with her back against the wall, looking terribly uncomfortable. I had to keep myself from laughing.

"There are a couple of things I need to get off my chest. If that's okay?" Bella bit the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit, which made me smile. Did she really think I wouldn't hear her out?

"Floor is all yours," I said easily.

"I tried spring rolls," she blurted out. My laughter must have caught her off guard, because she asked, "What? Why are you laughing?"

"Because that's fucking funny."

"Well, whatever. I tried 'em."

"And?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I still hate them."

"Good. Next order of business?"

"I owe you an apology," she said, looking at me this time instead of the sticky linoleum floor. "I'm sorry. I was awful."

"You're not awful..." I trailed off. Yeah, the situation was pretty awful. And I'm talking about Mike Sorrentino; that guy was a piece of shit. Guidos aside, our situation was pretty bad, but Bella wasn't awful. She just wasn't.

"No, no. I was. Don't coddle me."

"I'm not coddling you."

"Well, you're certainly making this too easy!" Bella pouted, or something close to it.

"I'm sorry? Would you like me to make this harder for you?" I teased, reaching my hand out to grab her hip.

"Yes. Actually, that'd be great. Maybe you should yell a little, or even throw a drink in my face. I prepared myself for the worst, and here you are...just..."

"I'm pretty sure I owe you an apology, too."

"No, you don't," Bella mumbled as I hooked my finger around the belt loop on her shorts. "You don't."

"Oh, but I do," I whispered as a group of people passed by. "I shouldn't have brought up James. That was shitty."

Bella let her fingers wrap around my hand. "It was all true though. Every word you said. I'm just scared. It's easier to guard myself than to open up to you."

"I told you I'm scared, too."

"I've done the whole relationship thing before, Edward. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"No? Have you not had fun with me so far?" I questioned, pulling her closer to me.

"Yeah, but...that wasn't real."

"Yes, it was." It was.

Bella looked away, so I pulled her even closer so she had no choice but to stare at me. If I had to, I'd dazzle the shit out of her. Whatever worked.

"You should be mad at me, not pulling me closer. Do you not know how all of this works?"

"No. I don't know how this works," I admitted. "Maybe I should be mad, but right now, it's easier not to be."

With a sigh, Bella tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Okay. Since you're so understanding, can I ask if we cool it for the next week?" Now it was my turn to pout. "I have to study for finals and don't need any distractions. After that, we can try to...figure something out."

"I'm a distraction?" I feigned innocence.

"Oh, the worst! I had this big speech planned, and all I managed to remember were the words I'm sorry," she said in defeat.

"That's all you needed to remember anyway."

Bella wrapped her hand behind me, letting her hand travel up and down my back. "Oh, yeah? Damn. And I spent all that time fretting..."

"I guess I shouldn't tell you I would have even accepted a kiss as an apology. Or even...bathroom sex?" My eyes darted towards the Employees Only door.

"Oh, real romantic," Bella laughed before pulling out of my grip to slap my chest. "I have to get back to work. But...we're good?"

We were good. I was pretty sure there were a few things we still had to talk about, but for now, we were good.

I had my Bella back. As for my balls...pretty sure those weren't coming back anytime soon, but as long as Bella was the one to hold them...yeah. You get where I'm going with this.

A/N: Gotta admit, I got a little emotional during this chap. Maybe there's hope for a HEA in their future after all! As if every review reply I sent didn't claim DEFINITE HEA! Psh.

I blame this chapter for being late on Truckerhatward. Working on a collab with Livie79 & it's utter ridiculousness. Check out "Dirt Roads", unless you hate to laugh. Then yeah, Dirt Roads is not the story for you. Link in my profile!

Thanks for reading! See you Friday (fo real, fo real).