***A/N***

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a nice Halloween. We had more kids this year which was nice to see after a dismal turnout last year due to Covid.

I have about three more chapters finished that I just have to clean up a bit, and hope to have them all posted by this weekend. I still don't have any set posting schedule, and I'm not sure how many chapters this will be, but I do have it all planned out, so don't worry, it will be complete when all is said and done.

As always, S. Meyer owns all things Twilight.

Chapter 28- Come and Knock on my Door

BPOV

When Edward shut the bedroom door behind him, I turned and stared at the fire for a few moments, and pondered why I felt a sense of loss at his departure. As I watched the flames dance and crackle, I realized I had become used to his presence in the last week. It was calming, and it made me feel safe. He made me feel safe, every time I was near him.

I turned from the fire, and took the bag from the bench at the end of the bed where Edward left it, and started to pull out my things. I put my clothes away in the dresser, hung some in the closet, and walked to the ensuite bathroom with my toiletries.

The sunlight streamed through the two half-moon windows, and threw beautiful rainbow-colored prisms throughout the room. They bounced off the marble counter, and made patterns on the black and white checked tile floor. I put my toothbrush in the holder next to the sink, and looked outside at the fall day, feeling a little more comfortable with my decision to come here.

I changed out of my sweatshirt and yoga pants, into a comfortable pair of jeans and my favorite t-shirt. I looked down at the logo and smiled to myself.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time at Angela's house. Her parents treated me like their own daughter, and Mrs. Weber was always more of a mother to me than my own ever was. When we were in elementary school, I spent most of my time at their house. I'd rush over after school, and her mom would make us snacks, and talk to us about our day, as we sat around the kitchen table, or watched TV in the living room.

Mrs. Weber was awesome, and totally obsessed with TV shows from her youth. Pretty soon, Angela and I became obsessed too. We'd grab a bowl of popcorn, and sprawl out in front of the TV with Mrs. Weber, and watch Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Three's Company, and so many more. We'd crack up at the campiness and overacting, in shows like Dynasty and Dallas.

One time, we spent an entire summer trying to figure out who shot J.R. We decided we would watch only one episode a week, like they did in the 'old days' when it originally aired, in order to draw out the suspense. It was tough not going online to read about it, or watch it, but we did it.

Everyone in the fourth grade thought we were crazy, that is, until we eventually got them hooked too. Finally, it was time for the finale, and a group of us met at Angela's house to watch. Mrs. Weber set up a Dallas theme in the living room, complete with ten-gallon hats, and hay bales to sit on. She watched us from the couch, anxiously waiting to see our reaction when the shooter was revealed.

Those were some of the best times of my life, and every year Ang and I get each other a t shirt or Christmas ornament, or some other tchotchke, to commemorate those throw back TV shows, but really, it's to commemorate our friendship.

One year, I got her a talking Fonzie ornament that said, "Sit on it, Potsie," when you pressed a button. We thought it was hysterical his last name was Weber.

I looked down at the t-shirt I was wearing, and smiled at the memories.

I went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth, pull up my hair, and appraise myself in the mirror. My face looked almost completely normal, with just a hint of yellow shadowing my jawline.

I walked out of the bedroom, and could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. As I passed through the living room, I glanced over at the baby grand piano in the corner, and saw framed photos in different shapes and sizes on top of it.

I didn't recall seeing them during my past visits, and then I remembered Esme telling me this room was being painted a few weeks ago, and she had to remove all of her photos and artwork in preparation.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I wandered over to take a closer look.

There was a photo of Carlisle and Esme kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower, one of Edward and Alice as children, hamming it up for the camera, their arms wrapped around each other with adorable smiles on their faces. There was one from the beach, with a younger Esme and Carlisle, and another couple. The other woman bearing a striking resemblance to Esme...Elizabeth and her husband,...Edward and Alice's parents.

I moved on to some of the other photos. Carlisle accepting an award at the hospital, Alice cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of her boutique, and Edward and Detective McCarty at their graduation from the police academy. I leaned in closer, and smiled, as I gazed at a younger Edward, decked out in his uniform, cap pulled low over his brow, and a serious expression on his face.

The last photo to catch my attention, was black and white, in a silver frame. It was a group shot, and everyone was dressed up, sitting around a table at a restaurant. They were all holding glasses of champagne, and smiling and laughing at the camera.

Alice was tucked into the side of a blonde man who I assumed was Jasper, a huge smile on her face. Detective McCarty was leaning back, cigar in his mouth, arms stretched out on either side of him against the back of the booth, while a beautiful blonde woman in a red dress, rested under his arm. That must be his wife, Rose.

Carlisle and Edward looked like they were captured in the middle of a funny story. They were seated next to each other, huge grins on their faces, their arms around each others necks. Edwards tie was loose, and his top button was undone. His smile took up his whole face, and the photo caught him, mid-laugh, looking off camera.

"That was the night of Alice and Jasper's engagement."

I jumped a little when I heard the voice behind me, and I turned around quickly, to see Edward standing by the couch.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I smiled at him. "I was just looking at all of these photos. Esme didn't have them out the last time I was here."

"Yeah, she just put them back up. Don't tell her or Alice, but I really don't see a difference in the paint color. It still looks white to me." He said with a chuckle, and a shrug of his shoulders.

I laughed lightly, and then looked at him in confusion. "I thought you were going to work?"

He looked at me sheepishly. "Yeah, Esme plied me with the leftover bagels and I couldn't say no. I'm getting ready to take off now, I just thought I'd say goodbye."

I felt my heart give a little flutter. He wanted to say goodbye to me?

We walked into the kitchen together, and I saw Alice sitting on a stool at the huge island. Shoes off, sleeves rolled up, legs crossed under her, and a large pink book spread open in front of her. Esme was leaning over the counter next to her, studying a photo on one of the pages. Carlisle had come home for lunch, and was pulling a box of triscuits from the cupboard.

They all looked up when we walked into the room, and Alice said, "Oh good, Bella, I'd love your opinion on something."

I looked at her skeptically. "I don't know Alice, I'm sure your taste is much better than mine, I wouldn't even know where to begin with wedding details."

"Oh please," she said with an eye roll, "You like to eat, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Well, then you're qualified." She said with a smile.

I smiled too, and made my way toward the island.

Carlisle was pouring himself a glass of water and looked at my t-shirt, "Well, hey Bella, come and knock on my door."

I laughed out loud while Alice looked up, and said, "huh?"

I looked down at the logo on my shirt. 'The Regal Beagle, Santa Monica, CA 1977."

Edward was chuckling and I looked over at him. "Don't tell me you know this?"

He grabbed a pastry from a plate on the island. "Of course I do. Suzanne Somers was hot...although I always liked Janet better."

"That's because you always had a thing for brunettes, dear." Esme said casually.

I saw Edward look away, and I felt my face get a little warm.

Alice broke in, "Ok, everyone, this is my time today, focus, will you? Bella, pull up a chair, I want to ask you something, and please, give me your honest opinion."

I walked over to the island and sat down in the chair next to her. She pushed The Bible over to me and I took a closer look at it. Boy, Edward wasn't kidding, this thing was massive. I was expecting some kind of day planner, but no, this was twice the size of any day planner. It reminded me of 'The Burn Book' from Mean Girls, just as pink, and twice as thick.

It was cordoned off into sections, with tabs marking each one. Wedding dresses, Tuxedos, Appetizers, Main courses, Desserts, Bands, DJ's, Shoes, Jewelry, Flowers, Photographers, and so much more. There were fabric swatches, and color palettes, business cards, and magazine articles. I'd never seen anything like it.

"Alice," I began, "How, um, I mean...what, I mean,... this is just incredible."

" I know, right?" She said, with a smile. "I know I could have done all of this on Pinterest, and I've got those boards too, but I wanted something I could feel and touch. I wanted to see the colors and feel the textures, it's the only way to get a true feeling of what things are going to look like. I know it seems overwhelming, but trust me, it all makes perfect sense to me."

I nodded my head as I leafed through the book.

"So," she said, "The decision on the table today is do I go with mini tarts or mini bundt cakes for one of the dessert tables? The mini bundts are all the rage right now, and I know a bakery that makes them exclusively, but the tarts are adorable too. What do you think?"

I looked at the pictures and they both looked good, but what I was really thinking was how glad I was that I didn't have to worry about any of these kinds of decisions. 'Happily single', that was my motto.

I looked at both choices for a few moments and said, "For what it's worth, I think the mini bundts look fun and different."

Esme cut in, "What did Alan and Damon say?"

Alice let out a groan. "Ugh, Alan says the bundts, and Damon says the tarts, so I'm no further along with making a decision than when I started."

Alan and Damon? Like the Alan and Damon, of 'Alan and Damon and Karen' fame?

Esme saw me looking back and forth between her and Alice, and said, "Yep, the very same. They opened up their own Wedding Planner business about two years ago, and it's booming."

"That's an understatement." Alice said. "I was so lucky to get them Bella, seriously, they just exploded, and not just in the Chicago area. They've been booking weddings on both coasts. The Hamptons, Beverly Hills, you name it, they're fast becoming the Wedding Planners to the Hollywood set."

She looked at Esme, "Damon's dying to get the Bennifer gig when they get engaged."

"Right, like that wedding's ever gonna happen." Everyone turned to look at Carlisle, who was mumbling through a mouthful of triscuits, his hand digging into the bottom of the box.

"What?" he said, looking up at us questioningly.

I let out a loud laugh. Alice continued to look down at The Bible, turning the pages, her forehead furrowed in concentration. She waived her hand dismissively, and said, "Carlisle's been obsessed with JLo for like,... forever."

Carlisle took a swig of water to wash down the triscuits, and said, "Come on, get real, she's totally on the rebound from A-Rod, it's never gonna last with Affleck, he's not right for her, I don't care how many times they try to make it work."

I looked at Edward who was chuckling under his breath. Esme walked around the counter and opened the refrigerator to pull out some orange juice and more cream cheese for the bagels. When she passed Carlisle, she lightly smacked him on the butt, and rolled her eyes at him.

In a quick move, he spun around and grabbed her, leaning her down into a deep tango dip, and giving her a long kiss, "Jenny From the Block's got nothing on you, love of my life." She just chuckled and tried to get herself upright in his arms.

Alice was still looking at the book, and shouted, "Get a room you two!" I watched with a smile as Carlisle brought them up, out of the dip, and gave Esme a kiss on her nose, before she walked back to the island.

As I turned back to Alice, my gaze passed by Edward, and I saw him silently watching me. I gave him a small smile and felt my face get warm again. Jeez, I couldn't even look at him without blushing. What was that about?

He cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'm really heading out now." He walked over and gave Esme and Alice each a kiss, and grabbed an extra bagel for the road.

Esme looked up from The Bible and said, "Bye dear, don't forget dinner on Sunday. I'll call Emmett to remind him too."

Apparently Sunday dinner was something they did a few times a month, and they usually included Detective McCarty and his wife Rose. They hadn't done it in awhile, and Esme was bringing down the hammer to pin them all down.

"Yep, I'll be here." Edward said. "I'll bring a bottle of wine. Let me know if you want me to bring anything else."

"Nope. I've got the whole menu already planned in my head. I'm so glad we're finally doing this, it's been too long."

Edward gave a wave and a smile to us, and headed out the kitchen door. I watched him out the window, from my perch on the stool, as he put on his aviator sunglasses and jogged across the driveway to his car. He glanced back at the house for a brief moment, and then climbed into the shiny black vehicle, and pulled away.

When I turned back to Alice and The Bible, I saw Esme looking at me with a soft smile on her face. I smiled back, feeling happy I made the decision to stay here, because all of a sudden, I didn't feel as uncomfortable as I thought I would.

Carlisle left the kitchen to do some work in his office, and Alice and Esme and I sat for another hour and laughed and talked about all things that were bundts, tarts, and Bennifer.

*****A/N*****

Just something light to get Bella settled into her new digs. There will be more back story about Bella and her dating history coming up!

I actually own that Three's Company t shirt...it's seriously my favorite, and everyone always comments on it. :)

See you soon. As always, let me know what you think.