Still blown away by the response to this story. We're still a house divided between Bella and Edward, but I promise, progress is coming. Thanks to my team, as always for their help in making this the best it could be.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 4 - It's True I Was Never, Attention's Sweet Center

Saturday dawned and Bella was up with the sun. She had a lot on her mind and as she walked circuits around the apartment and got ready for the day, her thoughts went to the man who was two thousand miles away and the package that was hidden in her closet. She hadn't looked to see what he'd bought, and the question of whether or not she should was still raging in her head. She wanted to trust Edward and give him the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't do something outrageous, which was why it still sat undisturbed next to her own gifts for Anthony.

Bella knew Anthony would be up soon, so she got dressed and put her hair up, wanting to ward off the heat she'd be dealing with inside the cafetorium and still look nice for pictures.

Anthony padded into the kitchen when he could smell the bacon cooking. "Mommy, is Uncle Carl coming?"

"Yes, Anthony. Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice will all be there?"

"No Edward?" he asked.

"No, Sweetie. He had to go home and pack up because he's moving here. But he wanted me to send pictures so he can see your big day."

"Okay."

"Why don't you get dressed while I finish breakfast. Then we can get ready and go to your school. I set out your clothes on your desk."

Anthony scampered off and she went back to cooking. Once breakfast was done Bella packed his gifts in one of her larger shopping bags and they left for the ceremony. Once they arrived at the school, Anthony ran off to his class while Bella took a seat. Not long after she arrived, Esme and Carlisle approached. After hugs, Esme leaned in.

"How are things going with Edward?"

"All right so far. We're working on things, but there's still a lot to sort out."

Carlisle pressed with his question. "How about Alice? Have you two spoken?"

"No. She's acting like the injured party and hasn't tried to apologize. Now that Edward and I have spoken and we're working things out, I won't exclude her from things, but I'm done with her interfering. You wouldn't have stood for it if Edward Sr. or Elizabeth had done something to challenge how you were raising Alice, right?" Bella asked.

Before either of them could respond, Alice and Jasper walked over.

"Where's Edward?" Alice asked, craning her neck to look for him.

"Back in Chicago. I'm sending him a few videos from today so he can see it."

Alice opened her mouth to continue, but the ceremony began. It was a simple production. Bella recorded the few songs they sang as well as Anthony's turn to walk across the stage and get his little certificate.

Once it was over, Anthony ran over, excited to show everyone his diploma. They took family photos and Bella shot off some of those with the videos so Edward could watch them. They walked out to the parking lot, driving to Esme and Carlisle's house for lunch and a little party.

When they got to the house, Anthony ran to the door while Bella got the gifts out of the trunk. She walked in and saw Alice and Esme in a heated discussion, so she walked past them and went to set the gifts on the hutch in the dining room. While everyone else was off doing their own thing, she called Anthony over.

"Hey, Anthony. This gift is from Edward. Why don't you open it now and I can take a video to send him?"

Anthony nodded and she handed him the bag, switching to video on her phone and hitting the record button. The paper went flying as Anthony dug down into the bag, pulling out a moon nightlight.

"Mommy, this puts the moon on the ceiling!" Anthony exclaimed.

"Wow. That looks cool. Now, what do we say?"

Anthony looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks, Edward!"

Bella ended the recording and sent it off to Edward. She tucked the gift back into her shopping bag and they went to the living room to sit with everyone while Esme put their lunch in the oven.

The meal was a little stilted, but Anthony didn't notice as he bounced in his seat, waiting for lunch to be over so he could open gifts. As soon as Esme said it was time, Anthony cheered and Carlisle brought over his gifts one at a time.

Alice and Jasper got him a large stack of coloring books for his favorite movies and some new crayons in a fire truck case. Bella had gotten him some little building kits, since he loved his blocks and these were the next step up. But Anthony's favorite gift was the bike from Carlisle and Esme. Since their house was at the end of the street and they had the yard and the sidewalk on a quiet street, it was the perfect place for him to learn.

Cake was another affair; a few pictures of that went to Edward with no response so far. Bella was beginning to wonder when, as they were packing up the car, her phone buzzed.

Was waiting for the cake pictures to know the celebration was done. Thank you for sharing the day with me and tell Anthony I said congratulations.

I will. I'm glad you liked it. He loved his gift from you. Talk to you soon.

"Anthony, Edward said congratulations. He was sad he wasn't here, but he liked the videos I sent."

"I like him, Mommy. He was nice."

"He was, Sweetie. And we'll see him when he's back in a few weeks."

The week after Anthony's graduation was a rough one for Bella. She was in the office, working on something for one of Jason's cases when he came into her office and closed the door. As soon as he closed the shades, she knew something was wrong.

"I don't want to upset you, but I need you to pack up for the day and work from home for the week. If you need any files from the office, call me and I'll get them to you. But as long as Lonnie is going to be in the office, I don't want you around."

Bella blanched. "Did he threaten me?"

"No, but there's too much interest in where you are and why you're not sitting in on these last minute meetings. The trial begins on Monday, and soon he'll be out of our hair. And I made it quite clear to the senior partners that I'm not happy about being pressured to defend him. I don't care how much money his father pays them, this is my reputation at stake. It seems his father painted a rosy picture to them and they're realizing it wasn't a case of going after him because he is from a prominent family."

"If you think that's best, I'll trust your judgement."

"I do. I don't want to give him chances to do something foolish. You can take care of yourself, Bella, but it is not worth the unnecessary risk."

"Okay. When will he be back from lunch?"

"They only just left, but to be safe, I'll call you an Uber and tonight I'll drive your car to your apartment."

"Fine, let me pack up and we'll go."

Bella was able to get herself packed and her desk cleared quickly, locking her office door before she left. Jenks had a key, so if he needed to get in he could, but no one else would be able to.

Esme and Jasper switched off days with Anthony, unaware that Bella was working from home. On Friday afternoon, Edward called and was surprised when she told him she wasn't at the office.

"Is Anthony okay?"

"He's fine. It was a precaution because of the case Jenks is working on." Bella explained as best she could without giving away why she was working from home.

Edward was concerned when he heard about this guy, asking how she felt about it.

"He was creepy, and he tried to make me uncomfortable, but JJ was concerned so I'm trusting his judgment. If he wants to be cautious, we'll be done with all of this soon enough."

"Will you be out of the office for a while?"

"I've been out all week, but I should be able to go back next week."

"Is this guy a threat?" Edward pressed and she sighed.

"I don't think so. And if he was stupid enough to try something, I've got a tazer gun in my briefcase and pepper spray on my keyring."

"You're definitely not someone I'd want to mess with."

"Remember that," she teased. She was happy when he laughed in response.

They talked for a little while about how things were going for them both. Edward asked for her lawyer's information because he had a few video consultations set up while he was away, so they could move forward with everything. Once that was discussed, Edward let Bella get back to work.

The following week was uneventful. Bella returned to the office and Jenks was in court so she was on her own. At the end of the week, she was happy to be able to relax. On Sunday morning, Esme called and asked if Bella had plans for the day. When she told her no, she posed her question.

"Carlisle is off today, so I was hoping we could do some shopping. I've got something to show you, and I need your help."

"Okay, did you want me to drive out there, or meet me here?"

"Where we're headed is closer to you, so Carlisle and I will come to you. Then he can take Anthony and we'll go in one car. How does that sound?"

"Fine with me, Esme. See you soon."

Once they met up and Carlisle drove off with Anthony, Esme gave an address to Bella to plug into the GPS. Bella followed the directions, but as they pulled up outside, she realized it was Edward's building.

"What are we doing at Edward's place?"

"He's brought you here?" Esme asked with surprise evident in her voice.

"No, but he showed me pictures," Bella admitted.

"Oh, well, he asked me to keep an eye on the progress while he was gone, and since the crew is off on Sunday, I thought it would be a good day for it. Edward has given me some ideas for what he wants, so I'm helping him along."

They got out of the car and Bella followed Esme to the side door that seemed to be a private entrance. The entryway was smaller than Bella had expected, a stairwell off to the side and an elevator the only things in the small room. Esme locked up behind them and pressed the up button, the doors to the elevator opening immediately.

The ride to the apartment was short and when the doors opened Bella was shocked by the progress.

"How has this all been done in two weeks?"

"Edward didn't need to wait for the loan, and when they met with their lawyers to handle the sale, he asked to be able to get his crew in right away. The previous owner was so happy to get out from under this that he agreed. People see things on TV and think it is easy. But a building like this needs a specific vision and the money to back it up until it is making money for you. That's where Edward and the previous owner were different. It is also why I stopped working on interior design full time. I'll take on a client now and then, but so many people want fast and cheap, it isn't worth it."

"So how long had he been working on this?" Bella questioned.

"When Elizabeth took her turn for the worse, he had made the decision to leave Chicago. I'd sent him some listings hoping he'd come home, but he'd been reluctant. I was planning to tell you that he was considering a return to Seattle, but Elizabeth passed and Alice did what she did. I'm sorry."

Bella reached for Esme's hand. "You had a lot going on. And even so, you wouldn't have told him without giving me a heads up. So, Edward already had this building in mind when he came out here?"

"Yes. He met with them the day he arrived and made the offer and struck the deal. As soon as it was under contract, he got a crew in since he had permission and they've been working for three weeks now."

"I guess that's what money can do," Bella said.

Esme squeezed her hand back. "Don't let how Edward was able to get a crew in here fast get to you. He's putting down roots here and that will be good for him and Anthony. This isn't just moving personally, but this is his business. Now, do you want a tour?"

Bella allowed Esme to give her a tour. What had once been a too open space from the pictures Edward had shown her had walls framed and the wiring done. They still needed sheetrock and finishing touches, and for the plumbing to be done as most of that was closed up, but she could see how it was shaping up. If the crew kept up their pace, in a month or so he'd be all ready to move in.

When they reached a room towards the back corner of the apartment, Esme stopped. "This is what Edward was thinking of being Anthony's room. The exposed brick and concrete has all been treated and is ready for paint, but Edward wanted your opinion on how to decorate it so Anthony would be comfortable."

"He's starting to get big into nature. He loves the ocean and the forests and the mountains. So something in that color scheme, a way to bring that out. I don't know, I haven't decorated a room since I moved to Charlie's."

Esme smiled. "Well, I've got an idea. How about we pick out some paint colors and then we can go shopping for this room. I'll pick out some things for Edward as well."

Esme opened the fan decks and let Bella look at the color options. She went back and forth, before selecting a blue-gray color. Esme noted the color and asked Bella for her opinion between a few more. Bella leaned towards the lighter colors in most cases, and Esme asked why.

"There are big windows in the main room, as long as this all stays open, but in others, the natural light is limited to the smaller windows or in the interior rooms, the windows open to the studio. Having lighter colors will help keep the rooms bright."

Esme nodded. "If you weren't a fabulous lawyer, you'd be great at design. Let me just email the general contractor these color choices so they know what to order and then we can go."

After a few minutes, Esme and Bella locked up the apartment and they rode down to the main floor. Bella wasn't shocked when Esme gave her the address for one of the big design warehouses she loved to go furniture shopping. On the ride over, she discussed an overall feel for the apartment, and Bella smiled.

"Edward agreed that there were places to play up the industrial feel, and then also soften those hard edges. He wanted me to have some free rein, but also made sure I knew Anthony's comfort was more important than the look of it."

"Is that part of the reason why he's moving so fast? Because of the custody issue?"

"He wants to show that he's thinking of a place where Anthony could stay, but he also knows it won't be move-in ready immediately. So depending on how things go, his first few overnights may be at my home. He'll be staying with Carlisle and me until his building is done."

"That makes sense. And I appreciate the heads up that he'll be there when Anthony is."

"Will that be a problem?" Esme asked. Her expression was concerned.

"As long as Edward and I don't run into any problems, it shouldn't be. And I trust you and Carlisle not to break any agreement we have."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

They walked around the massive showroom, Bella picking out a set for Anthony's room first. From there, Esme looked for the rest of the apartment, noting when Bella reacted positively or negatively to a piece. It seemed like a lot of furniture, but Esme also explained she was buying pieces for the studio, the gallery, and the office's for both.

Once Esme had settled up her bill with the very excited salesman, she told Bella to drive to Target. There, they picked out bedding for Anthony's room and Bella did some much needed shopping without little hands along for the ride.

Bella was calmer when they left Target, as this was a price range she could compete with. "Why don't we grab a late lunch? We can talk about school."

Over their meal, Bella was happy to tell Esme about her two summer classes, and how excited she was that by the new year she'd be studying for the bar. When Esme asked how that would go with work, she explained the firm was giving her study time in her schedule.

"As much as JJ will loathe having to do it, he'll be taking on an intern again. They're also hiring another paralegal for the department, so once I've passed the exam, there will be another person to help with the extra workload."

"Have they already made you an offer?" Esme asked.

"They won't make a formal offer, but they've discussed it with Jenks and he was fully on board with me joining his department."

"That's wonderful. It must feel good knowing they see the hard work you do for them and value it."

"It is. And I'm ready to finally be a lawyer, not just study it."

Carlisle texted as Esme paid the check, asking how things were going. She said everything had gone well and they'd be back at Bella's place in thirty minutes. Once Anthony's drop off was coordinated, Bella drove back home and Esme helped her carry her purchases upstairs.

Anthony and Carlisle arrived as they were finishing up, so they loaded Esme's haul into his car and they parted for the day.

Things were moving forward on all fronts, now Bella just had to prepare for all the changes that were about to come her way.