EPOV

Bella knocks, and when I open the door, she lets out a sigh of relief. "You are a sight for sore eyes." Stepping aside, I let her in, and she takes a look around before handing me a silver house key. "This is yours. And I have something in my trunk for you too."

"What?" I lead her into the living room and watch as she stands awkwardly in the space.

"Oh, about twenty tubs of protein powder." She's only half-smiling, and I start to laugh.

"We'll unload it after dinner. I'm grilling. Is that all right?" I tell her to drop her purse and lead her through the kitchen to the back yard.

She's been to my house more than a few times over the course of the years; she even helped me move in. And of course, she's been breaking in to prank me. But having her here in my space, invited and wanted, is something altogether different.

We chat about the past two weeks for a few minutes while I clean the grill and let it heat up. It isn't until I offer her a drink that she holds her hand up to shut me up. "Will you kiss me? I realized driving over here that I was really excited to see you. So, will you—"

I cut her off swiftly by reaching out and grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to me, pressing my lips sloppily to hers. She giggles against the kiss but softens when I sweep my tongue into her mouth, deepening the connection. When I pull away, we're both panting, and she smiles.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Wanna help me out?"

We head back inside, and she puts together a green salad while I season the burgers before throwing them on the grill. "No cheese and you like it juicy, right?"

"Yeah, but not bloody," she reminds me, and I nod. "So, I got everything from Alice and an earful from my boss."

She gives me a play by play, and I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not. "Did she really try to spread a rumor about you in your office? Didn't you technically get her that job?"

"Yes and apparently so." She shrugs as she sets out some plates for us. "I'm working from home tomorrow, and then my boss and I are going to talk about me moving on."

"He's firing you?"

"No." She rushes out her words. "No, Liam's been trying to get me into management for a couple years. It's time, and it would get me out of that office and away from Alice."

"Have you talked to her about the wedding?" I grab a beer for each of us from the built-in mini fridge on the patio, handing one to her.

"No, we haven't really talked much, and I haven't had the guts to bring it up. And since they were going to spring this on us, she's been even more absent." She doesn't open her beer but gets up and heads back into the house. She comes back a few minutes later with some papers and a bottle of water.

"Are you not drinking?" She shrugs, and I sigh. "Bella?"

"I just want to see if I'm the same person without it. Is that so bad?"

I pull her into my arms, rubbing my hands down her back. "No, of course, it's not."

I pull the burgers off the grill, and while we eat, we go over the bill. By the time we're finished, I'm full and pissed off all over again. "I don't know what we can do legally, but I'll talk to Emmett."

"That's a good idea."

She offers to clear the table while I clean up outside, and when I come into the kitchen, she turns to look at me from the sink. "Has Emmett said anything to you about us being at the cabin?"

Shaking my head, I walk up behind her. "No, should he have?"

"Well, Rose and I are friends, but when I asked her to bring us those condoms, she wouldn't do it until I told her who I was with." Bella gives me a Chandler Bing smile, and I laugh.

"You could have lied."

"Have you ever tried to lie to Rosalie Hale? She's like a weird savant or something. She always knows when someone is lying." She leans into my arms, and I sway her gently.

"Which means she told Emmett?"

"I would assume so. In the years I've known Rosalie, she and Emmett have been a united front. I don't think she'd keep that from him." Bella rests her head on my chest.

"So, we should be careful hanging out with those two?"

"For the time being." She turns off the water and spins in my arms. "When will you talk to Emmett?"

"I already called him. He wants to see everything and hear from us. Once I send that over"—I point to the paperwork—"he'll get right on it for me."

She nods. "Thanks for inviting me over. I needed this."

"It's still early. Why don't we watch a movie? I'm almost positive I have ice cream in the freezer." I reach down, squeezing her ass a little, and she squeals.

"Well, I guess I could stay for a little while."

And that's how I ended up getting blown by Bella while "Dodgeball" played in the background and a pint of Cherry Garcia melted on my coffee table. When I took her to bed, I made her scream my name before I curled us up in my covers, and we drifted off to sleep.