Y'all, my son's wedding was absolutely beautiful. I am one happy Momma.
**WARNING** As far as this chapter, there is a Flashback memory that describes physical abuse.
**THANK YOU** for all the reviews for the first few chapters I've posted. This one was a pain in my rear. It pushed all of my italicized texts into one sentence.
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. All mistakes are my own.
ENJOY!
10/09/2022
Chapter 4
BPOV
Tuesday morning, I woke up panting and sweating. The dream I had about Edward was graphic enough to make a nun's habit catch flames. It was quite an eye opener, but we won't go there.
I had to forgo my morning workout because I slept through my alarm. Needless to say, I was dragging ass. Edward had barely touched me and I could still feel him. His touch left a lifetime of passion in its wake and I couldn't wait for more. It was driving me crazy.
When I finally made it to work, Carol eyed me suspiciously. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way into my office. If she knew the real reason I was late, she would probably question my ability to maintain an easy work day, but if Edward was going to be non-stop in my thoughts, I don't see how I was going to get any work done.
When I entered my office, there was a huge bouquet of flowers on my desk. My stomach did a happy flutter because I already knew who the flowers were from.
It was a mixed bouquet of Iris' and a different kind of flower that I had never seen before. All I knew was that it was absolutely exquisite.
Once I found the card, I couldn't open it fast enough. There wasn't much written on it except the name of the flowers and their meaning.
The Japenica - loveliness
The Iris - warm affection
Looking forward to our lunch date tomorrow. Thinking of you,
Edward
I was swooning. My smile was so wide, I could feel my lips touching my eyes. This was definitely a better start to my day. I hoped it stayed that way.
I needed to thank Edward for the flowers, so I picked up my cell and sent him a text. I wasn't sure if he was working today, and I didn't want to interrupt him.
Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful–Bella
Carol knocked a moment later and poked her head through the door. Her smile grew wide at the sight of the flowers. "Those are beautiful; secret admirer?" She walked in and leaned forward to smell one of the flowers.
"Edward." Was all I could reply. "Edward?" She asked, curiously.
I smiled, continuing to look at my flowers. "Um...yeah...uh... Edward Cullen. Momma Whitlock's nephew," I explained. I sounded like I couldn't find the correct words to use.
"The football player?" She asked with surprise in her voice.
"Yes." I was completely awestruck by the flowers resulting in very few words coming to mind.
"From the looks of these flowers, I think he likes you." Her tone was suggestive, and I do believe very accurate.
"Yeah, I think I kind of like him, too," I said, smiling. Carol made her way to my desk and laid a few files down before closely admiring my flowers, again.
"What are these? I've never seen these before?" She pointed to the flower called the Japenica.
"It's Japenica. It means loveliness. The other one is an Iris which means warm affection," I explained, smiling at the thought of the warm affection that Edward had already shared with me.
I smiled and reached for the bouquet of flowers to move them to the coffee table. "I'd say he was more smitten with you than what you think." Carol moved some of the magazines out of the way so I could sit the bouquet down.
Minus my intrusive dream, this was definitely going to be a better day.
Carol excused herself and left me to my thoughts. I sat at my desk staring at the flowers. A memory invaded me as I stared at them. It wasn't a good one, but I couldn't keep it from coming.
~~Past Memory~~
Mom and I had been scrubbing the kitchen floor when there was a knock at the door. We looked at each other with wonder. Who in the world could it be?
We knew it wasn't Mrs. Landers because she had been by the day before. It was my mom's birthday, and she brought my mom a small cake for the two of us to share. There was no way my father would've let us have it, so we ate the whole thing. Thank goodness it wasn't big.
When mom answered the door, a young man with a huge bouquet of flowers was standing there. We both looked really confused.
"Can I help you?" Moms' brows were scrunched together in confusion.
"I have a delivery for a Renee Dwyer," said the young man.
"I'm her." Her eyes were wide with wonderment.
"I just need for you to sign for these, please," he said while handing a clipboard to her. She reluctantly reached for it. Not quite sure who would be sending flowers.
Once she signed for them, the young man handed them to her. It was huge and looked really heavy; mom struggled to hold it up.
"Who are they from?" I asked, in awe of how beautiful the flowers were.
"I'm not sure, honey. Let me see if there's a card." She grinned from ear to ear.
Mom sat the bouquet on the table and searched for a card. It was fancy with beautiful script on the front with my mom's name spelled out along with the flower shop logo.
When she opened it, another large smile graced her face. She read it quickly to herself in a whisper.
"It's from grandma and grandpa," she said while handing me the card. I remember only meeting my grandparents once when I was five years old and I knew some Italian, but I wasn't fluent in it like my mom. It was her first language Afterall. Slowly but surely, she was teaching me.
Buon compleanno, tesoro. Ti vogliamo bene. (Happy Birthday, honey. We love you.)
Mamma e papà.(Mom and Dad)
"Wow, mommy; these are so pretty," I said excitedly while handing the card back to her. I, being only eight years old, had never seen anything so pretty in my entire life.
I wasn't allowed to have anything that wasn't a necessity. I had books but very few and I had read them so much that I knew them word for word. I was too afraid to check any books out at the school library because I didn't want my father to take them from me.
Mom reached for one of the flowers to smell it. We were both enamored by their beauty. We couldn't stop looking at them. We hadn't seen anything like this before because my father never allowed us to receive gifts from anyone. He claimed that we had more than enough, and gifts were unacceptable.
"I need to find a place to put these before your father returns, and then we need to get back to work." Mom reached for the flowers and made her way to the laundry room. My father very rarely entered that room. It wasn't often he did anything on his own. We always catered to his every need.
We continued doing our chores and scrubbed every crack and crevice that we could find. We did this twice a month to make sure my father was satisfied. The rest of the house got the same amount of attention but not as often because the kitchen was the most occupied.
A couple of hours later, my father came home. Not too much was said to us. He grumbled a few things that weren't audible, so we kept to what we were doing. He kept disappearing into the garage only to return when he wanted another beer or a Jack and Coke.
He seemed to be sticking to that drink more than usual and that scared us even more. He was more volatile and dangerous when he drank whiskey, so Mom and I were trying our best to stay out of the line of fire. We knew that if we made a noise or stepped out of line just a tad, he would blow up.
I was changing the mop water when I heard him scream out for my mom. "RENEE!"
Mom pointed me to the corner of the kitchen. With him screaming like that, we knew something wasn't right and she wanted me to stay back.
My father came stomping into the kitchen with the bouquet of flowers and slammed them down on the kitchen table causing water to splash onto the floor from the force. I moved to clean it up, but mom silently told me to stay put, with her eyes. I was so scared that it was making me sick to my stomach.
"Do you mind telling me where the fuck these came from and why the fuck they're in MY HOUSE?" he asked right in mom's face. They were so close that their noses were nearly touching.
Mom clasped her hands together in front of her stomach as if she was trying to protect herself from what she already knew was coming.
"They're from my parents for my birthday," she reluctantly explained.
My father grabbed her hair and shoved her face into the flowers. "HOW DO THEY SMELL? DO THEY FUCKIN' SMELL GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT?!"
He kept shoving her face into them and pieces of the flowers were falling to the floor. I could see small trickles of blood all over her face from where the stems from the flowers were gouging her.
One last hard shove, and he yanked her up and slapped her right across the face. "ARE YOU ALLOWED TO GET STUFF FROM OTHER PEOPLE? WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO ACCEPT THESE?" Another slap to her face and my mom fell to the floor. He then reached down and grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up. This time he punched her in the stomach causing her to start gasping for air and dry heaving as if she was going to throw up.
"ISABELLA!" he screamed.
"Yes, sir," I answered.
"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE," he screamed as I quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed to where he was pointing on the floor. I clasped my hands together behind my back and looked straight forward. I wasn't allowed to look him in the eye unless he told me to.
In a calmed voice he asked, "Are you allowed to receive stuff from anyone outside this home unless you have permission from me?"
"No, sir," I replied in a whisper.
"WHAT?" He was so close to my face that I felt spittle on my forehead.
"No, sir," I said just a decibel louder. He rose up and took a step backwards. He kept looking back and forth between me and my mom considering his next words.
Without screaming at either of us, he questioned in a scruff voice, "Have you not explained to your parents that gifts are not welcomed unless it's approved by me? For the past eight and a half years, I have been your sole provider. We don't need their help with anything," he said firmly.
"Yes, Phil. I've told them. They were only being nice. They never send anything," retorted my mom.
Her answer got her another slap to her face and busting her lip and causing her nose to bleed. I could see bruise forming from where he had hit her the first time.
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR A FUCKING ATTITUDE," he stepped over to the table and picked up the flowers and slammed them down on the floor, water and flowers flew everywhere. Some landed all over our feet. Then my father grabbed my mom and dragged her through the mess on the floor. The glass left cuts all over her legs and areas of her back and even a few on her stomach.
I wasn't allowed to do anything. I had to stand there and watch. He was teaching and I was to learn.
We weren't permitted to go to the doctor unless we were deathly ill. So, that night, I helped my mom put 20 stitches throughout her stomach, back and her legs. She already had scars that were now covered with more scars. My heart ached so badly for my mom.
~~End Memory~~
My memory failed me when my phone chirped informing me of a new text message.
It was Edward replying: Glad you liked them. Just thought I would let you know I was thinking of you. –Edward
All I could do was smile. I was still a little queasy from my memory. Luckily, thinking about Edward shifted my thoughts. I wondered if someone was going to pinch my soon because most things this good, were too good to be true.
I didn't reply to his text. I needed to get my head out of the clouds and get to work. Carol had laid three more files on my desk for me to review. That just added to the twenty others that were waiting for me to read. I definitely had my work cut out for me.
Lunch rolled around and Jasper finally poked his head inside my door. That boy never failed when it came to lunch time. "Lunch?" He had a really goofy look on his face.
"Yeah, how's the Soup Kitchen sound? I'm in the mood for soup and salad." I smirked then grabbed my purse and cell phone from my desk.
"Sounds good to me," he replied. He held the door open like the kind gentlemen that he was.
"I'm heading to lunch, Carol," I said, waving over my shoulder as we made our way out. Jasper waved, too as he reached for the button for the elevator.
"Have a good lunch, you two."
While sitting and waiting for our lunch to be served, Jasper looked up at me quizzically. The man knew me as well as I knew him. Something was up because he was still looking at me like he was studying me.
"What?" I asked him. "You look like you have something on your mind."
He shrugged his shoulder. "Just curious. You seem different for some reason." He raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner.
"Um... okay. Nothing's changed." I wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about.
He leaned forward and clasped his hands together on top of the table. "Have company lately?" Now I knew what he was talking about. He wanted info that I didn't want to share.
"Stop beating around the bush and just ask me, already," I said. "I'm not playing twenty questions with you."
"Okay, so... you and Edward had dinner yesterday at your place?" he queried. "And then fell asleep on the couch."
"Yeah, so? What else did he tell you?" I asked, looking at him, my eyes wide in a sarcastic way. "You're acting like a gossip hound. We didn't do anything. Plus, even if we did, it's none of your business."
"Nothing. He just said you ran into each other at the Apple store and you invited him over for dinner and then later fell asleep on the couch... together." He said that kind of fast, but I understood every word. You would think he was ten years old wanting to start some drama.
"You're such an ass. So what if we fell asleep on the couch together. Like I said we didn't do anything. I was tired from my trip; sue me."
He put his hands up, surrendering, then chuckled. "Hey, just curious that's all. So... you and my cousin, huh?" he asked teasingly. He wiggled his brows in a suggestive way.
I put my defenses up. "Are you seriously going to tease me about this like my own brother and sister do?"
"I'm not saying anything. Geez, what has your panties in a twist?" He said petulantly.
"I'm sorry. I'm still trying to comprehend the fact that there's a guy that's potentially interested in me. You know how self conscience I am about myself." He righted himself at the table and scooted closer to me. He reached for my hand and gave it a slight squeeze.
"No, I'm sorry; you're right. I'll leave you alone but don't expect me to lay off Edward. What kind of cousin would I be if I didn't give him shit about anything?" Jasper had a huge smile on his face, which made me smile, too.
"Just not while I'm around, please?" He nodded and gave my hand another light squeeze. He really was my best friend and I couldn't ask for a better one.
After lunch, we headed back to the office. I needed to get a few more stories out of the way. I hadn't found one yet that had me squirming in my seat. Thankfully, I've only read those at home.
Around five, I packed up my briefcase and headed out. I would work on the other stories at home.
Once I reached my car, I decided I needed to do a quick run to the store. I still needed food and it wasn't going to just appear on its own like in Harry Potter. That would be too easy.
One hundred and fifty dollars later, I was getting help from the doorman to bring my groceries up. I would have to remember not to go to the store hungry again. Everything I looked at, I bought. I don't think I would need groceries for a month.
After a quick dinner, I settled on my couch with my work. I was starting to get into one of the stories that was about BDSM. It was making my imagination go wild and Edward was the starring role.
My phone rang in the middle of a real hot spanking session. I had to compose myself before I answered but then again, it was only Alice.
"Bella's Mortuary; you stab 'em we slab 'em." I laughed as I heard her chuckle.
One of us was always answering the phone that way when we called each other. It became a habit for us since the first time I called her. We were in sixth grade when we first met and we automatically clicked and have been best friends ever since. I hated that she lived across the country from me, but that was where she chose to go to college and open up her own business once she graduated.
"Why hello Ms. Swan. How are you this very fine evening?" She sounded very elegant with a British accent.
"I'm pretty damn good. How about yer self?" I tried to mimic a southern accent.
"I've called bearing good news," she happily replied.
"Please share. I love good news." I silently waited for her to talk. It was like she was trying to get up enough courage to tell me.
"I'mmovingtoSeattle!" She said faster than an auctioneer.
"What the...What?" I asked, dropping my feet to the floor and nearly dumping everything on my lap, definitely confused that I didn't hear her correctly.
"I'm. Moving. To. Seattle," she said slowly.
"WHAT!" I screamed. This was the best news I've heard in a long time. My best friend was finally moving home.
"Geez, don't make me repeat it, again. Yes. I'm coming home. I'm moving my business to Seattle and I've just recently accepted a position as a freelance photographer at The Seattle Times." She squealed excitedly. I had no clue she had been wanting to come back home. She hadn't given any indication about anything. This really did make my year.
"How come you didn't tell me? When did you decide to do this?" I asked quizzically. She had to give me something. Some kind of proof she wasn't yanking my chain.
"I've actually been working on the move for the last couple of months. I had to make sure I had a place for my business then I applied for the freelance spot at The Seattle Times. Angie helped get me hooked up with a building. She was a godsend, believe me. It saved me from having to fly back and forth." Her news was definitely the kind of surprise that I liked.
Alice, Angie and I had been friends since I first moved to Washington. I couldn't believe she kept this secret from me. It just proves that she's a trusted secret keeper.
"Awe... Ali. This is so amazing and the best news. Do you need help with anything? You know you can stay with me until you find your own place. I won't take no for an answer." My excitement from this news was overpowering. I didn't think I would be able to sleep.
"Everything is already taken care of. You just saved me from having to ask to stay with you, thank you. I'll be making the move in the next couple of weeks. I'll be there before your birthday. You ready to do some club hopping?"
I knew that was a rhetorical question because I didn't inhabit clubs. They never had been my scene. Ali knew this but she made it her goal to get me into one eventually.
"We'll see." I already knew my answer would be no, but I liked making her think she could convince me otherwise.
We finished our call with plans for me to pick her up at the airport in exactly twelve days. My mom was going to think this was the best news, too. We've been begging her, for a few years, to come home, but she never did. Her homecoming was a celebration we all looked forward to.
Wednesday morning, I woke with a smile. I wasn't as tired as I expected myself to be. I was so excited when I went to bed the night before. The news from Alice and my anticipation about seeing Edward, had me giddy like a little school girl.
I made it to work on time unlike the day before when I was dragging my ass. Carol reached out to hand me my messages as I passed her desk. "Good morning, Carol." They were all from potential clients.
Before I reached my office, Carol called for my attention. "Good morning, Bella, Mrs. Whitlock asked for you to stop by her office before you get started this morning."
"Thanks Carol. I'll head over there right now. Just hold all my calls or send them to voice-mail." I placed my purse on my desk before walking to Momma Whitlock's office. She was just walking in when I approached the reception desk.
She gestured for me to come in and to take a seat. "There's my girl. I see Carol gave you my message."
"Did my mom call you?" She smiled indicating that yes she did call and took her seat behind her desk.
"She couldn't stop thanking me enough for her gift certificate," She scooted closer to her desk. "So... all three of us? I think that's a great idea. I miss seeing your mom. I couldn't get so lucky to have her live closer." Momma Whitlock folded her hands on top of her desk then looked at me in a very curious way. Jasper had given me the same look the day before.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I suspected it was about her nephew. I knew what she was about to ask. Apparently my life had become an open book and everyone needed to know what was on my agenda or what was going on in my love life. Right now, my love life was the topic of conversation.
"A little birdie told me that you've spent some time with my nephew. Is that little birdie correct or do I need to shoot it?" she asked jokingly.
I figured it would be best to not lie. "No, Jasper's right. I know it's Jasper; no need to deny it. That boy needs a zipper for his lips." I playfully scowled at her and she laughed.
She then stood up from her spot behind her desk and made her way to the chair next to me and sat down. She reached for one of my hands and sighed. "You know he means well. We all do, Bella. I think you and Edward are perfect for each other." She smiled at me and I knew she had her heart in the right place. All of them did. "Right now, you may think we're all being nosy and you're right, we are. We just want to see you happy. Edward definitely seems to be all smiles lately, that's for sure," she said while patting the back of my hand. "So, tell me about the other day. Jasper didn't go too far into details. He just said you ran into each other at the mall and had dinner."
I knew everyone wanted to see me happy. It took quite a few years of therapy to help me through and trust people. Jasper was the first man, outside my dad and grandfather, that I trusted. Mom and I saw the same therapist for about five or six years. The only thing that still plagues me are my nightmares and things triggering memories.
"There isn't much to tell. We were both at the Apple store and I invited him over for dinner. Nothing extravagant; just sandwiches," I explained, hoping she took that answer as good enough.
"And?" It was in her blood to pry. Same as her son, and now I knew it was hereditary.
"And what? We watched a movie and we both fell asleep on my couch," I stated firmly.
"And?" She asked, again, raising her brows in question.
"Awe, come on. Nothing happened. You're as bad as my mom, you know that? I love you, but that's all the deets you're getting out of me," I said while getting up from my chair. "I need to get to work. My boss is being a prying little pill just like her son." I smiled and reached out to hug her. She returned the hug and squeezed me tightly.
"Well, I love you, too. I'm just so excited. Edward hasn't been this happy in a long time. It's so nice to see a smile on both of your faces." She walked me to the door. She stood and stared at me for a minute before finally dropping her hands from my shoulders.
"I will admit Edward does have something to do with me being happier. He seems different, and him being sexy as hell seems to help a little." I gave her my serious look. "Slowly. No rushing. That's all I can give you for now. We're having lunch this afternoon and dinner on Friday." I hugged her again and she opened the door.
"Okay, I got it. Slowly. I'll just put off planning your wedding." She let out a wholehearted laugh and I scowled at her as I made my way to my office.
That was definitely jumping the gun. Marriage? That hasn't even crossed my mind, but then again, which person hasn't imagined their wedding and who the love of their life will be.
I had been working for a few hours on a story about a girl who had a traumatic experience. She survived a major accident and everyone in her family died including her fiance. It was very heartbreaking, but she finally found someone that could hopefully bring her love, again.
"Bella, you have a visitor. A very handsome one, I might add," Carol said over the intercom. I knew immediately that it was Edward. I smiled, feeling excited to see him. He made my belly feel all sorts of weird.
Damn butterflies.
"You can send him in," I replied.
A minute later, Edward walked into my office and shut the door. I couldn't help but stare. He was dressed in dress slacks and a polo shirt with the U-Dub logo on the left pocket. I was assuming he was working today and took his time for lunch to share it with me.
I got up from my chair and made my way to him by the door. Once I reached him, he lowered his head and kissed me chastely on the lips.
"Hey, you ready for lunch?"
"Yeah, give me a sec to shut down my laptop." I then made my way back to my desk, and closing my laptop. I grabbed my purse and cell from the desk drawer. Edward then reached for my hand and laced our fingers together as we walked out of my office. Carol looked at us quizzically then put two and two together before a huge smile appeared on her face. She waved us off before turning back to answering the ringing phone.
"I've got a little over an hour. You want to eat at the deli down the street? I know it's not much but I promise something better next time," he said while we stood and waited for the elevator to arrive.
I knew exactly which deli he was talking about. "That's actually perfect. Jazz and I eat there a lot, and. you don't need to make anything better."
"I could have made a reservation somewhere," he implied as he reached out to push the button for the elevator.
A few seconds later, the elevator chimed its arrival and we stepped in. We kept glancing at each other until Edward pulled me to him and lowered his head to kiss me. I reciprocated and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Our tongues lapped as we sucked on each other's lips before the door dinged that it was opening. When we pulled away from each other, we were a little winded from our five second tryst.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting to kiss you again since I left the other night." His smile said it all. He was just as anxious as I was about seeing each other.
I smiled; my heart hammering against my chest. My breathing had just started to calm before an annoying, nasally voice sounded out from across the front lobby.
"Oh, my God! Edward Cullen, is that you?" asked Jessica. Edward pulled me closer and placed our attached hands in the front so she could see.
I heard him groan before she approached us. "Yes. Do I know you?"
"Yes. It's me. Jessica. Jessica Stanley. We met a couple of years ago. You promised me a date." She perched her hands on her hips in a flirty way and Edwards face paled. I couldn't help but chuckle and he glowered at me before he spoke.
"I did?" You could see the confusing written all over his face.
"Yes, you did. I'm holding you to it. When are you free?" Edward let out an exasperated whining noise. I couldn't place it, but I was pretty sure it was a cry for help.
"Actually Jessica," I spoke up. "Edward rescinds his invitation. He won't be available at all," I said while raising my brows and smirking. Her face dropped the smile that graced it and in return caused me to smile and Edward smirked.
"Why?" Did she really need to ask that? She kept glancing back and forth between Edward and me. She appeared hurt but the girl was not getting a clue. Here we stood in front of her together, holding hands and she still couldn't get it.
"I won't have any free time. Between my job and Bella, I'm not free at all," he explained truthfully.
"Are you dating her? Is she your girlfriend?" I shook my head, rolling my eyes and laughed. She really was air-headed. I thought if there was a banner displayed in the lobby, that Edward and I were dating, she wouldn't see it.
"Yes, Jessica. Now move along.," I replied while waving my hand in front of us to shoo her away. "You're interfering with our lunch."
I think she growled at me and showed her teeth like a rabid animal before she stomped her foot. She pointed directly in my face and screamed "YOU'RE A BITCH!", before she stormed off.
Edward and I laughed and noticed we had attracted an audience.
"It's okay, folks. It's just her time of the month." I couldn't help myself. That was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long time. I only hoped that would be the last we saw of her.
Lunch was easy going. We made idle conversation about our agenda's for the week. After we ate, we sat and held hands. Edward kept caressing my cheek with the back of his fingers and sporadically moving a piece of hair behind my ear.
I couldn't help it but for some reason I was feeling a little shy. Especially when he placed light kisses on my lips. It's fair to say that I was feeling like a giddy school girl.
"So Friday? I've made reservations at Sky City. I wanted to take you some place nice and that was the first place that popped in my head. I've never been and I'm curious about it rotating." He smiled as he finished telling me what his plans are for our upcoming date. At least now I knew how to dress.
"I've actually been with my family last summer. Alex kept badgering my dad and he caved." There wasn't much my dad didn't do for my brother and sister. They still needed to earn their privileges.
"Kids have a way of being the perfect con artists, don't they?" If he only knew the half of it.
We fell silent before he reached up and cupped my face, kissing me again. Apparently he had no qualms with PDA. If he didn't, then neither did I.
After lunch we sat in his truck and made out like two horny teenagers. I finally had to pull away so he could get back to work on time. Jasper was just walking in when he noticed me getting out of Edward's truck. "I saw that," he said accusingly.
"Saw what?" I asked innocently. He smirked and I smirked right back at him.
"You know, if you don't want anyone to know about you dating Edward, I wouldn't be sucking face right in front of the building. If I saw you, then I know quite a few other people did, too," he said pointedly. I understood, completely, what he was talking about.
"No big deal. The cats already out of the bag, anyway. We were assaulted by Jessica as we were leaving. She screamed at me and called me a bitch, by the way. We just laughed and walked out. She really has no common sense does she?" I asked rhetorically. Jasper shook his head in disbelief as we stepped into the elevator. "I won't be surprised if someone takes her to HR for her little outburst."
"She's lucky mom wasn't around or she would've fired her right then and there."
The rest of the day went pretty calmly. I finished the story I was working on earlier in the day. The girl did find love, again and also found a way to memorialize her family that she lost.
Five o'clock rolled around and I called it a day. Carol had already left but she made sure to pass on more files before her exit. My job was never ending. I was glad I was busy enough to not be bored.
Once I got home, I kicked off my shoes and started my dinner. I was having a gourmet vegetarian pizza. I usually ordered a few small ones from The Pink Door restaurant and stuck them in the freezer. I loved their food; it just melts in your mouth.
After I ate, I showered and settled on my couch with another story. This one was about a young couple. They had been friends for years and harbored feeling for each other. They finally portrayed their love for one another before they started college. They moved away and went to school together and fell more and more in love. The more I read about falling in love and finding your soul mate made my heart feel all kinds of weird. Of course, I thought of Edward. Lately, he was never too far from my mind.
My phone ringing brought me out of my reverie. "Hey, handsome. How was your day?"
He laughed. "I could have been anybody. Do you always answer your phone that way?"
"No. I knew it was you. It's a thing called caller ID." I teased, tucking my phone between my ear and shoulder so I could turn the page of the story I was reading.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" There was never a bad time for this man.
"No, you're fine; just doing some reading. It's for work, though. That's what my job entails; reading a lot." I marked the page I was on and put the manuscript down. I wanted to give Edward my undivided attention.
The rest of our conversation went smoothly. We talked about what else we did during our day. Mine was completely boring compared to his. He dealt with hot, sweaty football players running up and down a field all day.
I wouldn't mind sitting around watching. I joked with Edward about having a front row pass to some tight ass. He growled causing me to laugh. It was nice to be able to joke with someone and they not take it personally.
It was just before eleven before I made it to bed. I couldn't get my mind to shut off. I was getting excited about my date on Friday. Just two more full days and it would be here.
Friday night couldn't get here fast enough.
Thanks a bunch,
Reason
