Good Morning, Darlings!
Half of you related to Esme, and half of you were stressed by her! I love both sides, because depending on my mood, I'm Esme or Bella and little in between, lol!
Thank you to Melferd, DaniDarlingxx, and Lily Jill for pre-reading this chapter. Any mistakes are my own.
Four: Edward
June 23, 2022
Los Angeles California
"Babe."
Bella doesn't even stir, and it's not surprising. When she naps, she down for the count. I lean over, shaking her shoulder. "Babe, wake up."
"Fuck you, Cullen," she grunts. I smirk. Maybe she's more awake than I thought.
"You've been sleeping for an hour and if you don't get up right now, we're going to be late picking your dad up from the airport."
Bella groans. "Call him an Uber."
I ignore her as I cross the living room, looking for my keys and wallet. We left my parents in their hotel room a few hours ago, and when we got home, Bella just about knocked me out, tackling me to the sofa. I don't know if it's because she knew we wouldn't get much time for sex over the next day or so, or if she was just feeling particularly horny after our argument in the car.
It's always hard to tell with her.
"Babe!"
"No!" She whines, her face still buried in the cushion. From this angle, I can see she's not even wearing underwear; just my shirt.
Jesus.
"Bella," I huff, crossing the room. I slap her ass, making her yelp and sit up slightly. Taking advantage of her new position, I haul her up into my arms off the sofa. She struggles for a minute before grinning and melting against me.
Of-fucking-course. "You planned this," I accuse.
She smirks, stretching in my arms as I carry her to our room. "You know how hot I find it when you carry me."
I shake my head at her. "We so don't have the time for that."
She pouts and I toss her onto the bed. She bounces, her face morphing into surprise as I laugh at her.
"Ass," she huffs.
"Get dressed. I'm not picking your dad up on my own."
She frowns, but does turn to the basket of laundry I brought in earlier. I leave her to get dressed as I pull my shoes on.
It's not that I don't like Charlie. He's a great guy, and he loves Bella more than anything—something I can definitely relate to.
Charlie is just so stoic. He's the kind of guy who is happy to sit in silence for hours. After spending the last two years living with Bella, I don't know what to do with that kind of silence anymore.
I get my shoes on, and thankfully, Bella comes out of our room wearing tiny ass shorts and a tank top. Christ, she's not even wearing a bra.
I get stuck, staring at her full tits, bouncing in the flimsy built in bra of her shirt.
"Get it together, Cullen," she snaps, slipping her Converse on. I blink. "Can't be perving on me in front of the Chief."
I roll my eyes. It's never me perving that we have to worry about. Bella is fucking shameless.
"Ready?" I ask her, standing from the sofa. She nods, reaching up to brush her hair back from her face. It makes her tank top rise up, and exposes a strip of her belly. Fuck, focus Cullen.
It's not like we hadn't already gone at each other three times today.
I expected our sex life to slow down, and it did, somewhat when I started working full time. But the drive between us, the raw chemistry and heat, it never diminished. If anything, it's getting stronger.
Bella and I leave our apartment, and she grabs my hand in the hallway. I look at her in surprise. She's not usually a hand holder, but I certainly don't mind.
I thread my fingers through hers, trying to hide my grin from her.
"You dork," she mutters, not even looking up at me. I laugh. The woman knows me too well.
My thumb brushes over her knuckle, and I catch the feel of her engagement ring. My heart thumps a little harder when I feel it. I knew pretty quickly that I needed Bella for the rest of my life. I didn't know back when we first got together, if she was even interested in marriage, but I didn't care. I'd take her however I could get her. Life had been good before the pandemic. I'd been on a great path, about to realize some pretty hefty dreams, but it had been nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to how much Bella has completed me since. The pandemic might have taken a lot, but in my life, it had given in spades.
I smile when I remember asking Bella to marry me. I'd been an idiot, hadn't made it clear what I was asking, and she'd nearly taken my head off thinking I was breaking up with her.
It was so hot.
"I know what you're thinking," Bella murmurs as we head down to the car.
I look over at her. "Oh really?" Rarely does she actually know where my mind is, but I'm always interested in her theories. If nothing else, they always lead to a good laugh.
She looks up, stopping by my car and pushes me back against the door. I blink in surprise as she presses her body into mine, dropping my hand and reaching up to yank my head down for a kiss. My arms sink around her waist, pulling her tight to me, and I feel her smile against my lips.
She pulls back from me and gives me a little squeeze.
"If there's enough traffic, I'll give you some road head."
I choke on my laugh and that fucking minx winks and steps away from me, climbing into the car. My life is never going to be boring again, and thank God for that.
