Reaching for Love
Chapter 18 – Not Ready to Admit It
BELLA
Life wasn't fair. Filing the police report about what Jacob said to me was a colossal waste of time. Well, that was what I understood from Edward's phone conversation while I was drifting off. Being a cop's daughter had taught me one thing… bad people are not always punished for their actions. I did and still did see Edward's point in filing one. It would establish a pattern of abuse.
I felt much better after my nap, and after slipping from Edward's embrace, I went in search of something to munch on. Once in the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator. The veggies – bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini – caught my eyes. My tongue ran along my lips at the thought of lasagna. I found the correct cheeses – mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta – in one of the drawers. The hanging baskets near the back window held onions and garlic. I wondered if the cabinets or pantry held the pasta sheets and sauces. The cabinets held dinnerware and cookware, no food items. When I opened the door to the pantry, I found it well stocked and organized with clear containers and labels. With all the needed supplies at hand, I got to work washing and chopping the veggies as the noodles softened in boiling water.
Dinner had been in the oven for thirty-five minutes and I was removing the foil when I heard the floor above my head creaked. It sounded like Edward was up from his nap. It wasn't long before he appeared in the kitchen. His eyes widened when I told him about the lasagna and homemade ice cream sandwiches. Our conversation moved on to sharing a room. Unbeknownst to him, I had decided as I made dinner. I wasn't sure if it was driven by fear or by something deeper. It felt right waking up in his arms. Before he could ask anything more, the timer on the oven went off. Edward moved to remove the baking dish.
I wasn't prepared for the look of unadulterated pleasure when Edward took his first bite. It should have been the only indication I needed to know he loved it, but it wasn't. The ensuing moan made me blush. No one I've cooked for before had ever enjoyed a meal enough to moan.
"This is good. No, that's not quite right. It's amazing."
My blus deepened. "Thanks," I murmured.
He reached across the table and took hold of my hand. "Are you sure you are okay?"
I took a deep breath through my nose. "Yes. I've been thinking about the encounter and how my dad would have handled it."
He set his fork down and lifted his free hand to his chin. "And?"
"I would think he would have brought him into the station for questioning."
His eyes fell away from mine. "How much did you hear?"
"Not much," I admitted. "Just enough to know he wasn't put behind bars."
A groan left him. "I should have left the room." He held up his hand. "It's not that I wasn't going to speak to you about what I learned from the detective. He wants you, well us, to report any untoward behavior from Jacob."
I nodded. "It would help if we need a restraining order down the road."
His eyes twinkled when he smiled. "I would like you to share your phone's location with me. As a precaution."
Again, I nodded. He didn't have to go into the reasons. I knew enough about iPhones to know you could share your location with your friends and family, even if I recently got an upgraded phone with that capability. "How about I share with Emmett, too?" I suggested.
His right eyebrow went up in silent question. How was I going to explain why?
"He is the one who determined someone was tracking my old phone, right?"
"Yes. And I would still like him to check the rest of the computers in the house."
"And I get that." I squeezed his hand. "To me that says you trust him. In a pinch, who would you want to protect me if you were unable to or couldn't get to me right away?"
In the short time I have known Edward, I was sure he was going to agree with my choice.
"Damn," he said under his breath with a shake of his head. "Emmett is exactly who I would call."
I picked up my iPhone, navigated to the Find My app, and shared my location with Edward and Emmett. Edward's phone chimed a moment after I had sent the notification.
Edward winked as he in turn shared his location with me. A few seconds later I get a notification from Emmett doing the same, followed by a text message asking why. Edward called Emmett explaining the reason and asked him to stop by.
We finished eating and were about done cleaning up when the doorbell chimed.
"Go, I'll finish up in here and join you both when I'm done," I said, shooing Edward out of the kitchen.
~~ Reaching for Love ~~
Emmett was pounding away at the keyboard of the den's computer when I joined him and Edward. Edward's laptop was on next to the printer.
"With your VPN, firewalls, and other security programs, I highly doubt anyone could place a tracking program on your computers," Emmett remarked.
"I get that, but I want to be sure. If your right about it being Jacob tracking Bella, then I want to be sure there is no way he can find her."
I shuddered when I came to a stop next to Edward. He wrapped an arm around me and instant warmth surrounded me.
"I can't explain how he tracked her to the medical building," Edward continued. "The only plausible explanations are he is still tracking her someway or he just happened to see her walking in."
Emmett nodded and continued whatever he was doing to both the computer and laptop. "Alright, I have installed a program and am doing a deep scan. It's going to take a couple of hours to run. Until then, I can't tell you anything."
"Soooo?" I asked.
Emmett chuckled and motioned to Edward.
Edward squeezed me to his side. "Up for more company and a movie?"
More company. Translation, inviting Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper over. His closest friends. Was I up for it? Hmmm. It might be nice to get to know his friends a little better. We did spend some time with them in Vegas before our nuptials and a few hours after, however, it was mainly me alone with Edward for the balance of the trip.
And I could use girlfriends who lived nearby. It didn't matter if they were older than me.
"Sure. I'll go start making some popcorn."
"There's microwavable in the pantry," Edward said, with what I was beginning to see as a smile meant just for me.
I was beginning to realize I had a protector born of pure love. How could I not see it before? It was not the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last time, he's flashed the same smile my way. But for some odd reason, I felt and saw the love behind it. It was indescribable.
I thought I had been in love with Jacob. Saw a future with him. Then he went and made me feel like a worthless piece of trash.
Anytime I glanced at Edward, my heart started pounding and my palms started sweating. Admitting to myself how I felt about him was scary. I didn't want to believe I was falling in love with him.
EDWARD
Bella's right hand moved to her chest and her breathing hitched at my smile.
"I saw. I also saw kernels," she said in a rush as I caught her free hand and drew her to me.
Someone clearing their throat had my attention turning away from Bella. My eyes landing on Emmett. I had forgotten he was in the room.
"The others will be here in a half hour," he said as Bella freed her hand and turned away.
I felt her lost immediately. Not wanting to make a fool of myself, I let her leave the office.
"Dude, you have it bad."
"But she doesn't return it," I remarked, swiping my hand down my face.
Emmett shook his head. "She does, Edward. She's afraid of her feelings."
My mind replayed the moment I captured her hand. The play of emotions on her face. Her breathing. The hand on her chest. Damn it, Emmett was right. She was falling in love with me, if not unconditionally in love with me.
"What do I do?"
Emmett had the audacity to laugh. "Be patient with her. Continue doing the little things you've been doing. She'll eventually admit loving you."
I could do that, although, I wasn't sure if I had enough patience to let her come to terms with her feelings. But I was going to try.
