22

EPOV

"Taking Chances"

I slept fitfully and finally got up just after the sun around six, stumbling to the kitchen to make coffee and check my phone. I open the front window to air out the house. I hadn't turned a fan on in my slight stupor last night, and it's humid inside.

Bella texted me somewhere around 3AM, apologizing for ignoring me and telling me that she had a rough morning and an encounter with her stepfather.

Edward, I'm sorry. It's a long story, and I'll explain everything in the morning ~ Bella.

I could certainly empathize with her, and she certainly didn't owe me an explanation, but it was nice to hear that it wasn't directed at me or something she perceived I'd done. I'm trying to decide if I should text her back for her to read whenever or if I should pick a time to go over when I hear the unmistakable sound of a quiet bark.

Our street is far enough from the main thoroughfare, and this early in the morning is almost eerily quiet. Hearing Wanda bark isn't surprising. I'm more surprised that she's still yelping a little, and Bella hasn't brought her back inside. Slipping into some sneakers, I grab a hoodie laying on the back of my couch and walk outside, only to find a forlorn-looking basset hound, sitting in the middle of my walkway staring up at me.

"Hey there, pretty girl." I crouch down as she waddles over, leaning into my touch. "How'd you get out?" She's not on her leash, and I can tell from my porch that Bella's front door is closed. Standing up, I pat my thigh, and Wanda sidles up next to me as we cross the street, and I quickly check out Bella's place.

The door is closed, but it looks like there was a loose board in the back fence, and Wanda pushed her way out. I glance down at the hound and sigh. "So, you came to check on me, huh? She probably needs you more, you know that, right?" Wanda just plants her rump on the grass, and I smile. "Let's go."

Back in my kitchen, she gets a gourmet breakfast of scrambled eggs and some leftover chicken while I nurse my coffee and a bowl of cereal. When she finishes, she looks at me like "What now?" and I have to say I have no clue.

After I get dressed and locate some nylon rope to use as a makeshift leash, I load Wanda up in my truck and start driving. I don't know exactly where we're going or what we're doing, but we'll figure it out when we get there. We end up in Port Orchard at a fun farmer's market. Wanda and I wander through the vendor's booths, and she laps up the attention.

"You know the market doesn't open for another hour at least," a voice calls out to me, and I turn to see a smiling, elderly woman, standing with her hands on her hips. "Did you get yourself in trouble?"

"No, but she did." I nod down to Wanda, who promptly sits and looks pretty, probably hoping for a treat.

"That one couldn't fight her way out of a paper bag." I laugh because while she's probably right, I've seen the destruction in the dog's wake.

"She snuck out of her backyard and ended up on my porch. Her mom is a friend, but I'm sure she'll be worried about her." Absently, I reach down to pat her head, and Wanda leans into my legs. "Spending the morning makes me think I should get one of my own."

"Mom? Or dog?" the woman asks with a smirk.

"Dog. For sure, a dog. What do you sell?" I look over at the booth behind her, a man, equally aged, unloads large canisters off a cart and onto their table.

"We grow things. Flowers, vegetables, fruits. Whatever suits, whatever takes. Got some bees, so we have honey."

"Any of it good?" I eye the flowers in a range of gorgeous colors and think about how Bella's face might light up when she sees them.

"Is that a challenge, sonny?"

"No, ma'am. Just thinking how this little lady's mom might like some flowers."

She eyes me up and down but smiles wide. "What does she like?"

"I don't actually know. She might hate flowers. We've only known each other a few weeks."

"But you like her?" She cuts me off with her question, and I can feel my cheeks redden before I nod. "I have a small batch of gardenias. You should give her those. Harry! Wrap up the gardenias and a couple jars of honey for this young man." She calls over her shoulder, and the man grunts.

"Gardenias and honey, huh? Is that the secret?"

"My flowers are the prettiest you'll find. If she doesn't like them, then she doesn't like you."

I snort. "Thanks for that. And the honey?"

"That's just because it's good, and it's early. But you'll come back for more."

I pay her and slip a tip into Harry's hand as he offers to help me carry everything back to my truck, but I somehow manage on my own with Wanda. Before I'm getting ready to pull out, I see a wooden cutout of a dog with a painted sign saying "Homemade Treats". I leave Wanda, barking up a storm, while I buy a bag for her, and then we're on our way. The more I think about it, the more I can't get the idea of a dog of my own out of my head, even if Wanda is a lovable handful.

Just as I'm pulling onto our street, my phone begins to ring, and I glance down to see Bella's name. I pull into my driveway but not before I miss the call. She's at my truck door before I can open it, and I find her hysterically talking about Wanda going missing and how she can't find her.

"Do you mean that Wanda?" I grab Bella by the shoulders and turn her toward the cab of my truck where Wanda is dozing happily on the seat.

"Where did you find her?" Bella flings her arms around my neck and takes a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I shut you out, and I shouldn't have."

I hug her close to me, squeezing her gently. "You should have done whatever you needed to do. You weren't mad at me, and I can see that you're physically okay, so … it's all right." I pull her away from me gently and stare into her eyes.

We stay close to each other for a few moments until Wanda barks sleepily from the passenger side. Bella holds me close when I start to pull away. "I'm sorry, Edward."

I open my mouth to reassure her or thank her or say anything, but instead of speaking, I lean down and press my lips gently to hers. She doesn't flinch or pull away, instead she pulls me slightly closer and leans in.

When I finally pull away, I lean my forehead on hers. "I've wanted to do that for at least two weeks."

Bella sighs. "Funny. I wanted you to do that the night we got pizza."