CHAPTER 15
I was a little nervous as I got ready on Saturday. Thankfully, Rosalie and Emmett had left earlier that day for a romantic weekend getaway, so I had the house to stew in by myself. After I had showered and slipped on my new outfit, I put on some makeup and braided my hair. I went into the bedroom and used Rosalie's full length mirror as I put on my jewelry. I went with simple gold and clear stone mismatched studs in all of my ear piercings since my shoes were a little loud and kept my rings simple as well.
At eleven forty five, I heard a knock on the door, and with one last glance in the mirror, I left the bedroom and went to answer it.
When I opened the door, Edward smiled, and then his eyes widened once he saw what I was wearing, his smile getting brighter. "You look amazing, baby."
"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." I teased softly, and he did look quite handsome in his jeans and button down. But then again, he never looked bad.
He leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss. "You ready, beautiful?"
I nodded. "I'm ready."
He took my hand and led me down to his car.
"So do I at least get a hint?" I asked as he got on the highway.
"Well, there's no fun in that." He smirked and reached out to take my hand.
I frowned and started to watch the road out of the window. We got into Dallas, and I pursed my lips in confusion, trying to figure out where he could be taking me. Eventually, I had zoned out in my own thoughts and before I knew it, we were pulling into a parking garage. I cursed to myself for not having paid more attention once we exited the highway to see where we were.
It wasn't long before I realized what we were doing, and I looked over at Edward in excitement.
"You said flowers would be nice, right?" He teased.
I nodded as we walked through the front entrance of the arboretum.
"Well, I didn't know what kind to get you, and well with your newfound green thumb… I thought you might enjoy this. Have you ever been?"
I shook my head. "No, but I've always wanted to."
He looked down at me with a sweet smile.
I spent hours looking around at the different gardens. I had started to feel a little guilty as I dragged Edward all around the grounds, but he never complained and his good mood never faltered. Everything was perfect and beautiful. I could've spent so much longer there, and I didn't see nearly as much as I wanted to. But eventually, I started to get hungry, so we casually made our way back to his car, my arm looped through his.
As we were making our way back, we both caught a flash of strawberry blonde hair in the exact same moment. I looked at Edward in panic, not knowing how he'd react or even how I was going to react. He looked more annoyed than anything else. We couldn't avoid her. We had to pass right by her to leave. The best we could do is just hope that she didn't see us.
Just when things were starting to feel normal and comfortable and happy, and I was starting to feel like we were an actual couple, this had to be the day we ran into her.
I think we both held our breath as we passed behind her, praying she didn't turn around. And just as we passed behind her and I let out a sigh of relief, I heard Edward's name being called.
"Fuck." He muttered and flashed me an apologetic look before steeling himself and turning around.
"What are you—" Tanya's smile dropped as soon as she saw me next to him. "Oh. Hi, Becka."
My eyes narrowed, and I plastered a smile on my face. I thought about playing her game, but I was in too good of a mood to be petty. "Hey, Tanya. Nice to see you again."
"I'm sure." She said offhandedly before turning back to look at Edward. "It seems you've been doing well. Going back to your old ways, I see."
I looked at Edward questioningly as he sighed heavily. "I hope you're doing fine, as well." He replied.
"I am." She answered.
"Good." It was awkwardly silent for a few moments, and when it seemed like he wasn't getting a response from her, he continued, "Well, goodbye, Tanya." Edward said and quickly turned us both around to walk away.
We made it back to his car, and I stopped in front of him when he opened my door for me. "Are you okay?" I asked softly.
"I am." He said sincerely and kissed my nose.
I smiled at him and got in the car.
From the arboretum, Edward headed back towards Fort Worth, but he ended up exiting the highway to downtown Dallas. Once he parked, we walked a few blocks to a sushi place for a late lunch. It didn't seem as though the run in with Tanya had upset Edward too badly as he was his normal self, teasing me as I tried to use the chopsticks and meeting my sarcasm with his own. He held my hand as we waited for our food and then again as we walked back to the car after we finished eating. It didn't seem like very long until we were back at his apartment, cuddled up on his couch and sharing a piece of cheesecake… I figured after the perfect day he had planned, I could stand to share my dessert this once.
Once the cheesecake was finished and gone, Edward got up to put the plate in the sink and then sat back down to put on a movie. I turned to lean my back against the arm of the sofa, stretched my legs across his lap, and held his free hand in my lap as he scrolled through the movie listings on Netflix with the other.
"Let me guess… nothing depressing, gory, or scary." He chuckled.
"You know me well." I laughed.
He put on a random stand up comedy and tossed the remote on the coffee table before moving to get more comfortable. He laid down with his back against the back of the sofa, his arms wrapped around me, and his head resting on my stomach. I absentmindedly scratched his beard as we watched the special, laughing until we cried at some points.
When it was over, we stayed laying like that for a couple minutes, and I thought he may have fallen asleep since his eyes were closed. I stopped scratching his beard, and his eyes opened as he looked up and pouted at me.
I giggled. "Sorry." I said and started again.
He smiled and closed his eyes again.
"E?" I asked softly.
"Mmhmm?"
"What did she mean earlier? When she said you were going back to your old ways?"
"You caught that, did you?"
"You know I did."
He sighed. "She had a very specific vision in her head for her life, and I didn't fit into that when I was still in law school. That's why we started dating when we did and not four years ago when we first met."
"I thought you said you left your rowdiness in Chicago." I laughed.
"I did for the most part, but I still dressed like a kid from rural Louisiana. The city hadn't completely gotten to me yet, and I was still a little rough around the edges after a few beers. Her idea of her breadwinner husband did not at all involve a beard in boots driving a beat up Chevy. In fact, she didn't want anything to do with me when we first met. Then I got a haircut, a new job, and a new car, and I was suddenly quite eligible. I gave in after two years of her hounding me. It hadn't worked with anyone else, so I figured I might as well give her a chance."
Their relationship was starting to make a lot more sense, and I was also starting to see why he didn't at all seem hung up on her. It had never been a passionate affair. She wanted a husband with money, and he just wanted to settle down. It was always about convenience for the both of them, with a bit of gold digging on her end.
"I get it, but I'm a little confused. If she's so successful in her career, why is she so worried about finding someone with money?"
Edward snorted and barked out a laugh before sitting up on his elbow to look at me. "Because she's not successful in her career. She gets people to believe that she's an interior designer with such high clientele, but those are her mom's clients. Tanya hasn't even gotten her designer certification from the state of Texas, yet. All she does is schedule her mom's appointments and pick up samples."
My jaw dropped.
Edward smirked.
"Wait, wait. She went to fashion school in New York and then came back to Dallas just to be a glorified personal assistant to her mother?" I had gone to school with girls that would have killed to have been handed the same type of opportunities Tanya had, and she completely took advantage of it all and let them go to waste. She was the definition of a spoiled brat.
"That's exactly what she did."
"Yikes."
"Very much so."
I looked at him with wide eyes. "E…" I trailed off.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I like odd brands of crazy." He muttered and rested his head back on my stomach.
I smiled a little and started to gently scratch his beard again.
"Anyway, I guess she saw the old boots and unshaved face and figured I was letting myself go."
"Are you?" I teased.
I could practically feel his eyes rolling. "Keep it up, Swan. See what happens."
"I think you're all talk." I challenged.
"You wanna fuck around and find out?" He sat up on his elbow again and looked at me with mischievous eyes.
"Don't tempt me with a good time, Edward Cullen."
And then his lips were on mine. I smiled against him for a moment before grabbing his hair in my hands and pulling him tight to me.
There were two things I was very, very sure of in this life. One was that without a doubt, drinking alcohol was just fun and made for a better time, and I didn't care what my old D.A.R.E. officer had to say about it. Two was that the quickest way to get Edward Cullen to kiss me senseless was to knock him down a few pegs. I wasn't sure what it was, but the moment I challenged him, a switch flipped and it was like the only way he could prove me wrong was to shut me up. I wasn't complaining. In fact, I very much enjoyed it, and I used this knowledge to my advantage as often as I could.
Edward's hand traveled from my face to my waist and slowly slid back up under my sweater. It gripped my bare side as he continued to kiss me deeply, his tongue twining with mine. I looped my leg around his and tried to bring him impossibly closer. His mouth moved down to my neck, and though the feeling was divine, I couldn't help but hear the little voice in my head screaming at me to remember rule number four. That was until I felt his teeth lightly graze my skin and his hand trail from my waist to slightly higher, sliding beneath the elastic band of my bralette and grasping my side tightly, his thumb only centimeters away from a spot that would feel so much better.
Rules be damned.
As gracefully as I could on his little couch, I flipped us over. Edward looked up at me in shock for a split second before pulling my head back down to his. The kiss was needier than before, and without even realizing it, my hands unbuttoned his shirt. There weren't many I had to fight with. Usually when Edward got home, the first three buttons of his shirt came undone immediately, and he walked around the apartment looking like Burt Reynolds. It's one of the very many reasons my resolve on rule number four was quickly weakening.
That line of thinking got me picturing Edward in tight, faded bootcuts and a cowboy hat, and I kissed him harder with a slight smile on my lips… he could be a very sexy Bandit. And running away from a wedding was definitely on brand for me.
He pulled away. "What are you smiling at?"
I hummed. "You wanna watch Smokey and the Bandit later?" I giggled.
His brows furrowed as he chuckled. "Is that really what you're thinking about right now?"
I shrugged, still smiling as I trailed my hand up his chest to his chain to gently tug at it with my fingers.
"What am I going to do with you?" He mused playfully and captured my lips with his again.
I was going to stop kissing him and say something sassy, but I felt one of his arms snake around my waist as his other hand inched up my thigh until it was beneath the hem of my skirt. He squeezed, and as if it were even possible, I tried to kiss him deeper. I needed every part of him wrapped around me. If I died of suffocation then so be it.
Without warning, Edward slid out from beneath me and stood up, but before I could protest, he scooped me up bridal style and carried me to his bedroom. My heart was pounding as he laid me down and then climbed in beside me. Our kisses slowed, and I felt a familiar feeling of needy warmth pull at my insides. We ceased kissing for a moment, and Edward looked at me with his burning green eyes.
It looked like he was about to say something when suddenly, a brown ball of fluffy curls came barreling into the room, jumping on my stomach, and knocking the wind out of me. I groaned in pain as Winnie stood with her paws on my shoulders, licking my face.
"Winnie, down." Edward said sternly.
She stopped and looked at him for a moment.
"Down." He repeated.
Winnie hopped off the bed and sat beside the bed, looking up at us with a wagging tail.
Edward looked at me apologetically.
The mood had not just died, but it had been brutally and mercilessly slaughtered by a poodle and her surprisingly heavy paws hitting my stomach at full force. It was a pity, really. Though I did have to admit, having sex with Edward for the first time on Valentine's day was a bit cliché. Maybe Winnie was just trying to help a girl out and help me keep whatever tattered remains I had left of my Badass Card. Regardless, I was very mad at her at the moment: for the gut punch and the cock block.
The damn duck slut.
"How much does that dog weigh?" I coughed.
"About fifty." Edward replied and gently rubbed my stomach. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to catch my breath."
"I'm sorry. That's the first time she's done something like that since I've trained her. She must really like you." He laughed.
I glared at her as she continued to look at us. She rested her snout on the edge of the bed, waiting for her cue to hop back on. I sighed. "Come here, duck pup."
Winnie hopped back on the bed and curled up into a ball near our feet.
Edward wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close. I hid my face in his chest, enjoying the feeling of being engulfed by him.
"Will you stay here tonight?" He whispered.
I didn't want to talk, so I only cuddled closer to him with a quiet, "Mmhmm."
He kissed my forehead.
After a couple minutes, I realized that I would need to shower and that I had no clothes with me besides what I was wearing. Well, thankfully, I did always keep an extra pair of panties in my tiny emergency kit in my purse. They were uncomfortable and my least favorite ones, but they'd have to do. It's a long story of how I got to the point of keeping extra underwear in my purse, but I had been burnt one too many times by not having a backup.
"I should go shower." I said softly into his chest.
"That's fine. I need to let the dog out anyway."
"I'll need to borrow a shirt."
"Take whatever you need." He replied and kissed my forehead before sliding out of bed. He took Winnie with him as he left the room, and I heard the front door shut a few moments later.
I got out of bed and grabbed my purse from the living room before going back into his room, shutting the door behind me. I didn't need Winnie pouncing on me while I was in the shower. I walked into his closet to find a shirt to wear, and I definitely snooped a little.
Things were more organized than I thought they'd be. It seemed like he had his work clothes separated from his casual clothes, shirts and coats at the top and pants on the bottom. His shoes were lined up on the floor against the wall. It was mostly boots with a couple pairs of boat shoes and dress shoes. Tucked off in the corner, I saw an old Letterman and a FFA jacket.
I giggled, trying to picture a high school Edward wearing that corduroyed blue jacket around. I was more of a library club kind of girl, myself, but I may have taken the long way around school a couple of times to catch a glimpse of the ag shop through the windows and watch the boys in their steel toes and welding helmets.
On the top shelf of his closet were a bunch of stacks of worn out baseball hats. I was starting to get the sense that Edward was a little bit of a pack rat when it came to his clothes. I had never seen him in a baseball cap, not even once, but there had to have been about thirty of them up there. I pulled one down and studied it. It had seen a lot better days. The patch stitches were coming undone at the top, the edges of the bill were ripped, and it was stained with dirt.
I frowned a little, realizing that the Edward that had worn that hat was probably very different than the one I knew now. I felt the same pang I always felt when I thought about that. I wasn't sure why it bothered me so much. He was an amazing man now, but I couldn't help but wish I could've met him when he was still that farm kid from a small town.
Yeah, you were in sixth grade when he graduated high school, dummy.
I shook my head and put the hat back. I grabbed a random flannel button down and then walked into the bathroom to shower. Once I was showered and had clothes on, I walked out into the bedroom. It was empty, so I snuck out of the room to try to find Edward.
He was on the balcony, leaning on the railing with a whiskey glass in one hand. It looked like he was on the phone, and I thought about going back into the room to wait for him and give him some privacy. But his head turned in my direction, and he smiled crookedly when he saw me and nodded me over.
I quietly walked over and slid the glass door open.
He pointed to a glass of whiskey sitting on the small table between the two patio chairs, silently offering it to me. I smiled and nodded before taking it and sitting cross legged in one of the chairs. That was when I noticed the cigar he was holding in the same hand with his drink. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. I really had him pegged completely when I teased him that night when he worked at the bar.
"It's mid-April or something like that. I'll probably take off the Thursday through Monday." I heard the change in his voice, and I smiled into my glass. "That might be kinda hard to swing, Ma, but I'll see what I can do… Yes ma'am." He chuckled for a moment before continuing to listen. "I know, but Dad just wants me there to put me to work. It's not like I'll be able to visit with you much." Something she said made him glance at me with a small smile. "It might." He made a face and held the phone back from his ear a little bit. "Not at all… It'll just depend on how things fall. Look Ma, I'll call you tomorrow, alright? I have to go… Alright, love you, too. Bye." He hung up the phone and then sat down in the open chair.
"Your mom?" I laughed.
He nodded and blew out some smoke. "Sorry. She's a little long winded."
"It's okay." I assured him and took a small sip of whiskey. It didn't know what it was, but it was woody and left me feeling warm.
We sat in a comfortable silence until he finished his cigar. The sun had long since gone down. It was nearly nine o'clock, but I didn't find myself at all drowsy even after a full day and knowing I had the opening shift the next day. It would be rough getting up early to go to Emmett's to change before work but spending the night at Edward's seemed worth it.
When we got back inside, Edward refilled both of our glasses and came to sit next to me on the couch. I made myself comfy against him and rested my head on his shoulder, watching him as he scrolled through some playlists on his phone. He pressed play, and I heard familiar guitar notes play softly through the speakers in his living room. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arm around his before grabbing his hand and twining our fingers together.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" He asked softly.
"Sure."
"Why'd you decide to stay?"
I thought for a minute before opening my eyes to look down at our clasped hands. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It's kind of hard to explain. Usually when I leave somewhere, it's because I'd get this feeling of closure. It was almost like the calm before a storm, ya know? Comfort for a second and then complete and total restlessness. Something would just tell me that it was time to move on. I didn't get that here. Not yet at least." I admitted softly. "I really thought that after a month of being here, I'd be ready to go. Fort Worth never felt like home to me. No more than any other place I've lived. It was always just the place I grew up. But now when I think about leaving… I feel a little homesick." I felt his lips in my hair as he kissed the top of my head, and I looked up at him. "Why'd you stay here after law school?"
"Work." He answered simply. "I got the job offer, and I just took it. Never looked back."
"You're tired of being in the city, aren't you?" I asked after studying his expression for a minute.
He pursed his lips and looked down at the whiskey in his glass. "I don't know. Sometimes, but all that's waiting for me back home is a hobby farm that barely breaks even. There's not a huge demand in my field out that way. I'd probably end up at a farm lender, and then what's my degree from law school for? I do love my job, and I don't want to settle into a career I don't want for the sake of being able to have a little wooden house on eighty acres."
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from but unsure of how to respond.
The more I learned about him, the more I realized that he was just as lost as I was. Sure, he had his own phone plan and more than two pairs of jeans, but he didn't know where he was supposed to be either. Home to him was the little town he grew up in, and for me, I didn't know where home was. We were both homesick, but I was aching for a place that I had never been and was still trying to find. We had the same problem with two very different causes.
I took a sip of whiskey and closed my eyes as the music continued to play. I smiled to myself when I heard Chris Stapleton's strong voice as A Simple Song started to play from the speakers. It was my favorite by him. The soft guitar and his voice always calmed me down when I'd get overwhelmed with something, and it always gave me a little hope when I felt hopeless. And there were times it made me wish that I had a constant. That I had something to go back to and lean on after a particularly rough go of it.
I felt Edward squeeze my hand, and I opened my eyes and looked up at him.
"Are you okay?"
I was confused for a moment until I felt a tear rolling out from the corner of my eye. I sat up and wiped it away. "Oh yeah, I'm fine." I laughed weakly. "I didn't even realize I was crying. Music just does that to me sometimes."
He tilted his head and smiled softly. "You sure?"
I nodded and smiled. "Positive."
Edward tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear and kissed my lips gently. I rested my forehead against his when he pulled away and looked into his eyes for a few moments. And in those a few moments as the song ended is when the realization hit.
I was falling for him.
Hard.
A/N Until the next one, bebs. Things may get... interesting.
