So, how do we like FighterWard? Isn't he swoon-worthy? Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story … What's up next?
Anyway, tomorrow is the apartment hunt and finding more about Edward and Victoria's past, along with the how's and why's Edward began fighting in the first place.
What I own: A flair for the dramatic
What I don't: Twilight
Chapter Thirteen
Edward, after a short nap to reinvigorate his weary soul, ordered some room service and spent the rest of the night thinking about the beautiful Bella Swan. She was strong, smart and beyond gorgeous. Hell, after dinner, he wrapped his hand around his cock and had one of the best self-served orgasm he'd had in years. All because he was picturing Bella as he disappeared inside her …
You're turning into a pervert, Masen.
The orgasm also helped with his headache, too.
He was flipping through the channels, watching the news, and trying not to think of Bella. His phone rang from the nightstand, making him jump. "Masen," he answered brusquely.
"So friendly, Edward," Marcus teased. "Are you settled in Seattle?"
"In a hotel, yes," he laughed. "I'm going in search of an apartment tomorrow. The general manager of the gym is helping me out since I'm flying blind, at the moment."
"How did you like Charlie?" Marcus asked. "When we first opened Volterra, Charlie fought in Chicago, and I met him when he needed stitches in his eyebrow. Great fighter, but the sweatiest human alive, though."
"I liked him. He has so much more integrity and class than your brothers, Marcus," Edward replied. "I also liked Carlisle Cullen, but I have to ask, why didn't you tell me about that thing on my scans? That contusion?"
"It's called a hematoma," Marcus explained.
"You knew about it?" Edward pressed.
"I didn't. I swear, but the name of what you have is called a hematoma," Marcus murmured. "My brothers watch every move I make and if I'd scheduled more intense scans, they would have known. I'm sorry for not giving you the best care possible, but in a way I was trying to protect you. Aro and Caius, they would have … forced you to fight and we both know what would have happened if you had. Then, they'd cut you loose and leave you destitute, saying that you were unable to fulfill your contract, taking you to court."
"So, you were trying to protect me," Edward sighed.
"In a way. I'm surprised that Dr. Clearwater didn't share his findings with Caius or Aro," Marcus huffed.
"As soon as I woke up, I told him, explicitly, to not speak to Caius, Aro or Victoria," Edward said. "It appears that he followed through on my request."
"Remind me to send a thank you card to Dr. Clearwater," Marcus laughed humorlessly. "Speaking of Victoria, you'll never believe who she's fucking. She's been hanging around the gym a lot, drooling over the newest fighter who took over your top spot once you left."
"James Danforth," Edward answered flatly.
"You knew?"
"I walked in on them when he was fucking her ass," Edward droned. "I calmly told her to pack up her shit and be out of the condo in ten minutes. James had the audacity to invite me to join them. But, I knew him as Jimmy. That's what Victoria called him. God, she loves shortening names. She called me Eddie so many times, despite my near constant pleas for her to stop. My name is Edward. I'd respond to Masen. But never Ed, Teddy and most definitely not Eddie." He shuddered at the memory.
"You were always so particular about your name. Why is that?" Marcus asked.
"I just don't like any shortened versions of my name," Edward said curtly. He was hoping that Marcus would drop it. His reasoning was stemmed from his past. A past that would stay firmly in the past.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I'll drop it. I didn't mean to upset you," Marcus whispered.
"It's okay," Edward muttered. "Anyway, I had a long day and I'm still a little looped from my medical tests. I'm going to look for apartments tomorrow."
"No houses? Mercer Island and Bainbridge Island have some gorgeous homes," Marcus sang.
"I want to see if this is a good fit. I'm going to rent a furnished place for six months to a year. If I'm happy, I'll get something more permanent," Edward reasoned. "Thank you for checking up on me. I'm also sorry for being a moody bastard."
"Mood swings are a concussion symptom," Marcus chuckled. "Even though you're there and I'm associated with my psycho family, I care about you, son."
"I care about you, too. You've been more than a doctor and friend since I've met you," Edward admitted. "More of a father to me than my own dad. You're a good man. Your brothers are assholes, but you're … amazing."
Across the country, Marcus bit back tears as he listened to Edward. The respect and reverence in his voice was so much … He'd missed Edward. His relationship with Edward was the closest thing he'd ever get to having his own child, despite having a daughter with Amelia. Clearing his throat, he whispered, "You have no idea what that means to me, son. I'm here if you ever need to talk. Be safe and I'll call soon." Marcus ended the call abruptly.
Blinking at the silent phone, he frowned out of concern for his older friend. He had to figure out how to help him. Marcus had bent over backwards to get him out of Chicago. Edward was determined to the same for Marcus. Maybe, Jasper, the attorney Bella mentioned, could help him in that venture or at least lead him into the right direction to get his friend out of that bullshit situation.
After brushing his teeth, Edward turned off the lights and curled up under the covers. His phone vibrate with an incoming text.
It's Bella … I heard back from my realtor, and we've got appointments to look at apartments starting at nine thirty. Is that too early? ~ B
I'll be up before then. I have to get my workout in. Do you want to meet at the gym? ~ E
That works. At nine? ~ B
I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks, Bella. Sleep well! ~ E
You do the same! ~ B
The next morning, Edward worked out with new fervor. He had some good news. He had a treatment plan. Hopefully, by the end of this year, he could be back in the boxing ring. For now, though, he had to focus on settling into his hometown. Showering and dressing in another pair of jeans along with a button-down shirt, he drove to the gym. He saw Bella's car, along with a ginormous Hummer parked next to her. He parked his car, walking inside. Running on one of the treadmills, he recognized Emmett Cullen. He never fought against him since Emmett was a heavyweight.
Emmett smiled when he saw Edward, hopping off the treadmill and running toward him. "Edward Masen … I'd never think I'd see the day when you walk into my gym," he grinned, holding out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan."
"Same," Edward replied, shaking Emmett's meaty palm. "Congrats on your win in Vegas. Your bout was a thing of beauty."
"It was, wasn't it?" Emmett mused. "It's a shame you weren't there. You would have kicked Derek's ass. That douche-canoe should not have won."
"Meh, I've denied Derek numerous wins during the course of his career. He deserves some time to shine," Edward snickered. "I was, initially, slated to fight, but injury prevented that."
"It was more than an injury," Emmett scowled. "Demetri should be thrown in jail."
"Well, he was fined. Heavily. Essentially, he paid me the purse I would have won if I'd won the fight. He's blacklisted and the last I heard, deported," I shrugged.
"Well, it's still bullshit. If things had been worse, you would have lost it all," Emmett grumbled. "Anyway, are you here to start training?"
"Not yet. I'm still getting settled. I drove across country, and I don't have a place to live. My address, as of now, is the Hyatt Regency. Most of my mail is electronic, with bills being automatically deducted from my account, but whatever isn't, it's being sent to a friend. He'll send it to me when I get a more permanent address," Edward explained.
"I'll keep my fingers crossed. Finding a place can be a headache. It took me and Rosie over a year to find out dream house," Emmett laughed. "Rosie's my wife." He plucked his phone from the treadmill, pulling up a photo of a gorgeous blonde. "We're expecting our first baby."
"Congratulations!" Edward beamed. "Boy? Girl?"
"Too early to tell," he replied. "I'm hoping for a clone of my Rosie, but she wants a mini-me. I honestly don't care, just so long as the baby is healthy. You know?"
"I can understand that," Edward responded.
"Once you get all set up and shit, you should come out drinking with me and my brother-in-law, Jasper. Give me your number and we can meet up soon," Emmett suggested amiably. "I know what it's like to be a new face in a new place."
"Thanks, Emmett," Edward said, sharing his cell phone number with his new friend. A text came through, along with a contact. "Is this Jasper?"
"Yeah. He's an attorney and not one of those stuffy assholes," Emmett snickered. "He's pretty cool. I mean, hell, he married my baby sister and treats her like a queen. Anyway, I have to finish my run or Bull Dog will make me do burpies for an hour. My poor knees can't handle that. It was great to finally meet you."
"You, too, Emmett. Now, can you direct me to Bella's office? I'm kind of turned around," Edward admitted. Emmett showed him the way. With another thank you, Edward gently knocked on the open door. He didn't see Bella, but he heard her. Stepping into the office, he saw her pacing the length of her office.
"No, Jacob. You cannot come … No! Listen, you betrayed my trust and it'll be a cold day in hell if that trust will ever return. You've been released from your contract and released from our relationship … I don't care that you don't have a place to live. You should have thought of that when you fucked all those whores," Bella snapped. Her face was red with fury, and her lips were pressed into a firm, angry line. She was dressed more casually with a pair of jeans and sexy tunic. Her hair was down in soft curls. "Do not call me again, Jacob. We're done." She ended the call, tossing the phone onto the couch and almost immediately, it began ringing. "God damn it." Blinking up, she gave Edward a painful smile. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough to know that Jacob is an asshat," Edward snorted humorlessly. "He'd get along famously with my ex-girlfriend, Victoria."
She sat down heavily on the couch, scowling at the ringing phone. "He doesn't get it," she grumped. "Do you know how to block someone on your phone? I've tried and I don't want to change my number. I've had it forever."
Edward sat down next to her, taking her phone. He easily blocked Jacob's number, handing it back to her. "I had to block my ex-girlfriend, ex-manager, ex-coach …"
"Thanks," she sniffled.
"You okay?" he asked. "We can do this another time, or I could go by myself. I did graduate from college and have made life decisions before."
"No, I want to go. I hate shopping. Hate it. But, I love looking at properties. Gives me ideas for my place," she shrugged. "I'm just … I loved him, you know?"
"I loved Victoria, at one point," Edward murmured. "But, both of them are asshats. We got the better deal. We can be happy without their drama and philandering. Regardless of their behavior, at one point they were important. I'm grieving what I had with Victoria when we started, not what I saw with our demise."
"That's a good way to put it," Bella whispering, wiping her cheeks. "You're pretty damned smart, Masen."
"Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northwestern University with a degree in business and minor in finance," Edward smirked. "I'm smart."
"Smart ass seems more apropos," Bella laughed, shoving his shoulder, and shivering from feeling that connection through his shirt. "I'll be fine. Let's get you an apartment."
A/N: Okay, slight delay … apartment hunting and discussions (more in depth) about their pasts are coming up next chapter. I wanted to get that Marcus moment in there.
Pictures from this chapter are on my blog. The link for that is on my profile. I'm also on FB: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Twitter, too: tufano79.
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