I know there's gotta be rain if I want the rainbows

And I know the higher I climb, the harder the wind blows

Yeah, I've gone to sleep night after night punching a pillow

But, do you know the darker the night, the brighter the stars glow?

~ Katy Perry, Resilient

BPOV

I was close. So close to making it into my office without someone stopping me until I heard my name called right as I grabbed the door handle. I turned toward the voice, cocking my head to the side when I saw a new desk, separate from where the junior publicists and interns worked, just around the corner from my office.

"Hi," the girl behind the desk said happily, coming around to stand right in front of me. Golden blonde curls fell down her shoulders and her bright, blue-green eyes stared at me with excitement. "Hi," she repeated, giving me a small wave and a smile.

"Hi."

"I'm Tanya. Your assistant."

It wasn't at all what I was expecting her to say, so I knew my confusion was written all over my face.

"Renata hired me a few days ago but today is my first day, because she said you were out of town. I'm ready to work, though. Whatever you need," she said with a smile.

I was still completely lost.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I just, I didn't know I was getting an assistant." I turned around, noticing new desks near each of the other senior publicist's offices.

"Assistants were the last to get hired, from what I've heard. Renata focused on the senior and junior publicists, then the interns to get things started."

"Oh." That made sense, I supposed. But, I had no idea what to do with an assistant.

"I got you a coffee," she added, turning around to grab an iced coffee off of her desk. "I asked around, but no one knew what you got. I went with a plain vanilla latte, I hope that's okay."

I grabbed the outstretched cup, still in a bit of a daze. "That's perfect. Thank you."

"If you need anything sent to your junior publicists or interns, meetings made, I'm here."

"Okay. I should…" I nodded, motioning to my office door. Before I closed the door, I turned back to Tanya. "Thanks again for the coffee."

I let out a deep breath as I collapsed in my chair. There was a folder on my desk that I knew I hadn't left there. Opening it, I saw the resume for one Tanya Harris. She was twenty-three and had the beginnings of a business degree from a local community college, but seemed to be taking time off from school for now. She had a few odd jobs here and there, none of which had anything to do with public relations. Thanks to the glass walls surrounding me, I looked to my right and saw her sitting at her desk, very meticulously organizing her supplies.

The resume, it was just a piece of paper. She seemed nice and obviously eager to work and didn't seem to care that she was the assistant to someone her exact age. She also hadn't skirted around me like everyone else here. Maybe she didn't know I was public enemy number one, or maybe she just didn't care. Whatever it was, I liked her.

I forgot about my new assistant a few minutes after opening my email and getting sucked into the hundreds of unread messages. The only thing that broke me out of my focus was an awful buzz that eventually came from the phone on my desk.

"Ms. Swan? The front desk says Edward Cullen is here for you. Should I send him in?" Tanya's voice came from the speaker.

I pressed the button I hoped meant she could hear me. "Yes, you can send him in," I said, letting go of the button before pressing it down again. "You can send him in whenever he's here, you don't need to ask."

"Will do, Ms. Swan."

I pressed the button one more time. "Just Bella is fine, Tanya," I said, smiling at her through the glass wall and getting a nod in return. I might have been a mess, but she didn't seem to mind.

I smiled as Edward opened my office door, walking in with a smile of his own. I chuckled when I saw his black jeans and grey t-shirt.

"We match," I said, standing up in my own black pencil skirt and grey sweater.

"We do," Edward laughed, leaning across my desk to press a kiss to my cheek before sitting down across from me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sitting down myself.

"You said you wanted to talk yesterday, so I thought I'd save you the trip."

"Oh, right," I mumbled. This seemed like one of those band-aid situations, where it was best to just rip it off and get it over with. "Renata is going to leak a story about your, um, investment into the firm."

Edward was quiet for a minute, his eyes on me. Eventually, his voice was smooth and low when he said, "Why would she do that?"

"Because I asked her to."

He was much worse at controlling his expression this time, the shock obvious as his eyes widened and he shook his head. "Why would you do that?"

"Because Irina knows, which means it's only a matter of time before it gets leaked anyway. I don't want to constantly worry about that until it happens."

Edward scrubbed his hands over his face, leaning over towards me. "It was the divorce."

"What?"

"She found out because of the divorce. She had lawyers go through my finances with a fucking magnifying glass to make sure she got everything she could out of me."

I figured as much, once I could objectively think about the situation without driving myself insane. How she got the information wasn't the important part, though. She had it, and that was it.

"It's going to make things just as bad as they were right after the picture," Edward groaned softly.

"No, it won't. Yeah, there are going to be stories and comments, but most people already assumed as much anyway. It'll be fine."

Edward took a deep breath, eying me like he was waiting for me to change my mind. After a few minutes passed and all I had done was sit there with a content smile on my face, he gave in. "May I offer a suggestion?"

I raised my brows, surprised. "Sure."

"Come on my show."

My brows immediately furrowed.

"I'm used to talk other people out of their scandals all of the time. It's what I do. So… come on my show."

My frown deepened. "Okay, see, now I don't know if you're joking or not. You tell a lot of jokes, and sometimes I just can't tell."

A hit of a smile tugged at his lips. "It's not a joke."

I opened my mouth to respond a few times, no words managing to make it out. It was a very sweet offer, because I knew it was probably all he could think of to do to try and help me. But, I just… couldn't.

"I don't…" I started, still looking for the right words. "Really know if that would help."

"Why not?"

I pressed my lips together. "Because people already think I orchestrated some elaborate takeover of your life for money or attention. Putting me on the show is just going to add fuel to the fire."

"They won't, because you're… you. Five minutes with you and anyone can see you're nothing like what they're saying."

I let out a sigh, touched by how hard he was fighting to try and help me. He was very hard to say no to when he looked so sincerely worried, especially when it was about me.

"Are you just trying to trick me into playing that gross game again?" I joked, hoping to change the subject.

He chuckled. "No. Although that could prove very interesting on air."

I took another deep breath, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear just for something to do with my hands. "I just… I don't think it's a good idea right now."

"Right now," he added cautiously, sitting back in his chair and eying me. "Interesting choice of words."

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just…" Wanted to let him down without actually letting him down. But, I couldn't say that out loud.

"After we get married," he said confidently, sitting up with a proud grin.

"Excuse me?" I questioned, eyes wide.

"After we get married you'll come on the show. Who gives a fuck what anyone thinks then?"

I let out an awkward chuckle, looking at him like he had three heads. It was very rare that I understood why nobody wanted to work with him in the first place, but he was being exceptionally stubborn today. I couldn't actually be mad at him, though, not when he was being stubborn to try and help me in whatever little way he thought he could.

I looked at him for a minute, a proud smile on his face, and knew I didn't care what anyone thought now either. Not for myself. I had to for his sake, because it was my job. But, when Edward Cullen looked at you with an infectiously happy smile as he talked about marrying you, it dulled the cognitive thinking part of your brain.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

I nodded. "If we get married and we get back here after a two-week honeymoon that we spent locked in a hotel room in the middle of Paris or London or Texas for all I care," I shrugged, smiling as I lost myself in my own little fantasy of two weeks alone with him, of being his wife. It was enough to get me to agree to the whole thing. "I'll do it."

Edward nodded, holding his hand out to me immediately. "Deal."

I shook his hand with a shake of my head.

He looked awfully proud of himself. "Was there anything else?"

I shrugged, my brain fried at the moment. "I don't think so."

"Good. How about lunch, then?"

"I… okay," I mumbled, still very confused about how he managed to get me to agree to the whole thing, but somehow not regretting it.

"I'm going to have to veto Texas for the honeymoon," Edward said causally as we stood side by side in the elevator.

A loud chortle escaped me, my head falling to his shoulder. I was in a bit of a daze for the whole lunch, mostly because sometimes it threw me for a loop that he so casually talked about us getting married. It shouldn't have, not when he just agreed to buy a house for us to live in together, but it did.

…Closure…

I had known for a long time that my childhood distorted the way I saw things. Happy families fascinated me in a way someone who grew up in one would probably never understand. People who had close relationships with their mothers, who called them once a week just to catch up or ask for advice, they were a mystery to me. I envied people who had close bonds with their siblings, people who were able to make friends in an instant without any hesitation holding them back, people who didn't get a knot in their stomach whenever they were near a man they had never met before.

I knew my perception of the world was skewed, but I didn't know how much until Doctor Stanley made a very simple statement this afternoon

Your parents should be in prison.

It was one of the first times I was pretty sure she let her own emotions get to her. She was a therapist, a very good one if the amount I was paying her said anything about it, and even though I had told her some horrible things in the past she was always able to keep her own head. This evening, though, after I told her about my time with Charlie, she let that comment slip.

I had been in a bit of a spiral ever since.

I jumped when I felt the couch dip next to me. I had been home for hours, only managing to plop down on the couch and stare at a black television since. Lady had joined me, her fluffy little head resting on my leg and nudging me until I buried my fingers in her fur.

Now, Edward sat beside me. His brows furrowed about as deep as they could go. He didn't say anything, didn't ask if I was okay or if I needed anything. He grabbed my hand that wasn't petting Lady and gave it a squeeze. I wasn't sure how long he was there before I finally started talking.

"I knew it was wrong," I said quietly. "I knew it, which is why I told people that I thought would make it stop. But, I…" I hesitated, feeling so, so stupid for never making the connection myself. "I never realized my parents should be in prison."

Maybe, had the right people found out, they never would have ended up in prison anyway. They deserved some kind of punishment, though, and that was never something I had thought of.

All I had wanted was for them to care. When they didn't, I had assumed there was something wrong with me. That I had done something wrong, that I wasn't worth their time.

They were in the wrong. Not me.

"I wanted to meet Charlie while we were in Forks because I wanted to see him for myself. But, after we sat down… it took every ounce of my willpower not to…"

My head turned toward Edward. His hand squeezed mine tighter, his other balled in a fist beside him. He knew they were wrong. He had told me time and time again it wasn't my fault. Even when he said he wanted to come in and meet Charlie, I hadn't been sure what his motivation for the meeting was. Even now, a week and a half later, I could see the anger burning inside him.

I hated my parents, had for a long time. Based on his demeanor, it was very possible that Edward could have hated them more than I did.

"Do you know a good lawyer?" I questioned hesitantly.

His anger turned into curiosity. "You want to press charges against them?"

I shook my head. That seemed like a process I didn't want to get lost in. "No, I just… I don't want any of them near me ever again."

Edward nodded slowly. "I know a good lawyer. I'll call him tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," I whispered, feeling a little better. "Can you stay for a while?"

A tentative smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah."

I grabbed the television remote off of the coffee table and handed it to him, situating Lady and myself so I was lying on the couch with my head in Edward's lap while she rested in the curve of my legs. I hadn't had to tell him what to put on, the familiar theme song filling the room quickly.

We had started watching it weeks ago, but it was a show that I was pretty sure had been on the air nearly my entire life. Survivor. A random episode had ended up on the television one night as we were going to sleep, and then somehow we were hooked. It was an excellent binge watch, considering there were about forty seasons.

A few minutes in, Edward's fingers drifted down my arm and intertwined with mine. "Stay with me this weekend."

I twisted my neck, turning to look up at him. "What night?"

"Friday. And Saturday."

I frowned. "What about Masen and Lucy?"

"They'll be in and out. They spend most weekends going from friend to friend. Weekends are a good first step, I think."

"Weekends?" I asked, emphasizing the plural. There had only been a time or two when I spent the night at his house with Masen and Lucy. None of them were under normal circumstances, either.

"They have to get used to it somehow. I don't like leaving you here all alone. Especially on nights like tonight."

I sat up, much to Lady's frustration as she hopped off the couch. "I'll be okay."

Edward gave me a small smile, cupping my cheek. "I know you will. I'd just prefer you to be okay at home. With me."

"What about Masen and Lucy?" I repeated. My relationship with them was going well, had been for a while, and I didn't want to do something to mess it up.

"I'll talk to them tonight, but I think they'll be okay with it. We'll start with weekends and work our way from there."

Considering I knew absolutely nothing about raising a child, I nodded and agreed to the plan. Maybe I was too drained to really worry about how big of a step it was, or maybe I didn't like being left alone anymore, either.

…Closure…

Cooking… it was never my thing. Over the years I had learned I didn't have the patience for it, mostly because it would take me too long to do simple tasks and by then something would be burned and I would have spent two hours cooking only to end up with something inedible. It didn't seem like such a hassle whenever I cooked with Edward, though. Probably because I was given the most menial tasks, but I still enjoyed it more than I had before.

Which was why I thought I could handle cooking him a dinner on my own. It took me double the time the recipe called for after I triple checked everything and had to google what exactly the cooking terms they tossed out meant, but I was confident as I slid the lasagna into the oven that I hadn't completely messed it up.

I was exhausted, but confident. Kind of.

I had left work an hour early to grocery shop, and only hesitated for a moment before letting myself into his house to start cooking. No one else was home, which was good because I spent the entire hour preparing the lasagna either cursing to myself or talking every step through to Lady as she watched me like she would let me know if I was about to mess something up. I had never been so relieved to start on dishes. There was nothing to mess up when washing a bowl.

"Oh, hi," Lucy's voice came from in front of me. I looked up and saw her fighting a smile.

I couldn't blame the smirk. I was surrounded by probably double the number of dishes that a normal person would have needed to cook.

"Hi," I smiled. I was going to take Edward's plan to heart and hope that neither Masen nor Lucy would mind if I showed up to cook dinner. He told me neither seemed to mind if I spent the weekend, so I was hoping an hour or two alone with me before Edward got home wasn't pushing the limit. "Sorry about the mess. I cooked dinner, I'm not just a slob," I blathered on.

"What'd you make?" she asked, only slightly distracted as Lady greeted her.

"Lasagna," I told her, setting a clean pan on the counter beside me. "I'm about ninety-percent sure it'll be edible."

Lucy chuckled, dropping her backpack on a stool and walking over to look in the oven. "It looks good."

"Thanks," I smiled. "I'm pretty sure I made enough for a family of six, so if you want to eat before your party, there's plenty."

Lucy nodded with a smile, picking up the pan I had just cleaned and turning to put it up.

"You don't have to – "

"I can help," she shrugged, grabbing the next bowl out of my hands and drying it off.

I tried to keep my smile to myself, and focused on the stack of dishes in front of me. We worked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Lucy spoke up again.

"How did you know my dad liked you?"

My brows shot up at the question. I wasn't sure if it came from a place of wanting to understand our relationship more, or if she wanted a point of reference if there was a boy she liked in school. I was hoping it was the latter.

"I, well, I didn't, not really. I always kind of assumed he hated me."

"Oh. So, is the whole 'the more a boy messes with you the more he likes you' thing is true then?"

There was a boy, I thought, relieved I would be able to get off the subject of how I fell into bed with her father.

"To an extent, I think. But, I also think you can tell if a boy is worth your time by how he treats you, too."

Lucy nodded and stayed quiet after that.

I went back and forth with myself on whether I should ask any follow up questions. I didn't want her to think I was prying or trying to somehow replace any advice her mother would give her, but I also liked talking to her and feeling like I could ease any of her anxieties.

"Who's the boy?" I asked gently.

She let out a loud sigh, and I thought I had crossed some invisible line, then the floodgates opened. "Ethan. We've been in the same class since, like, pre-school. But, now he's all – and there are these dimples – and sometimes I think he likes me but then he says something stupid and I just don't know. I mean, I guess its kind of irrelevant. Dad still doesn't want me to date after the whole Derek thing. I don't even know if I want to date after the whole Derek thing. But, the dimples."

I pressed my lips together. I didn't like that she was holding herself back because of Derek. "Not all boys are like Derek," I said softly. "I mean, you still shouldn't go sending pictures of yourself to them, or anyone really. But, Derek was an asshole. Maybe just… try to spend more time with Ethan. Get to know him better, and you might be able to get a better feel on how he feels about you."

"I can do that," Lucy nodded, putting the last pan in the cabinet. "Thanks, Bella."

"Thanks for helping me clean," I smiled, drying my hands off.

"I should go get ready," she added, heading off toward the stairs.

"Is Masen here?" I asked, realizing I didn't see him when she walked in.

"No, he went straight to Brett's," she shouted from the stairs, adding that a friend of hers was coming over before they went to the party, too.

I nodded to myself, and started peeling apples for dessert. Just as I started worrying that maybe Edward wouldn't have wanted me to give his daughter dating advice, the doorbell rang. I could hear the music coming from Lucy's room and assumed she wouldn't have heard the door, so I headed to get it myself with Lady following along.

That was the best part of having her. She was a constant companion wherever I went. The sound of little paws on the floor followed me everywhere, and it was more comforting than I would have guessed.

I wiped the apple juice on my apron, opening the door to a friend of Lucy's I had never seen before, along with who I assumed was her mother.

"Hi," I said with my best smile. "Lucy is upstairs."

"Thanks," the girl smiled. She had her black hair tied up in a pony tail, a bag tossed over her shoulders. The only friends of Lucy's I had met seemed like the kind of girls I would have avoided like the plague in high school. This girl seemed much more like Lucy to me.

"I'm glad to see Ed finally got some help," the mother said, an obviously fake smile on her lips.

"Oh, I'm not – "

"I've always told him he needed someone to help around the house, it's too big to keep up. I was so sorry to hear about the divorce, although we all knew the odds weren't in their favor, getting married at eighteen. Anyway, I know he's still at work, but I made these for Ed and the kids. Tell him I'd love to take him out to dinner when he's free, get him back out after the divorce and all."

A pan of brownies was shoved in my arms, the woman retreating to her tiny little sports car before I could say a word. I let the door fall shut, staring down at the pan of brownies and wondering how exactly the woman managed to hurl so many insults in such a short amount of time.

"Sorry about my mom. She has no boundaries. She also knows you're his girlfriend, she's just in denial that she missed her opportunity with Mr. C.," the girl, who had stopped halfway up the stairs, stared down at me with a kind smile. "I would throw the brownies out, too, if I were you. Mom isn't the best baker."

"Oh," I sighed, still a little shocked at the whole interaction. "Thanks."

The girl, whose name I still didn't know, headed off upstairs and I sulked back to the kitchen. I dropped the pan on the counter, leaning back against the cabinets with another frustrated sigh.

"She asked me to ask my own boyfriend out on a date with her," I grumbled to Lady, reaching down to give her a tiny piece of apple. First, she took a shot at me and called me Edward's help. Then, knowing I wasn't the help she asked me to ask my own boyfriend out for her.

As I was finishing dicing up the apples I realized Edward was the dad. The one at the fancy school where all of the moms were sitting around waiting for him to get a divorce so they could pounce, whether they were married or not. Now that he was officially divorced I was apparently just in their way.

I took my anger out on the apple crisp, mushing together the topping and setting it aside to put in the oven after the lasagna was done. I hadn't heard him come in, but when I turned around Edward was standing in the middle of the kitchen, eyes on me.

"Hi," I smiled, my bad mood disappearing for now.

"Hi. You're here early," he said with his own smile, dropping his suit coat on the counter.

I untied my apron and hung it back up next to his before meeting him in the middle of the kitchen. "I made you dinner," I said proudly, smiling to myself when his arms locked around my waist as soon as I was within reach.

"You did?"

I couldn't exactly be hurt by the shock in his voice, not when he had seen first-hand the damage I could do in a kitchen.

I nodded. "Lasagna."

"That's my favorite," he mumbled, looking down at me.

"I know."

Edward did far more for me than I did for him. He showed up at my house after therapy appointments because he knew I'd be upset. He constantly cooked for me and he put up with my dozens of problems with a smile on his face. Attempting to cook his favorite meal was the least I could do.

Just as I reached up on my toes for a kiss, the sound of feet running down the stairs pulled me away.

"We're going to go," Lucy said, begrudgingly giving Edward a hug when he grabbed for her.

"Be careful," he warned in his best dad voice.

"I will."

"Text me when you get to Elise's for the night."

"I will."

"Remember to – "

"Dad," Lucy wined, grabbing her keys from her bag. "I've got it. Bye, Bella."

I waved to her as she left, turning back toward Edward. "Wine?"

Edward nodded, chuckling as I shooed him away from the kitchen to get it myself. We spent the remaining time as dinner finished cooking on his couch. I told him about my conversation with Lucy and he came to the unfortunate conclusion that he couldn't keep her away from boys forever.

When the timer finally went off I exiled him to the outdoor dining table so I could finish up in the kitchen. I was awfully proud of myself as I carried the plates out to the table. My lasagna actually tasted like lasagna, and the hours it took me to get to it no longer mattered.

"You didn't have to do this," Edward said through his smile as I put a plate of food in front of him.

"You always cook for me," I countered softly. "You do a lot of stuff for me. So… I wanted to do something for you."

He looked down at me for a minute, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he pressed them gently against mine.

Our dinner was surprisingly delicious. I wasn't exactly sure how I managed to not mess up a single thing, even remembering to get the apple crisp out of the oven before it burned.

We ended up back on the couch inside after dinner, Edward with a beer in his hand and my wine sitting in front of me. It was the first opportunity I had to relax all day so I took advantage of the peace and rested my head against Edward's shoulder, matching my breathing to his.

Lady was curled in a ball by the fireplace to our right, snoring softly. The city lights reflected through the window in front of us. It gave my mind the perfect opportunity to remember my frustrations from earlier.

"Lucy's friend who was here…" I mumbled, trying to remember a name.

"Elise."

"Elise," I nodded. "Her mom told me to ask you out for her. She also baked you brownies, but I threw them away."

He didn't look at all surprised, only rolling his eyes.

I frowned. "How many other women have asked you out since your divorce was finalized?"

He hesitated for a moment too long, which told me all I needed to know.

"I knew it!" I gasped, probably a little too loud. "You're the dad at school that everyone wanted but always said no to the vultures and now that you're divorced they're all waiting in line like I'm not there at all," I grumbled. "I mean, what's the point of going through a giant scandal where people talked nonstop about our relationship if they're just going to forget I existed anyway?"

It frustrated me more than it should. He was a handsome man and I knew there was no way he would go through his life without women hitting on him, whether he was single or not.

Still. I'd had to deal with Irina purposefully calling him her husband around me because she knew it would piss me off. I'd had to spend months hopelessly in love with him while he was married, still technically her husband so I had no right to be angry at her at all. Now, he was divorced and he still had women swarming him when he was supposed to just be mine.

He leaned forward to set his beer down and then pulled me over so I was straddling his lap. "I may have had a few offers, each of which I politely declined."

I let out a heavy sigh, dropping my arms over his shoulders so my fingers could tug at his hair. I took in his sparkling eyes and cheeks that were a little flushed from the alcohol. All things I was sure countless women had fantasized about. Only I got them, though.

I wasn't sure if I was an inherently jealous and possessive person. They weren't traits I had ever really seen in myself before, not to this extent. Maybe it was something left over in my subconscious after our affair, after having him in the most intimate of ways but still not having him as mine.

He was now though. Mine. So, it was stupid to get upset over Elise's mother or the countless others who had come running after the papers were signed. He signed those papers for me, not them.

"Edward," I sighed, letting my body relax against his. Warm hands slid up my thighs, his fingers twisting at the fabric of my dress and distracting me. I had chosen the dress more for comfort than anything else, the forest green velvet fabric soft and the fit of the dress on the large side. There was a deep v neck, stopping in the center of my chest but the long sleeves and loose fit down my thighs made up for it. "I'm really glad you're divorced."

We never really talked about it. The day his divorce was finalized was the day I ended up running off to Forks. Then we had a whole new set of problems to solve when I got back and it was never really discussed.

I knew it was a long time coming for him, but I also knew it was a big step he had hesitated to take for nearly just as long. He didn't seem to have any regrets, though, at least not in the months leading up to it.

The quick smile at my words also seemed to prove he was probably as relieved at the divorce as I was. "Me, too."

That was all that mattered, I told myself. Elise's mother could make him brownies once a week and he'd still be mine. My lips fell onto his, the kiss a little difficult with the smile that kept tugging at my lips.

My smile disappeared on a moan after his teeth dug into my bottom lip. His hands dug into my thighs, squeezing like he was making sure I was real. Mine did the same, digging into his shoulders. My fingers moved into his hair, lips falling against his in a kiss that never quite felt like it was enough.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed on the couch, but by the time I was plopped on my feet against Edward's bedroom door I was out of breath and only concerned with how fast I could remove his clothing.

The click of the lock on his door made my fingers freeze halfway through the buttons on his shirt.

"In case anyone decides to come home early," he explained quietly.

Before I could get lost on a tangent about that, his fingers were buried in my hair, angling my face up for a kiss that cleared my head yet again of every thought that wasn't centered around Edward.

"You have no idea," he sighed, both hands cupping my cheeks and tilting my head up to look at him. "How long I waited for you."

My entire body relaxed, his words sending a wave of peace through my veins. I reached up on my toes for another kiss, managing to undo the rest of his buttons with one hand as he backed me up towards the bed. He slid my panties down my legs a second before we collapsed against the mattress.

There was nothing in the world that simultaneously relaxed and exhilarated me as feeling all six feet of him on top of me. He usually kept most of his weight off of me, but I always knew nothing bad would ever happen when I was this close to him. The exhilaration part came when one of his hands slid down my torso, two fingers easily sliding inside me.

I buried my head against his shoulder, my breathing coming in sporadic pants. Especially when his teeth sank into my neck. He mumbled something against the tender skin, but the only word I could catch was taste.

Edward rolled onto his back, taking me with him until I was settled on top of him. My body had broken out into a sweat, the thick material of my dress not helping. I tossed it across the room quickly, enjoying the slightly slack-jawed look I got in response. My stomach twisting when it turned into a cocky smirk.

"I want a taste," he said, practically growled, before his grip tightened on my waist. His hands were quick and firm, lifting my hips and dragging me up his body before I could think about what he was doing.

His head was between my legs, his tongue taking over the pleasure his fingers were giving me just a moment earlier, and I had no time to over think the position I had found myself in. His hands were on my hips, pushing and pulling me in whatever way he wanted against his mouth.

The headboard gave me no leverage, so one of my arms fell back against his chest while the fingers of my other hand knotted themselves in his hair. My eyes had been squeezed shut, cutting off one of my senses while all of my others were over stimulated. The second they popped open, falling down to the forest green ones that looked up at me from between my legs, my orgasm crashed through me.

It wasn't until I was on my back on the bed, Edward naked and hovering over me, that I got my wits about me again.

"You're gorgeous when you come," he smiled, hitching one of my legs over his hip and entering me in one single stroke.

I whimpered, my body still sensitive from just a few minutes earlier but also craving more. My palms slid across his chest, constantly craving the warm, soft skin under my fingertips.

Eventually, it got to be too much again. My legs were locked around his waist, my nails biting at the skin of his shoulders as I held on to him as tight as I could. The taste of him saturated my senses and my eyes squeezed shut when it all got too overwhelming.

"No," he grunted, his hands tightening their grip on my hip. "Eyes on me."

My orgasm started rolling through my body before my eyes even opened, my back arching against him as he groaned into my shoulder and spilled his release inside me.

"Oh, my God," I panted, my limbs completely useless. Edward was collapsed on the bed beside me, his breathing coming just as harshly as mine.

His head turned toward me, a smile and a chuckle on his lips. "Fuck, you're cute."

Once I could move, I stumbled into the bathroom to clean myself up but opted for a full shower to calm my still overstimulated body. I jumped when warm hands wrapped around my waist just a minute after I had gotten in.

"Thank you," Edward whispered softly into my neck, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin. "For putting up with the divorce and nosy school parents. For cooking dinner and giving Lucy advice I never could have given her."

He twisted me around by his hold on my hips, my favorite lopsided smile on his face. "I don't really know what I'd do without you."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Good thing you're stuck with me, then."

A hearty chuckle escaped him, his hands snatching the wash cloth out of my hands.

"I thought you were thanking me for the mind-blowing sex," I blurted out when he was on his knees in front of me, running the soapy cloth over my legs.

His head fell against my abdomen, his body shaking with a laugh before he pressed a kiss to my stomach. "Thanks for that, too."

A/N: Thank you guys for all of the positive reviews last chapter. They really do make my day, and I appreciate all of you that take the time to leave one. I hope you all enjoyed this one, I'll see you next time!