Thank you to the amazing Alice's White Rabbit and annaharding for pre-reading and beta-ing this for me. You wouldn't be reading this without them. I did add/change a few things after they saw it, so any mistakes I take full and complete credit for. Stephanie Meyer owns the original human characters. All of the dogs are mine.

Chapter 2

~~~THE BLONDE~~~

Two more days pass, I have my plane ticket for Tuesday, which is now six days away, but no dog sitter. And the thought of boarding the boys just doesn't sit well with me.

We head to the dog park and see Bo and Bea. I look around for Edward and see him. Sitting very close to a blonde. They lean toward each other as they talk and appear to be rather close—not just physically but in general.

I want to turn around and go home, but Edward spots me and waves.

I walk over and he stands up.

"Hi, Bella," he says with a big smile. Beaker and Bumper say hello to Edward.

"Hey, guys!" he says as he greets them. "Bella, I'd like you to meet Rose," he tells me with a cough.

"Hi, Rose," I say, much colder than I'd hoped.

"Hi," she greets me with a huge smile. Damn, she is gorgeous. Probably one of the prettiest women I've ever seen.

"Okay, Edward, I'm off. See you for dinner tonight." She gives him a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and leaves.

I start walking farther into the park to get away from them. I can't believe how jealous I am over her. I mean, Edward and I have barely said 20 words to each other. He's taken. It figures.

"Hey, Bella!" Edward shouts as he walks toward me. "How … how are you?"

Really? How am I? I'm jealous and pissed off. But I'm also a nice person. "I'm good." I keep walking.

"Rose was very happy to meet you. I've told her about you and your dogs. And how good you are with Bo and Bea."

"Oh, well, thanks," I say as nonchalantly as I can.

He must have realized I'm giving him the cold shoulder and stops following me. He then calls for Bo and Bea and leaves the park.

I can feel the tears well in my eyes, which makes no sense, as we aren't anything other than acquaintances.

I walk around the park a couple of times and head home, still not knowing what to do with the boys next week.

~~~THE PROPOSITION~~~

The next morning I couldn't bring myself to go to the dog park. The thought of facing Edward after his dinner with Rose was something I didn't want to face.

But come Thursday, I felt guilty not taking the dogs there. We were up early and headed to the park around 6:30 AM, well before the time Edward would normally show up.

We had the park to ourselves, so the boys ran around, sniffed, and chased each other and me as I walked around.

After about 20 minutes, I heard a familiar "Woof." It was Bo, running toward me. What was Edward doing here so early?

"Hey, fella," I said to Bo as I was scratching his head.

I start walking and Bea comes up, so both goldens are right on my heels.

I can hear footsteps approaching, so I brace myself for an encounter with Edward.

"Good morning, Bella," he says, sounding so sweet and kind.

"Hi," is all I can muster.

"You're here early today."

"Yeah," I respond. "Busy day, so I wanted the boys to burn some energy."

"Oh, well, I was hoping to catch you. You seemed upset Tuesday, and then you weren't here yesterday. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just trying to figure next week out. I have to go out of town for business, and my dog sitter is busy, so I've got to sort something out for my boys."

"Well"—he hesitates for a couple of seconds—"I could watch them. I mean, if you'd be okay with that. I mean, they get along with Bo and Bea, and they don't seem to be any trouble."

I laugh. "Oh, they're just showing you their good side. They can be a bit demanding and spoiled."

"So are Bo and Bea," he responds. "I swear they only tolerate me because I feed them and keep a roof over their heads."

Now I'm really laughing, which pisses me off because I really don't want to like someone who's already seeing someone.

"My boys are the same."

"Well, what do you think?" Edward asks.

"About what?"

"About me watching them? I've got a good-sized house. I think there's room for them."

I'm tempted to ask him about Rose. But instead, I settle on, "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'm offering. There's a difference."

He sounds so sincere.

"You wouldn't mind?" I finally ask.

"Not at all."

"What about Rose? Would she mind three extra dogs?"

He looks confused. "What do you mean, what about Rose?"

"She wouldn't mind?"

"Why would she mind? She doesn't live with me."

"But if she visits … three extra dogs can be a lot."

He looks at me, and then his eyes open wide.

"Wait. You think Rose is my girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah."

He lets out a small laugh. "So that's … Rose is my sister-in-law. She's married to my brother."

I make sure my mouth isn't hanging open. "B-but …" I stutter out.

"I'd told her about you and your dogs. She loves dogs and wanted to see them for herself. She has ten-month-old twins at home and no pets. She was just getting out of the house for a couple hours."

"Oh, my," I say, shaking my head. "I was so sure. I mean, the way you two were so close and talking."

"That's just us. She and Emmett dated when they were in high school, and I was in junior high. I've known her forever. Heck, I don't even have a girlfriend!"

So many things were going through my head. He doesn't have a girlfriend. He was talking with his sister-in-law, and he was telling her about me and my boys.

"You … you were talking with her about me? Us?"

"Yeah," he says with a grin. "I look forward to seeing you here every day."

I smile back at him. "Me, too," I say shyly.

~~~DOG SITTING~~~

After Edward's and my little confessions about looking forward to seeing each other at the dog park, we traded phone numbers. Not wanting to push things, I went home and didn't call him. I knew I'd see him tomorrow morning, but it was very difficult to concentrate on what I needed to do and not just call and talk with him.

I realized I didn't know where he lived. I didn't know what he did for a living. And I wanted to know those things.

The next morning, Edward, Bo, and Bea were already at the park when I arrived. I saw he had a Starbucks in his hands once again. He walked toward the gate to greet me.

"Good morning, Bella. Hi, Beaker, Boomer, and Bumper," he says as he leans over to pet all three dogs.

"Hi, Edward," I say while staring at his coffee.

He notices I'm looking at the coffee cup and not him.

"You thirsty?" he asks.

"Sorry. I just don't get the chance to grab a Starbucks very often."

"Tell me what you like and I'll bring you one tomorrow."

"You don't need to go out of your way. I'll live."

Edward laughs. "I head over on my way here. It's not out of the way. Really, what do you like?"

"I'd love their Snickerdoodle latte."

"They're what?" Edward asks with a very confused look on his face.

"It's one of their secret drinks. It's pretty awesome."

"Okay, I'll bring you one tomorrow. A Snickerdoodle latte?"

"That's it. Thanks."

We walk over to one of the picnic benches and watch the dogs sniff around.

I decide to talk with Edward about his offer to sit for the boys. "Thanks for offering to dog sit next week."

"No problem."

"I thought I should bring them by Monday night since I have to leave early Tuesday. Is that okay?"

"That's great. When do you come home?"

"I'll be home early Friday afternoon."

"We'll have fun. And I'll bring them here every day so they keep that part of their routine."

"Are you sure? Can you handle all five dogs?"

"Bo and Bea are easy. I honestly don't even have to leash them. And you handle Beaker, Boomer, and Bumper on your own. We'll be fine."

"I envy people who have dogs who don't need leashes. My three are so crazy I wouldn't risk it to have them off leash."

"I have an idea," Edward says to me. I glance over at him.

"What if I make you dinner Monday night when you bring the dogs by?"

"I should be making you dinner for helping me out. Which reminds me. I figured I could pay you $100 a day to watch them …"

Edward quickly cut me off. "You are not paying me. It's no big deal."

"But, you're going to be watching my dogs. I would have had to pay my regular dog sitter or to board them."

"Bella, I offered. And it gives me an excuse to have dinner with you."

I smile. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Thank you."

I see Boomer scratching near the fence. "Boomer!" I head over to him. Since he's so small, I'm always afraid he'll crawl under the fence and escape.

I pick him up and kiss him. "What are you doing? No digging, okay?" One more kiss and I set him down. Thankfully, he sees Bumper across the park and heads over to him.

I walk back toward Edward.

"Hey. Do you have a little time this morning?" he asks me.

"A little. I'm still getting ready for my trip. I have a lot of programming to do. Why, what's up?"

"Well, I thought maybe you'd want to come by and see where your boys are going to be living next week."

Wow, that sounds like a great idea. "Um, sure, I have a couple hours."

"Great! Let's get the dogs and head over. You can follow me, okay?"

"Sounds great. Beaker! Boomer! Bumper! Come on, boys, time to go!"

Bo and Bea obediently follow Edward toward the gate. I have to chase down Boomer, but thankfully, it wasn't too difficult. We get in our cars and head out. Edward is driving what looks like a new Mercedes Benz.

We drive a few minutes heading east and come across a gated community. He pulls up to the guardhouse, points toward my car, and drives through. As I approach the guardhouse, the guard just waves me through.

I continue to follow Edward to a huge home with a 4-car garage. Two story, all brick and stone, impeccable landscaping. Holy crap.

Edward pulls his car into the garage, parking it next to a Land Rover. He gets out and lets Bo and Bea out, who come up to my car which I've parked in the driveway.

I carefully grab all three leashes before fully opening the door for Beaker, Boomer, and Bumper. They play with Bo and Bea as if they hadn't seen them for days.

Edward walks over to us. "Bo, Bea, inside!" he commands. And the dogs quickly head indoors through the garage.

"Here, let me help you." I thought he was going to grab one of the leashes, but he takes all three and directs the boys into the house.

Walking through the garage, I see a third car—some kind of black sports car. The entire space is absolutely clean as if it's a show room and not a garage.

I enter the kitchen, which is huge. It has to be at least 500 or 600 square feet. A large center island with a double sink. A double oven and what appears to be a warming drawer on one wall. A six-burner stove. A refrigerator that is twice as wide as any I've ever seen. The kitchen alone has to be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Suddenly, Bumper runs up to me and stands on my leg, wagging his tale.

"Hi, baby boy. What are you doing, huh?" He then scampers off.

Edward walks back into the kitchen. "Sorry, I unleashed them and they took off. I'm not even sure where Beaker and Boomer are, but I'm sure they're fine."

He walks over to the fridge and takes out a bottled water. "Do you want something to drink?"

"A water would be great. Thank you." He grabs one for me and hands it to me.

"So this is where your boys will be visiting next week. Let me show you around."

There's a room off the kitchen with dog beds, food bowls, a water bowl, and some blankets. This little room is the size of most bedrooms.

"Don't let the dog beds fool you," Edward tells me. "They sleep with me upstairs. I wanted them to have their own space, but it's pretty much turned into their meal room."

We walk out of the kitchen into a gigantic great room. I should have expected it based on the size of the kitchen, but holy cow, it's huge! Three sofas? Then there's a television that takes up most of one wall, a floor to ceiling fireplace, another sitting area with a table and four chairs, and even more chairs. This room feels as if it could be a small apartment.

"My mother decorated the house for me," he says. "She wanted to be sure when friends and family visited there were plenty of seats, and it was all very casual and comfortable."

"It's beautiful," I say, barely louder than a whisper because I'm so stunned.

We continue through to a dining room with 12 chairs, and a formal living room, which is about half the size of the great room.

Dual staircases are on either side of the front foyer with stairs going down and up, meaning there must be a full basement, too. We head upstairs, and Edward points out six bedrooms, each with their own en suite bathroom.

Beaker runs up to us, wagging his tale, and Bo and Bea follow.

"And this," Edward says while opening a set of double doors, "is where they'll be sleeping."

This must be his master bedroom. There's a huge four-poster bed with a maroon comforter and an ottoman at the foot of it. A TV is over a fireplace, and there's an annex that he must use as an office as there is a full wooden desk set with credenza and file drawers.

There are two doors in the room, but he doesn't open either of them, so I'm left wondering what his bathroom must look like. Hey, I'm a girl. I like to see fancy bathrooms.

"C'mon, everyone! Let's go downstairs."

Bo and Bea must know exactly what he's saying because they take off for the door and down the stairs. Beaker follows us.

"I don't think they'll want to come back to my little house after staying here."

Edward replies, "They'll miss you. They'll want to be with you."

We head back toward the kitchen. I call my boys. "Beaker! Boomer! Bumper! Let's go!"

Beaker is with us, but I have no clue where Boomer or Bumper are. And they aren't coming as called. I know they weren't upstairs with us.

"Wait here," Edward says, and he takes off.

I hear him calling them, and shortly thereafter, he's walking through the kitchen, carrying Boomer with Bumper walking right behind. "They were checking out the basement," he tells me.

"There isn't anything they can get into down there, is there?"

"No, it's dog proof. They found some of Bo and Bea's toys and were busy scattering them around."

"Oh. Sorry. Do you want me to go pick them up?"

Edward chuckles. "No need. I don't bother putting them away because they just take them out and scatter them around. It's fine."

"Okay. Well, we better get going and let you get to work. Thanks, Edward. See you tomorrow at the dog park?"

"I'll be there."

He helps me get the boys leashed and walks them to my car for me.

I get in and start my car. He's standing by my window, which I roll down.

"See you tomorrow," he says, leaning on my door.

"Okay. Bye."

I pull out of his driveway, and he's still standing there now, joined by Bo and Bea, who are both looking up at him.

Now, if I could just remember how to get out of his subdivision.

Thankfully, I make it out on the first try and head home, which takes less than 10 minutes.

~~~PLANS~~~

Edward is already at the dog park Saturday morning when I arrive, and bless his heart, he's holding a tall Starbucks for me.

"Good morning," he greets me while handing me my coffee.

"It certainly is," I tell him while taking a sip. I've missed this Snickerdoodle latte.

"You remembered the Snickerdoodle latte," I tell him while taking another sip.

Smiling he says, "It's kind of hard to forget."

Boomer and Bumper head over to Bo and Bea while Beaker stays with us as we walk to a picnic table.

Both Boomer and Bumper jump up on the table, and Edward immediately takes his baseball cap off.

"Just making sure it stays with me today," he says with a grin. "So, what do you do that you have to be out of town most of next week?" he asks.

"I'm an educational course designer, specializing in online learning."

"Wow, that sounds impressive."

"I used to be a teacher, but the bureaucracy drove me crazy. Now I focus on adult learning and, in particular, online education. I get to work with a number of different groups and specialties, so the variety is great."

I was wondering what Edward did to be able to afford this huge house. "What do you do?"

Edward looks at me, puzzled. "Huh?"

"What do you do?"

"Um, music. I'm a session player for anyone recording here in the area. Keyboards, guitar, bass—kind of whatever they need."

"You must be doing very well."

"I do okay. The house? The money came from my grandparents' trust. I saw the house and just fell in love with it, even though it's far too big for one person and two dogs."

"It's a beautiful house, though I can't imagine cleaning it."

"Yeah, I don't clean it. I have a service that comes in every week. It's not that I don't have time, I'm just lazy," he says with a laugh.

"Thanks for the coffee," I tell him.

"No problem. I think I confused them, though, by ordering a second cup. I go there so often they know my order."

We watch the dogs play, and soon, it's time for us to go.

"Sorry, but we gotta go. I have a lot to get done before I leave."

He looks sad. "Okay. We won't be here tomorrow. I'm going to my parents and won't have time to bring the kids to the park."

I knew we couldn't meet up every day, but it still saddened me. "Oh. Okay. Monday?"

He takes a deep breath. "I may not be home Monday morning. Lots to do with my folks, so I'll just see you for dinner when you drop the dogs off."

"Are you sure it isn't too much trouble?" I really need to know he's okay with watching all three dogs.

"I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't. We'll be fine. Really, I want to help." He sounds so sincere I have no choice but to believe him.