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 4
~~~IN BED~~~
More photos of the dogs at the dog park greet me when I wake up Thursday morning. I see the boys running around, playing with other dogs, and just being happy.
This is the last night I'm out of town. Once I pick up the dogs tomorrow, I don't know if I'll ever see Edward again outside of the dog park.
For tonight's call, I decide to get more comfortable. I've removed my makeup, remembering that I never wear makeup to the dog park, and I climb under the covers. I have on my T-shirt once again but no bra. I don't have much in the way of boobs anyway, so it really doesn't matter.
I call and there's no answer. Hmmm. It's only 9:30 so I send him a text, letting him know I tried to FaceTime him.
As I wait, I snuggle under the covers and start to doze off. Suddenly, I'm awoken by my ringing phone.
"Hello?" I answer, half asleep.
"Hi, Bella. Did you still want to talk tonight?"
"Edward?" And it suddenly dawns on me that I'm nestled under my covers and laying down. "Hi! Sorry. I tried you earlier, and you didn't answer."
"Yeah, I had everybody outside for one last time tonight and had left my phone in the kitchen."
"Oh, good," is all I can think of to say.
"Well, I'll let you go, Bella. I'm sorry for waking you."
"No!" I yell. "I mean, I want to see my boys."
I sit up, not thinking we were on FaceTime, and realize Edward can see my T-shirt hanging off my shoulder, my tiny boobs bouncing, my hair is all over the place. Oh, crap. I'm a mess! I start to fix my hair and glance at my phone. Edward is staring at me, not smiling, but looking at me with such intensity I start to feel the warmth of my blush.
"Sorry, I look frightening."
"No," he says followed by a loud swallow. "You look, uh, fine. It's fine."
He turns the phone toward all five dogs, who are sitting and lying in various spots on the bed. Edward tells me, "We just came up to bed. No one has settled down yet."
"How did my boys do with Rose's twins?" I remember to ask.
"They were fine. No problems at all, though Bumper kept pawing at them so they would pay attention to him."
"He's got big paws. I hope the kids are okay," I say, seriously worried that he could have scratched them.
"It's all good. Rose had them in long sleeves, so he couldn't really scratch them. The kids had fun trying to catch the paw as it came toward them."
"That's good."
"I'll send you a couple photos when we're done," Edward tells me.
"That would be great!" Then I change the subject. "I'm looking forward to coming home tomorrow. I miss my boys."
"What time do you get in?" Edward asks.
"Around three in the afternoon."
"Would you like me to pick you up?" he offers.
"That's very kind, but I've arranged for a limo to pick me up. And I'm sure you don't want to get stuck in rush hour traffic on a Friday."
"Oh, okay. Well, I'm home all afternoon, so if you want to give me a call when you're ready to pick the boys up, that would be great. I can have all of their stuff ready."
"Will do. Thanks again, Edward. Goodnight, everyone!"
"You're welcome, Bella. Bye."
And so started another night of dreaming about Edward.
~~~HOME SWEET HOME~~~
Edward doesn't disappoint. When I wake up Friday morning, there are photos of each of my babies. It looks like he captured them in bed, followed by some dog park photos. Come home, Mama! captioned each photo. Mama will be home soon, boys. I love you! I reply.
My flight home is uneventful, and when I'm about 15 minutes from home, I give Edward a call.
"Hi, Bella. Are you home?"
"Not yet, still about 15 minutes away. Is it all right if I swing by in about half an hour to get the boys?"
"Sure, not a problem. Do you want to come here or do you want me to drop them off?"
"After all you've done this week, I don't want to ask another thing of you."
"It's fine. I was going to head out and pick up a pizza."
"Oooh. That sounds good," I tell him.
"How about you come over, and I'll get enough pizza for both of us. Or are you too tired from traveling all day?" he asks.
"Actually, that sounds really good. Are you sure?"
"Of course. Come by when you can. I'll tell the guard you're coming over, so just give your name when you get to the guardhouse."
"I will. Thank you, Edward."
"What do you like on your pizza, Ms. Swan?"
"I'm fine with it plain or with mushrooms."
"You got it. See you soon!"
"See you soon." I hang up, and my mind immediately reverts back to Edward's boxer shorts. They were blue. His stomach and legs incredibly toned. I can barely remember his face with this image floating in my head.
After I'm dropped off at home, I take a quick shower to wash the travel grime off, throw on a T-shirt and jeans, and head to Edward's.
The guard in his subdivision is expecting me and sends me through the gate. Edward's house, once again, takes my breath away. Oh, to have money to be able to afford a home like this.
I park my car, and as I'm getting out, I see the garage door open. I take that as an invitation to enter. Once I'm in the garage, the door closes, which startles me.
I open the door to the house, and my boys are there to greet me. "Hi, boys!" I exclaim as I kneel down to see them. There are lots of kisses between my boys and me, and then Bo and Bea get into the action, too. Edward is standing a few feet back, watching the scene with a huge smile on his face.
I look up at Edward. "Hi."
"Hi. They sure seem to have missed you."
"I'm sure they would give you the same greeting if you were to step outside for a minute and come back in," I tell him, causing him to laugh.
"Come on, everyone. Let's go inside," I say to all five dogs.
Then I turn to Edward. "Thank you so much for taking care of them. If you ever need someone to watch Bo and Bea, just let me know. Oh! And I brought you something."
I dig into my bag and pull out a baseball cap with "I Love LA" embroidered on it.
"Here you go!" I say as I hand it to him.
His laughter makes me so happy. "Thank you. This is actually pretty nice." He puts it on and asks, "How do I look?"
"You look pretty good," I tell him.
"The pizza should be here in a few minutes. Do you want something to drink?"
"I'd love a beer, if you have any."
"Do I have beer?" he asks with a laugh. "Follow me."
I follow him downstairs to a spare refrigerator, and he opens the door. I feel my mouth gape as I look at all the beer in the fridge. There must be 30 cans or bottles on each shelf, each six pack a different variety.
"Wow. You are the quite the beer connoisseur."
"I like having options. My brother-in-law and I are always trying new beer."
I decide on the 312 IPA. He grabs a six-pack of that and a six-pack of Purple Haze, and we head back upstairs. He opens a beer for each of us and puts the rest in the refrigerator in the kitchen.
I notice Beaker, Boomer, and Bumper are right on my heels when we head downstairs and back up.
I kneel down to pet and kiss my boys again. I really did miss them. As I stand up, I notice Edward, once again, looking at me and smiling.
Edward's phone rings, and it must be the guardhouse letting him know the pizza is on its way because not a minute later, he's at the front door, paying the delivery boy.
I reach for my purse and ask, "How much do I owe you?"
Edward shakes his head. "You don't know owe me anything. This is my treat."
"Edward, you bought me Starbucks, made dinner for me on Monday, along with a salad, and let me drink some of your wine, you watched my three dogs all week, and you supplied the beer. The least I can do is pay for the pizza."
He sets the pie on the counter. "Absolutely not. Once again, I invited you, and it's against the rules of hospitality to invite someone over and then make them pay. I won't have it."
"The rules of hospitality?" I ask him. "Really?"
He shrugs. "That's what my mother tells me. And you don't want to go against my mother! If she were to find out I let you pay, she'd never let me hear the end of it."
I laugh. "Okay. But I owe you, and I always pay my debt."
"We'll see."
We grab our beers and the deep dish pizza, and sit at the table in the great room.
"Mmmm. I love Lou Malanti's pizza," I tell Edward, eating what must be my third slice.
"It's my favorite," he tells me.
"I didn't think they delivered around here." He looks at me sheepishly. "Well, I tip pretty well, so they're willing to go outside their delivery area."
"Do they know you?" I ask.
"I do order from there more than I should."
After we're done and on our second beers, we feed the dogs. They all finish in about 60 seconds, except for Boomer, who likes to take his time.
Once Boomer has eaten, I don't think I can really stay at Edward's any longer. "Well, I guess I should be getting the boys' things together and head home."
I see Edward running his hand through his hair.
"Ummm. Are you tired from traveling? I mean, I was just going to watch a movie, and if you wanted to stay, that would be okay."
Okay. He's incredibly cute when he's flustered.
"Are you sure you don't mind? I feel as though I'm still on California time, so I'm not really tired yet."
He relaxes a bit. "No. I mean, I wouldn't mind at all. I can make popcorn, if you want."
"That's very kind, but I'm full from the pizza. I wouldn't mind another beer though."
He gives me a genuine smile. "No problem. Pick a sofa and I'll grab our beers along with some treats for the dogs."
~~~THE MOVIE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT~~~
I look around for the best place to sit. Do I sit on a sofa? Do I grab one of the comfortable chairs? What about the love seat? That looks so comfy. What will he think if I sit on the chair? That I don't want to be near him? I could take a sofa, but would he feel intimidated and sit elsewhere? My brain is processing a thousand different thoughts when I notice it.
On one of his shelves sit a few Grammy Awards. Eight to be exact. How did I miss those last time I was here? I walk forward and stare at them when he comes in with all five dogs following his hand with the cookies in it.
I spin around and realize how guilty I must look. He makes all five dogs sit and gives them their treats, then heads back to the kitchen to grab our beers.
I quickly sit on one of the sofas, and all five dogs try to join me. When Edward returns, there is absolutely no room left on the couch. "Sorry. You know how it is," I tell him. "You snooze, you lose!"
He lets out a chuckle, handing me my beer. "C'mon, boys and girl, make room for Daddy." I melt at Edward calling himself daddy.
Bo and Bea immediately jump off the sofa. Bo heads to one of the chairs, and Bea takes over the loveseat.
"Wow. They really are well trained."
Edward tells me that he often has to ask them to get off the furniture when friends are over. "They're used to it, though I do feel it's more their house than my friends'."
"I noticed you looking at the Grammys," Edward tells me.
"Sorry. I just noticed them. I know you said you were involved with music and had been to the awards before. It's cool. But it's not why …" I take a deep breath. If I admit I like him, there's no going back to our friendly dog park visits. "It's not why I like you."
Edward's beaming smile greets me. "I know. And I appreciate it."
"Are you going to tell me about them?" I finally ask.
"I'm a songwriter as well as a session musician. My songs do well. I write pop mostly, which pays the bills."
"Anything I might have heard?"
"Promise you won't hold it against me?" he asks.
"Promise."
"Well, I've written stuff for Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake, and Madonna."
"Really?" My eyes are about bugging out of my head at this point.
"Yeah. It just kind of happened. My sister works in clothing and design and got to know them. Then she shared with them some of the songs I'd written. One thing led to another, and here I am."
"Wow. That's pretty impressive. Why are you here and not in LA?"
"I like Chicago. It's much more real. The city is a bit much for me, which is why I'm out here in Barrington. Lots of land, quiet neighborhood. And I can fly to LA or New York when I need to."
He's so down to earth and nice. Hard to believe he rubs elbows with some of music's elites.
"And besides," he continues, "If I lived there, I wouldn't have met you."
I can feel myself blush. When I look at him, his face has turned serious, and he's looking at me intently. I can tell my breathing has gotten deeper, and my mouth has gone dry.
I chance a glance at his lips as he looks at mine. I have Boomer half-draped across my lap, but that doesn't stop me from leaning toward Edward as he leans toward me.
I close my eyes and wait. It feels like an eternity before Edward's lips softly kiss mine. He immediately pulls back, and I open my eyes. He's looking at me, so I smile at him. He leans back in for one more kiss, then sits back.
"I swear I've dreamt about doing that," he tells me.
"Mmmm. Me, too."
"Yeah?"
"Definitely," I say.
"Now that the first kiss is out of the way," …
And before he can finish, I cut him off with, "And the second kiss."
"And the second kiss, how about a movie?"
I feel somewhat disappointed, but this is new, and I'm just happy to be with him. "Sure."
He has Netflix and access to the new release movies, but he asks sweetly if we can watch La La Land. "I haven't seen it yet and want to see what all the fuss is about," he tells me.
"I haven't seen it either. Let's check it out."
I do scoot toward the center of the couch so we can be closer together. Boomer has the nerve to growl at me as I scooch him over, but he's going to have to get over it.
~~~AFTER THE MOVIE~~~
We started the movie, but then we got to talking. Mostly about living in and around Chicago and where we liked to visit in Southern California.
Edward was born and raised in the city and moved out to the suburbs about seven years ago. I had grown up in various north and northwest suburbs. I liked being 30 minutes from O'Hare so I could easily travel for work. The fact my subdivision had a new dog park on its border only added to the appeal of the home I'd bought 12 years ago.
Edward told me he went to Julliard in New York to study music, both writing and playing piano. While there, he made friends with people who played guitar and bass, and they taught him to play those instruments as well.
In addition to writing hits for numerous celebrities, he also plays on those recordings. He hasn't won any awards for his playing, but his eight Grammys are a testament to his songwriting.
By the end of the movie, we're facing each other, not even looking at the TV, totally engrossed in our stories.
We talked about our families—I'm an only child while Edward has one brother, Emmett, who is married to Rosalie, and a sister Alice, who is married to a gentleman from Texas named Jasper. Jasper is also a musician who co-wrote and played on many of Edward's songs.
We spent a lot of time talking about things we both liked in Chicago. We're both Cubs fans, but we enjoy many of the minor league baseball teams the Chicago area has.
I notice Bumper going into the kitchen and wonder if he has to go outside. "Edward, I think the dogs should go out. What door leads outside?"
Edward gets up and walks into the kitchen. He walks through the room where he feeds Bo and Bea and opens the door.
I follow him outside and gasp out loud when I see his yard. It is beautifully landscaped and well lit, with a pool off to one side behind a separate fence. There's a good-sized patio with patio furniture and a fire pit before arriving at a grassy area where the dogs can do their business.
He watches the dogs, and sure enough, everybody has to go.
"Let me clean up after my dogs, please," I tell him as I see him grab the scooper and walking to where Boomer just went.
"No, I've got it." He ends up picking up after all five dogs.
"Beyond the fence here," he says, pointing to a black fence behind the grassy area, "is the rest of the yard. I sit on one and a half acres here, but technically, no fences. I needed one for the pool, so I just added a small grassy area for the dogs. That's why I take Bo and Bea to the dog park, so they can really run around. Plus, they get to meet other dogs."
"You have someone do your landscaping, don't you," I say more as a statement than a question.
"Yeah. I could never keep up with this."
By this point, the dogs are chasing each other around the yard.
"Thanks for dinner tonight. I should probably get home. I have laundry to sort, and I'm sure you want my boys out of your hair," I tell him.
"Yeah, you probably want to get home," he says. "Will I see you at the dog park tomorrow?"
I smile. "Yes, we'll be there, but it may be a bit later than usual. I'm still on California time."
"Do you need your Starbucks?" Edward asks with his own smile.
"I would love a Starbucks. Let me give you my Starbucks card, and I'll treat."
"Bella, no. Let me pick up your coffee. It's no problem, really."
"But I feel like I'm mooching off you, and it's not right. I can afford the coffee," I say, somewhat exasperated.
"It's fine. Tell you what. Next time we have dinner, you're cooking or buying. How's that?" he asks.
"Okay. That works for me. Thank you."
I gather my dogs, and as we get ready to head out through the garage, Edward approaches me and gives me a quick kiss on my lips. "Good night, Bella," he says, sounding, oh so dreamy.
"Night, Edward."
Edward follows me out and waves to us as we leave.
