AN: Final full chapter of this story, then just a two-part epilogue which will post tomorrow
MeteroOnAMoonlessMight, Midnight Cougar, and ghostreader24 have been absolute stars throughout and they all have my everlasting thanks
Also, thanks have to go to every reviewer, favoriter, and follower. Without you, I'd have no one to write for!
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight, including Edward :-(
Boyfriends of Christmas Past Chapter 16
Summary
A trip back home for the holidays shows Bella everything she didn't know had been missing from her life.
Chapter 16
Bella
After the debacle back in Los Angeles, it didn't take much for Edward to persuade me to move to Forks almost immediately. Jasper promised to make arrangements to ship my belongings and to sell my car, and within two days, Edward and I boarded a plane on the Monday after Alec's arrest, taking only a suitcase of clothes.
Alice and Jasper dropped us at the airport early in the morning.
"We'll miss you," Alice said tearfully. "Make sure you visit, won't you?"
I smiled and nodded, knowing I'd have to be back once a month, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do right now.
"I'll miss you, too, Alice. Promise you'll come to Forks?"
"Of course we will. I want to see this house Edward built for you."
Jasper hugged me. "I'll let you know when your things will arrive, Bella, and call you when I have a sale for your car. Okay? Don't be a stranger."
"Oh, Jasper, you and Alice have been there for me from the beginning, for everything, and I can never thank you enough for your support. I love you both so much." I pulled back a little so I could look him in the eye. "If there's anything I can ever do for you, don't hesitate to call me or Edward. We'll be there for you, too."
Alice hugged Edward, the two men shook hands, and we headed into the airport for our flight.
~ oOo ~
We arrived back at SeaTac at one-fifteen in the afternoon, and after grabbing my luggage from the carousel, we headed to the parking lot to pick up Edward's truck. We drove the first hour in silence, my mind running over what had happened with Alec, trying to make sense of where I'd gone wrong.
"You didn't go wrong, Bella," Edward said.
"What? Did I say that out loud?" I asked, surprised.
"No, but I've come to know a little about how you think, and I can tell you're questioning yourself."
"I thought you'd developed mind-reading there for a minute." I grinned at him, letting him know I wasn't upset at him observing me so closely. My smile faded as I told him what I'd been thinking. "I can't seem to get my head around the fact that I never had an inkling he wasn't who he said he was."
"Try to put it out of your mind, Bella." He reached out and took my hand. "Come on over here, sweetheart."
I shifted over and tucked myself under his arm. He hugged me close and continued, "Even if you had known, he might still have come after you, and the result would've been the same. If you hadn't broken up with him when you did, we might not be where we are now, and that would be a tragedy, wouldn't it?"
I shrugged. "I guess, but I do like to think we would've found our way back to each other anyway." I reached up and brushed my hand along the edge of his jaw, following it with a kiss. "Thank you for loving me."
In the silence that followed, I pulled my phone out of my purse and hooked it up to the radio, selecting a playlist and filling the truck with quiet music.
"Can I ask you something, Bella?"
"Of course, Edward. What is it?" I could see him wrestling with whatever it was he had to say. "It's okay; you can ask me anything."
He drew in a deep breath and pulled into a gas station, stopping the truck in the parking lot.
"What is it, Edward? Tell me." I sat up straight and took his hand.
He turned in his seat to face me. "We've known each other for over nine years, Bella, and I know we've been apart most of that time. After the last few days, I hope you know how much you mean to me."
"I do, Edward, and I hope you know you mean as much to me. After Friday and this weekend, there's no one I trust more than you."
He smiled briefly, then ran his fingers through his hair. "I feel very protective of you, and—and I've really missed you these last few weeks." He stopped and took my hand again, his gaze roaming my face as if he was looking for something.
"Edward, you're worrying me. Just tell me, please."
"Would you move in with me, please, Bella? I want to go to sleep with you and wake up with you every day. I don't want to waste another second. I want us to start our life together now, not when some arbitrary amount of time has passed. I love you more each day, and that'll never change. Please, move in with me."
It was the last thing I expected him to say, and for a minute, my mind was blank.
"It's okay if you don't want to right now, Bella. I'll wait as long as necessary."
"Move in with you? Now?"
"Yes?"
He said it like it was a question, but it was the look on his face that devastated me. He thought I was going to say no.
"Edward, yes, yes, yes."
"You'll move in with me? It's not too early to ask?"
I launched myself at him, squeezing between the wheel and his chest, and planted kisses on every inch of skin I could reach. "Yes, yes, yes, of course, I'll move in with you."
~ oOo ~
Arriving back at Dad's, I couldn't wait to tell him our news. Dad and I had managed to make a life for ourselves in the absence of my mother, and he'd been a great parent. Growing up, he'd made me feel important, but as a dad with a teenage daughter, things had been difficult, and I'd mostly parented myself through high school. Neither my apartment nor Alec's had ever really felt like home, but with Edward, I realized, anywhere would be home. Seeing the house he'd built from our dreams all those years ago was exciting, but wherever he was, he was my home, always.
Dad didn't seem surprised when we told him our news; it was almost as if he was expecting it, but after congratulating us, he was more concerned about Alec and how I was doing with the fallout.
"I'm fine, Dad. Yeah, I was pretty upset at the time; I couldn't believe how wrong I got it." I looked over at Edward, who was standing in the kitchen doorway. "But Edward took care of me, and I'll be okay now."
Dad looked from one to the other of us, then finally nodded. "You staying here tonight, Bella, or heading over to Edward's?"
"Edward's, if it's okay with you, Dad. Did you have anything planned, or did you need me to make dinner?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Nah, you're okay, Bells. Sue's cooking tonight." I stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, and he hugged me tightly. "I'm glad you're okay, Bella," he whispered.
Dad followed me outside along the path, and I walked ahead, opening the passenger door. I turned to find Dad shaking Edward's hand and leaning in to speak to him. They separated and Dad clapped him on the back, standing and watching as Edward rounded the truck and climbed behind the wheel.
With a wave of his hand, Dad turned to go back into the house, and I snuggled close to Edward as we headed toward his house.
"What did he say to you, Edward?"
"Who?"
"Don't try to be funny. You know very well who. What did my dad say to you?"
"He said thank you for saving you, for looking after you, and for loving you."
"He said all that? Doesn't sound like my dad."
"Well, he said the first two; I added the loving you bit. I'm sure he would've said the last."
"Well, I'm saying it, Edward. Thank you for loving me." I stretched up and kissed the edge of his jaw and followed the line of his neck.
I could feel the muscles in his leg tense under my hand, and a rumbled groan echoed through his chest. Sliding my hand across the front of his jeans, I discovered he was already hard. We still hadn't made love, his concern for me outweighing any desire, but I wanted to feel how much he wanted me.
"Bella," he warned.
"Edward," I whispered back. "I want you."
Imperceptibly, the truck's speed increased, taking us past the driveway to his parents' house, and a few minutes later, turning into his place. He reached into the glove box and pulled out a remote, opening the door to the garage, driving into the darkened space, and switching off the engine.
We sat there with only the engine's ticking breaking the silence. Without warning, I launched myself at him, straddling his lap and attacking his lips. His mouth opened under mine, our tongues tangling together. I could feel him harden more, his jean-clad shaft hitting me in the right place as I flexed my hips over him.
"Wait, wait, Bella." Edward pulled back. "Come on, let's go inside."
I took a deep breath, sliding back a little, and as we regained our breath, I climbed off his lap. He opened his door, and I got out after him. The sun set half an hour ago, and the sky was almost dark, leaving nearly no light in the garage.
Edward took my hand and guided me over to the door which I assumed led inside the house. Finding his keys, Edward unlocked it, then swept me off my feet.
"Is this totally necessary?" I grinned at him, his face barely discernible in the dark.
"I'm nothing if not traditional, Bella." He grinned back. "Besides, it's good practice."
My breath caught in my throat, and our eyes met. I knew what he was saying, but chose, for the moment, to let the questions go unspoken.
"Welcome home, sweetheart."
He carried me over the threshold and through the great room without switching on any lights. From memory, the bedroom was on the far side of the house. Entering the room, I could see he now had a bed with a wrought-iron frame covered in a comforter. The room was cool, but my blood was heated.
He placed me in the middle of the bed, then crawled over to me and settled between my legs, his mouth back on mine in seconds. A deep groan came from his throat, his hips flexing and pushing his cock into my center.
"Tell me you're sure, Bella. You're still recovering, and I don't want to hurt you." He brushed his fingers over the small cut on my cheekbone where Alec's hand had split the skin.
"I'm sure, Edward. So sure. I know you'd never hurt me, and I want you, please."
My hands slid down his back, dragging his T-shirt from his jeans, his skin warm under my touch. I scored it lightly with my nails, eliciting another groan, not lifting his lips from mine. I pushed my hands between us, finding the buckle on his belt and struggling to undo both it and the top button on his jeans.
Edward lifted himself onto his knees, and I followed him, finishing my task of unbuckling his belt and dragging it through the loops, throwing it on the floor. Yanking at the top button of his jeans, the button fly popped open, and I slid my hands around his body inside the waistband, pushing them and his boxers down, freeing his cock.
He stripped out of his jacket, dragged his T-shirt and sweater off at the same time, then kicked off his jeans and boxers the rest of the way.
"You have too many clothes on, Bella," he said, leaning over me and crashing his lips against mine, biting at my bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth.
One item of clothing after another fell to the floor until we were both naked. I pushed him onto his back, straddled him, and sank down on his cock.
"Ahh!" I gasped as I felt myself stretch around him, a delicious pleasure-pain response running through my veins. "Fuck!"
Closing my eyes for just a second, I reveled in our connection. When I opened them again, I could see his eyes were dark and filled with lust. He flexed his hips, hitting deep inside me, and I pushed up onto my knees before dropping back down on him. I repeated the action, then tipped my hips forward and back again, his cock rubbing against my G-spot with each movement.
Sitting up, Edward caught my nipple in his mouth, his hands in the middle of my back drawing me closer. I linked my ankles around his waist, pressing him deeper inside me, and my head dropped back, my eyes closing and my hands automatically digging into the hair on the back of his neck and tugging it.
Letting go of my nipple with a pop, he dropped his head back, and it was my turn to ravage his mouth. The muscles in my legs protested as I lifted and dropped over him, and he matched my movements, thrusting up every time I took him into my body.
I moved faster, gasping as each brush of my G-spot pushed me further toward my orgasm, until my body clenched and shuddered above him. Pulses of pleasure extended along my nerves, making my toes curl and my fingertips tingle.
Chasing his own release, Edward lifted me and got to his knees. His hands spanned my waist, holding me close until my back hit the bed, my legs still around his waist.
His hands pressed the mattress down on either side of my head, lifting his body away from mine. His thrusts were wild, hard, and fast, driving me steadily higher and higher toward a second orgasm, holding off long enough for me to fall over the edge into ecstasy, then following me, stilling his body as his cock pulsed inside me.
Slowly, he relaxed against me, his body touching mine at every point. I was caught in his gaze, love shining in his eyes. My legs, feeling like wet noodles, rested on either side of him, and my fingers traced the skin on his face, my lips following in their wake.
"I love you," I whispered against his lips.
His smile was soft. "I love you, too, Bella."
I protested as he lifted his body from mine, his softening cock sliding from my body, separating us physically again. He stood and held out his hand to me, leading me into the master bathroom. He leaned into the shower, turned on the water, then collected towels from the cupboard.
He pulled me into the shower enclosure, and we washed each other's skin. I kept my hair out of the water as best I could since sleeping with wet hair was uncomfortable at best. The shower was short, and we climbed out, Edward drying my body then wrapping his towel around his waist. Rubbing his hair dry, he led me back to the bedroom and found me a T-shirt and a pair of boxers.
"Come on," he said. "Let's see if there's anything to eat and get a beer." He held out his hand again, and I took it gladly, always ready to follow wherever he was going.
"Thank goodness for underfloor heating," I said, feeling the warm floor under my feet.
"Yeah, it means the house is always warm because I can leave it on. We can light a fire in the bedroom later."
"I thought we already did that," I smirked. "But we can do it again anytime you like."
"Just say the word, Bella, I'm ready when you are." He lifted me onto the counter. "But I might need a minute to recover."
"Shit, this granite's cold," I gasped.
Edward only laughed and pulled a pizza from the freezer, switching on the oven and removing the packaging. He lifted me into his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
"Is that better?" He grinned.
With my arms around his neck, I kissed him, tracing his lips with my tongue, deepening it when he opened his mouth to me. The beeping from the oven as it reached the right temperature interrupted our kiss, and he used one hand to slide the pizza inside before returning his lips to my mouth.
We retired to bed when the pizza was done, taking a bottle of beer each with us. Edward switched on the television, and we lost ourselves in a movie before falling asleep in each other's arms.
~ oOo ~
