Part 2

Want a part 3?

Hello everyone …

***In answer to a review, this fic was a part of The One and Only Contest. Apparently, there were not enough entries to proceed with the contest.

Anyway, as I imagined when I posted this … People were hoping for a continuation. It is my honor to give you a second part of this story. Also, just for the sake of saying so … the progression of this fic would be determined by the response.

If you are interest in seeing the development of Edward and Bella's relationship please review … I am quite interest to see this mushy little fest develop myself. So, please drop a line below if you are interested.

Please Review …

Edward sat with his head in his hands, staring at the carpeted floor; his nostrils flared as a wealth of emotion threatened to overtake him. Every fucking sign up until he'd kissed her had pointed him in the direction to take the leap. Her taste still lingered on his lips, and he replayed the entire scenario over and over.

She'd kissed him back. Her enthusiasm still danced on his tongue, reminding him explicitly of the attraction he'd harbored for what felt like eons. Then this intrusive guilt snaked through his chest, snuffing out the excitement he'd momentarily felt. Dragging heavy fingers through his hair, he rested his square chin on his thumbs as he unseeingly observed his surroundings.

Fucking Jasper still sat in the same spot, and every once in a while, a look of pity would fill his gaze. Every time the man's eyes lingered on him; his skin prickled with awareness causing him to clench his jaw. Finally, annoyance getting the better of Edward, he shot Jasper a lethal glance. "What, man?"

Jasper grimaced in return; shaking his head, he pushed up from the sectional. "Don't beat yourself up, Edward. I don't think it was anything you did."

"Oh, I beg to differ. First time Bella's stepped foot out of that house. What do I do? Made a fucking fool of myself. Stupid to think …" His voice trailed off as he forced himself to his feet. "One hell of a best friend I am … go and hit on his wife, barely even cold in the ground."

"No, man, don't do that," Jasper argued, stopping Edward's escape with a firm hand on his arm; he continued, "Don't beat yourself up and make yourself the villain here. I know you've harbored this attraction way longer than you will ever admit. You never once overstepped that friendship … Yours and Emmett's … just happened to love the same woman."

"Do you have any idea how awful I feel about that?" Edward glared at Jasper. Since Emmett's death, he and his sister's husband had developed a steadfast friendship, and their bond strengthened every single day. What he told Jasper was genuine… there was nothing that made him feel like such a mutant as loving Emmett's fucking wife, yet at the same time, the pressure in his chest inspired a whole different outtake.

Plain and simple, he was tired of drowning in this abyss of self-pity. Edward wanted to be angry. He wanted to be angry at Emmett for dying and leaving him in this position of confusion and hunger. At this precise moment, he'd be thrilled to be enraged at himself. How many times had he tried to divert his attention from Bella?

Yeah—okay, since Emmett died, he hadn't been making as much effort as he should've. Maybe that was his fault. Perhaps he'd allowed his mind to wander down the road of these what-ifs filling his brain … turning into unexpected possibilities. Even as the potential of developing a unique bond with Bella tickled his mind, he couldn't disregard the steady pressure in his chest. Staring intently at Jasper, his jaw clenched, "How the fuck would you feel if it were Alice? Huh?"

When Jasper didn't respond, Edward nodded with a roll of his eyes. "That's what I thought. Then she went running out here like … like … I disgusted her … How do you come back from something like that?"

Jasper mulled over the idea of Alice being in Bella's position. Just the thought caused an invisible knife to stab in his chest. There was zero chance of him wanting his wife dating his best friend, yet even as the well of emotion stabbed him, another insight was born. Grinding his teeth, he murmured, "Luckily, dude, I'm not in your shoes. Yet it's not like you are cheating behind Em's back. He's dead … gone. Nothing—no amount of time is going to bring him back. It doesn't matter if it's you or someone else. Eventually, Bella will move on. And, honestly, I cannot imagine her finding a better guy."

"Even if that's the case, it doesn't change the way she ran out of here …"

Edward jogged up the stairs, intent on checking on Emma. He might have had destroyed the relationship he had with Bella with one idiotic move. All he could do now was pray; she didn't take that little girl away from him. Emma was his lifeline between not only Bella, but she was his last connection with Emmett. Just the thought of losing her … fuck.

He was almost to JP's room when Jasper caught up to him. "Edward, wait a second. Just for the record, if you are experiencing this insane amount of guilt … How do you think she feels? Liking her husband's best friend was probably not on her list of shining moments."

And just like that,—Edward understood. When he'd kissed Bella, she'd been every bit into his touch as he'd been into hers. He'd felt a mutual attraction in every pour of his being when she happened to look at him. Now he faced the most significant predicament of his life. Rubbing his temples as they began to throb, he pinned Jasper with a quizzical look. Shaking his head as confusion swarmed in around him, he said, "What the fuck do I do?"

"The only thing you can," Jasper mumbled as they turned to JP's room. "Give her space to figure out what she wants. If I don't miss my guess, pretty sure she's just as into you. No way would she let you touch her like that if she wasn't."

Edward scoffed lightly when he found Emma crashed out on JP's bed. The five-year-old had barely hit the pillow before she was knocked out, he thought; heading across the room, he lifted her up in his arms and cradled her weight. "I'll just put her in the guest room, so she doesn't bother JP."

"There are extra blankets in the closet," Jasper stated, kissing his son on the forehead before backing out of the room and turning the light out.

Edward laid Emma against the pillows of the guest bed. Her lashes fluttered open, and she rapidly blinked up at him. "Where's Mommy?"

"Butterfly," Edward mumbled as he settled the comforter around her legs. "Mommy had to go home for the night … So, I will give you a kiss from both of us."

"I love you, Uncle Edward," Emma mumbled, reaching up to encircle his neck with a tight hug. "Caterpillar kisses …"

Obediently, Edward rubbed his nose against Emma's as he whispered. "I love you too, Butterfly."

For a long minute, Edward sat on the edge of the bed, merely watching Bella's daughter sleep. Sometimes, deep down, he felt as if Emma was his as well. What a fucking thief he was turning out to be. While people might have oohed and aahed over his attentiveness toward this little girl, he was a selfish prick, in all actuality. Being here for this little girl and her mother filled an extraordinary amount of pleasure. With a resigned sigh, he pushed up, and after pressing a kiss to her hair, he hurried from the room.

Edward came to a standstill in the dining room when he found Alice sitting at the table. Chewing at his lip, he wavered on his feet, feeling faint all of a sudden. "Did she say anything to you?"

"Not really," Alice shook her head. "I tried to talk to her, but she was pretty distraught … maybe, Sunday when you drop Emma off, she will have had time to process …"

"Emma's sleeping in the guest room. I will swing by and pick her up bright and early." Edward barely spared Alice a glance as he headed from the dining room. Suddenly, his chest felt too fucking tight, and he just needed fresh air. Breathing a long full of summer air, he settled into the driver seat and merely stared blindly out the window.

He'd never felt so lost in his entire life. Finally, dazed and more than a little numb, Edward stuck the key into the ignition. When he would've turned it, his phone trilled to life, and as melancholy engulfed him, he withdrew the cell.

Bella's name flashed across the screen, and he simply sat there staring at the screen. His abdomen drew tight as the neurons popped to life throughout his body. As the shock slowly dissipated, his thumb dropped over the accept icon. "Hello."

"Can we talk?"

X

Bella couldn't hold still for the life of her. Restlessly, she paced down the hall into the living room as she awaited his reply. She'd acted like a complete emotional psycho, and she wouldn't doubt if she'd terrified the poor guy. Hell, even now, she stood here completely confused over her reaction. One minute she'd been basking in the warmth that was Edward Cullen, and the next, she'd had a freaking meltdown in Alice's kitchen. Right now, she was still a little shaken, but she forced herself to stand firm in the face of opposition.

"Are you there?" Bella's gaze scanned the furniture as she awaited his response. Since he'd picked up the call, he'd dropped into utter silence, not saying one word … she could hardly hear him breathing. She even checked the phone to make sure he hadn't hung up. "Look, Edward, I know I acted kind of crazy … I was hoping—hoping we might be able to talk about it."

"I'm here, Bells," he mumbled, unsure what else to say. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued when she hesitated. "We can talk about anything you want."

"Considering we have been friends for eons, I think it's a conversation we should have in person. Can you come over?" As the prospect of seeing him for a second time today filled her, she grew even more nervous. Fidgeting around the room, she tinkered with different knickknacks as she strolled the confines of the living space.

"I'll be over there in fifteen minutes, Bells …"

"Okay," whispered as the phone went dead. Taking a deep breath, Bella willed her nerves to settle as her palms grew sticky with anticipation. She'd never been more excited and scared in her entire life.

Emmett flashed in her mind, and she felt a trickle of the familiar guilt weighing on her chest. The biggest question she had to herself was, while Emmett had been alive had she harbored some secret fascination with Edward? There were a few times she caught herself staring at the man in question … but had she ever considered seeing Edward as more than a friend during the time of her husband's existence?

Being the type of person she was, she would like to think not. Maybe on some unspoken level—hell, on a subconscious level, she'd always felt a connection to Edward. Would she have ever stepped out on Emmett? Shaking her head in response to her own question, she adamantly confirmed there would have never been a possibility while Emmett had breathed life.

She was snapped out of her self-observation when a light knock sounded on the door. Wiping the sweat from her palms, she headed across the foyer and pulled the door open. Instantly, her gaze clashed with his, and she attempted a soft smile. "Come in."

Edward could tell she'd been crying, and his chest went tight. That little episode in Alice's kitchen made him a bit cautious about approaching her. When she backed away from the door, he hesitantly stepped into the house, making sure to maintain a certain distance as he followed her into the living space. When she turned abruptly to face him, he felt compelled to apologize. "Bella, I'm so sorry for—for what happened. I should've never …"

"Don't … don't do that. Don't apologize," Bella explained; taking a deep breath, she plowed forward. "You didn't do anything wrong … I wish—I wish I'd handled it better than I did. I wanted y—you t—to … I just didn't expect to f-feel so … so much."

Edward shoved his hands deep into his pockets to quell the urge to reach for her. Fuck … even now, his fingers itched to smooth over the flesh of her jaw, skim her plump bottom lip. Unwillingly, their kiss sprang to mind, and her flavor coated his tongue, causing him to suppress a groan, especially when she admitted things like that. "Bells, I'm not sure what to do here … I'm just as lost and confused … swamped with the fucking gnawing guilt of touching my best friend's wife. Scared like hell, I'm going to lose one of my oldest friends and a little girl that doesn't even belong to me."

Just the prospect of taking Emma away from Edward had never been a possibility. Bella crossed space, separating them with a shake of her head. "I would never take Emma from you … You've been such a good friend to her, and Emmett would haunt me for the rest of my life if I even considered something of that magnitude. As for our friendship … it means more to me than you could ever imagine. I wouldn't have gotten through the last couple of years without you, Edward."

Edward silently studied her long and hard. Licking suddenly dry lips, he put words to the biggest question lurking in his mind. "Where does that leave us, Bells? What do we do? Put that kiss behind us and pretend it didn't happen? I don't know if I can do that …"

Bella hadn't been in this position in years. She'd never thought to have to questions someone's interest or intents ever again. When she'd taken those vows with Emmett, it had been for life, and she'd never considered the what-ifs of their relationship coming to the tragic ending it had. So, staring up into the face of uncertainty, Bella rocked on her heels as she met his gaze unwavering. "I don't want you to pretend it didn't happen. Kinda wanna know what it means? What do you want to do? I'm not sure what the possibilities are between us, Edward."

Nibbling his bottom lip, he cleared his throat, his hands finally leaving his pockets. Some of the tension he'd been feeling in his shoulders eased, and he took a deep calming breath. Moving as slowly as possible as not to frighten her, Edward's hand lifted, and the backs of his fingers brushed over the line of her jaw. The corner of his mouth tipped when her eyes rolled slightly in response to his touch. "The possibilities are endless …"

"I don't want some meaningless fling …" Bella wasn't sure why, but she felt compelled to state that. If she ever dared to travel down the road of her and Edward Cullen, the idea of it being an empty affair was not an option. She'd never be able to face herself in the mirror again. Going from a happy marriage to something so contrite wasn't an option for her.

His thumb feathered across her bottom lip as he said, "I'm not offering some meaningless affair, Bella."

A shiver slipped down her spine, and suddenly she felt shy. There was something close to adoration in his eyes, and the emotion caught her completely off guard. "So, what happens now?"

"Now, you just come over to this couch and sit with me," he explained, his hand falling away from her face, and his hand took hers. Ever so gently, Edward led the way to the sofa. Taking a seat, and with a tug of her fingers, he urged Bella to the cushion beside him. As she filled the space next to him, he reached for the remote and proceeded to flip through half a dozen channels. Finding nothing of interest on the tube, he flashed her a smile. "Honestly, I have no interest in watching the fucking tv …"

Bella was utterly captivated by the man at her side. His scent, Edward's touch as his thumb brushed over the back of her knuckles, this raging confliction of need and restraint pulsing through her chest. She needed to feel this closeness with another human being, perhaps for quite a while now. Honestly, she just wanted to be as close to him as she was physically able.

While her attention was directed on the television, she could feel his gaze tracing over her face, and she withholding her pleased grin was impossible. Nudging him with an elbow, she glanced in his direction as another wave of shyness flooded her. "What?"

"I'd just rather sit here and watch you," Edward did not attempt to divert his attention, allowing himself the opportunity to take her in her beauty. A smidge of guilt tried to wiggle in and steal the moment, yet he forcibly shoved it away. "You are so beautiful … sometimes it hurts to even look at you."

His admission was her undoing, and she finally met his gaze. "Will you do it again, Edward?"

He already knew what she was asking for, his focus dropping to her lips, tracing the delicate folds with a flare of his nostrils. Even while his intuition told him exactly what she was asking, he murmured, "Do what?"

Bella nibbled her bottom lip as she took a deep breath. He sat two inches away, yet his fingers were still laced through hers. Suddenly, she felt as if she were on a first date. Crazy considering she'd been married, bore a child, and became a widow all in the last five years. hungrily, she glanced down at his mouth, wanting what had started at Alice's. "Kiss me."

With a tug on her fingertips, he urged her closer as his mouth came to hover above hers. He wanted to taste her more than he wanted his next breath, yet before his lips touched hers, he whispered, "Are you sure, Bells?"

His breath coated her lips as he waited for her answer. Instead of speaking, she merely lifted her chin and pressed her lips against his.

Want a part 3?

Please Review … If you would like more … you know what to do, drop me a line.

Also look me up on Facebook under JM Gaff look forward to seeing you there.