BPOV
Sunday morning finds me calling my assistant bakery manager and explaining that I want the shop open but that I need another week, at minimum, to figure out what's going on here in Forks. What I'm not expecting is that the shop in Seattle has heard from Alice.
"She's left a lot of threatening messages, specifically directed at you but some at the shop. Do you want me to call the police?" Lauren asks, and I hum in response.
"You better, just in case. You guys'll be all right without me, yeah?"
"We'll miss you, but we'll be fine. We all know how much your grandmother meant to you, and these aren't easy decisions. We'll see you before the big event though, right?"
We talk for a good half hour before I feel confident that the shop is in good hands and remind myself to promote Lauren after the new year. The customers love her, and she deserves it.
I spend the rest of the day lying around the house with Sue while Charlie is out fishing with Edward and Liam. We meal plan for the week, and when the boys arrive home, we help unload the truck and start cleaning fish on the back patio when my phone rings. I quickly rinse my hands under the hose before answering.
"Hello?"
"Bella, it's Lauren. I need you to come back. There's been a fire at the shop and—"
"Lauren, calm down. Was it an oven fire? Did you get it put out?"
"Bella, the shop is on fire."
I make it back to Seattle in about four and a half hours and count my blessings I got lucky with traffic. Everyone offered to come with me, but I needed to get on the road and gone as soon as possible. When I pull up in front of Bella Bakes, there's almost nothing left. The exterior walls are mere ghosts of the foundation, and the charred, blackened debris is scattered around and some areas are still smoking.
I speak to the police on site and the fire inspector. I'll have to do a complete walkthrough tomorrow when they're sure everything is out.
I'm devastated. My life's work, poof, up in flames and smoke. There's a part of me that's grateful I didn't see any of the fire. I think I would have lost it. As it is, I'm barely keeping myself together. I make a plan to be back at the site by 11 AM for the walkthrough to see what's potentially salvageable.
I thank Lauren and the other employees who were there for acting quickly, even though they had just closed for the day. It's 10 at night when I get back to my apartment, and I find Edward loitering in the lobby.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised and actually relieved to see a friendly face.
"I thought you could use a friend or a shoulder to cry on," he says with a shrug. "I haven't been by your shop yet. How bad is it?"
I lead him to the elevator and push the button for my floor. "It looks like a total loss, but I have to do a walkthrough with the inspector tomorrow, and the insurance adjuster is coming out too."
"I'm so sorry, Bella."
"Me too." Exiting the elevator, I can feel how exhausted I am as I trudge down the hall. "This is me." I unlock the door, and Edward follows me in.
It's not much, but I've made it as homey and welcoming as possible. Pictures are scattered on all the walls, and books line every free shelf.
"This is cute," Edward says as he stands a little awkwardly in the living room.
"What are you doing here? Where's Liam?"
He rubs the back of his neck and smiles. "He's with your parents. We all thought you needed someone with you, and I just happened to win the honor of driving down."
"Well, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine," I say and remove my coat before moving to the kitchen. "Let me make you some coffee before …" I trail off as I remember.
"What is it?" Edward asks as he comes to stand next to me.
"What am I going to do about my catering job? It's in three weeks! That's not enough time to rebuild or find a new place." The tears I'd been holding at bay come spilling out, and I can't control myself.
He wraps me in his arms and soothingly rubs my back. "Hey, just breathe. You'll figure something out. It'll be okay."
"Will it?" I ask on a hiccup. "This is make or break for me, Edward."
"We'll figure something out; I promise." He pulls back and raises his hands to wipe at my tears. I'm suddenly aware of how close we are and how secure I feel in his arms.
"Why don't you stay?" I ask quietly. "It's a long drive and it's late."
"Is your couch comfortable?" he asks just as quietly, and I shake my head.
"Not at all." I raise up on my toes and press my lips to his gently, and when he responds, I get a little braver.
"Bella, I want this, but—"
Cutting him off with a kiss, I say, "I don't want to be alone tonight. Please, Edward. Stay with me."
He dips his head down for another kiss and deepens it when I open my lips. Our tongues dancing and exploring together. There's not a fight for dominance, just softness and intimacy. He nips at my bottom lip, the corner of my mouth, and moves to my neck.
"I want you," I rush out as I slide my hands under his coat to find blue flannel this time and giggle a little. "You really do make flannel look good."
"Wait 'til you see me out of it," he says with a waggle of his eyebrows. Slipping out of his coat and flinging it on my dining table, he scoops me up into his arms. "Where?"
"Bedroom." I point to a doorway, and Edward carries me into my room, and I praise myself silently for being so tidy.
He sets me down on the bed and sits next to me, "Are you sure about this?"
I don't stop to think as I climb into his lap, straddle his thighs, and wrap my arms around his neck. "Don't leave me."
"I don't think I could if I tried," Edward murmurs and flips me over onto the bed and kisses me deeply. We kick our shoes off together, and as he slips his hands under my shirt, goosebumps break out all over my skin.
Slowly and tenderly, Edward removes every piece of clothing he and I are wearing and throws them haphazardly over his shoulders until we're naked and huddling together against the coolness of the sheets and the apartment.
"How long …" I ask as I trail a finger down his chest to his rock hard stomach.
"Not since Jessica," he says as he leans down and places soft kisses on each of my pert nipples. "You?"
"A year maybe? I was with someone, but we broke up a year ago," I tell him as he trails kisses down my stomach.
"Mhmm," he hums as he reaches the apex of my inner thigh, and I shudder slightly. "Are you ticklish?"
"A little, plus it's just been a long time since someone's done what I think you're about to do," I whisper as he settles on his knees between my legs.
"That's a shame." Edward lifts one of my legs and kisses my ankle. "It was always one of my favorite things to do." He leans down and places a gentle kiss on my mound and uses his hands to spread my legs even wider and dives in.
Edward wastes no time in bringing me to pleasure, several times, as he licks, sucks, and nibbles his way around, and even though I'm gripping and tugging on his coppery hair and flailing about, I have to scream his name in order for him to stop and let me come down from my high. Just when I've caught my breath and I go to reach for him, he asks me once again if I'm sure. When I tell him I am and reach for him again, determined to bring him just to the brink of pleasure itself, he quickly positions himself at my entrance and sheaths himself into me in one long, hard thrust.
We both groan at the contact, and as I can feel how tight I am, Edward gives me a moment to adjust. "You're so tight," he says as he holds up my legs under my knees, repositions himself, and slides out just slightly.
He rocks back in, and my back arches of its own accord as Edward continues to move inside me. I can feel the pressure building back up inside of me already, but all I want is for Edward to feel the same intensity I am. I clench down around him, and he drops to his elbows, his arms caging me. He presses fevered kisses to my lips, eyes, neck, and breasts, and I know in this moment, everything is right and everything will be okay.
"I need you," Edward pants and I know what he means, what he needs. "I feel like I've been waiting for you." My orgasm crests, and Edward empties into me just seconds later. He keeps his weight off of me as we come down from the high, and he continues to pepper me with kisses and quiet adorations.
We both take a quick shower together and crawl into my bed naked and spent, and I drift off into dreamless sleep in his strong arms.