A/N: Thank you all for the amazing response to this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter, we have to hit reality at sometime right? Well, Bella does at least. Let's see how it goes.
"Edward!"
Seeing him shocked me to my very core. I ran to him as he stood up, throwing our arms around each other. He lifted me up in the air, holding me tight.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
"I didn't want you to drive all that way by yourself. I got us into this, right? I needed to come down and help you." He kissed the side of my head.
I leaned back looking at him. So many emotions ran through my mind as I stared into his eyes. Before I could say or do anything, though, a not-so-subtle clearing of the throat came from behind me.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Edward set me down, and I leaned back, keeping one arm around him. "Angela, Ben, this is Edward Cullen. Edward, Angela and Ben Cheney."
Angela stepped forward, pushing me out of the way and hugging Edward. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Been listening to Bella talk about you for two years!"
Ben smiled at the exchange, winking at me. I laughed, along with Edward, as he hugged her back.
"Edward showed up about an hour after you guys left. We've been getting to know each other. I didn't want to disturb your girl's day out." Ben was a quiet, but amazing man. He knew how important today was for us.
"Thanks, Ben. Ang and I appreciate you." Angela disconnected from Edward, who came back to me, putting his arm around me. "Did you guys eat dinner yet?"
"No, Ben said you two would be back soon so we should wait."
"Why don't we go out?" I asked, looking around me. Everyone agreed, so we decided to drive to Old Sac. There was a restaurant there that I absolutely loved, so I wanted to eat there before I left: Firehouse. It was a beautiful restaurant just off I-5. It was not a daily restaurant, more a special occasion place. This seemed special enough to me.
Sunday nights in Old Sac were usually pretty busy. The wait for a table was almost an hour, but we sat outside and enjoyed the breeze, and an easy conversation. One thing that I noticed almost immediately is how Edward got along with both of my friends. They discussed things very easily, whether they agreed or not. With my husband – soon to be ex-husband, and I needed to start training my brain to think that way – he never made an attempt to befriend them. He had talked with them, but only about topics that interested him, nothing that he knew they enjoyed.
"So, you are a biology teacher? Really? Man, I was terrible at science in school," Edward was saying. He and Ben were chatting while Angela and I were listening. "You make the kids dissect frogs?"
"Absolutely! Man, you haven't lived until you get to watch a teenage girl throw up all over the lab table!" Ben was laughing and Edward joined him.
"Oh, man, seriously? Does that really happen?"
"Every year. At least one person vomits all over everything."
"It's nice to see them get along so easily," Angela murmured to me, smiling. "He's beautiful, Bella. I understand why you couldn't resist him."
I snickered. "That's only half the problem, Ang. Listen to him. His voice is amazing, he is kind and funny. He is calm when I panic, he deals with issues swiftly. And man, is he smart."
She leaned in to me, still watching the guys exchanging jokes. "You never had a chance, Bella."
The meal was wonderful. We chatted, we laughed...we just had a great time. Edward fit in to my tiny circle so well it was like he'd been there all along. Like he'd known us forever. While we were eating, Edward's hand was on my thigh, and it was honestly very distracting. His fingers ran lazy circles on my leg, causing me to shiver in anticipation the whole night.
It was almost midnight by the time we got home from the restaurant. By then I was totally amped up. He knew it, too, I could tell. His eyes were dark as he looked at me, switching the guest room light off. We both got on the bed at the same time, laying facing each other.
"I can't believe you came," I whispered, just as he leaned toward me. His kiss seared into me, spreading warmth throughout my body. After a few mind-blowing kisses, he leaned back slightly, kissing my nose and leaning his forehead against mine.
"I'll always come for you, baby," he whispered. "I couldn't let you do this drive alone. And now, we get even more uninterrupted time together."
"You are amazing, you know that?" This time, I leaned back. I stared deep into his eyes, pouring all the love I felt for him into that single gaze.
"Where did he hit you, Bella?"
I raised my hand, and touched my cheek. The bruise had vanished a while ago, but I could almost still feel the sting. The sting of betrayal, worse than I had done to him. The man I was supposed to love; I scoffed to myself. I should have never let myself fall in with that man. Even my father knew something was off about him. For the millionth time, I wondered what my life would have been like if we had never married.
Edward leaned forward and kissed my cheek where my hand had been. Then he kissed to my ear, and whispered, "I promise, I swear, I will never touch you in anger for the rest of our lives. I will never make you feel the way he did. When I touch you, I want you to be happy and excited, never scared. Do you hear me, baby?"
Tears were falling down my cheeks as I nodded. He kissed my cheek again, then my nose – which made me laugh – and finally back to my mouth. His arm came around me shifting me closer to him, rubbing down my back.
"I hear you," I said when he finally let my mouth go. He kissed down my neck and onto my shoulder.
"Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Edward."
"You know I would never hurt you? You know how much I love you?" His hand palmed my breast and a moan escaped my mouth.
"Yes, Edward. I know..." I breathed slowly. "I love you so much, Edward."
He shifted so he was leaning up a little, taking my shirt off with him. My hot skin cooled when the air hit it, but I didn't have time to notice. He reached over and took his own shirt off, shifting so he was on top of me.
"I don't want you to be loud, baby. Can you be quiet? We don't want Angela and Ben thinking I'm killing you in here," he said, smirking my favorite crooked smile. I nodded, unable to speak.
Edward kissed me again, but moved quickly so he was kissing down my neck onto my chest. I stifled a moan when his tongue flattened on my nipple, before sucking it into his mouth. His hand brought my other nipple to a painful peak. He continued to kiss me, sliding further down my body until his tongue was circling my navel.
"I wanted to do this the night we were together, but I was so addicted to being inside you I never found the time," he whispered into my stomach. He sat up slightly, taking my shorts and underwear off, kissing my leg softly in the process.
Once I was fully undressed, his tongue came down on my inner thigh, licking up to my center. He laid down on the bed, and used his fingers to open me taking a long lick between my legs, causing me to tremble. By the time his tongue hit my bundle of nerves, I was shaking so hard in restraint at not screaming. Over and over, in a relentless fashion, his tongue attacked me. He circled my clit, flattened his tongue, and finally sucked; by then, I had grabbed the pillow and put it over my face holding in the sounds I was making. But when he slid two fingers inside me, arching them to hit just the right spot, I died. Or at least, that's what it felt like. My head hit the back of the bed and I pulled the pillow so tight over my face I could hardly breath, right as my chest and stomach arched off the bed.
He licked and sucked until I was completely sated, laying back against the bed. Slowly, he pressed kisses to my body as he crawled back up, finally pulling the pillow from my face and kissing me again. I tasted myself on his tongue, but I didn't care. Nothing was breaking the high I was on right now.
"Damn," he said, leaning up a little. "I can't wait to hear you, really hear you. Next time we do that is in our new home, ok? Our walls, no one around. I don't want you to have to hold back ever again." He kissed me again.
I laughed, pushing him up a little, snaking my hands down to push at his shorts. Using my feet, I got them all the way off him. "You may regret that. I can be really loud, you know."
He smirked. "I remember. Sexiest thing I've ever heard in my life."
I laughed again, kissing him as he positioned himself right at the edge of my body. Slowly, he slid in. "Why is that, Edward?" I panted, I could hardly breath or think. His body was just perfectly aligned with mine. Having him inside me again was the best kind of torture in the world.
He started to move, resting his forehead against mine. "Hearing how I make you feel? That I cause you to feel so good you screamed? Baby, you have no idea what that does to me."
My legs wrapped around his body urging him to go faster, but he kept the slow grueling pace for some time. I knew we needed to get some sleep before the long day of driving we had ahead of us, but in this moment, while he kissed me, told me he loved me and moved inside me, I honestly didn't care. Everything he and I had both gone through was coming to a head right now. The conversations with the exes, painful and harsh, the moving out of our respective homes, telling our parents and our friends...none of it mattered anymore.
As I soared up again, feeling my body clenching around him, he dropped another kiss and whispered again how much he loved me. The feeling I had when I came was so overwhelming, tears streaming down my face. Edward followed shortly after, resting his head against my shoulder.
"Fuck, I missed you," he said into my neck, kissing it lightly. He leaned up, finally seeing the tears. He reached up and wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. "What are these? Did I hurt you?"
I shook my head as he shifted his weight off of me, laying down on the bed. He pulled me close to him, and I rested my chin on his chest. "No, you didn't hurt me. You make me happier than I thought possible. Happy tears, Edward."
He smiled, pulling me up so my head was resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me. "That's ok then. As long as they are good tears, baby."
My alarm went off at 5am. Edward's chest was pressed against my back, our legs a tangled mess. His arm was over my side. Instead of getting up, he pressed his body into mine a little more.
"Come on, Edward. Time to get up and get on the road. We need-," He cut me off, by pushing me down on the bed, kissing me hard with his lips. I broke away, laughing. "There will be plenty of time for that. Edward, we have a life we need to start, don't we?"
He smirked, standing up, looking like an Adonis. A naked Adonis. "Then let's get going, woman! Get dressed or we are leaving just like this."
We were both still laughing as we carried out the last of my suitcases into the living room. Angela and Ben were both already up, sitting at the table drinking coffee. We joined them, chatting idly. I was glad that Ang and I had time to say goodbye the day before, or this morning may have been really hard.
Edward and Ben loaded the last of my stuff into my SUV, including my work stuff and his small backpack he had brought with him. I turned to Angela and Ben, a tear leaking down my face. I ran to them and threw my arms around them both.
"Thank you both for everything." I leaned back smiling at them. "I don't know what I would have done without you."
Angela was crying also, as she leaned in to hug me tightly. "Just take care of each other, Bella. He loves you; I can see it written all over his face. I hope he makes you feel that every day."
Ben had gone over to Edward to shake his hand. They were talking, but I couldn't hear anything. I focused on Angela instead. "I know, he already does. This is right, Ang, I can feel it. I know I'm making the right choice."
She giggled. "I know you are, too. Edward is exactly who I thought you should end up with. I just want you to be happy."
"I am."
"Stay that way then," she said, laughing again, bringing me in for another hug. "Love him and have a wonderful new life, Bella. But don't forget about me. Come and see us, and we'll come see you, too. Ok?"
"I promise."
Ben came over to me next, hugging me silently. I watched as Angela approached Edward, giving him a hug. I knew she was saying something to him, because he smiled and nodded.
"I promise, Angela." He looked up at me. "Ready to go?"
We said our final goodbyes, as we loaded into my SUV. I was driving the first leg until I got tired, then Edward would take over. I knew this area a lot better than he did, and he knew Seattle better. Seemed like a good compromise. We were both quiet as we started the trip, which gave me enough time to think. I expected to be really nervous about living with Edward, but that never came. I was nervous about living in a new state, a new town, and going in to the office.
"Crap," I said to myself, remembering that I had been a work from home employee for many years, so I probably needed to go shopping for new clothes before next week.
"What's wrong?" Edward asked, turning his eyes to me.
"Oh, nothing's wrong exactly. I just realized that I needed to go shopping before I go into the office next week."
"Shopping? What kind of shopping?"
"Clothes. I've been a work from home employee for a really long time. I need to get some proper work clothes."
"I bet Alice would take you shopping."
"Your sister?" I bit my lip. I was already nervous about meeting his parents, and now we add the siblings in the mix.
"Yeah. She's sort of a professional shopper," he said, snickering. "I wasn't allowed to buy my own clothes from the ages of twelve to...um, I'll let you know when she lets me."
We both laughed as I turned the car onto the freeway onramp. "I-5 will take us all the way north to Seattle." I smiled a little.
"So, do you want Alice to help you?" he asked, digging out his phone from his pocket.
"What does she know about us?"
"No one hides anything from Alice. She's been waiting for me to finally tell her that I was leaving my wife, and that I loved you."
"Um. What?" I said, eloquently.
"Alice is extremely perceptive, and just knows things."
I laughed again. "That's how I always saw you. Like, I couldn't lie to you about anything. I figured you were just really perceptive."
Edward grinned. "Only with you, baby. No one else has ever accused me of that."
"So, go on. Alice?"
"Right, so she picks up on things that people think and want. Like, sometimes it's really creepy." He shifted a little so he was facing me in the car, staring at me while I drove. "Maybe about a year ago or something we were having dinner with Emmett-"
"That's your brother?"
"Yeah, my older brother. Anyway, Emmett, Alice and I were having dinner and she asked me how things were going at home. I don't even remember what I said, probably like 'everything's fine' or something. She narrowed her eyes, looked at me and asked when I was getting a divorce."
"Woah."
"Yeah, Emmett and I were shocked. I told her I wasn't. And she said, 'but you are in love, right? But you aren't in love with her.' Trust me, it was strange as shit. So, I told her."
"What did you tell her?" I risked a quick glance at him.
"The truth."
"And a year ago's truth was?"
"That I was falling for a coworker."
"Really?"
"Bella," he said, reaching over and placing his hand on my leg. "I told you I'd been falling for you for a while."
"What did they say?" I took one hand off the steering wheel, placing it on his. I laced our fingers together, stroking his hand with my thumb.
"Alice is funny sometimes. She smiled and wanted to know when she could meet you." He laughed. "Emmett is more like Dad. He was just worried about the cheating thing. I told them that I hadn't done anything, and that I did love her. That I didn't see myself cheating."
I was quiet for a moment, absorbing what he said. I knew he loved his wife. Ex-wife. Or soon to be, anyway. It was just still hard to hear it. Like, if I hadn't come along, they would still be together and happy. My happiness at the current situation quickly faded, and I felt guilt creep back in. My life had been awful, and I had wanted out before the Edward situation. But he hadn't felt that way. I had ruined his happily ever after.
"What did you tell her about me?" I asked, willing my voice to sound normal. My insides were churning.
"Recently?" I nodded. "I called her after I told Mom and Dad. I knew she would tell them immediately – not a good secret keeper, my sister – and she was excited. She told me that she wanted to meet you as soon as you moved."
"Wait, she wasn't upset about your marriage?"
"Not at all."
"Why?"
Edward sighed. "Alice never liked her. She always said that I was with the wrong person. As if somehow, she had the ability to see into the future and just know that I was supposed to marry someone else."
He didn't say anything further, so I just kept on driving. My thoughts were consuming me anyway. He said Alice didn't like her...that was interesting. Maybe I would be accepted by the sister? Probably not the brother though. Emmett and Edward's father were both of concern, considering how worried they were about the cheating aspect. I didn't have any answers, so I wasn't sure I could come up with a plan of how to handle this.
"It's beautiful here," Edward said sometime later. He sounded quiet; contemplative maybe. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he was ok, but something held me back.
I glanced around. We were past Redding into the Mount Shasta area of I-5, which was just mountains and green trees everywhere you looked. I loved this part of California. Though, if I was honest, I wished that we had opted to take a little longer and drive up 101. Taking Edward through the Redwood National Forest would have been so amazing.
Again, we lapsed into silence. I gnawed on my lip. We had been on the road for a couple hours already, and I was worried. Worried that maybe I had forced him into a situation he didn't really want to be in. Worried that I had made the wrong choice as a result. Not about leaving my husband. After what he did and how he behaved, I knew that was the right choice.
"Do you want to stop and get something to eat?" Edward asked as we passed a sign indicating a restaurant coming up in a few miles.
"Sure." I didn't know what else to say. I followed the signs that took us to a restaurant outside of Redding called CookHouse. I parked and started walking toward the entrance as Edward came up beside me, grabbing my hand. I didn't know how to pull away without having to explain myself, so I just held his hand tight.
They sat us outside, overlooking the lake. We both were looking at our menus, not speaking. When the waiter came back, Edward ordered some pancakes while I ordered an omelet. Once the menus were gone, we looked at each other.
"What's wrong, Bella? You've been really quiet for a while." He leaned forward, capturing my hand.
"You were quiet, too. I thought something was wrong with you." I squeezed his hand, terror at what I thought was coming building up inside me. "Are you ok?"
"Of course. Tired, but last night was totally worth losing sleep." He smirked at me. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking at it. He typed on it for a minute before looking back up at me. "You sure you are ok?"
I plastered a smile on my face, hoping that I looked convincing. "I'm fine. I'm tired also, but good other than that."
We chatted on and off while we ate our breakfast. For the first time ever with Edward, I felt awkward. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here. Doubt had settled in my mind. As I ate the last bite of my omelet, I glanced up to Edward. He was eyeing me with a curious look on his face.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No. Just...something is wrong. What is it? You seem..." He shook his head, not finishing his thought. He stood up, coming to sit in the chair right next to mine. He leaned in, still staring at me. "What's wrong, love?"
Then I wrestled with the same problem many people have dealt with; so much so that it was almost a cliche. Do I tell him the truth? Or do I lie and say everything is fine?
Part of why my marriage failed was because I never told him how I felt. I hated the lack of intimacy in our relationship, but I told myself that he wouldn't care and I didn't say anything for a long time. When I did bring up issues, they were petty. Which is probably what led him to think our problems were minor, and not worthy of seeing a psychiatrist for.
My decision made, I looked into his eyes. "I'm feeling really guilty right now." I looked down, needing to be able to think and staring into his eyes didn't really help. "Not really guilty, more concerned that I took you down the wrong path. That I may have made a mistake in initiating the move so soon. I could have left my husband, but I didn't need to come here with you, making you leave your life for me.
"I know you love your wife, Edward. I feel like a homewrecker. I'm scared that I ruined what you had with her, for something that's no guarantee."
Edward was silent for a moment. The waiter came up asking if he could get us anything, but Edward asked him to give us a few minutes. I hadn't raised my eyes yet.
"Bella," he said, lifting my chin so I was looking at him. "Let me tell you about my wife. Maybe that will help you understand.
"She and I went to high school together. We were in the same group of friends, always hanging out. Eventually, we were just together. I don't remember either of us really saying 'let's go out' or anything, we just were. We went to the same college, majoring in very different things. She hung out with her friends, and me with mine. We were only together on weekends, though we were at the same school. When college was over, she told me she wanted to get married, so I said ok.
"We got married at the court house, neither of us really wanting a big wedding or anything. Since we got married, we haven't really changed since college. I hang out with my siblings, my friends; she hangs out with hers." He put his hand to my cheek, leaning in a little closer. "I do love her; I've known her for so long, I can't imagine not. But, Bella, I love you so much that it consumes me.
"When we got married, I remember thinking that the all-consuming love was possible. That maybe it would just take time, you know? Like, we would grow to love each other. That we would have consuming passion." He blushed a little. "I was a romantic back then, but I guess after a few years I realized that maybe that wouldn't happen.
"Then I met you. You made me realize that it didn't have to be hard. That, what I was hoping for, may not actually be possible." He pushed toward me, leaning his forehead against mine. "That time wasn't the factor after all. That all-consuming love that I assumed would happen in time...well, I got it wrong. Time wasn't what I needed. I needed the right person."
At this point, tears were streaming down my face. The guilt was still there, but only that I had doubted him once again. My stupid fears had caused problems, for both of us, once again.
"Edward..."
"Shh, baby, let me finish." He kissed my forehead before resting his head against it again. "You were the person I should have been with, and I thought that idly before we were together. But that night made me realize just how true that was. It wasn't curiosity about a beautiful and feisty woman I worked with. It was that all-consuming love that I had searched for, and had come to think didn't exist.
"You brought back the romantic in me, baby. You made me realize just how much love existed in the world – in me! You are the one person that made me understand how true love really worked." He leaned back, looking into my teary eyes. "You didn't force me into anything, baby. I fell right over when you entered my life. It was never a choice. It was always going to be you."
I dissolved into a sobbing mess, throwing my arms around him. I held him tight to me, unable to keep myself from crying. He held me back, pulling me into the chair with him, sitting me on his lap.
"Don't cry, baby. Please?"
"I-I...I'm so sorry, Edward. I doubted you again."
He pushed me away just a little so he could see my face. "Do you understand what I mean, Bella? Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you still love me enough to really give us a try?"
I nodded, leaning my forehead against his. "I love you, Edward. No matter what you had said, that wouldn't have changed." I sniffed, and smiled a little. "You were a romantic? I think you still are. Yes, Edward. I understand exactly what you are saying. And I am so, so sorry for doubting you again."
He kissed my lips; just a short, sweet kiss. "Come on, baby. Let's go home."
A/N: So, just a little bit of a panic for our girl. Sometimes things just eat at you until you let them all out - and even worse is when you didn't understand the full scope to begin with. Well, Edward set her right.
I hope you guys are still enjoying. More coming later this week. In the next chapter we get to Seattle and some questions you have asked me will be answered.
Thanks again to my awesome beta zombified419!