A/N: Once again, we understand it's been quite a while since our last update, as a lot of things are going on in both our lives, it's very difficult for each of us to find time in our days to write, let alone the inspiration when we do. We will not abandon any of our stories, and will finish, and we greatly appreciate all of you who have patiently waited for us. Do since it has been a while, here is another summary of the last few chapters.

After Edward and Bella moved into their office building and finally consummated their relationship after a acquiring their first clients, Edward's jealous side makes an appearance during a meeting Bella has with a new client. Bella had removed her underwear before the client arrived, due to Edward getting her worked up beforehand, which added to his tension and anxiety, watching the meeting through the glass wall. And it only increased when Mr. Black returned to tell Bella he wanted her on his project and suggested they go out to lunch, leaving Edward very uneasy. And jealous for the first time in his life.

The last chapter had a flashback of the desperate encounter between them when they returned to his apartment after the meeting, and then after a bit of early morning teasing, a sweeter, slow encounter during a thunderstorm.

That catches us up to present, and the story is coming close to conclusion, so hopefully our lives will calm down and inspiration will strike so we can finally complete this. Thank you again for all your patience.


Two weeks later, Bella was seated on her kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal as Edward stood beside her, sipping on a coffee. Normally, they would spend the weekends at his place, but he was having new floors installed in his kitchen, and all the noise wouldn't allow either of them to focus and concentrate. Neither of them wanted to head to the office in the rain. She tried not to show her unease and hint of embarrassment with their surroundings. While she didn't believe for one second that Edward would judge her for the grungy appearance of the grout between her tiles, or the sparse, secondhand sticks of furniture scattered about, it was drastically different from the comfortable, spacious environment of his place. No matter how much she scrubbed and scraped, everything was dingy and stained, but it was all she could afford on her own.

Clearly, she was more bothered by it than he was. Whenever her eyes would flicker over to him, he appeared nothing less than serene and comfortable, even after a night in her small, slightly lumpy bed.

"So," Edward began, tearing her out of her thoughts and setting his empty cup in the sink. "What time is your flight tonight, again?"

Bella felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, placing her bowl beside the coffee mug. "Convenient amnesia, Edward?"

"No, maybe just a justlittle bit of denial, hoping for a different answer this time. Like Jane had changed her mind and decided to do a teleconference instead," he replied in a halfhearted joke, as she can see the sad glint in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave a small chuckle. "Yes, I know, it's only a week and all part and parcel of what we do, but does that mean I have to like you being states away for me?"

"You know, technically, there is only one state between Washington and California," Bella said, tugging on the front of his shirt to bring him closer to her, until he stood between her legs. "And there are at least a half a dozen of them that I can name right off the top of my head between here and New York. I survived that, so I'm pretty sure the odds are in your favor, too."

"Ha ha," Edward replied sarcastically with an eyeroll at her teasing tone, but his arms slid around her waist and he rested his forehead on her shoulder. "I know it's not the first or last time we'll be apart like this, but I miss you being next to me at night, even when you're just here at your apartment. And that's only a short car drive away."

"You men are such babies," Bella answered with a laugh, circling her legs around his hips and pulling him against her. "There is nothing I would like more than to be here with you. I'm going to miss you, too, you know."

"But you can't miss these meetings. They could be huge opportunities for you," he finished the statement for her and lifted his head to meet her eyes. "And this is nothing compared to my Tokyo trip coming up soon." He helped her down from the counter, pulling her against him.

Bella's arm tightened around his shoulders and she rested her cheek on his chest, running her fingertip in light circles over the soft cotton of his t-shirt. It was something she had not allowed herself to actively think about yet, but it was always lingering in the back of her mind. Once the Tokyo project broke ground, Edward would have to leave for as little as a month, to possibly three, to oversee the initial construction and be on site for any modifications needed, per the signed agreement with Toshiro. A sad smile tugged at Bella's lips, but her face remained pressed against him. "Exactly."

Edward's finger hooked under her chin, lifting it so that her gaze met his again. "See, I'm not the only baby here."

Bella rolled her eyes, pursing her lips in mock annoyance. "That is so not the same."

"Only because of the length of time, not how much I'll miss you," Edward whispered, brushing his lips softly on hers.

"Okay, point taken," Bella replied, stealing one last kiss before nudging him again and jerking her head. "Now, move before I start getting tempted to use this kitchen for something other than making sure I've got everything in order before my flight tonight."

"Perfectionist," he muttered under his breath as she pushed away from the counter and crossed the room.

Bella turned by her bedroom door to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Peas in a pod, babe. You wouldn't have wanted me as a partner if I wasn't as much of a perfectionist as you are."

"Can't deny that," Edward responded, walking toward the door to grab his coat. "I have to go get something I forgot at my apartment. Need anything while I'm out?"

"I will love you forever if you pick me up a caffe latte from Starbucks," Bella called out from inside her room.

"Good to know that all it takes is coffee," Edward answered with a chuckle, adjusting the collar of his coat when an envelope on the table by her door caught his eye. There was a bold red "Urgent" stamped on the front, and the return address was that of the main office for Bella's apartment complex. His forehead creased as he picked it up, noticing the flap had been torn open, but he still didn't want to intrude on her privacy behind her back. "Uh, Bella?"

"Yeah?" she replied in an airy voice, but then stopped abruptly as she stepped out of her room to find him holding the envelope. "Oh, that."

Edward's brow tightened further as he stepped toward her slowly. "Oh, that…what?"

Bella drew in a deep breath, holding it until he was standing right in front of her, and let it out in a huff. "My lease runs out next month. It's just a reminder that I'm up for renewal, that's all."

"But this was postmarked three weeks ago, Bella," Edward continued, eying her as she wrinkled her nose and avoided his gaze. "Baby, why didn't you say anything?"

"We've both been busy, and I haven't thought much about it," Bella answered with a shrug, and then rolled her eyes at his skeptical expression. "All right, fine. I've had some things to figure out before I decide on whether or not to renew my lease, and you really have had a lot on your plate lately, and I didn't want to overburden you with this kind of stuff."

"Figuring out?" Edward asked, his eyebrow rising further when she nodded. He fought to hide his smirk as he folded his arms over his chest and bent his knees to bring himself eye level with her. "Okay, where's your list?"

Bella's eyes narrowed at him and she refused to budge for several moments, before letting out a little snarl and lightly stomping her foot, and storming into the kitchen—he knew her too well. Whenever any big decision needed to be made—including going into business together—Bella always made a pros and cons list, weighing out every option. Yet, never had she been so secretive about it. He heard one of her kitchen drawers open and close sharply, and she returned a moment later, crumpling a piece of paper and pinging it off his head. "I wasn't done yet, you jerk."

Edward bent down to pick up the ball of paper, his eyes holding hers the whole time. She was trying hard to appear annoyed, but the twitching of her pursed lips betrayed the hint of a smile trying to break through. He unwrinkled the paper and settled down onto the couch, clearing his throat for effect, and began to read aloud. "Pros and cons of asking Edward about moving in together…really?"

When Edward's eyes rose sharply to her after reading, Bella felt the heat rise from her chest, up her neck, and creeping its way up to color her cheeks. She wasn't usually one to embarrass so easily, but given the topic, it was difficult to control. "I didn't say anything about it because it was still about fifty-fifty either way."

Edward's heart began pounding a little harder, and his eyes returned to the list, anxious to read what she wrote. "Pro, number one—dividing expenses for one residence would be more practical than supporting two. Very true." Edward paused, nodding before continuing. "Con—we've only been dating for such a short time, and Edward could really freak out…Bella."

She shook her head and thrust her index finger at him pointedly. "Don't even, Edward. I've seen what resides in your pants, so you most definitely classify as a man. And the likelihood of a man freaking out over a relationship moving too fast is far more likely than a woman."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from laughing at her explanation, but only half succeeded, finding her glaring at him when he looked back up to her. "Okay, but for the record, I'm not 'freaking out'. Surprised, but not in panic mode. And technically, we may have only 'officially' been together for a short time, but I gave up any thought of all other women the moment you agreed to be my partner in all things, not just when I could officially call you my girlfriend." He gave her a reassuring smile and waited for her to return it, and then read on. "Pro, number two—Edward's apartment is closer to work and more time to sleep in. You do like your sleep."

Bella slumped into the armchair with a "hmmph", her foot bouncing as she crossed one leg over the other. He took that as a sign to read the rest in silence, though he did chuckle at the next "con"—that it was already difficult enough to leave his bed in the morning, even when she had to go to her apartment for something, and with no incentive, she might not be as motivated. Her uncomfortable shift in the chair caught his eye, clueing him in that she knew exactly what he was reading.

Edward scanned halfway down the list before he let it fall into his lap, releasing a sigh. "Bella, I don't think there is a need for me to finish reading this list. There's one pretty good deciding factor on here already."

"There is? What?" Bella asked somewhat nervously, swallowing hard as he held out his hand to her, beckoning her to him. His expression was indecipherable as she rose and threaded her fingers between his, before he guided her onto his lap.

"This one, right here," he whispered, pointing with their joined hands about halfway down the list, and she smiled at the item in the "Pro" column—"I really want to", underlined twice. She closed her eyes and leaned her temple against his forehead, feeling his lips brush against her cheek. "That is the most important point of all. Well, that and I'm pretty cool with that prospect, as well."

Bella nudged him lightly in the stomach with her elbow but chuckled as she turned her head to look at him. "You're sure? We can always talk about it more when I get back. There's no rush in making this decision."

Edward gestured for her to stand, only to motion for her to return to his lap, straddling his legs so they were face to face. His hand rose to graze her cheek with his thumb, and he kissed her gently before speaking again. "Bella, I'm pretty certain I was already well on my way to that decision the first time I woke up with you next to me in my bed. I want you there every morning, and not just before you head back to your place." He placed another kiss on her cheek. "In fact, it was just two weeks ago that I realized how much I wanted my bed to become our bed and how my kitchen should be our kitchen."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Considering your skills in the kitchen are limited to three meals, and I'm pretty sure they all involve the microwave, you mean my kitchen." There was no mistaking the smile on her lips.

"Your kitchen," he amended, tightening his hold around her. "I had planned on asking you to move in with me in the near future."

"Really? How soon?"

"When you returned." He brushed his lips along her jawline, loving the feel of her in his arms. It was moments like this he'd miss the most while she was away. "I had a whole speech planned out and everything."

She rolled her eyes. "And you call me the perfectionist." His hands started to wander, but he knew their time was limited. "We'll have to go over what bills to split and such." She looked around the living room. "I can give away my furniture, since you already have nice things."

"Not too manly," he teased. She shook her head. "How about I start packing your things, so by the time you return, you can decide what needs to go where?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"If it gets me endless mornings with you sooner, then yes."

She hummed as she pressed her lips against his. "How can I say no to that?"

"I do make it rather difficult." He smiled up at her and knew right then it wouldn't be long before her mailing address would match his, and if he played his cards right, so would her last name.

Well, maybe he could convince her to hyphenate.