Epilogue (By Hopesparkles)
BPOV
The muted buzzing of a cell phone pulls me out of sleep, but I struggle to open my eyes. I know I can't stay tucked in bed all day, but there is nowhere else I want to be. When it buzzes a second time, I start to roll toward the edge of the bed but find myself immediately pulled back against a firm, warm body.
"Leave it. It's just Alice." Edward's voice is rough with sleep and when I turn my head I find his eyes closed and his face peaceful. If I hadn't heard him speak I would swear he was still asleep.
"She'll be angry," I whispered, brushing my fingers through his hair, earning a soft sigh.
"She'll get over it."
He's right, she will get over it, because she loves seeing him so happy. I press a kiss to his chin and lay my head against his chest as his arms tighten around me, and I remember the first time we were together in this city.
Exactly four years ago.
Getting fired from my job was awful, but that night with Edward was life-changing.
I still can't believe I slept with him on our first date.
Or that he trusted me enough to design his home … and then asked me to live in it with him.
So many things have changed since that night. My vision for sustainable design is a great fit for health and environmentally conscious celebrities, so my freelance skills are in high demand. Thankfully, the fact that I'm not tied to an office or a firm makes it easier for me to work remotely and travel with Edward whenever he films on location. Makes it easier to spend weeks on end at his Grandma Fran's farm in Vermont, who Edward loves with a passion.
The buzzing starts again and Edward groans as he releases me and rolls over, reaching for his jeans and shaking them until the offensive phone drops onto the floor with a thud. He pulls himself upright on the bed while swiping his finger across the screen.
"Good morning, Alice." Edward is silent for the next three minutes, his eyes rolling at regular intervals while his hand slides across the sheet and grasps mine. When he finally speaks, he grins and winks before rolling his eyes one last time. "Of course, you're right, Alice. The blue suit is the right choice. Okay, I'll see you there."
Edward tosses the phone on the bed and leans down to kiss my forehead as I grin up at him. "Let me guess, Alice wants you to wear the blue suit?"
"Yes." He nods. "She still hasn't forgiven me for showing up in the yellow pants and leather jacket. Says I owe her."
I offer my own grin. "At least it isn't the tight, green pants."
Edward's eyes widen, and his jaw drops in mock horror. "We agreed to never discuss the green pants!"
"No, no. I seem to remember the agreement was that I wouldn't mention the photo of you in the green pants if you would model them for me privately. You've defaulted on your part of the bargain."
Edward's gaze goes from incredulous to calculating in seconds. A smile slides across his face as he makes his way to my suitcase, pulling out every pair of panties I brought to Savannah.
"New deal," he says. "I'll wear the green pants for you, in private, anytime you want. In return, I get to choose which of these you wear each day for the rest of this trip." He quirks a brow and waits for my answer.
I don't even need to think about this one.
"Agreed." I hold out my hand. "Which ones for today?"
His smile turns wicked as he tucks every last bit of cotton, satin, and lace into the outside pocket of his suitcase. With a saucy wink, he turns toward the bathroom, whistling a tune as he strides confidently to the door, dropping his boxer briefs just before he crosses the threshold.
God, I love that sweet, sexy man.
An hour later, we're settling into a booth at a local diner for breakfast. We'd discussed whether to go to Pacci for dinner the night before, ultimately deciding that we didn't have anything to prove to anyone after all these years and opted to order room service. We saved the meal out for this morning.
"Pancakes?" Edward asks me, clearly excited about the prospect of the gooey, syrupy goodness.
"Omelette."
"Hmmm. Share?"
I grin back at him, leaning forward over the table as his eyes dart to my lips.
"Hi, I'm Tanya and I'll be your server this morning. Would you … "
Her words fade as she looks first at Edward and then at me, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Obviously, I haven't seen her since that night at Pacci, but Tanya looks the same. Maybe a little older and more tired, but mostly the same. As her eyes harden and her mouth twists in bitterness, I know she is still exactly the same person she was back then.
But I'm not. I'm a different person. I'm happy, successful, content, and loved. And suddenly, I feel sorry for her. She makes her own choices and is the person she wants to be, but I feel sad for her that she chooses to be a bitter, angry, lonely person.
I suppose that is enough of a punishment in itself.
"Coffee, please," Edward says. "I'll have blueberry pancakes, and a veggie omelette for the lady, please. Thank you, Tanya."
He seems so at ease, but the fact that he won't look at her tells me that he remembers her. Tanya nods and pours our coffee without another word and is gone as quickly as she came. Edward offers me a warm smile and reaches for my hand. We sit, quietly observing the people around us as we wait for our meals.
"Will you take a walk with me?" Edward asks as he finishes off my breakfast. I watch as he pulls $100 out of his wallet and drops it on the table.
"That's some tip considering the bill was less than $20." From where I'm sitting, I can see Tanya over Edward's right shoulder. She's watching us with a critical eye, which gives Edward's next words more perspective.
"You think I should stiff her on the tip?" He glances to the side as though he knows she is watching him. "That's what she expects us to do. The way I see it, we can live up to her expectations, or we can exceed them. Who knows, maybe an act of kindness will have an impact."
For a minute, I wrestle with my conscience. On the one hand, I know he's right, and I love him even more for it. On the other, I want her to feel the humiliation I felt at her hands. Realization strikes as Edward takes my hand in his – she felt that humiliation as soon as she saw Edward and I sitting at her table. I smile as he pulls me from my seat, and we walk hand in hand out of the diner.
We don't have much time left on this trip to Savannah. Edward will make one more appearance tonight and our flight leaves early in the morning. We are enjoying our mid-morning walk when Edward suddenly stops and pulls me toward a bench and asks me to take a seat.
I look around and realize this is the same bench where we had our first real conversation. A glance at Edward's face tells me he is in deep thought as he clasps his hands between his knees.
"Bella, I wanted to bring you here because this is where we had our start." I smile, encouraging him to continue, but he is silent for a long while. Finally, he blows out a breath and his eyes meet mine. "I thought this would be the best place for things to end as well."
"What are you saying?" The words barely come out, a whisper of fear and disbelief as Edward holds his hand up to stop further questions. In a smooth, fluid movement, he slides off the bench and onto one knee.
"I don't want to date you anymore, Bella. I want permanence. I want to build a life with you, have children with you, and grow old with you. I want everything with you. I love you, Bella. Marry me?"
Edward's fingers uncurl, revealing a simple, yet stunning diamond solitaire. The sun catches it just right and the sparkle is blinding. I am mesmerized and clearly have taken too long to answer when Edward leans forward, catching my eyes.
"Words. Words would be good here, Bella. One in particular, please."
I hardly get the word out before Edward has the ring on my finger and his lips pressed to mine.
"Wait," I press against him. "Will you wear the green pants?"
"Hmmm, that depends," he grins, "what do you think about Pacci catering the reception?"
A/N - Fran, you have always been my biggest encouragement, cheerleader, editor, corrector, and most of all, my friend in this fandom. It is an honor to have you with me on this journey. I hope this story, from ladies who love you, has brought a smile to you today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!