Chapter Three

A few days passed and I didn't hear anything from Edward. He didn't call me or text me or even stop by for coffee in the morning. I was a little irritated, but at the same time I was upset – did he really hate the date that much? Maybe it wasn't as good of a date as I thought it was.

Alice stopped bugging me about it after a while, letting me mope in private and not suggesting I call or text him.

The day of Halloween was one of my favorite days to be at work. Alice, Rosalie, and I spent the night before decorating the bakery and the display cases and then we prepare everything for the morning. The day is spent handing out cupcakes like normal, and decorating the cupcakes. At night, we pass out candy and mini cupcakes.

It's so much fun and I love doing it and seeing the kids' faces when I hand them candy and cupcakes.

There hasn't really been a slow Halloween yet, since we are located a few blocks from the middle of Seattle, there's a lot of kids who live in apartments. Most of the stores and shops around us pass out candy, too, so a lot just naturally flock to the street.

It's close to eight at night and all the street lamps are starting to turn on as the night darkens. Alice had turned in early and Rosalie and I were handing out the remaining candy while Rosalie told me all about her relationship troubles with her boyfriend, Emmett.

"I mean…he acts immature a lot and at first it was endearing and cute, but now it's starting to get annoying." She frowns, holding her bowl out to a kid who looks a little too old to be trick-or-treating and put minimal effort into his costume. "I want a serious relationship – we're not in college anymore! I don't want to feel like I'm babysitting my boyfriend."

I nod along, but I don't really listen too closely. I love Rosalie, I really do, she's like a sister to me. But every now and again she'll have this same complaint about Emmett and then the following week he's better and more mature.

And then suddenly she stops talking. "Woah…" She breathes and I glance up at her and then follow her gaze to the two guys walking towards us.

One is a medium build with floppy blonde hair and the other is slightly taller, not as muscular with bronze hair.

And they're both wearing police uniforms.

"Hey, Bella." Edward smiles at me when stops in front of me. "This is my partner – Jasper." He nods to the guy next to him, who smiles and nods in acknowledgment.

Rosalie glances between Edward and me, a confused look slowly being replaced by a look of recognition. "You're Edward…" Is all she says, looking Edward up and down. "So, Jasper…" Rosalie turns her attention to the other officer. "Would you like some coffee?" He nods and the two disappear into the bakery.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice only a little louder than a whisper.

He shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was in the neighborhood, on patrol, and I thought I'd stop by."

I stare at him, dumbfounded. Is he serious? Did he just block the last few days out of his head? Did he forget about when he left me hanging when I thought he was going to kiss me and then didn't call me?

I can't help it – I laugh.

His face falls and he looks confused. "What's so funny?"

Shaking my head, I roll my eyes at him. "You! You don't call me for days after our date – the date where you made a move to kiss me and then just left me hanging! – and then you come here, acting as if nothing's wrong."

"I didn't call, I know." He confesses, looking guilty. "But I've been swamped at work and I haven't had much time to sleep, let alone call."

I feel a pang of guilt in my chest. Of course, he's busy – he's a police officer. He's going to be busy. Ugh, I feel like an ass.

I cross my arms over my chest, not wanting to admit that I was wrong to be angry with him. "You didn't stop by."

He gives me a shy smile. "I was embarrassed after I didn't kiss you."

Looking up at him, I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from smiling. "So, you wanted to kiss me?" When he nods, I sigh. "Why didn't you?" I'm only half an octave away from sounding like a whiny five-year-old.

Edward runs his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. "I…I don't know." He admits. "I don't have an answer for you."

Turning, I grab my candy bowl and head into the bakery. Rose and Jasper are standing by the register, chatting. I can hear Edward following me, but I go behind the counter and he stops. "Bella!" He calls, but I ignore him and go into the back.

There's some conversation going on at the front and then Rosalie appears, looking confused and worried. "Is that the Edward you and Alice have been talking about?" When I nod, she just looks at me and then leans up against a table, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think he's hot."

"Rose!" I cautioned, glaring at her.

She holds her hands up in a defensive manner. "What? He is! And you're pissed at him because he didn't kiss you?"

"And he didn't call me…" I mumble, feeling like a troublesome child under her judgmental glare.

"You showed up half an hour late to the date." She reminds me and I sigh. She has a point and I really have no reason to be mad at Edward – I just feel rejected and it hurt…a lot. "I think you should give him another chance."

I roll my eyes. "You're only saying that because he's hot."

Rosalie smiles and shrugs, nonchalantly. "That's part of it – but the other part is that you two would be a pretty cute couple."

She pushes herself off the table and heads back up front, leaving me in the kitchen all alone.

"Bella…" Edward's standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

Holding up my hand, I stop him from saying anything further. "I'm sorry. I was an asshole and let my feelings think instead of my brain." I cross my arms in front of me, self-consciously. "I was the one who was late and made you wait. If anything, you should be pissed at me." Edward has a smirk on his face and I don't know whether to smile. "And if you're up for it…I would like to have a re-do date."

He makes a big show of contemplating my offer, and then sighs. "I mean…I guess I can go. If you promise not to be late again."

"I promise I will not be late."

We settle on a date for this Friday, and he says that he's going to make dinner so he gives me his address and I promise to be there by seven.

He heads out, Jasper following behind him, and I lock the front door once they're gone. Rosalie gives me a look when I turn around and I just shake my head, a silent warning.

Thursday is a slow day, nothing much happening after lunchtime, so we close early and I'm left to sit in the back office and go through the typical paperwork. Alice and Rosalie are already gone and so are the rest of the employees.

I finish all my paperwork around six and then head back to the apartment. Alice has Chinese takeout waiting for me and I'm so thankful for her. She talks about Jasper – apparently, Rosalie had talked him up to her and had convinced Alice to go on a date with him, assuring her that he was perfect for her. Rosalie was, apparently, better at setting people up on dates than getting her relationship straightened out.

After dinner and cleaning up, I jump into the shower and head to bed early. I'm not as nervous for my date with Edward as I was the last time, but my stomach still spends the night churning uncomfortably.

Friday morning starts off slow and I get excited – I might be able to close early to get ready for my date!

But then, around four, the place started to get packed with students getting out of class and adults leaving work. The phones were ringing off the hook – most of them placing orders for holiday parties throughout December. We had a strict rule about placing holiday orders a few weeks in advance because of how complex they could get.

It was about six forty-five by the time I could escape work and I knew I was still going to be late no matter how quickly I got home and got changed, so I decided to grab a few cupcakes to take to Edward hoping that they would be an acceptable apology.

By seven-forty I was standing in front of an apartment door, holding the white box of cupcakes. I had changed into a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark green blouse, and a pair of black ankle boots.

Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door.

Edward opens it and he frowns when he sees me. "I know I'm late and I am so, so sorry. I am not like this – at all – we were just swamped at the bakery and it's the same excuse I used the last time, I know, but it's true and I understand if you don't want to see me again." I hold the box of cupcakes out towards him. "I brought these for dessert...and as an apology."

He looks at me, glances at the cupcakes, and then looks back at me. I feel panicky – worried he's going to tell me to leave and not to call him ever again.

And then he finally speaks. "Is there a coconut cupcake?" And I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

He steps aside, holding the door open wide, and I feel a thousand-pound weight lifted off my chest.

I walk into a wide-open loft and am greeted by the delicious smell of garlic, parmesan, and chicken.

The loft isn't huge, but it's a nice size for somebody who lives alone. The kitchen is to the right of the door, with a small island big enough for two people, a living room set-up to the left of the kitchen, with an L-shaped black sofa and a flat screen TV hanging on the wall. The bed is back against the furthest wall, close to the only closed off space – which I assumed to be the bathroom.

"So, what are you making?" I ask as Edward places the box of cupcakes on the island and then heads to the stove.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He remarks and I roll my eyes, leaning against the counter next to him. "Have you always been flakey on all of your dates?"

I gape at him, trying to decide whether he's being humorous or not. "No! And I am not flakey – I swear. We've been so busy at the bakery and it gets a lot worse around the holidays, especially Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day. I didn't forget about our date and I was really trying to be on time, but it's my bakery – I own it – which means that I can't just up and leave whenever I want. I need to be there to make sure everything goes well and that the cupcakes are made properly and nobody messes up."

"You own it?" Edward's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and I laugh, nodding. "That's impressive – how old are you?"

"Twenty-four." I narrow my eyes at him. "And how old are you, Officer?" I smirk, unable to hide the humor.

He laughs. "Twenty-six." He looks over at me, tilting his head slightly to the right. "You went out with me without knowing how old I am?"

"I could accuse you of the same thing. And you're an officer, so you should know the problems that may have come up, had I been under age." He shrugs and we both laugh. I continue to watch him as he finishes making dinner. He grabs two wine glasses from a cabinet and a bottle of white wine from the fridge. "Uhh…" I start before he has a chance to open the wine. "Do you have anything else? Like beer? I'm really not a fan of wine."

We sit at the kitchen island to eat and Edward spends most of dinner asking me about my life that we didn't get to on our last date. He asks more questions about my dad, but there isn't much there – Charlie was always a reserved person…which I got from him.

I ask Edward about his job – what he likes about it, what he doesn't – and he seems more than happy to tell me everything about his work. It's easy to see how much he enjoys it.

After we're done dinner, Edward reaches for my plate but I take it before he can grab it. "You cooked, the least I can do is clean." I stand up, taking my plate and his to the sink. He follows me.

"You're a guest and I don't make my guests clean up." He holds his hand out for my dish, but I shake my head. "Bella…"

"How about this?" I hand him the dish towel. "I wash and you dry."

He doesn't argue and it only takes us a few minutes to clean up. After we're done, I grab the white box off the counter and place it on the island. "What cupcake do you want?"

"I'm not really in the mood for a cupcake right now." There's a change in his tone of voice and I turn around to look at him, worried, but then I see that he's staring at me and his green eyes suddenly darken.

Something twists in my stomach and my heart rate picks up speed as he steps closer to me. It's the same reaction I had the last time he did this – right before he didn't kiss me.

When he's standing in front of me, he grips my hips and lifts me onto the counter, making me squeal with surprise. He stands in between my legs and brushes his thumb across my cheek. "Were you upset when I didn't kiss you on our last date?"

I nod, transfixed by his expression and demeanor. I reach my hands out and twist them in his black t-shirt, pulling him closer to me. "Did you want me to kiss you?"

What? He knows that I wanted him to kiss me! What is he doing?

Again, I nod, wanting him to do something – anything.

And then he's crushing his lips against mine and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him so our chests are pressed against each other. I drape my arms around his shoulders, one of my hands fisting in his hair at the nape of his neck.

"Stay the night…" He breathes after breaking the kiss. His nose brushes mine and I can hear my breathing – it's embarrassing, really.

I chuckle and say, "I'm not that kind of girl."

Edward laughs, brushing a strand of my hair away from my face. "Not like that. Just…spend the night."

"Don't you have work tomorrow?"

He shakes his head, his green eyes bright and excited. "Not until tomorrow night."

I agree to stay the night and then I send a quick text to Rosalie and Alice, telling them to open tomorrow morning without me and promising to meet them later in the day. They both send back smartass comments and I'm so glad they weren't in front of me because I would probably hit them both.