Chapter Seven
New Year's came and went and I decided to close the bakery for a week after the busy holidays we just had. It had been a major peak in the business, the most orders and requests that we have ever had. It made me proud and I figured people could live if we closed for a week.
The week off also gave me more time to spend with Edward. Alice had Jasper staying over with her, so I crashed at Edward's apartment. He had no problem with it, in fact, he was more than happy to empty out two drawers in his dresser for me.
It was sweet.
One night, I was asleep in the bed, curled up under the covers in one of his oversized t-shirts. I had spent the day with Alice and Rosalie, shopping around for some new outfits and a few new items for the bakery. Edward was gone for a night shift, which left me at the apartment by myself.
Which is why I almost screamed when, around two in the morning, I felt a pair of arms wrapping around my mid-section. I panicked, kicking at whoever it was, and pushing away from them, turning over to see who broke in.
Edward was looking mildly worried while also trying to hide a smile. "Jesus, Edward, you scared the shit out of me." I hissed, feeling my heartbeat in my throat. "You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack." I smack his arm.
He chuckles and then wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to. I got off early and tried not to wake you."
I sigh, burying my face in his chest. "Don't do that again."
He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again." I can hear the smile in his voice and I pinch his abdomen.
When I wake up the following morning, I expect to be wrapped in Edward's arms but his side of the bed is cold and empty. I panic for a moment, wondering if I just dreamed last night happened. But then I hear the TV and glance up, to see him sitting on the couch.
Tossing the blankets off my body, I pad over to the couch and lean over the back of it. "Hey, you okay?" He looks back at me and then back to the television.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep last night. I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, you're fine. The bed just felt a little empty." I give him a smile and he reaches for my hand, pressing a kiss to the backside of my hand. "Come back to bed…" I plead, grabbing onto his hand.
He sighs, smiling, and then stands up and turns the TV off, and follows me back to bed.
Later that week, I head to the bakery to go over some paperwork and get the bills out of the way. The bakery was still closed, so I was the only one in it. Edward had offered to come with me, but then he was called into work for an extra shift and I told him that I was fine – I would be stopping in after dinner and would probably be awhile.
I was in the kitchen in the back, leaning against a table while going through the bills for the month and some more paperwork that needed to dealt with.
The lights in the front were off and I was scared by a knock against the glass window or door, one of them, it didn't really matter. Why was somebody knocking on the glass when the lights were off?
My heartrate sped up and I could feel my hands shake while I waited for something to happen.
There was another knock and I quickly reached for my phone, dialing the first two numbers to 911. My thumb hovered over the one for a bit, listening.
I slowly walked to the edge of the kitchen, staying hidden behind the wall, and try to glance out into the bakery. There's a dark figure standing at the door and I bite back a scream. I press the one and then press my phone to my ear.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"My name's Bella Swan and I'm in my bakery and I think somebody's trying to break in."
"Okay, Bella. What's the address?" I give her the address and she explains that she's dispatching the closest police cruiser, but I need to stay on the phone with her.
My heart is still beating faster than it should be, and I have my back pressed against the wall, terrified to look out into the bakery again, when there's a loud crash and I know that the glass is shattered. I scream and run towards the fridge, shutting myself in it. The woman is trying to calm me, promising that the police are only seconds away.
And then I hear glass breaking under feet and the woman lets me know that the police are now in the bakery. Throwing open the door I make my way out of the fridge and there are two police officers, with their guns up. They drop them. "Seattle police department, are you okay?" The one closest to me asks.
I nod, my hands still shaking. A car door slams outside and then Edward appears in the kitchen, worry and panic written all over his face. "Bella!" He hurries over to me and yanks me into his arms.
"Edward." I sigh, burying my face into his chest – his uniform makes it slightly uncomfortable.
He takes my face in his hands and studies me, his eyes moving up and down my face. "Are you okay? I heard the call come in over the scanner and I was only a few blocks away." He turns and nods to the two officers. "Did you guys check the back alley?" They both shake their heads, decide I'm fine here with Edward, and head out the back door.
"I'm f-fine. Just shaken up." I try to laugh it off, but I nothing comes out. I let Edward pull me back against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me.
"Come on," he says, starting to walk me outside. "I'll take you back to my apartment." His voice is tense and I notice that he's holding onto me just as tightly as I'm holding onto him. "My shift's over, so I just have to shoot by the station to clock out and change." I don't say anything, just nod my head, and let him direct me towards his cruiser.
When he shuts my door, I'm about to get back out to lock up, but then I see that the entire front door is shattered, all the broken glass lying on the ground outside and inside. My bakery…
I feel Edward's hand on my knee, squeezing it reassuringly. "Don't worry. They'll have somebody stay on lookout, make sure nothing's stolen."
I make a mental note to call the insurance company first thing tomorrow morning to get the door situation fixed. "You should think about getting a security system…" Edward says, his eyes focused on the road but he still looks tense.
"It's not a bad neighborhood…" I say, a little too defensively.
He chuckles, shaking his head. "I know that, but most businesses have some sort of security system to alert the police about a break-in when nobody is there." All humor suddenly disappears from his tone and face. "I don't want anything like this to happen to you again. Or something worse."
Oh, Edward. Caring, over-protective, Edward. My chest suddenly feels warm, but I don't smile at him.
"It was a random thing. The guy was probably drunk."
He shakes his head, turning into the station's parking lot. "I don't care. You're important to me and I have seen way too many random events turn deadly."
I just cross my arms and he rolls his eyes, as he shuts off the cruiser and we both climb out of the car. I follow behind him into the station, around corners and into a plain room like resembles a college classroom – a projector in the back of the room and three rows of tables with chairs. He clocks out and then I follow him out of the room again, this time stopping in front of the locker room. "I'll be out in a second." He says and then disappears.
I wander around the hallway, looking at some of the pictures. There's a big plaque with a bunch of officers' pictures with their names under them – some of them are familiar, mainly because of Charlie, but most of them I don't know until I get to the bottom where both Jasper and Edward's names sit.
Edward's picture is so serious that I can't help but laugh.
"What're you laughing at?" I jump at the sound of Edward's voice, not having heard him approaching.
I point at his picture. "You look so serious."
He wraps an arm around my waist and drags me away from the pictures. "Alright, enough making fun of me." We walk outside and head to his car. "Do you want to go back to your apartment or are you fine staying with me tonight?"
The petty side of me wants to tell him to take me back to my apartment, because I am still mad at him for thinking that I'm not capable of defending myself, but I also know that if I do go back to my place, Edward would be up all night worried about me.
"I can stay with you." I say, avoiding his eyes by looking out the car window.
When we pull up outside his apartment, I barely wait for him to park the car before I jump out of it and head up to the door. He's a few paces behind me and enters his code to get into the building.
"Are you going to be pouting all night?" He asks as we make our way up the steps.
"I am not pouting." I hiss, glaring at him when we come to a halt outside of his door. He has a grin on his face and I bite the insides of my cheeks. I am not going to let him see me smile when I am mad at him.
As soon as he opens the door, I make my way to the couch and sit down, pulling my legs into my chest. "Bella, please…" Edward sighs, perching on the edge of the coffee table in front of me. "Is this about the bakery?"
Shrugging, I rest my chin on the tops of my knees. "I guess, but then you came in about the stupid security system and you're being overly protective."
His head drops down and he runs his hand over the back of his neck. "Bella…"
"No! Edward, don't. I get why you're protective – it's just a part of you and I love that about you, but I am an adult. I can take care of myself and I have been. My bakery wasn't targeted, it was a random thing. I've had it for four years and this is the first time this has happened. Nobody is going to go after a bakery."
Sighing, Edward looks back up at me. "My job makes me extremely paranoid, Bella. I see things that I really don't want to see and it makes me sick and terrified for my friends and family. But it has nothing to do with how paranoid I am about something happening to you. When I heard about the break-in at the bakery, my first thought was the worst thought."
My chest feels tight and I sit up, placing my feet on the floor.
"I am protective of you because if something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Reaching forward, I grab his hands and press my lips to his knuckles. "Edward, nothing will happen to me. I'm more worried about you getting hurt."
He shakes his head. "Silly girl." He chuckles and I roll my eyes. "So, we've established that we're both worried about each other…"
I smile and he lunges towards me, trapping me under him on the couch. "Am I forgiven?" He asks, pressing his lips to my neck. "Am I?" He asks again as he presses his lips under my chin. "I just want to know that you're safe. I care about you a lot, Bella." He trails kisses from my neck, up to my temple and then he stops millimeters from my lips. "I love you." He says, his green eyes burning into mine.
I'm breathless, staring at him and I can see the panic slowly starting to take over him. "I love you, too." His body sags with relief and then he crushes his lips to mine.