Chapter 28 – Life Goes On

We walked into our hotel room, and I watched intently, as Edward worked off his tie. I knew it would be the first of many pieces of clothing to come off of him, and I couldn't wait.

"So, you're wearing a wedding dress," he mumbled nervously.

"Yes, and you're wearing a suit."

"Are you going to take it off?" he asked shyly.

"Well, I'm not leaving it on," I teased.

"Can I help you?" he asked hopefully.

"I think that'd be a good idea. I'm not sure if I can get out of this thing on my own. Will you need help with your suit?"

He looked down at his cummerbund and then back at me. "Probably with this thing," he said, pointing to it.

"Who should go first?" I asked teasingly. His eyes focused on my breasts, and I smiled, thinking about the undergarments I had on. If I went second, they'd be quickly discarded and underappreciated, but if I went first, I could taunt him while I undressed him. I turned around and waited for him to grab my zipper. He leaned forward, kissing my shoulder and neck. Then he paused to smell the flowers in my hair. "You're going to have to help me get those out as well." He plucked one out of my hair then reached around and tucked it between my breasts. "That wasn't what I had in mind, but it works."

My dress opened and fell to my hips. His sharp intake of air let me know he liked what I was wearing underneath it. I shimmied a little and stepped out of my dress and hung it up, all the while feeling giddy with the way his eyes were burning into me.

"Your turn." I pushed the jacket off of his shoulders. I was sure heavy breathing was catching, because we were both doing it, and we hadn't even gotten to the good part of the night yet. I reached around him and unbuckled his cummerbund. When it fell away, I went straight for his pants zipper. It was then that I noticed his hands were shaking, as he settled them on my shoulders. "You'll need to take your shoes off," I instructed.

I had yet to take off mine, because I didn't need to remove them to get out of my dress. Edward nodded and then started hopping around, trying to pull off his shoes without sitting down. I finally just shoved him down on the bed and grabbed his foot. I easily untied it and then tossed it over my shoulder, then moved to the next foot and did the same. He was breathing so hard, I was worried he might pass out. He sat up and ran his hands down my side, feeling the satin and lace. He made us switch places, and I was sitting on the bed, with him standing in front of me. He gently started to work the flowers out of my hair, while I slowly unbuttoned his shirt. When I reached the top, he stepped back and pulled it the rest of the way off.

"I'm almost done with your hair."

I nodded and let him get back to work. He had plucked the flowers all out and tossed them across the bed, leaving it littered with flowers and petals. His fingers wove into my hair, and he pulled me to his lips. We kissed softly, and it slowly became more heated. I tugged on his boxers, making him fall over me. He was surprised at first and asked if I was okay.

I giggled. "I'm more than okay, but if you want to kiss me better, feel free."

I scooted up the bed and coaxed him to follow me.

"I've never done this before," he whispered nervously.

"Me, either," I smiled, thrilled we'd be learning together.

He grinned and nodded, but his hand still shook, as it ran over my body. "I don't know how to take this off," he confessed.

I guided his hand to the hooks that held my bustier shut. If I'd thought he'd get it off smoothly, I would have been mistaken. He ended up straddling me, fighting two-handed to get all the little hooks undone. I thought about doing it for him, but I worried it'd embarrass him or make him feel inadequate. He let out a sigh of relief, when he finally got it all open. He looked down at my exposed body and licked his lips. "Can I…?" he squeezed my side in his hand, his eyes focused on my breasts.

"Yes." I knew what he was asking. Once his lips touched my body, they didn't leave my skin until I was crying out his name. We were finally both all the way undressed, underwear-free, when he stopped what he was doing.

"I'm not sure I can do this right," he worried.

"I think you'll do fine," I tried to encourage him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered, his eyes letting me know the truth in his words.

"It'll be worth it." His brow furrowed. I was sure he didn't believe me. "Edward, it's worth it to me. A little pain to be that close to you will always be worth it. Luckily for us, it's only supposed to hurt the first time, right?"

"I'm not sure I can last very long."

"That'll be a good thing. Quick, with only a little pain, sounds perfect to me."

His eyes softened, and he kissed me sweetly. "Okay, I think I can do this now."

True to his word, he was quick, and thankfully, I only felt a slight pinch. The best part of it all was being in his arms and knowing I'd be his forever. I never wanted to let him go.

We spent the next few days in bed, learning together. Edward's determination to make things good for me made our honeymoon awesome. We both dragged our feet, when it came time to return to reality and get back to work.

He kissed my pouting lips, as I packed our bags. "You know, we can do this stuff at home, too," he said with a light blush.

I leaned up and kissed him. "Heck yeah, we're doing that at home."

He laughed at my enthusiasm, but I knew he agreed with me.

Our first day back to work was a bit embarrassing. There was a little teasing about what we had done on our honeymoon, and Edward handled it well, red-faced, but well.

We had yet to discuss having kids. I was on the shot, so it'd be a little bit before we could start trying for a baby, if that was what he wanted to do. Edward had yet to mention it, and I hadn't gathered enough courage to talk to him about it. I was so sure that having children was part of his dream, but they never once came up in conversation after the wedding.

Things had quieted down at the shop, and though I was sure we still had a second vandal, Edward wasn't so sure. "It's been several months, and nothing has happened. Ever since Jessica and her mother were arrested, everything has run smoothly," Edward said, brushing off my worry.

That was the other reason I hadn't brought up the idea of having kids yet. I wanted to be absolutely sure that our vandal was gone, and our children would be safe.

"It just doesn't make sense. Why would Jessica vandalize Emmett's truck, and why not admit to it? She confessed to breaking the window when confronted about it."

"Well, the cameras are still up, if something happens, we'll catch it," he tried to soothe me. I just really hoped nothing would happen.

Emmett invited himself over for dinner and surprised us with an apartment application.

"I don't understand," Edward said, looking down at the paper, confused.

"You need a tenant, and I need to be closer to Rosie. It seems like a good fix to me," he said with a shrug.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea." I was so relieved that it wasn't Alice we'd be renting to. I knew Edward was on the verge of caving in to Jasper's pleas.

"Alright, I guess that's settled then. Let me know when you need me to help you move," Edward said with a smile. He had to be the sweetest man. There was no question in his mind that he'd be helping his brother move. I think they were good for each other, and I looked forward to having a cheery Emmett underfoot.

As soon as word spread around the shop that Emmett was moving into Jessica's old apartment, Angela pulled me aside. "Can I speak with you in your office?"

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, a little nervous.

"I didn't want to bring it up until I knew for sure you had another renter, but Ben has asked me to move in with him, and I kind of want to," she cringed, like she was worried I'd yell at her.

"That's great, Angie. Ben is a great guy."

Her smile was instant at my words, and her face glowed. "He really is. I think he's the one, Bella. I mean, really, it's for good."

"I'm so happy for you. If it's alright, can you let me look at our finances, before you break the lease? If we can just get someone to rent the house-"

She cut me off. "Ben plans on buying out the lease. We didn't want to leave you in a bind, but I know you didn't want the house vacant," she worried her lip.

"We'll figure something out. Don't worry about it. You just worry about where you're going to find moving boxes!"

She hugged me. "Bella, you're the best, and when Ben gets up the courage to pull that ring out of his sock drawer and ask me to marry him, I want you to be my maid of honor."

"Definitely! Now, tell me about this ring."

She squealed and bounced. "Oh, my heavens, it's freaking huge. I was helping him with laundry the other day and went to put his socks away. The boy is a neat freak and has them all lined up just so. I was struggling to get the socks in and match his pattern, and as I was squishing the socks around, I heard a thunk in the back of the drawer. I couldn't believe it. It's so beautiful. He doesn't know I know about it yet, though. I think moving in together is the next step to his proposing."

"You've got to call me as soon as he does," I insisted.

There was a knock on the office door, interrupting our giggle fest of girl talk. "What are you troublemakers up to?" Jasper teased. "You both have customers waiting. Aren't you supposed to be the one telling us to get back to work, boss lady?"

"Yeah, yeah, back to work," I waved him off. It was time to get back to work for us, too.

That evening, as I cleaned the shop, I tried to think of who I could rent my little house to. I finally called Billy to let him know what was going on. He had always helped me take care of my home.

"Little Bell, how is married life treating you?"

"Great, I'm really liking it. We've rented the last apartment to Emmett, Edward's brother, but now I need to find a new renter for the house."

"In Forks?"

"Yeah, Angie is moving in with her boyfriend, Ben. They're buying out the lease, so I'm not going to be out the money, but-"

"You don't want the place vacant. Don't worry, honey, we'll figure it out."

"Honey? Wait, is that Bella? Can I talk to her?" I heard Jake beg.

"I don't think now is a good time, Jake," Billy said dismissively. "I should go, honey. I'll call you back later. I love you."

"I love you, too, Billy. Talk to you soon." I hung up and let out a sigh. I knew he got off the phone for my benefit. He wouldn't call me back until Jake was gone, and I was okay with that. I didn't think I was ready to talk to him, even if he was sorry and trying to be nice in a normal kind of way. It'd be a while before I ever trusted Jake again.