"Bella...love...will you please open the door so we can talk?"
I stood there silent, waiting for a response. Bella and I hadn't ever had a fight like this. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Seeing as I had never had a relationship with another woman, vampire or human, I didn't have a point of reference.
I waited outside the door for several hours, but no response from Bella. I decided to do the only thing I could, I called my brother.
"Hey Edward, what's up? How's Alaska? See any good bears up there?" Emmett chuckled into the phone, always so lighthearted.
"It's good. I can't really chat right now though. I need some advice."
"Sure, shoot, what kind of advice?" He asked curiously. It was rare that I went to Emmett for advice, but he had the most experience in taming a wild female heart – Rosalie's.
"Bella seems to be upset with me, and I'm not entirely sure why. We were enjoying a quite evening at home and out of the blue Tanya showed up at our door" Emmett let out a snort, but I continued, "I certainly didn't invite her, but didn't want to be rude. I knew she had come to size up Bella. I think Bella could sense my discomfort and basically kicked Tanya out, but in a polite way. Then she stormed out of the room and now she won't speak to me!" I said confounded
Emmett started laughing on the other end of the line, "What's funny about this?" I asked annoyed.
"Let me ask you this Edward, how much did you tell Bella about Tanya before this?" amusement in his voice.
"I don't know, the basics I guess, that we had lived with her and her family for awhile. I didn't see any reason to tell her more." Not understanding where his line of thought was going.
"Did you tell her that Tanya was obsessed with you?"
"Well, obsessed is a little strong of a word," Emmett snorted again at that. "I told Bella that Tanya had shown interest, but that I politely let her know that I was not interested in her romantically."
"So, I am assuming that you didn't mention to Bella that Tanya is one of the most beautiful vampires, in probably the whole world, I mean other than Rosalie of course." Emmett said under his breath.
"Why would that matter? Bella knows I love her, that's what matters. I don't see where my history, or lack there of, with Tanya or her beauty come in to play."
"Edward, Edward, you have a lot of learning to do about woman. First of all, it doesn't need to make sense for them to get mad about it. Secondly, even though Bella knows that hers is the only mind you can't read, she still expects you to understand exactly what she is thinking, and why all of the time.
"Bro," he said still chuckling, "you are now eternally bound to the most irrational creature, a woman. If I had to guess, Bella was jealous. But instead of telling you that so that you could explain to her that there is no reason for it, she just got mad. I have seen that sort of irrational response from Rose." He was still lightly laughing to himself, probably remembering the many times he has had to dig himself out of this sort of hole. I thought I heard Rosalie yelling in the background at him.
"So, what did I do wrong?" I asked, totally perplexed.
"Probably nothing, that's the kicker." Emmett's voice was still smiling. "But you're going to have to grovel to make it right."
"But if I didn't do anything wrong…" Emmett cut me off.
"Doesn't matter, to her you were still wrong and that means it's up to you to fix it. Good luck with that one! I would suggest buying her a new car, but I know Bella isn't into that stuff.
"Oh, but the good news is, once she does forgive you, make-up sex is the best!" he said with a little too much enthusiasm. I'm certain images of Rosalie quickly overtaking his thoughts.
"Thanks Emmett." I said sarcastically and hung up.
I wasn't sure if that conversation had cleared anything up for me. I stood there shaking my head for a moment.
"Bella, love, can you please come out and talk with me? This is silly, I don't even know why you are upset with me." I whispered to the door, my hand pressed against it, trying to come to terms with how I was going to fix this situation that apparently was not my fault, but I still didn't want Bella troubled.
I heard her get up from the bed and swiftly swing the door open; the look in her eyes was fierce, with a hint of pain. I'm sure she saw a stunned look in return.
"Really Edward, how could you look at that woman, and then look at me and not understand why I am upset?" All I could think was, what? I must have looked like a deer in headlights at that point. Was Bella really jealous of Tanya? There wasn't even any form of comparison there, Bella was divinely more exquisite.
"Love, I'm not entirely sure why you are upset, but I would really like to make it right, just tell me what I should do?" I tried to approach her, pleading coming from my voice as she stood there, hand still on the door, ready to slam it at any moment.
She let of a big huff of breath and her shoulders sagged. "I don't understand why you would have settled for me…when you could have had…her?" She didn't look at me as she said it, twisting her toes into the carpet.
"Bella how could you ever say that?" I went to her swiftly and pulled her close to my chest, breathing in her scent, I whispered in her ear, "You know that I have only ever had eyes for you. There has been no other woman in my entire existence that interested me, much less could compete for my affections. After all that we have been through, silly girl, you are still unsure of the hold you have on me? How is that possible?" My forehead touching hers, trying to drill the sincerity of my words into her.
"I know I am being stupid, but the way that she looked at you, and the snide comments about 'how much fun you guys had'" she said in a high-pitched, disdainful tone, "It made me want to leap across the living room and…rip her to shreds.
"I feel awful for kicking her out like that since she is your friend, but I just couldn't take it!" Embarrassment washed over her face.
"Well, I'm proud of you and don't worry for a second about her. If it had been me in that situation, I probably would have started a fight." Giving her an adoring smile back. A small ting of pain shot through me, remembering that I had been in that exact same situation with Jacob Black and how it nearly ate me alive with jealousy. She seemed to notice the subtle change in my expression.
There was a pause, then Bella dropped her gaze, "I'm so sorry Edward," pain coming from her voice.
"For what love?"
"I can't imagine how you felt all those times with Jacob, in the tent, when I visited La Push. I am still so sorry that I did that to you. I don't know how I will ever make it up to you." Sadness was in Bella's beautiful eyes. We acknowledged long ago that no one, and at the same time, we all were, at fault for that situation with Jacob.
"It's okay. There is nothing to forgive. You never meant to hurt Jacob or me. If you weren't so incredibly irresistible, then we wouldn't have had the problem at all," I smiled. She had chosen me, giving me the ability to so easily reassure her.
I raised her chin with my index finger to meet my smoldering gaze. I wanted my wife, right then and there, to make her understand none of the past mattered, not Jacob, not Tanya, none of it. She acknowledged the desire in my eyes by reaching her sweet, full lips up to meet mine, kissing me deeply, more than we ever could when she was human. I lifted her off the ground and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Our lips never losing their connection as I carried her over and placed her on our bed, letting the weight of me cover her, like a protective blanket. She whispered in my ear, "I love to feel your weight on me, it makes me feel safe and whole."
My fingers ran over her face, through her hair, holding her face tight to mine. I traced her lips with my tongue. She pulled my shirt up over my head, and ran her fingers down my torso, tracing each line, sending agonizingly delicious chills through me. My one hand reached up to caress her breast causing her to let out a small moan.
There was an edge of desperation from both of us, as if we were trying to express physically to each other how much we needed one another, how no one else had ever mattered. We melted into one another, the lines where one body stopped and the other began blurring together. This was our first fight…and our first make-up sex.
"Edward." She murmured into my chest as we lay curled up in bed, sheets all intertwined in our bare legs, pillows and clothes strewn everywhere.
My eyes were closed, replaying each exquisite moment we just shared. "Hmmm," was all I could get out.
"Do you regret at all changing me?" My eyes flashed open at at her words and looked at her in bewilderment.
"I mean…I know that it doesn't really matter, because it won't change anything, but I would like to know what you think." Sincerity poured from her. I saw no sign of edge or insecurity in her eyes. She honestly wanted to know.
I shook my head, pulling her closer to me. "No. I don't. Of course it was excruciating to know that I was the reason you were in so agony, but I knew it would end. There was a small part of me right afterwards that missed your humanity, your flushed cheeks, and your erratic heartbeat. But, they have been replaced with other wonderful things, like…" I could feel the desire coming back, knotting up in my core, "what we just did." I smiled, touching my lips to her forehead. "Although we did it while you were human, and it was wonderful, I didn't realize until after that there was so much restraint still. Now we can completely give in to one another."
"You mean how I am more durable," She chuckled at my terminology.
"Yes, that, and how I have someone to spend my nights with now. I know that I spent them with you before, and I loved all of them, to hear you talk in your sleep, but now is better. Much more interactive." She gave me a soft smile. "And best of all, I am not constantly worrying about who or what is going to take you away from me. It used to eat away at me. I feel an internal peace now that I have never had. Bella, I told you, I am far too selfish of a creature to not want you with me forever.
"Now's my turn, do you…have regrets?"
She thought for a moment. "No, I really don't. Obviously there was some getting use to, but nothing I wasn't prepared for. I know what you mean about the internal peace, because I feel it too. I finally feel past the point where I am waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I am really, truly, so happy being your wife, your lover, your equal."
Her words made me beam. I felt the warmth and love radiate out of me as I pulled her close to my chest. I am not sure what I ever did to be lucky enough to be loved by this heavenly creature, but I don't really care.