Sorry this took awhile. I had it mostly written, but cut it way down. And then the cable modem got zapped by lightening and we were without internet for about a week. I had withdrawl so bad, I could swear I had the shakes...
Twilight isn't mine.
Edward
I stood there with a grin on my face trying to tune out Bella's screeching. She was soaking wet and clad in only a bathrobe. Be still, my heart. Stay down, my dick.
She'd calm down soon. I was used to this shit by now. I did whatever I could to get a rise out of her. Do you really think that I'm really that much of a loser that I don't take care of my building? Nah, I would intentionally let a few things slide in her office and apartment to bring her down here. Otherwise, she was too busy to give me the time of day.
For years, Bella has been our tenant for the office space and adjoining apartment upstairs. Jasper and I owned Cullen & Whitlock's Musical Emporium. We do any and all music here. Sell instruments, give lessons, stock sheet music, operate a small recording studio, and occasionally a few of our staff would perform professionally.
I rarely feel comfortable performing, but I told Bella no one else in this city was better than me, a classically trained pianist with a degree from Juilliard.
Jazz still can't understand why I offered to play at the wedding of the girl who I held a candle to all these years, but what can I say? I'm a masochist. Although I love to annoy the shit out of her, I would do anything to make her happy. Especially on the happiest day in her life. Even though she was marrying some stuffed suit lawyer dude.
Which brings me back to the lady donned in a robe, getting curious looks from the mothers who were dropping their kids off for violin lessons. I glanced at my watch. Shit, it WAS getting late.
"Alright, we'll get on our way. Don't worry Bella, this isn't going to ruin the wedding." Heh. I hope. I started to order a few of my guys to the piano to ready it for moving.
"Nope, this is the last time, Edward. I'm sorry, but you're fired. I can put up with the late repairs on my place upstairs, but my wedding? No way. I'm calling my backup."
"No! Bella, I swear, it's going-"
Her phone rang in her hand. Immediately, she smiled so brilliantly, and I've never seen her look so beautiful. Even though her wet hair was plastered to her face, and even though Icouldn't be positive, I think only one of her legs was shaved, she was the girl I've been secretly composing to for years. God, she was a hot mess. A beautiful hot mess. Another man's beautiful hot mess.
My heart sank as I watched her and accepted reality. Because as I eavesdropped on her conversation, I knew that gorgeous smile wasn't meant for me. It quickly faded and she bit her lip in that adorable way and her brows creased in worry, and I realized that there was a problem with the groom's flight into Seattle. Maybe if he's going to be late, that will let me off the hook with the piano fuckery. I could only hope. I didn't really want her to have any ill feelings towards me today as I surprised her. She thought she was going to be walking down the aisle to Canon in D. But I've been working on a special song just for her. It was the melody that came to mind when I pictured her walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress. Only, I was the one standing waiting for her…
"Secretary, paralegal … who cares! I can't believe this. You're calling me on the morning of our wedding to tell me that you're in love with your goddamn secretary?"
What? Obviously my daydreaming kept me out of the loop and I've missed something important. I glanced quickly at Jazz, and he was standing there with a look of alarm and concern on his face.
Bella slowly closed her phone, and leaned her back against the wall. Her eyes closed and I had no idea what to do. My mind caught up with itself and I realized that she'd been left at the altar, so to speak. I had no words when I saw her face crumple and she slid down the wall and let her head fall into her hands.
There she was, Bella Swan, the most confident and successful woman I knew, broken on my floor in only her bathrobe.
Because I was obviously a dumbass, Jasper had the sense to get her back upstairs into her apartment and away from our store patrons who were beginning to recognize her. He was on the phone with Alice who was Bella's publicist/assistant/BFF extraordinaire. If anyone knew what to do it was her.
Bella finally stopped sobbing, and was staring out the window. I made her a cup of tea, because that's what my mother always does when someone is upset. And I needed something to do. My thoughts were all over the place. Was I happy she wasn't getting married? I wasn't sure. I guess I was happy that she wasn't tying the knot with someone else, but her current dull eyes took the place of her signature sassiness and it killed me.
I pressed the mug into her hand, and she accepted it without a glance at me.
"I'm sure that you're over the moon about this, aren't you?" Whaaa? Please don't tell me that she knew all along I was in love with her.
"Uh… no?" God, I'm a dumbass. That was the first thing I had to say to her after the production downstairs.
She gave that unladylike snort that I lived to hear. "Whatever, Edward. I'm sure that you are dancing inside knowing that Bella the Bitch is finally getting hers."
"What? NO! Bella, believe me, I would never be happy knowing that you're heartbroken. I'm so sorry that it your relationship had to end this way. But we'll figure it out. Uh, Alice is on her way, and she'll make the calls and figure this out for you."
"That's just a fraction of the problem. I'm ruined, don't you see? My whole career is me advising people on how to logically choose their life partner. How to find a compatible match. And now no one is going to entrust their relationship issues to someone who was left on her wedding day! I'm a fraud! I can only hope that my publishers won't sue me for this whole goddamn wedding fiasco."
At that moment, Alice barged in a whirlwind like only Alice can do.
"Oh my God, Bella! How are you holding up? I couldn't believe it, but I know Jazzy wouldn't lie to me about something like this. What can I do for you? Something to drink? Oh, you have tea. Good. Alright. This is okay. This won't be the end of the world. After a few months, this will die down. I'm sure that another celebrity is due for a good unsuspected death. Those are always shocking and they will speculate for years about that. I'm going to call the publishers and have an emergency meeting. All the people who count were coming to the wedding anyway, so we can meet ASAP. We will come up with a good game plan."
Dear God, that woman's voice kept rising until she sounded like she was a chipmunk on crack.
"Alice, cut out the fake optimism. No matter what, it's bad. No good will come from this. The publishers are going to have my ass. I can't believe that Mike would do this. I mean, we were so perfect for each other! He was so stable and dependable. I feel like this hit me from left field."
The girls continued in their Mike bashing, speculating how out-of-character this was. And I thought of an idea. An idea that was crazy. No, I couldn't. Could I? Nah…
But the thought lingered there, even though I knew it was mere wishful thinking. My imagination ran away with itself. And I flashed back to that image of Bella walking towards me in a beautiful white dress…
"-know what you mean, Bella, Mike was more predictable than my bowel move-"
"I can marry you," I blurted out. I looked down and felt my face heat up. Idiot, idiot, idiot…
All was quiet, except for Jazz who actually fell out of his chair. After a full minute of silence, I looked up and met Bella's shocked expression.
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