Kiss the Bride

Chapter 2

EmPOV

I was staring at Rosalie, wishing like fuck that I could read her, so that I could find out what in the hell she was thinking.

"What the fuck just happened?" she asked me, for which I wish I could give her a straight answer.

"Sorry maam, just got a little carried away there. It won't happen again," I told her. My head was at odds with my heart on this one. I wanted to grab her and drag her out of the room, away from this place and keep going until it was just the two of us. That was my heart. My head was telling me that she was a social climber who would most likely sell her best friend for a picture in the society pages.

"Well, just don't do it again." She looked flustered, like she would like nothing better if I did it one more time. She turned on her heel and raced out of the room, all the while calling for Bella to join her.

"Edward," I called to him. He had been cosying up to Bella through all of this and probably had no idea of the fucking mess that I had unwittingly put myself in.

"We've got to get out of here now." I needed to just get away, clear my head and get my shit together.

"No way bro. Bella asked us to stay for a bit and there is no way that I'm leaving a girl like that hanging." A look at Edward told me that there was not a chance in hell that I could make him leave. I could always drag his runty ass out but knew then that I risked seeing my photo in full cop mode all over facebook and myspace. That was not going to happen.

"Please Ed, I fucked up and we need to go." I thought I would appeal to his sensitive side.

"Normally I would Em, but not tonight. If you need to get out of here, fine, but I'm not budging. What the hell did you do that warranted a getaway?" If I told him he might sympathise and get me the fuck out of here.

"I kissed the bride." Simple. If only.

I was met by laughter from Edward. That and a hand held up for a high five.

"No, nothing remotely funny about it. She is getting married next week. To Royce King of all people. The biggest fucktard for miles." Raised eyebrows was all I got from Edward.

"Big deal, it's not like she's going to tell him or anyone for that matter. Besides, she looked pretty trashed to me, she probably won't even remember. Just hang around for a bit and chat to someone else." That would be fine if I could forget about it. I don't think that I could be in the same room as Rosalie and not talk to her, make her smile, laugh and scream my name in the throes of passion.

"Edward, don't make a big deal about it ok, but I think that there was a moment between us. I want her, but I can't agree with what she stands for. She's got to know what Royce is like and she obviously doesn't care. What does that say to you? She's after the name and money and it leaves a god awful taste in my mouth." Just thinking about it made me angry, who the fuck thinks that way?

"Look, let's go find Bella and talk to her. She is very down to earth and I can't imaging that she would be friends with some gold digger. I'm sure there is another reason and then you can think about it, when you have all of the facts." He was dragging me off towards the kitchen, the last place we saw Bella headed.

The closer we got to the kitchen, the more we could make out the hushed voices. Edward confirmed that it was Bella and Rosalie and they were apparently discussing what had happened between us.

"I know what I felt Bella. I can't explain it. When I looked in his eyes I felt like I'd known him a lifetime, not 30 minutes and I'm pretty sure he felt it too." I knew that it wasn't just me, we did have a connection but the question was, was it worth pursuing? Edward was giving me the thumbs up. God he's a dork sometimes.

"Rose, you're marrying Royce in a week. I thought that you were committed to this?" Bella asked Rosalie, and I was dying to hear the answer myself.

"Bella, Royce and I have been together for 2 years and he has treated me with nothing but kindness and love. I do love him but that spark that I just felt, I have never felt that with Royce. Hell, I didn't know that I could feel that." Edward nudged me, winking and slapping my back. I did say he was a dork, right?

"See bro, she's not after his money, she loves him but it doesn't sound like she is really sure. If you think she's it for you, you need to speak up." As much as he was an annoying shit at times, it seemed like he was right, but I didn't have the faintest idea of how to even start.

I was about to walk into the kitchen and make our presence known, when Rosalie spoke up again.

"Besides Bella, he's a stripper. I mean, a goddamn stripper for fuck sake. How would that look, my parents would disown me and no matter how hot he is, could I even be ok with that? He wouldn't make much money, although he is very good at his job." This last statement was met with giggles. I was anything but laughing.

One look at Edward told me that I had indeed heard correctly, and it was exactly like I thought. I guess I could think myself lucky that I didn't walk in there straight away and make a fool of myself. Rosalie was after money, and lots of it, and a mere stripper couldn't provide her with the kind of prestige that she was after.

I was of course forgetting the fact that I wasn't in fact a stripper. That the truth was that I could own Royce and his family and still have money left over to buy a not so small island in the South Pacific and spend the rest of my life living in luxury. This was not the point. The point was that yet again I was proven correct, and it was the only time that I didn't want to be.

I grabbed all of my gear together and told Ed that I would meet him in the car. He nodded in agreement and said he would be down in five. While I waited I remembered the kiss, the stare but it was all soured by her words. Rosalie Hale would just be a memory from now on.

Edward arrived about twenty minutes later but I was grateful for the fact that he came at all. He didn't tend to meet too many people that 'got' him and it seemed like him and this Bella chick really hit it off. Maybe one of us would get something out of tonight.

"Sorry to take so long, I just couldn't leave her side. I got her number and we are going to catch up on Monday for lunch on her break. She works in some art museum downtown not far from the office so it has all worked out rather nicely." It was good to see him smiling for a change. He is far too serious for his own good.

"Sorry about Rosalie man, I didn't pick it and I know that you were hoping for something more. Don't worry, when the right one comes along, you'll know, just like you're always saying." He was trying to make me feel better but it wasn't working. I knew that I would obsess over this, or should I say her, for days, weeks. Fuck this, I am never playing poker again.

Needless to say, I did think of nothing else for the rest of the weekend. I arrived at work on Monday, grumpy and short tempered, two things I can honestly say I rarely am. I have never been so glad that I have my own office where I can shut out the rest of the world and continue my downward spiral.

I worked through lunch and heard a knock at my door mid afternoon.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Edward poked his head around the corner.

"No man, come on in. What's up? Are you here about the buy out?" We were in the middle of buying a small but mismanaged shipping company and things had not been going terribly smoothly. My dad had thought it was all black and white, but now the owners of said company were digging their heels in and making ridiculous demands. Theirs was a family business as well and they were trying to retain some pride and dignity. I could understand where they were coming from, to a degree.

"Not at all, this has got nothing to do with business. I just had lunch with Bella. Isabella Swan, even her name is beautiful, don't you think?" Oh yeah, he had it bad. Away with the fairies bad.

"So I take it that all went well. Does she know who you are?" Call me sceptical if you like, I didn't want to see my little brother taken advantage of. If I could spare him any of the heartache that I went through in the past, then I would walk over hot coals to do that.

"That's the thing, I told her and she hadn't heard of us. She is unlike anyone I have ever known Em," he gushed. I hope to god that she wasn't lying.

"Has she been living under a fucking rock for all of her life? How can you live in Seattle and not know the Cullens?" I know it sounded like I was being egotistical but it wasn't like that. Quite simply, rarely a day went by when one of us wasn't mentioned in either the papers or on the television.

"Emmet, she's only been living in Seattle for a few months, she is from a really small town about 4 hours away from here and pays absolutely no attention to things like that. She's fucking perfect." I hoped to God that she wasn't playing him; I didn't want to go all grizzly on her and tear her to shreds.

"If what you say is true man, then congrats. I don't think I've seen you this happy in…well forever actually. It suits you. And besides that, she's smokin'." That part was true. If it wasn't for Rosalie, I would have thrown my hat in the ring even though it was clear that she only had eyes for Edward. Lucky bastard.

I was happy for him, completely fucking jealous, but happy.

"Oh by the way Em, she also said Rosalie was talking about you. Do you want to know?" He was giving me the option. Don't ask and move on, however much it fucked me up. Ask, and it had the potential to fuck me up even more. Neither sounded very appealing.

"Don't tell me, I'd rather not know," I said to him. He simply raised his eyebrow and hand in a quick wave and walked out of my office, taking his precious information with him.

He had probably made it three steps down the corridor when I raced out the door and called him back.

"I'm surprised you let me get that far Em. I was betting on one step." He was grinning at me and I wasn't sure whether to be pissed or excited.

"Enough dramatics Edward, what the hell did she say to Bella?" Now that I had decided to find out their conversation, I wanted to know right this second.

"You sure Em?"

"Just fucking tell me Ed, enough messing around." I was not in the mood for this at all.

"Sorry bro. Well, I was curious because Bella was asking so many questions about you. She had me worried for a bit, I thought she was interested in you and not me. When I quizzed her about it, she said that she was asking on behalf of Rosalie. Apparently you left quite the lasting impression, and she even asked us both out to dinner tonight with her and Rosalie. Rose doesn't know that we'll be there, but she thinks it would be good for you guys to talk. According to Bella, Rose is a mess and can't function at the moment."

What the hell could I say to that? I was pleased that she was as drawn to me as I was to her, but if Bella thought that I was going to meet up with Rose so that she could get me out of her system and get on with her wedding plans, then she had another thing coming.

"Not a good idea. I will not be her last fling Edward, nothing good will come of it." I could not do that; I had a feeling it would hurt too much.

"Just think about it, please. Who knows, it might just get her out of your system." With that he turned and walked away.