Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
A/N: I'm currently sitting at a little over 20k words for Nano. I'm slowly getting there, but I've still managed to find time to write this story as well. I have to admit, I like this story much more than my story for Nano. As always, a huge thank you to everyone who reads and reviews. I get all giddy when I see I have new reviews, which then leads to me texting my beta to inform her. And to my beta, Chylex28, you are awesome. I realize that we've already established that, but I thought I'd tell you again. If the format is all jacked up I apologize. FF was being weird. Happy reading!
Design For Life
I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. ~Charles De Secondat
EPOV
The minute we walked into my parents' house, Mom swept Bella up in a hug and whispered something in her ear. I was a bit curious to know what Mom had said, but I decided to ask Bella later. Mom ushered us into the living room, where Dad took a look at Bella's wrist. Once Bella was done being examined to by Dad, we talked about her options regarding her ex. I hated that he had hurt her. I had never felt so much rage toward another human being, as I felt toward him. I knew that I was physically no match for this Laurent guy, but I would do my best to keep my girl safe. I felt a silly grin break over my face. My girl.
Mom asked us if we wanted to stay for dinner, and we agreed. I wasn't about to turn down a home-cooked meal by Esme Cullen. My mom was a culinary genius, with Bella coming in as close second. Bella followed Mom into the kitchen, asking if she could help.
"Shoo. Go kiss my boy," I heard Mom tell her.
Yes, please. I loved my Bella's kisses. I grinned as Bella came out of the kitchen, but before I could go to her and collect on any kisses, Mom pulled me into the kitchen.
"Hello, my sweet boy."
"Hi, Mom," I told her, giving her a hug.
"Sit down and cut up these vegetables for the salad. Now, tell me all about this date you had," she demanded.
"Uh ... well, she asked me out when she was still in the hospital—"
"Edward! Why didn't you ask that sweet girl out?"
I let out a sigh. "I was going to, but she beat me to it. Anyway," I stressed, "we decided to go out to dinner and a movie last night. We went to Bella Italia in Port Angeles then decided to head back to my house to watch a movie."
"I take it by the smile on your face that you had a good time."
"Of course. She's wonderful! I still can't believe that someone has beautiful and as wonderful as Bella would want to be with someone like me."
Mom turned and gave me a glare. "What is that supposed to mean, young man? Any woman would be lucky to call you theirs. And I know that Bella thinks you're pretty wonderful."
"She's amazing," I said, feeling that goofy smile grace my face. I couldn't seem to stop smiling whenever I thought of her.
"You two are so cute together. I just know that you'll make me beautiful grand-babies."
What? Grand-babies? "Uh ... don't get ahead of yourself, Mom. We've just started dating."
"Pshh. The two of you are crazy in love with each other. There'll be wedding bells ringing before you know it."
Oh, my lord. My mom was crazy. I needed to escape before she started putting together a scrapbook of what our future children would look like. I practically ran from the kitchen, my mom's laughter following me. I didn't see Bella and was afraid that Rosalie had her cornered, but I soon found Bella having a chat with Emmett in the solarium.
"There you are," I said, entering the room.
She gave me a huge smile, letting me know that she and Emmett had just been talking. She asked me if I was okay, and I explained that Mom had wanted to know about our date.
Emmett did a double take when he heard what I'd said. "When was this?"
"Last night," I said with a smile.
"Way to go, little bro!" Emmett whooped, giving me a fist bump.
I rolled my eyes. Emmett was so stupid sometimes, but his enthusiasm over the simple things in life could be addicting. Bella excused herself to use the restroom, and I couldn't help but watch as she walked away.
"Holy shit, dude! She is smoking hot and she's yours! Tell me about this date? Did you score?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
"Of course not! Bella is a lady and deserves to be treated as such," I admonished him.
"Chill, bro. I was just messing with you."
Of course he was. "Anyway, our date was good. She wanted to go to Bella Italia in Port Angeles, so that's where we went."
"Wait. Isn't that where what's her name broke up with you?"
"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Besides, I had a much better time with Bella than Kate."
"What did you do after dinner?"
"We went back to my place and watched a movie."
"At least tell me you kissed her."
There went that goofy smile. Emmett let out a booming laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. How was it?"
"It was—amazing. She's amazing. And beautiful. And smart."
"I get it, dude. I'm happy for you. You guys are good together."
"That's what Mom said."
I was about to say more when Bella came back into the room looking troubled.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
She shook her head, before hugging me and whispering in my ear, "I'll tell you later."
I returned her hug, placing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Well, isn't this cozy," Rosalie sneered from doorway.
I really despised her. Thankfully, Emmett chose that moment to intervene.
"Be nice, Rosie. I for one, think they are quite the stunning couple."
I mouthed a thank you to Emmett. Every once in a while, he came through for me. A few moments later, Mom called us to dinner. Apparently, Mark had been called into work at the last minute, so he and his wife wouldn't be joining us. I made a note to stop by the station tomorrow with Bella. We headed into the dining room and all took a seat around the table. We passed around the dishes, each taking a bit of everything, except for Rosalie. She barely had anything on her plate. I was glad to see that Bella wasn't like that. I loved that my girl had a healthy appetite.
"Your mom tells me that you two had a date last night," Dad said.
Of course, Rosalie chose to add her two cents. "You two went on a date? Huh. Edward hardly seems your type, Bella."
Bella gave her a cold smile. "And what would you know about my type?"
"I'm sure you're more into the the tattooed, dreadlocks type of guys, like your ex."
Bella's eyes narrowed. "And how would you know that?"
All attention was focused on Rosalie now. Mom's eyes were narrowed, and I was glad to know that she wasn't going to tolerate Rosalie's attitude.
"Uh—"
"What are you up to, Rosalie?" Bella asked, fury tinging her voice.
Rosalie started to look like a caged animal. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Bella raised an eyebrow. "Really? How do you know what Laurent looks like?"
"I must have seen a picture of him at your work station."
"Try again."
It seemed strange that Bella's ex suddenly showed up out of the blue and that Rosalie seemed to know what he looked like. I didn't want to think that perhaps she had something to do with him, but it certainly was looking that way. Emmett was looking at Rosalie as if he didn't believe her.
"Rosie, please tell me that you didn't have anything to do with Bella's ex coming around and hurting her."
Rosalie gave Emmett a glare. "Oh, that's just great! Take her side. I'm your wife, or have you forgotten that?"
Emmett was in full on bear mode. He didn't take kindly when people picked on people he cared about. Pushing away from the table, he stood, grabbing Rosalie's arm, dragging her out of the room. I let out a sigh. I hated that I had brought Rosalie into Bella's life.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to her.
Her mouth fell open. "Whatever for?"
"For all of this. If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't have to deal with Rosalie and her attitude."
Bella let out a soft laugh before she reached up and cupped my cheek. "Oh, Edward. I met Rosalie before I met you. She was coldly polite at the time, but it's obvious that she's not a very nice person. Don't you dare blame yourself for her behavior."
"But—"
She put her finger on my lips, effectively cutting me off. "No. I mean it, Edward! This is not your fault! The only to blame is Rosalie, herself. We're not discussing this anymore. Do I make myself clear?"
I nodded. I heard a muffled snicker from across the table and saw my dad trying to hide his laughter behind his hand. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he busted out in laughter.
"My dear boy, she has got your number!"
Mom raised her eyebrow and gave Dad a look, shutting him up. I let out a laugh of my own at that.
"Like Mom doesn't have yours?"
He grinned and leaned over to give Mom a kiss. "We're lucky men, Edward. Damn lucky."
Mom beamed a smile, giving Bella a wink. I knew that some people were embarrassed by their parents, but I wasn't. I was envious. I wanted the kind of relationship that they had. Stupidly, I had thought I'd found that with Kate when I was eighteen. I was wrong. But sitting here with Bella, watching her interact with my family, made me realize that perhaps I had found it.
Once Emmett had left with Rosalie, dinner had been much more pleasant. Emmett had told Bella that he would call her later, once he found out more. After dinner, Mom and Bella retired to the sitting room, while Dad and I cleaned up.
"I really like Bella, son. She's good for you."
"I really like her a lot. She's—amazing."
Her laughter floated through the house, and I felt a sense of peace overcome my body. She was my everything, and that scared me. I purposely kept people at bay. I had been devastated when Kate broke up with me. I'd been young and naive, but I had loved with her my entire being. Her breaking up with me had almost destroyed me. I'd been comatose for months afterwards. I sat in my room for months on end. I didn't speak. I didn't live. I just was. My parents were scared for me and had sent me to counseling. Eventually, I became human again. I knew that I needed to tell Bella about it, but I was afraid that she would think less of me because I had allowed a person to so utterly affect me.
"You're in love with her," Dad said.
I shook my head. It was too early for love.
"Deny it all you want, but you are. It's as plain as day."
I sighed. "Mom said the same thing. I just—I can't think about that just yet. We've only started dating. I'm terrified I'm going to mess things up."
Dad set down the plate he was drying and walked over to me. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze. "You probably will. But so will she. No relationship is perfect. Messing up is part of it all. As long as you're honest with each other, things will work out."
My dad was like Yoda. He always had sage advice to give. We finished in the kitchen, then went into the sitting room. Bella gave me that smile that melted my heart as I sat down next to her. She cuddled in close, and it took a minute before I wrapped my arm around her. I wasn't used to the whole physical aspect of our relationship. Mom let out a little sigh as she watched us. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
We stayed for a bit longer before saying our goodbyes. I pulled into my drive, got out, and went around to open Bella's door. Hand in hand, I walked her to her house. We climbed the steps onto the porch, and I felt something crunch under my foot. I squinted in the darkness, trying to figure out what I had stepped on. I bent down and ran my fingers across the porch, yanking my hand back when something poked me.
"Ouch!"
"What is it, Edward?" Bella asked, her voice full of worry.
"I think it's glass," I said, sucking my finger in my mouth. Man, it hurt. I hated pain of any kind.
"Why would there be glass on my porch? Oh, my God, Edward! Do you think someone broke in?" Bella asked, panic starting to rise.
I hadn't even thought about that. Crud. "Let's go back to my house and get a flashlight. I don't want either of us to get hurt," I suggested.
We walked back to my house, where I grabbed my heavy-duty flashlight from the closet. Bella raised an eyebrow at it. "What? If the power goes out, I want to be able to see."
"You could attract ships in the ocean with that light."
"Whatever," I mumbled.
Taking her hand, we cautiously walked back to her house. I scanned the porch with the light and saw glass all over the porch. Looking up, I noticed that her porch light was broken. I felt extremely uneasy. None of her windows looked broken, just the porch light.
"I don't like this," I whispered to her.
"Me either. I'm going to check the door."
Holding on to her tightly with one hand, I watched as she went to put her key in the lock. The door swung in, and my light caught the broken doorjamb.
"We're calling the police," I told her, dragging her down the porch. I didn't care that I was literally dragging her behind me. There was no way she was going in there. Once safely locked in my house, I sat her down on the couch and dialed 911 on my phone. I explained to Sherri, the dispatcher, that it looked like someone had broken into Bella's house. Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I opened it and saw Chief Hunter.
"Hey, Edward."
"Hi, Chief."
"Boy, I've told you to call me Mark. I've known you your whole life."
I flushed lightly. "Sorry, Mark."
"This young lady must be Bella. Esme raves about you," he told her, holding a hand out for her to shake.
Bella shook his hand, giving him a wobbly smile. "Thanks for coming out."
"You bet. Why don't you two tell me what's going on."
I offered him a seat and made some tea, while Bella told him about Laurent.
"Have you ever had a problem with Laurent before?" Mark asked.
Bella shook her head. "No. He was never the clingy type. Not too long after I moved up here, he broke up with me, so I was really confused when he showed up acting like nothing had happened."
Mark took down notes, then told us that he was going to go check out her house and for us to stay here. As Mark left, I felt Bella trembling beside me. I didn't even think about pulling her to me. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her close. I wasn't sure what else I could do, and I felt completely helpless. I had no idea what I was supposed to do in this kind of situation. Her fingers played with the buttons on my shirt as she rested her head on my chest. I stroked her hair with one hand, pressing my cheek to the top of her head. No words were spoken. I wouldn't have even known what to say anyway.
Minutes seemed to drag by, until Mark knocked on my door. Letting go of Bella, I got up and opened the door.
"Someone definitely broke in," he began. "The front door was busted, and it looks like who ever was there, left through the back door. Recently. Your bedroom was ransacked, as was your living room. We're going to need you to take a look and see if anything was taken, but we'll wait until the morning to do so."
Bella wiped away a tear that had fallen. "Can you dust for fingerprints or something?" she asked.
Mark gave her a gentle smile. "Unfortunately, we don't have the man power or the resources for that. I can get someone from the Port Angeles P.D. up here, but it won't be until tomorrow. I have one of my deputies taking pictures right now, and we've written a report. That's about all we can do right now."
Bella nodded in understanding. I was upset that they couldn't do more. I realized that it was a small town, but I thought they would've been able to do something more.
"Do you have somewhere you can stay for the night?" Mark asked her.
"You can stay here. If ... uh ... you want," I told her.
She gave me a watery smile. "Thanks."
Mark expressed how sorry he was, then headed out. Bella sat on the couch, staring at nothing. Gently, I shook her.
"Bella?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you going to be okay?" And that was a stupid question to ask.
"Am I going to be okay? Are you fucking kidding me? My home was broken into! My sanctuary was violated, and we don't know by who! No, Edward, I'm not okay!" she yelled at me.
Well, all right then. Getting up, I stomped into the kitchen to empty my cup of tea. I didn't know why she was so mad at me. Sure, it was a stupid question to ask, but there was no need for her to be so rude. Scowling, I washed my cup, dried it, and put it away. Stomping up stairs, I gathered some blankets and a pillow, then headed back downstairs.
"You can have my bed, I'll sleep down here," I told her harshly.
She had her back to me, and I saw her shoulders shaking. As upset as I was, I couldn't just stand there and not do anything. Walking up to her, I tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Bella?"
She turned around, throwing herself at me. "I'm so sorry," she wailed. "I'm—scared and upset, and I had no right to take that out on you."
Holding her, I rocked us back and forth. "It's okay. Really. I shouldn't have asked such a stupid question."
I was angry at myself because I'd managed to mess things up already.
"No, Edward. None of this was your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I did. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that, when you were just asking a question."
"But it was a stupid question."
She let out a husky laugh that was muffled in my shirt. "Well—okay, it wasn't the best question, but I still had no right to snap at you like that. When I get scared, I tend to lash out, which is something that I need to work on. I really can't tell you how sorry I am."
I held onto her, pressing kisses on the top of her head. I still wasn't sure that I hadn't done something wrong.
"I can hear you thinking. Stop. I will not tell you again. You did nothing wrong," she growled at me, pulling away to look in my eyes. Staring into her eyes, it was hard not to believe her.
"You're so pretty," I blurted out, feeling the blush take over.
"Yeah, right. I look a mess," she scoffed.
"Well, sure you're eyes are bit puffy and red from crying, and your mascara is running a bit—" I cut myself off. No woman wanted to hear that. Dang it! I had messed up again. I was horrible at this relationship stuff. Letting out a groan, I let go of her, sitting down on the couch.
"I'm sorry, Bella."
She cuddled up next to me, resting her head on my shoulder as she snickered. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything by it."
I rested my head on the back of the couch. "I'm no good at this relationship stuff. I'm supposed to be making you feel better. Instead, I insult you."
"Well, you did compliment me first."
"Oh, hush. Anyway, before I insulted you, I was letting you know that you can have my bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
"No. I'll sleep on the couch. It's a very comfy couch. I'm not putting you out of your bed."
I was aghast. What would my mother think if I let her sleep on the couch? "I can't let you sleep on the couch! You'll take the bed," I said in an authoritative voice.
She pulled back from, crossing her arms over her chest. "I will not. I refuse to let you sleep on the couch."
She could be really infuriating. Arguing was getting us nowhere. It had been a long day, and we were both tired.
"This is getting us nowhere. Let's just share the bed," I suggested. What the heck did I just do? I was shocked and appalled at my suggestion, and immediately wished I could take it back. What would she think of me asking her to share my bed like that?
"That sounds like a great idea," she said.
Oh, my goodness. She agreed. Oh, God. Bella was going to share my bed. With me in it! Trying to act cool, I offered her a hand up, and showed her where my room was. I was a nervous wreck. I did a quick look around the room after turning on the lights, to make sure that nothing was out of order. Nothing was. My bed was made, my dirty clothes in the hamper, the dresser drawers shut, and shoes lined up near the closet.
"Wow. This is the neatest bedroom I've ever seen. Mine always looks like a tornado hit it."
I flushed, not sure if that was a good thing or not. "Um ... thanks."
"Do you have something I can sleep in or should I just sleep naked, like I normally do?" she asked casually.
My jaw dropped. She slept naked! My mind was immediately assaulted with images of a naked Bella, and I felt myself hardening at the image. Shaking my head, I quickly tried to dislodge the images. Thankfully, Bella hasn't seemed to notice my issue, so I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers.
"You can wear these if you'd like," I said, thrusting them at her.
Her smile lights up her face. "Thanks. I'll just go change."
I watch as she walks into the bathroom, then quickly strip down and throw on a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. I don't normally sleep with a shirt on, but I don't want to make Bella uncomfortable. I turn on the lamp beside the bed, then go and turn off the overhead light, and climb into bed. I had just gotten comfortable when I realized that I didn't know what side of the bed Bella preferred to sleep on. Getting up, I paced around, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged, wearing my shirt and boxers.
"You didn't have to wait for me. You could have climbed into bed," she said.
"I ... uh ... wasn't sure what side of the bed you slept on."
She walked over to me and gave me a hug. "You're too sweet. I don't have a preference. I tend to gravitate toward the middle at some point."
I pulled back the covers on the right side and waited for her to climb in. Once she was settled, I pulled the covers up around her, then headed to my side of the bed. I climbed in and turned off the light. The room was cast into instant darkness. I lay as stiff as possible, and did my best to sleep.
"Edward," Bella whispered.
"Yes?"
"Do you normally sleep like that?"
"Like what?"
"Lying still in one spot."
"No. I don't want to make you uncomfortable," I told her truthfully.
She let out a sigh. "Just be you. Sleep how you normally do." There was a pause. "This is awkward for you, isn't it?"
"A bit. I've never had a woman in my bed before."
I heard some rustling, then felt her curl up next to me. She slid one leg over mine, and rested her cheek on my chest, while her arm wrapped around my waist. I was unsure of what to do, but I slowly let myself relax, and found myself wrapping an arm around her.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" she asked quietly.
"Not at all."
It wasn't bad at all. Just foreign to me. That and the shirt I was wearing was driving me crazy. I kept moving trying to get comfortable.
"Are you always this wiggly?"
"No. Shirt is uncomfortable."
"So take it off," was her sleepy response.
Carefully, removing her limbs from me, I pulled my shirt over my head and lay back down. Immediately, she wrapped herself around me again.
"You're so warm," she mumbled, before leaning up to place a kiss upon my lips. It was a chaste kiss, but it still warmed my soul. I kissed her back, before tucking her more securely against me.
I don't even remember moving, but I must have at some point, because I woke up at around three, spooning Bella. She was curled up on her side, and I had curled myself around her, my arm around her waist. I could never have fathomed how wonderful it was to sleep with a woman. Untangling myself from her, I made a quick trip to the bathroom before heading back to bed.
Moonlight lit the room, and as I climbed back into bed, I noticed that the covers had slipped off of Bella. Her legs glowed in the moonlight, and I realized with shock that she hadn't worn the boxers that I'd given her. My shirt had ridden up on her, exposing part of her back and side, allowing me a peek of her underwear. I felt guilty for looking at that part of her while she was sleeping. I was no better than a peeping tom!
Crawling back into the bed, I pulled the covers around us both, before wrapping myself around her again. Inhaling the scent of her hair, I placed a gentle kiss below her ear, before quickly succumbing to sleep.
an/n: So there you have it. As always, each and every review is appreciated. Leave me something, whether it be a review or a cookie. (I like peanut butter ones)