Bella's POV

Ben, Angela, and I made small talk all the way back to their apartment. I learned a little more about the people they both worked with, and told them about some of my repeat customers.

"Mrs. Cope sounds like a sweetie," Angela said as Ben pulled into their parking spot.

"She is. I made the decision the other day that I needed to hire someone to help out in the store, and I think she's gonna tell me she wants the job," I confided.

"Oh yeah? Will you hire her?"

I nodded. "I think so. She knows her way around books, and she used to be a secretary in a high school, so she should be able to handle just about anything that's thrown at her."

My mind raced at that statement, remembering the creepy guy from the other day.

I was quiet as they led me up the elevator and inside their place. When we got inside, I asked Ang to point me in the direction of the bathroom. I was beginning to freak out, and I needed a few minutes to calm myself down.

Several minutes later, I walked back to the living room and found Angela and Ben sitting on the couch, a glass of wine in their hands and a third on the coffee table in front of the empty spot on the couch. I smiled gratefully as I collapsed beside them.

Angela picked up my glass and handed it to me, letting me get one sip in before she asked. "Wanna tell us what that was about?"

I tried to look innocent, but when they each just raised an eyebrow without saying a word, I knew they hadn't bought it.

Sighing, I answered, "I had a weird, uh, customer the other day."

When I finished the story about CL, or Creepy Laurent as I'd been calling him in my head, Ben looked worried and Angela looked about as freaked out as I felt.

"Bells," she began, closing her mouth when I held up a hand.

"I know," I told them. "Don't worry, I'm gonna take every precaution I can. Edward is right next door, and Rose said she'll be with me until I hire someone."

I shook my head and sighed again. "Besides, I'm sure he's long gone. Those guys can be pretty intimidating when they aren't goofing off and acting like a bunch of little boys," I told them, thinking of Jacob, Seth, Quil, and Embry.

Angela looked like she wanted to say something more, but she simply shook her head and changed the subject.

"So..."

I laughed. "Yes?"

"Things are going well with Edward? When I talked to you the other day, things were progressing, right?"

Ben laughed. "I'm out, ladies. I'll be on the computer when you finish your girl talk," he teased, kissing us both on the cheek before heading down the hall.

When he was gone, I leaned my head back and smiled, thinking of Edward. "Yeah, things are going well." Looking up at her, I admitted, "I'm in love with him, Ang." I held up a hand to stop her progress. "It's crazy, I know. I've only known him a short time. There's something there, though. I've never felt like this before. It's like he completes me."

"Have you guys...ya know," she hinted, blushing suddenly.

Giggling, I nodded. "The night I last talked to you, and then again—a lot—this morning." I lowered my voice and almost whispered, "He's amazing."

Angela was as beet red as I'd ever seen her when she smiled and said, "Good. You deserve to be happy, Bella. That's all I want for you."

I leaned over and hugged her, murmuring a soft, "Thanks," in her ear before pulling away.

"So, have you and Ben set a date yet?"

She nodded. "I think we're going with the second Saturday in May of this next year. It's like we talked about before the move: I don't wanna do it when it's icky and cold outside, but having it before then would be pushing it. I did talk my dad into walking me down the aisle and just being my dad for the day. Associate Pastor Greg is gonna officiate. Ben's already asked Chris to be his Best Man, and you're gonna be the Maid of Honor." She paused, and we shared a smile. "Aside from that stuff, I've only done a little research so far."

Setting her wine down on the table, she stood and made her way to the small desk in the corner. When she came back, she handed me a stack of bridal magazines.

"The top one is the one I've marked the dresses I like, and the rest are things like flowers, cakes, colors, and that type of thing. Go through them if you want and give me your opinion, especially on the dresses."

I began flipping through the first magazine, pointing out a few dresses I liked, a few I hated, and some that were only okay. About three quarters of the way back, I came to one I thought was beautiful and perfectly Angela.

Pointing to the page, I said firmly, "This one."

The magazine called it a "Pick-up" dress; it was gathered over and over again, all around the dress, in four or five different levels, and fell to just above the ground. It was strapless, came in white or ivory satin, and included a ribbon accent at the waist that you could get in a multitude of colors.

"It's stunning, Ang."

She nodded, grinning. "It's one of my favorites. I'm going to David's Bridal to try it on next week."

"What colors are you thinking?"

Angela pulled one of the other magazines from my lap and began flipping through it, finally turning it toward me when she found the picture she'd been looking for.

Pointing to a picture of a wedding couple and their attendants, she said, "I love the dark red and deep blue combination. The blue dress would be fantastic on you. Ben and Chris could wear black suits with a cummerbund or vest in the same blue. Then the ribbon on my dress could be a deep red, which would be complimented by lots of red flowers."

"That sounds beautiful." I thought for a minute. "You know what would be great with those?"

She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Silver accents: candlesticks, tulle, napkins at the reception, and other things like that."

We talked color ideas for a few more minutes before moving on to the cake.

Just as I was beginning to look at pictures of the cakes Angela liked, my phone beeped, signaling an incoming message. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, flipped to the message list, and froze.

"Holy. Shit."

Angela laughed and asked, "What?"

Without saying a word, I turned the phone around and held it out to her.

She was quiet for a moment and then sucked in a breath. "Uh, yeah. Holy shit is right!"

We ogled the picture for several more minutes, and then I sent off a quick message of my undying gratitude to Alice and Rose before turning back to the stack of magazines in my lap.

I started flipping through one, looking at the cakes she'd marked. When I found the one I liked best, I turned it around to show her.

The cake was three round tiers, each progressively smaller. The smallest layer stood on little clear pedestals, making it sit about three inches above the next. There were red and silver piped swags around the top edge of each tier, overlaying each other. Between the top and second layers, there were beautiful red roses. A few miniature red roses were stuck in small groups around the edges of the other layers, as well as a few right on top. Added to the roses on top were two inter-locking silver metal hearts used as a cake topper.

"If you go with silver accents, this would be perfect. If you decide not to, you can have them make the second swag around each edge in the deep blue."

She nodded, tracing her finger over the hearts on the top of the cake. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I agreed and then settled back with a different magazine, looking for the perfect wedding invitation.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Edward's POV

The minute we got to Alice and Jasper's apartment, Drill Sergeant Alice appeared. I almost laughed, remembering I'd thought the same thing about Bella when I'd helped her unpack her boxes, but one look at my sister, and I decided discretion was the better part of valor.

She and Jasper had almost everything boxed up, aside from a few odds and ends dishes and electronics. The guys and I got right to work packing up the computers and everything from the entertainment center, while Alice took Rose into the kitchen to help finish packing the dishes and cookware.

"Do not break anything," Alice barked before leaving the living room.

Emmett pouted. "Why ya gotta look at me when you say that, huh?"

Jasper and I laughed when Alice just flipped him the bird.

"Dude, not cool!" He looked at Jasper. "You sure you wanna marry that little one? She's kind of scary."

"I heard that!" Alice yelled from the kitchen.

I snickered as Jasper nodded, a huge grin plastered on his face. "She's little and scary, but she's worth it."

Alice ran back in and flung herself into his arms. "You're worth it, too, Jazzy," she told him quietly, nuzzling his neck.

I looked away, suddenly feeling like I was intruding on a private moment.

"Now, back to work," she called as she flew back to the kitchen.

"Anytime you wanna get away, you can come stay at my place. I'll crash with Bella," I told him conspiratorially.

Emmett cackled as, wide-eyed, Jasper nodded. "Dude, she even scares me sometimes," he whispered.

"Seriously, man, congratulations," I said, clapping his shoulder. "You've been our brother for a long time. It's about time you made it official."

Emmett stuck his hand out to shake Jasper's. He tugged hard, pulling our soon-to-be brother-in-law against him, and lowered his mouth to Jasper's ear. Whispering just loud enough that I could hear, he said, "It's cool with me, man, but you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."

We all looked at each other for a moment and then laughed, knowing that even though Emmett's threat was serious, Jasper would never give him any reason to use it.

When Alice growled from the kitchen, we quickly got to work.

DVDs, games systems and their games, and all the cables from everything all went into several boxes. Jasper held up a hand and then moved quickly down the hall. A minute later, he was back, carrying the original box for their large, flat-screen TV. We carefully packed it back in the box, which included all the original Styrofoam.

Once all the electronics were packed, we began loading the truck. It was a nice day outside, but by the time we were halfway through loading the furniture, we were grimy and sweaty. All three of us pulled off our shirts and tossed them in an empty corner of the living room before getting back to work.

Alice and Rose went outside, carrying boxes of dishes, and were still out there when it was time for us to move the sofa. We struggled to get it through the front door and then made our way to the truck.

Just before reaching the ramp, Rose called out, "Hey, boys, look up!"

The three of us looked up in one motion, just as we heard the distinctive sound of a picture being taken from a cell phone.

"Thanks!" Alice chirped, grinning. "Bella will love that one, Edward."

I laughed, shaking my head as I watched the two of them hovered over the phone, sending the picture to Bella.

The girls met us inside with big glasses of water. We all collapsed on the floor, wiped out for the moment.

As we sat with our backs against the wall, I said what had been on my mind since learning of the freaky asshole at Bella's store the day before.

"I think I'm gonna pay to get an alarm system installed in Bella's place."

"Good idea, dude," Emmett said after draining his remaining water.

"Store or apartment?" Rose questioned.

"Both."

Alice nodded approvingly. "Good idea, Edward. I just have this feeling that won't be the last she sees of him."

"You gonna do it without asking her?" Jasper raised an eyebrow.

With a sigh, I shook my head. "I suppose not. She won't want me to pay for it. I know that. And I know she has the money to do it. Maybe I'll just suggest it and say that I think it's a good idea..."

He nodded, and the girls smiled.

"I think that's better than just running over her and doing it without asking," Rose admitted. "I think she'd forgive you if you just jumped in without permission, but she's finally out on her own, making a go of it alone, that to take that away from her might upset her."

"Okay, I'll talk to her about it on the way home, then."

"Dude, you should call the place we used for the garage and the house," Emmett said, screwing up his features, like he was trying to remember something. "What was it called, Rosie?"

Rose shot him a look and rolled her eyes. "ADT, Emmett."

She turned her attention to me, and said, "Yes, I agree. They've been great. Easy to work with, decent prices, top-notch security. I don't think she'd have any problems with them."

I nodded. "'Kay. If Bella agrees, we'll call them Monday morning. Aside from lessons, I'm gonna take off work and let Sasha handle things until Bella gets a system installed and hires someone to work with her. Rose, I know you volunteered, but maybe you can help out when I've got lessons instead. I really just need to be there myself." I shrugged, trying to convey that it was me, not Rose herself, that was the issue.

"Sure. Whatever you and Bella need. Just let me know," Rose answered, smiling as if to let me know she hadn't taken offense.

We talked about nothing of importance for a few more minutes. After tossing the plastic cups we'd been drinking from, we began loading the last bit of furniture and boxes, while Alice and Rose did a last quick cleaning.

By half past four, everything was packed into the moving truck, Alice's Porsche, Emmett's Jeep, and Jasper's truck.

"Ed, you want us to wait for you?" Jasper asked as we moved out to the vehicles for the last time.

"Nah, I'm just gonna swing by, pick up Bella, and say goodbye to Angela and Ben. Then we'll head home. We'll drive over to the new place and help you unload."

Alice paused mid-way into the car. "I think we'll unload the cars today and leave the truck for tomorrow. All the electronics are in the Jeep, and all my jewelry and things like that are either in my car or the Jazzy's truck. Everything else can wait until tomorrow, when we have a longer stretch of time."

I nodded. "Okay. We'll meet you guys at the house, then. Drive safely."

Jasper smirked. "You, too. Don't mess up my truck, man. I'd hate to have to kill my future brother-in-law."

Laughing, I caught the keys he tossed at me and climbed into the cab.

I waved as they all turned right to head out of town, and then I turned left to drive the short distance to my Bella.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Sunday
Bella's POV

"Ugh," I groaned, pulling on my sneakers. "It's so early!"

Edward laughed as he stood by the door, watching me.

"What? It is! You weren't laughing thirty minutes ago when the whirling dervish herself called and woke us up," I snarked.

"Who me?" He fluttered his long, dark eyelashes—ones any woman would kill to have—and smiled innocently.

I rolled my eyes, snorting. "I think the exact words were, 'Kiss my ass, Alice,' before you rudely hung up on her."

"Yes, well, I had a perfectly legitimate excuse," he grumbled.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "What would that be?"

He quickly moved up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Pulling me tight against his body so I felt every delicious—and hard—inch of him, he murmured into my ear, "I was in the middle of a very sexy dream, my love."

With every word of his explanation, he ground his hips against mine, rubbing his cock along the crack of my ass. Even through the layers of two pairs of jeans, I could feel him.

"One that involved you, me, and—"

Before he could finish, I turned in his arms and cut him off with a kiss.

Minutes later, we pulled away, breathless.

"Maybe we can just stay here," Edward said as he moved his hands down to cup my ass and pull me hard against his front.

I shuddered at the feel of him, so hard against where I wanted him most, and sighed, dropping my forehead to his shoulder.

"We can't," I said sadly. "Alice threatened me with a total wardrobe makeover if we weren't there in less than an hour."

I felt him shaking as he tried not to chuckle.

"Hey, don't laugh! I don't know when you last went shopping with your sister and Rose, but they're the devils incarnate when it comes to shopping. With them, it's not just a fun activity. It's not even a sport!" Pausing, I raised my head and stared him in the eyes before saying, "It's a fight to the death."

Edward couldn't hold it back any longer and let out a bark of laughter. Seeing the spark of humor in his eyes, I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Okay, okay. I couldn't subject you to that, so let's get going."

"'Kay," I said, sighing.

As I moved to pick up my purse from the couch, I heard him mumble under his breath, "Not that being on time will stop the shopping Nazi from kidnapping you soon enough."

I stomped past him to the door, pretending like I hadn't heard, but laughed when he gave me that innocent, angelic expression again.

"Just for that, when she does drag me with her, maybe I won't make a stop at Victoria's Secret."

His eyes widened, and he held up his hands in surrender. "You win!"

We laughed all the way to Edward's car.

When we got to Alice and Jasper's new house, we parked at the curb and walked up to the group. They were all sitting on the front porch, wearing matching grins and drinking big paper cups of coffee.

"I told you we should've stopped," I whined playfully, eyeing Alice's cup.

She hugged it to her protectively.

Rose set her cup beside her and reached around behind her back.

"We thought you guys could probably use this," she said, smiling as she handed us each a large cup of the hot brew.

"Oh damn, you're my hero," I told her.

The rest of the group just laughed.

"Sorry, but damn, Alice, it's only eight!" I checked my watch. "Okay, it's eight forty-five now. Still..."

"Bella, we have a lot of unpacking to do! I knew if I didn't call and wake you up—"

"Threaten me, you mean," I grumbled.

Alice smirked. "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," she said, grinning. "Anyway, you guys wouldn't have made it over for hours, and you know it."

Edward slipped his arm around my waist and nuzzled my neck. "She's right, you know," he whispered, his warm breath caressing my ear.

Swallowing hard, I said, "Whatever."

I tried to be casual, but when I visibly shivered, she grinned and pointed at me, and I knew I'd been caught in a lie.

"Well, you're here now. That's what matters. We can start unloading everything. Yay!" She seemed so excited, it was hard not to laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Let's get our move on, people," Emmett called loudly, jumping up from the porch and sprinting off toward the truck.

Edward quirked an eyebrow and asked, "How many of those has—"

"Don't ask," Rose interrupted, rolling her eyes.

We all laughed as we set our coffees aside and made our way to the truck.

~*~CIBD~*~

Nearly three hours later, the vehicles were all unloaded and the rental truck was back at the lot, full of gas and none the worse for wear. Edward and the guys were in the living room, hooking up all the electronics. Alice, Rose, and I were in the kitchen, unpacking all the cookware and dishes.

When there was a lull in conversation, I brought up something that had been on my mind.

"I'm so nervous about meeting Carlisle and Esme," I said, my voice quiet.

The girls looked up from what they were doing and just stared at me.

A minute went by, and they hadn't said anything, so I tried again, my voice even more hushed this time. "I mean, what if they don't like me? What if Esme thinks I'm not good enough for her son?"

Alice moved over to me and took my hands. "Bella, my parents are two of the most caring people you'll ever meet. They'll love you just as much as all of us do. Between Edward, Emmett, and me, they've heard so much about you, and they already love you."

"Yeah, Bella, she's right," Rose interjected. "I've known them a long time. What they want more than anything for Edward is someone that makes him happy. You give him happiness in spades."

"Please don't worry, okay?" Alice grinned, pointing to her temple. "Trust me; I know these things."

I rolled my eyes at the notion of Alice being psychic, but smiled. "Thanks, guys. I'll try not to be too nervous, but I'm not making any promises. I mean, come on! I'll be meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time!"

The sound of their giggles made me start laughing, and instantly, I felt much better about the idea. I felt the first fissure of excitement coursing its way through my body.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait until Friday.