Merry Christmas!

I am so happy you are enjoying this! Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and favorites. Since I'm on vacation right now, I'm not able to respond to reviews, but I read and appreciate every one.

The remaining chapters have not been beta'd, so please forgive any mistakes. Onward with Scroogeward and Brokella!

Chapter 2

The next four days spent with Bella are surprisingly enjoyable. We never discuss our kiss, nor do we repeat it, but we seem to have found a closeness with each other that I've never had with a woman before. Dare I say we've become friends?

The day after Christmas I insisted on taking Bella shopping for some clothes to get her through until she could get her belongings from her dorm. Of course she fought me on spending any money on her, but in the end I won. "I'll just add it to your tab," I told her jokingly.

She only relented after insisting she be allowed to cook for me. Who was I to say no to that? I'd been eating takeout for so long that any home cooked meal was a treat. And she was actually a great cook.

Today I decide it's time to approach her about the loan again, but I have an additional consideration that I believe will benefit both of us.

I turn off the TV after the latest movie we've been watching ends but continue to hold her close. Somehow we always end up tangled together on the couch. Neither of us seems to be complaining.

"Have you thought any more about my offer of a loan?" I ask gently.

She sighs but makes no effort to move away from me. "I'm still thinking about it. I keep thinking somehow I'll just wake up and all of this will be solved and I won't have to burden you anymore."

"Bella, don't you know by now that you're not a burden? I've enjoyed having you here." I let my fingers glide through her silky hair, contemplating how much I'll miss her presence if she doesn't go for my plan. "In fact, I was thinking that maybe you could stay."

She doesn't fully sit up but leans back enough to see my face. "I thought you wanted me to go back to school."

"I do," I say with a nod. "But I was thinking that maybe instead of living in the dorm, you could just live here. It would save you the cost of living there so you wouldn't have to borrow as much money." I shrug lightly.

"But then I'd feel like I had to pay you rent, so I'd still owe you just as much."

"Well, my proposition isn't entirely selfless. I thought you could continue to cook dinner for me as your payment," I tell her with a smirk.

"You want me to cook for you," she deadpans.

I shrug again. "I've been alone for a long time, Bella. Having you here has been wonderful, and I told you I want to help. So, if I get something out of it also—a friend and good meals—then it's a winning situation for everyone. Of course, if you're not comfortable with it, the offer for the full loan still stands."

She sits up fully and runs her fingers through her hair. "This is really too much."

"From where I'm sitting, it's really not."

"I don't even have any collateral to put up against a loan. My old truck back in Washington isn't worth anything, and that's really all I own."

"I'm not asking for any collateral," I say, turning to face her and taking her hand. "Just please say you'll let me help."

"You'd really let me live here?" I nod. "That would save me a lot of money," she muses to herself. She bites her lip and seems to contemplate the offer for a moment so I put on my best puppy dog face, the one my nanny used to tell me would get me whatever I wanted.

When she finally looks at me she breaks out laughing, which is music to my ears. "Oh, stop that," she says, smacking me on the arm. "Do you always get your way?"

"Are you agreeing?" I ask with a quirked eyebrow.

She closes her eyes and lets out a breath. When she opens them, a smile spreads across her face. "Yes."

I match her smile. "Then yes, I always get my way," I boast. "This is going to work out for the best, you'll see."

After discussing it a little further, she tells me she wouldn't feel right taking the money without an actual repayment agreement, so the following day I have my lawyer draw up a contract. The terms are simple. The loan is interest-free and she does not have to begin paying it back until she has a job which allows her to support herself.

The amount of the loan will be enough to cover her tuition and books for the semester as well as some extra cash for spending money. As soon as the documents are signed, we head to the bank where she sets up an account in her own name and I transfer the money into it. This allows her to have free access to everything in the account without the possibility of her father's estate taking the money. The documents of the exchange also stipulate that the money is for college and living expenses.

Once everything is settled, I offer to take her out for New Year's Eve to celebrate, but Bella declines.

"I'm not much of a partier or a drinker," she tells me. "I appreciate the offer, but it's really not necessary."

"At least let me take you to dinner," I offer once again. "I can't even remember the last time I went out on New Year's Eve."

"Edward, no," she says, shaking her head. "I don't have anything to wear—" she holds up her hand before I can interrupt her "—and I'm not letting you buy me anything else. Besides, I'm supposed to cook for you, remember?"

"Fine," I pout. "But only because I can't turn down your cooking."

She smiles in victory.

After I take Bella food shopping, telling her to pick out whatever she needs to cook and anything she wants to have around the house, she gets busy in the kitchen. I try to ignore the delicious smells emanating throughout the house, but it's a losing effort.

"Anything I can help with?" I ask as I take a seat on some free space on the counter.

"Nope," she replies, stirring some sauce in a pot. "I'm cooking for you, remember?"

"Doesn't mean I can't help," I offer with a raised shoulder. "Besides, it smells too good in here. Will it be ready soon?"

She smiles at me and shakes her head. "You act like you've never had a decent meal before."

"I'm a growing boy. What can I say? It doesn't hurt that everything you make is delicious."

Her eyes narrow slightly at me. "How old are you, Edward?"

"Twenty-six. Why?"

She grabs a baking dish and jerks her head in my direction, so I hop off the counter to give her space to work. I love that she's so at home in my house already. "I don't know … Sometimes you act so mature and other times you're like a twelve-year-old."

I laugh out loud at her observation, which I have to admit is entirely true. Owning my own successful business has probably given me a maturity beyond my years, but there's definitely a playful little boy inside who missed a lot of his childhood.

When dinner is finally ready, we enjoy Bella's delicious lasagna with homemade sauce, salad with homemade dressing and crispy garlic bread. Hands down, it's one of the best meals I've ever had. We take a few beers into the den and watch the ridiculous New Year's Eve TV shows together, and as midnight nears, I open a bottle of champagne.

"Wow, the last time I had champagne was at a wedding when I was sixteen," Bella comments as I hand her a glass. "I had to sneak it when my dad wasn't looking."

"I love champagne," I tell her. "I think there should be more excuses to drink it."

"To a new start in the new year," she says, tapping her glass to mine.

We both take sips with our eyes on each other as the crowds on TV count down the last few seconds of the year. When the shouts of "Happy New Year" can be heard, I lean in and whisper my wishes. "Happy New Year, Bella."

"Happy New Year," she responds.

Our lips connect again in a delicious, sweet kiss. Champagne flavored tongues dance briefly together before we both pull back with smiles on our faces. Without a word, we resume our cuddling on the couch and focus on the TV.

I don't understand why everything feels so natural with Bella, but I won't let things go too far. She needs a safe place to stay and a friend right now, not some horny asshole who wants to jump her bones. The least I can do is give her my friendship. If a few kisses happen here and there, who am I to complain?

On January second, Bella and I head to the Drexel campus in my car as early as we can. Our first stop is the Bursar's office, where she pays her tuition with the bulk of the money in her new bank account. Once that load is off her shoulders, we make our way to her dorm to pack up her belongings.

I look around the small room and sigh. She wasn't kidding when she said she didn't have much stuff and that it would all fit in my car. She has the room to herself, which I guess is a privilege of being a senior, but there's not much in it: a few books on a shelf, a couple of pictures sitting around and her clothing.

Within two hours, everything is packed into the boxes I picked up from work and loaded into my car. An hour after that, it's all stacked in her room in the house.

"I want you to feel at home here," I tell her. "So if you need space anywhere around the house, you're welcome to it. My office is on the third floor, and there's a library up there too." I gesture to her box of books. "If you want to put those up there, you can."

"Thanks, Edward. I'll probably keep them in here for now," she says with a shrug. "But I might check out what else you have in the library."

"Help yourself to whatever you want."

I head up to my office to spend some time going through any emails that can be handled before I return to work tomorrow to lessen the burden that the first day back will bring. For some reason, I have a feeling I won't want to spend late nights at the office any more.