There were FFN issues yesterday, so make sure you read chapter 2 before reading this one.

Chapter 3

The first month spent with Bella officially living here has its share of awkward moments, but we manage to get past them easily enough. I only ran into her in the hallway when she was wearing nothing but a towel once. I tried not to let my eyes rake over her body, but she must have noticed my ogling. Ever since then, she wears a bathrobe when she gets out of the shower.

For the most part everything has been going well. We've settled into a nice routine, which includes me leaving the office by six every night to be home in time for whatever delicious meal Bella has prepared. We chat over dinner each night and have learned a lot more about each other.

I can't deny that I'm attracted to this amazing woman. She's kind and loving, loyal to her beliefs, witty and smart, and undeniably beautiful. But I've resolved to push my attraction for her aside; she needs a friend right now, not some horny asshole who takes advantage of the fragile state she's in. Our casual touches haven't stopped, but they're more of a comfort measure for both of us than anything sexual.

"Edward, um …" Bella starts one night as we eat our dinner together. "Would it be okay if one of my friends comes to the house tomorrow?"

I measure my outward reaction as I cringe internally, hoping this "friend" is not a boyfriend or someone she's dating. "Of course, that's fine. I told you I want you to feel at home here. You don't need my permission to invite someone over."

Her shoulders visibly relax. "Thanks. I just didn't want it to be a problem. Angela and I—" now my shoulders relax "—have a project to work on, and I thought it would be easier for us to work here. Besides, then I can still be home in time to start dinner."

I chuckle at her comment. She has really taken this cooking arrangement seriously. "It's really okay if you miss a night, you know. I can fend for myself every now and then."

"I like cooking and having dinner with you." She shrugs.

"So do I." I give her a smile.

The next day at the office turns out to be a longer one than I had planned. I have some things to work on with one of my account managers, but knowing the trouble Bella went through to make sure she would be home to make dinner, I make a last minute decision and text her.

"Any chance there's room for one more for dinner? - E"

"I always make plenty. - B"

I invite my colleague to dinner so we can work in my office later on and get this issue cleared up. He readily agrees after I tell him how wonderful a cook Bella is since he lives on his own and also doesn't know his way around a kitchen.

When we arrive at six thirty, I hear Bella laughing in the kitchen with her friend.

"Honey, I'm home!" I call out as Ben and I drop our briefcases by the door and walk toward the laughter.

"In here, dear," is Bella's response. Her smile is as wide as it always is when we greet each other in this joking manner. It's become our tradition. "I hope you don't mind, but I asked Angela to stay also since we didn't finish everything yet. But we'll eat in the den to be out of your way."

"That's not necessary. Ben and I don't need to discuss business during dinner." I look to Ben for confirmation, even though I'm the boss, but find that his eyes are trained on Bella's friend. Clearing my throat, I begin introductions. "Ben, this is Bella, and you must be Angela." I make my way to the woman in question and shake her hand.

"Um, it's nice to meet you, Edward," she says, but her eyes are continually flitting back to Ben.

I walk back over and give his shoulder a nudge, waking him from his trance. "Nice to meet you both," he says shyly.

Dinner is an interesting affair. It's clear to me, and also Bella if her eyebrow lifts are any indication, that Ben and Angela are attracted to each other but neither of them is bold enough to engage the other in conversation. Bella and I do our best to give them something to talk about, but it's like pulling teeth to get more than one word answers.

When Bella's cell phone rings, her eyebrows furrow as she looks at the number. "Excuse me," she mutters as she leaves the table. I hear her in the den but can't make out what she's saying.

After a few minutes of stilted conversation in the kitchen, I realize that Bella is no longer on the phone but she hasn't yet returned. I quietly excuse myself to check on her.

I find her in the den with the phone in her hands, staring at it blankly. "Everything okay?"

She looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Um, yeah. That was the lawyer, Mr. Jenks."

I take a seat next to her and grab one of her hands. "What's going on?"

She shrugs and drops her head back, blinking away tears before they can fall. "He finished negotiating all the bills and everything, and it looks like I'll have to sell the house."

"Oh, sweetheart," I say, putting my arm around her shoulder and pulling her to me. "I'm so sorry. What can I do to help?"

She burrows her head into my neck and sniffles. "Nothing. I just have to get back there soon so I can pack everything up and put it on the market."

"I'll go with you." It's not an offer and she knows it. I would never let her do this on her own.

We make arrangements to go over Bella's spring break in March so we'll have a little over a week to pack everything up and meet with a realtor. When she fights me on the first class tickets that I purchase, I argue that I'm going on business and just extending my stay, so my ticket is an expense to my company.

The first order of business when we arrive in Seattle is for me to deal with the meeting I set up. I tell Bella I won't be more than an hour, so she decides to walk around the city while I meet with Mr. Jenks.

I present him with all the necessary paperwork after I explain what I want to do. Since he is acting as my attorney in this transaction, I know he won't tell Bella anything. It's not something I intend to keep a secret from her forever, but for now she doesn't need to know the details.

Once everything is squared away, I meet up with Bella in our rental car and we make the drive to her childhood home. After stopping for some pizza on the way to the house, Bella unlocks the door and steps inside slowly.

"Um, I didn't really think about sleeping arrangements while we're here," she says timidly. "I guess you can sleep in my dad's room."

"The couch is fine with me if you're not comfortable with that," I offer.

"No, it's okay. I mean, you're gonna have to be in there anyway." She shows me to the room and I drop off my bag before carrying hers into her bedroom.

We agree to rest after our day of travel and start packing up first thing in the morning.

Once we've had a simple breakfast, we make our plan of attack. I discuss with Bella the option of selling the house furnished to make things easier on her, and she agrees. Essentially, we only need to pack up the personal belongings.

"Where are you going to put everything you're keeping?" I ask.

She bites her lip and looks at the floor, shuffling her feet. "I guess I'll just get a storage space or something."

"Bella, can I ask … are you planning to come back to Washington after you graduate?"

She shakes her head and looks up at me. "No, there's nothing left for me here. It'll probably be easier for me to find a job in the city anyway."

I nod once. "We can ship everything back to the house if you want. Then at least you can take some time to sort through it all. There's some storage space on the third floor."

She agrees with my plan so we get to work. I start on her father's belongings since just about everything is being packed up to be donated, while Bella works on the personal effects and some things of hers that are still here. Surprisingly, it only takes three days for us to have everything cleaned out.

The realtor has already been by to meet with Bella, so once the house is ready to go she comes back with all the paperwork that needs to be signed. The woman assures Bella that the house should sell quickly for the full asking price. Unfortunately, after what's left on the mortgage and her father's remaining medical bills, there won't be much left over for Bella.

As soon as the realtor leaves, Bella tries to tell me that she'll use whatever's left to pay back her loan, but I quickly put a stop to that line of thought.

"No way. There's a reason the loan doesn't need to be paid back until you're working," I explain. "I don't want you worrying about that for now. What if you don't get a job right away after you graduate? This way, at least you'll have a little money left over." Besides, she'd just be paying me back with my own money.

"I feel like I should be paying you back though," she argues.

I shake my head. "Hold on to that money, invest it, whatever you want, but you're not using it to pay me back right now."

Although clearly not happy, she relents and we finish up her business in Forks by getting rid of her truck. Even though I assure her we can find a buyer for it, she insists on transferring the title to her father's friend, explaining that the truck was originally his anyway. It has no value to her since she doesn't need a vehicle in Philly, but she's sure this guy's son can fix it up and use it.

With that out of the way and a bunch of boxes in transit to Philadelphia, we get on a plane and head back to the only home Bella has now. My home. Our home.