AN: Only one day off the two week mark. Not bad. If you've been checking the updates on my profile, you know that this chapter and the next are going to be a little shorter. BUT! It's all leading up to something big. You all know what it is, but I still won't say it.

Thanks again to my wonderful beta, SwallowedxInxThexSea, for making me see that (even though I sometimes think it is) my writing isn't crap. Also! Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter. There were only five (and one anonymous that reviewed the prologue). Not enough to get you guys a teaser. I heard that there were some issues with the site, so that might be part of it, but I don't know. I know you guys can do better. :)

Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Twilight. My name is nothing close to Stephenie Meyer and it never will be.

Chapter 13 – Secret Chocolate Covered Strawberries

BPOV

The time I spent with Edward was perfect. It was nice to get out of the house to see Alice and Jasper too, but seeing Edward's face gave me hope that I would make it out of the shit-hole I called my life.

We found a routine in the weeks following our first date. We would spend every Tuesday night together whether it was at his apartment, somewhere in town, or with our friends. Neither of us seemed to care where we were as long as we were with each other.

Edward was continually bringing up the fact that his aunt wanted to meet me. I was hesitant and kept putting it off, not wanting his family to think less of me for being with Edward while I was technically engaged. He was disappointed, but he understood my decision.

I spent the rest of the week fighting with my mother about wedding plans. There was nothing I wanted more than to just walk out and never look back, but I loved my family. I couldn't do that to them. I needed to go about it the right way so that I wouldn't be forced to make a rash decision.

There were times that my mother made life at home very difficult. She sat me down at the table one Sunday about three weeks after the date and told me that I needed to pick a color scheme. She threw swatch after swatch of fabric at me. They were all so similar that I would have had trouble picking one even if I had been planning on marrying James. I eventually settled on a pale, matted pink that my mother seemed particularly fond of. She was thrilled by it and launched into even more plans.

I called Edward in tears that night.

"Bella, sweetheart, what's wrong?" he said, worried when I barely choked out a greeting to him.

"It all seems so real," I whispered, trying to take a deep breath and calm down. "I had to pick a color scheme today, Edward. For the wedding. She still won't believe me about James."

"Shh, Bella, it's okay. You need to calm down," Edward said softly, trying desperately to soothe me. I tried to take another deep breath, but only succeeded in choking out another sob. "It's fine. We'll get through this together, baby, I promise. Please, love, don't cry."

The pain in his voice was staggering. It shocked me enough that I was able to get control of my breathing and stop the sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Edward. You didn't need to hear that," I apologized.

"Never apologize for that," he replied forcefully. "I want to help you with anything and everything, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what's wrong. But since I know this time, there's nothing you need to worry about. I've been working on the plan and I think I've got almost enough evidence to make it worth it."

"Really?"

"Yes, love. I've talked to a few more girls about him and I spoke to Victoria again. One of the girls even gave me printouts of some of the e-mails he sent her that would have been used in the trial," he told me.

He went on to explain the other pieces of information he'd gotten from the girls and it really sounded like a solid amount of evidence. I just had to hope it would be enough.

The phone call with Edward gave me enough courage to approach my father the next day. I had to hope that he had a better reaction than my mother. He couldn't just brush it off like it meant nothing. He needed to see that this was a real concern of mine.

I waited until my mother had gone to visit one of her friends to approach my father in his study.

"Daddy?" I asked, knocking softly on the door.

He looked up from the file he was reading and smiled. "Hey," he said. "Do you need anything?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something," I said nervously as I sat in the chair he'd put in the corner.

"Sure," he said. He made a show of closing the file he had to let me know that I had his full attention. "What it is?"

"It's about James," I started, still hesitant. He didn't say anything, so I took the chance to continue. "You already know that I'm not the biggest fan of him, but I was willing to try and get over it for you and Mother. But it's gotten to the point where I don't feel safe around him anymore. I can't marry him, Daddy."

He paused and looked me over. His brows furrowed and I wondered if he was taking me seriously. "Isabella, please tell me you don't mean that."

"I wouldn't have told you if I didn't mean it."

"James has never done anything to deserve that kind of accusation," my father decided forcefully.

"He isn't really what you see," I protested. "He's not the perfect angel that everyone builds him up to be! It's an act. James is not who you think he is."

My father shook his head and let his gaze fall to the desk. "I can't believe that, Isabella," he said quietly. "There are so many things that contradict what you're saying. As much as I want to believe you, I just can't." He looked up again, his eyes full of regret.

I bit my lip to keep from lashing out at him. He really did love me and I had to remember that. It wasn't like he wanted to ignore everything that came out of my mouth in favor of what he wanted like my mother, he just didn't have a way to prove it.

I took a deep breath to calm down.

"I'll prove it, Daddy," I whispered. "But please believe me."

"I'll try, Isabella," he said. "I can't promise anything more than that."

"That's all I need," I answered. I went around the desk and hugged him. "Thank you, Daddy," I said after I kissed his cheek.

It was easier to deal with an enforced fiancé knowing that my father was at least trying to get on my side. James consistently treated me like some trophy. He paraded me around and introduced me to every person he could as "his future wife," but wouldn't allow me to speak to anyone.

I chose to become more distant and less engaged when he did this. It was uncomfortable at best and I was sick of it. I would use whatever excuse I could to get out of there in favor of having genuine conversations with people I felt normal around.

Of course, James noticed this after a while and confronted me about it. I had excused myself from a conversation to hide in one of the unoccupied rooms and had enjoyed a few minutes of peace before he found me.

"What is this, Isabella?" he demanded. "You keep disappearing. Is there something wrong? Something I should know about? This does not look good for me. My fiancée should be at my side, not gallivanting off on her own like some hired slut looking to get more."

Before I had started dating Edward, I would have backed off and just listened to him. But I was finally starting to learn to stick up for myself and I needed to do that with James.

"There is something wrong," I spat. "You pull me along like a rag doll and expect me to just stand there and smile. I know these people, James. I've known them all my life. I should have an opportunity to speak to them instead of acting like a mute! If you can't understand that, then I'm not going to act like everything is fine. I would rather mingle on my own than act as your silent trophy. No one else here thinks I'm a whore, and you of all people shouldn't even be toying with the idea in your head. Just because I'm expected to respect you, doesn't mean that you can treat me like some worthless bimbo without two brain cells to rub together."

James was shocked. When the words sunk in, he had the sense to look slightly apologetic. He knew it would end badly for him if he didn't fix the situation. He would only do something about it for his own benefit.

"I didn't realize you felt that way," he said carefully. "I will be sure to make a point to include you. I would appreciate it, however, if you refrained from letting this conversation reach the ears of others. It would reflect poorly on me."

"Don't worry. I know how to keep my mouth shut about things like that," I hissed. "And you won't have to try to include me. Believe it or not, I know a thing or two and I won't embarrass you in front of your friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go speak with my father."

Without letting him get another word in, I hurried out of the room to find my father sneaking sweets in the kitchen.

"Daddy!" I gasped. "What are you doing?"

His head snapped up and his gaze passed from me to the chocolate covered strawberry resting between his thumb and forefinger. He sighed and reluctantly set it on the napkin in front of him.

"Please don't tell your mother, Isabella," he said. "It would break her heart if she realized that I didn't eat her fancy treats."

I chuckled and gestured that my lips were sealed. He visibly relaxed and indicated that I should join him.

"So this is where you disappear to," I mused.

"I used to hide in my study, actually," he confessed. "Your mother found me there. I always got too hungry anyway with nothing up there, so I started coming in here. The cook has learned to make extra sweets. It's the only time I can eat them."

"Well, I promise not to tell if you don't tell Mother about me telling off James," I conceded nervously.

My father turned to me, stunned. "What did you say? Please don't tell me-"

"No, I didn't do anything about ending the engagement," I rolled my eyes. "But, I did inform him that I would no longer let him treat me like a mute. He was apparently unaware of my ability to form logical, coherent thoughts and present them eloquently."

"Ah, Isabella," he sighed. "I knew you could do it."

"Must you call me that?" I huffed.

"Isabella? It's your name."

"It makes me feel like I'm getting in trouble. It's too formal."

"Oh," he said, taken aback. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

I blushed and looked down, toying with the edge of a serving platter. "It just seemed like it wouldn't matter."

"Hey," he lifted my chin. "I've always tried to pay attention to what you do and don't like. Do you remember that year your mother wanted you to do every single pageant she could get you into?" I shuddered involuntarily at the memory I'd repressed. He chuckled at my reaction. "Exactly. I noticed and convinced her that you would only be able to get through one before your head exploded. And that year you expected only pink, girly debutante dresses for your birthday? You got some of those, yes, but who do you think got you the gift card to the bookstore?"

I stared up at him in amazement. "I always thought it was the cook," I whispered. "She saw them lying around everywhere, so I assumed…"

He shrugged. "I just didn't know what you'd like, so I didn't want to guess."

I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Daddy," I whispered, trying not to tear up.

It had never occurred to me that my parents even considered anything I wanted. My father had always conceded to my mother – at least in front of me. It seemed like he barely even knew I existed. It meant so much that he had done something as small as getting me a gift card just so I could have one present I would like.

"I love you too, honey," he said, awkwardly hugging me back.

"Charles? Oh, where is that man? Charles?"

We both heard my mother prowling the halls, but it didn't sound like she would find us.

"Looks like that's my cue to rejoin the party," he said sadly. He quickly popped the last chocolate covered strawberry in his mouth before helping me off my stool.

"One thing, Dad?" I said. He looked at me, but said nothing to allow me to continue. "Please call me Bella. It's been Bella ever since Jasper decided that Ali couldn't be the only one with a nickname. We were seven."

He nodded and kissed the top of my head as he led me out of the kitchen. "Bella," he said with a smile. "It suits you."

My dad and I finally started to understand each other. He knew I was unhappy with life and I realized that he'd given my mother too much power over me because he wasn't sure what to do in terms of raising me.

This newfound closeness with him was not solidified, however. I was still skeptical of letting him know about Edward. I was afraid that he wouldn't see a strong woman trying to get what she wanted. I was afraid he'd see a two-timing tramp and all the progress we made would be for nothing.

I decided it was useless to dwell on those thoughts. I would tell my parents about Edward when they asked how I got the evidence about James. Hopefully telling them wouldn't ruin anything.

Edward and I were struggling with the lack of time we spent together. With James coming around more and being more attentive, I had trouble getting out of the house. My mother also believed that I wasn't spending enough time planning for the wedding. Edward was spending more time at the shop because both of his interns were unable to work. Pete caught a bout of mono from his girlfriend and Drew broke his leg while he was off-roading with his friends.

We tried to stay in contact throughout the day, but it was getting tough. The shop was getting more publicity than they thought and now Edward had more customers than ever before.

He agreed to make time to call me every day if I got him at a bad time when I tried. Phone tag became a normal occurrence. I was disappointed that I couldn't talk to him, but I knew that he needed to work.

One day, I was just starting to give up hope that I would get to talk to him when someone picked up. My hope was crushed when I heard Rose's voice ring through.

"Bella?" she asked.

"Hey, Rose," I sighed.

"Sorry, I know you wanted to talk to him. He's been working on some biker guy's sleeve for about two hours now," she explained. "But I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, alright," I said. I made an effort to be more engaged in the conversation.

"So, you know Edward's birthday is coming up next weekend, right?"

"Yes, I was actually wondering about that. Does his family have anything special planned or…?"

I'd been thinking of what I wanted to do for him for a couple weeks. Now that we were together, I felt the need to do something special. It needed to be more than the extra mix CDs I made him in years before.

But since he'd finally reconnected with his family, I figured they would want to do something for him. I couldn't interfere with that.

"Esme wants to do something for him, but he won't go for it," Rose huffed. "He says he doesn't want them to do anything for him, but we don't care. I was hoping that you could help us out."

"Why?" I gasped. Figuring that had come across as rude, I explained myself, "I mean, what influence do I hold over him that would make him agree to something?"

"Really, Bella?" Rose questioned, exasperated. "Have you seen the way the boy looks at you? He's like a puppy. He's been pining over you for three years. You've held power over him ever since you two met."

I gaped at my phone, not believing what Rosalie said. How could that be? How could Edward have fallen for me before he even really knew me? I knew he loved me and I knew I'd felt a connected that first night, but had it really been that fast?

"Bella? Hello? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry," I stumbled through a response. "I guess I never realized that."

"Well, it's true," she answered like it was the most mundane news in the world. "So, you in?"

"I guess so. Tell me what I can do to help."

Rose and I talked about our plans for the next half hour before a client came in for a piercing. She promised she would tell Edward that I loved him, not to worry, and that my call wasn't urgent.

I spent the next five days agonizing over what to give Edward. He knew I was planning something; I'd told him that I would meet him at the shop – Rose's idea – and then I'd drive him to where we were going. There was no point in asking him what he wanted me to get him, though. He would only say something corny about only needing me.

"Just get a slutty nurse costume and seduce his sexy ass," Alice huffed as we walked around the mall. I'd dragged her with me in search of a gift two days before the party in the hopes that, having been with Jasper for so long, she would know how to shop for guys. "That's what I do for Jasper."

Apparently not.

"No, Alice, I am not going to seduce him for his birthday," I hissed. "I need something meaningful. Something unique."

"You're shopping for a sappy gift? Shit, Bella, I thought you were buying for a guy!" Alice exclaimed.

I sighed and plopped myself on a bench. "Ali, I can't just get him any old gift. I mean, we're together now, you know? It needs to be something more than sexy lingerie that will eventually get ripped off me. Besides, we haven't even considered having sex yet."

Alice sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bella. I guess I didn't realize how much this meant to you. But you don't need to worry. Edward is the kind of guy that really would be happy to just be with you. He doesn't need presents. Presents are just a bonus to him."

"You're right, but I still feel like I owe it to him," I countered. "He got me that sketch that's been sitting on my bedside table for two years and all I've gotten him are CDs. I need to do something big, Alice."

She nodded and we continued walking through the stores. About ten minutes later, she randomly turned to me and asked, "Were you really serious? No sex?"

We finally found the perfect thing after two hours of searching. I knew I could add in a few little things, but he would love it no matter what.

Alice also found me a cute dress to wear. It was different than what I would usually wear, but it was perfect. Not only would I not mind wearing it, I knew Edward would love it.

I was staying with Alice and Jasper the night before the party so that I would have no problems getting out of the house. Saturdays were usually quiet in my house, but lately the wedding plans had taken precedence.

The only thing I hadn't counted on was my mother. I hadn't mentioned my plans to her, choosing instead to let her worry for once. She caught me as I was going out the door.

"Where do you think you're going, Isabella?" she demanded.

"I'm staying with Alice and Jasper for a while, Mother," I said. It was at least partly true. She didn't need to know that I would probably stay with Edward after the party.

"Why are you holding a gift? I didn't think Alice's birthday was this soon."

"She's planning a party for one of her friends and roped me into helping," I lied. "I thought it would be rude to go without a gift."

"Well, that's very sensible," she agreed. "When can I expect you back? You know we have more to do for the wedding. You only just picked a color scheme!"

"I'll be back on Monday, Mother. And I'll have my cell phone with me, so you don't need to worry about calling Alice's house phone. We probably won't even be there for most of the time."

She reluctantly agreed with the stipulation that I check in on Sunday and I hurried out before she changed her mind. Jasper was already waiting out front.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Just my mother," I sighed. "Still trying to plan out every last second of my life for me…"

"Well, you've got the entire weekend free," he noted.

"Thank god."

We spent the night catching up. Even though we'd seen each other a lot over the past few weeks, most of that was at parties when we were forced to mingle. We couldn't really talk about anything important then.

I filled them in on everything Edward had told me about the information he'd gathered. A few of the girls had refused to talk to him, but that was expected. He'd gathered more than we could have hoped for when he started the investigation. There was almost enough to show my parents. Almost…

I called Edward before I went to bed that night. For some reason, I couldn't go to sleep anymore without at least hearing his voice first.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said happily when he picked up.

"Hi," I sighed.

"Oh no, please don't tell me something's wrong," he said, panicked.

"No, don't worry," I chuckled. "That was a happy sigh."

"Good. I don't like to hear you sad."

"I won't be for the next few days," I admitted. "I'm home free until Monday."

"Really?" He sounded excited at the prospect. So was I, but I couldn't let that show too much. "You're not at home right now?"

"Nope, I'm staying with Ali and Jazz tonight. We haven't had much time to ourselves with all the parties and wedding shit…. It feels nice to just spend some time with them, you know?"

"I'm glad, baby. You needed that. Are you still meeting me at work tomorrow?"

"Of course I am. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've been waiting to see where you work for a long time now," I confessed.

"Bella, all you had to do was ask," Edward said. "You could have come any time."

"I didn't want to invade your space," I said. "But now that we're working toward an actual relationship, I figure it doesn't matter."

His laughter rang through the line and I couldn't resist smiling in return. I loved making him happy, and his laugh never got old.

"May I ask why we're only working toward an actual relationship and not already in one?"

"Obviously because we barely know each other," I joked. "I mean, we only met over three years ago."

"Well, of course. That must be it," he agreed, still laughing.

It felt nice to laugh like that, but I wished that I could be with him.

"I love you, Edward," I said.

"I love you too, Bella," he answered. "God, I wish you were here, baby. Will you stay with me tomorrow night?"

"Yes," I agreed quickly, almost before he finished the question. It was like he'd read my mind and I wasn't about to complain. "And Sunday night if you'll have me," I added cautiously.

"Always, Bella. Always."

We ended the call soon after when Edward noticed that I was starting to yawn. After a few more exchanged words of love, we finally hung up. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and the knowledge that I would get to spend the entire weekend with Edward.

AN: There you go, folks. A new chapter. Don't you like Charlie now? I know I like him a whole lot more. James, though? Still want to punch his lights out.... Sorry.

Next chapter: Surprise! (aka, Edward's birthday party and the end of the plan)

I will try to do another two week gap between updates. This chapter didn't want to flow, but I think the next one will. As always, please tell me what you think! It keeps me going and helps me get it out faster, I swear. I'll go with the same policy as the last chapter: if you beat the review per chapter record, I'll post a teaser on my profile (I really don't have any other place to put it). And, as always, I'll be posting updates for the chapter there periodically as well.

Thanks for reading! :)

-Kaylee