AN: I didn't want to make you guys wait an extra week for an update, so I decided to post this without really editing it. I'm going on vacation with my family as of tomorrow and I didn't really give my beta much time to edit since she has her own life (but I still love her and I will post her edits after I get back). So please excuse all errors for now and hopefully the hint of citrus will help. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Twilight, not "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles (the song I was listening to while writing the scene between Bella and James)... Only Bella's grandparents and the plot.

Chapter 21 – Plans for the Future

BPOV

Having Edward at the party was a godsend. I would never be able to deal without him at one of these again. Ever.

He was dealing with all the stuffy, uptight business men as if he did it every day. By actually listening to the fact that he knew how to string figures together with big business terms, they were able to look past the tattoos and see him as almost their equal. It was amazing.

Edward and my father were deeply engaged in a conversation about maximizing profit with some of my father's colleagues. I interjected once with my thoughts on the tattoo parlor and how it was run, but otherwise I remained quiet.

"I'm going to go get another drink," I told Edward quietly so as not to disturb the conversation. "Did you want anything?"

"No, baby, I'm good," he said, giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head. "Thanks."

I smiled up at him and excused myself from the conversation. It took nearly ten minutes to get to the drink table as I had to play the gracious guest of honor.

I took the chance to look out over the rest of the party. It was great to see the people I'd known forever mingling with my new favorite people. A content smile played across my face.

"I haven't seen that smile for years," I heard from beside me.

James picked up one of the few remaining expensive, imported beers. He looked just the same as he had for a few years. His suit was perfectly tailored and cleaned. His shoes were polished and gleaming. His hair wouldn't move from its perfect configuration until some skank ran her hands through it. He still maintained an air of superiority and arrogance as he spoke to me, hiding his displeasure over being dumped by reminding himself that I had chosen to throw my lot in with the filth of society. He was just like my mother in that respect.

"Well, I haven't been happy for years," I countered.

He turned to fully face me and glared. "How can you say that when I gave you everything you could ask for and then some? Girls would kill to have that."

I couldn't deny that I'd been expecting him to finally confront me about everything. James was never one to go with the flow when it affected his life. If something didn't go his way, he whined and fought until someone else fixed it for him just like any other overly spoiled rich kid.

When my parents accepted his proposal for me, James Whitlock had every second of the rest of his life planned out, which also included every tiny detail of my future with it. I threw a wrench into his plans by rejecting him, and he didn't appreciate that. This wasn't a good change for him, but he needed to accept it.

"You gave me what you thought I wanted," I corrected him, keeping my voice controlled. "I never wanted you to parade me around like a trophy. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in a penthouse apartment decorated by the most expensive person you can find. That's not me, James! In case you haven't figured it out, I've never been that girl."

"You would have been. When you realized that I was doing all of that for you, you would have come to love it. My brother and his crazy wife have brainwashed you into believing that you need to love someone before marriage," he spat. "That's not true. You learn to love them for what they give you. And you would have been perfect."

"If I was perfect, why were you running around with girls on the side? If I was enough, why couldn't I make my own decisions?"

"None of that would matter!" he insisted. "If you just understood, you would never have a care in the world. You would never be put in a position to decide anything."

I sighed and shook my head. He was so stuck in his mentality that he didn't understand what it meant to be in a loving relationship.

"James, I really hope you find someone to make you see what the rest of us found. But what you're proposing just isn't for me," I said. "I would resent you. I would resent that life. I'm happy with Edward. We love each other, and that's enough."

I didn't let him reply. Nothing he had to say could change my opinion. He needed to see that and there was only so much I could do to try to force that insight.

Going back to Edward helped my state of mind. He smiled at me sweetly when I rejoined him until he noticed my distress. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking me what was wrong, but I just smiled back to assure him that I was okay. He slid his arm around my waist and kissed the side of my head to try to comfort me anyway.

By the time we managed to escape to our group of friends, I was much more relaxed. Edward was finally starting to get overwhelmed by the stuffy businessmen – the initial reaction had to wear off eventually, after all – and I was focused on keeping him sane. I whisked him away to the finished basement, which very few of the party guests actually knew about. I motioned to Rose and Alice to join us if they could get away. Within a few minutes, the six of us were lounging comfortably away from the ruckus of the party.

Alice flopped unceremoniously on one of the couches, making Jasper laugh. "No one warned me that I couldn't stand around in heels for hours once I started growing a kid inside me!" she whined. "This party is a disaster."

"Aw, it's the best swanky shindig I've ever been to, Alice!" Emmett reassured her.

"It's the only one," she scoffed. "And you spent the entire thing trying out the beer. I swear my father thinks you're a drunk frat boy crashing the party."

Rose laughed and settled herself on Emmett's laugh. "Nah, he just doesn't want to admit that he was overwhelmed. Why do you think we were hovering around Esme and Carlisle for so long?"

"Because Esme won't stop gushing about the wedding?" Edward laughed, claiming the loveseat.

"Cut her some slack, man. She's been waiting for this for years," Emmett groaned. "And for the record, it's going to be worse when the two of you finally get your shit together." He pointed at Edward and me as I settled against my boyfriend's chest.

Before either Edward or I could say anything, Rose interjected on our behalf. "Don't push it, Emmett. One wedding is enough to deal with," she said.

I shot her a look of gratitude to which she replied with a sympathetic smile. She could tell how much the James issue had affected me. It was too soon to deal with another engagement, no matter how much I loved Edward.

"Besides, I was hoping you girls could help me out with something," Rose continued.

I cocked an eyebrow at her and Alice inquired as to how could help.

"You see, I never really had too many friends, especially girls. So I'm a little lacking in the bridesmaids department…"

"Oh my god, yes!" Alice squealed. I saw Jasper cringe as his wife continued. "This is wonderful. We can help with everything! The dress, the flowers, the centerpieces, all of it! Have you thought about what you want to do for a color scheme? Don't you dare say you're doing a theme wedding or I may have to kill you. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

I stood up and went over to hug Rose. "Even though I resent being lumped into everything Alice just said, I'd love to be your bridesmaid."

Rose smiled at me and Emmett gave me a quick kiss on the cheek to show his appreciation as well.

After that, we decided to put all talk of weddings on the back burner. Esme had been grilling Rose all night about what ideas they had so far, and it was too much for one time. The easiest change of topic was to turn to was Alice's pregnancy.

Jasper beamed and proudly told us all about how she was doing and what they could expect. She was about twenty weeks along now and starting to show.

"I'm not starting to show," she snapped. "I'm a fucking cow! And don't you dare try to calm me down about this, Jasper Whitlock. You are required to say that shit simply by having married me. Not to mention this thing is partly your fault."

I sighed and opened my mouth to speak, but Edward quickly cut me off.

"Alice, you don't look like a cow," he said.

"Fine, a hippo then," she rolled her eyes.

"No, you look beautiful," he insisted. "Sure, you're ankles look a little swollen and your stomach has finally started to pop, but that's not the first thing people see. They see how happy you look and that's what makes you beautiful."

Alice stared at him for a few seconds before smirking. "So you do think I look fat," she teased. "Whatever. As long as this little tyke finds its way out and lets me get some sleep once in a while, I'll be happy."

She smiled softly and ran her hands over the baby bump. When we were growing up, she always used to say that she didn't care if she had kids. She would be the cool aunt to my kids and that would be enough. But seeing her so happy over having a child of her own was wonderful.

I turned to see Edward looking down at me with a similar smile.

"What?" I whispered.

"Just thinking about what you would be like if you were the pregnant one," he answered just as quietly. His fingers played with the side of my dress, but avoided skimming over my stomach and giving anyone the wrong impression. "How your face would look radiating that same happiness."

"I missed my cheeseball," I laughed. "All those stuffy business men tried to suck all the fluff out of you."

He kissed the end of my nose and smiled. "No, you just make me want to say all kinds of unmanly things. I think Emmett is about ready to stage an intervention to rediscover my masculinity."

I smirked and let my fingers lightly stroke his thigh. "I don't think there's anything questionable about your masculinity," I said, lowering my voice even more. "Not after some of the things you've done to me."

The effect of my words was clear instantly. My body was hiding it from the rest of the room, but there was no doubting the sudden pressure against my hip. It amazed me that I could affect him so much so easily.

He groaned and dragged his nose along my neck before kissing the skin behind my ear. "You are asking for trouble, Miss Swan," he growled playfully.

"You better believe it," I teased. "I just wish we didn't have to stay at this stupid party so we could explore this further."

My brazenness was surprising. While I fully accepted that I was no longer allowed in the Pure White Virgin Club anymore, I was still innocent. Edward was the first man to look beyond the name, the money, and the body to see the girl. He was the first man I wanted to impress. He was the only man I wanted to be with, but I had no idea what I was doing.

Sure, I could give him a boner in less than a second. It was easy to pick out what got him hot and bothered. But that had taken practice. Three years of observing, listening, learning…

Sex was a completely different story. Even after technically being together for a few months, I was nowhere near ready to take that step – no matter how much my body wanted him to ravish me for days. Edward hadn't voiced any opinions on the matter beyond that he was willing to wait for me. He either had the patience of a saint or plans to fool around a lot between now and then.

I was voting for option number two.

"Can we not discuss this right now?" he sighed. "I don't need to be pitching a tent the size of Texas when I go back upstairs to make small talk with your dad and his golf buddies."

"I was thinking more along the lines of Alaska, it being the biggest state in terms of land mass, but Texas works too," I mused. "I'll have to keep the image of you in a cowboy hat, assless chaps, and cowboy boots in mind…"

Another groan escaped his throat and I had to struggle to contain my fit of laughter.

"Baby Bell, what's so funny?" Emmett called, breaking me out of my Edward-induced haze.

"You don't want to know," I wheezed. "You really don't want to know."

He cocked an eyebrow and looked between his cousin and me. "Fine, then. Just make sure to keep it clean for the rest of us, okay?"

I nodded innocently as Edward buried his face in my neck, muttering, "You will be the death of me, woman."

The rest of the party went smoothly. Edward and I continued to make the rounds, lingering around his relatives to escape the socialites. Even when James finally came up with a response, it didn't ruin the evening.

Edward was telling Jasper about the new tattoo he was planning on getting – the angel – while sliding his arms around my waist and anchoring me to him yet again when James strode up to us with no regard for the current conversation. He looked right at me and broke through the other voices.

"You know, this is actually a better deal for me. Now I don't have to lie about how you look anymore while I go behind your back and fuck other girls," he said, keeping his voice just low enough to not attract other attention. "It's a miracle you found anyone who likes you at all. Or maybe he's just too fucked up to know the difference. Either way, I'm glad to be rid of you."

I stared, gaping, as he merged back into the party. The only thing that broke me out of my initial reaction of stunned silence was the trembling feeling that wasn't coming from me.

Edward was shaking furiously, his hands balled into fists and his arms tightening around me. It hurt a little, but I couldn't focus on that. I needed him to calm down.

"Edward," I said, rubbing my hands over his soothingly.

His breath hissed through his clenched teeth. "That bastard," he spat, holding me tighter. "He has no right to say those things."

"Baby, I can't breathe," I whimpered involuntarily.

His arms instantly loosened, but his fists clenched tighter in response. I spun in his arms to face him. His face was set in a dark, fury-ridden expression as he glared across the room.

I put my hand on his cheek and let my thumb caress his skin. No words needed to be said at that point. He knew I was there for him, so I let that be enough while he started to calm down. When I felt the palms of his hands settle on my lower back, I knew he was doing okay.

"Hey," I whispered. His eyes finally met mine and I saw the anger still flowing. "He's nothing. Nothing he says matters, okay? You are the man I love. If you ever said something like that, I would kick your ass. But you are the kindest, most caring, most wonderful man I know. So I don't care what anyone else has to say." I paused to let that sink in before I continued. "Now, tell your inner Prince Charming that he doesn't need to defend my honor."

He sighed and rested his forehead against mine. "Just the fact that he doesn't understand how special you are…."

"I know, baby," I soothed. "If any skank ever said that about you, I would want her dead. But if this means we'll never have to deal with him again, then so be it. I can live with that. There's no need to make this any worse than it already is."

"I love you," Edward said, staring into my eyes. "You need to know that."

"I do," I assured him. "I've known for a long time. And I love you too."

"Shit, this looked like it had so much more potential," Emmett whined. "Eddie looked like he was going to flip his lid! Now it just looks like a sequel to The Notebook."

I laughed and settled my head against Edward's chest, turning to look at our friends. "Come on, Emmett. We all know you secretly love that movie. Beyond just the sex scene."

"He totally cried the first time I made him watch it," Rose announced proudly.

"Allergies, Rosie! My eyes were watering because of my allergies," he hissed.

"Just admit it, Em," Edward warned, "or I'll tell them about how you bawled for an hour the first time you saw The Lion King."

The big, burly man sighed in defeat. "Fine. But don't expect any help from me when they find out how you reacted when you saw Monsters Inc. for the first time."

Edward shrugged and kissed the top of my head, laughing along with the rest of us at Emmett's expense.

Finally, people started leaving. No one looked more relieved than Alice. She had been leaning on Jasper for the last hour of the party out of sheer exhaustion. I don't think she realized just how much hosting this party would take out of her.

"Go get some sleep," I told her as I hugged her goodbye. "I'm sure everyone will understand."

She smiled and shooed me out, knowing I was eager to finally get some alone time with Edward. I'd been spending much more time at home since I confessed about Edward to my parents – even considering the crazy escape attempts we'd pulled since my grandparents came into town. Before the party, I told my father that I would be spending the night at Edward's place and refused to let him talk me out of it.

Edward must have been just as eager as I was. He grabbed my hand as soon as we were out of the party and pulled me toward the car. I giggled at his eagerness, which caused him to smirk back at me. He deposited me on the passenger's side of his car, giving me one deep kiss before running to the driver's side.

It took about five minutes less than it should to get back to Edward's apartment that night. As we walked up the stairs, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to jump him or burst into an uncontrollable laughter over how giddy he looked.

My mind was made up by the time he shut the door. I jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist, as he turned around. His eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to catch me and respond in kind when I molded my lips to his.

Edward groaned and planted his hands on my ass, pulling me closer.

"God, Bella, you have no idea how much I've wanted to do this all night," he breathed, trailing kisses down my neck. "That dress…"

One of his hands moved to my breast and I gasped, letting my head fall back. "Edward," I sighed. "Fuck, you looked so hot tonight."

His lips found their way back to my mouth. We took our time exploring each other's mouths and bodies. Edward turned around and sandwiched me against the wall to give us more stability.

"I need to feel you," I whined, finally breaking off the kiss. "I need your hands on me, Edward."

He smiled and placed one last lingering kiss on my lips. "Come on, baby. Let's get you out of this thing," he smirked.

My dress disappeared on the way to his bedroom, leaving me in only a pair of lacy blue boy shorts. I managed to get his vest off and some of the buttons undone. My hands roamed the warm skin of his toned chest.

"You need to stop that if we're going to make it to the bed, baby," he groaned as my thumb grazed his nipple.

I smiled innocently and moved my thumb back over the sensitive skin, causing him to groan again.

He tossed me gently onto the bed and crawled over me. I quickly rid him of the shirt completely as he paid special attention to my nipples in revenge. He had me panting and almost to my breaking point sooner than I thought possible, but pulled me back from the edge and failed to let me come yet.

I growled at him and grabbed at his pants, trying to get the button undone and get access to his glorious shaft.

"Eager, baby?" he chuckled.

"You have no idea," I breathed, palming him over his boxers.

I let my hand stroke him as his fingers trailed down to my center. Needing more contact, I kissed him again and pushed my hips into his hand.

We took our timing pleasuring each other, finding new ways to bring excitement and discovering new thrills. Soon enough, Edward was on top of me, moving his hips against mine and creating the most delightful friction where I needed it the most.

He knew me well enough that we both kept our underwear on to prevent the temptation to do anymore than this. I still wasn't ready, but if it made Edward happy, it wouldn't be too hard to convince me.

"You feel so good," he whispered in my ear as he moved over me.

"I love you so much," I said, arching into him.

"Fuck, Bella," he groaned.

"Ugh, Edward, yes!"

I panted, watching as my beautiful man fell over the edge just after me. He rested his head on my chest as he came down from his high. I ran my fingers through his hair, content to be with him like that.

"God, I missed this, baby."

"Family or no family, I am spending at least three nights a week here from now on," I decided.

He chuckled and kissed my chest above my heart. "Best decision ever," he agreed.

Forgoing everything else, we fell asleep right there on his bed, Edward's head resting on my chest.

I woke up before him the next morning. We had shifted positions during the night. He was now wrapped around me, his arms pulling me back against him. I smiled and wiggled my way out of his grasp.

Knowing it would make him react strongly when he woke up, I chose to wear the button-down he'd worn to the party the night before. Cheerfully, I danced around the kitchen as I made the coffee and chose some fruit for breakfast.

Edward woke up a while later and joined me in the kitchen wearing a pair of loose gym shorts. He stopped short as he noticed me in his shirt. Groaning, he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before grabbing his coffee.

"Already making me lose control and I haven't even had my coffee yet," he mumbled. "Devil woman."

I chuckled and danced into the living room to watch TV. I planted myself on the couch in an innocent pose that clearly showed off my legs.

It was futile to deny that I was trying to make Edward lose it at that point. Seeing his eyes darken in pleasure would never get old. And this time was no different.

Edward growled and sat at the other end of the couch, pulling my foot up to his mouth. He gently and slowly kissed his way up my leg, showing extreme tenderness.

My phone ringing disturbed this perfect domestic picture. I grabbed it from the end table behind my head and checked the caller ID to see if it was important.

"Shit," I sighed. "It's Dad." I flipped open the small device. "Hey, Dad."

Edward cocked an eyebrow at me, but continued his expedition up my leg.

"Good morning, Bella. How's Edward?" my father said on the other end of the line.

"Um, he's good. Really good. He's finding something to eat right now," I lied, trying in vain to get my boyfriend's face out from between my legs.

"Good. Well, I'm sorry to say, I need to cut your time a little short," he said. His tone had me worried.

"What's wrong, Dad? Is it Mom? Ali? Jazz?"

"No, it's your grandparents," he said sadly.

"Oh, shit! Are they okay?"

My mind started flipping through all the worst case scenarios. I loved them and I couldn't imagine losing either of them. I wasn't ready to deal with that.

"They're moving back to the city," he finally confessed.

That was worse than anything that had come to mind before.

AN: Surprise! More Gran, more often! Isn't that a good surprise ending? Let me know what you thought in a review! Ten reviews for the chapter will get a teaser on my profile after I get back. Fifteen (15) will get a better teaser.

Next Chapter: More about the wedding and the baby, and maybe a male bonding session.

I have no idea if I'll have internet access where I'll be, so if not, I will respond to anything when I get back at the end of the week. Thanks for reading! :)

-Kaylee