A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I know it's been a long time between updates but here it is!
Next chapter will be the last one – I PROMISE it will be up Wednesday or Thursday next week. It's written, I just need to tidy it up!
Happy reading!
Chapter 40
EPOV
"Eddie!" I heard Emmett's voice boom over the crowd outside the airport. I smiled despite myself as I turned to greet my brother and Jasper.
"Emmie!" I called back. He stopped in his tracks and shot me a death stare before breaking into a grin. "Where are your bags?" I asked as they reached me.
Jasper shrugged and indicated their backpacks. "We figured we wouldn't need much – couple of changes of underwear and socks, clean shirts, done!"
I led them over to where I'd parked the Volvo and they threw their backpacks in the trunk. Emmett commandeered the front passenger seat and immediately turned my stereo to one of the local rock stations, cranking the music up.
"Really?" I asked him.
"Just hope he doesn't start singing," Jasper called from the backseat.
We laughed and joked the rest of the way to my house. I turned the stereo down as we pulled into the drive and parked next to the rental truck.
"That's for me?" Emmett asked with a wide-eyed look on his face.
"Ten-four good buddy," I teased him.
He leapt from the car and ran around the truck.
"This is awesome!" he cheered.
Jasper and I shook our heads and walked over to the front door. As I was unlocking it, Tanya pulled up on the street in her convertible.
"Who's the bimbo?" Emmett whispered.
"The new tenant," I whispered back, plastering a smile on my face as I turned.
"Honey, I'm home," she called as she made her way up the drive.
I groaned under my breath. "Emmett, Jasper, this is Tanya, my former EA – she's moving in once I'm gone. Tanya, my brother Emmett and my sister's boyfriend Jasper." I hurriedly made the introductions and turned back to open the door.
The guys both shook her hand and I saw her batting her eyelashes at Emmett out of the corner of my eye.
"Better ring Rose, hey Emmett?" Jasper asked. "You know how she gets when you travel and don't check in!"
We left Emmett outside and I led Jasper and Tanya into the living room.
"I thought you said you were all packed?" Jasper asked, taking in the rug on the floor and books in the built-in shelves.
"Oh these are mine," Tanya answered him. "Edward has been kind enough to let me move some of my things in early. Which is why I'm here…I have a few things for the bedroom in my car."
"What sort of things?" I asked. "I still need to sleep in there tonight and don't really want to be crowded by your stuff."
"It's just clothes to hang up and a couple of boxes of knick knacks – I won't be in your way. I'll just unpack them and head off so you can get organised," she replied, heading out the door and passing Emmett who was on his way in.
Emmett came in then with a smile on his face. "The girls all say hi." He paused. "Thought you were packed?"
"These are Tanya's," I explained. "I wonder why she's not at work?"
"Hey, what did you mean, she's your former EA? Did you fire her?" Emmett asked.
I shook my head. "Former as in she still works at the firm but I don't."
She waltzed back in the door at that moment with an armload of clothes on hangers.
"Can we help you with boxes?" Jasper asked. "You must be on your lunch break?"
I smothered a snicker. Jasper was fast becoming a good friend but he wasn't particularly subtle.
"That would be lovely! They're in the backseat," she said, swinging her hips as she headed for the bedroom.
"Did she not hear you introduce me as your sister's boyfriend?" Jasper asked under his breath as the three of us headed for Tanya's convertible.
There were three boxes in the back so we grabbed one each and carried them into the house. Tanya walked back out and then came back in with another armload of hangers.
"What time should I be here in the morning to collect the keys?" she asked as she came into the living room.
"We're leaving early, can you be here at six thirty?" I suggested.
She nodded. "Is everything being switched off in the morning?"
"The power, gas and phone will all be cut off before 12, and then as I understand it, you've arranged for it to be reconnected in your name in the afternoon?" We'd discussed this at length already – I knew she was just hanging around.
"That sounds about right," she answered.
"I guess we'd better start packing this truck then," I said, hoping she'd take the hint.
"I'll be off then," she said, looking slightly offended. "Nice to meet you both, I'll see you all in the morning."
Once the door was closed, Emmett ran over to the window, causing Jasper and I to exchange a confused glance. We heard her car start and Emmett turned towards us. "What a piece of work!" he exclaimed, imitating her walk around my almost-empty living room.
We all cracked up and soon had tears streaming down our faces as Emmett kept going, mocking her voice next.
Once we had control of ourselves again I led the guys into the garage and hit the automatic door opener. "Let's get packing," I said. "Em, the keys are in the kitchen, next to the fridge. Which reminds me, can you turn it off?"
"Sure thing, Cap'n," he joked, heading back inside. He emerged again a minute later. "Fridge is off," he announced, heading over and unlocking the roller door on the back of the truck.
We spent the next three hours packing, leaving room for the fridge and the folding chairs and table that were in my living room.
"I was thinking we'd head out for dinner since everything's packed, is steak ok with you guys?" I asked.
Emmett's eyes lit up. "Steak? I'm in!"
We all showered quickly and piled into the Volvo again, heading towards the centre of town. I parked about a block from my favourite steakhouse and we walked in the door just after seven.
"Table for three?" the waitress asked, eyeing all three of us. She turned without waiting for an answer and led us to a small booth next to the window.
"Can I get you boys anything to drink?" she asked, letting her gaze linger on Emmett.
"Beer," he replied. "Whatever you have on tap."
She nodded and left the menus on the table.
"What is it with you and women? They fall all over you!" Jasper exclaimed.
"It's the dimples man, it's the dimples," Emmett intoned seriously before flashing Jasper a dimpled grin.
I shook my head and opened my menu, already pretty sure of what I would order. The beer arrived a few minutes later and I was closing my menu when our waitress re-emerged.
"Are you ready to order?" she chirped.
"I'll have the porterhouse, medium, with pepper sauce, baked potato and the house salad," I replied, handing her my menu. Jasper and Emmett quickly ordered and then she was gone.
We chatted about the girls in Seattle while we waited for our meals, wondering what they were doing.
"Rose and Alice were crashing Bella's place tonight," Jasper informed me. "They didn't want her to be alone, counting the minutes until you arrive."
"Speaking of arriving, I have a plan," Emmett joined in, quickly filling me in on his idea.
"Em, it's brilliant!" I declared as our dinner was set down in front of us. Emmett ordered more beer and then we dug in, starving after packing the truck.
Once our dinner was gone and the meals were paid for, we wandered slowly back to the car.
"Are you going to miss Chicago?" Jasper asked, sensing my sombre mood.
"Not really miss it, I've just been here for so long now," I replied. "But I'm really starting to feel that my place is with Bella, and I love Seattle, so I'm looking forward to the move."
"Is my big brother in love?" Emmett teased. He stopped walking abruptly when I nodded.
"Who would've thought it?" I joked with a smile.
"I wasn't meaning to be an ass," he assured me.
"I know. Just after Steph, I didn't think I'd ever love anyone again. And I know you guys saw it too," I said as we started walking again.
We arrived back at the house and sat on the small back deck with another beer for a while before Emmett decided it was time for sleep.
"If what's-her-face is coming at 6:30 we'd better hit the sack," he decided. "I don't really want to face her in all my morning glory."
"Emmett, that's just wrong on so many levels!" I said, rising from my folding chair and carrying it back inside.
Emmett and Jasper headed for the small second bedroom where I'd laid out sleeping bags and camping mats and I headed for a similar makeshift bed in my room.
I crawled into the sleeping bag and sent Bella a quick text;
Love you honey. Can't wait to hold you in less than two days! Sleep tight. xE
I drifted off to sleep soon after with thoughts of Bella and our new life in my head.
BPOV
Alice and Rosalie arrived Friday evening with Thai food and wine. "Girls weekend!" Alice declared as she burst through the door.
Rose dumped her stuff in Alice's room and joined us in the living room, where Alice had quickly set a makeshift dining table on the coffee table, complete with candles.
We drank the first bottle of wine with dinner, taking guesses at what the boys were up to. Alice and Rose had reached an agreement with Jasper and Emmett that they would text us throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday to let us know where they were on the road, and we wouldn't call unless it was an emergency so they wouldn't get distracted.
After we ate and cleaned up we all changed into our pyjamas and curled up to watch movies.
"Which one first?" Alice asked. "Miss Congeniality or Pretty Woman?"
We agreed on Miss Congeniality and Alice uncorked a second bottle of wine. Halfway through the movie, Rosalie asked if Alice had the sequel. I groaned loudly.
"Bella doesn't like the sequel," Alice sing-songed as she refilled our glasses.
"Alice, are you planning on us getting rolling drunk tonight?" I asked.
"Sure am!" she replied with a cheesy grin. I smiled in return and went back to watching the movie.
When it finished I got up and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. "There's more wine in the fridge!" Alice yelled out. "Bring it in!"
I found a third bottle and took it into the living room. "Before we start the sequel, I need to pee and get something to eat," Rose announced, climbing off the couch.
Alice put the movie in while I poured more wine, and Rose came in via the kitchen with a packet of chocolate biscuits and a punnet of strawberries.
By the end of the movie, the wine was all gone and we'd finished off the biscuits and strawberries as well.
"We should go to the spa tomorrow," Alice hiccuped.
"I'm going to be too hungover to do anything," Rose moaned.
"We'll go in the afternoon," Alice countered. "I want to get a wax for Jasper."
Rosalie and I both turned to her. "That's an overshare!" I whined.
"What? You don't think Edward would like to arrive to find you all freshly waxed and plucked and manicured?"
A thousand dirty thoughts raced through my mind. "Spa in the afternoon it is," I agreed.
"Bella, are you planning on seducing my brother?" Alice teased.
"I don't need to seduce him, we've been apart for three weeks. Be glad I'll be at his place!" I shot back at her. Damn wine – keep your mouth shut! I chided myself.
The rest of the evening went downhill from there. The wine made the three of us lose our inhibitions and by the time I finally crawled into bed, I knew that Emmett was a fan of manscaping and Jasper got turned on when Alice licked behind his knee.
I was woken by a soft knock on my bedroom door the next morning. "Bella?" Rosalie stuck her head in the door. "Breakfast is here."
I sat up slowly and stretched tentatively before gingerly climbing off the bed and staggering to the door. I made it to the living room and was greeted with the heavenly smell of French vanilla coffee.
"Whoever went for a drive is my favourite," I mumbled, taking the tall take-away cup Alice passed me.
"That would be me," she said quietly. "I don't get hangovers but this morning I wasn't feeling great, so I decided breakfast was in order."
Rosalie shuffled out of the kitchen with knives and forks and Alice produced three of Jacob's all day breakfasts.
After we ate I cleaned up while Alice called the spa and booked the three of us in for three o'clock and Rose took a shower. We all took it slowly for the morning and I made us lunch around one.
We piled into Rose's car at 2:30 and headed for the spa, then spent the next two hours getting waxed, plucked, manicured and massaged. I felt a thousand times better when we walked out.
"Let's go to dinner," Rosalie suggested.
"We're in jeans," Alice pouted.
"So we go to Sizzler," Rose shot back.
"Mmm wedges and steak," Alice hummed. "Deal!"
We parked in the lot at Sizzler and enjoyed a nice night. None of us had any alcohol and we arrived home a little after nine. My phone beeped as I walked into the kitchen and I pulled it out of my pocket to find a message from Jasper;
Bell, we're not too far away now, should be in Seattle around 10 2morrow. Will call one of you when we've unpacked the truck. J.
I relayed the message to the girls and we all went quiet for a moment.
"Are we pathetic because we miss them so much?" Alice asked in a tiny voice.
"Not at all!" Rose replied. "Besides, you and I have nothing to complain about – Bella and Edward have been apart forever!"
I nodded and reached into the freezer for a fresh tub of Ben & Jerry's. "Chocolate Fudge Brownie?" I offered.
Rosalie clapped her hands and Alice grabbed out three spoons. "Into your jammies ladies!" she ordered.
We all changed quickly and squished onto the couch again with the icecream. "Can we watch Harry Potter?" Rosalie asked around her spoon.
"Which one? I asked.
"The Cedric one," she responded.
Alice squealed and crawled over to the TV unit, pulling the DVD out and sticking it in the player.
Two hours later when the movie and the icecream were finished we all headed off to bed. I sent Edward a quick text as I snuggled under the covers;
Love you baby. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. xB
EPOV
We pulled into a dinky roadside diner at 4am and I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check it. My message tone had gone off around midnight but I wanted to keep driving. It felt like we'd been on the road forever.
I smiled as I read Bella's text. If only she knew, I thought.
"From Bella?" Jasper asked, looking over and seeing the smile on my face.
I nodded as I stuck my phone back in my pocket. "Did you want to ride with Emmett for a while and I'll drive?"
We'd stopped just after 2pm the day before at Jasper's aunt's house. He'd organised for us to stay there for a few hours to get some sleep and shower. We left there and headed for Seattle just after 10pm.
He nodded. "Yeah, that's not a bad plot. At least you and I have been able to share the driving!"
We met Emmett at the truck and walked inside for a greasy breakfast. "What time should we hit Seattle?" Emmett asked me.
"We should get there around 11, I figure we can grab a few hours sleep and then let the girls know we're there some time in the afternoon," I answered, taking another sip of the burnt-tasting coffee.
We hit the road again soon after and I slid behind the wheel of the Volvo, following Emmett and Jasper in the truck.
We stopped for a toilet break at 8:30 then hit the home stretch, Jasper staying with Emmett and leaving me to my thoughts.
By the time we arrived at my new apartment in Seattle we were all exhausted. I pulled a sleeping bag, pillow and camping mat out of the Volvo and Jasper handed me the keys to my new place.
"I'm going to crash in my own bed for a few hours, I'll meet you guys at the truck at three?" Emmett suggested as we walked into the lifts.
"Done," we agreed, stepping off on our floor.
"Happy camping!" Jasper teased as he unlocked the door to his apartment.
I walked the rest of the way down the hall and stopped outside what was now my door. I slid the key in the lock and turned, hearing the button pop on the other side. I quickly put the other key in the deadlock and let myself in. I dropped my makeshift bedding on the floor and locked the door behind me.
As I was unrolling the sleeping bag in my new bedroom my phone rang. It was Emmett.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" I teased him.
"Just had a thought – did you want to crash in our spare room for a while so you're in a decent bed?" he offered.
The thought of a decent bed instead of a sleeping bag was too good to pass up so I locked up again and headed for the 12th floor.
"See you at two thirty," Emmett mumbled as he headed for his bedroom after letting me in.
I fell across the bed in his spare room and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
BPOV
"Where are they?" I asked for the millionth time, pacing across the kitchen floor.
"Relax Bella, it's only two o'clock. Jasper said they'd call when they were here. They probably just slept a little late is all," Rosalie reassured me.
"Why don't we help you cook something? That always calms you down!" Alice suggested.
I nodded, thinking it was probably a good way to get my mind off things. "Just let me run a brush through my hair," I replied.
"Ok. We'll meet you downstairs at my car," Rose said.
Five minutes later we were on our way to the supermarket. "So are you going to make Edward a 'welcome to Seattle' dinner?" Alice asked, twisting in her seat to face me.
"Won't you guys all want to eat with us too?" I asked.
Rosalie shook her head and looked at me in the rear-view mirror. "That can wait until during the week. You guys should have his first night here to yourselves."
I couldn't help the silly grin that spread across my face. "You guys are the best friends anyone could ask for!"
"I know, right?" Alice said with a giggle as we pulled into the parking lot.
"So what are we shopping for?" Rose asked as we walked in and I grabbed a basket.
"Minestrone soup and crusty bread," I decided on the spot.
"I'm guessing you're not talking about the stuff out of a can?" Alice teased.
I humphed at her and headed for the fresh vegetables. Once I had all I needed we headed for home.
Just as I was ladling the soup into containers my phone rang. "Finally!" I breathed, racing to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Hi there gorgeous! I'm here!" Edward's voice rang out.
"Yay! When can I come over?" I asked.
"Well, we want to unpack some of the truck so we at least have somewhere to sit, how about you come over in about an hour?" he suggested.
I looked at the clock on the wall. An hour would make it six o'clock. "Six it is!" I agreed. "I'm bringing you dinner."
"You're the best, Make sure you bring clothes for the next few days as well – I'm not planning on letting you go anywhere," he told me.
My heat raced at the thought of having days with Edward with no end in sight. "Done. I'll see you soon. I love you!"
"Love you too!" he said as he hung up.
"We're going to leave you to it," Rosalie said as she and Alice rose from the table. "We'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
I hugged them both before they walked out the door. "Thanks for keeping me sane over the last couple of days," I said.
"You're welcome!" Alice replied as they headed for the lifts.
I closed the door and quickly packed a bag for the next few days. I still had half an hour before I needed to leave so I took a quick shower. By the time I dressed and did my hair I had ten minutes left, so I packed the soup, bread and some cutlery and bowls into a picnic basket before heading for my truck.
I parked in one of the visitor spots and pulled my bag and the picnic basket out before locking the door. I walked up to the door and buzzed Edward's apartment.
"Hello?" His voice was tinny.
"It's me," I answered.
"Come on up, me!" The door clicked and I walked in. I rode up the lift to the third floor and walked to the end of the corridor.
I set the basket on the floor beside me and knocked, holding my breath. The door swung open while my arm was still raised and Edward gathered me up in a bone-crushing hug.
"I can't believe I'm finally here," he whispered, not letting me go.
"I can't either," I replied, "but you're kinda squishing me!"
He chuckled as he loosened his grasp on me slightly. 'Better?"
I looked up at him and smiled. "Much."
He softly pressed his lips to mine and pulled away all too soon. I pouted at him and stretched up to kiss him again.
"Not in the hallway honey. Once I start I'm not going to be able to stop," he murmured, kissing me softly once more before letting me go and picking up the picnic basket.
I followed him inside and stopped dead as I stepped to the left of the door so he could close it.
The entire living room was set up. The couch, the rug, his armchair, coffee table…it was all there. A few boxes were against the wall but the room was in order. The corner of the room held his piano and I couldn't wait to hear him play.
"It's set up," I whispered.
He put the picnic basket down again and removed my bag from my hand. "It's all set up – the whole place. I wanted to spend my first night with you in comfort, not moving furniture and setting up stuff," he replied, wrapping his arms around me.
"What time did you get here?" I questioned, pulling back to look at him.
"Not important," he mumbled, leaning in for a kiss. "The bedroom is set up too…"