19

He squeezes between the end stool and the wall, and I hurry down to meet him. "What are you doing here?"

He looks awful. Drenched right through his trench coat, hair plastered to his head, water droplets hanging off his whiskers, his face a map of anxiety from the creases in his forehead to the square set of his jaw.

"I'm worried about you."

God, I did this to him?

"You came all the way down here in this horrible storm because of my texts?"

"You seemed really upset, and you weren't answering me. I tried to call you but it kept going straight to voicemail."

"Now you sound like my mother."

"Ouch."

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It was incredibly sweet of you to come, but what about your client?"

"I canceled."

"Oh, wow. You didn't have to do that."

"Bella," he says, his voice dropping into his growly register, "you're my priority. I can reschedule a client." If there ever was a question in my mind where I ranked, Edward has just put that to rest. "Besides, this is all my fault."

"No!" Shit, we can't have this conversation here. "Hold on a sec?"

He nods. Poor Edward, slumped against the wall, dripping with guilt and rain and worry. Aren't I just Suzy Sunshine today, spreading my rays of joy out into the world? And now I have to impose on my coworker—again.

"Jane, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but I really need a few minutes with Edward. Can you handle the bar alone?"

She follows my gaze to my rumpled, soaked, miserable boyfriend. "Wow, he looks like hell. Did you two have a fight?"

"What? No!"

"Of course. Go."

"Thanks. I'll make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it."

I jut my chin toward the kitchen door, and Edward meets me. "Try to be inconspicuous. I don't think I'm allowed to bring you back here."

"I don't want to get you in tr—"

I grab his hand and pull him behind me. "Keep your head down." We hoof it through the kitchen and into the employee lounge, and I lock the door behind him. His trench coat and his loafers are soaked.

"God, Edward, did you take the bus here?"

"No, I drove. The bus would've been too slow."

"How did you get so thoroughly drenched inside your car?"

"Coming in from the parking lot, I guess."

"Where's your umbrella?"

"Huh?" He shakes his head. "I don't know. I forgot it, I guess. Can we stop worrying about me, please?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I'm done yet. Will you at least take off your coat?"

"Fine." He pulls off his trench coat and holds it away from his body. "Happy?"

"Not really. You're soaked to the bone."

"Bella, it's fine I'm waterproof." He grasps my hand. "Talk to me about what happened with your mother."

"Ugh." I plop onto the love seat, tugging him down with me. "I sent her an email, all very upbeat, just like we talked about." He nods. "Right away, she calls me."

"Oh boy," he says.

"Right. You know how much I love talking on the phone."

"Go on."

"I wasn't going to answer, but she called like five times, and I started to worry something was really wrong. So I called her back, hoping maybe she'd have one nice to thing to say… or at least, it would be a quick, 'Looking forward to seeing you on Thanksgiving,' but somehow, we ended up back inside the never-ending, passive-aggressive conversation about how I'm fucking up everything in my life."

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry."

"She has this uncanny ability to make me feel terrible about myself, and at the very same time, make me feel guilty for getting mad at her about it. It's so twisted, you'd really have to see it to believe it."

"Sounds like a great time."

"Definitely. I made the colossal mistake of telling them where I work, so that was fun."

"I can imagine."

"Did you know I parade around half-naked for drunken perverts? She makes Hooters sound like a strip club!"

Edward doesn't respond. Maybe he has his doubts about the clientele, too, but he has never made me feel sleazy. Anything but.

"It's insulting," I rail on, "and not just to me, but to every single person who walks through the door."

"Yes," he says quietly.

"How ridiculous is that? Jump to conclusions much?"

He scoots closer and wraps his arm around me. "I'm sorry, Bella."

The pressure inside me is rising again, bubbles of anger growing and rocketing to the surface.

"And she's okay with the classes I am working my ass off not to fail because that's my ticket outta here. Why the hell does it make me so angry when she says what I've been saying all along? Isn't that why I'm taking the damn classes in the first place? To find a better job and make a better life for myself?"

He presses his lips to my hair and tightens his grip around my shoulders. He doesn't answer back, doesn't become defensive, doesn't try to solve my problems or tell me I shouldn't feel angry.

"It doesn't help to know that I'm being completely irrational about all this. Why is it so damn important to me to have their approval?"

"They're your parents. Of course you want their approval."

I sigh, but it's just the whistle of steam leaving the tea kettle. There's still a storm raging inside.

"I was doing just fine, and now… she's made me doubt everything."

He pulls back sharply. "Everything?" Poor guy looks like he just took a punch to the gut.

"Oh god, Edward. No. You're the one thing in my life I know I did right. I have no idea how I got so damn lucky, but I don't spend a second doubting you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Well, that's damn good to hear."

"Yeah, who gives a shit if my mom thinks you're a drunken pervert who's taking advantage of me?"

"Me? What the hell did you tell her?"

"Not that!"

His expression softens. "I kinda figured."

"I mentioned that you were a photographer. She then decided you were going to plaster the internet with naked pictures of me."

"Huh, now why didn't I think of that?" A grin edges up the corner of his mouth.

"Aren't you the funny one?"

"Some people tell me I have a lively sense of humor."

I recognize Edward's strategy. He's testing the waters, dipping a cautious toe into Hurricane Bella to see if I'll let him take the edge off my rage. Falling under the magical healing spell of Edward Cullen is a billion times better than rehashing the fight with my mother.

"I wouldn't say it's one of your top five qualities." Yes, Edward, work your super powers on me. Please.

A flash of recognition plays across his face. "I'm not sure whether to be wounded or flattered. Should I even ask what the top five are?"

I scoot a little closer, even though his shirt's making mine damp. "Let's see, in no particular order, I'd say kindness…"

"Mmm."

"Generosity."

"Hmm, I like that."

"Maturity." I can't keep a straight face with that one, and he returns a cute little scowl.

"Treading on thin ice."

"See, this is where that sense of humor would come in handy. Just sayin'."

"Continue, please."

"Okay, let's see… confidence."

"Mmhm."

"And hotness."

A laugh booms out of him. "Okay, that's not where I thought you were going, but I'll take it."

"I only speak the truth."

"Yes, that's one of my favorite qualities about you."

I press my hand to his heart. "Still feeling wounded?"

"I suppose I'll live," he says. "And how are you feeling?"

"Lucky as hell."

He leans in and kisses me, and I feel even luckier.

When he pulls back, I can see the change in his eyes from when he first arrived. The stormy seas have calmed. Damn, he is so handsome. Not his best hair day, though.

"You know that thing you do with your hand?" I ghost the motion through my own hair. Even though I've watched him do it a thousand times, I can't reproduce the gesture.

He grins. "What, this?" He spreads his fingers wide and pulls his hand across his head, but the wet hair flops uselessly against his scalp.

"Hmm, try again?"

Unf, that smile he gives me, ever the accommodating boyfriend. He passes his hand through again. Nothing.

"May I try?"

He drops his hands to his lap. "Knock yourself out."

His eyes close as my fingertips meet his forehead. I start them through the matted mess. Edward releases a soft sigh, as if his whole trip here would have been worth it just for this. I thread my fingers through his wet mop. He moans. I am toast.

I move closer, nuzzle my nose into his neck. He smells like damp skin and wet shirt and the shampoo he used this morning. Why can't I stay right here forever? Why do work and school and life have to drag me away?

I tighten my grasp on his hair and line my mouth up in front of his. I could kiss you for a thousand years, Edward Cullen.

His eyes drift open, adjusting lazily to the fluorescent lighting. He glances at my arm overhead, and a grin stretches across his face. "Give up?"

"Guess I was wrong about your hair bouncing back into place."

He laughs. "Sorry to disappoint you. Yeah, it'll be a rat's nest up there when it dries."

"Why didn't you tell me you had a flaw?"

"Couldn't risk losing you."

I kiss him without warning. His mouth is not exactly ready, but he's always willing and oh-so-able. He seems eager to continue, but I pull back, gently breaking our kiss.

"God, I love you so much." Still buzzing and shocked at the words that just flew out of my mouth, I force my eyes open. "Whoops."

"Whoops." His grin widens into a beautiful, happy smile.

"Wow. I did not know that was gonna happen. I've never said that to anyone before."

He reaches up to cup my cheek, his expression tender and loving. "Are you okay with it?"

"Totally."

"Good." His thumb traces a gentle arc across my cheek. "Me, too."

A deep sigh escapes me. Been quite a day.

Edward pulls me to his lips, and we share a soft whisper of a kiss. I could sit here for another hour and gaze into his eyes and babble about how it feels to be so ridiculously in love with him, but something tells me my boss wouldn't appreciate that. I stand, pulling Edward to his feet.

"I think I better at least pretend to do some work today. Are you still picking me up later?"

"Of course. My mother would kill me if I let you ride the bus home on a night like this."

"My hero."

"Umbrella Man to the rescue," he says.

"I was referring to your mother."

"Ouch!"

"Seriously, Edward. Some Umbrella Man you are, running around in this storm unarmed. Would you like to borrow mine?"

He chuckles. "I'll manage."

I take his hands in mine. "Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you?"

"Hmm, not since you called me a drunken pervert."

"Well, shame on me. I appreciate you, Edward. Thank you for coming down here and cheering me up."

"Except for the monsoon and the insults, it was my pleasure." He lays it on thick with the pout.

"Aww, poor baby."

"While we're baring our souls here, there's something I've been thinking about for a while now, and I've never been able to tell you."

"Tell me, Edward. Say it out loud."

I close my eyes and wait for his kiss. Instead, I feel the tickle of his lips at my ear.

"You look really hot in your uniform."

###


Author's Note: Well he's not ALWAYS mushy!

So, this strange thing happened... Originally, chapters 18 and 19 were combined, but when I took a hard look at it, I felt as if there were two very distinct movements. I did not want to muddle the dynamic between Bella and her mother with this very intense Bella/Edward chapter. I picked what seemed like the right dividing point (Edward's arrival), and lopped the chapter in two. Without meaning to, I created angst over why Edward had rushed there in the rain (which I'd thought was fairly straightforward, but I was WRONG!). Once again, I am so impressed with you guys for seeing what's not there and what I didn't anticipate. I can't tell you how much I love the interactions I've had and how much your thoughtful reviews mean to me. And no, that's not me asking for more reviews. That's just me saying, "Thanks. They matter to me."

This is also an excellent time to thank Pa Trizia again, for all her input, and did you hear she and Rob took a selfie last week? Yup. Also, thanks for checking out some of my other stories. That's been a kick, too! MWAH!
XXX ~BOH