BPOV
Early the next morning I got up and got dressed before going down to breakfast. I had a bounce in my step all the way down the stairs and through the halls but when I went into the dinning room to see no one but James I felt all the happiness leave me. "Good morning Bella, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." I looked behind me when I saw him straighten up and then I saw Edward in the doorway.
They seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes and I felt like the third wheel. James left and Edward stood there staring at me awkwardly. "Um, my mom and the girls talked to me last night and they want to take you to a spa and shopping today." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and handed me a credit card.
"Go ahead and use this on anything it has no spending limit so have fun." I stood there gaping like an idiot, "Edward, I can't do that. I wouldn't feel comfortable spending your money." He tilted his head to the side and smiled, "Just consider it a perk."
"What are we considering a perk?" Both of our heads shot towards Emmett as he walked in on our conversation, "Oh me and Bella are just having our normal argument about her spending my money. She is so stubborn and never wants to use my card." Emmett came over and slung his arm over my shoulders. "Hell Bells if you won't spend his money give me the card and I will do it for you."
Edward practically ran over and pushed Emmett away from me and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me, "Emmett I've been telling you this since we were little; keep your hands off my things." I shook his arms off of me and turned around, "I am not a thing." "Oh, I like her Eddie she's a keeper. I mean she's sexy and she isn't afraid to put you in your place. Don't let her go."
I blushed at the compliment but still stood my ground about not being a thing. He may be paying me to pretend to be his girlfriend but I will not let him refer to me as a possession. "Bella please forgive me, I did not mean to insinuate that you are a possession." He pouted and it pulled at the strings in my heart and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. "You're forgiven, this time."
Everyone eventually made it downstairs to join us for breakfast. It was very obvious that Alice and Jasper were both morning people where as everyone else needed to drink their coffee before actually doing anything, including talking. We all walked to the garage together and we got into separate cars after breakfast was over.
I rode in the back of the rental car with Rosalie while Alice and Esme sat up front. "OK so this is a girl's day out and Bella Edward told me he gave you his black card and we will have you completely comfortable with spending his money by the end of the day." I gulped loudly and Rosalie looked at me apologetically. "Alice, as great as that sounds I don't want to spend too much money."
She turned in her seat and looked at me like I was an alien. "You have a billionaire for a boyfriend I don't think he would mind if you spent some of his money on yourself." I scrunched up my nose, "Alice I don't like Edward for his money and I would feel bad if I spent it." She sighed and rolled her eyes at me.
The rest of the ride was quiet and uneventful. We pulled into the spa and they immediately started pampering us. We each got deep tissue massages, facials, pedicures and manicures. Rose and I were forced into enduring hair cuts while Alice and Esme gossiped about god knows what.
When it came time to pay Alice and Esme argued over who would pay. Both of them felt like being the generous party. Rose and I just stayed back not wanting to get involved in the sophisticated cat fight.
"So Bella I take it you aren't into the whole money aspect of being with Edward? I mean you just appear to be uncomfortable with anything that could be classified as a luxury." I sighed, "Well my parents weren't rich by any means but we were well off and my aunt didn't want to spoil me so I just got used to dealing with what I had. I meant what I said earlier I'm not with Edward because of his money, but I don't expect you guys to believe me."
Rose shook her head like she knew what I meant, "I completely understand. You love Edward not what he has and you would love him even if he was broke with not even two pennies to rub together." We shared and quick smile before Esme and Alice returned yelling that we needed to leave to go eat.
We went to some fancy and very expensive French restaurant that I would never be able to pronounce and of course we had to endure the argument of who would pay all over again. The waitress waiting for the card looked almost as frightened by them as Rose and I did.
While they continued to fight I handed her Edward's card and she ran away before either of them saw her leave. When she came back I signed the slip and me and Rose stood to leave and the two bickering hens robotically followed us. It wasn't until we were two blocks away before either of them noticed we had left. "Wait, nobody paid for lunch." Both Rose and I laughed at Esme.
"What are you two laughing at?" I placed a hand on her shoulder as we walked down the street, "Lunch was on your son Esme. Consider it part of his penance for not visiting you enough." She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me so tightly I'm sure it rivaled Emmett's hugs. "You are just what my son needs." I blushed and we kept walking.
Four hours later we all had hands full of bags containing more clothes than I would ever wear in an entire lifetime. By the time we were done shopping I was surprised Edward's card hadn't been worn down to nothing because Alice stole it from me and used it way too many times. Fortunately for me I wasn't the only one being spoiled. According to Alice Rosalie needed a new wardrobe too.
Rosalie protested saying she couldn't afford to spend too much but Alice took care of that by not letting her spend anything. We both pouted like little kids when they shoved us into the dressing room with arms full of clothes. As the day progressed I learned a lot about each woman, but I learned the most about Rosalie.
Even though she may look like a snobby bitch who can't take care of herself she made sure every man whose eyes lingered too long knew that she could kick their ass if need be. She was a fairly open person who didn't get embarrassed often, so I caught my eye when she blushed when Alice and I talked about Emmett. I would have to bring that up later when it's just us without her boss and his family around. Maybe then I could actually talk about Edward and make it seem like we're really in a relationship without it being awkward.
When we got back to the house the guys were all hanging out in the front room drinking except for Emmett. Almost immediately after we walked through the door four of the maids, whose names I hadn't been told, came up and took each of our bags and told us the things would be put away before we would go to bed. I stopped the girl who took mine and told her not to take the stuff out of my bags because some of them had Christmas gifts for everyone in them.
Alice ran and jumped into Jasper's arms and covered his face in kisses. Esme slowly walked over and sat on the arm of Carlisle's chair while Rose and I laughed at Alice's enthusiasm. I walked closer to Edward and was going to sit next to him on the sofa but he grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto his lap. I blushed and smiled at him.
It wasn't long before Emmett came bursting into the room, "Edward, you have billions of dollars and you have practically anything someone could ever need but you don't have single bottle of aloe vera in this fucking mansion. What the hell man?"
I had to cover my mouth to keep from busting out laughing at Emmett who was sunburned so bad that he looked like a tomato. I heard Rosalie giggling as she stood from her seat, "I have some you can use." Once they walked out together everyone laughed. "Carlisle, how did he get sunburned so badly?" I admired the adoration that Carlisle showed towards Esme, "You know Emmett he's always too stubborn to listen to us. Edward told him just because it is cold out doesn't mean he wouldn't get sunburned but he never listens."
Just then Emmett came back in with Rosalie. "How was I to know that I was going to get fried, seriously it's December for Christ's sakes. Rosie here thankfully had some of that blue ice aloe vera so I should be fine by tomorrow." I'm not sure if anyone else noticed but when he called her Rosie she smiled and bowed her head to avoid everyone else's stares.
My head shot back to Edward when I felt his hand rub my back. "You don't look nearly as tired as I would expect someone to look after their first round of shopping with Alice." I smirked at him, "I'll take that as a compliment?" It came out as a question not sure if I was supposed to look rundown. "Very much so and I absolutely love your hair cut." My breath got caught in my throat when he said love and I had to remind myself that he was just acting like a real boyfriend.
"Thank you," We both looked at Alice, "she is very stubborn and we had to force her to get it cut. And speaking of stubborn, it was like trying to shoot through a bullet proof door to get her to spend any money. You didn't tell me she is a tightwad."
My jaw dropped, "I am not a tightwad. You are just a squanderer." She furrowed her brow and whispered something to Jasper who laughed and whispered back. "I am not a wasteful spender!" Everyone busted out laughing after realizing she asked what squanderer meant.
"Alice sweetheart, you do spend a lot of money." She then stood up and huffed out of the room, "You guys go ahead and continue with pick on Alice day while I go check on my children." Jasper sighed before rising and going after her, "Thanks guys." Emmett then laughed at him.
Esme and Carlisle both yawned at the same time before they dismissed themselves to go take a nap. I caught Rosalie and Emmett sharing glances at each other across from the room. I turned to look at Edward, "Edward, would you come help me with something in the… library?" He didn't notice that I was trying to get him to leave with me but agreed anyway.
Once out in the hallway I peek back in the room and saw Emmett making his move, "What did you need my help with?" I shushed him and pushed him away from the door. "I don't need your I just wanted to give Rosalie and Emmett some time alone. I really think Rose likes him and he might feel the same way."
He brushed my hair out of my face behind my ear and grabbed the piece of floss that held my locket on it. "May I?" I nodded and he opened it to see the two pictures. On either side of the locket was a picture with me and each of my parents. "Your mom and dad?" I nodded, "It's all I have left of them. Lady Hannigan got rid of everything else." He let it go and I tucked it back inside of my shirt. "I'm really sorry." I shrugged, "It's ok; I've had a lot of time to get over it."
I hadn't even noticed that we had continued to walk, with me walking backwards, until my back hit the wall and then I noticed how close Edward was to me. "Just because you're over it doesn't make it right." He was now twirling a strand of my hair around his finger and my breathing picked up. With every breath I could smell him and his scent was clouding my mind. "Bella?" I looked up at him with hooded eyes, "Would you… like to go sit in the hot tub with me before we go out to dinner?" I bit my bottom lip and nodded before he took a step away.
"Please, don't let us interrupt." We both turned to look at Alice and Jasper who were staring at us from down the hall. I was about to sprint towards my room when I heard Edward reply, "We won't!" Before I had time to register what he said I felt his lips against mine and damn were the soft. He hadn't even deepened it at all and I was already moaning.
Man hands grabbed onto his hair when his tongue licked my bottom lip asking for entrance. As much as I wanted to cave and let him deepen the kiss I couldn't let him. When I pulled away he looked slightly disappointed. "OK if you two are done, is it alright with you if we join you in the hot tub?"
Edward still didn't take his eyes off of me, "Yeah, you guys can join us." Then we heard Emmett's booming voice, "Us too!" Everyone immediately looked over to him and saw him with Rose on his back. I was pulled from looking at them when I heard Alice yell, "Ha I told you Jasper! When will you learn to never go against me?"
Talk to me, please!
