BPOV
I woke up with the sun shinning in the window landing right on my face but what surprised me the most was the muscular arm that was wrapped around my waist holding me tightly to Edward's chest. I sat there and just stared and the beautiful angel that was sleeping next to me. He looked so innocent laying there with his eyes closed and his lips in the slightest pout.
I reached up and moved a piece of stray hair that was falling into his eyes. How could anyone be so terrible to someone as gorgeous and kind as Edward? He has been nothing but nice to me and from what his family says he had always been like that and Nicole took him for granted.
Seeing his face as he told me about her killed me. He reminded me of how I looked at my parent's funeral. I was there and but yet I wasn't. Jacob told me I was zombie Bella, that the glow in my eyes was gone. I never fully understood what he meant until Edward was telling me about Nicole. I wanted to yell at her and ask if she had been dropped on her head as a baby. She had to be a heartless bitch to hurt Edward like she did, who in the world could be better than Edward.
By the time I tried to get up from the bed the sunlight had spread across the entire room and I had a pressing urge to use the bathroom. However every time I tried to move away from Edward his grip on me tightened. I wouldn't have minded so much if it weren't for the fact that every time he squeezed me I felt the urge to pee even more.
I never thought that my savior would have been Grace but at that point I wouldn't have cared if it was Emmett. "Mr. Cullen, I can't find Bella any…where… I'm so sorry I thought you would be up. Please forgive the intrusion." When Grace came in the room without knocking I was a bit frightened, but I was relieved that she had woken Edward. I didn't have the heart to disturb him.
He was so surprised by her invasion that he shot up from laying down to sitting up in .02 seconds, pulling me with him. Once she left he laughed and laid his forehead against my shoulder before lying back down pulling me with him. "How did you sleep?" I pried his arms from around me and ran to the bathroom yelling over my shoulder, "Hold that thought."
After I used the bathroom and washed my hands I ran back in the room and jumped on the bed before pulling the comforter up to my chin and curling into a ball. "Are you comfortable?" Edward was laughing at me but I just smiled up at him before nodding. "Yes, thank you and I had one of the best nights of sleep last night, thank you for asking." He kissed my forehead as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"I am so happy to hear that because I don't think I have slept that good in years." I placed my chin on his chest and looked up into his eyes, "Why was Grace worried that she couldn't find me?" He slowly ran the back of his knuckles down my jaw, "I believe she was looking for you to help hide you from Alice and mom, they want your help setting up the New Year's Eve party."
As soon as New Year's Eve was out of his mouth I reached down and grabbed by locket squeezing it tightly. Of course being who he is Edward noticed and kissed the back of my hand. I really hate that I would have to walk around and celebrate on a day that I have always pretended never existed. The girls at the brothel would always try to get me to stay up and at least watch the ball drop but I never did and I was always in bed by nine. Michelle, on of the girls, tried to get me to go with her and her daughter to time square one year and she cried when I yelled at her, which made me feel even worse. I always treat New Year's Eve like any other day of the year, but I guess I couldn't do that this year.
"I told Alice you didn't want to help but we both know how she can be. Rosalie volunteered to take your place but Alice told her she has her own part to worry about." I buried my face in his chest wondering if Alice knew about my parents. "Edward, does Alice know what New Year's Eve is to me?"
He rubbed my back trying to comfort me, "No, I didn't want to tell anyone without asking you first. That is a very personal piece of information and I didn't want to over step in assuming you would want them to know." "Thanks." Both of his arms wrapped around me squeezing me tightly.
We sat there in silence neither of us wanting to ruin the moment we were sharing. This was the first time that I had ever talked about my parent's death and not felt the urge to cry my eyes out. Our perfect little bubble was popped when someone knocked on the door. Neither of us said anything or even contemplated moving to answer it. "Edward, I know you are in there and you better get up and find Bella before Alice tears your house apart." I groaned as I rose from the bed and walked over to the door.
When I opened it Emmett was leaning against the frame and his jaw almost hit the floor when I opened the door. "Well I guess we can all stop the search party that is out looking for you. ALICE I mmphpfmmp….." I placed my hand over his mouth before he could finish yelling at Alice. I then pulled him into the room and closed the door after I made sure Alice wasn't coming to look for Emmett.
"Um, Bella you're hot and all but I am not gonna have a threesome with you and Edward, but hell if you want to join me and Rose, I would totally agree to that." I reached back as hard as I could and smacked Emmett on the back of the head at the same time that Edward threw a pillow at the front of his head.
"What the fuck?"
Before I knew it Edward was off the bed and pulling me so that my back was against his chest with his arms wrapped securely around me. "You take you dirty mind out of my room and leave Bella out of your fantasies." Emmett rolled his eyes but I stopped him before he opened the door. "Emmett, please don't tell Alice where I am." He stood there thinking about it for a minute but sighed and nodded, "Fine, but you better get away from the house or she will find you."
I looked over my shoulder after Emmett left and Edward must have noticed the worry that I was trying to keep hidden. "Wait here a second." I turned so that I was leaning against the bedroom door and played with my locket. He disappeared into the bathroom with his cell phone attached to his ear as I stood there waiting for him to come back.
I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how much my life has changed in just a short amount of time. Ever since I met Grace I went from having nothing and being surrounded by terrible people to having things everyone wants and being with people who like or possibly even love me. Even the small gift of a chain for my locket meant so much more than Edward would ever understand.
When Edward came out of the bathroom he went straight to his dresser and pulled out his clothes for the day. When I still hadn't moved from the door he ran over to me and grabbed my face before kissing me softly on the lips. "Bella I'm gonna get dressed in my closet, Grace should be here in a moment with some clothes and your tooth and hairbrush. Use anything you need in the bathroom to get ready." I nodded my head even though his hands were still holding it.
Almost immediately after he disappeared into the closet Grace was knocking on the door. She smiled at me as she handed me the clothes she had picked out including a coat and shoes. When I asked she told me Edward was planning to sneak me out of the house so Alice wouldn't bother me.
I went and got changed as quickly as possible glad to see more than what Edward had told me was coming. Grace grabbed everything he had said plus the essential make-up, hair supplies, and deodorant. When I left the bathroom ready for the great escape Edwards was standing by the French doors we looked out last night.
"You ready?"
I nodded and turned to walk to the bedroom doors when he called out to me, "We're using the porch." I stopped mid-step before turning to look at him. "Edward I don't know if climbing down the balcony is a smart idea." He rolled his eyes and led me out the door and to the side of the balcony that was opposite my room.
He unlocked and iron gate that was hidden behind a wall of ivy. "It's my secret passageway. The only one who knows about it is Grace and now you. This leads us down to the wine cellar which has a secret passage way into the garage."
I laughed as we walked through the wine cellar. "What's so funny back there Miss Swan?" I caught up to him and wrapped my arm around his waist, "I was just thinking of how this is like something from an action movie. You're like Bruce Wayne with secret passage ways leading to emergency exits that only your very own Alfred knows about, until you meet some girl who eventually needs to escape with you." He ended up chuckling along with me, "Well when you say it like that I guess it does sound a little coincidental."
When we got to the garage Jeremy jumped up asking if we needed him to drive us around. Edward quickly dismissed him and told him if anyone asked he never saw us. He eventually settled on driving his silver Volvo and I was surprised when we pulled out onto the street that we had actually made it without getting caught.
As he zipped through the crowded city streets I leaned my head back and just watched him. I couldn't help but feel nervous about what would happen between us after his family leaves. It was simple before our feelings came into play. I knew at the end of two weeks he would pay me and I would leave trying to find a way to make it on my own, but now I don't know what will happen. Will he still want me to leave? Will I want to stay if he asks?
"What are you thinking so hard about over there beautiful?"
I blushed and buried my face, which was still turned to look at him, in my hands. "I wish you would stop that." He reached over and pulled my hands away from my face. "You want me to stop telling you how beautiful you are?" I shook my head, "No, I want you stop over exaggerating how beautiful I am."
The car came to a stop at a red light and he pulled me to him kissing me with so much passion it made my toes curl. I was so dazed it took a while to get my eyes to focus enough to be able to look at Edward. "Bella I would never lie or over exaggerate about anything when it comes to you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and every time you act like you're not, it just makes me want to show you how wrong you are."
He cupped my face in his hands and was leaning in to kiss me again when a car behind us honked their horn letting us know the light had changed from red to green. I laughed as he quickly put the car in gear and drove off. "So know that you have saved me from the clutches of the evil Alice, what do you think we should do?"
"I have any idea." A few minutes later we pulled into a parking spot and we walked into the American museum of Natural History. "Edward what are we doing at the museum?" He smiled as he took my hand and we walked in the building. "We are going to educate ourselves today." I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't help but laugh at the same time.
After he purchased our tickets he sent me inside by myself while he asked a few questions. I wasn't dumb enough to believe that he was really asking questions but I didn't feel like arguing so I went inside pretending to be naïve. When he finally joined me in the lobby he looked beyond smug and I wanted to interrogate him but I also wanted indulge him and wait to see what had made him so happy.
We spent three hours walking around the four floors of the museum. Edward seemed to enjoy the Cultural Hall the most. He loved reading about all the different cultures from different times. He paid very close attention to everything in the Asian Culture exhibit. At one point he even looked like a kid in a candy store.
My favorite part was the Star of India Sapphire. I had never seen anything like it. Edward kept teasing me saying that he could buy it for me but I told him to be quiet and pushed him away before he got any serious ideas.
I was able to keep him from buying me that particular display but all bets were off when he dragged me into the gift shop. I begged and pleaded that he not spend any more money on me but I am quickly learning that it is useless. He ended up buying me a Lapis Lazuli Hearts Bracelet and the matching Lapis Lazuli Drop Earrings. Thankfully I saw the prices and calmed down when I saw that he spent less that $50 which is a feat for Edward.
After grabbing something to eat in the Café Edward dragged me to the planetarium. I noticed a sign on the door saying that the current show was canceled but it would resume regular scheduling later in the day. I tried to stop him but he told me not to worry about it.
I stopped in my tracks once we were inside and I saw a blanket on the ground and across the ceiling was the night sky. You could see all the stars that man knows of and occasionally you would see a shooting star fly across the 'sky'. We both laid down so that we could look at the sky but I held onto him hoping I was showing exactly how much I loved this, since I was still speechless.
"I take it you like it?"
I opened my mouth to speak but yet again nothing came out, so I nodded as he wiped a stray tear from the corner of my eye. "I know you hate it when I spend money on you so I want you to know that this didn't cost me anything. I just called in some favors since I dedicated a lot of money for this building." Suddenly soft piano music started playing though out the surround sound and I gasped as I recognized the song. It was Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler, which was the song my parents danced to at their wedding.
"Bella are you ok?" I swallowed back my emotions to keep from crying and kissed Edward on the lips. "Thank you." Edward had no clue that this was my parent's song and even if he did I doubt he had control over what song was playing, because of this I felt like my parents were trying to communicate with me in some way. It was like they were saying take this chance with him, that he's worth it.
"Edward would mind dancing with me?"
He sat up and kissed the back of my hand, "I would be honored." We ended up dancing through the rest of that song and continued to dance until someone came in and told us our time was up.
When we got back to the car Edward refused to tell me where we were going but I was afraid when we pulled up to the ice rink. "Don't worry Bella, we're not skating, unless you want to." I quickly shook my head in fear. "I didn't think you would want to. I just thought you might like watching other people skate."
It was very enjoyable watching other people fall on their butts for a change. I almost see why people think it is funny when I fall, almost. Edward and I held hands as we walked around the rink trying to keep up with the skating. There was one couple who were probably around fifteen skating and every time they would kiss or hold each other my heart would melt from knowing I missed out on that type of stuff.
"Edward?" He looked down at me still tucked into his side under his arm. "Bella?" I pushed my hair behind my ear and sighed. "What happens to us when your family leaves?" He squeezed my shoulders before guiding me to a bench. "I was afraid of when this topic would be brought up."
I sucked in a shallow breath feeling like someone just slapped me in the face. "No, Bella not like that. I just meant that we need to discuss this seriously. We need to agree on things and for that to happen we both have to know what we want. Like, I would love it if you let me take care of you and you just stay in the house like you are now. I could take care of you but I know you well enough to know you won't agree to that."
I smiled that he knew that I wouldn't go for that, "So the question is, what do you want to happen after my family leaves?" I grabbed his hand that was resting on my knee. "Well I definitely want to be with you, but you're right I can't just let you take care of me. I could live with you as long as I still technically have my own room, and you let me help around the house. I don't want Grace or anyone else being at my beck and call. Maybe I could get a job so I wouldn't feel completely useless."
He squeezed my hand, "So far I don't hear anything I can't agree with, but I wish you wouldn't get a job. It would just cut down on our time together or if you insist then let me get you a job in my office." I shook my head, "No Edward I need to do this on my own and you giving me a job won't make me feel like I can do it."
He sighed and let his head sag, "You're so stubborn, how about we table this discussion for a warmer more private place." I smiled and stood up from the bench. "Fine, but can we go I'm freezing!" He chuckled and pulled me against his side trying to share his body warmth.
"I'm hungry from watching all of these people skate around, how about you?" I shrugged not really hungry but I probably should be if he is. "I could eat." I laughed when his stomach growled revealing how hungry he really was. "I have an idea." He looked down at me as if in shock that I actually had an idea for once. I pointed down the side walk where there was a hot dog vendor.
He scrunched his nose up and shook his head. "Bella come on I can afford to take you to the fanciest restaurant in the city and you choose to eat at a hot dog vendor on the sidewalk." I grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the vendor. "Edward some of the best food in this city is from the street vendors. Trust me I used to eat from this vendor all the time; his hot dogs are to die for."
He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair and I could tell that his defensive wall was crumbling. "Fine, but if I get food poisoning you better be the best nurse in history of the world." I stuck my hand out and waited for him to shake it, "Deal."
I ended up ordering for both of us. I got us both a hot dog with everything on it and we each got a coke. After he took the first bite it was like watching a child eating a piece of cake. He ate his whole hot dog and part of mine. "Would you like another?" He pushed on my shoulder pushing me away from him. "No but now I want something sweet."
I tapped my finger on my chin as if I was thinking but he grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the car. "Nope you chose the dinner place I get to choose dessert." By the time I was settled in the car with my seatbelt on he pulled up and parked the car outside of Serendipity 3.
He jumped out of the car and ran to open mine for me. We of course we seated immediately and they took our order. This time it was Edward's turn to order for both of us. "We would like two hot chocolates and the Golden Opulence Sundae." I tried to protest but Edward shot me a look that made me want to crawl into the deepest darkest hole in the ground.
I gave up and just shook my head. I had already seen how much that particular sundae was, $1,000.00, but there was no point in arguing with him. He jumped and reached into his pocket and pulled out his ringing cell phone. He rolled his eyes as he answered, "Well it took you long enough Alice." I laughed and honestly I was surprised that she hadn't called him earlier today but then again Alice just seemed to have a way of knowing when you needed to be left alone.
"No Alice… No… Alice, leave it alone… Yes, you can do that… Alice you touch that and you will never stay in my home again… Fine… Soon… I will and give Grace a break." He growled as he rubbed the balls of his hands into his eyes. "Everything ok?" He took a deep cleansing breath, "Yeah, Alice has decided, since they are done planning the party that she wants to redecorate my house. She is mad that I won't let her change my office."
His office was the one room in the house that I hadn't been in and for some reason I got this vibe from him that no one but him was wanted in that room. It was the one room he asked me to avoid when we first agreed to our arrangement and I never forgot that and I respected his privacy.
"You're office is important to you, isn't it?" Our waitress appeared with our hot chocolate and right behind her was a man who appeared to be the manager carrying our sundae. Everyone in the restaurant stopped what they were doing to watch him walk to our table with the ice cream.
"Mr. Cullen here is your sundae." Edward said a quick thank you before handing me the spoon. "Ladies first." I timidly brought the spoon with ice cream to my lips but I couldn't keep the moan in my mouth, "MMMM, Oh my God Edward. This is delicious." I scooped more onto the spoon and held it out for him to take a bit. He leaned forward and ate the spoonful and I blushed the shade of a tomato when he licked his lips. "Yeah it's good but," He leaned in even further and kissed my lips, "you taste better." I'm not sure how we managed it but eventually we finished every single edible piece of the dessert and both of our hot chocolates.
I was beyond exhausted when we got to the house. I had drifted in and out of consciousness through out the entire ride and every time my eyes stayed closed for more than a second I could hear Edward chuckle at me.
I tried to walk inside the house and up to my room but I was too tired and when Edward saw me try to sit down on the couch he lifted me and carried me bridal style upstairs. "Bella?" I groaned as a response not wanting to talk. "Bella I need to know where you want to sleep tonight."
I closed my eyes and let my head rest against his chest but tightened my grip on his shirt. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, "OK I get it." That was the last thing I remember of the real world before I was captured by dreams of my mom and dad.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, I tried to make it a little long than normal since I have been neglecting this story lately. There are links to pictures of the jewelry Edward bought for Bella go check them out but first leave me a review and tell me what you think of it.
~SAM~
P.S. Don't forget to check out my other stories, including my newest one The Band
