Disclaimer: The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. The original characters, content and ideas of this story are mine.

Chapter 3

The Great Facade

EPOV

Bella walked into the restaurant looking like she had just wrapped up a photo shoot for Luxure Magazine cover. She was absolutely stunning in her black dress that showed off her long legs and it took everything in me to stay planted to the spot where I was standing. It wasn't until I felt Tanya's hand brush up against mine that I even remembered she was there with me. To avoid giving myself away I quickly diverted my attention back to Tanya and introduced her to Bella and Emmett. As we took our seats Emmett complimented me on Tanya's beauty and I saw an emotion cross Bella's face that I couldn't read and as quickly as it came it was gone. Her face was back to the beautiful heart shape with the biggest most mesmerizing brown orbs I have ever had the pleasure of looking into.

"So Emmett, Edward tells me you own a physical therapy center back in Washington."

"Actually, I co-own it with my wife Rosalie. It was between that or a health club/fitness center where we would be personal trainers, but after an accident that my wife was in a few years back physical therapy is what made it possible for her to walk again so we both decided to do something that would really impact peoples lives."

I never took Emmett for the caring type based on the stories over the years my sister had told me, but I guess anyone can change or maybe the macho exterior she described was just a front. The conversation over dinner and several glasses of wine flowed and was pleasant enough and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. As the night wound down I could tell the wine definitely had everyone relaxed and little giddy. I offered to buy dessert which everyone declined and we decided to end the night and head home. I hopped in a cab with Tanya and told Bella and Emmett I would meet them at the house after I got Tanya home safely. When we reached Tanya's apartment I advised the driver to wait for me while I walked her upstairs. Once at the door of her apartment I gave her a warm hug and placed a soft tender kiss on her red lips.

"Stay with me tonight." Tanya whispered in my ear

"I can't honey I don't want to be rude to my guest, but I promise when they are gone we will spend some time together alone."

"Okay" she said slightly pouting her lips. Tanya really was a beautiful woman and I really did love her . We just were not on the same page when it came to our future. Tanya was one of Victoria Secret's top models and due to her career and the fact that she was 5 years younger than me, getting married and having children was not on her list of priorities in the near future. Me being 27 years old, I had been out of medical school for 3 years and was pretty established financially. I was definitely ready for a wife and children and as time passed so did my desire to have a family of my own. Tanya's parents died when she was very young and she was an only child so she did not possess that sense of family like I did. Most of the time when I went back home for holidays or important family gatherings getting Tanya to agree to come with me was like pulling teeth and she would only give in when I begged her to. None the less we've been making it work for 2 years now and I agreed to wait until she was ready to take our relationship to the next level.

"I love you." I said and placed another chaste kiss on her lips

"I love you too." and with that she went into her apartment and I headed home.

My apartment was quiet as I entered. I locked the door and tip toed back to my room as to not wake Bella or Emmett. As I passed by the guest room where Bella was sleeping I heard faint whimpering and for some reason panic gripped me. I knocked lightly on her door and heard her say to come in. As I opened the bedroom door to enter the sight before me broke my heart. Bella with a tear streaked face with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She looked so broken and fragile. I wanted to just take her in my arms and hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but I did not want to cross a forbidden boundary. So I sat at the end of the bed instead and offered her a listening ear.

"Bella are you okay?"

"I just feel so lost right now without my parents. Family means everything to me and now I feel like I'm all alone. I mean I have Emmett but he has a family of his own and a business to run, so he can't spend all his time with me.

"Bella you still have my family. You are like a sister to Alice and Carlisle and Esme absolutely adore you. You're like a second daughter to them and anyone who my family loves that much is alright in my book. I know I'm not in Forks, but I'm just a phone call away and I already told you I'm a really good listener." I saw a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth and she seemed to have relaxed.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up with my issues."

"Bella you are not keeping me up it's only 11:00pm this is when all the good shows and movies start. What do you say want to watch a little TV or we could just talk?"

"How about a little of both?" she said looking as adorable as she sounded.

She stood to go in the living room and as she passed by me in her pink tank top and matching shorts coming to her mid thigh I realized how perfect her body was and how much my body reacted to her. I walked slowly behind her enjoying the view before joining her on the sofa. I removed my suit jacket and placed it across the arm of my sofa, loosened my tie and rolled up my shirt sleeves. Bella and I talked for hours about any and everything. I learned that she whole heartedly believes in the institution of marriage and the vows that come with it, she loves children and desires a family of her own someday. She believes that the real rewards in life comes from reaching back and giving back to those less fortunate and that honesty, trust and loyalty are key in any real relationship. She is probably the most selfless human being that I have had the pleasure of conversing with in a long time. We talked about our relationships and she told me about her ex boyfriend Mike of 6 years who like Tanya had no intentions on getting married or starting a family anytime in the near future. Like me Bella is a huge basketball fan and we agreed to watch the playoff game together on Tuesday after we take Emmett to the airport when the N.Y. Knicks play the Miami Heat. At about 5am no longer able to fight the exhaustion we were both feeling we both went to our respected rooms to crash. Laying in my bed I replayed all the things we had talked about in my head and I instantly knew why my family loved Bella so much. I felt drawn to her and found myself wanting to always keep a smile on her face. This couldn't be good. Wednesday needed to come quick and my life could go back to normal.

I woke up to a delicious aroma coming from my kitchen and I glanced at the clock on my night stand to see that it was almost noon. Washing my face and swishing some mouthwash around my mouth I pulled on a t shirt and pajama bottoms and headed to the kitchen. I was greeted with the most breathtaking site I had seen in a long time. Bella had clipped her hair up which exposed her neck, there were of few wisps of her chestnut colored hair hanging down which complimented her cream colored skin and made her even more desirable. She was still in the same tank top and shorts and she stood at my stove barefoot with a rose colored polish covering her pretty toenails. The smell of blueberries assaulted my nose as she flipped over a pancake in the pan. On the table was a plate of eggs an another plate of perfectly golden brown bacon. Never in 2 years has Tanya ever made me breakfast either I had to cook myself or she wanted to go eat at some expensive restaurant. After secretly admiring her for about 30 more seconds I cleared my throat to make her aware of my presence.

"Oh, good morning Edward I didn't realize you were woke. I ran out to the food market a couple of blocks away and picked up a few groceries for today and tomorrow. Nothing special, but I was going to make chicken tacos tonight for the game. I hope you don't mind me taking over your kitchen."

Do I mind? I don't ever want her to leave! Does she have any idea what she is doing to me right now.

"Uh... no I don't mind at all." I said trying to sound casual. "can I help with anything?"

"Can you pour us something to drink, I'll take apple juice."

"I have apple juice?" I opened my fridge and my eyes widened in surprise. There was an assortment of beverages and food and I didn't know I could get so excited over edible items. "Bella, this is more than a few items how much did you spend?"

"No worries, I mean you still have to eat after I am gone, right? And you said you eat at the hospital all the time and that couldn't be very healthy. So I bought you a few breakfast items, some lunch meat, miracle whip , bread, a couple of different salads in a bag with a couple of different dressings, juice and bottled water. Oh I also bought some chicken breast that I will season and marinade and when you are ready to eat them all you will have to do is pop them in the oven on 350° for 45 minutes and they will go perfect with a salad."

She spoke as if this was no big deal, but for me it was, because in all the relationships I have had outside of my family I have always been the giver. I had never actually had someone go out of their way for me. Bella saw the shocked look on my face and mistaked it for annoyance.

"I'm sorry...I wasn't tying to intrude or interrupt your daily routine I just thought you may like a home cooked meal sometimes." She was now sitting on a stool at the island looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Bella please don't misunderstand my silence it's just I am not used to having someone take care of me. I've become accustomed to being on the giving end, so this is all new for me. I really appreciate your kind gesture."

When she looked up she was biting her bottom lip again which made her even more beautiful.

"I'll pour our drinks while you fix our plates, how about that." I said trying to ease some of the tension in the room. She nodded and gave a small smile that melted my heart.

"Hey, where's Emmett?"

"2 days of not working out was killing him so he went for a run. He said he would be back in about an hour."

Just then Bella's cell phone rang and I saw her face light up when she looked at the caller id and she immediately hit the talk button.

"Hey Jake!" she said with a little too much enthusiasm for my liking and who the hell was Jake!

"No I'm not busy, are you home yet?"

Not busy? We're in the middle of breakfast and where exactly is home for this Jake person? She stepped out of the kitchen and I stopped chewing in an effort to hear the conversation taking place in the next room.

"I know I've missed you too and I can't wait to see you! I'll be back home tomorrow evening my flight gets in at 6pm can you pick me up from the airport?"

What! So this is someone from Forks. Did Bella have a boyfriend that she did not tell me about? I thought last night we had shared what was presently going on in our lives at least the major things did she omit this one detail? And how long had they been together? Okay, Edward you need to really get a grip, I tried telling myself not fully understanding why I felt so possessive of her at that moment.

"Great, then you can take me to see the attorney on Thursday. So I'll see you tomorrow Jake."

She hung up with "Jake" and returned to the kitchen smiling which for some reason annoyed me to no end.

"Sorry about that I had to take that call." She glanced at my plat and then vack up at me. "You haven't eaten very much, do you not like the pancakes?"

In my moment of jealousy I had completely forgotten about the food in front of me.

"Um... no the pancakes are incredible I was just waiting on you to return. I didn't want you to eat by yourself."

She stared at me a moment longer and I could not tell if she had bought what I just said. Without responding she grabbed both our plates and popped them in the microwave before returning them to the table. When she sat down she was silent and I desperately wanted to know what she was thinking about.

"Is everything okay, Bella?" I said pointing at her cell phone. She looked down at her phone before responding.

"Yes, everything's fine... that was Jake he is a really good friend of mine and he is home from USC for my parents funeral. I haven't seen him in a really long time and I'm glad he's home." the annoying small smile was back on her face and my guess is this Jake person was the reason for it.

"I overheard you say you were going to see an attorney is everything okay?"

"Oh that, ...my mom and dad both had pretty large insurance policies totaling to about $5 million dollars and my parent's attorney who did their Living Wills for them is handling the financial portion of the funeral and drawing up the necessary documents for the payout on their policies. I have never had that much money in my life so I have no idea what to do first."

"Bella with that kind of money you really want to to be careful and you should probably talk to a financial planner. I could ask Carlisle to contact his financial advisor when you get back to Forks."

She did not respond instead she got up from the table and put her plate in the sink.

"If you're done I can take your plate." Shocked by her response I just stared at her for a moment and then I recovered.

"No I'll clean up it's the least I can do after this wonderful breakfast you prepared." she nodded and walked out the kitchen without saying another word. Had I said something wrong? I was confused by her response to my advice, but I decided I would not harp on it at least not at this moment.

Emmett returned shortly after breakfast and after we had all showered and were dressed we headed to the funeral home for Bella to sign the necessary documents to have her parents shipped back home. She still refused to view their bodies and we did not push her since this seemed to be the way she chose to handle her grief. We did some light shopping and Bella purchased some toys and I New York t-shirts for her 2 younger cousins and then we returned home for lunch and so that Emmet could pack up to leave. After dropping Emmett off at the airport and saying our goodbyes Bella and I headed back home to prepare for the Knicks vs. Heat game. Bella seemed to be back to normal and as to not ruin the night I did not bring Jake or the financial advisor back up, but I would definitely need to speak to Alice about this.

"Do you need help with anything?" I asked Bella while she sautéed bite size slices of boneless chicken breast in a skillet.

"You can get all the condiments out of the fridge for the tacos, the meat's almost done. Hey and don't forget the salsa and sour cream."

"Tip off is in 6 minutes, so speed it up toots!" I looked at Bella to see that she was now biting her bottom lip and her neck and face were an irresistible shade of rose. Did I embarrass her? Well it was worth it to see that beautiful blush.

Bella drained the meat and we prepared the tacos together in comfortable silence. She placed chicken in the taco shells and passed them to me to add the condiments. With every light brush of our skin came an electrifying sensation that I had never felt before. What was happening? Why did I feel this overwhelming urge, no need to have her in my arms. Tanya, Edward! Remember her the tall, beautiful blond that you love a.k.a. your girlfriend, I scolded myself. I was pulled from my day dreaming by what was becoming the sweetest voice I'd ever heard.

"Hello, earth to Edward," Bella said waving a hand in front of my face.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, what would you like to drink?"

"oh, um Pepsi's fine." Way to go Edward! She probably thinks I'm an imbecile!

BPOV

Did he really just call me toots? I could feel the heat coursing up my neck and to my face. Oh no, I hope he doesn't notice, just don't turn around Bella, focus on the chicken, I told myself.

After Edward took all the condiments out of the fridge we stood side by side preparing the tacos and the wonderful scent coming from him was enough to make any woman light headed and when we touched though very brief I wanted to skip dinner and move on to dessert, a slice of Edward with whip cream, nuts and a cherry on top! I shook my head to regain my focus.

"What would you like to drink?" I asked bringing my thoughts back to dinner, but he did not answer he just continued to prepare the tacos.

"Hello, earth to Edward." I said waving a hand in his face.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I wonder what has his thoughts right now. Probably that flawless girlfriend of his. He probably wishes he was with her now.

"I said, what would you like to drink?"

"oh, um Pepsi's fine." Wow, I'm probably boring him to death.

We sat in his dining area watching the game on his 70" flat screen that was mounted go the wall over his fireplace. We ate until we were stuffed, shouted at the television for bad calls by the refs, jumped up in excitement whenever the Knicks scored, although secretly my favorite NBA team was the Chicago Bulls, and laughed at the commentators ridiculous comments on the game.

After the game was over and we had cleaned up the dishes Edward and I both sat with our legs crossed on his living room couch and talked for hours again. He shared his desire to get married and start a family soon and I shared my dream of owning a book store/tutoring service one day. I also expressed to him that moving away from the small town of Forks was inevitable for me especially now that my parents were gone. At that moment Edward suggested something that both shocked me and thrilled me at the same time. He asked why don't I move to New York and begin to think. It's the total opposite from Forks, with the money from my parent's insurance policy I certainly could afford living expenses and what better place to open a bookstore than over crowded New York, I definitely wouldn't have to look for customers.

"I don't know Edward, I don't have any family or friends here."

"You have me and I could help you find a place if you'd like. Plus when Alice comes up here for work you guys could hang out and do "girl stuff", I mean she does come here often you know that. At least think about it, it would give you the change in scenery you probably need. You could meet some new people make, some new friends and have a new start."

Edwards suggestion did sound very appealing and the fact that I would be living in the same city with him made it even more tempting. STOP Bella, he is just being nice, I berated myself. He probably just feels sorry for me.

"So... what do you say, think you could give the "Big Apple" a try?

"I don't know that's a really big move Edward, I mean I've lived in Forks my whole life and..."

"And it's time for a change Bella. If you're worried about being in a big city don't, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Bella you only live once, make the most out of it and I'm sure that's what your parents would want for you."

How did he get so charming? I hope Tanya appreciates the caring and thoughtful being his is.

"Soooo... is that a yes?"

How could I possibly say no to this green eyed Adonis with his perfectly tousled bronze hair, a body like a Greek God and a signature crooked grin that could make any woman with eyes swoon. The only quandary with Edward's offer was my undeniable growing attraction to him. Could I really interact with him an a regular basis as just a friend without feeling uncomfortable? Okay Bella really get a grip there are at least 20 million people in the state of New York alone and if you can't find anyone to hang out with besides Edward you have way bigger issues than his good looks! taking in a calming breath, I resolved to take Edward up on his offer and tackle the "Big Apple".

"Yes, I think moving to New York would be a new start for me so I'll try it."

"Great, I'll start looking for you an apartment tomorrow after I take you to the airport."

And with that being settled we said our good nights and headed to our separate rooms. As I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling I couldn't help but feel giddy at the thought of seeing Edward on a consistent basis, I just hoped I could keep my secret attraction for him at bay.

A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed chapter 3 and if you did please, please leave a review to let me know if I should continue with this story. I will get chapter 4 out by this weekend! Thank you to those that added this story to their favorite story list and also those who left reviews for chapters 1 &2!