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

Chapter 15

Creating Bad Habits

EPOV

"You're going out again? Where to this time?" I hissed into the phone while talking to Bella.

Lauren and Jessica had somehow weaseled themselves into Bella's life right up under my nose. For the past three weeks she had been spending most of all her free time with them and when I found out James had joined them a couple of times I'd like to have choked the life out of him. To make matters worse Bella had received her inheritance from her parents insurance policies and it turns out with the policy the police department held for Charlie, Bella received a little more than $600k. So all of the shopping sprees and enjoying the night life with Jessica and Lauren seemed to always be at Bella's expense. I needed to find a way to get her away from them and quickly.

"Fine Bella, but don't forget you promised me tomorrow and no going out."

"I remember Edward and I promise tomorrow it's just you and I."

I hung up the phone and sat at my desk in my office disappointed that I was going to spend another night at home alone and pissed that dimwits 1 and 2 were taken all of my Bella's time up. Huh, my Bella, ok maybe I am being a little possessive, but it's my job to protect her while she is here and how could I possibly do that while she's hanging out with dumb and dumber every other night. Plus Bella will be moving into her own apartment soon and I surely don't want them thinking they can hang out over there all the time. I finished up my paperwork so that I could make my patient rounds again and when I left out my office there standing at the nurse's station flirting as usual was James. As I walked pass the nurse's station I kept my eyes on the charts on the clip board I was holding in hopes that he would not say a word to me, I should be so lucky.

"Cullen, hey how are you?"

I bit down on the inside of my lip to refrain from saying what was really on mind.

"I'm fine James… and you?" as if I really cared.

"I couldn't be better Cullen, couldn't be better."

I gave a polite smile and walked away and then James said something that stopped me in my tracks and made my blood pressure rise I'm sure.

"You know that's some friend you've got, Bella that is. I mean she can really turn some heads with that beautiful face and let's not start on that gorgeous body, boy I can only imagine…"

I was in his face in an instant glaring down at him daring him to finish his sentence.

"Let's get one damn thing straight James, you stay the hell away Bella or I won't be responsible for ending your medical career! If I even hear that you so much as laid a finger on her you'll be lying in the E.R. instead of working in it! Are we clear, James?" I spat out his name as if it were a curse word. But then he delivered another blow and this one almost caused me to have a massive stroke!

"I'll try to remember that Cullen while Bella and I are out to dinner tonight." He said with a smug look on his face and I felt the wind leave my lungs.

"Dinner? B…Bella's going out with you tonight?" I said staring at James incredulously and I could hear the hurt in my own voice.

"Yes me, the one and only. What, hasn't she told you? This will be our fourth time going out; we just can't get enough of each other."

I couldn't breathe and I was frozen to the spot I was standing in. my chest felt like a ton of bricks had just been dropped on it and my throat felt as if I had swallowed a cup of sand. I couldn't focus on a clear thought because my mind was a whirlwind.

"You don't look well Cullen; maybe you should see a doctor." James said as he patted my shoulder and left the nurse's station.

I couldn't move and my mind just could not grasp that while I assumed whenever Bella left the house she was with either Jessica or Lauren, some of those nights she had spent out with James. But why didn't she tell me? Why would she keep that from me?

"Edward, you okay?"

I looked up to see Garrett standing in front of me.

"Garrett… I um…"

I looked at Carmen the part-time receptionist sitting at the nurse's station staring at me with a concerned look on her face and then I looked back at Garret.

"What's going on buddy, you alright? You look like you saw a ghost or something."

"Garrett, can you cover the last couple of hours of my shift, I have an emergency at home…please?"

"I mean…yeah, is everything ok, is Bella alright?"

"Thanks Garrett… I'll explain later." I said almost running to my office to get my keys and cell phone so I could head home. I have to stop her she doesn't know the snake and womanizer James is and I am certainly sure she doesn't know that James has slept with Jessica and Lauren.

Thirty minutes later I was walking through my front door and as I walked down the hall towards my bedroom I could hear that Bella was taking a shower in the guest bathroom. I lightly tapped on the door to let her know I was home as to not startle her when she got out the shower.

"Bella, its Edward… I'm home a little early."

"Okay I'll be out in a few." She shouted back trying to talk over the water.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed bottled water and sat on a stool at the island. I ran my fingers through my messy hair trying to gather my thoughts. I don't know how long I was sitting there, but apparently it was long enough for Bella to have gotten completely dressed.

"Hey Edward, what brings you home so early?" she said while mimicking me and grabbing a bottled water out of the fridge.

"You" I answer honestly while Bella took a seat on the stool right next to me.

"Me, why me?" she asked looking clearly confused by my words.

"Bella I need to talk to you about your… your new friends." I said waving my hand in the air.

"Who, Jessica and Lauren? Don't worry Edward I've been very careful with them when I go out and they are really not that bad."

"But Bella who's paying for all these shopping trips and nights out on the town, Because I am more than aware that they do not make that kind of money working as receptionist at the hospital?"

"They pay sometimes and sometimes I…."

"Most of the time you pay." I said cutting her off.

"Well I do have a lot more money than they do Edward and what are friends for?"

"Not to be used, that's for sure."

"What makes you think they are using me?" she said with a stunned look on her face."

"Because yes Jessica and Lauren both party a lot but not at the kind of high end clubs you guys have been going to and they certainly cannot afford to shop at the stores they've been taking you to. I've seen the shopping bags you've brought in the house and that's another thing you hate shopping so why are you letting them drag you in and out of stores Bella?"

It's not that bad, I just like hanging out with them."

"Do you really or do you just not like being by yourself while I'm at work?"

"It has nothing to do with that Edward." She said sounding slightly annoyed.

"Than what is it Bella and what… you and James now, seriously, what are you two an item now?"

"No… no we are not an item and even if we were I don't think that's any of your business Edward."

"Like hell it's not!" the words rolled out before my brain had time to think about what I was saying and Bella gasped with a shocked look on her face.

"The last time I checked my father was dead!" she yelled back and now it was my turn to gasp and look shocked because I couldn't believe she actually said that.

I immediately saw the regret on her face when I looked back up at her. Her eyes were glassy and her bottom lip was trembling.

"Bella I'm sorry I wasn't trying to upset you and I'm not trying to tell you what to do…"

"Then don't Edward, I'm an adult and don't need to be treated like a three year old or like some nut case that will freak out at any moment because I lost my parents and everyone thinks because I've went on with my life that I must be in denial or mentally unstable."

"I realize you're and adult Bella and I respect that but you can't expect me to not worry about you especially when I find out not only have you been going out with the hospital's "playboy", but this is your fourth date and you didn't even tell me. Bella, James is not who you think he is trust me I've known him for years."

"James and I are just friends Edward nothing more. He's just been showing me around New York since you've been working so much." She said flatly.

"Fine Bella if you insist on hanging out with him fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." I said getting up off my stool and heading to my bedroom. I slammed my bedroom door and ran my fingers through my hair pulling on the ends in frustration as I paced the floor in my room.

My cell phone buzzed across my dresser and I stopped pacing. It was my mother calling probably to see how things were going.

"Hey mom, how are you?"

"Wonderful and how are you dear."

"I've definitely had better days." I said trying to keep my voice down so that Bella wouldn't hear me.

"Anything I can help with?" she asked with concern laced in her motherly tone.

"No it's Bella…she's been hanging out with some co workers of mine that I don't particularly approve of and I'm worried about her."

"Worried how, that they will hurt her?"

"No nothing like that…it's just there's this doctor I work with and he is very aggressive and he has no respect for woman and the fact that they are not sex objects. Then there's Jessica and Lauren who work in my department and drag her out to parties three to four times a week and have taken her on some pretty expensive shopping trips, but at Bella's expense. She thinks they are hanging around her because they are her friends but they're not, none of them. I've worked with all of them for years and they are users out to get what they can but Bella refuses to see that."

"It sounds like Bella may be a little lonely over there in New York and is just looking for some companionship which is perfectly normal Edward. She's been through a lot and starting over in a new city like New York can be downright scary and takes a lot of guts. And I know you Edward you might not think so, but you my son are just like your father a workaholic and you can't expect Bella to sit around waiting until you decide to take a day off."

"I don't expect her to just sit around mom I just wish she kept better company."

"Bella's a smart girl Edward and if they really mean her no good I'm sure she will figure that out."

"Yeah I know I just hope it's before they deplete her bank account."

"Don't worry son Bella will be okay, anyway, I called to let you know that Alice and I are coming there over the 4th of July Holiday. Alice has to work there for a few days and I am coming to go with Bella to pick out furniture for her apartment."

"Does Bella know you're coming?"

"Of course she does silly she's the one who asked me to come." She said chuckling.

Everyone seems to know what going on with Bella Except for me and I live with her. After hanging up with my mom I took a quick shower and decided to go to bed early since I was spending another lonely night without my Bella. This is definitely not what I had in mind when I asked her to move to New York.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the story and author alerts and also to those who took the time to review. The reviews are important because they let me know you are enjoying the story and encourage me to write more and update faster. So please take the couple a couple of seconds and leave me your thoughts and opinions, thanks again!