Rating: Le M on
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all, I own Pinkie.
Give him up Stephenie.
A/N…Lovinrob and amandac3, I have thanked you for 41 chapters now and it still isn't enough.
To all of you readers who review faithfully, who have alerted this story, who are following this story and who have favored me, I thank you especially. I have made some pretty good friends on FF, albeit in the PM, I have gotten pretty close to a few and you all know who you are. Thank you specially.
Now on with the show.
CHAPTER 41
Bella
It feels as if the next several weeks flew by in a blur. With my tutoring going well via videoconferencing and the insane amount of time Edward and I spend in his bed, it's a wonder he gets any work done at all. I have also been spending quite a bit of time with Esme as she shows me her gardens and the process she uses to hybrid her roses. It's quite fascinating. And of course I continue to spend time learning the wine making process.
The grapes are budding and blooming this time of year and Edward and I take regular rides around the vineyard looking at the progress of the vines. He explains the process to me and I enjoy learning and receiving instruction from him. I am impressed with his knowledge.
What I particularly enjoy during these outings are our trips to the oak tree. We have made love many times under that old tree but often we have just napped. But no matter what it is, it is a treasure for me because it is with Edward.
"You excited to start classes next week?" Edward asks as we drive down the back roads around the vineyard.
"I actually am. I'm excited knowing that this time next year I will be a licensed attorney and practicing law in the state of California." I say proudly, inwardly hoping I haven't just jinxed myself.
"Come, I want to show you something." He says, driving us to his house. "I've had Billy working on this project for a while now and he is finally finished and I want to show it to you."
I can see the excitement all over his face which in turn excites me and raises my curiosity. We pull up to the house and he takes my hand, guiding me inside and down the hall. We walk past his office on the left and he turns into a large room on the right.
"This is your new study." He says proudly.
I stand at the door, looking around in awe, and then I look at Edward.
"I want you to feel comfortable coming here and focusing on your school work. To be able to complete your homework undisturbed." He says, pulling me again to the other side of the room. "Here is your private bathroom. And over here is a mini-fridge. See, Rebecca has it stocked and if there is anything else you need, just let her know." I am in shock and can't believe he did this.
"Here, check out this leather couch. I love this thing. I may have to swap mine for yours." I sit down and it is the softest leather I have ever sat on. I can see myself taking a nap on it for sure.
"Look at this." He directs me to a control panel of sorts. "You hit this button here and this screen drops down and you can Skype, videoconference, watch TV, listen to music, anything you want and it's all in surround sound." He says pointing out all the different buttons on the remote.
I stand in the middle of the room and look at how beautiful it is. Empty bookshelves line the wall and I walk over to touch them.
"I intentionally left those empty. I knew, in time, you would begin to acquire your own legal reference manuals and you would need a place to put them."
I turn and can do nothing but stare at him. I feel the tears sting the back of my eyes. He did all this for me. So I would have my own personal space. A place to study and a place to call my own. God I love this man!
"Hey… hey… Bella. You aren't supposed to cry, baby." He says softly against my cheek.
"This room is wonderful, Edward. I just love it and I love you. Thank you so, so much." I say into his chest as I wrap my arms around his waist and notice the desk behind him.
"This desk is beautiful, Edward. Where did you find it?" I ask running my hands over the intricate carving along the edges.
"It was my grandfathers." He says looking at it lovingly. "He was an attorney as well and it was the desk he used his entire life. I wanted you to have it. It suits you."
"Edward." I whisper, walking behind the desk and sit in one of the most lush desk chairs I have ever sat in. "I am deeply honored."
"Bella, I want you to feel comfortable here. In this me." He says apprehensively and he walks behind the desk taking my hands, lifting me out of the seat and holds me.
"I do feel comfortable here, baby. You know that. I enjoy being here with you. I love that you are teaching me about the winery and the process behind it. I love that you support me in my desire to finish my degree."
"Bella, I have a plan." He says skeptically.
"You do? And what is this plan?" I am wary of what he has up his sleeve.
"I don't know if I am ready to divulge it right now but it certainly involves you." He says, again appearing uncertain about whether he wants to share.
"Well, if it involves me, don't you think I deserve to know?" I ask.
I watch him pace the room. He keeps looking at the floor, then back up at me. I can see he is visibly nervous and apprehensive to share this plan of his.
"What is it, Edward?" I ask. Now he has me curious.
"I need to trust you on this Bella. Kind of like client attorney privilege, alright?
"Okay." I promise.
"I have reason to believe that the Denali Winery is going to go down. To fail. Go into bankruptcy. And when it does, I plan on buying it, to either expand Volturi or open a new and separate winery, featuring my special reserves that I have been creating." He pauses for my reaction.
"Oh, Edward, really? Do you really think that is going to happen?" I ask, surprised.
"Yes, I do. And I plan on being there when it does. You see, they think they stole the recipe but the way Ben has it set up, anyone who attempts to steal it will get a false reading and I am certain they will pour their entire crop into this bad recipe and their supply will be ruined. They will either be forced to buy grapes from the neighboring wineries or go down. I am certain no one plans on selling to them."
I watch him and listen. He does indeed have a plan.
"Go on." I encourage him to continue.
"I already knew they were in trouble even before we found that Tanya was snooping around. They are desperate. Then when you told me that they had hired Jacob as their attorney, I knew it was just a matter of time. You see, I have been following their activities very closely. It's just a matter of time now before the District Attorney's office gets around to investigating your complaint. And I know the bar is interested. It's just that they can't do anything until the DA presses charges first. He's going down, Bella. His career is ruined, or will be. It's just a matter of time. Word is already out about this amongst the vintners. No one will sell to a disreputable vintner."
I watch him as he picks up his pacing. He keeps running his hands through that beautiful hair. I can see his breathing has picked up. He stops in front of me and just stares into my eyes.
"There is a second half to my plan." He says, and he really looks nervous now. He walks up to me so that we are face to face and holds my arms tight.
"Bella, I am in love with you and I want you to live here with me. Permanently. Not just a temporary thing because Jenks suggested it."
Oh. My. God.
"But… what… but I…when… but…" Yes, these are the most intelligent words that I can speak right now and now it's my turn to pace the room. I start to chew on my fingernails as I walk back and forth, stopping periodically to look at Edward.
"Talk to me, baby." He says.
"What about my job? It's in the city." I say.
"If you are dead set on working for Eric, then we will get you to work every day. Either by the helicopter or a driver, but…" He stops and looks at me and I know he is about to say more.
"Here's the thing. I want you to work here in Napa." He says seemingly cringing at his own words.
I snap my head around at him. "Are you crazy?"
"Think about it." He says. "Napa only has one attorney knowledgeable in wine law. You are needed here. But, I want you to be our in-house counsel." I see him take a deep breath and hold it.
"With what I have planned for the Denali property, I am going to need a full time attorney working for me and it will either be you or Eric. I would rather pay you. I know you. I know you are passionate about what I do here. You are absorbing it all like a sponge. By the time you get your law degree you will have more knowledge of all things wine related than most."
"Is that why you built this office? So I would have a place to hang my shingle?" I ask him.
"Partly." He pauses, "Partly because you need a place to study for your classes. I admit I thought about you working here when I designed this room for you." He is nervously running his thumb over my hand.
"Bella, you don't have to decide right now, I only ask that you seriously think about it. I would love to have you as Counsel to Volturi Wineries."
"Let me think about it, alright Edward? It's a tough decision. Let me get started on my classes and when I head into finals, I will give you an answer okay? I won't leave you hanging. But I also have to take Eric into consideration. He wants me to work for his firm and he is paying my salary right now and he is paying my tuition." I remind him.
"Yes, he is, but he is also doing that as retribution for you not suing his ass for what he did in releasing personal and private information concerning your whereabouts that resulted in you being physically assaulted. And as far as him paying for your tuition, it is a write off as a donated scholarship. He knows you could sue him and win and it would cost him millions. What he is offering is nothing in comparison, Bella."
"Although you are right, Edward, I never would have sued him. I will think about it." I say again.
"What about the other thing?" He says, sounding like a little boy.
"What other thing?" I ask.
"You moving in here... With me."
"Can I think about that too? It's a big step, baby. Are you sure?"
"I am very sure." He says taking a step toward me. "I feel lonely at the mere thought of you returning to live in the city and not sharing my bed every night. I have grown to love having you in my arms when I go to sleep and having you there when I wake. I love coming home to you. I love having dinner with you every night. I love hanging out watching TV or just reading in the same room with you. I want to share your space with you. And I love taking you to the tree whenever I want."
Wow. I guess he has given it some thought. When I think about what he has said I realize that I have found that I love all those things too. I don't think I would like the idea of going back to Rosalie's house, especially since she has it for sale right now. I will be out of a home anyway until I get another of my own.
I turn around and look at Edward, focusing on his eyes. I run everything he has said through my mind a second time. I will see my friends just as much, if not more. That pleases me. I watch him watch me and I walk toward him and place a chaste kiss on his lips and wrap my arms around his neck.
"Alright, Edward. I would love to live here with you." And with that he throws his arms around me tight, spinning me around in the middle of 'my' study.
I am euphoric as I realize that I have just agreed to live with Edward. I smile at that.
"What is that smile about, baby?" He asks, leaning back to look at me.
"You're mine." I say, stating a simple fact.
"Indeed I am, Bella." He says holding me tight against him.
"Forever if I have anything to say about it." He adds. "Come on, let's go have lunch with the family. I want to share our news."
He takes hold of my hand and walks me into the kitchen where Rebecca is beginning to prepare lunch.
"Rebecca, Bella and I are heading to my parents house for lunch, so don't fix anything for us. And I want you to be the first to know that Bella has agreed to move in here with us." He says, smiling down into my eyes. I can clearly see he is very happy about this. I smile back up at him, wrapping my arm around his slim waist.
"Oh, Bella, this is great news." She says, hugging me. "Let's have lunch this week so we can discuss things then, alright?"
"Alright, Rebecca. Let's go out for lunch that day." I suggest, excited to meet with her.
"Perfect. I will need to clear it with my boss first." She says, giggling and looking at Edward.
"Well, technically, Rebecca, Bella is now your boss too, so if she wants to take you to lunch, you should discuss it with her." He responds, kissing her cheek and then taking my hand.
We head out the back door toward his parent's house. I want to drive Pinkie but I can see a scowl on his face as he gets in the passenger seat.
"What?" I ask as I see his brow furrow.
"This is emasculating, baby." He says, pouting. "Perhaps we should take "The Beast" when we travel together."
"'The Beast'?" I ask
"Yeah, it's my new name for my cart. Riding around in 'Pinkie' does something to my manhood. My crew will never look at me the same."
I burst out laughing and he looks over at me.
"That undoubtedly is the most beautiful sound I could ever hear." He says, wrapping my hair around his hand using it to pull my lips to his. I moan into his mouth at this mastery he has over me.
"You man… me woman." I say, going in for another intense kiss.
"Thank goodness for that." He responds into my mouth before I feel his tongue seek mine. Boy, can this man kiss!
Although he feels less than a man driving around in Pinkie, we pull up to his parent's house and he picks me up and carries me in, bridal style. I kick my feet, ordering him to put me down but he only holds me tighter to him.
"Open the door, Bella." He instructs and I reach down to open the slider. It glides easily and silently as we enter.
"There, I carried you over the threshold. It's official." He says, grinning.
"That's when you get married, goofy." I say, pushing on his shoulder.
"Yeah, that's when I carry you over the threshold of our house but this is my parent's house. It's kind of an unofficial slash official way of initiating us living together." He says.
"When I carry you over my threshold, it will be as my wife." He says seductively in my ear.
I feel the tingling. That was a very sexy threat.
"Edward… Bella. Are you here for lunch?" Esme happily greets us.
"Is that okay, I know Edward didn't call to check." I answer, accepting her hug.
"It's always expected. Edward does this all the time. I never know when he will stop by to eat with us." She says, as Edward kisses her temple.
"Are my brother's here?" He asks.
"Yes and the girls are here today as well. Let's eat." She says, walking toward the dining room.
"Oh, good. We can tell everyone at the same time." He says, smiling at me.
I am nervous and apprehensive at the same time but it needs to be done so I follow him into the dining room.
"Look who's here!" Esme says, going to the sideboard for two more place settings. I quickly take them from her, putting them out for Edward and me and then take a seat.
"Hey girls." I say looking at Rosalie and Alice.
"What?" Rosie starts right off the get go. "What is it Bella?"
"What?" I reply.
"I know you. Something's up?" She asks looking from me to Edward.
"Bella? Edward?" Alice says. "Edward, we know Bella like the back of our hands. We know something is up. Is everything okay?"
Edward and I look at each other, smiling. I nod for him to go ahead.
"I asked Bella to move in with me and she has agreed." He says, taking my hand under the table waiting for their response.
Everyone talks over each other giving their blessing and that they are happy for us. Everyone except Rosalie. I look at her and she is clearly upset.
"Rose, may I speak to you for a moment?" I ask her and she and I get up from our seats.
"Please excuse us. Don't wait on lunch, we will be right back. Alice." I say and Alice gets up to follow us outside.
We stand there looking at Rosalie, waiting for her to begin.
"I want to move in with Emmett but he doesn't want me to." She says trying very hard not to allow the tears filling her eyes to fall.
I look at the door to the house and see Emmett standing there watching and clearly he is distraught at his Rosie crying.
"Did you ask him?" Alice asks, putting her arm around her shoulder to comfort her.
"No, he told me. He said he doesn't want a live-in relationship." She starts to cry even harder now.
"Oh, God, you guys. I thought he loved me. I mean truly loved me. He told me he did. But not enough to want to be with me." She sobs.
Alice runs in the house for tissues and I see her give Emmett a scowl before she comes back out.
"Here you go, sweetie." She says, placing the tissues in Rosalie's hand.
"Listen, they are waiting for us before they eat lunch. We need to get back." Alice says. "Let's get through this, and then the three of us will go into town and have coffee or a cosmo, okay?"
"I think that's an excellent idea, Alice. Can you do that Rosie girl?" I ask, shocked that I used Emmett's nickname for her.
"Yes, let's do this." She says, hardening her tough exterior. I follow behind her and hope she doesn't get all tiger on Emmett at lunch.
We walk back into the house and take our seats when I see everyone looking at Rosalie. I take Edward's hand and give it a squeeze.
"I'll tell you later." I lean in and whisper. He squeezes my hand in acknowledgment.
"This looks really good, Esme. I love enchiladas. They're one of my favorite Mexican foods." I say trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
"Rosie girl. What's the matter, babe?" Emmett asks out loud.
"Nothing, Emmett, and certainly nothing I want to discuss in front of everyone." She responds hotly. I knew the tiger was going to come out sooner or later.
"Rose, this is our family. We always discuss family issues in front of our family. It's what we do." He says to her, putting his arm around her shoulder, lowering his head to hers.
"Well, I am not going to discuss it. We were talking about Edward and Bella's good news. At least he doesn't have any commitment issues with moving his girlfriend in."
Bingo. And there it is.
I squeeze Edward's hand again and I give him a faint smirk and a nod. He smiles down at me. I look around the table and everyone is focused on Emmett and Rosalie.
"Is that what this is all about? You are upset that Edward and Bella are moving in together?" He says, feigning shock.
"No, you dolt. You are such an ignoramus… Oh!…" I can see her trying to reign herself in from totally going ballistic on him in front of his parents.
I look at Emmett and see him grin at her and I am thinking this is not a good idea. He looks at his parents and they grin and nod their heads.
"Rosalie, you know I love you baby. Don't you?"
"Y… yes." She says through her sniffles.
"You know I am building that house for you, don't you?"
"Yes…"
"You know I fell in love with you that night in Lake Tahoe when we spoke on the phone don't you?"
"Yes."
I continue to watch in awe as Emmett calms her down and turns her into a bowl of vanilla pudding.
"You know I want to marry you, don't you?"
"Yes… wait… what?"
"I love you more than my own life, Rosie girl. I will gladly give it to you if you would marry me." He says as he gets down on one knee handing her a small turquois box with a small turquois bow on it.
"Tiffany's." I hear Alice whisper.
I look at Rosalie and she looks at me then to Alice and then back at me.
"I love you." I say to her through my tears of happiness. I know she would not marry this man if she didn't know in her heart that she loved him 100%.
"Yes, Emmett. I will marry you." She says, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Oh, thank God." He responds dropping his head onto Rosalie's thigh and then in only the way Emmett can, he pulls her to her feet and bends her backward into their signature kiss.
"I guess you better put a ring on it." Rosalie says through her laughter as she watches Emmett open the little turquois box to reveal the most beautiful 3 carat Tiffany Legacy engagement ring I have ever seen.
"Holy shit, Emmett." Rosalie says in only the way she can. We all burst out laughing and rush around them to have a closer look at the exquisite piece of jewelry.
"Damn, Emmett, now you've made it next to impossible to top that." Jasper says, looking at a stunned Alice.
"I'm very happy for you, brother. It's as it should be. The oldest brother should marry before his younger siblings." I watch as Edward congratulates Emmett.
"And all that fuss over nothing." I say to Rosalie with my arm around her shoulder. I kiss her cheek then wipe away a stray tear.
"Rosie girl, I tried to tell you that I didn't want us to have a live-in relationship. My family has known that I wanted to marry you before moving you into our home. It's how I roll, babe."
"I understand, sweetie. I just thought I was losing you is all." She says reaching up to kiss him.
"Never." He says firmly, taking hold of her shoulders and giving her a firm shake as he says it, then pulling her in for a warm embrace.
"I'm getting married." Rosalie says. "Who would have thought those words would ever cross my lips?" She said with a short chuckle.
"Not me." I answer, my eyes huge with surprise.
"I knew it would happen, but with as many men that have asked you, I thought you would never say yes this soon to Emmett." Alice says, her tinkling laughter is contagious and I join her.
"Alright, now that lunch is cold, let me throw these back in the oven to warm them while we talk wedding plans." Esme says giggling, excited about the thought of planning a wedding.
"I feel like we are going to be related somehow." Edward says in my ear. "I've always thought of Rosalie and Alice as your sisters and now one of your sisters is marrying my brother."
I never thought of it that way, but he's right. Alice and Rosalie are like my sisters. I like the sound of that. I make my way over to Emmett and ask him to join me outside.
"Bella, I know what you are going to say." He starts first. "You are going to give me the "father" talk. Trust me. I've already talked to her father. We met and I asked for her hand." He confessed.
"Wow, Emmett, you sweep my best friend off her feet and you read minds too." I say sounding snarky.
"Well isn't that what you wanted, pulling me out here?"
"No, smart ass, but keep it up and I will turn all bitchy woman on you." I start to walk away and go back inside. My warm and fuzzy feeling gone by his smart mouth.
"Hey, Bella, I'm sorry." He reaches for my arm. "I didn't mean it. I just thought you were going to give me "the talk" and I just didn't want to hear it after enduring it from her father." He says, apologetically.
"No, I was going to say 'thanks'. But you ruined the mood."
"Aww, come on, Bella. I'm sorry. I don't need Edward on me for upsetting you. I'm sorry." He says, sounding sincere.
"Okay, but really, I wanted to say thanks for loving my best friend. She's been through some rough times with men. She is always so guarded that when I finally saw her let you in, I knew you were right for her. Earlier? She was in tears because she thought you might not love her the way she loves you especially when you told her about not wanting her to move in with you."
"Yeah, it probably came out a little more harsh than I had intended. I hadn't planned on asking her today, but I thought the time was appropriate." He says.
"It was perfect, Emmett. Now if you hurt her I will hunt you down. You can't run from me and Pinkie."
We both laugh out loud and he puts me in a headlock rubbing his knuckle across the top of my head. I look up laughing and see Edward walking toward us.
"Lunch is back on, kids. Let's go eat." He says slapping Emmett on the back. "Emmett Cullen. Man of Mystery. Womanizer of the Pacific Northwest. A married man. Who'da thought."
A/N: Awwwwww. Eddie wants Bells to move in. Now ain't that just plumb sweet? Their relationship is moving right along now isn't it. Emmett and Rosalie are engaged…one couple down…two to go.