Here we are, the last regular chapter. I know some of you will be like, "NO! This can't be the last regular chapter! There's not going to be a resolution!" But trust me, please. And I will be writing an epilogue that you all will LOVE, or at least I hope you will. Then it will be back in to OF land as I finish my second novel (BDSM romance one) and then start work on my third novel (a paranormal romance one that could turn into a series if it is desired).

Twilight Crystal is my beta taco supreme and I will say that at one point while betaing this, she had to pause and give Edward a standing ovation.

I only own the plot, sad panda :(

Cover Girl Chapter 21

"Bella, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see or hear from right now, but I deserve a chance to explain my side of things and I'm not leaving here until I get a few minutes of your time."

"Edward, right now is not-" Bella started to say but Edward spun on her and interrupted.

"No, I need to do this and I need you to listen," Edward said and then he began.

Bella was standing in front of him, her face twisted up as Edward took a deep breath and then pulled off his shirt. Her eyes grew big as he started speaking.

"You laid it all out, completely bared yourself for me, and I denied you when you needed my acceptance the most," Edward said, pulling off his undershirt and dropping it on the floor beside him. He was completely bare-chested but wasn't finished.

"I was stupid and angry and inexperienced at how to deal with relationship issues, not that we were technically in one, though I wanted us to be. When you were vulnerable, I was an asshole, and I threw you out and called you vile things," Edward continued as he toed off each of his shoes.

"And then, instead of coming after you and begging for forgiveness, I held on to the anger and humiliation I felt. You see, when you told me you were Rosalie and I realized that I had been duped, that I hadn't realized it for myself, I felt like a fool, like I was the joke of the century, and it pissed me off," Edward pulled off each of his socks and unbuckled his belt, pulling it through the belt loops before dropping it on the growing pile of his wardrobe.

"Edward, I think-" Bella tried to interject again but Edward stopped her once more.

"No Bella, please hear me out," he beseeched her and she sighed in defeat as he continued his monologue.

"I was wrong, but I know now that I wasn't the only one that was wrong, you were too. And I'm not saying this to piss you off or start another fight; I'm saying this because it's true. You could have told me when I first ran into you as Rosalie, but I understand why you didn't. Then you could have told me when we had a drink, but you didn't. You didn't have to try and badmouth yourself when you saw me in line at the expo, and you didn't have to try and throw yourself at me. You made yourself look bad; it pissed me off even more." Edward unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped his pants, spreading the fabric as he slipped them over his hips and let them drop to his ankles.

"Edward-" Bella attempted to speak but Edward silenced her with his next action and words.

"No Bella, I need to say this. It pissed me off that you made yourself look bad because you aren't a bad person and that was so unlike you. It wasn't the Bella that I had begun to fall in love with, and it definitely wasn't the Bella that I had fallen in love with all those years ago. You are the most amazing, stunning, kindhearted, sweet, generous, intelligent, beautiful, wonderful, and all around fantastic person I know. Yeah, you can hold a grudge like no other, but do you even know how gorgeous you look when you're pissed off? Anyways, I'm getting off track here. What I'm trying to say is that I loved you when we were kids, I began falling back in love with you when we reunited, and even after everything that happened, even after all the fighting and bickering and what all happened, I want to try again, with you. I want to have the chance to show you the depth of my love for you, the all encompassing desire I have to be by your side. Please say we can put the past behind us and move forward and just try. I only want you to try because I only want you," Edward said, his voice full of the pleading he was doing and his eyes connected with Bella's as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxer briefs and shoved them down until they pooled at his feet with his jeans.

Bella didn't say anything as her eyes widened, her gaze dropping to the newly exposed area and then back up to meet his stare. Her focus bounced a few more times, up and down, up and down, and then Edward heard a sound behind him that made him freeze, eyes wide and mouth dropped open.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

"Stellar performance, Edward," a female said from beside him and then Ms. Brandon, otherwise known as his financial advisor and Bella's friend Alice, stepped into view and her phone was in her hand and pointed directly at Edward.

"Alice," Bella sighed as she tried to hide a grin.

"I know, I can tell when it's time for me to go, but I couldn't interrupt the show. I'll send you a copy of this. Oh and Edward," Alice said, turning back to look at him as she tucked her phone into her purse. "You got a lot to work with there," she said as her eyes darted down to his exposed crotch and Edward quickly cupped his hands over his junk, "have you ever considered a career in the business?"

"Now is so not the time, Alice, and I can answer for him with a resounding 'no.'" Bella said and Alice just shrugged before walking by Bella, hugging her briefly with a quick glance back at Edward, and exiting the house.

"Oh god," Edward moaned as he realized that there had been a witness to everything he had just done, and even more so that the witness was his financial advisor!

"That's putting it lightly. Um, stay, I'll be right back," Bella said and she walked past Edward, deeper into her house, and he heard a door shut.

He took the time alone to quickly pull his boxer briefs and jeans back up, put his belt back on, and grabbed his shirts. He was about to put his socks and shoes back on so he would be able to leave at a moment's notice, when he heard a door open and looked up when he saw heel clad legs in front of him. Bella had only been out of the room a few short minutes, but in the time she was gone, she had changed out of the shorts and tank top she had been wearing, and was now in heels and something very short.

Edward let his eyes drift up her legs, pausing when they reached the edge of a black skirt. He resumed the upward journey and found her in a deep v-neck red sequined shirt, and then further north revealed that she was wearing the blonde Rosalie wig once more.

"What are you-?"Edward started to ask but Bella placed her small hand over his mouth, silencing his words as she began to speak.

"You say that you want me as Bella, but I know how you looked at Rosalie, I saw how you reacted to her, and I remembered the way you engaged her in conversation over drinks. Rosalie is desired by all, pursued, and fantasized about, every guy's wet dream. How can you say that you want Bella over Rosalie?" she asked him, and he heard her voice quiver with the emotions that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

Edward dropped his shoes and socks and slowly stood up until he was looking down at Bella. He lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek, tilting her face to meet his gaze. And then he made her cry.

"You think that Rosalie is the one people want but you're wrong, at least when it comes to me. First of all, blondes were never my thing," Edward said as he used his other hand to gently pull the wig from her head, her thick brown waves tumbled down her shoulders as he did so.

"Second, I prefer my woman to not flaunt what she has to the world as it should be for my eyes only," he said, releasing her long enough to remove his shirt and slide it over her head to cover her up. Bella was so small that the shirt was like a saggy dress on her, but he smiled as she willingly slid her arms through the sleeves before wrapping them around herself.

"Third, my woman should be comfortable, and I've heard that these things are anything but," Edward said before making Bella squeal as he picked her up and sat her on the desk beside them. He lifted one foot and then the other, gently removing the death trap heels she had put on, and softly massaging her arches before releasing each foot.

"And fourth," Edward said, stepping forward until he was practically between Bella's legs. He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up to meet his once more, not missing the tear trails down her cheeks and the new ones forming at the corners of her eyes. "Fourth is the most important of them all. Fourth is that no woman, no matter what she looks like, how she acts, if I've seen her naked in a magazine or not; no woman could, can, or will ever compare to my best friend, my Dizzy Izzy, the person who made those few summers the best ones in my life, and the woman who I'd do anything to gain forgiveness from. How could you ever fathom that any woman could take your place, Bella? You are the one I always wanted, and the one I want forever."

Bella was openly crying at that moment, but Edward pushed through his urge to comfort her because he needed her to truly understand that Rosalie would never be the woman he wanted.

"Want to know a secret? The first things that drew me to Rosalie were the articles and interviews. There was something there that felt familiar, something that told me I knew her somehow. Sure, she was pretty, but you even said a lot of it was makeup and photoshopping. It was her life, her back story, all the little tidbits of you that were put in there that drew me in. And now that I know that it was you all along, it makes sense. I was attracted to the you in her. It was your words, thoughts, ideas, and facts that made me desire to know more. It's been you all along, Bella; you're the one I want, the one I desire, and the one that I love. Please believe me."

"You…you love me?" she asked, her voice sounding so sad and Edward hated hearing her like that.

"Do you really think that if I didn't that I'd come back for more after you attempted to destroy my boys?" Edward asked with a wink and Bella giggled. The sound was pure heaven to his ears, even the little snort she let out during the giggle fest.

"I'm serious, Bella," Edward said once both of their giggles had subsided. "If I didn't love you I wouldn't be here now, begging for you to give me another chance."

"True, but it's also me who needs to beg you for another chance. I was horrible, Edward. I lied to you, deceived you, tricked you and then tried to push you into basically cheating on me. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course! I wouldn't be here if I hadn't already forgiven you. How could I not forgive you, Bella? I love you," Edward said and he meant it.

"Say it again," Bella said, her voice deeper as she wrapped her legs around Edward and pulled him closer.

"I love you, Bella."

"Again." She slowly brushed her hands up his arms, locking them around his neck.

"I love you," Edward nearly whispered and then their lips met for the briefest moment, barely brushing across the others.

"I love you, too," Bella whispered back. "I always have since that first summer."

"Oh, Bella," Edward murmured and then he crashed his lips against hers, the kiss full of passion, desire, and love.

Bella returned the fevered lip lock, her body pressing against his in a delicious manner, making him grow hard instantaneously. He picked her up, her legs quickly locking behind his back, and then they were twisting around in the living room until he found the couch. As he dropped down on it, Bella released her leg lock and he pulled her on top of him. However, the sudden change in positions and fall onto the couch found Bella's leg between his, and Edward groaned as the hardened flesh was crushed between their bodies.

Bella froze, looking down at him for a moment, and then when her eyes traveled between their bodies, she seemed to realize what she had done and scrambled to move away, but Edward held her tight, not letting her move other than to take her leg out from between his.

"Oh god, Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to, please forgive me," she begged and Edward could only nod as he felt his testicles rising in his throat making speech impossible. "Oh please, let me make it up to you," Bella said as she tried to slide down his body, and Edward knew what she was getting at and he pulled her back up.

"No, just…please just let them relax for a few," he whispered hoarsely and Bella agreed, snuggling up beside him instead and laying her head on his chest.

They spent the rest of the day on the couch, cuddling, kissing, and talking. Oh they talked so much. Bella told him how she was caving with his gestures and that Alice had been over there to talk to her about it. She confessed that she was going to find him Monday on campus and agree to talk, but that he beat her to it with his stripping gesture.

He told her about how Emmett literally beat some sense into him and explained why he didn't get her letter until months later because it was sent to Emmett's school address and he never checked his mailbox.

They talked about everything from their summers together as kids, to their time in college. Bella also explained her absence from school that fall semester; she had escaped to stay with her mom for a while to get away from Edward. She had made the decision last moment when Alice had informed her that Edward had enrolled and was attending the fall semester.

They talked through a delivered pizza dinner, and then well into the night until Bella fell asleep on his chest, drooling once more like she had all those years ago. Edward shifted her, picked her up, and carried her to her bed. He covered her up, tucking her in and kissing her softly on the lips before he turned off the light and left the room. He couldn't bear to go home and leave while she was sleeping, so he grabbed the throw blanket on the couch, curled up, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He awoke the next day to the feeling of being watched and something in his hair. When he opened his eyes, he found Bella sitting on the floor beside the couch looking at him and her hand idly playing with his hair.

"Morning," he said gruffly, his voice still thick with sleep.

"You stayed. When I woke up in my bed I was sure that it was all a dream and that you weren't here. But then I was still wearing your shirt and I found you out here. You could have slept in the bed, you know," Bella said, leaning in to kiss him softly.

"It didn't feel proper, especially with where we are right now," Edward told her, pulling her off the floor and on top of him.

"And where are we exactly?" Bella asked, resting her head on his shoulder as she stretched out against his side.

"We're at the point where I ask my girlfriend to go out on our first date. So, Bella, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?" Edward asked her, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Shouldn't you first ask me to be your girlfriend instead of assuming?" Bella teased him and Edward shifted her until he could look in her eyes.

"Bella, would you please be my girlfriend?" Edward asked her, his eyes staring into hers.

"Yes, Edward, yes on it all!" Bella exclaimed and then kissed him exuberantly, morning breath and all, and Edward knew that if she could kiss him with his dragon breath, that she truly did love him and that all would be right with the world.

Well? *crickets crickets* What did you think? I know many of you didn't think Edward deserved another chance to begin with, and then you switched sides and were hating on Bella, and I get it, I would have been the same way. But, they needed their HEA and he needed to show her that she was the one he wanted, not Rosalie. Bella was wearing 'rose colored glasses' and couldn't see it for herself. So, this is it until I get the epilogue up, which I hope to have up this weekend. I can't guarantee it though as things do happen and I have a lot to do this weekend to start preparing for my baby sister's wedding in one month, 1,000 miles away, and I'm a bridesmaid! So, until the epi, this is a temporary goodbye. After the epi, I don't know if I'll return once more to write another fanfiction, but you can always find me in the Original Fiction world under the pen name Savannah Jalayne. There are links on my profile to get to me on facebook. See you soon!