A/N Okay, so I forgot to specify how big the age difference between Edward and Bella is. Edward is 34 and Bella is 22, so the age difference is 12 years. Bella said in the last chapter that Edward was old... well, she was just rambling... he's not old... he just older than her. Also, I replied to your reviews saying that 34 minus 22 equals 10... I know... *facepalm* I just get so damn distracted sometimes (comes with the zodiac sign... lol)

Anyway, I hope this sets your minds at ease :) He's not fifty, or anything.

Also, for future references...

Kate- 36

Emmett and Rosalie- 37

Jasper- 29

Alice- 26

Angela- 22

Chapter 3

Edward Pov

~September 16th, 2011~

~~0~~

~~0~~

~~0~~

Friday afternoon my brother Emmett and I left from work a bit earlier than usual. My car was still in the auto shop, and I caught a ride with him since we were both going to his place. I hadn't seen my niece for almost a month, and I missed her terribly. So, when his wife Rosalie called to invite me to dinner, I gladly accepted.

We both climbed in the back of his silver Mercedes, and Harry, his driver, greeted us politely. Emmett was on the phone with a client, and I leaned back in my seat, turning my attention to the window.

We were just a few blocks away from the office, when I spotted a bookstore, and my niece's image came to mind. I knew how much she enjoyed reading, and since I hadn't paid her a visit for quite a while, it only seemed fair that I didn't present myself bare-handed.

In the spur of the moment I said to Emmett's driver, "Harry, can you stop here for a minute, please?"

"Certainly, sir," he replied, glancing at me in the rear view mirror before pulling to the right and killing the engine.

"Thank you." I opened the door and stepped out, Emmett's confused voice following after me.

"Where are you going?"

Leaning down I saw that he had his hand covering his cell phone as he looked at me expectantly.

"That bookstore over there," I answered, gesturing over my shoulder. "I won't be long."

I shut the door and jogged my way across the sidewalk until I was standing in front of a narrow glass door that had an imprinted logo saying The Oriental. Usually I shopped for books at Barnes&Noble, but apparently not today. I stepped inside, and my arrival caused a small bell attached to the door to jingle loudly, alerting the clerk behind the counter of my presence. Surprisingly, she didn't look up from the book she was reading, so I made my way over to her. I stood looking down at her for a moment, irritated with the fact that she was deliberately ignoring me, before speaking.

"Hello," I said, my voice coming out a little more gruff than I had intended.

With slow, lazy movements she licked her finger, folded a corner of the page she was on, and finally raised her eyes to meet mine. I frowned, realizing that she looked familiar. I thought hard, trying to remember where I had seen her before.

She was young, maybe in her early twenties with chocolate brown hair that came to the middle of her back, pale skin, thick lips and large brown eyes. She was extremely... average-looking, but there was something about her that gave me the impression this was not the first time I had met her.

I noticed she was gaping at me, shock mixed with something akin to excitement written all over her face. I opened my mouth and simply asked her, "Do I know you?"

She flinched and blushed furiously, acting like I had asked her if she committed murder. "Um... y-yeah. S-sort of," she stuttered nervously. "I... uh... I spilled coffee on you on Tuesday."

The scene from Starbucks came to my mind, and I realized why she was so on edge.

"Ah. Yes, now I remember."

I clenched my teeth and bit my tongue to refrain myself from saying something rude. I was a pretty blunt person and usually didn't hesitate to give people a piece of my mind. However, I knew it hadn't been solely her fault. If I hadn't turned around so brusquely, none of it would had happened.

Not that I cared too much about the shirt I had been wearing that day, but having to go back home to change really made my day ten time worse than it had begun.

"C-can I help you with something?" she asked, biting on her lip hard.

I studied her face, trying to guess what she was thinking of our encounter. Was she scared of me? God, I hope not. I was aware of the fact that I could sometimes be a jackass, but it hadn't been my intention to traumatize the poor girl.

"Yes. I need a book."

"Okay..." she said softly, not tearing her wide, fearful eyes from me. "What book?"

I sighed, shoving my hand into my pant's pockets in an attempt to look more casual and less frightening. "I don't know."

"You don't know," she reiterated, and my jaw set in aggravation. I was doing my best to keep my temper on a leash, but the fact that I was already in a bad mood didn't help at all.

"Yes. It's not for me."

"Okay..." She was looking at me with a confused expression, clearly wondering what the hell I wanted from her.

I sighed, glancing around the store. It was actually very nice. Very homey. "It's for my niece. She likes to read. So... can you help me with a suggestion?"

"Sure," she said after a hesitant pause, getting up from her seat. I walked behind her, noticing for the first time that she was of petite stature. In fact, she was so much shorter than me I could bet that if she stood directly in front of me her eyes would be at the same level with my pectorals.

An errant thought about my preferences for tall women crossed my mind, but I brushed it off quickly. It was irrelevant, because I didn't plan on starting to date again too soon.

She asked me how old Jessica was and what books she liked to read before leading me to the fantasy section. After she showed me a few books which I turned down because they were already part of Jessica's collection, I finally settled on one called Eye of the Wizard.

I paid for it and headed back to the car where Emmet was waiting for me.

~~ 0 ~~

It was around five when Harry pulled the car in the driveway, and we got out, heading for the front door. Emmett, still talking on the phone for the past hour or so, opened the door and stepped in. I followed after him and took off my suit jacket, hanging it in the foyer closet that I was already so familiarly with.

"Hi, Rosalie," I said when she came out of the kitchen with a glass of what looked like margarita in her hand. She was wearing a knee-length dress and high heels, her platinum blond hair pulled up into a classic bun. She smiled when she saw me, her heels clicking on the marble floor as she made her way towards me.

"Edward," she replied, kissing my cheek.

I kissed her back, then glanced around expectantly. "Where's my favorite niece?"

She chuckled, moving to her husband. "You mean your only niece?" she said, giving Emmett a peck on the lips. He wrapped an arm around her waist and a few seconds later, ended the call.

"Hey, baby," he murmured, kissing her back passionately.

She grinned at him. "Hey."

"So? Where is she?" I asked, my eyes bouncing between them as a a pang of envy sliced through my heart. I remembered when Tanya used to greet me that way when I came from work in the evening.

"In her room," Rosalie answered as she extracted herself from her husband's embrace. "Jess!" she called towards the stairs. "Uncle Eddie is here."

I groaned softly. She knew I hated to be called Eddie. The only person who I allowed to call me that was...

"Uncle Eddie!" my niece's piercing scream echoed through the house, followed by the sound of running feet. She practically flew down the stairs and threw herself into my eager arms, sending me a couple of steps backwards.

I laughed heartily, squeezing her to me. "Hey, beautiful. How are you?"

"I'm good." She beamed, pulling back. She blew some of her shoulder-length blond hair from her face, then eyed the bag in my hand curiously. "What did you bring me?"

"Guess." I winked at her, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

"A book?"

"Yes."

"Nice." She grinned, taking the bag from me and peering inside. "Are you staying for dinner, uncle Eddie?"

I shrugged, burying my hands into my pants' pockets. "I will if you want me to."

"Yeah." She hugged me again. "Of course I want you to."

"Don't I get a hug?" Emmett complained, frowning at us, his arms crossed over his chest.

Jessica snickered, walking over to him. "Hi, Daddy." She kissed his cheek, and he let his lips linger on her forehead as he rubbed her back affectionately with one hand.

"Hi," Emmett murmured back lowly, and just as he was about to say something else, his phone began ringing. He groaned in frustration, muttering under his breath, "What now?" As he glanced at the screen, his brow furrowed. "Excuse me," he said, letting go of his daughter and heading towards his study.

Jessica rolled her eyes again at her father's departing form. Rosalie headed back into the kitchen to see about dinner, and we walked into the living room, taking a seat next to each other on the couch.

"So, how's school?" I inquired, running my hand through her hair.

She shrugged, taking the book out from the bag and examining it. "Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I got a B in geography today, so I'm not too happy about that."

"Really? What did you get a B for?"

"We had a pop quiz, and I couldn't remember which is Switzerland's capital."

"It's Bern."

She huffed. "Yeah, now I know. I don't think I'll ever forget it again."

We stayed in silence for a little while as she studied the book in her hand.

"Do you have a boyfriend yet?" I blurted out suddenly.

The night before I had seen a documentary about teenage pregnancies, and it had stuck in my mind. Of course, I knew Jessica was very intelligent and responsible and would never end up like those girls, but it never hurt to make sure she hadn't transited to that phase of her life yet. She was still so young, and I worried about her. I also knew it was her parents' job to worry about her, but I couldn't help myself. Because of the fact that I hadn't yet had the pleasure of fathering a child, all of my affection was directed towards her.

Jessica made a gagging face, but her cheeks betrayed her by coloring in a light pink shade. "Ewww. No!"

I chuckled, seeing right through her. "Good, good. Make sure you stay away from boys until at least twenty."

Her head snapped in my direction, her eyes wide. "Twenty? But why? Mom and Dad have been together since tenth grade."

"Yes," I agreed. "But right now you're too young to have a boyfriend."

Her gaze lowered to the ground, her fingers playing idly with the side of my dress pants. "So when can I have one?" she asked so quietly I could barely hear her.

I arched an eyebrow at her, even though she couldn't see me. "Is there someone you like at school?"

"No," she said quickly, her face now fully red.

I let out a low laugh. "Are you lying to me?"

"No."

"I think you are. Come on, tell me," I coaxed, kissing her temple. "Who is he?"

"No one," she mumbled, her nails scratching at my pants nervously.

"What's his name?" I insisted, mostly because she was so fun to toy with, but also because the thought of her having a boyfriend didn't sit well with me at all.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, closing her eyes. "I don't like anyone. Boys are gross."

"Uh huh. Do I look like I was born yesterday?" I teased.

"What are you two talking about?" Rosalie's suspicious voice made both of us turn our heads in her direction. She was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed underneath her breasts.

"Nothing," Jessica squeaked, hiding her flustered face behind her thick hair. "Nothing, right, uncle Eddie?" She turned to glare at me, and I had to stop myself from laughing. Only one blue eye was visible behind her blond hair curtain, which made her attempt at glaring pretty amusing.

"Right." I nodded, looking at Rosalie with the straightest face I could muster.

"Mmhmm," she murmured skeptically. "Come on, wash your hands. Dinner is ready."

Jessica jumped to her feet and walked ahead of me, and I had to quicken my pace to catch up to her. I put an arm around her shoulders and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to find out, sooner or later. Preferably sooner."

She gave me a murderous one-eyed look before pushing me away. This time I laughed loudly and pulled her back to me, ruffling her hair playfully.

~~ 0 ~~

Saturday evening I had dinner with my family as usual. My father being the head of the family sat at the head of the table with my mother at his right. Emmett and Rosalie sat next to her while I was occupying my usual seat opposite of them. Beside me, the seat that had been Tanya's in the past was now Jessica's.

We were all quiet, savoring the delicious food, until my mom decided to break the silence.

"So, Edward, honey," she began in the sweetest voice she could muster, and I instantly knew that whatever was about to come from her mouth was going to piss me off.

"Yeah?" I answered, not raising my eyes from the food in front of me, pretending to concentrate on cutting my meat.

"You remember Lauren Mallory?"

There was a pregnant pause when I felt everyone's stares on me. Bringing the fork to my mouth, I chewed and swallowed before replying in my most bored tone.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Wouldn't you agree that she's a lovely young lady?"

I tensed, immediately realizing where she was going with this, but I decided to ignore the irritation that was starting to nag at me and keep my calm. Still not looking at her, I shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "I guess."

"I was thinking maybe I should invite her over next Saturday. What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?" I answered dryly.

Mom chuckled, not seeming to notice that everyone at the table was doing their best look preoccupied by their food. "Inviting her over, of course."

"I don't care." My flat tone should have warned her that I wasn't in the mood for that kind of conversation, but again she seemed oblivious.

She sighed exaggeratedly. "Come on, Edward. She is young, beautiful, intelligent and comes from a very good family."

"And? What does this has to do with me?"

She clicked her tongue impatiently. "Don't play dumb. I really think you two would make a good match."

This time I looked at her as I replied. "Mother, I'm not interested in a relationship right now. Alright?"

She frowned deeply, not satisfied with my answer. "Edward, you are 34 years old. You have no wife, no children..."

"Stop right there," I cut her off hoarsely. She had crossed the line, and I was fucking furious. "I have no wife because my wife died. Seven months ago. Seven!" I yelled, outraged. "And you have the audacity to tell me I should date? You have the nerve to tell me my life is fucked up?"

She seemed taken aback by my outburst. "You're taking this the wrong way…"

"Am I?" I hissed through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to jump over the table and strangle her.

"Yes. I only want you to be happy."

"Bullshit!"

"Edward!" My father interfered, his voice authoritative. "Watch your tongue. This is your mother you're talking to."

I pushed my chair up and got up from the table, tossing my napkin carelessly, not bothering to care where it landed. "I'm going to step outside," I announced, whirling around and heading for the French doors. Once on the back patio, I walked over to a chair and sat down.

"Fuck," I swore under my breath, rubbing mt hands over my face roughly.

Not seconds later, the doors opened again and two small arms wrapped around me as an angelic voice whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry, uncle Eddie.'

"What are you sorry for, kiddo?" I asked, looking up at her.

She looked back at me with sad, watery eyes. "I'm sorry that aunt Tanya died."

~~ 0 ~~

It was Wednesday afternoon the next week.

I escorted Mr. Lopez to the elevator at a leisure pace as we exchanged a few more words about his case. He thanked me for my help before we shook hands and he got on the elevator. I turned on my heels and headed back to my office.

As I passed my assistant's desk I handed her some papers.

"Please make me a copy of this," I said, my gaze involuntarily falling to her very revealing cleavage.

Victoria was a beautiful woman who was very conscious of her sex appeal. She was in her late twenties, had long, curly red hair and a pair of killer legs.

However, her way of dressing sometimes drove me insane, and not in the good way. The tops she wore were usually more revealing than necessary, and her dresses were too short or too tight; sometimes both.

I couldn't even remember how many times I had asked her to dress more appropriately. She would listen to my rambling about her clothes, nod her head in understanding, apologize and would try to wear more decent clothing. But, after a while, she would fall back into her old patterns.

It was downright maddening. If she wasn't so good at what she did, I would have fired her long ago.

"Yes, sir," she answered promptly, getting up.

I was about to make a comment on the blouse she was wearing when my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced down at it, seeing my niece's number flash on the screen.

"Yes?" I answered, a smile making its way to my face.

"Ello!" she yelled stridently on the other side of the line, and I had to momentarily put some distance between my ear and the phone.

"What was that?" I chuckled, heading inside my office and closing the door behind me.

"My immitation of a British accent."

"You sounded horrible," I confessed, sliding into my comfortable leather chair and propping my feet on the desk.

"Gee, thanks, uncle Eddie."

I chuckled again, leaning back into the chair. "So, is there a particular reason you're calling me, Jess?"

"Yep," she said merrily, popping the "p". "I want another book."

"And you want me to buy it for you?"

"Obvious," she said, and I could picture her rolling her eyes at me. "I like the books you buy me. Is there a sequel to the one you got me last week?"

"I don't know," I replied, ignoring my office phone that had started to ring. "You want me to go back and see if there's a sequel?"

"Yeah."

"And if there's not?"

She thought for a brief moment before answering. "Well, I don't know… buy me another one."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do about it."

"Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome."

~~ 0 ~~

That same afternoon after leaving work I stopped by the bookstore. I managed to squeeze my car in the small space between a van and a Honda and got out, heading inside.

Today, to my disappointment, instead of the girl from Friday there was another woman sitting behind the counter. The woman had blond hair that was pinned up in a ponytail and seemed to be reading a magazine. As I approached her, I saw that she was indeed browsing through a Harper's Bazaar, an iPod lying next to her. I looked around searching for the girl, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I cleared my throat and when my presence wasn't acknowledged, I put my hand on the counter and tapped my fingers impatiently. That got her attention, and she quickly removed the headset from her ears, her gaze lifting to meet mine.

What was it with this bookstore ignoring their customers?

"Hello," I said in greeting, trying to keep my voice light.

"Oh," she breathed weakly. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at me in what seemed like awe. However, she recovered quickly, her voice all business-like as she spoke. "Well, hello. What can I do for you?"

"I came here last Friday and there was a girl who gave me a book," I explained, but realized I had no idea what the girl's name was. Trying to be more explicit I added, "A brunette girl... petite... brown eyes..."

"You mean Bella?" she interrupted.

I nodded hesitantly. "I think so. Is she still working here?"

"Yes," she said, a knowing smirk making its way to her face. "She's in the back. I'll get her for you."

"Thank you," I replied as she got out from behind the counter and headed towards the back of the store. Burying my hands in my pants' pockets and leaning against the counter, I waited.

Not even a minute later, the woman came back with the girl trailing behind her.

"Hello," I said politely, staring her in the eyes.

Just like the last time, she seemed nervous as she fidgeted with the long sleeves of her bright red cardigan. "Uh... h-hi," she responded, her cheeks turning the color of said cardigan. "You need another book?" Her voice was small and tentative, her gaze fixed on my chest.

"Yes. Is there a sequel to the one you gave me?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered, biting on her lower lip. "Let me look."

Quickly, she turned on her heel and disappeared from sight. That left me alone with the blonde woman who was staring at me intently, like she was trying to figure out something about me. I ignored her and turned my head to gaze out the window at the passing pedestrians. When the girl came back a few minutes later, she looked even more flustered than before, if that was possible. "Um... I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry."

I sighed, displeased. "Can you recommend me something else then? My niece is an avid reader."

I saw her take a deep breath before answering with a smile. "Sure. Come with me."

I followed her to the same part of the bookstore where she had led me the first time. She stopped in front of the fantasy section and didn't need time to think before she reached up on her tiptoes and pulled out a book from the top shelve. "So, I couldn't help but notice this book the other day," she said as she turned to me with a sheepish smile. "I only got to read a few pages, but I think your niece would like it."

I took the book from her, examining the cover with interest. "The Amulet of Samarkand?" I questioned, looking at her.

"Yeah. Does she already have it?" There was a trace of disappointment in her expression which rapidly disappeared when I shook me head and gave her my answer.

"No, no. I don't think so. I'll take it."

"Okay then," she said cheerfully. I turned around, the book still in my hand, starting to go back to the cash register. "Um, sir?" she called behind me in a timid voice, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Yes?" I turned to her expectantly.

I saw her swallow before opening her mouth to speak again. "I'm really sorry for having spilled coffee on you that morning at Starbucks."

I waved her off. "It's okay. It's not that big of a deal."

"Well, I ruined your shirt," she stressed, her brow furrowed.

I rolled my eyes at her, which I think I hadn't done in years. "I wasn't being polite when I said I hated it. Don't worry about it. What's done is done. It was just an unfortunate incident. No hard feelings."

Her face lit up instantly, and she bit on her lip, but this time not because she was nervous. "Okay. I hope your niece enjoys the book."

"I hope so, too. If she does, I'm sure I'll be back pretty soon."

A/N These first chapters don't provide much information about either Edward or Bella, but as the story progresses you'll find out more about both of them. Also, as you can notice, Edward isn't very interested in Bella at this point in the story :)

In other news, I'm having a bit of a trouble wrapping up Her Enigma, but I hope to be able to post the next chapter soon.

Thank you for reading!