Chapter 16

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The sun was shining brightly behind my closed eyelids. I groaned, not wanting to open them and face the day. Ugh, why did I have to work on a Saturday? I rolled onto my back, stretching my arms above my head.

My hand bumped into something hard and all of the sudden I heard a crash. What the heck? I sat up quickly, feeling a bit disoriented. After rubbing my eyes, I looked down to see the shattered pieces of my used-to-be favorite mug and a pool of amber liquid spreading slowly over the floorboards.

The memories of last night came flooding back in an instant.

Edward… Dinner with Edward… Edward's confession… My lack of confession… Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me in an embrace…

Last night had not gone the way I anticipated. Not at all.

After Edward left, I spent hours on the couch, deep in thought. Evidently I sat there so long that I fell asleep.

Edward's revelation was unexpected, but didn't bother me at all. It didn't matter that he was inexperienced, we would learn together. Every relationship was different, and even though I was more experienced, I would be learning about him just as I would with any new partner. And as for the physical aspect, I was definitely the type to take things slow. I didn't sleep with just anyone and I was glad that Edward was careful too.

On the other hand, I was a bit concerned about what had caused Edward to make that choice. It was one thing to save yourself for the right person, but something told me this went much deeper than that. The pain in his eyes as he told me he'd had bad experiences…and the tears that escaped…

My heart broke for him.

What had happened to him? I wanted to know so badly.

Surely something must have happened to cause his pain and insecurity. I hated that he was hurting. I wanted to help sooth that hurt, but I would never push him. That was something we could work through together, in time, if he would allow me into his life.

My main concern was over the imminent disclosure of my own news. If I had been nervous before, I was now completely freaked. This was all becoming very complicated. How was I ever going to tell him now?

Would he want a relationship with someone like me? Would he be upset that he had exposed his soul to me, while I had been holding onto this important information? There were many ways this could go and I was having a hard time seeing any positive outcomes.

We had taken a huge step forward last night and I fervently hoped he wouldn't run when I finally told him.

I was supposed to be meeting up with Rose and Jasper tonight. At this point, I was very seriously considering calling to cancel and postpone it for another time. Part of me wanted to go out and have some fun and let loose, but the rest of me wanted to avoid it like the plague. I didn't want to face Rose right now and wasn't really up for being happy and friendly and getting to know someone new. Meeting Jasper was really important to me and to Rose. I wanted to do it right and I didn't think I could sit there and pretend like everything was fine. Not tonight.

Plus, I knew Rose would be disappointed in me for not sharing my situation with Edward. But, it really wasn't the best timing. Surely she would understand if I explained the circumstances.

I hadn't mentioned the outing to Edward at all. Things had been so heavy last night and I hadn't gotten to tell him everything. I just felt like that needed to be done before we took the next step.

And Edward meeting my best friend was a big step for me.

I really wanted it to happen, but I wanted it to be right. I didn't want to go into this feeling like I was hiding things from him. And, knowing Rose, she would find some way to bring it up and force me to confront him with the news in front of her and Jasper too. That wouldn't be fair to anyone. It would end badly and I knew Edward would run. He would probably run no matter what, but at least I could try to give us a fighting chance.

No, I definitely was not up for socializing tonight. I decided to text Rose right away and ask for a rain check. I knew she would be disappointed but would ultimately understand and support my decision.

Edward and I had not made any plans to meet up again. I definitely wanted to, but the night had been rough on him and I wanted to give him some space. Best case scenario - he would take the lead a little and call me and I would have the chance to tell him my news and things would go well and we could move on from there with the start of our relationship. I wasn't holding my breath, but a guy could still hope.

Dragging, my hand over my face, I forced myself to get up and start moving. I cleaned up the glass from my destroyed mug before putting on a pot of coffee and heading for the shower.

It was going to be a long day.

Things were going well for me at work. The important meeting I'd had earlier in the week had given me a lead which could land me another huge account. I would be meeting with Mr. Marcus and his lawyers today to try and win him over. If that went well, I'd be spending the day doing paperwork and finalizing the details of his investments.

I should be grateful. Most people would kill to land an account like this. There would be a nice bonus waiting for me when everything was set up, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I mean, I could use the money, but money wasn't everything. That had become even more apparent to me after my diagnosis.

While I was good at my job, it didn't bring me any satisfaction. It was just a job that paid the bills and I happened to be decent at. I really needed to look into making a change. Happiness was so much more important than a paycheck.

But, that was something I would have to think about later.

I sighed as I exited the elevator, leaving those hopes and dreams of another life behind as I marched down to my office and began what was sure to be a stressful day.

Mr. Marcus was known for his ruthless nature. He was a very wealthy man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. I was just hoping he would be interested in what our firm had to offer.

After an hour or so, my assistant Chelsea poked her head in the door and informed me that Mr. Marcus had arrived.

I took a deep breath and put a smile on my face as I walked through the large oak doors of the boardroom. At the far end of the long table sat a pale man, who was probably in his early fifties. His skin was papery and sickly looking, and his raven black hair was slicked back into a ponytail. I didn't think I'd ever seen anyone like him. He was flanked by six burly men, who looked more like bodyguards than lawyers. I forced the smile to remain on my face although I was feeling a bit intimidated by this strange man and his entourage.

I returned my gaze to Mr. Marcus and watched his eyes widen as he looked me up and down appraisingly. A smug look came over his face as he stood and beckoned me to him. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes as we shook hands.

Although he appeared ancient and infirm, his grip and demeanor suggested that he was a very strong and formidable man. He brought his free hand up and caressed the back of my hand as he continued to grip me tightly.

"Ah, this must be the famous Mr. McCarty. I look forward to working with you and hope you will be able to see to my needs."

He looked me in the eye as he said this and it was obvious that his words carried a double meaning. I shivered and my smile faltered a little as I tried to ignore my instincts, which were telling me to stay as far away from this creepy man as possible. This was my job and I had to deal with him in as professional a manner as possible.

When I had recovered enough to speak I responded, "Mr. Marcus, it is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you and hope that our firm will be able to meet your needs."

He grinned as he purred, "Please call me Aro…" He looked me over as he continued to hold my hand securely, "I am quite sure that you will have no problem taking care of me Mr. McCarty."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably and carefully removed my hand from his, taking a small step back.

"Yes, well let's get down to business then shall we? And please call me Emmett," I stated trying to put the focus back on our meeting.

He was not at all deterred by my subtle attempt to pull away and sneered superiorly as he ordered one of his lawyers to move so that I could sit beside him.

"There Emmett," he said with obvious satisfaction as he leaned in close, "Let me show you my portfolio."

Yes, this was going to be a very long day indeed.

Thankfully, once we started talking investments, Aro was all business. He was an incredibly smart man and it was obvious that he took great pride in managing his own accounts. He was very knowledgeable and there was really no need for his numerous lawyers. Nevertheless, they stayed the whole time taking copious notes and shooting each other looks – mostly looks of approval, for which I was grateful. I knew that Aro was not someone I wanted to cross.

I worked hard, hoping that we could get all the details taken care of today. From a business standpoint Aro was a great client, but in all other aspects I would be happy when I didn't have to deal with him anymore.

Aro had certainly lived up to his reputation. But, unfortunately, he seemed to be just as interested in me as he was in the firm. Things with the account were going amazingly well and I had no doubt that he would invest with us. However, I was not sure if my attempts to discourage his advances were as successful.

Throughout the morning Aro had come onto me strong, touching me subtly at every opportunity and inviting me for dinner at his private condo. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but I couldn't if I wanted to land this account. So I smiled and played along, although I made it known that I was unavailable.

Hopefully I wouldn't be dealing with him very often. He was a wealthy man who would most likely send his lawyers or subordinates to deal with this kind of thing in the future.

The best part of my day came just after lunch. I had politely refused Aro's invitation to dine together - choosing instead to hole up in my office, catching up on some other paperwork. The work wasn't pressing, but I really wanted an excuse to get away from Aro for a few minutes. That guy was seriously disturbing.

I sunk down into my chair grateful for a few moments of peace.

The office was pretty busy for a Saturday, as there were several people tying up their loose ends from the week.

Most of the employees worked from cubicles in the center of the floor. I was one of the few lucky enough to have my own office and I don't think I had ever been more thankful for it.

Before long, though, it was time to head back to the meeting room. As I made my way through the maze of cubicles, my pocket buzzed - signaling an incoming text message on my phone. I opened it and a huge smile spread across my face. I couldn't contain my excitement, as I threw my arms in the air and screamed, "Yes!" before I remembered where I was.

I looked around, meeting the curious eyes of my coworkers, most of which were attempting to stifle their laughter over my crazy outburst. I shrugged and apologized, but I honestly didn't care. My day had just gotten a whole lot better and I reentered the board room with a genuine smile on my face, closing the deal with Aro Marcus in record time.

The text had been so sweet and so unexpected, just like the man it came from.

Emmett, thanks for a great night :) You are a pretty amazing man. Can I see you again sometime?

I continued to grin like an idiot as I read and reread the message. Yes, I know, I was acting like a silly love-struck teenager. But, I couldn't help but be excited that he wanted to see me again.

As soon as I had a free moment, I texted him back and we decided to meet up Thursday evening.

I left the office feeling loads better than when I had entered. Maybe things would work out after all. No matter what, Thursday was my day to come clean. I was not going to allow anything to stop me this time. I was going to lay it all out and hopefully we'd be able to move forward together.

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AN: The next chapter will be Emmett's big reveal and will be at least partly in Edward's POV.

Thanks for reading!