I pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge and set it on the counter. I cracked a few into a decorative bowl, whisking quickly while listening to the morning news. There was heavy traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike. I rolled my eyes. Is that really news?
Edward walked into the kitchen while I was pushing the eggs back and forth in the hot pan. He was dressed as he always dressed for work- crisp dark pants and button up shirt, no tie and effortlessly sexy. He smelled mouthwatering, like smoky sandalwood.
"Eggs okay?" I asked.
"Of course." He replied. "Where's my dad?"
"In his office." I told him. The English muffins popped up from the toaster just as I was plating the eggs. I buttered them and handed a warm plate to Edward. He'd poured orange juice for both of us while I finished cooking. I sat down across from him and Edward dug into his eggs. He talked about his case preparation a bit while I shoved the eggs around my plate with my fork.
"What about that grant proposal you're working on?" he asked, his emerald eyes focused on me as he bit into a muffin.
I shrugged, not meeting his eyes as I played with my food.
"You didn't have to make breakfast if you weren't hungry, Izzy." He said, rolling his eyes and turning his attention to the television.
"Whatever, Edward." I mumbled, pushing back from the table and taking my plate over to the trashcan.
"What is your problem, Izzy? You've barely said two words to me since I came home last night. Did I do something?"
"Edward, I just…I just want to be left alone." I said, putting my plate in the dishwasher. I turned to leave the kitchen.
"Izzy, you said that last night and I left you alone. I gave you space. Did something happen yesterday while I was at work that I don't know about?" Edward inquired worriedly, standing up and walking toward me.
"What the fuck could happen if I'm locked up all day?" I cried, regretting the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. I fled the kitchen and ran up the stairs to the guest room with Edward right on my heels.
"Izzy, why are you running away from me when I'm trying to fucking talk to you?" he shouted. I tried to close the door to keep him out but he held the door with his hand. He pushed his way inside and closed the door behind him. Stomping across the room to the window, I threw the sheer curtains open, my back to him. I stubbornly studied the green leaves of the gnarled oak tree in the Cullen's backyard and tried to ignore Edward.
"Izzy, I know it sucks, not having our own space and being stuck in one place, but it's necessary to keep you safe…" he started.
"So this is all my fault?" I spun around to face him.
"I didn't fucking say that." He groaned, exasperated.
"No, but that's what you mean. I bought this all on myself so I should just deal with it. Just suck it up, right?"
"Don't put words in my mouth, Izzy. You know that's not what I'm saying." He said tersely.
"Yes, it is."
"No it's not! Fuck!" Edward barked, his hands pulling at his unruly bronze hair. "It's that psycho fucker's fault. God, if I could just see him face to face and get my hands around his goddamned neck…"
My cell phone began to ring from the dresser and I crossed the room to answer it.
"Don't fucking answer the phone; I'm not finished talking to you." He bit out, standing in front of the dresser and blocking me.
"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" I cried, trying to shove him aside. I pulled my hands back in shock and stepped back. What the hell was I doing? The phone stopped ringing and we stood in the middle of the room, staring at each other in complete silence.
"Edward, I'm so sorry. Oh my God." I whispered, ashamed of my behavior.
"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have yelled. I shouldn't have followed you; I should have just given you the space you asked for." He admitted. He sat down heavily on the bed, rubbing his face.
"I just…I'm so frustrated." I sighed.
"Feeling a little stir crazy?" he asked softly.
"Maybe so…and…" I bit my bottom lip and looked at the gorgeous man in front of me. "I want you. Badly." I whispered.
"Come here." He said, patting his knee. I sat on his lap and buried my face in his warm neck, relishing the feeling of his strong arms around me as he pulled me close.
"Izzy, I want you so badly that it's painful. I feel like a fourteen year old boy again. I'm hard all the damn time." He breathed, snickering humorlessly. "But my parents…"
"I know…but maybe tonight we can spend some time together, just you and I. Watching a movie. No work. Just for a little while." I added quickly, my voice muffled since my face was still smashed against him.
"Oh Princess." He pulled back a bit so he could look into my eyes. "Of course we can."
"You don't think I'm being too needy?"
"You're not the only one who needs it, Princess. I miss our time alone together, too. I liked coming home from work and seeing you in your little shorts and tank top, typing furiously on your computer and mumbling to yourself."
"I do not mumble to myself."
"Yes, you do. But it's so adorable and so you. I liked that my apartment was our space away from everything where we could just be." He sighed and looked at his watch.
"I have to go. But tonight, I promise, me and you. And Ironman."
"No, no Ironman. Something funny." I told him, squealing playfully when he stood up. I wrapped my arm and legs around him so I wouldn't fall onto the floor. He cupped my bottom and pulled me close so we were eye to eye.
"Okay, something funny. With Seth Rogen?" he asked hopefully.
"Deal." I said.
He kissed me deeply. "I love you, beautiful."
"I love you too, Edward." I told him as he set me down. "Have a good day at work."
He grumbled under his breath about his douche client before kissing me one last time and leaving the guest room. Thirty seconds later, I heard the front door open and close. I sat down on the bed and opened my laptop to begin my own workday. I had just clicked into my email when I heard a quick knock on the door. It was pushed open before I could even respond.
"Good morning, Izzy." Esme said cheerfully.
"Good morning, Esme. Um…sorry about the noise earlier." I said sheepishly. Esme usually didn't go down to the kitchen until about eight, so I know she'd heard our raised voices.
"Shit happens." She said, waving her hand dismissively. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. We talked it over. It just sucks being cooped up inside for days at a time. You and Carlisle have been perfect but…"
"You like your freedom." She finished, nodding her head with understanding.
"Yes. Alice and Rose wanted to come over to hang out with me for my birthday, but I had to tell them no. I didn't want…"
"Wait, your birthday?" Esme interrupted. "You missed your birthday?"
"No, it's today." I said absently before thinking. Then I remembered that I was speaking with Edward's mother. Shit. "Please don't tell Edward."
"He doesn't know?"
"No and you can't tell him now. He'll be mad that I never said anything."
"But Izzy…"
"Promise me. Please." I pleaded.
She took a deep breath. "Izzy, I am an event planner. All it would take is a few phone calls and I could have a romantic, catered dinner of your choice set up here for you and Edward by seven tonight. Or maybe I could call..." I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. I stopped her.
"You've already done so much for me. You've all done so much for me. I don't need anything special. Edward said tonight we could hang together and watch a movie and that's all I want. And for you not to tell Edward that it's my birthday." I added.
"Fine." She agreed reluctantly. She smiled and pulled me in for a warm hug. "Happy birthday, sweetie."
SD
"I think Queen Victoria wants to have a meeting on Thursday at ten. I'll set up a conference call and email you the details before the meeting." Tyler said. I'd called him to touch base; I felt so out of the loop being away from the office for so long.
"Okay, thanks. Any client issues that I'm not aware of?" I asked.
"No, it's been pretty quiet since the interns left."
"Have there been any…um…phone calls to the main switchboard for me?" I inquired tentatively, my heart pounding in anticipation of his answer.
"No. Izzy, you know I don't like to get in your business…okay that's a complete lie… anyway, what was up with the black roses? And last weekend on the news, I swear I saw you running away from that pileup on the bridge…What is going on?"
"Tyler, I can't really talk about it." I told him. I wanted to share with him my ordeal. I knew that he was concerned and that he would be a sympathetic ear. But I just couldn't risk it.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm…" I paused, trying to find the right words. "I'm hanging in there."
"So are you and Emmett doing anything for your birthday tonight?" Tyler wanted to know, always eager for gossip. I threw him a bone.
"We're not together anymore."
"Shut. Up. What happened? Tell me everything!" He hissed dramatically into the phone.
"I just realized that he was selfish and didn't really care about me."
"Mmm hmm. And his fine ass brother had nothing to do with that revelation?"
"No, he really didn't." I said honestly.
"So are you going to…Isabella, I will e-mail the documents that you requested immediately. Is there anything else you need?" Tyler's voice changed mid-sentence from the conversational tone he used with me to his professional voice so I knew that Victoria was nearby.
"We'll chat later. Bye, Tyler." I said, laughing a bit.
"Yes, absolutely. Have a good afternoon." He said before hanging up.
I stood up from the bed and stretched. Esme and Carlisle had both offered me the use of their home offices to work, but I declined. I didn't want to keep them from their work and get in their way, so I worked in the guest room. I was mentally going through my task list for the day when I heard the front door bang open. I looked at the clock. 4:22. Surely Edward wasn't home already?
"Someone's been a naughty girl." Edward said menacingly after he threw the bedroom door open.
"What are you doing home so early?" I asked, surprised to see him.
"Don't change the subject. Why didn't you tell me that it was your birthday, Princess?"
"Who told you? Was it Esme?" I demanded.
"No, my Dad called and told me. Now why didn't you tell me?" Damn it. Esme got me on a technicality. She played dirty.
"I just felt weird bringing it up. I'm not five." I admitted.
"Are you done with work for the day?"
"I have a couple more e-mails to send out…"
"Okay, finish that up and I'll pack an overnight bag for both of us."
"Over...what?" I looked at him in confusion. "Where are we going?"
"To celebrate your birthday."
"Edward, I don't know…what about…"
"We're not going far and we'll be careful. I want to do this for you."
As apprehensive as I was, I couldn't help but get a little excited. I was desperate to leave the house and have some alone time with Edward. I quickly typed out a couple e-mails, trying to suppress my smile, while Edward got together our clothes. He packed a suit for himself since he had to go to Connecticut the next day. He said he would drop me off in the morning before heading to Hartford.
"Don't forget to pack something for me to sleep in." I said, looking at him over my laptop screen as he pulled things from the drawers.
"Hell no. I want you naked." He growled. I bit my lip, my whole body clenching with desire. I typed faster, hopefully catching my grammatical errors before sending the emails off. I snapped my laptop shut, grabbed a cardigan, slipped my cell phone into my jeans pocket and practically ran to Edward's Volvo. Edward was no better, tossing the overnight and garment bags into the backseat and pulling out of the driveway with a screech.
"Wait, we didn't tell your parents we were going out. They might worry." I said as we pulled out of their development.
"I told my Dad about my plans. They know not to expect us until tomorrow. I want to take you to dinner first. You didn't eat any breakfast- have you had anything all day?"
"No…just coffee. But I think I want to have an appetizer right now." I cooed, smiling impishly. Me and my man were finally alone and I was ready to play.