Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.
Trust, Loyalty, Commitment
" Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.."
– Song of Songs 3:5
Chapter 2 –TLC: A Commitment Is A Promise
BPOV
"So, you fell for a copper-haired cop today?" Angela teased. She was sitting on a chair in front of Bella's dresser, trying on earrings. Bella was lying flat on her back on the bed with her legs dangling off the edge, staring at the ceiling.
"No," Bella was adamant. "I said I met a copper-haired cop that I thought was attractive."
"Bella, you haven't gone into this much detail about a guy since our senior year in high school. Edward must have made an impression."
"He's like a freaking Abercrombie ad in a police officer's uniform. He's so perfect." Bella absently played with a curl of her hair.
"Does he have a twin?"
"What about Ben?"
"Ben may like it, but he hasn't put a ring on it...yet." Angela did a couple of steps from the Beyonce video as she said this.
Bella raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What? Are you like a Maltese Beyonce or something?"
"Yeah, I'm her twin. See my bling…hey do these earrings look okay with this outfit?" She grabbed a dress off the back of the chair and held the dress in front her.
Bella rose up on both elbows. "Looks good to me."
"So when are you gonna see Officer Hottie McHotness again?"
"Alice is bringing him over to Café after our young professionals' fellowship time tonight."
"Really. So Alice knows him?"
"Yeah, they're cousins." Bella was nonchalant.
"Random." Angela discarded the dress she held up before and admired another one.
"Tell me about it," Bella said dryly. She sat up.
"So what? Is she playing matchmaker with you two?"
"You know Alice. She's got it into her head that he's, you know…the one." Bella stood and walked into her closet and started rummaging through listlessly, trying to find something to wear.
"For reals? Then you're screwed."
She walked back out of the closet and looked pointed at Angela. "No. His relationship status is iffy, and he definitely doesn't meet any of my faith standards. I'm just doing this because Alice is, you know, Alice, and she wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much!" Angela pointedly looked at Bella and dabbed a little cologne on her wrist.
Bella glowered at her sister/friend. "Don't go quoting Shakespeare on me, Ange. We'd better get ready if we're going to meet everybody at six. That gives us only one hour of 'happy hour.'"
~888~
Angela drove them from Bella's apartment in Southwood to the Café on North Monroe. Parking was always dicey at happy hour, but they finally found a little nook in which to park Angela's green Honda Civic. Angela, an olive-skinned Mediterranean beauty from Malta, always took people, especially men, by surprise. She was as graceful as a runway model, and at 5'9" was approximately four inches taller than Bella without heels. Tonight was a rare night; Angela wore heels because she wasn't with Ben. He was a couple of inches shorter than Angela in flats. Angela was wearing a BCBG silk tank dress in aquamarine. Bella wore a magenta jersey dress by Nicole Miller that was perfect for her coloring.
When they glided into Café they got quite a few appreciative looks from the beauty aficionados in the room, and envious glances from the insecure females in the room. They found their group quickly and joined a table that was already filling up with young professionals from City of Hope Church.
Bella and Angela became immersed in fellowshipping with their friends and enjoying a nice gourmet meal replete with fine wine and decadent desserts. When they finished their meals, they moved into the lounge where live entertainment and dancing were in full swing. A local band, The Sphinx Rattlers were playing. A bunch of the young professionals crowded onto the dance floor to dance off the rich calories they had consumed.
Jacob Black pulled Bella onto the dance floor with him. He was tall and muscular with hair the color of raven's wings. His family had a strong Native American heritage, which was evident in his features. Bella reluctantly admitted that she'd had a crush on him when they were younger, so maybe she was just as naive as her mom had been with men in the beginning. However, Jacob had alluded to his preferences when they'd gone on the disastrous date her mother had orchestrated, and they had come out of it as good friends.
Bella loved dancing with Jacob, who had been a drum major at FAMU and was a great dancer. He made her look good on the dance floor. They danced through several numbers until Bella finally looked up and saw Alice, Jasper and Edward in a corner booth. Alice and Jasper were snuggling on one side, and Edward was sprawled on the other side watching her dance. Bella was thankful for the dim lighting in the room because she could feel the blood pooling into her face.
She leaned over to Jake to speak over the loud music. "Hey, I gotta go, some friends I promised to meet tonight are here."
"Bells, let's finish this last jam, K?" Jacob didn't wait for a reply. He took her arm and twirled her around. Bella danced with him until the song ended and made a beeline for the table where Angela was sitting.
"I'm joining my other party now. You good, Ange?" Bella grabbed her purse.
Angela held her drink high. "I'm good, girlfriend. I've appointed Jacob as my designated driver."
"Good deal. Hey, make him dance with you. He's like the Energizer Bunny tonight."
"I know, right. I saw him out there looking like he was choreographing the Grammy Awards or something."
Bella laughed. "That's Jake. You gotta love him."
"Hey, can you give me and Ben a ride to the airport Saturday morning?"
"That's, right. Ben is going home with you to Malta for your annual summer visit. Sure, I can drop you guys off. Are you nervous to have him meeting the family for the first time?"
"I'm not, but he's been agonizing over it." Angela frowned.
"I'll call you tomorrow and we can dish about that over lunch, okay?"
"I saw cop copper-hair over there with Alice and her husband. Go on. You know you wanna," Angela teased.
Bella snorted, "You're damn skippy, girlfriend."
Angela's cell phone lit up and began a vibrating dance on the table.
Bella smiled at her. "And tell Ben 'Hi' for me." Angela had the phone to her ear before Bella turned to walk away.
Edward's green eyes drank in her form as she approached the booth. Bella felt like she was walking to a sentencing. She tried not to show any signs of nervousness, but she couldn't help but pull one side of her bottom lip between her teeth as she stared helplessly back at the emerald-eyed god who slowly unfolded his frame from the booth to allow her to sit down. His bronze hair was wild and sexy as ever, even though it looked like he'd tried to tame it with a bit of hair product. He was wearing a pair of slim black slacks and a green linen button down, sleeves rolled up, with a couple of buttons open at the top.
Edward touched the small of her back briefly and leaned in to speak to her.
"I thought I was gonna have to cut in there for a minute." His warm breath tickled her ear and neck, smelling of cinnamon and tequila.
"Why didn't you?" Bella challenged. She slid into the booth, taking note that he was smiling that little crooked smile of his again. Alice came out from under her Jasper spell at that moment.
"Bella!" Her squeal was deafening.
"Alice, chill. We just saw each other three hours ago." Bella rolled her eyes playfully. "Hey Jasper."
"Hi Bella," Jasper smiled. "Good to see you as always." He was so Zen. Bella guessed that he had to be with such a high-strung bride. Edward slid in next to her and Bella flicked her mahogany hair back so she could look at the hotness unhindered.
"Let me guess. You're wearing Nicole Miller, right?" Leave it to Alice to make a game of guessing designers. "Great choice!"
"Um, thanks." Bella tried in vain to beat back the blush.
"So, Bella what's your poison?" Edward's velvet voice was tickling her ear again.
"You guys are having tequila, right?"
"You know it." Alice took her shot glass and downed it.
Bella laughed. "I guess I need to catch up, then." Edward was already signaling the waitress who was all too happy to take an order from him. Edward quickly made the order and turned back to Bella.
"I didn't cut in because your dance partner seemed…rather harmless," he said smoothly.
"How's that?" Bella challenged. She hoped she wasn't coming across as such, but she was nervous as a cat in a dog kennel.
"Let's just say, he was more into the dancing than you."
"Perceptive, Officer Cullen."
"I'm off duty, Bella. Edward would be in order," he smirked.
"Well, Edward, I've known Jacob since kindergarten. He's like a brother to me."
"You mean sister, right?" He smiled that crooked smile of his again.
"And he tries so hard not to come across as a flaming queen," Bella said wryly. "Just don't mention your observations to Captain Black. Jake isn't overt about his lifestyle with his family."
"His secret's safe with me." He smirked, and then leaned in so close their noses were mere inches away from one another. "I don't begrudge him his sexual preference. But if I were dancing with you in that dress, I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes, or my hands, off you, Bella."
Holy shit, he is smoking hot! Lordy, Lordy please forgive my language.
Bella attempted a quick recovery. "And what would your girlfriend say about that, Edward?"
"I've been dating someone for about a month, but I wouldn't call her my girlfriend."
"Oh really. Does she know this?"
He put his hand over his heart in mock incredulity. "Do I look like the kind of guy who would lead a girl on?"
Bella laughed, looking boldly into his green eyes. "You look like the kind of guy that a girl might want to lead her on."
The waitress delivered their drinks, then. She placed eight tequila shots and limes all around. The waitress addressed Edward.
"Is there anything else I can get for you?"
Edward didn't look up at her, but seemed to be mesmerized by the pulse throbbing in Bella's neck. "No thanks. I have everything I need right here."
Bella looked over at Alice and Jasper who had wide smiles on their faces.
"I think it's time we made some toasts, friends." Jasper picked up the salt shaker. "I used to do these off my wife's belly button when we are in college, but for the sake of propriety, I think we'll go with an arm tonight." He licked the inside of Alice's left arm and sprinkled a little salt there. Alice giggled. "To new friendships!" Jasper licked the salt from Alice's arm, downed the shot and she pressed a lime into his waiting mouth.
"Here, here." Bella and Edward said almost in unison. They salted the backs of their own hands and knocked back their shots. Bella was happy to feel the tequila and salt burning down the back of her throat. She hoped that it would quell the almost animal attraction she had for the man sitting next to her. Across the table, Alice and Jasper had gone back into PDA mode. She looked under her lashes at Edward again. He was unabashedly looking at her.
"So, Bella. How does a girl from Tallahassee come by such a unique name?"
Bella smiled. "It's actually Isabella, but I have always preferred Bella. My parents named me after the Latina nurse who took care of my Mom when she was in the hospital with me. I was a rather difficult birth."
"So, neither of your parents is Italian. Then you're an exquisite mixture of Caucasian and something else?"
"Yeah, my Dad's ancestors are all pale Europeans and my Mom's a rather pale African American, who has a little of everything in her lineage."
"I was half right then."
"So, you speculate about people's ethnicities and sexual preferences?"
"I kind of picked up that trick as an occupational skill."
"You're a man of many talents, Edward Cullen."
"I'd like to think so."
"What are some of your other talents?"
"I play two instruments, piano and guitar. I'm an expert marksman. I played soccer in high school, so I help coach a soccer team with my friend, Emmett. What about you, Isabella Swan?"
"If you want me to answer, you'd better call me Bella."
"I like Isabella. It's kind of regal."
Bella snorted. "I am the most non-regal person I know. However, my talents include singing, which I've done since I was five...you know church choir. I was also a gymnast all the way through college. I teach some of the girls at the center some rudimentary tumbling and cheerleading. We don't have the equipment for a formal gym. I am a lover of classic literature and contemporary literature."
"Such diverse talent managing an after school center?"
"I was an elementary education minor, so I took the job at the center for what I thought would be a temporary job until I went back to graduate school. Then my Nana got sick when I came home from Spelman, so I didn't go on to Howard last fall to complete my Masters in English Lit, as planned. However, I designed a new curriculum for the program at the Center and the children became very important to me, then the Board offered me the position permanently, so I opted to stay on."
"The kids love you." He smiled that crooked smile again.
"How would you know that after one day?"
"I read minds." Edward's green eyes seemed to twinkle.
"Oh really?"
"Actually, little Danae was very informative when I got her to talkin'."
At that moment, the band took the music down to a slow cover of "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Edward slid out of the booth and extended his hand to Bella.
"Dance?"
Bella took his hand in reply, too afraid she would croak like a frog, or snort like a pig if she answered him audibly. She was sure she was probably several shades of red now. Edward's hand felt a few degrees cooler than her own, and she took it like it was an oasis in the middle of a scorching desert. Through the curtain of her hair, she saw that Jasper and Alice got up and headed to the dance floor, too.
Edward took her effortlessly into his arms, molding her small frame to his own.
Oh God! He feels and smells heavenly.
Usually these slow dances were torture for Bella. The guy was either not very good at it, or she wasn't, and it often made her feel like she was dancing with an octopus, but Edward was quite an exceptional dancer. He was true to what he'd said earlier. His hands caressed every inch of her back as he skillfully maneuvered her in the most sensual dance she had ever been a partner of. She relaxed and laid her head on his chest, her own hands exploring the muscles rippling on his back. Bella sighed, letting out a breath that rivaled the one Whitney Houston expelled in "Waiting to Exhale" when she thought she'd found the one.
He leaned down to speak about halfway through the song and she wound her arms around his neck and looked up into those beautiful pools of green. They were so close, it was as if they were one from the torso down. She felt every muscle and sinew as they moved together.
"Now, had your friend Jacob been dancing with you like this, I might have had a duel on my hands tonight."
"And being the expert marksman that you are, that would hardly have been fair, now would it?" Bella smiled sweetly, goading him.
"Touché." He thought for a second and then smiled showing perfectly even white teeth. "Maybe I could've challenged him to a dance-off then."
Bella laughed. "Good luck with that. Jacob was a drum major at FAMU. He would've wiped the floor with you."
"Somehow, I truly believe that." He grinned sheepishly and pulled her close to his chest again.
Bella tried to fight it, but she was having a powerful physical reaction to the sexiness that was this man. Her nipples hardened of their own volition and strained against the two layers of fabric that enclosed them. His arms tightened around her almost involuntarily and hers responded likewise. The warmth that she recognized as arousal from the dreams she'd be having for the past several months began to ooze from her center and seep through every fiber of her being. There was evidence that he was having just as powerful a reaction as she was. She didn't allow herself to care at that moment, because being in his arms felt so right. It was like the dream had come true and he was here in the flesh. His hands played a symphony on her back, and she was his willing instrument.
When the song ended, he held her hand in his and they headed back towards the booth, but Alice had other plans. She grabbed Bella's hand.
"Let her go, Edward. We're going to the Ladies room!"
Edward chuckled release Bella's hand and held up his hands in mock surrender.
"Don't let me be the one to deter the communal bathroom break."
Bella almost had to run to keep up with Alice.
"Where's the fire, Alice?"
They were in the Ladies room before Alice would answer her.
"So, how's it going?"
"Alice, he's smooth, I'll give him that. He was kinda non-committal on the crack-head skank ho girlfriend though."
"But how do you feel, Bella?"
"Like I could push him back into that booth and have my way with him." Bella's eyes danced mischeviously.
Alice smirked, "Feel like handing in the old V-card, eh?"
"I wouldn't go that far, but there's so much other stuff we could sample on the way to that appointment..." Bella became momentarily lost in a tailor made fantasy featuring herself and one Edward Cullen.
"Naughty Bella! What did you do with my virginal friend?"
"She's still in here somewhere." Bella fanned herself with her hand. "So, we might as well use these facilities now that we're here. I don't know about you Alice, but I think I really need to freshen up." Bella went into the first stall she came to and closed the door.
Alice squealed and found an empty stall, too.
~888~
EPOV
Edward watched Bella until Alice pulled her around the corner. Her legs were perfect and there were no words to describe that ass. She still had that tight little gymnast's body, and from what his hands felt through the soft fabric of her dress, she had an abundance of womanly softness in all the right places. He was damn glad they were in a booth because he really had to adjust himself bad before she came back.
Jasper was giving him one of those Zen-shit smiles when he sat down.
"What?" He chuckled in spite of himself.
"You're really feeling our little Bella, huh?"
"She's great, Jazz. But, you know, she deserves something better than the Cullen bullshit."
"It doesn't have to be like that, man. It's a choice. You don't have to give in to the legacy that Edward, Sr. left for you."
Edward stiffened, his emerald eyes darkened to a shade closer to dark jade. "Now why'd you have to go and mention that motherfucker?" He knocked back another shot.
"Because you let him win every time you choose to follow the pattern of his behavior, Edward. When are you gonna come back into the fold, brother?"
"See, now you sound like Mom. I don't do church anymore, Jazz. You know that."
"Well, that woman in there does church, Edward. Her Dad's a pastor, for goodness sake. She is not looking to be one of your conquests, man." Jasper's own blue eyes grew hard as flint.
"Jasper, she's Alice's friend and I now work with her. I wouldn't do that, man. I'd like to think I'm not a complete asshole."
"Glad to hear it." Jasper's blue eyes grew soft again. "Alice and I love you Edward, and we pray for you all the time. There's hope for you, yet."
"Yeah, yeah." Edward signaled the waitress again.
He felt sick to his core when he realized what Jasper was saying. Don't fuck with Bella unless you're ready to commit.
Edward knew commitment in the most regimented of forms, first in the Marines and now on the police force. He did trust, loyalty, and commitment every day while he was on duty, but that never translated for him in relationships. Alice and Bella returned to the table and Edward and Jasper stood to allow them to enter the booth again. Jasper and Alice went into cuddle mode again.
"More shots?" Bella smiled and raised one delicate eyebrow over her dancing brown eyes.
"Yeah." Edward smiled a tight smile that he knew probably didn't reach his eyes. He was going to have to stop the heavy flirting with her and try to be a gentleman, because there was no payoff at the end of this date. No hooking up with the one woman he found more beautiful inside and out than any woman he'd ever met. She was sitting right next to him, flirting and saying all the right things, but he had to put a stop to it, because if things went any further, it would not end well.
"Bella… maybe we should set some...um parameters, here. Uh, we probably shouldn't be anything more than friends. I mean, we do have to work together every day." His mouth was saying the words, but he was regretting every one.
Bella's countenance fell a notch, but she recovered quickly. "I know, right? That could get weird really fast."
"Yeah, who needs the complications?"
She sighed heavily. "Definitely, not me."
~888~
BPOV
Bella didn't know what happened while she and Alice had been in the Ladies Room, but the all business Police Officer Edward had come back, and she was clueless as to what brought that on. Had she been too forward, flirted maybe just a little too hard? Had she been mistaken that Edward the sexy, attentive date had ever been there?
Lord, open up a whole in the floor and let me fall through.
Alice sensed that something wasn't gelling anymore and opened her mouth to say something, but Bella shook her head imperceptibly. Bella grabbed a shot and downed it.
"That's it for me." She announced to no one in particular. "I've got lesson plans to prepare in the morning for the center tomorrow afternoon."
"So, that's what you do before you show up at the center everyday at 2:30?" Edward was trying desperately to engage her in conversation again, and she really didn't want to go, yet.
"Um, yeah. There's a fair amount of preparation that goes into planning the daily activities. I've been introducing the children to Shakespeare and Debussy this semester along with their regular reading and math."
"Ah, Debussy. My favorite impressionist composer."
"Mine, too." Bella smiled in spite of her unease with his apparent about-face. "Hey, you should come in and play for the kids sometime. I play CDs, but I think they would really love to hear some of his music live."
"That can be arranged," he agreed readily.
"I mean, I know you can't do it during the week, so how about we set up a mini concert for them one Saturday afternoon?" Bella twirled her ring nervously on her left hand.
"Well, give me a few weeks to practice before we schedule it, okay?"
"Sure, it's totally your call. How long has it been since you've played?"
"I don't have a piano in my apartment right now, but I get over to Crawfordville to play on my Mom's baby grand every couple of weeks," he said, looking very much like a shy little boy who'd been caught stealing a cookie. Bella felt an overwhelming urge to cup his face in her hands and lay one square onto his ruddy pink lips.
She licked her lips involuntarily. "So, you don't live in Wakulla County anymore, then?"
"No, I moved to Tallahassee when I accepted my position on the force last year." His hand raked through his hair leaving deep furrows in the semi-tamed copper locks.
"And where were you before then?"
"I was living in Terre Haute, Indiana."
"You have family there?" She wanted to get to know as much as she could about this man, even though he'd decided they should be just friends. He wasn't just a man with a power complex who had become a cop, he had so many other talents that he could have explored. There was something intriguing about him and she needed to get to the bottom of it.
"Not in Terre Haute, no. My Dad…he's in Indianapolis."
"So, how'd you end up in Terre Haute, of all places?"
"I went to college there after I got out of the Marines. Indiana State. I didn't want to move back to Indianapolis, and it was as good a place as any to live. I joined the police force there after college."
"So you're a jarhead, eh?" Now she knew why he was so disciplined. However, there also seemed to be something raw and savagely emotional that boiled just beneath the surface.
"OohRah. Semper Fi."
"Has your Mom always lived in Crawfordville?"
"No, we moved there when I was starting middle school, after my parents divorced. But I went back to Indianapolis to live with my Dad when I was fifteen. My mother had a bout with breast cancer last year, so I just moved back here when she got sick."
From the information she'd just found out about him, Bella could only guess at how much crap he had endured in his life. All that traveling between one parent and another and then joining the Marines while the country had troops deployed in the Middle East; that was enough to throw any sane person off kilter.
"Alice mentioned that to me before. How is your mom now?"
"She's a survivor. She participated in the "Walk" for the first time a few months ago." His look was a mixture of pride and apprehension if that were possible.
"That's great. It gives her a great testimonial to share with other women."
"Believe me, she's not shy about sharing testimonials." Definitely sarcastic.
Alice and Jasper slid out to go dance again.
Bella felt like she needed to confront Edward on his abrupt change in demeanor.
She looked him straight in his eyes and threw all caution to the wind.
"What happened, Edward? I take a pee break with your cousin and I come back to a different man. What? Did I kill your mojo, or something?"
His expression went from one of surprise to one of pain. Was he surprised that she'd said "pee break" or "mojo?" He was clearly suffering some anguish and she really wanted to know what it was.
"What is it?" She pressed.
"I'm no good for you, Bella." He muttered raking his hand through his hair.
"What does that mean?"
"I have issues that you really don't want to have to deal with. I am the worst kind of guy you want to be…involved with. Trust me." His green eyes were dark with grief.
"I wish you'd figured that out before this." She gestured wildly with her hands and his eye caught her ring.
"Bella, your faith is paramount in your life. If I'm guessing right, that ring you wear is some kind of commitment you made, a promise. Am I right?"
She absentmindedly fingered the jewelry in question. "Yes, my parents raised me to believe that sexual intercourse between a man and a woman should not happen outside of the marriage bed. It is completely Scriptural and a promise that I intend to keep. That said, I am not some prudish old maid who hasn't rounded a few bases. I reserve the right to take the opportunity to be with anyone I choose. To date and figure out if someone comes anywhere close to being the man who removes this ring. I've been wearing it since I was thirteen. It will only be replaced with a wedding ring."
"I've broken the promise your ring symbolizes too many times to count. The guy who is worthy to replace that ring will, unlike me, be good enough for you, Bella." His eyes were soft, yet resigned.
She smiled ruefully, "The guy who replaces this ring just might have broken promises before, but when he replaces my ring, he will be everything God wants him to be, and everything I will ever want or need."
~888~
EPOV
Edward couldn't believe Bella had called him out and made him man-up so thoroughly and explain his actions after Jasper's little commitment talk had left him so rattled. He hadn't had a girlfriend in the purest sense of the word since High School. His sex life had consisted of a string of hook-ups, most lasting no longer than a couple of months. The only hook-up that turned briefly into a relationship had been his shack-up with Victoria back in Terre Haute. She was his precinct captain's sister, so he couldn't fuck that shit up too quickly. She had left him in the end because he wouldn't say the "L" word.
He looked at Bella now, sitting on the passenger side of his Silver Volvo C30, looking out the window as they cruised down Apalachee Parkway headed to her apartment in Southwood. She was a phenomenal woman, so self-possessed, trusting in people, loyal to her faith, and committed to living her life exactly the way her parents had raised her to. He wished he wasn't so fucked up and could really be what she needed. She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him.
"Thanks for doing this." Her words were polite but she sounded tired. "This was so out of the way for Jasper and Alice."
"No problem at all. I'm on Blairstone, so it's all good."
Bella turned toward him, speculative. "I've been wondering about something."
He glanced at her. "What's that?"
"Were you deployed to Iraq while you were in the Marines?"
"Yeah. Twice actually." He said matter-of-factly.
"Was it as bad as they characterized it in the news reports?" Her brows furrowed, but his eyes were drawn to her beautiful mouth.
"Probably worse than anything you could possibly imagine when it was bad. When it wasn't bad, it was tolerable."
"Why did you choose to go into the Marines over college right out of high school?"
"That is a long story, but I can give you the edited version." Edward couldn't believe he was preparing to tell her anything about his monumentally fucked up life, but he felt like he wanted to tell her everything.
"Okay, I'm listening."
"Have you ever seen the movie 'An Officer and A Gentleman'?'"
"Yeah, it's one of my mom's favorites. Richard Gere and Debra Winger, right?" Her brow arched and she smiled as if surprised that he knew about this movie.
He hoped his look to her said, 'don't ask.' "Do you remember how Mayo and his dad lived before he enlisted?"
"Yeah."
"That was me and my dad, only not in the Philippines," his mouth twisted into a scowl. "I couldn't wait to get the hell away from there, especially after my dad married his most obnoxious girlfriend the year I left. When she went all Potipher's wife on me, I had to get out of there. My dad, the douchebag that he is, didn't believe me when I told him she was more interested in my package than his. I joined the Marines on my 18th birthday. Did two tours and that pretty much decided for me that I didn't want to make it a career. So I got out when I was twenty two, went to Indiana State, got a criminology degree and joined the police force there."
Bella's brown eyes looked glassy with tears, but he couldn't be sure in the darkness.
"You couldn't have come back here to your mom, then?"
"My mother was dealing with her own kind of crazy back then, too. Another long story." He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Edward, I can't find the words to say how I feel about what happened to you. I can't imagine not having my parents' support. That had to be so difficult for you."
He laughed harshly. "Hey, don't feel sorry for me. I've buried all the demons from my dysfunctional childhood."
"You have accomplished a remarkable amount despite the dysfunction you were subjected to in your family. Your story would inspire the older children at the center."
"I don't know about being inspirational, but I do have life experiences to share. That's one of the reasons why I jumped for this assignment when Padgett so willingly gave it up."
"You asked to be assigned to City of Hope?" Bella looked genuinely surprised.
"Yeah." He really could not see why that was such a big deal.
"Edward, I don't want you to freak out, okay. But, I've just got to tell you. You have incredible gifts that you can use at the Center. You can bless so many people. I really believe that God has a calling on your life."
What was with these church folks and their penchant for telling people's futures? First Jazz, and now Bella. They were worse than Alice. He didn't say anything for a moment.
Bella cringed. "Come on, I asked you not to freak out."
"You haven't seen me freak out, yet." He choked back an almost derisive laugh.
"Okay, new subject, then. Exactly how old are you? I guessed twenty seven?"
"I'll be Twenty eight in June. How about you?"
"Twenty three in September."
They were approaching her apartment on Merchants Row, so Bella gave him the final few directions to her building. He really wasn't ready for her to get out, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out any plausible reason to make her stay. He had to let her go, because if he didn't, he would take her into his arms and kiss her until she was begging him to take that fucking promise ring off.
"Despite everything…I had a really good time." Her smile was brilliant. She reached for the handle to open the car door, and Edward didn't know what suddenly came over him.
"I'll get that." He cut the engine and grabbed his keys almost in one motion, swung quickly out of his door and jogged around to get the door for her.
"Just like Mayo, I think you turned out alright, Ensign Cullen," she smirked.
"Yeah, I had a few Sergeants like Foley kicking my ass." He closed the car door and put a hand in the small of her back to walk her upstairs.
Bella fished her keys out of her purse. "You really don't have to...."
"Humor me. Call it the Police Officer in me, whatever. I'm going to see you safely into your place."
"O—kay."
Edward knew he was prolonging the inevitable. The lure of this woman had him doing all kinds of out of character shit. He'd played Taps in his head almost all night with her. Why in the hell was he walking her to the damn door? She opened the door and turned back to him.
"Want to do a surveillance sweep, or whatever it is you policemen do?"
"If nothing looks weird or out of place to you, I'm good."
Bella laughed and held her arms out to him for a hug. He tried to do it nonchalantly, but he moved quickly and willingly and gathered her tiny womanly softness into his arms. He let her go when he felt her push lightly away from him.
"See you tomorrow, Officer Cullen."
"14:30 hours sharp, Ms. Swan."
She stepped over her threshold and closed the door, locking it behind her.
~888~
A/N:
Angela is from Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily and north of Tunisia, thus the reference of her being a Maltese Beyonce'.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles(born September 4, 1981), best known mononymously as Beyoncé (pronounced /biːˈɒnseɪ/), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, choreographer, video director, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child.
Spelman Collegeis a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female institution of higher education to receive its collegiate charter in 1924. It thus holds the distinction of being America's oldest historically black college for women.
Howard University, a private HBCU, was established by a charter in 1867, and much of its early funding came from endowment, private benefaction, and tuition. An annual congressional appropriation administered by the U.S. Department of Education funds Howard University and Howard University Hospital. It was named for founder Oliver Otis Howard who was commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau and who later served as a president of the school.
An Officer And A Gentleman (1982)–An American Movie filmed in 1982, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Zack Mayo is a loner who has never had to rely on anyone but himself. As a child, he was sent to live with his father, a career Navy man based in the Philippines, after his mother commits suicide. There he soon realized that he had to be tough and rely on no one. After graduating from college, he shocks his father by telling him that he has enlisted in the Navy and will enter training as a naval aviator. There he brings the same loner attitude he has had all of his life. He does however meet Paula, an attractive young woman who often attends base functions in the hope of nabbing a young officer and Sid Worley, a classmate with whom he forms a close bond. The training is difficult but not as tough as having to deal with their training officer, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley who teaches Zack a lesson in the importance of relying on your friends and colleagues.