Happy Saturday, people!

First of all, thank you for all the alerts and reviews.
THANK YOU also for voting my other story, Behind the Ivories, to #4 in the Top 10 Completed Fics of 2022 poll on Twifanfictionrecs. Congrats to all the other marvelous stories that placed, and thank you to Joanne for all the work she does for the fandom.

Also, Nominations for the Twific Fandom Awards were also announced last week and voting for Round 1 closes tomorrow. I can't thank you all enough for the nominations. I won't post voting links here because we know what ffnet does to those. There's a pinned post in LaMomo's Lair with a list of nominees in Team Momo and a voting link. Go give all those wonderful stories and authors some love.

Usual disclaimer applies - I still don't own any of it. I just like to play with the characters ;-)

Team Momo wouldn't exist without Midnight Cougar and Alice's White Rabbit with their red pens, or without AGoodWitch, Driving Edward, Mel, Maplestyle, and Eternally Addicted who pre-read and tell me if I'm off my rocker or not. They also were nominated in the TFFA so remember to send them some love!

Reminder on chapters: unless indicated, odd-numbered chapters are in EPOV, even-numbered ones are in BPOV. We're back with Bella today.

On with the show!

Chapter 12 - BPOV

For the rest of the night, Edward spooned around me like a cocoon—the ever protective, loving man I'd come to … Oh, shit.

Did I love him?

Already? Could it be possible? Could it be real?

Or was it, in Rose's perpetual words of wisdom, a case of Cock-Induced Stupor?

My dad, a seasoned law enforcement guy, would tell me to look at the facts. Though, I always wondered what kind of unspeakable crimes he investigated in the sleepy town of Forks, Washington.

What were the facts here?

Edward had a beautiful soul. This much I knew.

He could be an exacting, detail-oriented pain in the ass at work, but always with good reason. He was a driven, ambitious, and successful lawyer. He was a hard worker—the first in the office in the mornings, the last one to leave at night. He didn't just rest on his laurels after he made partner; he continued to chase the best, flashiest clients with the biggest opportunities for the firm. He'd never mistreated anyone in the office. People would sell a kidney to work on his team because he didn't squeeze his team like lemons; he helped them grow. He remembered everyone's first names. He never yelled at Alice and never presumed she'd handle his personal crap just because she was his assistant. He never demanded from others anything he wouldn't do or give himself first. If he promised something, he kept his word.

But as a human? He'd always been loyal to his family. Thick as thieves with his younger brother. Prior to being his girlfriend, I didn't see a lot of Edward socially, but Emmett never failed to mention that his brother had always been his fiercest ally. He loved his mother—Esme was the one person in the world who could turn him into a little boy again, eager to please and seek affection. Since we'd taken the plunge and embarked on this relationship, he'd been wonderful to me. Kind, considerate, caring, protective … loving.

I'd lost count of the times he'd called me "love," or "my love."

I thought it was an endearment at first, but this man didn't use words "just because." He was deliberate. If he said something, he meant it.

If I wanted to be fair to him, to do justice to how honest and open he'd been with me so far, I had to believe him.

Could he love me? Already?

He said he'd cared about me from afar for a while … for a long time. He'd said that his brain had already caught up with his heart. He'd had time to get used to the idea of loving me, maybe that was what he meant?

As I stared at the ceiling in the early, gray light of morning, I concluded I wouldn't know anything for sure until I actually talked to the man.

But the man slept like a log right now, curled around me like a sleepy, purring cat. And he snored—proof positive that he wasn't perfect but just a regular human.

Because nature called and because all my belongings still sat in the bag I'd dumped on that entryway bench last night, I disentangled myself from Edward's vise-like embrace and slid out of bed. Now, did I move through his apartment naked as a jaybird, without a care in the world, as if I owned the place? Nah. It was a bit presumptuous. Also, I couldn't imagine what kind of hole I'd have to dig to hide away in if anyone other than him happened to see me.

Problem? Solution—Edward's shirt laid rumpled on the floor next to the bed. Gingerly, trying not to make any noise that would wake him, I picked it up and sniffed it. Faint remnants of his cologne and something that had to be pure Edward—sandalwood and citrus, breezy and sunny, relaxing like a day on the beach. It didn't smell funky to me—decision made.

He was so tall that his clothes dwarfed me; the hem of this shirt came almost to my knee. Judging it to be a modest enough cover to wander out of his bedroom, I hooked one or two buttons and went about my business.

His pristine, tidy apartment, still clad in semi-darkness, sat motionless and silent. His laptop and briefcase had been left on the dining room table—a formal affair of sleek crystal and shiny steel lines. Knowing how much of a workaholic he could be, I doubted that table saw much action of the convivial kind.

I tiptoed to the hallway and grabbed my bag but took a detour into the kitchen for some water. I dropped it on a bar stool and glanced around. A drying rack and mat by the sink displayed the summary of how solitary Edward's home life was. One coffee mug. One plate. One cereal bowl. One tall glass. One fork. One knife. One teaspoon.

I didn't bother rummaging through his kitchen cabinets and grabbed the lonely glass on the drying mat. Tap water? Hell, no. I was particular enough about what I drank that I had a Brita carafe at home. I was starting to figure out Edward and his habits, and five bucks said he had some fancy sparkling water delivered by the case. I didn't want sparkling. When I turned, my gaze landed on his absolutely fantastic fridge. Twice the size of mine, top of the line, and spotless except for a magnet with emergency numbers. But it had one of those fancy water and ice dispensers. That thing had to have a filter somewhere. I pushed the glass against the lever and crushed ice came out. After some quick fiddling with the touch controls, the dispenser switched to water.

"Ah. Finally," I whispered to myself. Then I drained the whole thing in one go.

My voice resonated weirdly in that huge, cavernous space. Standing as I was with my back to the rest of the room, I couldn't help but jump when I heard the noise of shuffling feet. But then, his voice came closer to me with every word he said, his voice still rough with sleep.

"You're wearing my clothes, standing in my kitchen, using my glass, after I've held you all night in my bed. I really, really like this." And he punctuated that with a kiss to my naked shoulder as he wound his arms around my waist. "Good morning, love."

I turned to face him and put my arms around his neck. "Good morning."

"I have one minor complaint, though," he added, smiling.

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"I woke up and you were gone." He pouted. Edward Cullen, Esquire pouted at me.

I shook the empty glass. "Thirst drove me to launch an expedition into your kitchen. This is fucking awesome, by the way."

"Esme helped decorate. As you know, I am a sad excuse for a cook, and all of this is way above my kitchen expertise. I have Pellegrino chilling in the fridge, if you want that."

I broke down laughing. I couldn't resist.

"What's with the attack of the giggles? Any objections to my choice of water?"

I shook my head, still wheezing. "No. Just remind me that I need to pay myself five bucks."

"That doesn't make any sense. Pay yourself? Why?"

I took a deep breath, trying to sober up and explain my reasoning. "Let me preface this by saying this is all in good fun. I admired your kitchen earlier. Most of all, I admired how fucking tidy you are, and it occurred to me that … Well, let's just say, I'm trying to figure you out, Mr. Cullen."

He grabbed the empty glass out of my hands and set it on the counter, then picked me up and sat me on the counter and came to stand between my legs with his arms still around me. "There. Now we're eye level. Much better. And Mr. Cullen is my father. But do go on, please."

I cleared my throat. "Just in jest, I imagined someone as particular as you wouldn't be content with tap or purified water. I figured you'd have some glitzy sparkling stuff in your fridge and bet myself five bucks over it."

"Hence your uncontrolled bout of hilarity over my bottles of Pellegrino," he concluded.

"Guilty as charged."

He shook his head, snickering. "Okay, I'll take the heat for that one. But, darling, if I may ask, please tell me things like these don't count as strikes against me. These are just … things."

I traced the contour of his pouty lips with my finger and his breath hitched at my touch. I considered his words. Was I putting too much stock in the blatant differences between us? Could I rule that out to him, out loud, and be confident it'd be the absolute truth?

"I've been aware of your family's standards of living for a while, Edward. And while none of you flaunt your money and your position for clout or pretense, there are differences in how we live, in where we are in life. I'd be naïve to dismiss them out of hand. Especially now that …" I trailed off, suddenly lost in my thoughts and unsure how to verbalize them.

"Now that …?" he asked with a tremble to his lips. "Are you … are you having doubts about us?"

"Only fools have no doubts," I quoted from memory.

Edward snickered. "Good point. But that's a deflection technique. You were saying?"

"Now that … I'm falling for you, Edward. And this feeling is … so big, so real, so powerful … it's intoxicating, exhilarating, and fucking scary. I want you with me all the time; I miss you when you're not there. It feels like I'm rearranging my life around you, but I can't help it. I want this. I want you. Please, please, Edward, please don't hurt me. I couldn't bear it if you broke my heart."

My tears fell in spite of me. I wanted to be assertive and strong, but something turned me into marshmallow in this man's arms. This man I loved. And when my head caught up with my heart, I felt the truth of it warm me up from the inside out. It cemented my will and my love for him into my bones. Edward was my love, and he needed my truth. All of it.

At my words, Edward's breath caught. He blinked a few times, then his mouth fell open, but no sounds came. At last, a giddy, shit-eating grin appeared on his beautiful face, and before I realized what he was up to, he pulled me off the kitchen counter and twirled me around in his arms. In the middle of his kitchen, and all the while, he laughed. A liberating, carefree, happy-as-a-clam laugh.

I joined in with my own giggles and locked my legs around his waist while he twirled us around the room. I was starting to get dizzy, but thankfully, he stopped and plopped me back on the counter.

"God, Bella. You just made me so fucking happy. I'm not just falling for you, darling. I'm already there. I love you. I fucking love you. And believe me, I won't do anything ever to intentionally hurt you. I won't risk your love. I won't risk us."

I cradled his cheek in my hand, reveling in his unbridled happiness. "I love you too, Edward."

Slowly at first, then with more vigor, he started to drop kisses all over my face, working his way down to my lips. And when he nipped at my lip and stroked it with his tongue, I took him in and tangled my tongue with his as our mouths danced and explored one another.

Fly in the ointment? Both our stomachs decided it was the perfect time to growl in hunger.

We broke the kiss, still wrapped in each other's arms.

"Well, I think I should feed you now, my love," he whispered, nuzzling my nose.

"Can we talk while we eat? There are … things to be said."

He nodded, sliding me off the counter. "Then I'll listen."

I wasn't worried about him listening; he would. I was worried about his reaction to the things I had to say.

Bella had a big realization in this chapter, and she's about to have a big talk with Edward. We'll get that talk next week from EPOV.
Any guesses or theories as to what Bella will tell Edward?
See y'all next week!