A/N: My suckage continues. I'm back at work and finding it really hard to balance my time. It shouldn't remain like this for long. Just enough for me to get my shit together. Plus, these chapters are still unbeta'd, and I get really anal about posting them with only my eyes looking them over *sighs*
Anywho, I hope you enjoy.

Footprints in the Sand

Chapter 16

I have realized that simply chatting to Edward is the equivalent of giving my four-year-old self sugar, and after, my mind refuses to quiet, I'm restless, my senses are overloaded, and it's hours before everything calms.

We facetime, but after a half hour or so, Addie wakes up. After that anything other than talking is strictly vetoed.

It's the first time I've seen Edward get angry with her.

"Back to bed right now, or you can forget about being Alice's flower girl!" he threatens her after the infinite time she interrupts us, pointing his finger toward the door.

"But, Daddy..." she protests close to tears before Edward launches himself to his feet, hurls her into his arms and carries her from the room. She screams, high-pitched and ear-splitting. "I don't like you any more, Daddy!"

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly my favorite person right now, either," Edward replies, his voice fading behind him.

"Bella was my friend first!" Addie asserts angrily in response.

Their voices become muted behind slamming doors several rooms away, but the tenor behind it is stark.

"Uh-oh..." I mumble to myself.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward apologizes behind a gushing breath when he returns, even as Addie's cries continue to be broadcast through the receiver of my phone.

"The perks of parenthood, huh?" I say lightly, as he laughs without an ounce of humor.

"One of many," he says dryly. "I was worried she'd resent you for taking up my time, but it's pretty obvious now she resents me."

"I'm sorry," I offer him, feeling more than a little responsible for his daughter's attachment to me.

"It's not your fault." He sighs again and drags his fingertips over his forehead in growing frustration.

"She's not silly, Edward. She knows something's going on between us," I allude to Addie's earlier line of questioning.

"Yeah, she's smarter than I am," he replies, an ironic amount of sarcasm bleeding between the cracks of his tone. "I'd better go. She's not going to let this go while she knows I'm talking to you."

"Okay, it's fine. Talk soon, Daddy," I tease him, making his grin jerk momentarily back in place.

"I'll text you later."

. . .

Question?His message comes almost an hour later.

Hm? I reply.

Is running what makes you so tight?

What? That's very forward. And are you comparing me to other girls?

Bella, you're a woman, not a girl.

You're going all lawyer on me and deflecting.

Am I? He answers a little too simply after a seemingly endless cycle of those three dots flickering as he typed.

Yes. Are you going to answer?

I don't think I've been with enough women to properly compare.

I pause for a moment contemplating whether I should just come out and ask.

Okay… I wimp out instead.

That's not what you wanted to say, was it?

Jesus, is this man reading my mind? I wasn't sure what to say.

You can ask me if you like.

Ask you? How many women you've been with? I decide to play dumb.

Yes. You?

You first!

3.

Wait—what? Three?

Am I the third? I eventually venture, because three was the last number I would have assumed.

No, you're the 4th.

Then you've been with four women, you dork.

I thought you meant other than you. Did you just call me a dork?

Yes.

I have not been called that since high school.

Well, you're lucky. Alice calls me it all the time.

You didn't answer, Bella. He adds after replying with a laughing emoji.

Answer?

You owe me two.

About running?

That's the first.

I've been running since I was 6. I have nothing to compare it to. What's the second?

Think about it.

I do, and it takes me a lot longer than it really should. Oh. You're number three for me.

That surprises me.

It surprises me that it surprises you.

So, that imbecile you were dating before me, and…?

My college boyfriend.

Tell me what happened.

You're very nosey.

Tell me anyway, woman.

Woman is so patronizing!

Why do you think I'm being patronizing?

It sounds patronizing.

I promise you I'm not being patronizing. You going to answer?

You and your twenty questions. He dropped out of college halfway through, and then went to trade school on the other side of the country.

Was he a nice guy?

He was.

You contacted him since?

We're friends on Facebook. He's married and not long ago had a baby.

You went a big gap between him and the idiot you just broke up with.

I did, but I was busy finishing college, and during my first few years in Labor and Delivery I worked night shift. Now you.

Me? My girlfriend in high school, my wife, that other person, and you.

What happened to your high school girlfriend?

We went to different colleges, and I was pretty over her by then anyway. Superficial bitch.

Uh-oh. Cheerleader?

How'd you guess?

Superficial and Cheerleaders tend to be synonymous.

That's very true.

How long were you together with her?

Around 18 months.

That sounds serious.

I think she thought it was, but at that age I wasn't interested in anything serious. I just wanted regular sex and to party.

You had no college girlfriends?

My wife was my college girlfriend, he replies after such a long pause, his reluctance to answer became more than obvious.

I change the subject. How's Addie? She eventually fall asleep?

She did, but not before she told me she hated me a few times. Then she apologized, and I read her a book.

Oh dear...

Still want one like her?

I'd take Addie off your hands tomorrow.

Bella. Just my name again.

Hmm?

You like her more than me. I never thought a woman like you existed.

Who the hell have you been around, Edward? I ask a little too candidly.

You met them last night. I don't choose to be around them, but sometimes I'm forced to.

Well, you can hang around me to balance it out as much as you like.

I intend to.

You really say what you think, don't you? I say after a full thirty seconds of grinning to myself like an idiot.

Occupational hazard.

You've told me that before.

I have. I guess I don't see the point in mincing words.

I figured as much about you.

You're similar.

How do you mean?

You don't appear to have any problem saying what's on your mind, either. Most women don't outright call me an asshole, but you on the other hand.

Does that bother you?

Not at all. Was your father the same way?

He was, yes. Charlie was very candid. Which one of your parents do you take after?

Neither. Both my parents choose their words carefully.

I noticed that about your mother.

My father's the same way. Though, to be fair, he's a man of very few words.

How the hell can he be disappointed in you?

Because I chose law over medicine.

I immediately pause, realizing this is the first time he's given me a straight answer in regards to his father.

Was that really why? I ask after deliberating whether or not to pry further.

That's really why. He thinks lawyers are "dishonorable".

I suppose some may be, but isn't that tainting you by association.

It is, and it's a lot more than some. Most are shady. Divorce lawyer especially.

I believe you, but you're more than your occupation.

So are you.

He's stumped me again, and for the life of me I have no idea of his meaning.

You're not a fan of medical staff in general, are you?

Of course I am. They're a necessity, it's just not a field I'd be able to handle.

I forgot, you're fainthearted.

I am. My father insisted I just needed more exposure to it. Was your father happy with what you chose?

I assume so. He never said anything to the contrary.

You never considered medical school?

I would never have been able to afford it. The college fund my father put away for me barely covered four years of nursing school. Besides.

Besides?

I really just wanted to get out of Forks and start working. The odds of young girls ending up like my friend Jessica are very high in small towns.

What happened to Jessica? Teenage pregnancy?

Yeah. She had twins at 19, and she not long ago had baby number 3.

Screw that. Is she still with the father?

She is. They got married when she first found out she was pregnant. He's a good guy. She's lucky.

Is she happy with how her life turned out?

She loves her husband, but I'm not sure whether she's completely happy.

Are they going to be at Alice's wedding?

They are. Her sons are Alice's pageboys.

And you and Alice got out.

We did. But I was the local cop's daughter with ADHD and braces. I was practically a disease, so there was pretty much zero chance of me getting knocked up in high school.

Bella, had you been as beautiful at 16 as you are now, I don't believe you would have fallen victim to any small town stigma. You're far too smart for that.

You're sweet, Edward. I reply, blushing ferociously to myself.

No one but you has ever called me that, either.

I guess they never saw you the way I do.

I guess they didn't. Sweetheart, I really should get going. I have an early start in the morning.

Okay, go to bed. Chat tomorrow.

I'll be over around one, and we'll be doing a lot more than chatting.

You are so forward. See you then.

You make me laugh. Sweet dreams.

This man...

After practically floating to the bathroom, I wash my face and brush my teeth, while staring at my reflection in the vanity mirror. My face is flushed, and my eyes are projecting the sensory overload I'm still currently simmering in.

"Did he just call me sweetheart?" I ask myself with a mouth full of toothpaste before breaking into laughter.

. . .

I sleep terribly and wake far too early, but it was near impossible to rid that handsome man from my thoughts. I just couldn't reconcile what Alice disclosed to me knowing what kind of man and father he is, and the array of emotion it brought out in me kept me up until the early hours. On top of which, I was practically buzzing all night.

I have to face it, I'm falling for him. I'm falling hard, and breaking every life lesson my father drilled into my head in the process.

It's approaching eleven when I pull on my sneakers and set out for a run.

I push myself to my limits – I have no other option if I want to quiet my overactive mind – and what usually takes me at least ninety minutes, takes just under an hour.

Together with the lack of sleep it almost kills me, but the instant I spot Addie's bright pink pom-pom beanie over her grandmother's rose bush, I completely disregard it.

"Hi, Bella!" she greets me brightly, passing a single Twizzler between the fence palings to me. "I'm all better now." This is despite the still lingering huskiness behind her voice.

"I can...see...that," I humor her breathlessly, and pulling my earbuds from my ears, I take the candy and chew off a mouthful before resting my trembling weight against both knees. My lungs are heaving and I'm three seconds from collapsing at her feet, but it still can't prevent the enormous smile that spreads broad across my face. I've missed our chats. "What have...you...been up to?" I barely manage to articulate.

"Hmm..." She tilts her head to the side and places her index finger to her chin. "Daddy said I can get my ears pierced."

"Did he?" I enthuse in her excitement knowing exactly how much she wanted it.

She giggles and nods her head. "But he's a big baby and said Grandma has to take me."

Leaning against the white picket fence, I chuckle. "Sounds like he's a big baby."

"Look, Bella," she changes trajectory, and suddenly disappears below the fence-line and resurfaces again holding a small, multi-colored bucket, "Uncle Emmett got me pavement chalk."

"So he did."

"Wanna play hopscotch with me?" she puts to me, her father's eyes lighting up from their clear green depths with so much hope that only a demon could turn her down. "The driveway's all dry now."

"Um...sure," I agree as she sucks in her breath in open excitement.

"Really?"

"Really, really," I tease her.

"Yay!" Opening the gate, she grabs my hand and tugs me through before leading me in the direction of the entrance to the Dutch Colonial. "GRAAAAANDMA!" she calls out, her chirpy voice clogging. "Bella's here!"

The door opens a moment later, and stepping out onto the porch, Mrs. Cullen wraps her cardigan further across her chest and offers me a responsive smile. "Hello, Bella, dear. I have your mail inside."

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen."

"Please call me Es—"

"Grandma, Bella and me are gonna play hopscotch—you wanna play too?" Addie interjects, grabbing her grandmother's skirt and yanking.

"Oh, um, right now, darling?" she asks dubiously, throwing me a helpless look.

I shake my head slightly to placate her when Addie once again takes my hand and all but drags me toward the drive.

"Which color, Bella?" she asks, pulling off the plastic lid to a rainbow of chalk.

"Hmm, which color do you think?" I put the question back to her.

"Pink?" she suggests, pulling out a hot pink stick and holding it out to me.

At Addie's insistence, I draw the hopscotch template with every color available, and after finding three pebbles in Mrs. Cullen's garden bed we set out to play.

I let Addie win, and I'm fairly certain her grandmother does as well—she's pretty agile for a woman in her late fifties. We both pretend not to notice when Addie jumps outside the lines, or when her pebble lands on the wrong number, while I hold her hand as she rounds home, fearful she'll fall and break her other arm. Addie cheers us on, jumping up and down and clapping her hands with giddy over excitement, and I cannot help thinking what a comical sight the three of us are. Not to mention, it's the first time I've ever heard Mrs. Cullen laugh with so much genuine enjoyment.

After round seven, however, she's officially done.

"Oh my goodness," she bursts, beginning to gasp. "I think I need a break—Edward, darling, when did you get here?"

"Daddy!" Addie screeches, dropping her pebble and racing toward him.

Edward's standing just inside the front yard, his hands buried deep in the pants pockets of his navy blue, three piece suit, his hair neatly groomed, and his brow quirked with open amusement.

Oh, god, I let the time get away from me.

Pulling my phone from the Velcro arm band, I switch it on. It's just past 12:30p.m.

"Daddy, me and Bella and Grandma were playing hopscotch," Addie announces after he lifts her high in his arms.

"Were you?" he plays along as his eyes meet mine again with a semi-concealed smirk.

"I should go," I say to Mrs. Cullen. I haven't showered yet, and there's no way her son is getting me naked while I'm currently caked in the saltiness of dried sweat.

"And guess what, Daddy?—I won all the games," Addie continues to ramble.

"You did?"

"Hang on a moment, dear, and I'll get your mail," Mrs. Cullen says, turning and hurrying toward the house.

"Bella," Edward says in acknowledgement, the tenor of his voice softening, and with Addie still in his arms, he bends down and plants his lips gently to my temple.

"Ah...hey..." I mumble, my face aflame over the muffled sound of Addie's giggles. "I should...shower..."

Laughter floods his expression, and as I pass him he flashes me an entirely too shrewd wink. "I'll see you soon," he murmurs barely beneath his breath and out of his daughter's earshot.

"Bye, Bella!" Addie calls out in farewell, holding out her palm for her signature high-five.

"Bye, sweetie." I lightly slap her mittened hand with mine. I don't wait for Mrs. Cullen to return, and once I leave the yard, I break into a run.

I have thirty minutes.

. . .

He gives me barely more than twenty, and I'm just stepping out of the shower when my phone pings.

I'm coming now.

"Crap..." I mutter, hastily throwing my robe over my hopelessly wet body as I make my way into the living room to buzz him through.

I open my front door in anticipation as he takes the stairs two at a time, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt as he does.

He barely makes it over the threshold before he pulls me into his arms, bends his head down and kisses me.

"Jesus, you've turned me into a horny fifteen year old again," he just manages to get out between planting his lips repeatedly to mine.

I don't reply, I can't. Just the sight of this gorgeous man rushing into my apartment to have his way with me threatens to prematurely send me over the edge.

As it is, I don't have long to hold on. It's all over in five minutes with Edward's long, lean body pinning me beneath him against my bed as he fights to rein in his breath. It doesn't even occur to me that he managed to be on top without missing. All I can really comprehend is the fact he fills me so completely he hits every erogenous zone within me all at once.

And he's definitely making me lose my head.

In the heated rush of things I somehow managed to get him shirtless, with his tie remaining askew around his neck.

I tug on it playfully and laugh. His quickly follows before he covers my mouth with his and too easily distracts me.

"Bella..." He practically breathes my name as he continues to kiss my lips, my face and shoulders over and over.

I only hum contently behind closed lids.

"My mother knows about us."

"Huh?" I utter, my eyes instantly flying open. He appears completely relaxed, but he's coming off a five-year hiatus, I'm not sure he could be anything but relaxed right now. "R-really?"

"Mmm..." he confirms breaking into a small smile. "Addie told her I was talking to you yesterday."

"Oh, god..." I groan.

"She invited us to dinner Friday night," he adds.

"With Addie?"

He shakes his head and kisses the tender spot just below my earlobe. "Not yet."

"You kissed me in front of her," I point out even as he continues to probe his lips along my throat.

He muffles his reply against my flesh before coming up for air. "I tried to make it appear innocent. You didn't answer."

"Hmm?"

"Dinner. Friday night..." He rises his brows in emphasis.

"Oh, sure. Awkward?" I say pained.

"Why would it be? My mother likes you," he assures me, but I'm still not sure if I believe him just yet.

"Will your father be there, too?" I ask, intercepting his mouth this time with my own.

He answers to the affirmative mid-kiss. "I know it's early. My mother's...just like that," he pulls back and admits with a sigh.

"It's fine," I say, elbowing him lightly when he arches a pointed eyebrow.

Chuckling huskily, he rolls the two of us to the side and pulls me against his still-damp chest, as his heart pounds in sync with mine. "Do you want to grab something to eat?" he breaks the silence we both fell naturally into.

Drawing a momentous breath, I release it audibly in answer. I'd much rather fall asleep in his arms, though. "...Kay."

He makes a move first, rising to his feet and tucking himself back into his pants, as I quickly throw on a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater. I watch him peripherally as he buttons up his shirt and readjusts his tie before pulling his arms through his suit jacket.

Just watching this man dress is like porn.

"Ready?" he asks, turning to me as I sit on the edge of my bed and yank on a pair of brown leather boots.

"Ready," I say taking the hand he offers me.

He drives us to a café somewhere in downtown Seattle; where exactly I have no idea. He insists on paying again, so I let him order for me as we sit opposite each other in a corner booth while every woman in the room blatantly ogles him. Not to mention, the state of his hair is giving us both away, and it only makes him infinitely more attractive.

"Your hair is screaming that we just has sex," I lean forward and whisper in confidence.

Naturally, he only smirks to himself and drags a set of fingers through it in a belated attempt to tame it.

"You're a lot more obvious," he replies, his expression turning tender before reaching out to run his thumb over my bottom lip.

Swatting his hand away, I hide my burning cheeks behind the menu, despite the fact that he's already ordered me a BLT and cappuccino.

"Can I ask you something?" I brave after a few moments of observing him as he checks his phone and places it back in the inner pocket of his jacket.

"Go ahead," he says simply glancing back up at me.

"How do you stay so fit?"

His smirk instantly twitches back into effect. "I'm not fit."

"Your six pack says otherwise," I say ruefully.

"I...play racquetball," he replies off-handedly. "Usually only when I'm under a lot of stress."

"Do you get stressed a lot?"

He gazes at me for a moment before breaking to grin to himself. "No. Not really."

The waitress arrives with our order, placing identical meals before us noisily and departing again behind a quick "enjoy".

"So..." he begins, taking a large bite of his sandwich and swallowing, "is your life still Groundhog Day?"

"Not anymore," I say, my emerging smile inward, but even if it was, it's something I could very easily get used to.

"I'm glad I could break up the monotony," he says with a quick smile, taking another bite of his BLT.

"Well, I'm glad I can add to the chaos in your life," I respond in kind, munching on my own sandwich.

"Chaos?" he echoes, his brow bunching as though he thinks I'm nuts. "Chaos is the last thing you bring to my life."

My smile lingers—it's all I can do not to smile in his presence—before I bring the mug to my lips as an almost subconscious excuse to break his gaze.

His intense eyes remain trained on me, before seeming to shake himself from it, he finishes his lunch.

The man eats as rapidly as he drinks coffee.

"Are you sure your mother's okay with me?" I speak up when his silence begins to border discomfort.

"Why wouldn't she be?" he asks, tilting his head slightly and reminding me suddenly of his daughter.

"I'm...not sure." I half shrug and glance away through the window onto the busy street beyond.

It's beginning to rain, but that's not exactly unusual for this city.

"She would like you to stop calling her Mrs. Cullen," he says lightly, finishing off his coffee in the same manner as his sandwich.

"She's your mother. It'd feel rude calling her by her first name," I explain.

"You are such a mystery, Bella," he says quietly, more or less to himself, and Edward isn't exactly a person who mumbles.

"You still haven't worked me out?" I put to him, my grin quickly mirroring his.

"I don't think I'll ever work you out," he says out of some kind of irony, and once again I have absolutely no idea of his meaning, "but I'm okay with that."

A/N: thanks for reading. I'll see you all next weekend all things going well.