AN: I was going to split this into two chapters but decided not to, so here we are, nearly 10K. I'm all caught up on the pre-written chapters, so that updates may take longer or the chapters shorter. The great news is that I have a vision for this story and a plan to get there. I hope everyone is liking how things are going so far.

A big thanks to Brina and May for taking the time to pre-read. This one was a beast. I appreciate all that you do!

* 'An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it' - Orlando Aloysius Battista

Chapter Nine

-Extra, Extra, Read All About It-

It's almost comical how fast Edward whips his head in my direction, but his eyes are narrowing, and he is trying to figure out if I'm messing with him. "You mean that," he says.

"Yes, I've had some time to think about it, and I'm on board, babe."

Edward grins, palming my face as he places an intense kiss on my lips. "That's fantastic."

"But..."

He lays his forehead against mine and chuckles softly. "Damn it," he says, "I knew there was a 'but' coming."

"I just have to take a mid-term exam after this appointment."

My professors excused me from the lectures and allowed me to send my assignments via email, but the exams needed to be taken in person. It was a hassle, but it only took me an hour to complete, so I prepped my purse with Preggie Drops, some Gatorade, a number two pencil, and a scantron.

Edward looks at me. "Then you're all mine?"

I smile. "Completely."

The lights overhead flicker on, and Edward and I separate. It's wild how, in a room full of people, we only see each other. He tries to keep our hands entwined but has to lean away to let a nurse through so she can wipe the gel off my stomach. Edward is only a few feet away from me, but I miss his warmth. My dependence on this man after only a few short days should concern me, but I overlook it. As soon as the nurse walks away, Edward returns, helping me sit up as I fix my clothes, making myself look somewhat presentable again.

Dr. Stewart prints out an image of our baby. He spins around in his stool and rolls toward us. "Ok, Mom and Dad, here's the picture," he says. "One of the nurses will make a digital copy for you to share with your friends and family."

I take my most valued possession from him and stare down at our little nugget. "Thank you, Dr. Stewart."

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Stewart," Edward says, shaking the doctor's hand again. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was a pleasure meeting you both. So, I hope to see you two at the next appointment in about four weeks to find out the gender." Dr. Stewart stands and slides the stool to the corner of the room, out of the way. "Until then, eat well, take your vitamins, and call me if you have any questions or concerns, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," I say, but I focus on the image in my hands.

My uterus looks like a black kidney bean, and inside that is a gray little kidney bean. It's hard to decipher features, and luckily, the doctor has marked where the head is so that I can see our baby more clearly. Regardless, this hazy black-and-white blob is beautiful. My heart swells with love. It's an incredible experience to have a life growing inside me. I don't even know them, but I do know them. For the next nine months, this baby and I will be like one — or partners in crime, if you will.

Dr. Stewart left, and Edward waited with me in the exam room while the nurse printed out my paperwork, prescription, and digital photos.

The silence didn't last long between us. It was probably only thirty seconds after the door had closed behind the doctor that Edward pounced.

"Okay, so you have your exam today, but then you are off the next three days, correct?"

"Correct."

Edward's mind is already working as he takes out his phone and starts texting someone. "Let's see, there's nothing commercial until later this evening, but I can get us a private charter for this afternoon at around one."

"Excuse me?"

He glanced away from his phone and at me. "What?"

"Babe, I can't leave at one. My exam is at twelve-forty-five, and I'll need time to pack."

"You're right," he says, resting his hand on my thigh and smiling sheepishly. "You're right. I'm sorry, honey. I really want you at my game this Sunday, and I got ahead of myself. It's not my intention to rush you."

The sweetness in his voice unarms me, and there's no way I can say no - nor do I want to.

"I know, and I'll be there, but all of this is overwhelming, and you're moving at a million miles per minute."

"I'm just excited."

"I can tell, but you need to slow down and let me catch my breath."

"Okay."

It's quiet again as he takes the photo from my hand and stares at it. His fingers trace the curves and lines of the baby. The gesture is subconscious, but that little action means everything to me.

"All right, my breath is caught."

Even though I am ready to take on Edward's energy, he's more subdued now.

He asks, "What can I do to help you?"

The question throws me off, and I shrug. "Um, nothing really. I don't have much. Just take the exam and pack."

Edward slips his phone into his front pocket and nods. "I'll come with you then."

"That's sweet, but don't you have other things to do than follow me all over town?"

He averts his eyes from mine and says, "I sound pretty desperate, huh?"

It's adorable how he doesn't want to leave my side, and any other day, I would take him up on that offer. There's just no way he can come to my school. Most of the college guys there are huge Seahawks fans. I listen to their conversations—especially when Edward's name is mentioned—and they're always going on and on about the distance of his passes and the sixth sense he has with the receivers.

Edward wouldn't get two feet without one of these guys mauling him.

"I don't want you wasting your time, babe," I say, and he looks up at me, his brow scrunched in incredulity. My thumb reaches up to rub out those lines. "I should be ready to go by four."

Edward checks the time on his wristwatch and frowns but eventually nods. "Okay, we can do four. I'll come pick you up at your apartment then."

Throwing my arms around his neck, I gently pull him down. "That sounds like a plan."

As Edward's lips brushed against mine, the nurse entered the room. We jumped apart and blushed furiously. She smiled at us before going into my next appointment, the digital photos of our baby and the medications I would be taking – which Edward had volunteered to pick up from the pharmacy, and I couldn't talk him out of it.

Not long afterward, I'm leaving the doctor's office holding hands with Edward, and the staff whispers as we pass them. It's uncomfortable because I can only imagine what they say about us. Edward "EC" Cullen has only been linked with models and actresses, and for him to be with a normie like me has probably got people scratching their heads. The crap part is that the staff can access my medical chart and quickly find out I'm pregnant. It won't say Edward's the father, but that should be obvious, and of course, they'll assume the worst about me.

As we step out of the automatic doors and into the frigid cold, Edward shakes his head and chuckles.

"What's so funny?" I ask, my short legs struggling to keep pace with him, but thankfully, he eventually slows down to a stop.

Facing me, he places his hands on my arms and rubs them to generate warmth. "Give it twenty-four hours, and the gossip machine will know we're expecting."

I glance around in a panic, looking for some weirdo hiding in the bushes with a camera. "Why do you say that?"

Edward takes me into his warm side as we stroll towards the parking lot. "Several reasons," he says, pulling me closer to him. "The staff has probably figured out that I knocked you up," he says jokingly, and I playfully smack his stomach. "And it pays good money for decent gossip."

"Really?" My eyebrows raise in surprise. "How much do they pay?"

"From what I've heard, sometimes 100, but depending on the story, it could be thousands."

"Hmmm," I put my finger to my chin as if I were considering doing it myself. "Thousands, huh?"

Edward laughs. "So, which one of our secrets are you going to sell to the tabloids for a little pocket money?"

"Yeah, right?" I say, rolling my eyes. "No one would believe me."

"It doesn't have to be true, just profitable."

"Which part of our lives are so juicy that they're profitable?" I ask.

"A one-night stand that results in a baby is kind of juicy," he says.

He's right, and even in small circles, that would be the tea, but on a national scale?

"That's silly," I say. "You're my Edward from Forks they're talking about."

"Your Edward, huh?"

I slap his stomach again, and he grunts.

"You know what I mean. It's not like Brad Pitt knocked me up."

Edward stops abruptly at the end of the sidewalk and turns to me. "First of all," he says, pointing a finger in my direction, "for such a tiny person, you hit hard." I grin up at him. He shakes his head and pinches my nose. "And second of all, you're right. I may not be anywhere near Brad Pitt's status, but for some reason, people seem to care about what I'm doing or who I'm seeing."

Most NFL players don't have Edwards' notoriety, but he's taken the Seahawks from a mediocre team to winning Super Bowls. That led to a bunch of endorsement deals and commercials. Not to mention, he's gorgeous and single. Everyone wants a piece of him. I was downplaying his fame to understand why he would want to be with me. Yeah, we grew up together, but that doesn't mean we are anywhere near compatible.

However, his take on the gossip machine and how he fears I will be swept up in it makes me think back to all those trash magazine covers. So many of them with him at clubs and posing on the red carpet with models. All those stories about him I've read over the years pique my curiosity.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You want to know if some of the stories written about me are true?"

A cold wind rises from behind and blows my hair every which way. Edward pulls a black and blue Seattle Seahawks knit hat out of the inner pocket of his coat and places it on my head. The beanie serves two purposes: it tames my locks and keeps my ears warm.

"Yes, is that okay?"

"Of course, honey. You can ask me anything you'd like."

There's so much I want to know. There are wild stories about him and this actress. They were spotted outside of a club a couple of years ago. She smiled up at him, and he looked happy, but his hands were in his pockets. So, I ruled that out as nothing. The evidence for that was pretty straightforward. My questions will mainly be about the woman he was linked with throughout his career, but I couldn't go all in at once, looking like some jealous girlfriend. So, I decided to throw a softball question first.

"Did you really go skinny dipping with a few supermodels?" I ask, and Edward's face turns red. Oh, it's cute. He's embarrassed. I nudge him. "Spill, mister."

Edward fiddles with the beanie on my head to make sure it's on snugly. "Are you sure Emmett hasn't told you this story before?"

"He probably would have told me if I had ever asked him about it, but I didn't."

"Really? Why didn't you ask him?"

I shrug. "It would look strange to Emmett."

"Why would it look strange?"

"Because I never asked about you."

He looks a little put-out. "Why wouldn't you ask about me? Didn't you care?"

Wow! This guy was a conversational wizard. He asked the perfect question to get me to bare my soul.

"Of course, I cared. You were all I thought about. If I asked Emmett what you were doing, he would figure out I had feelings for you—then, knowing that jerk, he would probably tell you. I was saving myself the embarrassment."

Edward blinks a few times as he searches my face. "The skinny-dipping thing was three years ago, Bruiser."

"Yeah," I say, not following his train of thought. "And?"

He glances around and sees staff gathered outside and taking pictures with their cameras. "What time do you got to be at school?" he asks.

I am thrown off guard by the sudden change of subject. "Um, in an hour or so. Why?"

He puts his hand on my lower back and eases me forward. "Do you mind sitting in my car with me for a few minutes? We're kind of too exposed out here."

Oh! I look back at the crowd. They're being less than subtle with their filming. "Yeah. Of course."

"Good," Edward says as he steers me towards his car and unlocks the door. I jump inside, and he has already pre-started the engine, so the heater is on full blast.

It warms my cold hands, but I keep the beanie on. Edward's never getting it back. "So, tell me about this skinny dipping thingy."

His neck and ears turn red again, and he takes a deep breath. "My teammates dared me, and so I did. It was no big deal."

"Who were the models?" I ask the question, knowing the answer. I had obsessed over it so much that it had given me a rash.

Edward shakes his head slightly. "Honestly, I have no idea. I was pretty wasted that night."

The thought of him naked makes me tingly; I say, "I bet those girls were in heaven."

Edward senses my tone and leans into me. "The only girl I care about is you," he says.

The way this man can overwhelm all my thoughts with just a smile gets my heart racing. I allow myself to close the distance and press my lips to his. They're soft and warm, and the fire ignites. Edward hums against my mouth and deepens the kiss, creating a craze within me. I throw my arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him to me.

Only stopping to take a breath, Edward rests his forehead against mine and chuckles. "I really like kissing you."

"Same," I reply.

There's so much I want to say, but I know this moment is perfect, and why spoil it? I break away from him and smile. "Do you...?" I trail off, knowing the "L" word is on my tongue, but it's too soon.

"Do I … what?"

And so, I redirected the conversation by saying, "Do you know I was tempted to message you on Facebook?"

"About what?"

My heart is pounding as the truth spills out of me. "I saw your Dior campaign and thought you looked really good. So, I got drunk for courage and was going to see if you wanted to hook up." I watch him closely for his reaction.

A smirk plays on his lips as what I said dawns on him. "So, not only were you crushing on me as kids, but you've had a thing for me all this time?"

I'm grateful that he's not making a huge deal out of it, but I can't help rolling my eyes playfully at his cockiness. "Okay, don't make me regret telling you."

He shifts away from me, creating distance, and I feel the energy change. The silence looms for a second before Edward turns to me with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"If I told you that I've been interested in you for a few years but never did anything about it, how would that make you feel?"

My heart contracts and my breathing becomes nearly non-existent. "Is that true?"

"Nice try, but I asked first."

I bite my lip, debating how I should answer the question. How much of my feelings do I want to expose? Edward looks determined, and he won't let me avoid answering.

So, with a heavy sigh, I say, "I would be pissed at you if you didn't tell me."

Edward glances away and stares at his hands. "Is that so? Why?"

"Because we could have been together then, and now, all I see is wasted time."

"Exactly."

I narrow my eyes at him. That familiar feeling in my gut slowly deepens. "You're upset with me for not telling you sooner how I felt?"

"I think it would have been nice to know."

"Are you saying you had a crush on me?"

Edward looks me dead in the eye and says, "Yes."

My heart stops and then speeds up. "For how long?"

Edward sits back in his seat. "For about three years."

My eyes bulged out, and my hands began to tremble. "How? I mean, what?"

I tried to think back three years ago and couldn't recall the last time we were in the same room.

Edward seems to enjoy making me flustered; he laughs. "You see how frustrating that is?"

"Seriously? Tell me when it happened," I demand. Edward runs a hand through his hair, looking flustered as a result. "You can't back out now."

He chuckles and nods, but he still looks so nervous. "Okay, so, one night when I was having dinner with Emmett and Rose, you came up in conversation. You had run a marathon."

The Ironman Marathon I completed during my freshman year of college springs to mind. It was something Alice dragged me to because she was on some health kick. I did pretty well, coming in third, even though I trained maybe two weeks for it.

"And Rose had a video of you and some pictures from that day," Edward says.

I scoffed quietly at Rose's intervention. Honestly, I'm not surprised she was the one who brought me up in conversation and showed him those pictures. I'm starting to suspect that woman has been working behind the scenes for a long time to get Edward and me together.

"It was the first time I'd seen you since my graduation. I couldn't believe that this beautiful woman was the same kid Bruiser that bought me that teddy bear."

I blush and hide my face behind my hair. Oh, that stupid bear. I had ten bucks to get him something for his graduation, so my choices were limited, but I wanted to show him that he mattered to me. The eighteen-year-old boy probably stuffed that silly gift into a box and forgot about it.

"It threw me, and from then on, I stalked you."

My head snaps up. "How did you stalk me?"

"Nothing too creepy. I mean, I wasn't standing outside your window or anything. I stalked you through Facebook and Instagram."

My mind was reeling because, at this time, I was doing the same thing to Edward.

"So, when I saw you in the executive suite, I knew it was over for me," he says.

I smirk. "And you never thought to slip into my DMs?"

"Are you kidding? If I did and you freaked out, how would I explain my behavior to Emmett? Besides, I was engaged to Gigi."

Yes, Gigi Bundchen. She is a Victoria's Secret model and is stunning. They were together for a few years on and off - according to US Weekly. When the story was published that my Edward to her some beautiful location in the Fiji Islands and then got down on one knee and proposed to her, I was devastated - completely heartbroken.

That pain resurfaces, and I try to smile to seem unaffected, but it's straining. It was silly to be upset, but I love Edward, and knowing he wanted to spend the rest of his life with someone is like a dagger to the heart.

He continues, "Luckily, our engagement only lasted a few months. She met some rocker guy and broke it off with me."

"Did you love her?"

Edward doesn't even think about it. "No."

"No?"

"I thought I did, you know when I asked her, but once you came into the picture..." He stops and forces a smile. "I was relieved when she broke it off."

"Why didn't you break it off when you started having feelings for me?"

He chuckles humorlessly. "And do what? You were with some guy and looked happy. I was…stuck."

"You don't feel stuck with me, do you?" It's out of my mouth before I have a lick of sense to stop it, and it catches Edward off guard.

"What? Of course not. Why would you say that?"

My face burns red with embarrassment, and I stammer. "Maybe if it weren't for this baby bringing us together, we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

Edward stares at me dumbfounded. It makes me nervous, and once again, I feel nauseated. Edward throws his arm over the back of my seat and leans in close. I can smell his intoxicating cologne.

"If my memory serves me correctly, didn't we both agree to be together before you told me you were pregnant?"

I think back and realize he's right. The baby hadn't been a tool used to force him to stay with me.

"I'm not stuck." Edward tugs down on the beanie. "This looks good on you."

I smile and quickly avoid his gaze. "Yeah, well. It's mine now."

"Good, I want you to have it," he says.

When I dare to look at him, he has piercing eyes on me. The weight of his stare makes me panic as everything in me is screaming: I love you.

"Edward, I...um..." I stall, floundering. He raises a questioning eyebrow, and I quickly change the subject. "So, I need to get going."

He replies slowly. "All right." I move to get out, and he grabs my hand. I shot a surprised look at him. "Are we okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Your mood shifted just now."

"I just feel sick and don't want to, you know."

That's a lie, but I can't handle telling the truth anymore. Edward seems to buy it, yet he still knows it's something else.

"Okay, honey. Do you need a ride?"

"No, my car is here. I should be fine." I open the door, and Edward jumps out to meet me. He keeps a firm grasp on my hands as I reenter the cold Seattle weather. "Thank you."

Edward moves his hands to my face and tilts my head up. "I'll see you later then."

"Yes."

He lowers his lips to mine, and the kiss is tender but profound; it sends shockwaves through my body. I'm clutching his jacket sleeves, trying to keep a firm grip on reality. This man has a way of making me feel off-kilter.

Edward smiles against my mouth and sighs. "I'm happy you're coming with me."

"Me too," I say.

Edward places a hand on my belly and holds it there for a long time. "And I hope you know that you and this baby are everything to me."

I cover his hands with mine and smile tightly, gulping back the raw emotion he brings out in me. "I know."

It's strange when things haven't changed but look different because you're no longer the same. The week to two weeks I've been absent from school seem like a lifetime, and I'm struggling to find my way. People wave and say, "Hi, Bella!" but I'm not the girl they know. Even me from two weeks ago was different than the girl that started the semester. Every time Edward kisses and touches me, it changes my chemistry gradually, and it's irreversible. It's minute, too, only noticeable if you're paying attention. The way I carry myself, the smile that I wear, and how I stare off in a daze are all side effects of him.

My thought process has changed more significantly. I don't see my life as a linear trajectory anymore. It has curves and ups and downs, making it both chaotic and exciting. The plan I created used to comfort me, but now I see how it was robotic, just going through the motions and not living.

And this epiphany happens right in the middle of my Business Ethics mid-term. It's hard to keep focus when all I see is Edward's perfect face in the forefront of my mind. It takes me longer than it would to get through a fifty-question exam, but somehow, I finish it with only five minutes to spare. I'm the only student in the class when I stand to turn in my test to the teacher.

However, I've had Professor Dawson for the past two semesters, and he noticed my change.

"Have a good weekend, Professor Dawson," I say, hoping to drop my scantron and run.

"You too, Miss Swan," he says curtly.

I think he'll let it slide, but as I go to leave, he clears his throat and calls my name, forcing me to turn back around.

"Yes, Professor Dawson," I say with a pleasant smile.

"Um, please forgive me," he says. "I hate to involve myself in my students' personal lives, but this seems a little unbelievable."

I tense, already knowing where this was going. "Okay..."

"Now, you don't have to answer me, but I have to ask: Are you having a baby with Edward Cullen?"

My stomach drops, and all the blood drains from my face. Suddenly, my whirlwind romance is seeping into my everyday life, and I don't know how to respond.

"What?"

"I don't pay attention to social media, but students sent me a story on you." He holds up his phone and shows an article titled: Is Edward Cullen Expecting?

It was published via TMZ thirty minutes ago.

There's a picture of Edward and me from this morning outside the clinic. It was right before we went to his car. He's standing in front of me, messing with the beanie - that I'm still wearing, for Pete's sake. I pull it off my head and stick it in my purse. The part that sticks out to me the most is how we look at each other. Our eyes and smiles convey through a two-D medium that we're in love. It makes me gasp.

"This is ... unreal," I say.

The professor pockets his phone and looks back to me for an explanation. What the heck am I supposed to tell him? First of all, it's none of his business, and second of all, it's none of his business.

But I play nice and say, "Um, I get your curiosity, but I prefer not to talk about it."

"I understand, and like I said, I try not to get involved in my student's personal life, but you need to be careful," he says, and places his hand on mine that's resting on top of his desk.

I remove it and take a step back. "Careful, how?"

His tone changes from concerned to accusatory. "Your life is in the spotlight now, regardless of if you want it or not, and many people will try to get close to you..."

I finish this thought by saying, "To get close to Edward."

"Exactly. So, just be aware of the people you surround yourself with."

However, inappropriate and unsolicited my Professor's advice, I do heed his warning. When I step out into the hallway, nothing has changed. Everyone seems to be going about their lives, but the anonymity I enjoyed while entering the campus ends the second I walk into the quad. My life goes from calm to chaos in a blink of an eye. People, mostly frat dudes, and sorority girls I've never spoken to before, accost me and ask questions about Edward:

"Can you get him to come to our party tomorrow night?"

"Do you know if he will re-sign with the Seahawks when he becomes a free agent next year?"

"Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?"

"How long have you been dating him?"

"Are you really pregnant?"

Thankfully, most are respectful and don't follow me to the parking lot. Once I get into my car, I race home, running lights and speeding. I don't feel like myself until I shower in my apartment. The hot water feels good on my muscles, but even this peace doesn't last long. I still have shampoo in my hair when the urge overwhelms me, and I have to hop out to throw up my lunch. The agony of the burning irritation in my throat with the exhaustion of using all my muscles to expel the contents in my stomach makes me emotionally wrought.

Tears flood my eyes, and I'm sobbing uncontrollably as my head rests on the toilet seat.

I'm feeling overwhelmed by everything. The intensity of Edward. The way he holds and kisses me, and those eyes, how they see right through me. I've never been this happy in my life - despite my current state. My hormones make me feel out of control with my feelings, how I react to situations, and the constant insecurity that plagues me. If things weren't so messed up with Emmett or if I could stop thinking the worst things that may or may not happen, I might actually be happy. The last thing I needed in the blender of chaos that is my life was the media attention. Yes, I know Edward is famous, but I never thought of him that way, and it is so easy for me to forget.

After a few moments, I feel okay enough to return to the shower and complete my process. Once I'm dressed and halfway packed, I sit on my bed with my phone in my hand and contemplate my actions. "Ugh," I groan, already knowing this was a bad idea but unable to stop myself.

It was easy to find the article. All I had to look at was in my text messages. Alice sent me one an hour ago with the shocked-face emoji. I clicked on the link she provided, and the article popped up. That picture of us is at the top, and I stare at it for a long time to make myself feel better. Of course, I screenshot it and then put it as my phone's wallpaper.

The article, first of all, is poorly written. I imagine they needed this before anyone else, and grammar took a massive hit. That made the author less creditable to me. However, the narrative found my insecurity button and pressed the heck out of it. This 'journalist' went on and on about Edward's failed engagement to Gigi and spoke of their relationship as some fairytale romance.

I skim over that part and get to the meat of the story:

"Edward Cullen has rebounded from his relationship with the supermodel Gigi Bundgen to an unknown woman. Our sources confirm that this new 'baby mama' is a childhood friend whom Edward Cullen has known for years. Some who are close to the athlete that we interviewed fear this pregnancy is a ruse to trap the MVP into a marriage, swindling millions."

Well, there you have it.

Everything I've feared, they managed to tap into, and now I can't ignore the possibility that it might all be true. I want to throw my phone at the wall, but what will that do? The story will still be there. I'll be known as a gold-digging tramp, and everyone will wish that Edward and Gigi would get back together, have a bajillion kids, and live happily ever after.

No, I do something more productive. I curl into a ball on my bed and cry until I fall asleep.

Several hours later, I'm woken up by a gentle hand on my face. I open my eyes and see Edward sitting next to me. He's looking so beautiful, dressed in faded jeans, a grey t-shirt, and his leather jacket. I smile, and he smiles back, but my phone buzzes, reminding me of that article. It assaults me, and I feel sick all over again, but this time, instead of throwing up, tears spring up and roll down my cheeks.

Edward panicked, not knowing why I was sobbing. "Honey, what's wrong?"

I'm covering my face because the tears won't stop, and I hate myself for being so weak. "I can't go with you."

I'm trying to hide away again, but Edward won't let me. He pulls my hands away from my face. "What do you mean you can't come with me?" he demands.

I picked up my phone and showed it to him.

He barely glanced at it before he shook his head. "It's trash, honey. I told you this sort of thing was going to happen."

"Maybe they're right, though. Gigi is rich beautiful, and can give you more status than I could."

Edward wipes the tear from my cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I don't care about that," he says. "We have so much history, Bruiser. Why are you letting these people who don't know us fuck with your head?"

When I was ten, I rode my bike down the street near my house. Edward and Emmett were out in the yard, passing a football back and forth. A raccoon ran into my path, and I twisted my front tire so far to the right that it locked up and sent me flying. My left knee got the worst of it, and the skin on my kneecap peeled off. Emmett went inside to get my mom while Edward came running to me. The pain was excruciating, and the sight of blood made me hysterical.

Edward remained calm, though.

He ripped the bottom of his shirt off and cleaned the pebbles fromthe wound. "Another bruise to add to your many bruises, Bruiser."

This was the first time he said it.

I stopped crying only when he made me laugh.

The joke that got me was, "Why did the cookie go to the hospital? Because he felt crummy."

By the time my mom and Emmett came out, I was okay and even kept the shirt tied around my leg until my parents forced me to throw it away.

"Ugh, you're right," I say, shifting my body to sit on my bed with Edward's help. "These darn mood swings are making me feel crazy."

Edward tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and smiles. "I wasn't going to say anything."

I glare at him, but my gaze lacks any real bite. "Ha-ha."

He chuckled and pinched my nose. "You want to get up?"

"Yeah," I say, holding my hands for Edward to grab, but he ignores that and wraps his arms around me. I'm in his embrace as he hugs me tightly to his chest. Being this close to him, I might even start crying for another reason. So, I bury my face in his chest and whisper, "Thank you."

"Of course, sweetheart," he says as he sets me on my feet and places a steady grip on my waist. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Let's get you ready to go, okay?"

"Okay," I say, and grab a duffel bag from the floor and toss it on the bed. "There's only a few things I need from my bathroom," I say to him, but only get halfway there before something dawns on me. I spin around with an eyebrow raised. "How did you get into my apartment?"

Edward was casually going through my things as he spoke without looking at me. "I came over and knocked, but you didn't answer the door, and I couldn't get ahold of you on your phone, so I got worried and called Emmett. He told me where you hid your key."

Walking over, I wrap my arms around his waist and lean against his back. "So, I guess you know all my secrets now," I say.

"Not all," he says, entwining his fingers with mine, "but I'm working on it."

Edward had planned everything. A driver took us to a private charter airport, where we boarded a jet. The experience was new to me. I've watched movies where rich people walk across the tarmac and step up into the plane with those stairs that come down when they open the door – and don't get me wrong, it's exactly like that, but so not like that. I'm trying not to be a dork, but everything, from the leather seats to the marble countertops and the cherrywood paneling, is luxurious. There's a wet bar, a mini kitchen, two bathrooms, and two 4K LCD screens. There's even a back room that separates from the main cabin with a couch that can fold out as a bed.

It's pretty impressive.

The most enjoyable part was the food.

There were no stale peanuts, crusty ham sandwiches, or days-old Chicken Cordon Bleu wrapped in foil. No way, Jose, not for me. My man went out of his way to get all my favorites. So, it's like an hour into our flight, and I'm grubbing on the mac and cheese, chicken strips, and soft rolls. Edward chuckles as I wiggle and hum in the seat. I can't help but feel happy. It's the first time I haven't been sick and have an appetite.

"I like you this way, Bruiser" he says.

"What, being a pig?"

"Although it's endearing, that's not what I meant. You look happy. I want to see more of that."

"Well, as long as this little nugget allows me to eat, I will be happy. The throwing-up part is what sucks."

"Yes, Dr. Stewart says it will go away around 14 weeks into your pregnancy. So, another five weeks or so."

I set down my fork and grasped his hand. "I can't get over how sweet you are to me."

Edward squeezes my hand back and smiles. "It's all a ruse, really."

"Yes? In what way?"

He leans forward, and I follow. Nose to nose, he whispers, "You see, you have a nice ass."

"Oh, boy!" I say, rolling my eyes. "I can see where this is going."

"And I figure, if I'm nice to you, you might let me squeeze it once in a while."

"You keep saying sweet things and feeding me like this, and I'll let you do more than squeeze it."

Edward tries to be cool; I can see his mind wandering, thinking of all the possibilities. I even let myself fantasize. That would be another first for me.

He blows out a whoosh of air. "You have no idea how sexy you are."

Getting up from my seat, I sit on his lap as he leans back. "Tell me again," I say.

He grips my hips as I grind into his arousal. "You're fucking sexy."

The gruffness in his voice and the need beneath it encouraged me. "Are you a member of the mile-high club?"

"No."

"Do you want to join?"

Edward's eyes widen at the suggestion. His Adam's apple gulps nervously. "Are you serious?"

I shifted my hips, rubbing against him more roughly and earning a deep groan. The hardness told me he was ready. "Come on," I whisper. "It'll be fun and something to check off the bucket list." I slid my hands down his body, and he tensed at my touch. I kissed his lips softly and coaxed him. "Don't you want to play with me?"

Edward glanced over my shoulder as if expecting someone to walk in, but his hands still reached for my butt.

I'm relentless, kissing along his neck and taking a nibble of the skin there. My mouth is right at his ear, and I whisper into it like a devil on his shoulder. "If it helps, we don't have to be all the way naked."

"Fuck, honey," Edward groans, shifting in the recliner. He thrusts his hips up and painfully squeezes my bottom. I whimper and rub myself against him. "Okay, Bruiser. You've convinced me."

Like a tidal wave of sexual energy, his lips crashed against mine, so forceful and deep, pulling me under. I was gasping for air, yet so fierce with lust that my fingers trembled and fumbled with the button and zipper of his jeans. It took me forever to get my hand through the slit in his boxers; he hissed as I wrapped my fingers around him. He was so hard in my grasp, and I could feel his heartbeat pounding beneath my palm. My mouth watered as I stroked him slowly, thinking of the moment I could taste him with my tongue.

But someone else has other ideas.

Edward grips my chin and redirects my gaze to his piercing green eyes. "I want to be inside you."

"Okay," I reply.

Holding me in his arms, Edward lifts me and stands from his seat. He carries me to the rear cabin of the plane and presses the button on the wall to close the door. He leans over and lays me down on the long sofa.

"This room is soundproof," Edward says, removing his shirt and pants as I do. Placing his hands on my head, he hovers his body over mine and kisses me gently along the neck and chest. "So, no one will hear you when you scream my name repeatedly as I'm fucking you."

"Oh, my God!" I exclaim, crumbling to pieces. I may not cuss, but it turned me on when he did. "How can you be so hot?"

Edward doesn't answer with words; he uses his mouth instead. Starting at my throat, he kisses and bites me before moving down, paying extra attention to my breasts. My tender skin feels so good under his touch as his tongue flickers against my peaks. I interlace my fingers behind his neck and allow him to continue his path southward.

My moan gets louder with the more pressure he applies. "Mmm, oh, yes."

Edward continued to kiss my inner thighs lavishly and nip at the skin with his teeth. It was so sensual and frustrating. I was drenched with need, wanting him to put me out of this misery. I'd never felt this wanton in my entire life.

Oh God, I ache so badly for him. "Please," I whisper, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. "You're killing me."

"Where do you want me?" Edward asks, putting the pads of his fingertips on my engorged nub.

"Yes," I moan. "Right there. Please."

He whispers, "So fucking beautiful." His hot breath wafts over me.

My legs shake as he slips his two fingers inside, pumping and curving them upward. It doesn't take me long to find my release, and this gorgeous man smiles smugly as I come.

"Are you ready?" Edward asks, but he has no intention of waiting for my answer.

He grabs my waist and pulls me to him swiftly. Spreading my legs, he positions himself between them and slid the tip of his penis up and down my lips. The tingles from my previous orgasm still reverberated, making it sensitive to the touch. I cried out, pleading. Edward eased in slowly until he was entirely inside me, and our bodies were flush. His mouth found mine, kissing me as his pace picked up. I grasped his shoulders as he rocked his hips, raising my legs and locking them around him at the ankles. Every time he came into me, we both moaned, and it got louder.

"Fuck!" Edward cried out as he plunged harder and faster. The sensation was building and gaining momentum. "Oh, honey."

"Yes, yes! Don't stop! Right there!" I was screaming at the top of my lungs and trailing my nails down his back. The feeling of warmth quickly overcame me. I was close; my toes curled, and my body tensed. "Oh, God! Yes, Edward!" My inner walls began to contract and spasm around him.

"Oh, shit!" He exclaims, his voice husky with desire. Sliding his hands down my body, he pulls me closer, our bodies fitting together perfectly. His mouth is sloppy against mine as he kisses and bites at my lips

I screwed my eyes shut and let the fire assault my body. "I'm coming."

Edward fights to hold on, thrusting and grunting, but he's quickly losing that battle. We kiss again, our lips tightly pressed together, and I feel him release. The tension in his body relaxes as his movements slow.

His head falls on my shoulder, and he's breathing heavily. "Damn, Bruiser."

It took a moment, but eventually, my heart returned to its normal rhythm. "That was a first for me."

"Me too." Edward sits up and kisses me sweetly on the lips. "Believe it or not," he says.

"I do find that hard to believe. Not once with Gigi or anyone else?"

Edward brushes the stray hairs from my face and gently kisses the tip of my nose. I break out into a large grin. I was so happy that I didn't even care that he had ignored my question. "Are you hungry?" he asks. "Because I'm starving."

"How about some of that chocolate cake I saw earlier?"

Two minutes later, Edward and I were digging into a large, double-layer chocolate cake while watching another movie from our past. It was Fast & Furious 6. This one we didn't see in the movie theatre together, but it was a rental we put on a Friday night when Edward stayed over. Emmett crashed out during Riddick, and it was just Edward and me. Renee told me not to bother the boys, but I never listened. What I remember most from that night was sitting on the couch with Edward and trying my hardest not to look at him every two seconds.

"Mmm," I whispered as the cake melted in my mouth. "So good."

Edward stares at me as some chocolate frosting coats my bottom lip. My tongue sweeps it away.

He groans. "Jesus, how do you make everything look so seductive?"

I shrug and play innocent, but I know exactly what I'm doing. It's not hard to get him all worked up.

I stare at him in disbelief. "How do you manage to look so good all the time?" I ask, pointing my chocolate-covered fork at him. "Never, ever once, have I seen you look less than gorgeous."

He smirks. "Never, ever."

"Never, ever! I was normal and had those awkward teen years, but you skipped over all that and went straight to hot."

"You were a cute girl, Bella. You didn't know how many losers your brother and I had to fight off."

"What! You're lying?"

"Yes, honestly. Scout's honor."

"Who?"

Edward sits back in his seat and takes a moment to think. I'm impatiently tapping my foot. Finally, he smiles. "Well, there was Mark Lancaster, his buddies, Dave and Richard, and that one British kid."

Other than Edward, that British kid was a massive crush of mine. "Jonathan Evans liked me?"

He took a piece of my cake and ate it. "Was that the British guy?"

"Yes."

"What? Did you have feelings for this guy or something?"

"I was totally into him and was heartbroken when he never asked me out."

Edward is taken aback by the sadness in my voice, and I catch a glimpse of jealousy as he narrows his green eyes. "Yeah, well. I did you a favor. That dude was a tool."

I cross my arms over my chest, a little annoyed now. "So, what did you guys do then, huh? How did you ensure they wouldn't talk to me?"

Edward, seeing my anger, became defensive. "Those guys weren't good enough for you. All we did was tell them if they even looked at you, we would pound their faces in."

His harsh tone set me off, and now I'm seething.

"Both of you had no right to interfere in my life! Do you realize the anguish you've put me through?"

Edward laughs and rolls his eyes, dismissing my grief as a crazy girl rant. "You missed out on a few dates in high school, Bruiser. I think you're overreacting."

"Just a few dates? Because of you, I might have missed out on a great sex life."

"Ew, that's disgusting, Bella."

I shrug and make no apologies. "Not that I'm saying I would have had sex with any of those guys, but it would be nice to have the option."

Edward shakes his head and pushes the cake away from him. "Do me a favor and spare me the details."

I smile, realizing that imagining me with other men isn't something Edward wants to do.

"What if those guys were meant to be my husbands?"

That catches his attention, and not in a good way. "Oh, really? Who would you have married, Bella? Mr. British Chippy or pimple-faced Dave? Solid choices there."

"My choices don't matter! You stole that right from me. What if I was supposed to marry that guy and have kids with him, huh?"

In my anger, I said something that I regretted. The British Chippy could never live up to Edward. So, I wasn't sure why I was throwing a fit, but the train had already left the station, and Edward looked wounded.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your chances at a happily-ever-after," he says.

"Well, you're lucky."

"What do you mean by "lucky?"

"While you don't have to worry about the past men in my life, I have constant reminders of the women in yours!"

Edward ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "I can't keep apologizing for that."

"I'm not asking you to, but at least acknowledge how you screwed me out of my choices."

"Fine!" he says. "I screwed you out of tools one and two."

I scoff. "Right."

I felt like such a pariah in school because none of the boys liked me; they didn't even glance my way. Oh, my God! Now, it all made sense. So, yeah, my seventh-grade dance. Edward was there as a chaperone because he had pulled a prank earlier in the year and didn't want to do in-school suspension. I was happy to see him that night, but now I think he's probably why nobody asked me to dance when JT's "Mirrors" came on.

And as I'm having this epiphany, Mr. Infuriatingly Charming and Beautiful decides to stir the pot.

Edward leans over the table and toward me. "But if I had to do it again," he says, "I would - in a fucking heartbeat. And I don't care if that upsets you."

The fire in my belly that had been simmering down is now flaring up again. My eyes glare at him as my muscles tense. "How long have you staked your claim on me, huh?"

"Just because I didn't want some loser to date you doesn't mean I wanted to date you."

God, how he acts is just like he did when we were kids! So busy and telling me what to do. What hurts me more than Edward's big-brother behavior is his admitting to only seeing me as a sister. When he told Emmett he wanted to kiss the girl he danced with, that gave me hope because that girl could have only been me. But now, he's erased that with one sentence. It's as if he's taken my heart into a vice and squeezed it until I couldn't breathe.

There's nothing more I can say, so without thinking, I pick up my slice of cake and smash it into his beautiful, smug, and stupid face.

Edward stares at me. "Did you just...?" he can't even finish the sentence.

"Hmm, mm-mmm!" The joy I feel is overwhelming, and I can't stop myself from giggling. "Sure did."

He glares as he slowly picks up a napkin and cleans off his face. "You think you're cute, don't you?"

"I'm cute enough to date, but someone tends to disagree."

"You know how this will end, don't you?"

I watch as Edward picks up his slice of cake, knowing exactly where he wanted to put it, so I jumped up and bolted.

"Oh, you can try to run, Bruiser," he calls after me in a sing-song voice.

He's right. There's nowhere to go. I come to the end of the plane in no time, and when I spin around, Edward's there. The chocolate frosting is dripping and rolling down his wrist as he holds it up, poised to throw it in my face.

"You look scared, Bruiser."

I throw my shoulders back and smile confidently. "What am I scared of? A little chocolate on my face? Puh-lease."

Edward raises his eyebrows and smiles. "I'm going to enjoy this."

When the cake hit my face, it was spongy and smelled delicious. He smeared it all over, making it look even better. I laugh at the situation and how silly it seems.

I say, "When I suggested we eat chocolate cake, I didn't have this in mind."

"Yeah, but it looks so good on you."

"You look better," I say, pulling him to my lips.

The taste of chocolate heightens everything. Edward presses against my body, trapping me between him and a flimsy wall. I can't get enough of his mouth. It's intoxicating. The kiss only deepens as my desire grows more needy. His hands are in my hair, around my neck, then my breasts.

I pull back slightly to catch a breath, but his green eyes are on me, looking deep into my soul, and I lose focus.

I say, "You hurt me."

Edward's stern face softens. The air between us is thick, suffocating. "You have to understand," he says, his voice low. "We were very protective of you, Bruiser. We knew what guys were like and didn't want anyone taking advantage of you."

"That's not what I'm referring to."

"What do you mean by that then?"

"Never mind." I bite my lip, trying not to cry, but hearing his words, "Doesn't mean I wanted to date you," is crushing me. "It's nothing."

Edward puts a finger under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. "Honey, please, tell me." My eyes are swollen, red, and a glossy mess, but no tears—yet. One word, and it's over, but he sees how wrecked I am and wants to fix it. "Whatever I said, I'm an asshole and didn't mean it."

"It's nothing," I repeat, but it's less convincing. I bite my lip even harder now, trying to keep the tears from falling, but the pressure is building, and the emotion is too strong.

"Fuck!" Edward presses his forehead to mine and whispers, "Please, tell me."

I can't hold it back anymore; the hurt and insecurity burst. "I know you've always seen me as just an annoying little sister, but it wasn't like that for me."

Edward leans back far enough to see the tears falling down my face. He wipes them away with his knuckles. "I know."

"And to say that you wouldn't have dated me back then is really crappy."

Edward chuckles softly, not in a way that makes it seem like he's making fun of me, but rather because he finds this whole situation endearing. "I was older than you, Bruiser – by four years, and back then, that's a huge gap."

"I know, but my heart doesn't seem to understand that."

"But what we meant to each other as kids has nothing to do with how I feel about you now."

"Yeah?" I ask, looking into his eyes and saying it point-blank. "How do you feel about me, Edward?"

"Honey, isn't it obvious?" he says, smiling as I shake my head. His eyes burn into mine as he touches my face tenderly and lovingly. "I'm in love with you."

AN: Awe, we all knew he loved her, didn't we?