Hold On

by MyBella

By special request ... A chance meeting due to a hacked phone leads Edward and Bella to question everything about the life they've been living and what they would be willing to give up for love.

Hold On

Specially written for Maplestyle

Bella carefully juggled the bags in her arms to free a hand to knock, but ended up giving up and kicking the door instead.

It didn't take long for it to open and Alice's giggles to fill the hallway. "You didn't!"

"Midnight Margaritas at eight-thirty is a thing," Bella said as she maneuvered around her friend and down the short hall to enter the condo's spacious kitchen. She set the bags on the island and then turned to Alice. "So does this get me the pick of the night?"

Alice chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Fine. We can watch Practical Magic for the billionth time."

"Can I point out that I never give you a hard time when you want to rewatch one of your beloved movies?"

"No, you cannot."

"Glad that's clear," Jasper joked as he wrapped Bella in a hug. "Hey, Homegirl. You ready to chillax?"

Bella huffed and pushed him away. "Still not cool, Whitlock."

He only grinned in response.

"Hey, since you are standing here," Bella said as she plucked her phone from her purse. "Can you look at this thing? It's supposed to be new but it's stupid hot to hold and the battery drains faster than a beer in your hands."

Jasper raised an eyebrow as he took the device. "Where did this come from?"

"It's a work issued phone," Bella said with a shrug.

Jasper didn't say anything but his eyebrow also didn't lower. It gave Bella a tight feeling in her stomach.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I should have asked that first."

"I never mind helping you, Bella," he assured her. His smile eased her apprehension a little. "I'll just go plug this up and see what I can find out. It's probably just a bad battery."

"Thank you."

"Welcome." He turned to Alice and gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading down the hall to their second bedroom. They'd turned it into a shared office since they both mostly worked from home.

A timer dinged and Alice squealed. "The pot roast should be ready."

"You tried pot roast?" Bella was impressed. In the last year, Alice had gone from not knowing how to make toast to cooking amazing meals. Her family had always had cooks and she wasn't allowed in the kitchen with them, so her skills had been greatly lacking. Jasper had grown up cooking with the women in his family and had encouraged her to give it a try. She'd quickly found out she had a passion for it. Now she was trying harder and harder recipes while also starting up a business based around adults who were never taught to cook. Bella thought Alice was phenomenal in all ways, and was lucky to have her as a best friend.

"And mashed potatoes and fresh rolls," Alice added as she placed the roast on the stove top.

"You are a goddess," Bella told her.

"I know," Alice replied with a giant grin and a wink.

After loading up their plates with the heavenly smelling dinner, they camped out on the couch and started up this week's movie night selection. Bella had originally planned to cancel in order to finish some research her father wanted, but Alice had wisely reminded her that not having a break from work would make her more miserable than she'd already been feeling lately. Besides, everyone deserved a night off.

They were halfway through the movie when Jasper came into the room and paused it.

"Hey!" Alice and Bella yelled out together.

"Bella, this thing," he said, angrily waiving the phone. "This came from your dad?"

That tightening in her stomach was back and worse this time. "Well, technically, Mr. Beryl, but everyone knows they're my dad's orders. Why?"

"This thing has been recording you, Bella. The app on here has been giving your father access to your texts, photos, social media, everything. I can't be certain it wasn't also running the microphone and recording everything you've said since you got it."

Bella heard the words and understood the individual meanings, but she couldn't comprehend them all together.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, almost whispering. Like if she didn't say it out loud, then maybe it wouldn't be true.

The fury in Jasper's face was answer enough. "I should drop this thing right now and smash the fuck out of it with my boot," he growled.

"Jasper, I need a favor, please," Alice told him. "I need you to put that thing on the coffee table and then go into our room. I need to talk to Bella before we decide anything."

He stood there for a while before he finally gave in and set it on the table. "It's powered off for now."

Alice waited until she heard their bedroom door close to speak. "Bella, this is serious."

She felt her head shaking but Bella didn't know if it was in denial for the whole situation or just a no to the talking thing.

"Hey," Alice said as she brushed Bella's hair from her face. "Whatever you're feeling, it's okay to let it out."

They sat in silence for a long while and then Bella pulled away and rubbed her hands over her face. She looked at the phone and then to her best friend since kindergarten, seeing a mix of worry and sorrow in her face.

"How I'm feeling … Frustrated. Angry. Betrayed."

"All of those are valid."

"I'm already doing everything he wants! The high school he wanted, the college he wants, the degree he wants, working at the company for practically free, and he has the nerve, the absolute gall to pull this?" She picked up the phone and considered throwing it against the wall for a moment before realizing she'd be wracked with guilt if she ruined the walls of the home Alice had fought so hard to build. While her parents were nowhere close to as bad as her own, they had not been kind to her when she'd brought Jasper home and told them she intended to marry him. They'd told her to pack her things and had cut her out of their lives. Thankfully she'd had her inheritance from her grandmother that they couldn't touch.

Alice took the phone from her and set it back on the table. "Are you going to ask him about it?"

Bella thought about that question for a minute before answering. "What would be the point? He would just say 'you're the heir' and think that's enough. As if those words will magically mold me into exactly what he wants.

"And he's not exactly wrong, is he?" Bella yelled, glaring at the ridiculously gaudy diamond ring on her finger. "I'm engaged to his business partner's son." She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly before admitting her biggest fear. "I'll never be allowed to have anything that's just mine."

Before Alice could say anything, Bella went off on a rant. "No, you know what, I'm done with it. With him. He can kiss all his grand plans goodbye because I am done." She glared at the cell phone sitting on the coffee table. "I should get a taxi, turn that thing back on, and go to Club Eclipse and leave it there. Let him search for me in the most notorious club in the city, wasting his time and money, the only things he actually cares about." Bella even started to stand up when Alice pulled her back down into the couch.

"Or!" Alice said. "Hear me out here. You pretend you don't know and let him believe he knows your every move. Meanwhile, you get yourself a phone he doesn't know about. I'll give you the money so it can't be traced. And we start planning your exit strategy because, Bella, you deserve your own life."

"What would be the point? He'd find some other way to control me. He always does."

"Jasper!" Alice called.

He appeared in seconds, making Bella think he hadn't stayed in the room at all. His next words confirmed it. "This is one time you can't be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand, Bella. I've got a guy in my master's classes who knows about cell phones. He can hook you up with one that you can be sure is safe."

"What does that mean?" Bella questioned. "Knows about cell phones?"

"He takes them apart and studies the hardware and software that run them for fun," Jasper replied.

"Edward?" Alice asked.

"Yeah," Jasper said with a nod.

"He's a good guy, Bella," Alice assured her. "I've met him a couple times and he's never given me any weird vibes at all."

For as long as Bella could remember, Alice could just tell if someone was a good or bad person. She called it getting a vibe, and her vibes had never steered them wrong. If she said someone could be trusted, then it was as good as a fact.

Bella blew out a breath as she made her decision. She lifted her eyes to meet Jasper's questioning gaze. "Call him."

XXXXXXXX

"Thanks for coming over," Jasper said as he led Edward through the apartment. "I know it's late and last minute."

"You caught me right at the end of my shift so it's fine," Edward assured him.

"Best Buy, right?"

"Yeah. The work is easy and the discount on tech is nice."

Jasper brought him around the corner and into the living area where they'd watched a few hockey games together on the massive television. He knew the tiny dark-haired woman sitting cross-legged on the couch—Alice, Jasper's fiancée. The angry looking brunette sitting beside her, he did not know.

"Alice, you remember Edward," Jasper said.

She gave Edward a warm smile. "Hello again, Edward. Thanks for coming over. Can I get you anything to eat or drink? I made a killer pot roast tonight."

"She's not joking," Jasper said. "It's damn good."

"Maybe later. I like to work first," Edward replied.

"So this is my friend I told you about—Bella," Jasper introduced. And then he glared at the phone sitting on the table in front of her. "And that's the piece of shit phone we need handled."

"You sure you want to let it keep spying?" Edward asked.

A "yes" came from all three of them.

"Who put it on there?" he asked. "Because if it was government or police, I can't help, as much as I would like to. I'm only in my master's program thanks to scholarships and the grace of the universe, and I can't risk it."

Bella looked at him with fire burning in her brown eyes. "It was my father and he's not special, just an asshole."

"In that case, I'm all yours." Edward felt his face redden. "What I mean is, I can set up a new phone for you without that phone knowing about it."

"That's exactly what we need," Alice said, rubbing Bella's shoulder. "You'll get to decide what he knows and what he doesn't."

"Alice, let's let them work," Jasper said, offering a hand to her. She took it and let him pull her up from the couch and they headed toward the kitchen.

Edward settled into Alice's vacated spot and opened up his backpack. He pulled out his laptop, a few cords, and a still shrink-wrapped iPhone box.

"I don't know anything about Apple stuff," Bella told him. "I've always had a Samsung."

Edward kept pulling tools out of his backpack. "As much as it pains me to say, I'm not as good at Android yet because every phone works a little differently. With Apple, I know exactly what I need to do and how to do it. And it's not as steep of a learning curve as people say."

"I'm really bad with tech. I didn't even suspect anything when that thing kept getting hot and Jasper says that's like the number one sign something is on there that shouldn't be."

Edward stopped organizing his things on the table to give her his full attention. He was surprised by how different her face looked when she was nervous versus the anger he'd seen earlier. "You'll pick it up quick. No one in a master's program has time to waste."

"How do you know I'm in one?"

"Jasper."

"Oh."

"Hey, listen. I can tell whatever this is with your father is making it hard to trust." He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his business cards. He gave them out very sparingly because he did not have the money right now to order another set. "This is my phone, my email, and my Reddit info. You can reach me anytime."

Bella squinted at him. "Dare I ask … What's a Reddit?"

Edward chuckled. "It's where nerds like me talk about computers and phones and how to make them do the things we want, whether they were initially designed that way or not."

"And that's how you know how to fix my problem?"

"The phone part of it, yeah."

"Okay," she said with a sigh. "Open that box up and teach me the Apple way."

XXXXXXXX

Bella absorbed maybe half of what Edward said, but it was not his fault.

Well, it sort of was.

After all, he was the one showing her patience and attention and acting as though every decision required her input. She had forgotten what that was like. It had been so long since her father had seen her as anything other than his heir. And her fiancé, if that's actually what Cassius was, well he just didn't really seem all that interested in her. He hadn't even proposed so much as handed her a ring and told her to pick a date. Sure it had been at a very nice restaurant, but there had been no lead up to it, no wooing, no affection of any sort really. He treated it exactly for what it was—a business decision between their two families. And according to her father and grandfather, she should be thankful they had provided her with such a fine match. She had tried to talk to her mother and grandmother about it, but they both had just said to listen to her father, that he knew what was best for her.

"Bella?"

The sound of her name pulled her out of her thoughts. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted to make a custom vibration? I really wouldn't recommend having the sound up since you're trying to keep it secret."

"I can do that? Decide how many little shakes it gives?"

He laughed, and she knew it wasn't at her, but at the way she'd asked the question. "Yes, you can decide how many vibrations and how far apart."

"Yes, let's do that."

He walked her through it and was extremely patient as she tried out a few different options until she found the one she knew would get her attention.

"Okay, that's the last of the setup items. Now, I'm going to download your data from the spy phone to my laptop through a program I have that will mask it so the phone doesn't know a download happened. Then once I have it secured on my laptop, I will upload it to your phone."

That tightness in her stomach was trying to come back, but she fought it, believing that Edward was trustworthy. "What happens to my data on your laptop?"

"Once you verify everything is on your new phone, you will press the delete key on my laptop."

She smiled, knowing about the trash bin on computers. "And then you restore it when you leave?"

"No. For one, this program doesn't leave a trace so once it's gone, it's gone. For another, I'm not that type of person. Invading someone else's privacy isn't my thing."

"No, but it sure is my father's."

"Ah yes, the asshole."

Bella found herself smiling again. "Yeah, the asshole."

"How's it coming?" Alice asked as she carried in a tray full of snacks, a margarita that had better have Bella's name on it, and one of Jasper's frozen mugs that looked to have his favorite beer inside it. "I know you said you don't like to eat while you work, but snacks don't really count. And you've got to be thirsty by now. You've been at this an hour already."

"That long?" Bella said with surprise. It hadn't felt that long to her at all. "You probably need that beer then," she told Edward.

He did this half grin, half smirk thing while looking directly at her and she felt her body flush with heat. His smile widened as if he knew how he'd affected her. "You're picking it up quicker than you realize."

"Really?"

"At least faster than the fifty-five-year-old grandpa who came in yesterday because he couldn't figure out how to watch the video his daughter sent him of his newest grandbaby."

Bella groaned while Alice giggled.

"Okay, well. Enjoy the snacks and keep up the good work." With that, Alice disappeared as quickly as she'd come into the room.

"So," Bella said as she finished the bite-size pretzel covered in full-size cheese sauce. "The download now, right?"

"Right," Edward confirmed. He grabbed one of the napkins from Alice's tray and brought it to the corner of Bella's mouth, gently running it across her cheek. She felt that explosion of heat again followed by the most random—and obviously stupid—desire to lean in and kiss his lips and find out if they were as soft as they looked.

While showing her the napkin he said, "Figured you didn't want cheese sauce on your face all night."

Her brain wanted to answer with "I'd rather have you on my face" while her mouth wisely replied with "No, not really. No."

What the hell had gotten into her? She was engaged for Steve's sake. She chuckled at that thought, remembering when Alice had decided they didn't know any good guys named Pete and had changed it to Steve instead in honor of Steve Rogers aka Captain America. What an ass on that man.

And what an ass she was making of herself tonight. She took a deep breath and focused her attention back where it should be—her snake of a father and his spying device.

XXXXXXXX

"She's off grid fully on the new phone, right?" Jasper whispered to Edward. He had explained the full situation to Edward on the phone and then asked him to do a couple extra things to protect Bella without her knowing. Normally he wouldn't agree to something like that, but in this case, he knew Jasper was truly trying to protect this woman.

"Unless someone physically takes it from her, she's safe from prying eyes. And if that happens, I'll know the second someone messes with her phone. I promise that will be the only time I look."

"I trust you, Edward. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't. Bella means the world to Alice and she's my world so I have to do everything I can to protect Bella. We're going to get her out of this mess, but it's going to take time. I need to know she's safe until then."

"If it helps, I did confirm the spy phone didn't have always-on microphone access so she's okay there."

"That is a huge help. Thank you. I owe you, Edward. Beyond the pay for your time, I owe you."

Edward grinned to hide how uncomfortable he was feeling. "Just don't forget to invite me over when the Stanley Cup finals start."

Jasper laughed and patted him on the back. "You got it, man. Oh and don't be surprised if you get a call from Alice with a dinner invite. That's her current favorite way to show appreciation—to feed people and know they're taken care of for at least one night."

"I'll be sure to say 'yes' then." Edward hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder and then shook Jasper's hand. "Gotta get going or I'll miss the last bus."

"No bus for you tonight, man. Uber is downstairs waiting for you."

"Jasper, man, you don't have to."

"Yeah, I do. You made my friend safer tonight so I have to make sure you get home safe. Besides, riding the bus sucks."

Edward grinned. "Can't argue that. Thanks, Jasper."

"Anytime." He gave Edward another pat on the back and then walked him out.

Brimming with a mix of confusion and nerves, Edward decided to take the stairs down instead of the elevator. He hoped the exercise would work off some of the edge and then he could figure out exactly what he was feeling and why. Tonight was a job just like any other and yet he felt that it had somehow changed everything.

He pushed through the door in the lobby and was met by a now familiar pair of warm brown eyes. "Bella."

"Yeah, hi," she said, her face set in its nervous stance. "I didn't realize you were leaving so soon and I didn't want you to leave without getting to say thank you. So thank you."

He grinned, happy that she was so pleased with his work. "You're welcome."

She didn't say anything else or make to leave.

"Was there something else? Not that I mind talking to you at all, but Jasper got me an Uber and I don't want it to leave without me."

"Oh!" she said as her face reddened. "Then I'll walk you out. Sorry."

"It's—"

"Sorry."

He couldn't help laughing at how flustered she seemed. "It's okay, Bella."

They walked through the lobby and out toward the waiting car in silence. As he opened the door, she finally spoke again.

"You should definitely accept Alice's dinner invite when she calls you because she will call you. And if you don't accept the first, then she'll take it as a challenge and you don't want to become an Alice Brandon project. Trust me."

"What kind of project were you?"

"Oh nothing hard," she said with a wave of her hand. Then she smiled and it was a true, full smile. The beauty of it knocked the air from his lungs. "Just become her best friend in kindergarten and never ever stop being her absolute best friend ever."

"I bet there's nothing hard about loving you." Edward immediately began kicking himself for letting those words out of his mouth and did the best damage control he knew how. He quickly told her goodnight and got into the car, shutting the door and forcing himself not to look her way.

Hours later, resting against his headboard with his hands behind his head, he stared at the blank wall in front him seeing only Bella's smile. He'd tried to erase it from his mind, to replace it with the face of his girlfriend of three years, but it was like the beauty of Bella's smile had been scorched into his brain.

He had a plan. A smart plan. Get his master's in cyber security, land a six-figure salary job, take care of his mom, and eventually marry Rebecca and have a family of his own. Nothing could get into the way of that plan. He couldn't allow it. No matter how much he'd felt seen by Bella, or how she'd actually been interested in what he was showing her, or how her smile made him feel warmth and desire and need all at once.

The guilt he was feeling left a bad taste in his mouth. Things with Rebecca weren't perfect but that didn't give him the right to be thinking about another woman. Sure she'd been distant lately, and finding more and more reasons not to spend time with him, but he had a hand in things too. He'd stopped inviting her to come by his work so they could grab dinner after, or to join him in the cafeteria for lunch on the days he actually got to take one. And he was certain her distance was meant to help him, to give him the time he needed to focus on his studies. She knew how important this program was to him.

And he knew how important she was to her brother, Jacob Black. He and Jacob had had a rocky start, squaring off over her at the start of their relationship. Jacob had felt Edward was more serious about school than his sister, which honestly was true. But after Edward had explained why, about his dad passing and leaving his mom and him with basically nothing, Jacob had understood. These days they were actually friends and Edward would hate to lose that friendship. He really didn't have any other friends right now exactly because he put school first.

Besides, even if—even if—somehow the universe opened the door to a world where Bella was interested in him, he had nothing to offer someone like her. He'd seen her fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, especially that engagement ring on her finger. It would be a few years after getting his master's degree before he got out from under his student debt and could bank the majority of his salary. A woman like her wasn't going to live in a tiny apartment with him and his mom until he could scrape together enough for the kind of house and lifestyle she was used to.

The plan—that was the smart choice.

Edward grabbed his phone and sent Rebecca a text inviting her to lunch tomorrow. He checked the alarm on his phone, set it to vibrate, and then turned the lights out. He did the breathing exercises his mom had taught him to calm his overactive mind and then drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXXXX

"He's on to me," Bella said as she barreled into Alice and Jasper's home.

"What's that now?" Alice asked, chasing after her and catching up to her in the kitchen.

"Hey, Bella," Jasper greeted with a cautious smile.

"I need your whiskey," Bella replied, speeding around the island and heading for his well-stocked bar cart under the window.

"Woah, woah, woah," he called out as he chased after her and just barely managed to get between her and the cart.

"Everything okay here?"

Bella spun at the sound of Edward's voice, her face reddening with mortification that he was here and witnessing her panic. She must look like such a loser to him, letting her father spy on her life. "Kill me!" she cried to Alice, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Just kill me, Alice. I beg of you."

"Let's take the hysterics down to a two," Jasper said as he wrapped an arm around Bella and pulled her into a side hug. "I need to see more Bella and less Alice in you."

"Hey!" Alice cried, setting her hands on her hips.

It had Jasper's intended reaction and made Bella laugh.

"There we go," he said soothingly while rubbing her arm. "Now tell us what's wrong and I promise to have a shot ready for you when you're done."

"Why don't you sit down?" Edward suggested, pointing to the couches in front of the fireplace. "Unless pacing helps you more than resting."

"Standing is okay for now," Bella said, rubbing her arm to help soothe herself. She took a deep breath, let it out, and then launched into her explanation. "My dad somehow knows that I know about the phone, and that I've been selecting what he knows."

"How could he possibly know that?" Alice asked.

"He can't," Jasper assured her.

"Then tell me why Cassius suddenly wants to talk to me and hear about my day and plan an in-person visit in a couple weeks?" Bella said, her voice rising with each word.

"He finally figured out how awesome you are and wants to make up for being an idiot." Clearly those words sounded as false to Jasper as they did to her because he was looking at the floor and not her face.

"Is that all that makes you think he knows?" Alice questioned.

"That's the biggest. But then there's this …" Bella held out the spy phone for them to see the text message history of her father's number.

Alice's face scrunched with confusion. "When did he learn to text?"

"Right!" Bella exclaimed.

"Have you changed how you're using the phone?" Edward asked.

Bella's cheeks flushed with shame. "There was one day I was really mad after he shit all over a report I worked really hard on. I left the phone at my apartment and snuck out to the Suzzallo."

Jasper chuckled. "Did you actually read anything or just stare at the windows and arches again?"

Somehow her face managed to heat up further. "Just stared."

"He doesn't know about the phone," Edward assured her.

"No?"

"You've got a bigger problem though," he said with a sigh. "He's having you followed. Probably thinks you were meeting someone there."

"That motherfucker," Jasper seethed. "That's it. Fuck the plan. You're out now, Bella. I'm going get your stuff and you're staying here."

"Hey, Jasper, man," Edward said, putting a hand on his arm. "Blowing up whatever her plan is won't help her. Not in the long run."

"Edward's right," Alice said as she wrapped her arms around Bella in support.

"So what then?" Jasper asked, running a hand through his wavy blonde hair.

Edward turned to Bella. "Does he try to monitor you when you're here?"

"No, I don't think so," she answered, looking to Alice for reassurance.

"Not that we've ever seen," she confirmed.

"Then if Alice and Jasper are agreeable to it, use this place as a conduit. Keep a set of clothes here, but not the usual kind you wear. Go for casual, almost boring. Then come over, leave the phone, and go out the back to do whatever you need or want."

"Absolutely you can do that," Alice said immediately.

"Anything you need, Bella," Jasper promised.

"Can I have my whiskey now?" Bella asked, giving Jasper a grin to show him she was as okay as she could be under the circumstances.

While Jasper headed for the bar cart, Alice headed for the kitchen and proclaimed what snacks she was going to prepare for them.

Edward moved to stand beside Bella. "So his name is Cassius, huh?"

"I know, I know," Bella groaned while covering her face with her hands. "Cassius Amato. Just the name alone is so pretentious."

"Not your choice then?"

"No. God, you must think me so pathetic."

"I think you're trapped and trying to find a way out. That's the opposite of pathetic. That's courageous."

She chanced a glance at his face and found nothing but sincerity there. "Thank you, Edward. I appreciate you seeing it that way."

"A shot for you, two for me, and one for Edward," Jasper said as he handed out glasses.

"Why do you get two? I'm the one who had a panic attack," Bella told him.

"Because between you and Alice, I'm gonna be grey in my thirties," he replied.

"That's an old myth," she assured him.

"Best not to take chances," he said with a wink.

Bella laughed and felt for the first time tonight that things might just be okay in spite of everything her father was doing.

XXXXXXXX

"What are we watching?" Bella asked as she squeezed in between Edward and Alice on the couch.

"Something, something bullies with sticks on ice," Alice answered from behind her iPad.

"Stanley Cup Playoffs. Our Seattle Kraken are up against the Toronto Maple Leafs," Edward explained while trying extremely hard not to notice every place Bella's body pressed against his.

It had been four weeks since her epic meltdown. The first week after, she'd done just as he'd suggested. She came over, changed clothes, left the phone, and headed out the back. But for the last three weeks, she'd only been changing clothes and then staying here and joining in on whatever activity Alice and Jasper had going on. So far they'd had a fierce UNO battle, a contentious game of Monopoly, a questionable game of Battleship, and a failed attempt to teach Alice and Bella to play Call of Duty.

It was fun—too much fun. And it was why Edward had only come over tonight because Jasper had been certain the ladies would not be the least interested in hockey and would go do their own thing.

"What are you working on?" Bella asked.

"Website update," Alice mumbled.

"I know what you're doing," Bella chuckled. "I was asking Edward about his master's program."

Edward chanced a glance at her face, certain this time he would not get sucked into staring at the vivid brown of her eyes.

He was wrong.

"So! What's the newest project?" she asked.

"I don't want to bore you."

"You won't. I think it's awesome that you're into technology."

Knowing he really shouldn't but unable to resist having someone seem truly interested in his work, he told her. "We have to build a program to detect and remove a virus that can hijack websites and copy keystrokes."

"That has to be so hard. Every time smart people like you build a tool to get rid of one, there's like ten more viruses that pop up just different enough to need their own tool."

He bumped his shoulder against hers while grinning. "I thought you weren't tech savvy."

She gave him her full smile in return, the one that always made his heart ache. "I wasn't, but I've been reading Reddit. Which, by the way, you should warn people about what a rabbit hole it can be. Did you know there's an entire section devoted to telling people if they're an asshole or not?"

Edward couldn't help the loud laugh that flew out of him. "I in fact did know that. Sorry I didn't warn you."

"Bella, can I make you a drink?" Jasper asked as he handed a beer to Edward.

"Not tonight," she said with a shake of her head. "I have homework when I get home."

"What's your project?" Edward asked.

"Super boring honestly. A three-year projection on potential freight increases and shipping delays due to climate change."

"That doesn't sound boring at all. Is that for specific kinds of ships?"

Her entire body tensed before she nodded her head. "My father's fleet."

Edward didn't like it when she was upset, and he couldn't just sit there and not do anything about it. "Hey, what's your favorite kind of ship?"

"What's that now?"

"You've been studying the subject for years. There's hardly no chance you don't have a favorite."

"The Jeanneau Sunfast 3200. It's big enough to live on while being small enough to solo. Um, to sail alone."

"You know how to sail?"

"In theory, yes. I've been on enough of them and even helped steer a few. But I've never gotten to try soloing. It's one of those too risky for the heir things."

"The heir?"

Bella blushed furiously and he felt bad for making her uncomfortable.

"You don't have to tell me. We can talk about something else," he offered.

"It's okay. I don't mind telling friends, and you are my friend, Edward."

For some reason, that made him the happiest he'd felt in months.

"So my family has been in shipping a really long time, like from back before the ancestors came to America long time. Well, the men in my family anyway. Until me. I'm the only grandkid and disappointed them all by being born a girl. So to make up for it, I have to be the perfect heir to their shipping empire. That's why I'm not allowed to do risky things or have a phone that doesn't spy on me. And why I have a fiancé I've only been in the same room with maybe a dozen times over a year and a half."

"That's appalling." And Edward truly was appalled at her fiancé neglecting her that way, leaving her to handle her ridiculous family all on her own.

"Yeah, I did not win the family lottery."

"I meant Cass the Ass barely making time for you."

Bella snorted and then gasped. "Christ, Edward!" she laughed. "Did you have to make me snort?"

"Permanent name change!" Jasper declared. "He is now and forever Cass the Ass."

"Seconded!" Alice cried out.

"Motion carries," Bella said through more laughter. "But honestly, Edward, it's expected. Our pending marriage is a business decision by our fathers. Cass—"

"The Ass," Jasper helpfully added.

"Thank you, Jasper," Bella said with a secret eyeroll for only Edward to see. "He's following orders the same as me."

"So if you could walk away right—"

Bella didn't even let him get the whole question out before answering. "His ring would already be in the mail to him."

Edward believed it. It had not escaped his attention that the ring was never on her finger when she was in her casual clothes.

"What about you? Are you dating?" she asked, throwing him for a loop. He had not been prepared for her to be interested in his life in any way.

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "It's complicated."

"Limbo more like it," Jasper mumbled.

Edward shot him a dirty look. He'd told him about the issues with Rebecca in confidence. He'd been hoping for insight into if he wasn't saying the right things in his texts, but instead he'd gotten an earful on how there was no relationship and it was time that Edward sat Rebecca down and formally ended things because she'd checked out months ago.

"Look, man, she's declined every get together for weeks now and still hasn't answered your texts from two days ago. Whatever she's into, it's not you."

Edward wanted to be angry with Jasper, but he couldn't for two damn good reasons. First, he was right. And second, Jasper considered Edward his friend and that man did not put up with people screwing over his friends.

"That just makes it official," Bella said with an exaggerated sigh. "You and me, Edward, we're the head members of The Losers Club. Alice probably already has matching t-shirts on the way for us."

"Too gaudy," Alice said as she tapped away on her iPad. "I went with socks instead."

Edward looked between the two women and could not for the life of him tell if they were serious or joking.

"Yeah, I know," Jasper said, giving him a commiserating smile. "It's the damndest thing when they team up against you. And yet no matter how hard you try, you can't get mad."

Bella and Alice acted as if the men weren't even in the room.

"Cashmere?" Bella questioned.

"Are you kidding? You've seen his shoes. Those massive feet would murder them in record time. Merino wool was the only way to go."

"Color?"

"Purple for my bestie, obvi. And a classic grey for our favorite nerd."

"Don't fight it," Jasper warned as he brought his beer bottle to his lips. After taking a long pull, he added, "You won't win anyway."

XXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you want to just give this to me?" Edward asked. "I can absolutely pay you."

Jasper grinned. "I should be paying you! You're helping thin out this monstrosity my beloved calls a closet."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."

"I'm honored. It's not every day a friend of mine is brilliant enough to get wined and dined by the elite of the cyber security industry."

"Dean Cullen seems to think they're going to be impressed with my antivirus program."

"They'd be fools not to be."

Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking once again to be absolute sure he hadn't missed a reply text from Rebecca. He'd texted her first thing this morning to remind her about tonight's dinner, but she had yet to respond.

"Hey, so what time does this thing start? Maybe if you're done early enough, we can get in a few episodes of Archer before you have to head home for the night."

"The invitation said promptly at six. But I'm supposed to be there by five-thirty for the networking portion. I told Rebecca she could come at six if she needed, but she can't be late this one time."

"Well, it's already three-thirty and you still gotta shower and shave. There's an Uber waiting downstairs for you."

"Jasper, man, you gotta stop doing that," Edward pleaded, knowing full well it would do no good.

Jasper clamped a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "I take care of my friends, Edward."

Edward had no choice but to smile back. "Thanks, man."

As he opened the door to leave, he was nearly bowled over by Alice and Bella.

The both of them called out to him while speeding past. "Hi, Edward. Bye, Edward."

"What was that?" he asked with a laugh.

Jasper shrugged. "You know those two. Better not to ask and risk getting pulled into their shenanigans."

True words, Edward thought as he headed for the elevator.

Two hours later, he found himself dressed in a suit made of Jasper's gifted black suit jacket, his own black pants from his job, and a fresh white dress shirt that Alice had somehow managed to sneak into the Uber that had been waiting for him. He almost felt like he belonged in this room of wealthy men who helmed billion-dollar companies.

By five-fifty, he was starting to sweat. He swore he could feel each individual drop slowly sliding down his back.

By five-fifty-five, his stomach started doing summersaults. He threw up a prayer to the universe to not let him puke at his first dinner event or it would definitely be his last.

When six o'clock came and went, and he was seated beside an empty chair, he wasn't sure how to feel. The only thing he knew for certain was that Rebecca was not coming.

At six-o-four, the door opened and Bella stepped into the room, taking him by complete surprise. She wore one of those little black dresses that women loved, and she looked astounding in it. Her hair was up in some kind of complicated hairdo and she wore makeup that made it look like her brown eyes were sparkling. With a beaming smile, she charmed the dinner guests into instantly accepting her apology for being late and her excuse of having been stuck in traffic.

He found himself pulling her chair out for her with no recollection of having ever gotten to his feet. She smiled at him before taking her seat and once she was pushed in, he settled back into his own.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

She smiled as if his question was a silly thing to ask. "My friend, who by the way totally neglected to tell me about his amazing dinner invite, was in need of a number two."

Edward knew it would be breaking a rule of dating, but he did it anyway. He took hold of Bella's hand under the table and squeezed it. Just moments ago he'd been feeling like such a fool and now he felt blessed. Having a friend who would just drop everything to show up for you, that was something amazing—he wanted to hold on to this memory forever. And maybe her hand too.

A little over two hours later, they said the last of their goodbyes and left the Dean's house. Jasper was waiting for them in a car that Edward had never seen him drive before.

"You get something new?" he asked as he helped Bella into the backseat where Alice was waiting. She was sure to have a full play-by-play of the dinner by the time they made it back to her home.

"Borrowed from a neighbor," he replied with a grin. "Had to make sure Bella could go out dressed to impress without being caught."

The pieces finally clicked into place in his mind. Alice and Bella had been in the Uber and had it stay put for him. That was how the shirt had gotten there. And when they'd pretty much ran past him, it was to get Bella ready for the dinner with hair and makeup and that amazing dress. Jasper had been asking about the time to make sure they wouldn't be late.

"Jasper," Edward said as he closed his car door.

"Look, man, I had a bad feeling is all. I hate that I was right, but not that I backed you up."

"Thank you," Edward said sincerely.

"I just made a call. Bella did all the heavy lifting."

Edward caught a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror. Her head was bowed with Alice's, the two of them speaking in whispers with the occasional giggle peppering their conversation. For a second, he let himself imagine what it would be like if she was more than his friend, if it had been her phone he'd texted that reminder to this morning. He realized he didn't have to imagine—she'd already shown him by showing up for him.

He shook his head, knowing thinking that way was absolutely breaking another rule of dating. You didn't wish for someone else when you were already with someone.

But was he? Was there anything left but space between him and Rebecca?

Alice's head suddenly appeared between the guys. "I'm throwing a grown-up party after we get back from visiting your mom and aunt. Suits and cocktail dresses are required."

"What on earth for?" Jasper asked.

"Because seeing Edward in a suit made me realize how long it's been since I've seen you in a suit and you know how much I love you in a suit, Jasper."

"Yes, Ma'am. A suit it is."

XXXXXXXX

"Mom! I'm home!" Edward called as he pulled his key from the front door of their tiny two-bedroom apartment.

He dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and his backpack on the table. "Sorry I missed dinner last night. I had to pull an all-nighter at the library for this term paper."

He flipped through the stack of mail she'd left out for him, finding nothing but junk mailers and the latest balance owed for his student loans. It was actually painful to see that number growing, but he knew it would be worth it in the end. The plan was going to make sure of that.

Edward suddenly realized his mom had never answered him. He headed down the short hall and found her bedroom door closed. "Mom?" he called as he knocked.

When he didn't get an answer, he opened the door. He could see just a little of her reddish-brown hair poking out of the blankets.

Sitting down beside her, he pulled the blanket back until he could see her face. She was mostly pale, but her cheeks were flushed red. He put the back of his hand to her forehead and found it hot with fever.

"Mom, how long have you been sick?"

"I'm okay, sweetheart."

"You are most definitely not okay. How long?"

"Oh just since after breakfast yesterday."

"Mom," he groaned. He looked around her room for any signs that she'd had either water or medicine. "What have I told you about taking care of yourself?"

"I needed to finish the tax paperwork so you can file for your FASFA on time."

"I need my mom more than I need FASFA." He headed for the kitchen and poured a couple of glasses of water that he took to her along with a box of crackers. He had not been able to find any cold medicine or soup in the cabinets.

After helping her sit up, he handed her the first glass of water and a straw. "Drink," he demanded.

"Edward, I'm tired."

"Elizabeth Masen," he said, using the stern voice he just barely remembered his dad using. "Drink."

She took a small sip and truly seemed to be too tired for more. It made his chest tighten up and he had to force himself to breathe normally.

He set the glass on her nightstand for her and pulled out his phone. He tried calling Rebecca, but was sent straight to voicemail. So he texted her that his mom was sick and couldn't be left alone, could she please bring soup and cold medicine over right away.

For the first time in a while, she texted right back. But sadly, it was to say she was in class and couldn't help him. He noticed that she didn't offer any alternate times she could help either.

He thought about Jasper but then remembered that he and Alice had gone to Toronto for the weekend to visit his mom and aunt.

That left only one option.

He looked around at his mom's bedroom, neat but small. He thought about his own room across the hall, sort of neat and smaller. There was no way he could ask her to come here. She would take one look at this place and know just how far out of her league he truly was.

But that shouldn't matter. She was engaged. There was not and could not be anything more than friendship between them, and Bella had shown time and again that she was not a friend who judged.

He looked at his mom's pale face and made his decision.

Bella picked up on the second ring. "Well if it isn't my favorite Losers Club member. You wearing your socks today?"

He shook his head at her silliness, fighting a smile she wouldn't have been able to see anyway. "I need a huge favor."

"How huge are we talking? Dead body huge? Or just a little grand theft auto?"

"Stop."

"Yes, I can do you a favor, Edward. What is it?" It did not escape his notice that she agreed even before hearing what he needed.

"My mom is really sick so I can't leave her, but she's out of cold medicine and soup. If I text you a list, could you bring some groceries over?"

"Yes, absolutely. Send me the list and your address."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't hear you texting."

"Thank you, Bella."

"No, thank you! I've been dying to meet Momma Masen after all the lovely things you've said about her."

"Please don't make me regret this."

"Already done, my friend," she said, laughing as she ended the call.

He shook his head at her silliness. And then he smiled over it. When he'd first met her, she'd been so scared and lost. But every day that she moved closer to her get away date, she became lighter and brighter.

After looking through the kitchen cabinets and texting Bella a list of necessities, he hopped in the shower. He told himself it was to wash away a night of energy drinks and literally sweating over his term paper, but deep down he knew it was for her.

It wasn't fair, not to either of them. She had a fiancé and he had no idea what the status of his own relationship was. The bigger problem was that no matter how much he told himself to erase these thoughts, it was all in vain. He had no idea how to stop feeling this way, to stop wanting to hold on to her, to protect her. So he would just have to lie, telling himself that they were only friends. He couldn't give her more than that, nor could she give him more.

He had just finished drying his own reddish-brown hair when the doorbell rang. He hurriedly yanked his t-shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of sweatpants.

He opened the door expecting to see her with a single bag in her hands, but what he found was bags hanging from each shoulder, each arm, and each hand.

"Still the one-trip grocery haul queen," she panted as she waddled into the apartment under her load.

"I want to help you, but I don't know where to start," he admitted.

"Point me toward the kitchen."

He did just that and once they were standing at the kitchen table, she instructed him on which order to use to relieve her of her grocery bags.

"Be extra careful with that first one. It has get-well-cheer-me-right-up flowers for your mom."

"Never heard of that kind of flower."

"They're my specialty. She's not allergic, right? I wouldn't want to cause her allergies to go crazy when she's already sick."

"No allergies that I know of."

"Yep, that bag next," she said as he took the one off her left arm.

"Bella, you really didn't have to do all this. Just some medicine and soup would have been fine until she was feeling better and I could go to the store."

"I know. But this way, you don't have to be gone and be worried about her the whole time. We both know you would."

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

They worked in companionable silence to put all the groceries away. Edward even managed to find a vase for the flowers Bella had purchased. It was a mix of yellow sunflowers, pink Gerber daisies, and orange mums—or so Bella said. He wasn't completely convinced she knew what she was talking about, but only because she kept changing her mind on which were the daisies and which were the mums.

"Mom?" Edward called as he knocked at her door. "My friend Bella brought you medicine and a surprise." After she said it was okay, he pushed the door fully open and let Bella go in first.

"Hi, Miss Elizabeth," Bella greeted as she carefully set the vase on the far side of the nightstand. "I'm so sorry you're not feeling well. I brought you some flowers so you at least have some sunshine in your room while you get better."

"Thank you, Bella. Oh, it's so nice to finally have a pretty face to go with the pretty name."

"Likewise. I've been wanting to meet you forever. Edward speaks so highly of you."

"He does of you as well."

"Does he really?" she asked, giving Edward a grin.

"He's told me all about how smart you are and how hard that master's program is that you're in. He's lucky to have made such good friends like you and Alice and Jasper."

"Alright, Mom, that's enough for now. Time to take some medicine because if this fever doesn't break, you're going straight to the E-R."

"Edward, we don't have—"

"Medicine, Mom." Once he was certain she had taken it all and drank at least half a glass of water, he left her to rest.

He had expected Bella to say her goodbyes and leave so he was completely surprised when she tossed herself onto the couch. "What are we watching?"

"What?"

"You need to give that medicine at least a couple hours to kick in good before you whisk your mom off to see a doctor. The only way you'll actually wait the full two hours is if you're distracted. Therefore, what are we watching?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, telling himself there was nothing to feel ashamed about and yet still feeling it anyway. "We only have DVDs."

"That cabinet there?" Bella asked, pointing to the doors of the television stand.

"Yeah."

She hopped off the couch and went to the stand, sitting cross-legged in front of it. "Come. Sit. Browse," she said, patting the patch of carpet next to her.

He joined her and they spent the next twenty minutes with her ranking the movies from one to five stars and him arguing over why most of her scores were wrong. In the end, the only movie they could agree on was Top Gun.

He sat on one end of the couch and Bella stretched out on the other, tossing her monogramed purple sock clad feet on his thigh. The little LC in gold thread never failed to make him smile. He would never admit it, but he wore his grey ones as often as he could—they truly were the most comfortable pair of socks he'd ever owned.

"So is this a new kind of fashion statement?" she asked, waving her hand at his torso.

Honestly confused, he said, "It's a basic white t-shirt as far as I know."

"Then why's it on inside out and backwards?"

He looked down to find that she was right. "Okay, yeah, it's a fashion statement."

Bella just sat there grinning until he couldn't take it anymore. He leaned forward, careful not to squish her feet, and yanked the shirt off. Once he'd flipped it right-side out, he made sure it was turned the right direction and slipped it back over his head.

"Happy?" he asked her.

"Very." Her clearly unplanned response had them both blushing and quickly looking away to the television.

Now that the adrenaline spike over his mom being so sick was fading, Edward was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

"Hey," Bella said while nudging his leg with her toes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he answered through a yawn. "Pulled an all-nighter for a paper and it's trying to catch up with me."

"Then take a nap."

"Not until I know my mom's fever is broken. Besides, it's rude to fall asleep on a guest."

"But I'm way better than a guest. I'm a friend. You can totally fall asleep on a friend. Watch." She sat up and wrapped her hands around his arm and tugged until he let her pull him down so that he was the one stretched out on the couch with his head on a pillow in her lap.

"Bella."

"Ssh. Sleep," she said, running her fingers through his hair. It reminded him of being little and his mom being in the bed with him reading to him. She'd run her fingers through his hair just like this. He'd forgotten how nice it felt.

When he woke up, it was to the sound of muffled female laughter. He just listened and smiled, having missed that sound in this past year.

And then he realized that was Bella with his mom and shot straight up. He picked his phone up from the table, half hoping there would be a text from Rebecca.

There were no new messages.

He stood and stretched and yawned loudly, making sure Bella and his mom knew he was awake. Then he headed into his mom's room.

She was sitting up against her headboard with Bella holding her phone where they could both see it. Her color was much better and her cheeks were not nearly as red. It eased the tightness in his chest considerably.

"Edward, Bella is showing me the Reddit," his mom proudly shared. "You have a lot of awards for your posts. Bella says that's because your answers are right."

He shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes people just have awards they want to give away. You hungry? I can make you some soup and a grilled cheese."

"You can't pass that offer up, Miss Elizabeth," Bella encouraged. "In fact, I'd like soup and a grilled cheese too. If it's not a bother, Edward."

Elizabeth looked between her son and the young woman beside her, and then she smiled. "Well if Bella wants to have dinner with us, then I'll try to eat."

Edward had the feeling that he had just been played but he didn't know how or by whom. He decided to take the advice Jasper was always giving him and not fight it. "Okay, dinner for three coming up."

He headed into the kitchen and was in the middle of setting out ingredients when Bella came in. "Hey."

"Figured since I practically invited myself to dinner, I should help make it."

"You've done enough," he promised. "But I wouldn't mind company while I cook."

"I can do company," she said as she pulled herself up to sit on the end of the kitchen counter.

It suddenly dawned on him how long she had been here. "Where does your father think you are?"

"Alice's."

"He doesn't know she's gone?"

"Nope. And when he finds out, I'll just tell him I was house-sitting her plants."

"Think he'll believe that?"

She shrugged. "He knows I hate the family condo." She must have seen the question in his eyes because she said, "It's sterile and cold and no amount of windows has ever made it have any warmth. It's why I spend so much time at Alice's. Thankfully Jasper never seems to mind."

"He loves you as if you were his baby sister."

Bella's smile was the full beaming one. "I love him too. He's so great for Alice."

"Thanks again for helping me. I know it's not easy to go through all that hassle just to keep your privacy."

"You're worth it." Looking at the sincerity in her eyes, he was helplessly aware of how desperately he wanted to hold her in that moment.

XXXXXXXX

Bella didn't know it, but she was fulfilling a desire Edward had had in the kitchen of his apartment a couple weeks ago when she'd brought him and his mom groceries. She was in his arms and being held so close and tenderly as they danced together in Alice's home.

It didn't mean anything. It was just a dance. A dance at a grown-up dinner party with friends. Just two friends dancing. Dancing close. Dancing so close she knew the rhythm of his heartbeat. And knew she'd be changing the custom vibration on her phone later when she was alone and obsessing over this night with him.

He somehow looked even more amazing in his suit tonight that he had at the dinner at Dean Cullen's house. Maybe it was because he looked happier tonight. Or maybe she was just making something out of nothing as she had been prone to doing lately. She had been trying, really trying, but she couldn't figure out how to stop feeling this way. She had always hoped to find someone patient and kind and smart and funny, and when she did, that someone was already someone else's.

She probably technically was as well, but she had zero intentions of ever going through with the wedding. She wouldn't even let Cass the Ass announce that they were engaged yet. No matter how he pressured her, she just kept telling him she needed to focus on school for now or her father would be angry with them both. Maybe a lie or maybe not, but it worked and that was the important part.

As the song ended, Bella reluctantly pulled away. She kept her head down, not wanting Edward to read anything in her face, and pretended to smooth out imaginary wrinkles in the gorgeous green dress Alice had helped her pick out—a shade that nearly matched Edward's eyes. The top was a strapless sweetheart neckline and the bottom flared out and ended mid-thigh. There was beading all over to give it just a little bit of sparkle. She felt so amazing in it that she almost wished she had a reason to wear it in public.

Bella suddenly found her hand in Alice's as she was tugged away. "Come help me with my dress, Bella." Alice's dress was a stunning pale peach with a lace bodice and a flowy skirt that stopped a couple inches above her knees. Seeing it from the back like this, Bella couldn't find anything that needed fixing.

After closing the bedroom door, Alice leaned up against it and instantly made Bella suspicious. "What are you doing, bestie?" Bella asked, almost singing the words to her.

"Saving you from yourself."

"What's that now?"

"Tell him."

Bella sighed and plopped down onto the end of Alice's bed. "I can't, Alice. I can't give him what he deserves."

"What do you mean?"

Bella shook her head, fighting the tears pooling in her eyes. "What kind of life would that be for him? Always having to see me here in secret. Never being able to take me on a date or even just be seen in public with me. I can't do that to him. Maybe when I'm finally free of my father, maybe then." She swiped at an escaped tear while both sniffling and laughing. "And it doesn't even matter. He's someone else's someone."

"He's not," Alice confided. "Not anymore."

Bella's head jerked up and she searched Alice's face to make sure it was the truth. Not that she doubted her best friend at all, but she just wanted it to be true so badly.

"He's really not," Alice assured her. "I kind of accidentally on purpose overheard him and Jasper one night last week. And before you judge, there were mitigating circumstances to my nosiness."

Bella couldn't help grinning. "Like what?"

"Like Edward, our always stone cold sober favorite nerd, was absolutely knackered in my living room," she declared, pointing off toward said room.

"No," Bella gasped. "Really?"

Alice nodded. "He was beyond three sheets to the wind. He was a whole pirate ship full of sails and cursing like a pirate too."

"What did he say?"

"Most of it I didn't catch because he was either mumbling or slurring, but the gist of it seemed to be that he feels he's too awkward in relationships and that he didn't do enough to make her feel like a girlfriend."

Bella's cheeks reddened with anger. "That's total bullshit."

"Right!" Alice cried. "But don't worry because my Jasper totally set him straight. Told him that he did the best he could and if it wasn't enough then Rebecca should have told him that to his face instead of basically ghosting him. And he reminded Edward that college relationships are hard for lots of reasons, and they can just fizzle out without it being anybody's fault. Growing apart isn't some kind of personal failure."

"Did he believe Jasper?"

"I think so. Honestly, I think misplaced guilt is Edward's biggest issue."

"Guilt for what?"

Alice fixed her dark eyes on Bella's face and said a thousand things with just that look.

"Oh," Bella whispered. As much as she wanted to believe it, she was equally afraid of it being true for all the reasons she'd told Alice earlier. "Did he—" She cut herself off by biting her lower lip.

"No, but we could tell from the laundry list of praises he gave you. My personal favorite, minus the colorful cursing he used, was 'Bella is a homegirl, Jasper. Like a real cool one.' I almost gave myself away with how loud I snorted."

"Oh no! Oh, Edward," Bella said through her giggles. "Did he remember in the morning?"

Alice shrugged. "He was gone when I got up and I was not going to admit to Jasper that I'd been listening in."

Bella snorted. "You just didn't want the privacy lecture again."

"I don't have bad intentions or anything."

"I know, Alice, but people like privacy. It's a thing."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Alice walked over and sat down beside Bella. "So what if it has to be in secret for a while, huh? You know that my home is always your home, Bella. Would it really be worth missing out on time together just to do it in what society considers the right way?"

Bella thought about that question all night and the next day and the one after that. She was thinking about it again at almost midnight when Edward sat down beside her on Alice's couch.

"What are we watching?" he asked.

She glanced at her watch, saw the time, and started to panic. "It's so late. What are you doing here? I mean, not that you can't be here or that I don't want you to be. I just know how important your program is."

He gave her a smile as he wrapped his warm hand around hers. "My class is canceled tomorrow, I'm not on the schedule for work, and my mom is perfectly healthy, so I thought why not go hang out with my friend."

She let out a sigh of relief and then set her head on his shoulder. "Then we're watching a show where they redesign houses without doing any major demolition that would require a permit."

"Interesting concept."

"It requires no higher brain functions to watch it. It's perfect."

They watched a couple episodes in comfortable silence but as the third one started to play, Edward grabbed the remote and muted the sound.

"You going to tell me what's bothering you, friend?" he asked.

Bella's heart shifted from almost asleep speed to run for your life speed. "What makes you think I'm bothered?"

"Might be the distracted look on your face. Might be that you let Alice have free reign in planning a spa day for you two. Or it just might be that you have barely moved from this spot in two days and you are still wearing the same sweats you changed into after the party."

Bella looked down at herself and was surprised to see he was right. "Do I smell?"

Edward winced. "A little."

She groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Hey," he called, pulling her hands away. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"That I need to go take a shower and change clothes."

"And?"

"I am probably going to get an earful from my father for not working the past two days. Oh, and I definitely didn't remember to water that Ficus at the family condo so that things probably dead."

"All good things to be concerned with," he said with a nod. "Now tell me the real one."

A small part of her wanted to tell him, to tell him every thought and feeling that had grown inside of her from the moment they'd met that long ago night. But the bigger part of her wanted to shelter him from the crazy of her life.

Edward pulled off his shoes and set his sock covered feet beside hers on the coffee table. He was wearing his grey socks with the little gold LC embroidered on them—a match to the purple ones currently on her feet.

"As founding members of The Losers Club, we owe each other the truth, Bella."

"Christ, Edward," she groaned. "Why do you have to be so fucking adorable?" She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened.

"Adorable? You find me adorable?"

"No. Well, sort of." She twisted in her seat, pulling one leg under her. "Listen, I find you a lot of things, Edward. But …"

"If all this is because you heard what I said to Jasper, you don't need to be worried. I know there's never going to be anything more than friendship between us and I'm okay with that."

She heard the lie as much as she saw it in the way his eyes drifted from hers to stare at her lips. All the reasons she had given Alice had been valid, were still valid really, and yet they were worthless up against what her heart longed for. "What if I'm not okay with that?"

"What's that now?"

She grinned, wondering if he even realized he'd absorbed her and Alice's phrase into his everyday speech. "What if I'm not okay with that? What if I want things to be different? What if the way I feel about you makes me want to be true to myself for once in my life, regardless of consequences? What if the kind of someone I want in my life is patient and kind and smart and funny." She pressed her palm to his cheek. "What if you're my someone?"

A question she'd had in the back of her mind for months was answered fully and then some. His lips were soft and demanding and perfect. His kiss made her feel warmth and desire and need all at once. For the first time ever she would actually consider herself giddy with happiness.

Their foreheads rested against each other as they struggled to calm their breathing.

Bella broke the silence with a nervously whispered questioned. "If I promise to go shower and change clothes, will you stay the night?"

"Are you sure Jasper and Alice won't mind?"

"They won't. But we can sleep on the separate couches by the fireplace if that makes you more comfortable."

"How would that possibly be more satisfying than holding on to you all night?"

Her smile filled her face and her heart ached with happiness. "Does this mean we have to disband The Losers Club and give up our socks?"

"We let go of the club, but we hold on to the socks."

"You're so smart." She kissed him again because resisting the urge sounded incredibly stupid, and then she forced herself to get up and go shower and change.

When she came back into the living room freshly showered and dressed, she found him stretched out on the couch and already half asleep. She snuggled into him and he covered them with the throw from the back of the couch.

"What happens now?" she whispered, torn between fearful of the answer and hopeful.

He took in a deep breath while running his hand through her hair. "I figure my plan is a bust and yours likely is too. So we make a new plan together."

"We're breaking all the rules now, aren't we?"

"I want to feel bad about that, but I don't."

"What do you think the first step of our plan should be?"

"Whatever you want it to be, Bella. You've been trapped in other people's expectations for too long, and you deserve to have what you want."

"And you've been working your butt off to put your mom and school before yourself for a really long time so you deserve to have what you want too."

"Ladies first," he countered.

She smiled at him while caressing his cheek with her finger. "Kiss me and then never let me go."

XXXXXXXX

"Do you have to go?" Alice practically whined, as if she was the one being forced to make an appearance at the Swan estate.

"Considering he's not given me any grief about how much more time I've been spending here at your home, I think I do," Bella answered. What she didn't say was that she'd attend all the dinners it took to continue sheltering Edward from her father's ridiculousness. "Besides, it's just a dinner. How awful could it really be?"

"Can we at least drive you out there?" Jasper offered.

Bella frowned at the spy phone sitting on the kitchen island. "He's already sent a car to pick me up. I think he's worried I wouldn't show up otherwise."

"I don't like this," Alice said as she leaned into Jasper. "I have a bad vibe, Bella. Can't you just text him that you're sick?"

Bella quoted one of her father's beliefs. "A Swan shows up rain or shine, sick or healthy. We have a duty to fulfill."

"If you're not back by eleven, we're coming to get you," Jasper promised.

Bella kissed his cheek in thanks, gave Alice a huge hug, and then headed for the elevators.

On the ride down, she thought about the past month with Edward. He texted her every morning and every night just to say he was thinking about her. Even if he'd just left from Alice's, as soon as he got home, he texted her. When they were together, he was always at her side, always touching her in some way, letting her know he was there for her—he was hers. And the kissing! Jesus H Roosevelt Christ, she loved the kissing. Whenever he took her into his arms and kissed her, she felt free.

As the lobby doors opened, she wiped the smile from her face, stood up as straight as she could, and marched toward the waiting car. She never for knew for sure who reported her life back to her father, so it was best to never trust anyone who worked for him.

The Swan family estate on Mercer Island had a waterfront view only partially blocked by her father's prized yacht. The house had five enormous bedrooms, and a ridiculous eleven bathrooms. It had a private bar area, a billiards room, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a private theater, a wine room, a sunroom, a gym, a racquetball court, an outdoor tennis court, and of course a massive office for her father. It also had a vast dining area that easily doubled as a ballroom. Even when it was just the five of them, they had dinner in that immense space.

As the car made its way up the drive, Bella spotted unfamiliar vehicles and valet staff. Her stomach tightened and sweat beaded along her hairline. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

Except he would. If her father thought it was best, he absolutely would.

This was not a family dinner. This was a message to her and to everyone else he felt should know it.

She thought about trying to sneak her secret phone out and text the group chat, but she eventually decided against it. She didn't actually know anything yet and more importantly, she wasn't sure she could get it out of her dress slacks without the driver noticing. Once she was sure of what was going on, she'd excuse herself to the restroom to freshen up. In her father's house that was one of the few acceptable reasons to leave while there were guests.

"Bella, Darling," her mother greeted with air kisses toward each of her cheeks. "Isn't this a wonderful event your father has put together for you."

"For me?" she asked, trying to mask how unbelievably shocked she was by the opulence of the decorations she could see from the front entryway.

Her father was suddenly right at her side, gripping her elbow and leading her further into the house. "It's time we announce the happy news to the world, don't you think?"

She kept her mouth shut. The news could be anything. She was promoted. She was fired. She was being disowned—although, that had an appeal to it that it probably shouldn't have.

"Cassius, I've brought you your bride-to-be," he announced, maneuvering her to stand beside her pretend fiancé.

For anyone else, Cassius was a gorgeous man with tan skin, dark hair, a fit physique, and dark eyes that felt like a weight when they landed on you. The accent didn't hurt either. But for Bella, he was an inconvenience.

"Now that our family is all here, we can announce the engagement over dinner," her father stated. "Perhaps also the wedding date. Bella, what do you think?"

She plastered a smile on her face and did her best to hide how much she was panicking on the inside. "I think I need just a moment to freshen up. I ran from school to the office and back home to change."

Her father's piercing gaze kept her from moving. "Don't you mean Alice's home?"

"Of course, Sir," she agreed, holding tight to her smile. "I'll just be a minute."

"See that you are. The Amato's have traveled far to be here with you today."

Still smiling, she nodded to show she understood and then rushed across the house to the closest guest bathroom. After checking twice to make absolutely sure the door was locked, she closed herself inside the toilet closet.

As soon as she heard the call pick up on Alice's end, she started talking, not knowing how long she really had. "It was a setup. It's an engagement party. You have to come get me right now. I—" The knock on the bathroom door scared her enough that she dropped the phone.

She quickly picked it up, hoping someone was still on the other line. "Send two texts in a row when you get here and I'll find a way outside." She knew that no matter how panicked she might be feeling by the time they got here, she would recognize Edward's heartbeat coming from her secret phone.

She quickly hung up, carefully hid the phone in her slacks, and then opened the door to make sure the toilet flushing would be heard. She turned the water on in the sink and let it run for a bit, hoping it would mask the sound of the cabinet door being opened. She pulled out the spy phone and hid it between layers of towels. She would never again carry that monstrosity.

After turning off the water and mussing up the towel beside the sink, she forced a smile onto her face and opened the door as if she had not heard the earlier knock. "Oh! Cassius!" she said, forcing a laugh. "You scared me."

"Your father said I should check on you." He did not look concerned in the least. Honestly, he looked about as happy to be here as she felt.

"I just wasn't expecting a party. He told me it was a dinner."

"It is both."

"Yes, of course. Shall we join everyone?"

"You are not wearing your ring. Have you misplaced it?"

"Nope, no," she said, quickly pulling it from a pocket and sliding it onto her finger. "I had to wash my hands and just forgot to put it back on. It's there now. See?" She held her hand out for inspection but before she could pull it back, he grabbed it and held tight, leading her back into the crowded dining area.

She tried to sit on one of the random cushions placed throughout the room, but Cassius insisted they sit beside his father. Caius Amato had never said or done anything to make her uncomfortable and yet her skin crawled every time she was near him. She assumed Cassius had gotten his features from his mother because his father was blonde-haired and pale skinned. Having that thought made her wonder exactly where Cassius' mother was if this was meant to be a family affair.

"Was your mother not able to join us?" Bella asked, hoping she sounded casual.

"She does not agree with this engagement, therefore, she was not allowed to travel with us." Cassius said it as if it was nothing, as if it sounded perfectly sane to just order a family member around like that.

And he wasn't wrong. Wasn't she here because her father had ordered it? And why in the world was she going along with it when she hated everything about it? When she had something—someone—waiting for her back in the city who made her truly happy?

"Excuse me," she said, smiling politely as she stood. "I need to speak with my father."

Bella made her way through the crowd and sidled up to her father. She waited patiently to be acknowledged, figuring she could be obedient for a few more minutes since this would be the final night it ever happened.

It was nearly ten minutes before her father finally looked at her. "What is it, Bella?"

"Can we speak in private, Sir?"

"What would we have to discuss that required privacy?"

"My future."

"Your future is already decided."

"No, Sir. That's your idea of my future. I want to discuss the actual one I will have."

He blinked and the lines around his eyes deepened, as if he was only just now realizing she was an actual person who might have her own thoughts and desires. "You are the heir. There is only one future."

"I am not an heir," she said, her voice rising despite her attempts to stop it. "I am a person."

"Lower your voice and drop that tone," he commanded.

"I asked for this conversation in private," she reminded him.

"What is it that you find so unappealing about your life? The houses, the cars, the money?"

"For starters, having every second of my life monitored by your phone and your employees."

He almost smiled. "I suspected you had finally noticed that. Once you're married, there will be no need for me to watch over you. Cassius will handle it."

"No, he will not because there's not going to be a marriage."

Her father roughly dug his fingers into her elbow and pulled her toward the corner of the room. "I'm not sure who you think you're talking to, young lady, but—"

"I am talking to the man who was supposed to be my father who cared about me but instead has only ever been a tyrant. I am not an employee for you to order around."

"You are what I say you are, when I say it."

"BELLA!" The booming roar of her name silenced the room.

"Edward," Bella gasped. She said his name again, this time yelling it as she yanked her arm free of her father's grip and started running toward him.

Cass the Ass tried to grab her, but she shoved him away. She stood still only long enough to rip his ring from her finger and throw it at him.

"You should be your own man," she told him. "We should both be our own people."

"Isabella," her father bellowed behind her, sounding far too close for her comfort. She started running again and within seconds was within Edward's protective embrace.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Why is your eye red and puffy?" she questioned.

His lips pulled into a smirk. "The guard didn't want to let me in. We agreed to disagree."

"Young man, I don't know who you think you are, but you had better take your hands off my daughter," her father demanded.

Edward stiffened against her but did not ease his hold on her in the slightest. "I'm Edward Masen. Who are you?"

Her father's face reddened, taking the question as an insult. "I am Charles Swan, and this is my home that you've barged into."

"So you're the asshole."

"I beg your pardon."

"It's Bella's pardon you should beg. Did you honestly think spying on your own daughter was a good idea?"

"You're certainly proof she can't make good choices on her own."

"You don't know me."

To Bella's great shock and horror, her father started reciting facts about Edward. "Edward Masen Junior, aged 26, born June 20, 1988. Father Edward Masen Senior, former warehouse supervisor who died of an aneurysm on the factory floor. Mother Elizabeth Dawson Masen widowed at thirty-eight and left with a fourteen-year-old son and no money. She was forced to move you to the city to find work. She does odd jobs while you work retail at a Best Buy. You live together in a miniscule two-bedroom apartment that eats up most of your combined take home pay. The only slightly redeeming quality about you is your work ethic as evidenced by your advanced courses in your master's program."

"The sum of a man is not in words but in deeds."

"Meaning?"

"In seven months, I have shown your daughter more compassion, understanding, support, and love than you have in her entire life. Your opinion of me is meaningless."

Her father turned his enraged stare on her. "If you leave with him, you do not ever come back. You will no longer be a member of this household or this family."

The last shred of hope for a relationship with her father snapped in her heart and her eyes filled with tears. "So you would rather never see me again than see me happy?"

"You know my demands, Isabella. You can meet them, or you can leave."

Bella turned her head to look at Edward, to see his green eyes and the love she knew would be shining in them. "I know the next step in our plan."

"What's that now?"

She gave him the best smile she could muster with a broken heart. "Take me home."

XXXXXXXX

Edward nervously rubbed the key in his hand as he fixed his attention on Bella's face. "Would you be okay waiting in my room while I talk to my mom?"

"If that's the support you need from me, then yes. But if you'd rather me at your side the way you were for me earlier, then I'll do that."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I'm kind of nervous. I can't remember ever asking my mom for anything major before. Not that I think she'll have an issue or anything like that."

Bella shrugged as if she wasn't the least bit worried about anything. "It's just new waters for you. And like I said, I'll do whatever supports you."

"Would it completely ruin my image with you if I asked you to hold my hand?"

She laughed as she reached over and grabbed his hand tightly. "You ruined it oh so long ago when you outed yourself as a nerd, my friend."

The weight on his chest instantly eased and he wrapped her up in a thankful hug.

The front door opened on its own and Edward lifted his head to find his mom smiling at him—at them. "You two planning to come inside at some point?" she asked.

"Yes. Right now in fact," Bella answered, using her grip on Edward's hand to tug him along with her. Not that she had to try very hard—he'd follow her anywhere.

He'd been surprised the home she'd meant was his own little apartment and not Alice's much bigger home. He had been further surprised when Alice and Jasper had been perfectly okay with dropping them off here and letting her out of their sight. It showed him just how much their friends trusted him to protect her.

"Are you two hungry? I thought I might put a pizza in the oven," his mom offered.

"Pizza sounds wonderful, Miss Elizabeth," Bella replied. "Can I do anything to help?"

His mom closed the freezer door and set her eyes on him. "You can tell my son to stop being afraid to ask me whatever he needs to ask me."

"I'm not afraid," he argued. "I just … don't know what you're going to think."

"So ask me and we'll find out together," she suggested.

Edward blew out a breath and then spoke. "Would you be okay with Bella moving in with us? She'd take my room and I'd take the couch. It'll take a little time to help her find a job so she can chip in for things, but I can work some doubles in the meantime to make up for it."

His mother's response was so far away from anything he'd been imagining that it took him several seconds to process it fully. "Why would you not just share your room? It's not the nineteen-hundreds, son. I'm a modern mom. Just remember how thin the walls are, is all I ask. And no, you will not work more shifts. You work too much as it is. If we get to where we need it, I can tack on a few extra jobs here and there."

Bella chuckled beside him. "Miss Elizabeth, can I just say that I absolutely adore you?"

His mom replied while opening the pizza and setting it on the tray, as if all of this was perfectly normal and nothing new at all. "Anytime you like. You already know I adore the way you look after my son."

His brain snagged on those words, 'you already know'. Sure, Bella had mentioned that she sometimes texted with his mom about flowers, but he'd never imagined they might be texting about him. Jasper had warned him that everyone could see there was something between them except for him and Bella. He should have listened to him.

Bella gave Edward's hand a squeeze and he looked down to find her full smile gracing her beautiful face. "It's all going to be okay. Our plan is already working, and we don't even have it all figured out yet."

His mom spoke and he looked up to find her leaning against the fridge and smiling at him. "Plans are good for school and computers, but real life is an ever-changing world inside of a universe that couldn't care less how great of a plan you have. Better to take it day by day and only hold on to the memories."

"What if we really, really like plans?" Bella asked.

His mom laughed. "Then I guess try for having the best of both. A good plan and a flexible attitude."

XXXXXXXX

"Your bed is more comfortable than it looks," Bella said in a soft voice, conscious that his mom was still awake.

Edward was leaning against the headboard and yawning wide. "That's the twenty-one-dollar-and-ninety-eight-cent foam mattress topper from Target. I got tired of my back hurting and splurged."

"You're so smart." She pulled in and let out a breath, and then shared her biggest worry. "He'll have locked me out completely. Condo, bank, office, everything."

"He's too late for that."

Bella repositioned herself until she was sitting in his lap facing him. His eyes were tender, but his jaw was so tight she worried it might hurt him. "Hey," she said as she caressed his cheek. "I'm okay. And even better, I'm here with you."

He gently held her arm and turned it, revealing the fingerprint bruises around her elbow. "I should have punched him."

"Then I'd be struggling to bail you out from under the jail. Besides, we embarrassed him in front of everyone he knows. That will hurt him a lot more and for way longer than any single punch."

Edward didn't look convinced.

Her fingers tangled in the hem of his shirt and tugged lightly. "What did you mean by he's too late?"

Absolute fire burned in his emerald eyes. "I wasn't going to let him destroy you or use those things as a way to force you back to him."

"What's that now?"

"Computer Science is a branch of my studies, but my master's program is in Cyber Security. That night I setup your iPhone with you, I put a failsafe into it. If anyone tried to tamper with it, if your father ever crossed the line with you, then one push of a button would activate a series of actions to protect you.

"The minute you called Alice, I pressed that button. Your bank account was transferred to a secure account in the Caymans. Any autopays you had setup now pull from it. Your keycard for the condo became a master key which Jasper and Alice used earlier tonight to get all of your belongings out. Every password to every service you've ever signed up for was changed. Your school records, especially the financial ones, were locked down so that only the Dean of your college has access. He received an email shortly after explaining the situation. And that fucking spy phone, a virus activated on it to wipe it so hard it will never be recoverable.

"Maybe it was wrong to follow Jasper's lead and keep it from you, I'm not sure. You were so reluctant to trust anyone or anything that night. But I don't regret putting in that failsafe and I damn sure don't regret pressing that button tonight."

Bella rubbed at her temples, trying to fully digest and understand what he'd just told her. He'd kept something pretty major from her, sure, but it hadn't been to control her in any way. In fact, if he'd really done everything he'd just said, then he'd given her true freedom. Yes, she would still have to get a job to finish paying for school and living expenses, but she wasn't going to have to worry about where her next meal was coming from right this second. And she could absolutely burn that stupid pants suit now that she knew it wasn't the only clothing she owned outside of the casual outfits kept at Alice's home. Still, he had kept things from her and that made her sad for reasons she couldn't explain to herself.

"Bella," he said softly as he ran his fingertips along her arm. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I get why you did it, and I appreciate that you and Jasper were thinking ahead like that. I even get why you didn't tell me about it. But why weren't you honest about your master's?"

"Because if I had told you I was in Cyber Security, that I could turn any phone into a spy phone, you would not have let me help you that night."

"Right, but after that. You could have told me that night at Dean Cullen's house."

He smiled and traced her jawline with his fingertip. "I had so many other things I wanted to say to you that it honestly never occurred to me that should be one of them."

"You did?"

"You don't know, do you?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Know what?"

"That I've been in love with you for nearly as long as I've known you."

"It wasn't love at first sight?" she teased. "So what sealed the deal then?"

"When you walked me to the car and smiled for the first time. You looked so beautiful that for a moment I couldn't breathe."

"You're making that up," she accused, laughing nervously.

"I'm not," he promised. "I came home that night and spent most of it looking at that wall behind you but seeing your smile instead. You changed my whole world that night, Bella."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

His green eyes darkened slightly. "You know why."

She sighed as she admitted the truth. "Because we both belonged to other people and weren't doing anything to change that."

His hands slid under her shirt and ran across her lower back. "What about you? When did you know?"

"The night you first kissed me."

He snorted. "Liar."

"Yeah, okay," she admitted with a smile. "It was slightly earlier than that."

"Like how early?"

"It was the second or third night you came over after work and you brought me donuts. I still don't know how you found out I was craving them. But I knew that shop wasn't anywhere near your job or on the route to Alice's, and that you'd taken an extra bus to make it possible. I wished so hard that night that somehow things could change, and you could be my someone."

He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. "I'm your someone, Bella." He pressed a kiss to the other corner. "I'm going to kiss you every single day and never let you go." His lips brushed over hers. "I love you." His promise was followed by a sweltering kiss that made her face and chest flush from heat and need.

When he finally let her come up for air, she made him a promise in return. "I love you, Edward." Her fingers once again gripped the hem of his shirt and he let her pull it over his arms and head. She did the same to her own shirt, one she'd borrowed from his dresser.

"Fuck you're beautiful," he whispered, his fingers slightly shaking as he caressed the sides of her breasts.

She whispered her love for him against his lips and then kissed him fully.

Every few kisses, another article of clothing would disappear until the only thing between them was air, and not even much of that either. Edward kissed and licked and nibbled until she swore she couldn't take another second of it, and then eased himself inside of her.

"You okay?" he panted beside her ear.

"You're a little big." She realized how that could be taken wrong and quickly added, "But that's good. Just, I need a minute to adjust. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you just … I might not last long this first time. It's been a while so …"

"Me too," she said, wanting him to know she had never shared this with The Ass without actually bringing up his name. After a few more deep breaths, the tension finally released its hold on her. "Okay, you can move now."

He pushed in and almost immediately stopped. "Nope, no. That's not going—we gotta flip. You need to be on top if you want any chance of this lasting more than two seconds."

She giggled as she agreed.

They ended up back in their original positions, with him leaning against the headboard and her on his lap. She watched his face as she sank down on him, feeling empowered by the way his eyes rolled back and a groan vibrated through his chest. They found a rhythm that worked for both of them, and Bella liked how much easier this position was for kissing his lips and running her hands through his hair.

"Are you close? Please tell me you're close," he all but begged.

"Almost," she managed to breathe out in reply.

His thumb found just the right spot and rubbed delicious circles that sent sparks shooting through her. Her almost quickly turned into a right now that had her grabbing his shoulders to stay upright as waves of pleasure shook her body with their force.

"Christ, Bella," Edward panted as he hugged her tightly. "I think my heart stopped for a second."

She chuckled as she pressed a kiss under his ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too. So much."

XXXXXXXX

"So," Alice drawled as Bella and Edward joined her and Jasper at their dinner table.

Jasper chuckled. "Alice, beloved, let our guests sit down before you interrogate them."

"Sorry, I'm just absolutely dying to know how last night went. Was Momma Masen cool with everything?"

Bella smiled. "Yeah, Miss Elizabeth is great."

"You seem pretty great yourself, bestie," Alice teased, reaching across the table and giving Bella's hand a squeeze.

"The Losers Club is no more, Alice," she happily shared.

Edward snorted and then added, "We should probably figure out some new monogram because you do buy really good socks."

Alice giggled. "LC never stood for Losers Club. It's always been Lovers Club because I could see the chemistry sparking between you two from day one. I just had to wait, and wait, and even wait some more, before you two finally saw it."

Bella shook her head and smiled. "Well at least that's cleared up."

Alice's expression quickly became serious. "Your father showed up at my home this morning."

"I'm sorry, Alice. I hate that you and Jasper are caught up in this."

She shrugged. "We knew it wouldn't take long. He asked to speak with you, I told him you were not here, he accused me of hiding you, and then Jasper not so politely told him where to go and shut the door in his face."

"Hopefully he stays away, but just in case we'll keep using the back entrance," Bella promised. "Think he'll try Edward's apartment next?"

"He would think it's beneath him." Alice quickly added, "No offense, Edward. I love your apartment, but then I'm not a narcissistic piece of crap with a side of snobbery bigger than Texas."

"But that doesn't mean he wouldn't send someone," Jasper warned. "Just be careful for a while, until he has time to cool down."

"You guys know what Edward did," Bella said. "He's not going to cool down."

"Chuck can go fuck himself," Edward growled, revealing a little of the anger Bella knew was swimming just under his surface.

Jasper straight up cackled. "Chuck! Chuck the Fuck and Cass the Ass. Fuck I love you, man."

"What's done is done and whether he likes admitting it, your father knows it's over and he lost," Alice assured her. "Also, remind me to never get on the bad side of our favorite nerd. He can get a little scary."

"Would it help if I promised to never use my powers against you, Alice?" Edward offered.

"No need," she said with a beaming smile. "Your vibe is still great."

Edward looked to Bella. "My vibe is still great?"

"Just go with it," she said.

"How about we go with beers instead and leave these two to their shenanigans?" Jasper offered.

"Done!" Edward stood, pressed a kiss to Bella's temple, and then followed Jasper to the kitchen. It wasn't far enough away that they wouldn't hear every word said, but the gesture was nice all the same.

"Are you really as okay as you seem?" Alice asked, taking Bella's hand into hers.

"I am now. I pretty much cried myself to sleep last night. Poor Edward. I know it killed him that the only thing he could do was hold me. And this morning, I'm certain I gave him whiplash going from angry at my father to excited about being with Edward and then anxious about a test next week because future problems seem easier than current ones right now." She thought of what they'd shared last night before the crying and she blushed. "He really does love me, Alice."

"I told you. Didn't I tell you? Your life is finally your own. And you got a super-hot guy in the process."

Bella snorted. "Alice."

"I have eyes, Bella," Alice admonished. "The same eyes that saw forever ago that you were head over heels for him."

Bella looked over at the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Edward and Jasper talking together. "I do, Alice. He's everything I need and he wants me just as much as I want him. How could I ever want for more?"

XXXXXXXX

Six Years Later …

"Daddy, what's the name of the biggest ship ever?"

Edward swiveled his desk chair away from his wall of monitors and around to find his son trying to climb his office doorway. This little boy was the best of Bella and him and more. He was braver than his mother, smarter than his father, and all around just a cool kid—but all parents thought that way about their kids.

"Why are you asking me? You know Mom has all the ship facts."

Luke was halfway up now and focused on the top of the frame so it took him a bit to answer. "Cause girls are stupid and don't know nothing."

"Come here, my little spiderman."

He jumped down, ran over, and jumped up into Edward's lap. "Gotcha!"

Edward ruffled his son's hair and then fixed his face into his stern dad one. "Who told you that about girls?"

"Oliver."

Edward only nodded, taking a moment to find age-appropriate words. "Remember how I told you that some people know facts and some have feelings?"

"Yep. Facts are science and feelings are not."

"The fact is girls are just as smart. Sometimes even smarter. Like how Mom is smarter than me when we talk about ships or books. And Aunt Alice is the only one who can make your favorite brownies and always gives us the coolest socks. Little boys learn how smart girls are through their mommies. But Oliver doesn't have a mommy at home so he only has feelings about what they are like."

"Where did his mommy go?"

"I don't know."

"Do all mommies go away?"

"Nope. My mom, your grandma, is still very much here for me. And your mom is here for you. She loves you with all of her heart."

"I'm gonna tell Oliver that my mommy is not stupid. He's the stupid."

"No, you will not. We don't use our words to hurt others. If he ever says it again, you can nicely say you don't believe that."

"I don't wanna hurt Mommy. I gotta apolodit to her."

Edward looked over his son's head to see Bella leaning in the doorway watching them, her eyes shiny with unshed tears and a sweet smile on her gorgeous face. "She would like an apology. And maybe throw in one of your Super Mega Luke Hugs that only you can give." He tapped his son's shoulder and pointed his mom out to him.

Luke scrambled off and ran over to Bella who had knelt to be at his level. His son's little arms wrapped around her neck and the boy grunted with the effort of hugging as tightly as he could. "Love you, Mommy. I'm sorry."

"I love you too." She covered his face in loud kisses until he was a giggling mess in her arms. She gave him a minute to calm down and then sent him off to the kitchen to get started on his homework.

Edward took Bella's hands and helped her to her feet. "You okay?"

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest. "I am now. It only took bawling my eyes out in the privacy of our bedroom closet because my son didn't like me for the first time ever. I guess I better get used to it since he's probably going to be mad at me when we tell him he's going to be a big brother."

Edward lifted her chin to see the beauty of her face. "Every time I think I couldn't ever want for more, there you are to prove me wrong. And with as excited as I am about this new baby, there's no way Luke won't feed off that and be just as excited." He kissed her tears away and then made a joke. "At least until the baby is here and crying and then all bets are off because that kid got his need for sleep from you."

Bella laughed and sniffled, an ability that never failed to impress him. "I'm so glad you're my someone. Also, I'm pretty sure no one else would put up with you."

"I remember those days of sharing a tiny apartment with you and my mom. You weren't a walk in the park either."

"Then why did you stick with me?"

"Pretty sure it has something to do with loving you and not wishing to be parted from you and loving you."

"You said 'loving you' twice."

"You get extras when you're carrying my baby."

"Every choice I made, every hardship that came with leaving those people, you are worth it."

Edward pulled Bella into his arms and held her tightly. They didn't often talk about those first years after she'd chosen a life with him, the way money had been so tight at times or how if they dared to go out in public together one of her father's goons would show up and tell her she needed to talk to him. She'd never wavered in her choice, not a single time. So the absolute minute Edward had been able to move her and his mom to a real house, he'd done it. Over the years, as his career progressed and his salary increased, he made sure Bella never wanted for anything.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Bella said, giving his shirt a tug.

He smiled as he lowered his lips to hers. "I need something from you."

"Anything. What is it?"

His smile widened—still never any hesitation from her. "Kiss me and then never let me go." Repeating her long ago said words never failed to make her smile.

With a wide, happy smile, she pressed her lips to his and planted another loving memory into his heart.

THE END