Chapter 42

BPOV

Edward kissed me again before lifting me from his lap and ushering me to the bedroom with a slap on my butt.

'go get dressed, I'll clear this up first.' He told me.

I smiled at him and nodded.

God, this man was perfect.

He'd completely blown me away this morning. I'd woken up feeling absolutely petrified what the morning would bring, but feeling him wrapped around me, kissing me and holding me tightly against him… it grounded me. He was there for me, even in my sleep. Sure, our previous relationship talk had come as a surprise. But I'm sure Leah would want to know about anything from our pasts that could come up, so it was better to have it out of the way just the two of us. I felt good about everything.

I headed to the bedroom and looked around for my clothes. My panties were on the nightstand somehow, and my bra was on the chair near the window. the dress was lying crumpeled on the floor. I grabbed it and held it up. It really wasn't something I wanted to wear in the cold light of day. I glanced down at myself, I also couldn't really go outside wearing Edward's button down and nothing else. it didn't really leave a lot to the imagination. especially as I hadn't bothered doing up all the buttons. I put the dress down again, and slipped into my panties and bra, then padded over to Edward's closet. He probably wouldn't mind if I borrowed something that would look okay on me.

I found a pair of work out shorts with ties that I could tighten so they wouldn't fall down and there were enough baseball jersey's to chose from. I grinned as I quickly put everythign on, drawing teh drawstrings tight to hold up th eshorts and tying his shirt at the back so it wouldn't completely drown me.

I headed into the bathroom to do my hair and brush my teeth with the spare toothbrush Edward had under the sink. When I emerged from the bathroom, Edward was halfway into a shirt. His jeans already slung low on his hips, still unbuckled. I bit my lip. Now that I knew what lay beneath the clothes I didn't really want him to put them back on again.

As he pulled the shirt over his face, he glanced my way and froze. His mouth gaped open and I smiled at him.

'Hi.' I said when he didn't make a move to pull his shirt down further or say something.

That seemed to shake him. 'Bella.' He groaned, his hands dropping his shirt down. 'fuck. Are you wearing one of my jerseys?'

I nodded. 'I didn't want to put on my dress again. I hope you don't mind.'

'Mind?' he came closer and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. 'Love, anytime you want to wear my shirt, it's yours. It looks amazing on you.'

I grinned at him and stretched up on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. He groaned and pulled back after a moment.

'let's go call Leah.' He muttered.

'do you have a laptop?'

He nodded and we headed to his study. He sat down on his desk cahir, grabbing me around the waist and settling me in his lap as he opened up his computer and logged in.
He gestured for me to go ahead and I quickly logged into my skype account and pulled up Leah's contact and pressed call. I bit my lip anxiously as the line rang.

she picked up after a few rings.

'Bella. Good….' That's as far as she got as her eyes widened.

I grinned and Edward gave a small wave.

She shook her head and then smiled. 'Well, then I guess I know why you're calling after all. Good morning to both of you.'

'Good morning.' Edward said.

'We wanted to let you know that we'll probably need to publish that statement sooner rather than later.' I said, smiling at her. she smiled back.

'That's good. I'm happy for you, Bella.' Leah then got out her notepad and started shuffling some papers. 'Alright. I already drew up a few possible statements. I just need to know a few things so we can tweak it. And then we just need to settle on a date for publishing.'

'Alright.' I nodded. I glanced at Edward, who looked slightly daunted, but he gave me a dazzling smile when our eyes met.

'let's do this.' He said, holding me tightly.

Leah asked us the timeline of our relationship, what brought us together, how much publicity we wanted, and how we were planning to work around our relationship at work. It was quite exhausting and it threw both of us for a loop. Some things we hadn't thought about at all.

'Alright, then last question. What are your plans for the future?' Leah asked.

I gulped, my body going rigid. We'd not even been together for a full day!

'Ah.. it's a bit early days for that question isn't it?' I hedged finally, noticing that Edward had definitely stiffened beneath me.

'It will stop any speculation for sure if we can put a label on it. is it serious long term, or is it just a bit of fun?'

I shifted slightly uncomfortably. Edward put his hand on my hip, squeezing slightly.

'Long term, I would say.' He said, looking up at me. I turned back to look at him.

'Are you sure?' I whispered. 'we don't have to say anything.'

he shrugged. 'I'm not planning on letting you go.'

I smiled and gave him a kiss. I'd intended on it being a small quick one, but his taste was damn addictive and Leah had to clear her throat to get us back.

'Sorry.' I mumbled.

Edward just shrugged, looking unapologetic.

'It's fine. It's good to see you happy.' Leah said, smiling at me. I smiled back. 'I think I have everything I need to get the statement ready. Though I do have to ask, are there any surprises in either of your pasts I need to know? Jealous exes? People that know more about your relationship and can cast doubt about the story?'

'what's to doubt about the truth?' I asked confused.

'From an outside perspective it might seem like you've been dating longer, and are trying to hide the timeline to avoid speculation.'

Edward snorted. 'about what? Charlie hired both me and my dad.'

'Press are viscious, Edward. People that hold a grudge even more so.'

he sighed. 'alright, fair enough. But I don't think there are any people that could do that. The only ones that knew how I felt about Bella were Emmett, Rose, Jasper and my family and they wouldn't go to the press.'

Bella nodded in agreement.

'and exes?'

Edward winced slightly. 'there might be a few that could come out of the woodwork.'

'I'll need names and contact information.'

he nodded, looking slightly unhappy about it.

'Alright. when I've contacted those I'll get a statement published. It will probably be by the end of the week. I do want you two not to be seen together too much until then. And definitely no PDA. It will only add fuel to the fire until the statement can be published.'

I nodded in agreement. Edward did too.

'But we can be seen?' he checked.

Leah nodded. 'Yes. Just keep it PG-13 and don't respond to any questions they might throw at you.'

We both agreed with that and then said our goodbyes. As I closed the laptop we were quiet for a moment, just looking at each other.

'Are you ready for this?' I finally asked him.

He gave me a crooked grin. 'Love, like I said: I'm all in.'

I grinned at him, and let my lips fall on his again. He moaned softly and his arms wrapped tightly around me, pinning me to his hard body.

Before it got too heated he pulled back though. 'As much as I would love a repeat of last night and this morning… I think we should probably head out and get the dogs.'

I sighed and nodded. 'Yeah. We can take them to the park?'

He grinned and nodded. 'I guess we should head to yours first, I'm guessing you wouldn't want to head to my parents wearing my clothes.'

I glanced down at myself and nodded. 'Though I'm not sure I want Angela to see me like this either.'

he frowned. 'why?'

She sighed. 'because she's going to be all kinds of smug about this.'

Edward laughed then and pushed me off his lap. 'Let's go. I want to see this now.'

We got ready and headed out of the building, Edward making sure there were no press around before quickly guiding me to his car and opening the door for me.

I was glad he was extra vigilant because I truly did look a sight in his too big shorts and shirt with my heels from last night.

Edward quickly drove to my place and parked in my guest spot, the press was near the entrance but the doormen were making sure they couldn't come inside either the building or the parking garage. So we were safe. That didn't mean we dallied though. We quickly headed to the elevator and didn't relax until I scanned my card to open the doors on my floor.

I kicked off the heels as soon as we stepped on the carpeted hallway, I already felt ridiculous enough, the heels would just make it worse. Edward stifled a chuckle. I stuck my tongue out at him.
I wrangled my keys from my purse and opened the door. Jake immediately came barreling towards us, almost knocking me over if it weren't for Edward quickly steadying me.

'Jake!' I scolded him, but quickly started petting him. I got down on my knees to cuddle him as his tail was wagged happily.

'Well, good morning sunshine…' Angela came around the corner and then stopped in her tracks, her mouth dropped open in shock.

'Hi.' Edward said with a smile, effortlessly charming her.

Her eyes settled on me and then a loud squeal broke through her lips. Jake gave a startled bark at the sound.

before I knew what was happening she barreled into my arms and started jumping around.

'Finally!' she yelled in my ear. 'finally you listened! Oh my god Bella. I'm so happy for you!'

Edward was laughing silently behind us as he closed the door and pet Jake who was thoroughly confused as to what was going on.

'thanks, Ang.' I hugged her back.

'I need details.' She whispered in my ear and I laughed and shook my head.

'later' I whispered back, earning another squal and hug from her.

We pulled back from each other. 'thanks for watching Jake for me.' I told her.

she smiled and nodded. 'anytime. Did you need me to stay longer?'

I shook my head. I knew she was eager to get the story, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Edward yet. 'No that's fine. I'll call you later in the week and we can set up a lunch or something.'

she quirked a brow at me. 'later in the week?' she asked.

I shrugged.

she grinned. 'Alright then. But if I don't hear form you tomorrow I'm going to come bursting through this door anyway.'

I laughed and agreed. I thanked her again and she said goodbye to Edward before heading out.

the moment the door closed after her, Edward's arms warpped around me again. 'So when do you expect to have to give the play by play.' He asked.

I grinned. 'she probably meant it that if I don't call her by tomorrow she's going to be breaking down my door.'

Edward laughed. 'somehow I never expected Angela to be the breaking down the door kind of girl. That would seem more like my sister's forte.'

I shrugged. 'perhaps your sister rubbed off on her.'

He smiled and leant down to capture my lips with his. I sighed. I was getting way too used to this feeling. I pulled back after a moment and told him to make himself comfortable while I went and changed.

I headed to my bedroom and quickly took off his clothes and stuffed them into my hamper, I wasn't going to give those back anytime soon. They were mine now.

I selected a pair of yoga pants and a loose fitted shirt. I didn't feel like dressing up today, and if we were going to the park I'd rather be able to move freely and comfortably. I grabbed some socks and stepped quickly into the bathroom to clean my face properly of make up and apply some moisturizer. Then I grabbed the brush and pulled my hair up

'are you ready?' I asked Edward as I stepped out of the bedroom, but stopped short when I spotted him and Jake lying on the rug together.

Jake was splayed out on his back, all four paws in the airs and his tongue lolling out of his mouth and tail thumbing happily on the floor as Edward rubbed his belly and tickled him, making him give little excitable yelps. Never had I seen Jake like this. He was always reserved with other people. Yet Edward seemed to draw this side out of him. it was amazing to see them having bonded this well. it warmed my heart.

Edward glanced up at me and smiled. 'he's liking me more and more.' He said with a note of pride in his voice.

'it would seem so.' I smiled back. 'come on, Jake. Let's go to the park.' I grabbed his lead and Jake got to his feet after some grumbling.

Edward laughed and got up as well, stuffing his feet back into his sneakers.

'Mike's at my parents, so I think the woods would perhaps be better than the park?' he suggested.

I smiled and nodded. 'that sounds good. Let's take my car so we can fit both dogs inside.'

he laughed and nodded, grabbing my car key from the hook by the door. I gathered the rest of jake's things and together we headed out again.

I suggested Edward drive, as he knew the way to his parents best. He seemed just fine with that and we drove to his house in comfortable silence. My hands tayed firmly clutched in his.

when their house loomed in front of us I suddenly got nervous. 'what do we tell Carlisle and Esme?' I asked him, biting my lip.

Edward glanced at me, with a frown on his face. 'Do you not want to tell them we're together?'

I shrugged. 'No… I mean… I don't mind.. it's just… Isn't it weird?'

Edward laughed. 'what's weird about it?'

'I've had dinner with these people and Carlisle is an employee of mine…'

'And?'

'Well, it's just… it's weird that I'm now meeting them as the family of the guy I'm dating.'

Edward shook his head. 'Bella. The only thing that changed is that now you'll be even more part of us.'

I gazed at him confused. He glanced at me and brought our entwined hands to his mouth, softly pressing a kiss to the back of my hand.

'They already love you, Bella. They won't be that surprised by us being together. They already knew I cared about you as more than a friend. They'll be happy for us.'

'Won't they be upset that I've been so distant with you?'

'Bella,' he said, pulling into the driveway and putting the car in park to face me fully. 'Everyone, including me, understands why you weren't ready to date. You went through so much this year.' He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. 'no one would ever think to judge you for that. You needed to heal. And I told you I would be there for you any way you wanted me to. I'm thrilled we're now able to explore this side of our relationship, but Bella I wouldn't have cared if we'd continued being friends for another year.'

I blinked in surprise. I knew he cared about me, but hearing it spelled out like that, it touched me deeply and for a moment I struggled not to cry. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine softly.

'Let's go get Mike. We won't stay long so they won't be able to harass us too much.'

He got out the car before I could respond.

I sighed and opened my door, getting jake and heading over to him as he was already unlocking the front door.

'Mike!' Edward called out as soon as he had the door open.

Mike came bounding towards us with abandon and jumped up on Edward, tail going crazy as he greeted us. Then he spotted Jake and I quickly let the lead go before I became collateral damage in their rough greeting. Edward herded the dogs inside and closed the door behind us.

'Edward' Esme's voice sounded from somewhere in the house. 'I hadn't expected you this early.'

She came out of the kitchen a moment later wiping her hands on a cloth but stopped in her tracks when she spotted me standing next to Edward.

'Bella!' she exclaimed, smiling happily at me. 'I wasn't expecting you!'

'I'm sorry to just barge in, Esme.' I told her feeling slightly uncomfortable.

'Yeah I should have called ahead, but we just came from picking up Jake and thought we'd just grab Mike and head out to the forest for a while.'

'We?' Esme asked confused for a moment, then Edward reached back and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards him slightly more and entwining our fingers. Esme's gaze zeroed in on it immediately and the biggest grin I'd ever seen her sport appeared on her face.

'Well then, that's no problem at all. Anytime you both are in the niehgbourhood you know you're welcome. I love having my family around.'

and just like that I'd been accepted.

Esme was amazing and I couldn't help but smile at her as I felt my heart fill with her love.

'if you're going to the woods I'll pack you some snacks. I've just made some blueberry muffins.'

'score!' Edward grinned at me. 'they're the best you'll ever taste.'

I laughed and grinned up at him.

'Come on!' Esme called from the kitchen where she'd dissapperaed to. We headed after her and let her fill up some Tupperware and put it in a backpack so we could take it with us. Then she also put some snacks for the dogs in there, in case they got hungry too.

When Edward started towing us back towards the door again, Esme quickly snatched us up into a big hug.

'We expect to see you both Sunday night for dinner' she told us when she pulled back.

'Mom.' Edward groaned. 'that's tomorrow. How about we join you next week.'

she gave Edward a stern look. 'Oh no you don't mister. You don't get to keep her all to yourself'

Edward sighed and turned to me. 'do you want to come to dinner tomorrow night?'

'Ah sure?' I said, though it sounded more like a question.

'Good. I'll make your favourite pasta.' Esme said smiling again. then she quickly ushered us out the door telling us to have fun. Edward shook his head but quickly grabbed Mike's things and we headed out again.

'Sorry about that.' Edward said when we were back outside again. 'But I think it's safe to say she doesn't mind us dating.'

I just shook my head and smiled at him.

We got back in the car and spent a great afternoon walking through the woods and enjoying ourselves and this start to our relationship.

I was still a bit on edge though, being out in the open like this, and I could tell Edward was too. He kept glancing around to make sure no one saw us holding hands. But at the same time it felt good to be with him. It felt natural. And for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.