BPOV
Edward leaves me with a kiss while standing on my stoop before I head upstairs to my apartment. If I'm lucky, Emmett has already left for work, but knowing him, he's dragging his feet so he can say I'm taking the walk of shame home this morning.
It wasn't my intention to sleep over last night, even though there was joking about it over text, but when he was carrying me and his bed was so goddamn comfortable, who was I to refuse?
Earlier in the week, I thought maybe this was how he got women. The charming single-dad that was obsessed with his kid schtick, but the more time I spent with Hadley and the more I saw them together, I knew how genuine their bond is.
Edward is an excellent father to Hadley.
Seeing how much he loves her made me feel like an intruder.
I have a hard time believing that Rose is his co-parent since Hadley is so well-adjusted and pure.
Sighing, I use my key to unlock my apartment door.
"I thought you were just friends," Em says from the kitchen island.
"Don't you have to be at work?"
"Friday, late start," he tells me with a shrug. "So—"
"So, what?"
"You slept over at his place?"
"I don't lecture you about the floozies you traipse in and out of here," I argue.
"Floozies," he says, barking out a laugh. "Gianna and Maggie would be offended if they heard that. And when did bringing back only two girls in over a month become traipsing?"
"I literally slept there. I didn't sleep with him."
"Not my business."
I gawk at him in disbelief.
He started this.
I fume while he laughs.
"Are we doing anything tonight?"
"I'm going out."
"With Edward."
"He's working."
Not a complete lie.
"Okay, well I'm meeting up with Jake," he tells me slowly.
"He's coming over from Jersey?" I ask surprised.
Jake was frugal and though he worked in the city he refused to live in Manhattan or any of the outside boroughs.
The other fun fact about Jake is we dated for a few years before he left Washington for school. We both refused to tell Em this detail.
Not that it was horrible, but we were both better off as friends. We felt that if Emmett ever found out, he'd never let us live it down. I would never tell another soul this because it would possibly hurt a lot of people's feelings, but I knew I'd enjoy living with Emmett when I made my decision to move here.
"No, Seattle," he drolls.
I roll my eyes.
"Okayyyyy," I drag out before I warn him. "Don't go telling him about Edward."
I give him a glare for good measure.
"Why? Don't want your dad to know you have a ready-made family," he teases.
Suddenly I feel very protective of Hadley and Edward.
Yes, Edward is a father to a young girl but I've seen first-hand in the week I've spent with them how much love is between them. He would do anything for her.
I didn't want Charlie coming in and making assumptions.
"I think you need to cool your obsession with Edward," I tell Em.
He gives me the stink eye.
"Obsession," he scoffs.
"You constantly need to know if I'm with him," I say with a shrug.
"Forgive me for caring. The guy knocks into you with a BIKE and then you slice your hand open because of his little SECRET," he says emphasizing his points. "I'm responsible for you."
"You're responsible for me?" I screech in disbelief.
"Bella—"
"You better get to work, and if I find out that Charlie or Jake is behind this archaic chivalrous white fucking knight mentality— ohhhhhhhh," I say really pissed the hell off.
His hazel eyes widen and I must frighten him because he hurriedly grabs his bag before he is out the door.
"Responsible for me," I mutter under my breath.
If I didn't already know that my dad was at work, I would call him and read him the riot act or maybe it's Jake in Em's ear. He was always slightly possessive.
I take a seat at the island thinking about how sweet Edward was proving to be. He put me to bed last night and fed me this morning. He was a grown-ass man that woke up early and got another human ready for the day.
I sigh.
Tonight Edward wouldn't have Hadley since she was going to Rose's for the weekend. I knew from Hadley that she lived in Chelsea near the restaurant. I also knew that Rose seemed to make poor choices per Hadley as well. The way she talks about her mother is like how an empathetic grandmother talks about her scamp of a grandchild.
My dad is disappointed in her.
She makes poor choices.
I was curious about what Hadley thought of me. I could be a mess of a human sometimes. Did she say, 'Oh that, Bella, she lost half her lunch to her plate'?
Part of me wondered if Edward was like Hadley as a child.
Serious and overly polite.
I've seen his OCD tendencies upfront.
The other day I didn't place my glass of tea on a coaster and as soon as he saw it he was moving it to one. Em and I had rings all over our coffee table if Edward ever noticed it he might have a coronary.
I walk into my room to grab some clothes before I go to the bathroom and strip down for a shower.
I glance at my full-sized bed remembering Edward's California King. That was a bed, no, a cloud.
To picture Edward crammed onto my small bed seemed laughable. He was used to living a certain kind of way, so I couldn't see him slumming it here.
I shake my head and go start the shower.
Around five is when the texts start.
What time should I expect to see you tonight? – E
Won't this be weird? – B
If I just pop in tonight to see him and go out with everyone while I'm on leave I feel like I am inserting myself into their fold.
These are your coworkers, Bell. – E
I haven't been hired yet. – B
…
…
…
I roll my eyes at those three dots.
He can't make promises when I haven't earned my place at the restaurant, which I intend to do.
Be at Le Cygne at 11. – E
I decide to make him sweat since he's being so demanding.
We have a guest coming over tonight. – B
You made plans with me. – E
Why should I choose you over my guest? – B
I'll make it worth your while. – E
I want to ask how but I have a pretty good idea of the how. He was a gentleman last night but he could have easily taken things farther and I would have let him. That is what worries me when it comes to Edward, that I could just let him ravage me without a second thought.
I could dig my heels in, but do I want to?
Rosalie flashes in the back of my mind.
She was his baggage, not Hadley.
Hadley was uncomplicated from all of this, well mostly.
I didn't want her to get hurt as a result of anything happening between me and her father.
I think of my own father, the ladies' man of Forks. All the single women in our town would flock to him even though he didn't entertain the thought of them until I got into high school.
Part of me thinks the reason he held off was because of me and my feelings but the real reason I know in my gut was because of my mother.
He was still in love with her and she ripped his heart out.
I was the only reminder he had that their love was real.
Hadley couldn't even say that about her parents, but that goes to show you that we're all here for different reasons.
I was here so Charlie wasn't lonely after the destruction Renee left to his heart.
In my observation, Hadley was here to make Edward a better person.
Not sure what she was to Rose, but in my own experience, I felt like for Renee, I was here as a reminder of something she didn't want regardless of what I remember of her.
Car dances.
Tight bear hugs.
Bedtime songs.
A kid's love and trust were big responsibilities and not to be taken lightly.
I didn't want to disrupt what Hadley had with her father.
I'll see you at 11 or I'll come and find you after work (kiss emoji). – E
I knew he would.
I don't answer but he doesn't need to know he will see me at eleven.
Keep him on his toes.
I haphazardly throw my phone beside my pillow and settle in for a nice nap.
"So is this all she does all day?" I hear from a near distance.
"She has another week off from work," Em explains.
"Does her dad know about her hand?"
"She told him a few days ago."
"This is a violation of my privacy," I grumble roughly with sleep.
I turn my head seeing two goons in my open doorway.
"What happened to your plans?" Em asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
I groan, scrambling for my phone.
Ten o'clock.
Shit.
A five-hour nap.
I needed to find more things to keep me busy.
I push up on my good hand and stomp over to my closet.
I hastily yank a denim mini skirt and red and black flannel shirt off their hangers before grabbing a cropped white tank from my drawer.
"Out," I yell out in warning before slamming my door on them.
"What's going on with her?" I hear Jake ask from the other side of my door.
I quickly strip out of my sweats into my selected attire for the evening.
"There is a guy—"
"So she's seeing someone?"
I only add mascara to my face and brush my hair into a low bun.
I don't hear Emmett answer so I assume he's shrugging.
I rip my door open pointing at the two boneheaded cavemen.
"I told you that Edward was working tonight," I say, jabbing my finger at Em. "And he is just a friend."
"You're very defensive for this being just a friend," Jake says skeptically.
I move my pointer finger to his chest and glare as I stand toe to toe with this six-foot, four beast of a man. He had the personality of an overeager puppy so I didn't feel intimidated by getting in his face.
Jake watches me but grabs my bad hand in his meaty paw.
"What happened here?" he asks with a frown.
"She hurt her hand at the restaurant," Em says, finally helping a sister out.
I pull my hand away because I already heard them talking about it.
I dismiss the guys by stuffing my feet into my Docs, putting my leather jacket on, and wrapping my scarf around me.
I notice Jake's eyes lingering on my legs.
I knock into his shoulder on the way out.
"Where did all the attitude come from?" I hear him ask Em in the distance.
"This is Bella being Bella," Em chuckles awkwardly in response.
Maybe New York has changed me or maybe I'm finally able to be my true self here, coming out of my shell little by little.
I grab my crossbody from the couch.
I hurriedly make my way to the subway station to grab my train to the restaurant. I have thirty minutes to make it before I know the texts will start. They don't close until midnight but I know Edward.
I bite my lip thinking of how tonight could go with stolen kisses and roaming hands.
I slow my pace once I'm off the train, I don't want him to think I'm overly available to him. I look through the window as I pass. The group of girls who vied for Edward's attention a few weeks ago is sitting at the high-tops.
The brunette primps while he makes drinks at the bar. I sigh, deciding I should make my presence known, I enter the restaurant seeing Jess first.
"Hey Bella," she greets with an easy smile.
I wave with my good hand feeling a little awkward.
"Edward said you'd be coming in," she says with a slight smirk.
I shrug.
"How's your hand?"
"Healing, I only have one more week off," I tell her.
She nods empathetically.
"Well, there are a few seats over at the bar," she smiles.
To fuck with Edward I deliberately take a seat in front of Jazz.
"Long time, no see, Darlin," he says with a wide grin.
"It's been a week," I respond dryly.
Out of my peripheral, I see Edward finishing up martinis for his ladies.
"So, I heard you had an interesting week," Jazz says with an entertained twinkle in his eye.
I rest my chin on my good hand.
"I made a new friend," I tell him, referring to Hadley.
"She's a good friend to have," he says honestly.
He starts making a drink in front of me, I'm curious when I see the lavender color. He slides it in front of me.
"For me?"
"On the house," he says with a bow.
A familiar arm wraps around me and I feel a kiss land on top of my head. "Be careful with one of those," Edward says, giving me a squeeze before he goes around the bar.
"What is it?"
"Take a sip," he taunts.
I sniff it with a scowl but take a sip.
It tasted like a jolly rancher.
I quickly gulp it down.
"No more for her, Jazz," Edward tells him when his table of rowdy girls starts calling him over.
I turn and see the brunette glaring at me.
Edward stands with his hands on his hips while the girls giggle and flirt with him. The brunette gets a little ballsy and moves to touch his arm but he's faster moving them behind his back.
He nods his head and gives them a parting smile.
"Can you close them out?" he asks Jazz with a meaningful look.
Jazz looks surprised but doesn't question him.
Edward moves so he's in front of me, leaning his hands on the bar.
"Thought I was going to have to come looking for you," he tells me eyes searching my face.
I shrug wondering if I should make him think I was hesitant.
A minute passes between us.
"You're lucky Emmett came home," I say casually.
"Oh yeah, why's that?" he asks while his smile widens.
"He and one of our mutual boneheaded friends woke me up from a rather lengthy nap. I almost snoozed through the night," I confess lightly.
"I should send them a bottle of Carlisle's top-shelf scotch," he teases.
I roll my eyes.
His hand reaches out linking my fingers through his, he moves our hands palm to palm before he brings them up and places a kiss on my fingers.
A pitched huff comes from the table behind us.
"You're ruining your tip," I tell him.
"They've been here since eight and requested a fifth chair for the four-top so we get an automatic eighteen percent gratuity for tables with five or more to their party," he says cockily.
This was something I didn't know. It was something I should know. What if it comes up on my trails?
"What's wrong?" he asks, maintaining eye contact with me.
"I didn't know that," I mumble.
"You're not going to be tested on that, Bell," he murmurs. "They called ahead requesting the bar section for a birthday. Carlisle only entertains it upon special request."
I sigh.
Esme interrupts us when she comes through the kitchen doors breaking her brother's hold on my hand when she starts to check over my bad hand.
"Es," he says, trying to gently pry her away from me. "ever hear of personal boundaries."
She gives him a look.
I laugh because Edward doesn't have personal boundaries.
He's intense and surprisingly affectionate with his touch.
It's just a peek of his vulnerability.
"How's the hand?" she inquires.
"Better," I say with what I hope is a smile since I'm tired of everyone asking.
It was more so the attention on me that made me uncomfortable.
Esme's hand moves like it's going to go to my cheek but she pulls her hand back thinking better of it.
She glances at Edward then excuses herself with the promise to buy me a drink later.
Edward makes me what he calls a light cocktail so I'm not falling on my ass before we even get to Tavern.
His groupies get louder but I can see his annoyance grow when they don't leave after Jazz hands them their cards back.
He leaves me at the bar after messing around with the register. It's about ten minutes later when he comes out with salmon bites and a side of fries and places them in front of me.
"I didn't order—"
"You're drinking and napped before you got here so you should probably eat something," he says with a shrug.
It's a small gesture but it still pulls at my heart.
He fed me breakfast and now he's feeding me dinner.
He leans over the bar kissing my forehead.
"Eat up," he says before he starts to shut the bar down for the night.
I dig in while Edward looks up every now and then with an amused smile on his face.
"Okay ladies, we are getting ready to close," Jazz tells the girls still lingering at their table.
They groan their disapproval.
"What about her?" the brunette snips pointing at me.
"Miss Bella is a colleague and will be leaving with us," he says jovially.
Edward finishes up with the cash drawers and hands the money bag to Esme when she comes out. He disappears to the lounge to get changed while Jazz still is bantering with the harem.
I finish eating my food, Esme smiles at me and grabs my plate to take it to the back. When I start to protest she tells me I'm a patron for the night.
Her and her brother.
Edward doesn't come back out and the girls are the only ones left; they reluctantly leave so Jazz can lock up.
"He must have it bad for you if he is dodging the regulars," he teases.
"What do you mean?"
"Those girls have been coming in for months. They started individually but their group is growing," he tells me playfully, widening his arms out.
"I bet, it's the eye candy," I tell him, wiggling my brows.
"They ain't ogling me," he laughs. "I'm an acquired taste."
I roll my eyes.
Jazz is attractive, but I can see why Alice gravitates to him. They have the same bohemian vibe about them.
At first, I would have thought Edward was a rugged bad boy with his messy bed head and scruff but I've seen him in his work clothes with crisply tailored lines. His immaculately clean home.
Edward was polished.
I people watch as my coworkers move around cleaning up and heading back to the lounge to change and get their stuff.
Edward walks out from the kitchen in dark jeans, a white t-shirt with a few holes littering it and his worn leather jacket.
The grin he's wearing is infectious because I feel my own lips lift.
He turns me on the stool so I face him and wraps me in his arms.
He really is a good hugger.
I sag into him and feel the kiss he places on my head.
"So you took a long nap?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" I ask pulling back enough to look at him. "I'm a smidge lazy."
He snorts, placing a quick kiss on my lips.
"Ready?"
I nod.
He links our fingers and leads me through the kitchen doors so we can go out through the service entrance. I catch Mike in the lounge as we pass, his eyes just about bug out of his head.
Edward just strides confidently out the door.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder once we're outside.
Tanya is smoking while she talks to Jazz.
"Isn't this cozy," she teases, reaching forward to pinch Edward's cheek.
He bats her hand away.
The arm still around me holds me close.
We all start walking out, I can see the girls from the restaurant lurking by the entrance still. The brunette looking around impatiently.
Jazz laughs loudly as we move further away from the restaurant.
Her eyes find us and she stomps her foot.
"Your fan club is pissed," I tell Edward.
He doesn't comment, only places a kiss on my head.
Tanya gives the password at the door and we breeze right through.
Edward orders a scotch, looking down at me to ask me what I want.
"Tequila soda," I tell the bartender.
We sip our drinks and I stand between Edward's legs while he sits on a bar stool. Jazz quickly fills me in on what I've missed at the restaurant this week.
Esme and a few others, including Mike trickle in.
Edward's hand never leaves my hip but it's when his lips meet the skin of my neck that I get distracted from the conversation.
My hand stays on the arm wrapped around me.
When he pulls away he orders another scotch and asks if I want another. I nod and Esme slides her arm past to pay for my drink.
"I owed you, remember?" she asks with a wink.
Jazz moves around us so he can talk to Edward, Esme takes his old place.
"I heard you watched my niece this week," she says with a warm smile.
"I did but Edward might tell you I corrupted her," I joke.
"She's a doll, that one, but I'm not so sure she'd be easy to corrupt."
"You might be right, I think this week was a ploy by Edward to have her babysit me."
She giggles while sipping her wine.
"You can't be that bad."
"I don't know, Hadley is pretty responsible, I feel like she has a 401(k) started already," I tease.
Esme's laugh only grows louder.
"What are you going on about over here?" Edward asks in my ear.
"I'm telling your sister about how Hadley might be more grown-up than me," I explain.
He laughs.
"She might actually be," he says to his sister.
"See, told ya," I tell her.
I feel lazy lips smile against my neck.
I shake my head feeling the goosebumps spread over my skin, his hand moves until his palm rests on the skin of my stomach.
Esme's smile grows and I see how happy she is.
I decide to change the subject with her.
She tells me the story of how she met Carlisle and that at first she'd thought he'd never want to start dating her because she was basically a single parent.
He surprised her when he took an interest in both her and Edward.
That detail warmed me.
I think of Edward and Hadley, maybe knowing Hadley made me like Edward more because before her I just thought he was a jerk.
Maybe.
I feel the need to run to the bathroom so pull myself away from Mr. Grabbyhands. There is no line which makes my bladder relieved.
I hurry up washing my hands but stop in my tracks when I see Edward waiting for me with one foot propped up against the wall.
His smile is lazy and just so kissable.
I launch myself at him, taking hold of his face with my hands and lay one on him.
His hands grab my ass while we make out for God knows how long in the hall.
It's when I feel the bulge in his jeans that I know we need to get out of here.
A/N: Where did you all go last week? Did Edward scare you away?