BPOV
I love you… I love you… I love you…
His words run through my head making it impossible to sleep.
I huff sitting up.
I watch the way his impossibly long eyelashes rest against the top of his cheeks.
A snore rips out of him.
He says I snore. Pftttttt.
Since those three big words left his mouth, I can't help but be mildly pissed with him.
He declared his love for me, which was his moment.
A moment that I wish was ours.
But nothing was ours while chaos surrounded us.
I didn't say it back. I didn't want the Rose event to overshadow something so momentous.
I have never said 'I love you' before. Not even to Jake when we dated.
To say it now… I wanted it to mean something. Maybe Edward, needed to say it, like he just couldn't hold it in any longer, but for me, I couldn't say it back.
So I kissed him hoping to distract him from me having to say it back.
When I pulled back, Hadley was lightly knocking on the door so the moment was fleeting. After Emmett left with an insane amount of leftovers, we spent the rest of the night with a sleepy and clingy Hadley.
He put her to bed after we watched a few holiday movies to kick off the season. Well, they were The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, to which Edward told me weren't holiday films.
He didn't know what he was talking about.
He put her to bed and I let them have time together.
I stripped down to my tank and boyshorts before crawling onto my side of the bed. He was quiet when he came into his room.
He went and showered while I laid there with a million thoughts.
I closed my eyes when he came back in.
I heard his towel drop and the sigh that followed.
He wrapped himself around me while he thought I slept.
"I think I fucked up," he murmured in my hair before his breathing evened out.
I stretch to see it's only one o'clock.
Fuck.
Edward's arms squeeze around me.
"Can't sleep?" he asks softly against my ear.
"You said you love me," I blurt.
"Oh, so you did hear me," he says with a tired smile.
I turn in his arms trying not to pay attention to his friend brushing my leg.
"No one's ever said that to me before… I've never said that to anyone before," I tell him quietly.
He looks surprised then maybe a little bummed.
"I should have waited," he sighs.
I shake my head.
"You feel what you feel—"
"No, you deserved something special," he rushes out.
"Edward, I don't want you regretting that you love me. I just, everything is intense. I mean Rose is in the hospital and my dad was a dick to you," I say honestly.
"I should have waited," he repeats.
"Stop, no take backs," I say, placing my hands against his chest.
He unwinds his arms from around me and covers my hands with his.
"I would never take it back," he says sincerely.
I give his lips a peck.
"I'm going to wait to say it," I tell him.
"You can say it whenever you want," he says, giving me a kiss.
I pull back and bite my lip, unsure if I should ask the question that's been keeping me up.
"What?" he asks as his thumb brushes my hand.
"What made you say it?" I ask half curious and half mortified that I'm even asking.
His eyes search mine before his mouth opens and closes only for nothing to come out.
I tilt my head and lay it on my pillow.
"I said it because you treat my kid like she's important. You put her feelings above all else," he murmurs.
"Is all this because of Rose?" I ask carefully, suddenly afraid to hear his answer.
He vehemently shakes his head while he sits up against the headboard.
I shift to sit up as well.
"Maybe I should have said it sooner," he says almost to himself.
"How long have you been feeling this way?" I ask surprised.
"A while," is his simple answer.
"So you wanted to say it before yesterday happened?"
"Bell, I've wanted to say it within the past few weeks," he confirms. "You make me so fucking happy and not to mention you keep me on my toes."
I snort at that.
"Seriously, I don't know what I would have done without you today," he smiles sadly.
"Even after my padre was a dick to you?" I ask lightly.
He tugs me until I'm straddling him.
"I love you especially because your dad was a dick to me," he says, squeezing my ass.
"Whoa, that's a little wild to say," I tell him while playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Your dad loves you, he's just being protective," he says with a shrug. "Dads want their daughters to be happy."
"I think he feels like he's losing me," I confess.
He nods.
"I think he realizes you're starting your life here regardless of how serious we are," he explains.
A smile plays on my lips.
"If you love me, that's pretty serious," I point out.
"I have no plans to let you go," he smirks.
"Why am I such a keeper?" I ask sitting up to push the sheet covering him back.
His fingers start to tug down the waistband of my boyshorts and I help him get them off.
"We fit," he mumbles against my neck.
His fingers stroke my folds.
"Good…point," I pant out.
I brace my hands on his shoulders and grind down against his prominent erection.
His hand wraps around my hair while he pulls my head back.
I moan out when his cock hits my clit.
He lets go of my hair and grabs a condom from his nightstand, I take it from him to roll it on and sink down on him.
"See, perfect fit," he says while his teeth graze the skin of my neck.
"This… escalated… quickly," I grunt, riding him.
He laughs.
His hands grab my hips as he guides me and controls the pace.
"Bell," he says like a prayer. "Close."
"Same," I say, bringing my hand down to help me along.
He looks down watching my hand.
"Christ," he grunts.
I bounce, well he bounces me, quickening our pace.
"Edward," I cry out as I come.
My fingers dig into his shoulders as he follows.
"Fuck," he grunts.
I slump forward, resting my forehead against his neck.
He releases his hold on my hips and starts to rub my back while he comes down.
"Even though the sex is good that's not the only reason for the way I feel," he declares against my neck.
I nod against him before looking up.
"I feel the same, but I'm not saying it yet," I tell him.
I want it to be special.
He nods in understanding.
I dismount him and go to the bathroom.
He follows to get cleaned up as well.
I remember the last time how horrified he was that I was peeing in front of him, but now he's just in here taking his condom off and cleaning up without batting an eye.
This must be love.
I stand to wipe and then go to wash my hands.
I look a little ridiculous Winnie Poohing it right now.
His chin comes to rest on my shoulder and his arms wrap around my waist as he gazes at us in the mirror.
He kisses the side of my head.
He's saying it again without actually saying it.
I cup the side of his head before moving out of his hold.
I grab my boyshorts at the end of the bed and slide them on.
I curl up on my side as Edward climbs in on his and pulls me to him.
We overcame the love incident, now we only had to face Hadley in the morning to tell her the truth about Rose.
I lazily stretch until Edward's hold on me tightens.
"Sleep," he whines.
"Hadley is going to be up and I have to check in with Chuck," I explain, trying to turn in his arms.
"When are you leaving?" he asks through a yawn.
"A little before noon," I frown.
I want to stay here, but I need to have a real conversation with my father.
He squeezes my ass before he gets up to start his day. We manage to get a quick shower in and get dressed before a knock comes on his door.
I open it to see Hadley on the other side.
Her mood seems solemn and she won't look at me.
"Hey," I say, pulling her in for a hug.
"Are you guys going to tell me what happened yesterday?" she mumbles against my stomach.
I glance back to her dad who looks surprised.
He comes around his bed and kneels beside me, pulling Hadley to him.
"You're right something did happen yesterday," he says honestly.
"Was it Mom?" she asks.
She and Edward get into an intense stare-off until he finally nods.
She pushes her glasses up slightly on her nose.
He stands and moves to sit on the edge of the bed, she follows and I climb up to sit on my side to give them some space.
"I heard Bella talking to her dad before they left," she confesses.
I'm surprised she didn't say something to me after I got back, or to Edward when he came home last night.
Edward glances at me before taking Hadley's small hand in his, a gesture my father did when he told me Renee wasn't coming back.
"Your mom's in the hospital," he says after exhaling a breath.
She instantly looks concerned.
"Because of her addiction?" she asks.
"And Royce," he adds.
I'm now surprised he didn't tell me that.
"Royce hurt Mom?"
I watch Edward choose his words.
"Sometimes we meet the wrong people and they're not very nice to us—"
"He wasn't nice to her but she still stayed with him," Hadley says as her jaw ticks.
Edward nods, his hand cupping the back of her head. "You're right, Had. Your mom and Royce both have addictions so they bring out the worst in each other," he says carefully.
"Mom shouldn't see him again," she says like it's that easy.
"Uncle Carlisle is going to see that she doesn't," he says vaguely.
Edward hadn't gotten into the Royce aspect of all this only about her overdose.
"Mom's okay, right?"
"She had surgery and is sleeping—"
"A coma?"
Edward blinks and looks surprised that she knew what that was.
"A medically induced coma, it's where the doctors put you to sleep with medicine so you can heal," he explains softly.
"And she'll wake up?" she asks quietly.
"Yes," he answers but it's strained.
She turns toward me like she's seeking the truth.
I nod.
"Your mom has a long road ahead of her, Sweets," I say honestly.
"Bell is right," Edward says calmly.
"Are we going to visit her?" she asks him.
"I need to talk to Uncle Carlisle and the doctors but we can see if you can," he tells her while pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.
I can see how sad she is and withholds her questions while she holds onto her dad.
I only hope that things get better for both her and Edward.