A/N: Thank you for all the love! Mistakes are my own!

Please don't come! Finish cooking! I can't wait to eat lol. I added a few emojis and moved through the crowd of people who were exiting the hotel alongside me.

Edward, ever the gentleman, kept insisting on coming to meet me at The Plaza, so we could head to his loft together. I reassured him it was ridiculous. I was perfectly capable of navigating my way to Brooklyn by myself. Right?

I rolled my eyes and waited out front for the bellman to hail me a cab. I brushed my messy blonde hair off my shoulders just as a cabbie pulled over. With a quick thanks to the bellman, I was off to Edward's.

I adjusted myself in my seat. The heat from the leather seats, combined with my jeans and leather jacket, was making me sweat. It was unseasonably warm out for October in New York.

Getting dressed for this date was surprisingly much easier than our previous ones. Here I was dressed in my Citizens for Humanity high-waisted jeans and a Free People knit blouse. Who knew casual dressing could still be stylish?!

It was crazy to think I'd been back in the city for a little over a month. To think I'd only known Edward that long. While this was technically only our third date, we'd hung out a few times in between when I would stop by Bar. Including the time I brought him the escargot so he could complete the bet we'd made while playing mini golf.

The faces he made as he ate the slimy snails were priceless. I don't know what I loved more: the weary look he gave to the patrons around the bar or the contorted look on his face as he took his first bite. The way he looked at me…I found myself looking at the pictures taken from that night more often than I'd care to admit. Edward Masen was an amazing man.

Maybe we were on the same page.

My ringtone started to blare. Ever since my latest interaction with Renee, I cringed every time the phone rang.

I breathed and remembered what my therapist would tell me. "Healing begins with you, Isabella. How can others see your progress if you yourself don't see it?"

I answered the phone without looking at the screen, holding my breath as I prayed.

"Hello!" A nasally voice sounded through the speaker.

Alice.

After avoiding me for weeks, suddenly she knew my number. I wondered what she wanted.

"Hi Alice," I said evenly. Even if I told her I was annoyed with her, she would just brush it off.

What was the point in that?

"Isabella, how could you not tell me you're dating someone?"

I threw my head back, irritated that she'd start this conversation with my relationship status.

I hadn't even shared any details about Edward with her. Renee was the only person I'd told, and I regretted it right away. Lord knows what she'd do with that intel. Well, it was obvious she'd shared it with her new BFF.

"Alice, you haven't called me since I've been back. Even when I was gone, you didn't contact me," I stated, matter of factly.

"Isabella, I know I haven't been the best friend lately, but when all that stuff went down, it was hard. Reporters were everywhere. They camped outside my building for God's sake," she complained. "I put my ass on the line by not making any statements about anything. I could have shelled out a lot of shit and I didn't. I did that for you, and for Renee. She doesn't deserve any of this."

My face heated.

I was jolted in my seat as the cabbie stopped short to let a biker cross the intersection.

I did a deep breathing exercise and reminded myself, "You can't control people. You can only control your reactions."

Being the bigger person sucked.

"Renee has no clue what went down. She didn't want to know the details," I defended. And she certainly wouldn't let me explain.

Even if I did explain, I doubted anyone would believe me anyways. Especially not Renee.

"Look, I don't want to fight, Isa. I just want to know about your new life," Alice pleaded. "How about we meet tomorrow at Bergdorf's on the eighth floor in lingerie? Looks like you might need something new to wear for Brooklyn boy." She laughed.

"Fine," I whispered.

The phone line went dead.

It would be nice to get out and do some shopping. For the last month, I'd basically been holed up in my suite, ordering room service and watching crappy reality shows. A day out could do me good.

I wondered what kind of lingerie Edward liked.

I wondered a lot of things about his taste. And how he would taste.

Bella! I mentally chastised myself.

I looked out the window and saw the Williamsburg Bridge. Oddly enough seeing the bridge calmed not only my nerves but agitation with Alice.

Home sweet home.

Xx

Wonderful aromas—a mix of pesto pasta and lemon grilled chicken—wafted from the kitchen into the living room where I stood. If smell was any indicator, this man could cook. Edward had told me to make myself comfortable while he finished up dinner.

"Is this how old men listen to music?" I joked as I combed through the piles of records in the cubby. Edward had a taste for the classics, that was for sure.

Edward's loft was quaint. Homey. Rich, maybe not in the conventional sense, but rich indeed. Lots of exposed brick and pipes. Architecturally, it was stunning. But even more the aesthetics of it all, there was just this feeling I got as soon as I'd walked in the door and he took my jacket. Warmth exuded throughout the walls just like in Bar.

There was lots of abstract art on the walls. Pops of color contrasted with the dark woods and metals of the walls and framework. The hardwood floors had thick area rugs covering certain sections. Bookcases housed tons of novels and magazines in haphazard stacks. He was definitely a collector of things, and everything seemed to have been meticulously chosen. Clearly, Edward took care of the things he loved.

I felt him before I saw him. His arms engulfed me from behind. "Again with the age jokes. I seriously thought we were past that," he whispered in my ear, placing a kiss on my neck.

I sighed and leaned back, pressing myself into his chest and closing the distance between us. I'd never felt so safe, so secure.

He shifted to adjust the arm on the record player situated on the bookcase beside us. Moments later, the crisp sound of Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You" surrounded us. Edward swayed our bodies from side to side in time with the music before he spun me in his arms so that we were face to face.

His hand slid down my arm until he grasped mine in his, offering me a tender grin and a playful wink. He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. Capturing my gaze with his, he said, "My lady."

I loved how he called me his so freely.

In my mind, I pretended he was mine.

His hand firmly settled on my waist, and he led me around his living room.

And that was how we spent the next several minutes—dancing.

Well, our version of dancing, that was.

Edward pressed me closer to his chest, and I prayed he wouldn't notice how unsteady my breathing had become. He made me nervous. I don't think I'd ever get used to being affected by his mere presence. His charming and gentle nature was sweeping me off my feet, and I felt like a fish out of water.

"Do you do this with all the girls on the third date?" I blurted into his shoulder.

Bella, shut up.

Edward chuckled and pulled back slightly so he could look at my face. "What makes you think this happens often?" he inquired, no irritation to his voice.

I made a face. "You're a bar owner. You're constantly surrounded by beautiful people enjoying the nightlife, and with liquor flowing, people tend to let go of their inhibitions. There have bound to have been other girls who have tried to shoot their shot with the person mixing their drinks. Doesn't it come with the territory?" I reasoned, genuinely curious to see his reaction.

I worried that he may have this laundry list of women at his disposal.

Edward didn't respond with words.

He pulled me close once more. Closer. Almost as close as I'd like us to be.

The music flowed throughout the room, vibrating between us.

I'll find you

In the morning sun

And when the night is new

I'll be looking at the moon

But I'll be seeing you

"Hate to break it to you, but just like your bartender assumption, you're wrong. I don't usually go out with girls I meet at the bar. I actually have been meaning to tell you something. I was waiting for tonight." Edward started, turning us to face the other wall.

His response calmed the nerves spiraling in my belly. I wanted to know more but like always, I was sidetracked.

In front of us was a huge gallery wall of eclectic art pieces. Some big, some small. All full of life and probably stories too.

But then I saw the most magnificent painting. It was a kaleidoscope of colors. So vibrant, yet muted in the right ways. It reminded me of when I was a kid and would look up at the sun, despite being scolded at how bad it was for my eyesight.

This painting wasn't amateur work. I took in all the little nuisances of the piece—from the fine lines to the detailing to even the frame which had been carefully crafted.

At least all those boring art gallery openings taught me something.

"Who painted that?" I gasped, gesturing with my chin. I leaned forward for a closer look at it.

There was something absolutely breathtaking about the way the colors blended. It was youthful almost.

I shook my head, struggling to find the right way to describe it. I'd always had a hard time when it came to art. I'd been taught to appreciate it, but there were some things that you just had to feel with your soul and couldn't be put into words.

"You like it?" he asked, his eyes dancing as if there was a hidden meaning attached to the artwork.

"It's … The way the colors pop … I feel pure joy," I said sheepishly, feeling a bit like a fraud as I tried to describe this art piece.

I saw Edward's expression morph to one beaming with pride, and he was about to continue when the front door of the loft flew open.

A woman who looked to be in her late fifties barged in, whirling around the place like a tornado, not even looking at Edward or me.

She glanced around the entryway as she searched for something. Her brunette hair bounced as she shuffled shoes in the storage bench by the front door.

Shoes that looked rather small. They didn't look like they would fit Edward's big feet at all.

I stepped away from Edward's closeness and looked at him questioningly, wondering why he wasn't alarmed by a random person busting into his apartment and suddenly going through his belongings. Wasn't he worried about being robbed?

He appeared sheepish and cupped the back of his neck nervously.

Okay, so this wasn't a burglar. Good to know.

The mysterious woman stopped her search in the hall, moving toward the entrance to the kitchen to look in a basket there. I took that opportunity to get a really good look at her, and I started to notice the similarities to the man standing behind me. Their hair color was a similar shade as was their coloring. She'd let herself in, so that meant she had a key.

Oh my God. A thought dawned on me: What if Edward lived with his mother?

As the woman made her way into the living room, still not looking at Edward or me, she began to spout off a list of questions. Her back was to us as she lifted an ottoman open and rustled through the contents and then she quickly turned in our direction but instead of looking up at us she dug through couch cushions.

"Edward, dear, Bree left Mr. Snuffles here. I also don't have her cleats. She said she left them in her gym bag, but they aren't there. Do you have Mrs. Gomez's email? I need to ask her something about that chaperone thing I signed up for. Bree also told me to tell you how you missed your after-school phone call, so she's not giving Daddy a goodnight smooch over the phone as punishment." the woman prattled on, flipping her short hair as she finally looked up.

The woman's eyes widened as she saw me standing next to Edward, who grabbed my hand in his. Maybe a tactic to keep me from running. A good idea on his part.

"Shit," the woman, presumably Edward's mother, said and ran over to us. "I'm so sorry."

She peered at Edward with an apologetic look on her face and then focused her attention onto me. "You must be Bella." She outstretched her hand for me to shake. "I'm Esme, Edward's mother."

He told his mom about me?

I was still stunned by the whirlwind of information just thrown at me, so I stood there in silence, trying to take in all that had just happened.

I grabbed her hand and mustered up enough of my manners to greet her. "Nice to meet you." I smiled, looking at Edward, wanting to grill him about all these revelations.

Esme cleared her throat and affectionately grabbed Edward's arm. "I'm going to head out. I'll tell Bree to call you later…or in the morning." She glanced at me again. "I'm sorry again for interrupting."

The door slammed shut, and Edward and I were alone once more.

Well, as alone as we could be now that there was a giant elephant in the room also.

"Daddy, huh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I couldn't help the amused expression that plagued my face as I waited for him to elaborate.

Edward smiled sheepishly once more. "Yes, Daddy." He shrugged, blowing out a breath. "I have a daughter."

A/N: Let me know your thoughts:)