35

Edward rolled from his side onto his stomach, his hand stretching across the bed for Bella, but he felt nothing but the cold sheet. Leaning up on his elbows, he looked around the bedroom, but still didn't find her. He scrambled out of bed and hurried into the bathroom, almost expecting to find her in the bathtub again, but she wasn't there, either. He peed, because you know first thing in the morning, he always had to pee, and washed his hands before he hurried into the living room.

That's where he found Bella.

She was seated at the table with a bowl filled with cookie dough in front of her and two cooking sheets, one that was already filled with little balls of dough.

"Are you just going to stand there staring at me?" she asked, looking back at him with a smile. "I made coffee already. Put this one in the oven before you pour yourself a cup."

"I can do that."

Edward picked up the cooking sheet and walked over to the oven, pulling the door down. He turned away as a gust of air rushed out and then he placed the cooking sheet on the rack, closed the door. Then, poured himself some coffee.

"You need a refill?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Please."

Edward picked up the carafe and carried it to the table, sitting across from her. He filled her cup before placing it in the table and watching her roll cookie dough into small balls. Her lips were pulled upward at the corners in a delicate little smile. His smile, he thought, the one she saved for him. It was something he had noticed about her since the evening he first saw her standing in the doorway of his parents' house. With everyone else, her smile was almost forced, fake, but with him, it was carefree and genuine, his smile and only his. It just made him fall in love with her even more, he admitted to himself.

"Seriously, you need to stop staring at me, Edward. It's very distracting. Taking all my control not to push all of this off the table and lay on top so you can fuck me again."

"Tempting, sweetheart, but I've never tasted your cookies," he snickered.

"Haven't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and the double meaning behind his words had him shifting in his seat and looked away for a moment, but then turned back to her. "How long have you been up?"

"A few hours."

"Why?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why not?"

"If I knew that, I would have been asleep."

Edward just stared at her.

Bella sighed, rolling her eyes before saying, "I don't know. I guess everything kind of hit me all at once, and I started to feel overwhelmed, so I decided to make cookies to take to your parents' house. Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies?"

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Of course I do. It just, kind of, I don't know, hit me how fast everything is going, and I guess I wish my parents were here to . . . celebrate everything with us."

"Do you want to wait?" he asked.

"No!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening and he laughed. "No, of course not. I just . . . I just . . . I'm fine, Edward, I promise. No regrets, no doubts, just some feelings that I needed to bake out."

"Okay, if you're sure."

Bella dropped the last of the cookie dough onto the cooking sheet before she pushed her chair away from the table. Edward snatched it up and placed it in the oven while she washed her hands. Once he had sat back at the table, she pushed on his shoulder and sat on his lap, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"When are you going to put in the offer on the house?"

"Once I'm sure you really are okay with buying Mike Newton's house."

"Edward," she groaned, shaking her head. "I'm fine with it. We'll just burn some incense and have the house blessed by a priest or something to get all the bad mojo out."

Edward laughed. "That's fair, sweetheart."

"I'm going to take a shower. Alone," she added before Edward could offer to join her. "When the timer on my phone goes off, pull the cookies out of the oven. And don't forget to send the contact for the bakery to your father. I want to sign it today, so we can really move forward with everything. The longer it takes me to open, the harder it's going to be to make a profit and I can't afford not to, especially with half a mortgage payment, too."

"I can pay the mortgage on my own, sweetheart. I have enough in saving to pay half the house in cash, and the rest, well, I'm sure I can handle it."

"Without a job?"

"I have a job. A couple of them, actually. Figure I'd open my own practice here, family law or something boring like that. Plus, I take care of all the legal aspects for the resort, already."

"And your second job?"

"Official taste tester for Swan's Sweets."

Bella laughed. "Oh, okay."

"No, seriously, I figure with Emmett and Rosie leaving the island, I could step in and help cover their duties. At least until Ma and Pop find someone else."

"Wow, don't you have it all figured out."

"Been thinking about it a lot over the few days. I haven't been the son or brother my family deserves. Kind of just left them to handle the family business, and it's time I did my part."

"I can't wait to really start our lives together, Edward. Have you thought about when you want to get married?"

"Tonight too soon?"

She laughed. "Yes! I haven't even told Phil that I'm getting hitched."

"So tomorrow then."

Bella scoffed. "I don't think so, Cullen. I don't want a big, fancy wedding by any means, but I do want my uncle there to, you know, give me away."

"Okay. We'll plan something small, something intimate. Maybe a surprise wedding so we can keep Ma and Allie off our asses," he added, snickering. "And we will make sure Phil is strong enough to give you to me forever, sweetheart."

"Forever sounds really nice, love."

Bella kissed him softly before she climbed off his lap and hurried into the bedroom. A minute later, he heard the bathroom door close and then the shower turn on. Edward moved to the couch and opened his laptop. He read through the contract once more before emailing it to his father. Less than thirty seconds later, his phone started to ring and when he hurried into the bedroom and picked it up, he was unsurprised to find his father calling.

Rolling his eyes, he accepted it and hurried out of the bedroom as he said, "Hey, Pop."

"Son, I just got an email with the lease agreement for the bakery."

"I know. I just sent it to you."

"Before I open it and share it with Ma, is there any point in arguing with Bella Swan about even needing one?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so." Peter sighed. "Is she okay? Ma and I have been awfully worried about her."

"She's . . . she's holding it together. I think now that Irina's been arrested and charged with so much, and we know Phil's going to be okay, she can . . . We can take a much needed breath."

Peter hummed. "Can't say that Ma and I aren't feeling a bit relief, now, too. Are you really staying?"

Edward smiled. "I am. Bella and I have already started looking for a house and, I don't know, Pop, everything is moving so fast."

Peter laughed. "It is."

"Is it too fast, though?"

"Edward, I can't answer that for you, son. I knew the moment I saw Ma that she was the love of my life."

"But you didn't uproot your entire life within like three days of meeting her."

"Well, I was fourteen years old, so . . ." Peter laughed. "Seeing her for the first time, son, was like breathing for the first time. She was beautiful, and when she smiled at me, my heart would race."

"Feels like that for me, too."

"Is it fast, Edward? Maybe, I don't know, but all that matters is that you love that sweet girl with everything you have, and that she loves you in return."

"She does. For some, strange reason that I still don't understand, she loves me, Pop."

"Well, I might be biased seeing as I'm your father, but I think she's chosen wisely."

Edward laughed. "Yeah, but like you said you're a little biased."

"Not that biased."

The timer on Bella's phone went off, so Edward hurried over and shut it off. He pulled the cooking sheets out of the oven and placed them on top. "Bella and I are coming by in a bit. She wants to nail down the lease agreement, so . . ."

"I'll let Ma know to expect you. For what it's worth, Edward, she's right to insist on a lease. While Ma and I would never screw her over, the fact that she's not looking for favoritism just because she happens to be in love with our son tells me that she's a strong, independent woman, which is exactly what you need."

"I do?"

"You do. Just like I did."

Edward laughed. "Ma is pretty strong and independent."

"Hell yes, she is. Runs this place better than I ever could." He laughed. "Should we be expecting the other three?"

Edward snorted. "Probably at some point. Jacob and Kate are heading back to the city this afternoon, and Tyler has decided to join them."

"Thank God. Sorry, kiddo, I don't know that Callawassee Island is big enough for those three, and their special relationship. Can't say I understand how it works with them, but I can say that I've never seen Kate or Jacob look at anyone the way they do Tyler Crowley, and he's a good man, Edward. He'll be good to them, and they'll treat him good, too."

"Yeah, I think so, too."

"I'd better get downstairs and prepare Ma. We'll see you in a bit, Edward."

"Okay, Pop."

Edward ended the call and had just laid his phone on the table when the door to the bedroom opened and Bella walked out in a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt with a set of black lips with pucker up written above it.

"Nice shirt."

"I was inspired by last night."

Edward groaned. "Wish last night had inspired more than just that shirt."

"I'm sure it will later." Bella walked into the kitchen and started pulling the cookies off the baking sheet and placing them inside a Tupperware bowl sitting on the counter. She looked over her shoulder, finding him staring at her again. "You're seriously going to give me a complex if you don't stop staring at me like that."

"Sorry," he muttered, looking away. "Do you regret telling me not to use a condom last night?"

"What? Of course not. Why? Do you?"

"No," he replied quickly. "I just . . . Am I pushing you too fast? I mean with talking about marriage and buying a house to fill with lots of kids."

Bella smiled and turned toward him. "Is that why you're acting so weird? You think I feel pressured to . . . have babies?"

"I mean, I don't know, kind of."

She walked over and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Listen to me, love. If I didn't want to buy that beautiful house and get married and have lots and lots of babies, then I would tell you I wasn't ready for any of that. I want to spend every minute of the rest of our lives together as your wife, as the mother of your children. I want to love you the way your mom and dad love each other, the way my mom and dad loved each other, Edward. I want you by my side every single day of the rest of our lives. I want to teach you how to bake, and let you taste my cookies."

He laughed, covering her hands with his own. "I want that, too. I guess I just . . . I got a little too in my feelings for a minute."

"Well, it's a damn good thing I'm here to get you out of your feelings. I love you, Edward. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

—BoR—

An hour later, Edward had showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Bella was seated in the passenger seat of his car with the container of cookies on her lap, and a smile on her face. He parked in front of his parents' house, finding Tyler's truck in front. The two shared a look before climbing out and heading inside.

Tyler was seated on the couch while Kate and Jacob were hugging Peter and Charlotte. Edward knew they wouldn't leave the island without bidding them goodbye. Every time Peter and Charlotte would come to the city to visit, Kate and Jacob made a point of seeking them out. Edward wondered if this had been their way of reassuring his parents that he was okay. His parents had never hidden how worried they had been about him, telling him on more than a dozen occasions that he wasn't responsible for Tanya's death. He hadn't believed it, though, until he met Bella and she told him he was an idiot.

"There you are!" Kate laughed as she rushed across the room, but instead of hugging Edward, like he expected, she threw her arms around Bella, whose eyes widened. "I thought you were going to hold our boy hostage all day."

"Thought about it," Bella admitted, shifted the container of cookies in one arm and returning Kate's hug. "Are y'all about to leave?"

"Afraid so," Jacob added as he and Tyler walked over and stood before Edward and Bella. Kate moved so that she was standing on the other side of Tyler, hooking her arm in with his. Tyler smiled and wrapped his arm around hers while holding Jacob's hand. "But just because we won't be here all the time, doesn't mean we aren't here for you, Bella. You need anything, or your boy here does something stupid, call us and we'll come back and kick his ass."

"I'm not scared of you, Jake," Edward said, placing his hand on Bella's back.

Jacob smirked. "You may not be scared of me, Eddie, but Kate terrifies you."

Edward opened his mouth to deny it, but simply shrugged and said, "That's fair, but I love Bella and I will never, ever hurt her."

"Yeah, yeah, Cullen, we believe you, but what kind of friends would we be if we didn't throw out vague threats to protect her," Kate added. "Plus, Bella knows that if she does anything, and we do mean anything, that hurts you, I'll kick her ass, too."

"You could try," Bella quipped. "But like Edward, I love him too much to ever do anything that would cause him pain. He's . . . He's the love of my life, Kate. The only person who has ever looked past my prosthetic leg and seen the real me, so you can try to kick my ass, but you know that hurting me would hurt him, and you wouldn't do that to him."

Kate tilted her head to the side. "No, I wouldn't." She smiled. "Anyway, we should go, but I'll call you, Edward."

"I'm sure you will."

Tyler cleared his throat. "Bella, Edward, thank you for, you know, bringing them to me."

Edward laughed. "You're welcome, Tyler. Keep them in line for me."

Tyler blushed as he looked from Jacob to Kate and back. "I'll try."

"Bet he'll try real hard. Like really, really hard." Jacob smirked, releasing Tyler's hand only to reach behind him and grab his ass — hard enough to cause Tyler to squeal, Charlotte to laugh, Peter to shake his head, and Kate to moan. "Anywho, we're off. Edward, I'll email you tomorrow."

"Okay." Edward and Bella stood aside while Kate, Tyler, and Jacob hurried out the front door.

Charlotte burst out laughing. "I don't know that even Columbia is big enough for those three."

"I don't either, Ma." Edward walked over and pulled his mother in for a hug.

"Not that I mind, but why the hug?"

"Because I went too long without giving them," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Ma."

"Oh, I love you, too, sweet boy." Charlotte patted his cheek affectionately before looking over at Bella. "You know you do not have to bake for us, don't you, Bella?"

"I do, but I enjoy it, and I haven't made my famous chocolate chip cookies in a while, so I thought what a better opportunity than the morning we begin our business relationship."

"Ah, yes, yes, the lease my son sent over. While I still don't think it's needed, and I don't like the idea of you paying us a single penny, as a business woman myself, I can appreciate your desire to make it on your own, so I will sign the agreement."

"Thank you, Ms. Lottie."

Charlotte smiled and walked over to Bella, placing her hands on either side of her face. "Sit with me for a moment."

"Oh, um, okay."

His mother gave Peter a look as she and Bella settled on the sofa. Peter nodded and hurried into the kitchen, coming back with a large wrapped package. It wasn't hard to figure out that it was a frame based on the size, but Edward couldn't think about what his parents would have gotten framed for her. Peter set it on the floor and leaned it against the couch before he sat behind Charlotte.

"I think it goes without saying, dear, that you've become important to our family. And not just because of the way you love my son."

"Well, you've become important to me, too, Ms. Lottie. And not just because of Edward. You've always welcomed me into your home, made me feel like . . . like I have parents again," Bella whimpered, bringing her hand up to her chest. "Sorry. I don't usually cry this much, but, well, your son has me in my feelings today."

"I do not," Edward muttered as he walked over and sat on the arm of the couch behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back. "What's in the package, Ma?"

Charlotte smiled and reached over and slid it between her and Bella. "Open it and see for yourself."

"This is for me?" Bella asked, and Charlotte nodded. "But . . . Why?"

"Just open it."

Bella looked over her shoulder at Edward before shrugging and slowly — ever so painfully slow — peeling the paper away. Once she had the paper off, she turned the frame and gasped, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth. Tapped together, piece by piece by tiny little piece, were her mother's recipes. A dozen of them put back together and placed inside the frame.

"You . . . You put them back together for me?"

"We did," Peter said, reaching around Charlotte and placing his hand on the side of Bella's face. "The kids helped, of course. They would have been here, but they . . . Well, they didn't want to overwhelm you."

"I'm afraid we couldn't save all of them," Charlotte added. "But we knew they were important to you, dear."

"I thought I'd lost them for good," Bella cried. "I just . . . Thank you, Ms. Lottie. Thank you both so much. These . . . Well, they mean a lot to me, so . . . thank you."

"You're welcome, dear." Charlotte stood. "Now, let me feed you. Please, just let me feed you."

Laughing, Bella nodded and stood. As Charlotte lead Bella and Peter into the kitchen, Edward followed, thankful for a forgiving family and a second chance to be the son they deserved, and all because Bella Swan told him to stop being an idiot.

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