EPOV
As soon as we got Bella moved in, I set up our East Coast trip. While I don't relish having to go and do all of this digging, I'm happy to have Bella by my side.
"Edward? I'm looking at the manifest for the flight. Am I missing something?" Bella calls out from her office, and I smile to myself.
I was hoping she would figure this out and ask me about it. Walking over to her office, I lean on the door jamb to grin at her. "Here I thought I was being sneaky, and you'd be proud of me."
"Maybe you are, and I'm just being an absolute idiot. Why are we going to New York?" She flips her iPad around to show me, and I smile wider.
I walk into the room, taking the tablet out of her hands, placing it on the desk. "Because if we go to NYC and get some great photos of us hitting some tourist sights and some restaurants, you'll have enough fodder to use on social media for whoever may be checking in on us."
She leans into my touch, humming. "You devious bastard." We laugh together. "Can I be really cheesy and take a picture in front of Tiffany's eating a croissant?"
It takes me a minute to put it together. "Absolutely. Do you think it will work?"
Bella shrugs as she pulls out of my embrace. "Probably. If Maria or Jane or whoever it is actually is really checking up on us through geotagging and social media, then posting about a week spent in New York is a good cover."
She taps her tablet again. "But what if whoever it is has a way to look into flight plans? Are flight plans public domain? I should find out." Bella turns to her desk, but I pull her back.
"We'll drive to Delaware. We can stop in Philadelphia like we talked about, and we can even go to D.C. We can make it look like we're just doing a little East Coast tourist trip. Then we hit Delaware to check out Jane's condo and workplace or Maria's." I look her dead on.
"You really need to know what's going on, don't you?" Bella asks quietly, reaching out to cup my cheek.
Melting into her touch, I tell her everything. "I know that these relationships, even with you, they're unconventional. But I cared for Jane, even when I couldn't trust her. I cared for Lauren until her ambition overcame her love for me."
"Edward, it's okay to be worried even if you think something shady is happening. You can be worried about Jane and what may have happened to her. You can be curious about who Maria Xavier is." She presses a kiss to my lips. "But the main thing is figuring out how to save your business. If you can't find answers about Jane or Maria, will you be able to let that go?"
"I don't know, but I'll do my best to focus on what I can control," I finally say, leaning down to press my forehead to hers.
"Good boy." She pecks my lips again. "Are you packed?"
"Of course, and I know you're not. So get to it; we're leaving early tomorrow." Leaving the office and moving back to our bedroom, I pull out her luggage, setting it on the bed and walking away. She doesn't need my help, but she'll ask for my opinion. In the meantime, I'll make her a cup of tea and get her some cookies.
As I wait for the kettle to boil, I can't help but smile to myself. I always took care of my babies and cared for them, but the love I have for Bella is so different. To have her by my side, fighting with me and protecting me while I only want to do the same for her. It's more than I ever could have imagined or wanted.
I was prepared to guard my heart after my divorce, to never let anyone else in. Bella has shown me that it's not only okay to let go of the reins once in a while, but that trust is a two-way street. Because I see now that it isn't me against the world or Bella against it; it's us, as a unified front, taking on everything together.
When I bring the tray up to her, I cringe over the mess she's made. "Oh, Edward, thank you!" She laughs when I glance around. "I know, it's a mess. I'm almost done packing, and then I'll hang everything back up."
Setting down the tray, I begin to hang up her discarded clothes. It's these scenes of domesticity that I enjoy the most. Bella zips up her suitcase just as I close the closet door. "I'm so ready for bed," she tells me as she sips on her tea. "My head is starting to hurt."
"Do you want me to get you something?" I gather up the tray and walk to the door as she walks to the bathroom.
"I'm okay, Edward. Thank you," I hear the sink turn on as I walk downstairs. When I return, Bella is tucked into her side of the bed with her eyes closed. I quickly brush my teeth and strip down to my boxers, climbing in next to her.
She shifts closer to me, but even in the dark, I can sense how tense she is. Reaching up, I run my fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp until I feel her relax and hear her breathing even out. I pull her slightly closer and press a soft kiss to her forehead before drifting off to sleep.
Bleary eyed, I turn to look at my alarm clock to see the screen displaying 2:48 AM. I woke up when I heard a drawer in the bathroom closing a little too hard. Climbing out of bed, I tap lightly on the door. "Bella? Is everything all right?"
All I can hear is a defeated little whimper. "Edward, I need your help."
Opening the door to almost complete darkness, I want to chuckle at first. "Maybe turning on the light will help?"
"Oh God, please don't!" Bella groans, and I study her in the soft light from the nightlight in the corner.
One hand is in her hair, gripping it hard, a look of complete anguish on her face. Moving to her, I guide her to sit on the edge of the tub. "I need you to take a deep breath and try to relax. What are you looking for? Something for your head?"
She nods. "I have a prescription, but I can't find it. It's a slim box with a pharmacy label on it with my name. I just need one tablet."
"It probably just got shuffled when we unloaded all your stuff from the move. I need to turn the light on." I grab a hand towel from the nearest rack. "Here, put this over your eyes." I make sure she covers her eyes before flipping the switch.
It only takes me two drawers to find the pills. The foil sheet has several tabs missing, so I tear one off before placing the rest on the counter. Instead of handing the individual package over to Bella, I open it, and then place it in her palm. Just as I'm turning to get her some water, I hear a distinctive crunch and turn back to see Bella dry swallowing this pill.
"Are you okay?" She still has the towel over her eyes so I crouch down in front of her, resting my hands on her knees.
"I will be. Can you help me back to bed?" Bella can't see me nod, but when I stand, I scoop her up gently into my arms. She leans her head against my chest for the short distance, and when I tuck her in, she gropes for the water bottle at her bedside. She clutches the bottle and struggles with the cap before I intervene.
I watch her chug the liquid while I take the towel to hang it up and turn off the light in the bathroom. When I crawl into bed next to Bella, she snuggles into me, and I can't help but wrap my arms around her, wanting to soothe her back to sleep. "Why didn't you tell me you get migraines?"
She's whispering. "I usually don't. Not like this. Ibuprofen usually knocks out any headache I get."
"Baby, you have a prescription—"
"Edward, there are thousands of other people worse off than me. There are people who get migraines multiple times a week." Bella sighs. "My doctor said they were hormonal; I'm probably getting my period."
We're silent for a few minutes before she shifts slightly. "Can you do that thing with my hair again? That really helped earlier."
That's how we fall asleep for a few more hours. An hour and half before our flight is scheduled to leave, Bella comes downstairs looking as fresh as she can, informing me that she plans to do nothing on the flight, and I can't help but laugh.
About an hour into our flight, I go check on Bella, only to find her curled up in the bedroom, reading. "Do you need anything?"
"I'm good, Edward, thanks." She pats the mattress next to her. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I kept you up."
I cradle her to my chest, rubbing her back. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. How's the head?"
"Much better; thanks again." She tangles our legs together. "I'll be good to go when we land."
"Good because when we land, we're going straight to the hotel, and then tomorrow morning, you have an appointment with a neurologist. No arguments."
Bella opens her mouth to respond then shuts it. "How did you manage that so quickly? Please don't say money."
When I don't say anything, Bella groans. "Edward! I don't need to see a neurologist. I'm fine."
She starts to pull away from me, but I keep her caged in my arms. "I just want to make sure you're as healthy as a horse so I can keep you on your toes for the rest of our lives."
"Fine, but when that doctor tells you I'm fine, I want a treat." Her voice is full of petulance, and it's hilarious.
"A treat for what? A clean bill of health?" I drive my fingers into her ribs, tickling her as she squirms.
"No, a treat for being right!" She rolls over on top of me, smiling. "I want a ridiculous shopping spree with Daddy's money." My dick tightens under her when she calls me that, and I suddenly think her plans for the flight have changed.
