Edward didn't take long to get back to the apartment. His expression held nothing but aggravation and concern. A hard frown stayed on his face, even as he marched into my bedroom. Wordlessly, he slung his coat off, tossing it to the foot of the bed. Soaking wet. As if he had been walking through a storm.
I glanced towards the window, taking note of the flurry of snow pleating against the window. I didn't notice the weather had gotten so bad. This was only the second time I've experienced a winter in Boswell. It was completely different then winter in Plum. Here in the city, the weather seemed harsher. Stronger winds, colder temperatures, heavier snowfall. Not to mention the awful traffic. There were wrecks almost daily. Edward mentioned this time of the year was probably their busiest. Which was the reason Esme wasn't too keen on Edward leaving the office for the next few days.
"Didn't find him?" I asked, feeling a single brow arch upwards.
Edward sighed, running a single hand through dark, wet hair. Defeat was radiating off him. "All his belongings are gone from his apartment, he wasn't there. And when I called Esme to ask her if she knew anything about it and she pretty much told me to mind my own business."
That wasn't like Esme. She normally would tell Edward anything. She dotted on him so much, it surprised me that she had responded evasively. Maybe she was still holding onto her guilt about her dishonesty with Emmett.
"I wonder why he left? Did he mention anything out of the ordinary to you before we went on our trip to Plum?"
Edward paused, folding his arms across his chest. His emerald eyes seemed to almost cloud over as he thought over my question. "Nothing unusual. In fact he was completely drunk the last we spoke. He was being obnoxious, so I hung up on him."
This wasn't news to me. Emmett has been dealing with a lot lately. Edward referred to it as spiraling. Which meant a lot of drinking and stupid choices.
I sighed, leaning to rest my back up against the pillows. My back had begun aching a little while ago. It seemed like no matter how I positioned myself, I couldn't get comfortable. It was miserable. But I didn't want Edward to get concerned, so I tried to keep the pain off my face.
"What should we do?" I commented tensely.
Edward still managed to notice my discomfort. His shoulders dropped, letting the tension fall off him. Instead, he moved to lay behind me, pulling me to his chest. I wiggled myself back, closer into him. I breathed in his scent and let my eyes close. It felt so much better being in his arms.
His hands trickled up and down my sides, lightly massaging me. "Forget about Emmett for now. I'm sure he will reach out eventually. Once he runs out of money, he'll be back to work. And calling me for some cash."
Shivers ran down my spine as his magical fingers danced against my skin. The pleasure was indescribable. Truly the most relaxed my body felt. Even the muscles of my back - that usually felt tight and twisted up, now felt loose.
"I'll support whatever you want to do. He's your brother."
Edward smiled faintly, but I could tell something was still bothering him. "Are you feeling any better?"
I nodded. "A little bit. I might be able to eat dinner tonight."
"That's good to hear. I brought home a few different medications that you can try. It might help." He added.
"I appreciate that," But then again, if I was pregnant, there may be some medications that aren't safe to take during pregnancy. So, I may have to be careful, until I take the test. This was just too much. I couldn't hide something like this from Edward. He would get suspicious. He wasn't dumb. He would have to notice something. I knew I had to tell him, it would be soon, but it wasn't going to be tonight.
If I want to make steps forward, I needed to get over some of my fears. I wouldn't be ready to take the test, until I had a serious talk with Edward. There was a lot of things we still had to figure out. So, I might as well start those hard conversations now.
My lips parted, but I couldn't manage to say anything. I felt choked up for a second. My heart began to race and squeeze tightly in my chest. This was incredibly nerve-wrecking. I took a few deep breathes until my nerves had slightly settled.
"I had something I was meaning to ask you." I forced out breathlessly.
He raised a single brow. "I'm all ears."
"Have you given any thought to our… future?"
"How far ahead in the future are you asking about?"
"I'm just wondering if you have ever considered… moving… in… with me." The words flew off my lips before I could edit myself. I wanted to ask in a more relaxed and confident manner. But I sounded more like a quivering, stammering fool. It was embarrassing. Thankfully Edward didn't instantly start making fun of me. A serious swept over me, as his eyes scanned over my face.
"Is that something you are interested in? You are prepared to take the next step?" There was a softening to his face as I felt his lips brush against my neck. I felt his body shift slightly forward, moving in close to my back. I felt like I could have melted. His breath was hot against my skin.
"Maybe," I muttered quietly, getting a bit distracted by his close proximity. "You basically live here already. You are here more often than your own apartment. So why not make it official?"
It was an exaggeration. Edward hasn't spent a night in his apartment in nearly a month now. Most of his belongings were already here. The only time he would stop at his apartment was for a change of clothes or grab a bottle of wine from his storage. I'm not sure why he always insists to stay the night at my place. I never really had the chance to go to his apartment to spend the night. I've never even seen the inside of it. Needless to say, I was very curious.
Edward slowly leaned down to leave a warm kiss at the top of my head. His hand shifted my hair out of the way to lightly peck more kisses against my neck. "I'd love to move in, but I do have a question."
By now I was panting quietly. My eyes closed as I was now completely under his spell. I could never keep my focus when he kissed me. It was always so tender and passionate. I could barely formulate a thought but managed to respond to him after a brief moment. "What's your question?"
"Why have you decided on this now? Did something happen? Or have you been thinking this over for a while?" He asked quietly, removing himself from me for a moment. His arms still lingered around me, but he pulled back to give me a little room to breathe and get refocused.
"To be honest, this is a huge step for me. I don't have much experience with dating. I've been trying to avoid this, until we have been together for at least a year." I sighed, before turning in his arms to face him. "Don't get me wrong, I've wanted you to move in for a while, I just was waiting for the right time."
It was the truth. I had been going to war with myself for the past few weeks. Should I invite him to live here at my apartment? Or was this moving too quickly? Would he think I was an annoying, clingy girlfriend? I didn't have any past relationships to compare to. I didn't want to make a mistake. Or ruin what we had going here. I wanted to live with him. But the fear of rejection was always a thought in the back of my mind. Now with the possibility of being pregnant, I had overcome some of this apprehension.
His hand lightly stroked my cheek, causing the skin under his fingertips to warm. "So, this is the right time? Why?"
"I've met your family, you've met mine. We know each other a little better now. And like I said, you are here at my place more often than your own. So… why not?" Not to mention, it was just a gut feeling that I had. We have grown so close over the months. I felt like I was ready to dive a little deeper. Get closer. Understand him on a new level. Find out what makes Edward tick.
He seemed satisfied by my answer. His shoulders trembled a bit as he chuckled. "Well, I can't argue with that. I'll make the arrangements for the next few days to get everything moved from my place to yours."
Wow. This was moving even faster than I had anticipated. I thought maybe he would have thought about it a bit. Consider everything. Debated with himself for a few days. But I guess this means Edward isn't like me. He was sure of himself. While I never knew what I wanted out of life. I was a little envious of that. As much as I wanted to be strong and confident, I couldn't manage to ignore my insecurities and my lack of experience. I've never truly felt that I was particularly good at anything. I didn't have any skills, not growing up and not now that I'm an adult. It's hard to have confidence, when you basically suck at everything. I aspired to be someone, more like Edward.
"I can't wait," I rested my head back to lean against his shoulder. "It's going to be nice having you here all the time."
His arms cradled me a little closer to his chest, while his hand lightly stroked down the length of my hair. "Are you sure? I've been told I can get a little annoying after a while." His voice was barely above a whisper. The somber look on his face suggested that he wasn't kidding in the slightest.
"I'm not sure that's even possible."
Was he a bit self-conscious as well? Or was I reading this conversation wrong?
"Well, this would be a first for me. I've never moved in with any of my past partners. And well, Emmett tried moving in with me a few times. But that never ended up good. So, more or less, I've been living on my own for a long time."
I could imagine Edward and Emmett living together would have been a nightmare of an arrangement. They were both so short-tempered. They usually didn't get along very well. I'm sure neither one of them got much enjoyment out of being around each other so much. Edward preferred a quiet night in, loud busy, public places got under his skin. While Emmett enjoyed the nightlife. Bars, casinos and nonstop parties. He wanted to be surrounded by people. They may have similar personalities when it came to anger. But other than that, they were completely different people.
However, when it came to Edward and his past relationships, I was a little skeptical.
"But you were married… you married Tanya, but never moved in with her?"
It sounded ridiculous. But in the back of mind, I was mentally cheering. I was thrilled that Edward never made this step forward in a relationship with anyone else. I was the first. Moving in together was nothing compared to marriage. But there was something intimate about living together.
I felt Edward shrug. "We both were very busy with work. We practically lived at the office. I usually spent four nights at the office and three at the apartment. And even when I did go home, I always brought my work with me."
That was something I've noticed about Edward; he was a bit of a workaholic. But I never had the feeling that he would ever put his job before our relationship. In fact, once work ended all we did was spend our time together. He would do some work on his phone from time to time, but mostly, he was very present.
"It sounds like you were such a different person, than who you are today."
He was quiet for a moment. "I haven't actually changed, my priorities have."
"So, work isn't your top priority anymore?"
I felt his lips nibbling at my neck for a moment. Silence again fell over him. I lightly ran my hands along his muscular arms.
"So many things are infinitely more important than work. You are at the very top of the list."
His words caused a fluttering in my chest. I couldn't put into words how happy that made me feel. Lying here in Edward's arms always brought me a sense of peace and bliss. But the emotions I felt in this moment were elevated to the point of pure ecstasy. My body couldn't contain this level of joy and desperation I felt. I wanted him. I loved him. Unconditionally.
Edward, undoubtedly, could feel my raw emotions through our marking. He remained silent. I wondered what was on his mind. I turned to look up at him, to find Edward in a daze. He was lost in his thoughts. But the smile on his face kept me from speaking. As long as my affections hadn't scared him away, I wouldn't bother trying to interrupt his thoughts.
It had been nearly an hour before either one of us spoke. I was starting to drift in and out of sleep. Edward's watchful eyes lingered on me as he helped me get dressed for bed. This particular pair of pajamas had been a Christmas gift from Esme. They were made of smooth silk and lace. Expensive and frivolous. However, I couldn't deny how comfortable they were. Even on a cold winter night, my body was running warm. This was perfect to keep me at a comfortable temperature. The material was so thin, it was almost translucent.
I wasn't surprised that I hadn't eaten anything today. It's been a common occurrence since we have returned from Plum. I just didn't have much of an appetite. And the nausea didn't help matters.
Edward took a moment to step out of the room to take a shower and begin his nightly routine. That was another interesting quirk I've picked up on, when it comes to Edward. He liked routine. Predictable daily tasks. Organization and flawless schedules. In a way, I really valued that kind of personality. It reminded me of my father. He had been the same way. The extreme opposite of my free-spirited mother. She was like a ripple on the water. One minute she was there, the next she was gone. From one thing to another. Random. Irrational. Infuriating.
I didn't want to think about my mother. Today was a decent day. Thinking of her situation would just ruin it.
Suddenly there was a pounding to the door of the bedroom, forcing me to jump. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I instantly knew it wasn't Katlyn. She didn't possess that aggressive of a knock.
Edward must have heard the knocking and quickly darted back into the room, only in a towel. He stormed to the door with a dark look on his face. And as he swung the door open, I was in complete shock at who was standing on the other side.
Sorry it took so long for this update! Thanks for reading! Let me hear your thoughts. Who do you think is at the door?