Edward

I'm on the phone with Dwayne, who's out on the island doing the final preparations and encouraging me to go to Crowley's not only to support Bella but to make sure she leaves on time for my—our party.

"Edward, just go. She finished your costume, and you two match; it will be adorable. Not to mention you haven't shown your face there yet to show your support." I hear him bark out an order to someone in the background. "I don't have time to babysit you right now, but if you and Bella are doing this thing for real, then get your cute little ass over there."

I don't need any more convincing than that. I'm already dressed in my costume, so I send Bella a text, asking if she's left for the bar yet.

Bella: I'm trying to get this wig to look right. I haven't even ordered my Uber yet.

Smiling to myself, I grab my keys and wallet before locking up and making the quick drive to the McCarty's house. When I ring the bell, Morticia Addams answers, and I laugh, looking Rosalie up and down. "It's perfect. Where's Gomez?"

Emmett walks out from the kitchen and points when he sees me. "Nice, dude!"

"Is Bella still here?" Hoping I'm not too late, I look between them both.

"Yeah, she's in her room. She can't get the wig pinned to her head," Rose tells me with a helpless look. Nodding, I rush back to Bella's room, tapping on the door as I enter.

"Rose, you have to try to help me again. I can't see what I'm doing!" She sounds exasperated, and I chuckle. She whips around at the sound and looks pleasantly surprised to see me.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Her hands are holding the cockeyed wig on her head as she looks at me.

"I wanted to go to the bar with you." I gesture to her head. "Need a hand."

"Ugh, please? Rose is useless, and my arms are getting so tired." Bella gives me a defeated smile as I walk over to her, standing behind her and taking in her form in the reflection of the mirror.

"Let's see what I can do." My hands replace hers as I try to pin the wig on her head, but it's no use. It's just too heavy. I pull out the dozen or so pins, the wig cap, and then run my fingers through her hair. "Your hair looks gorgeous as is. Didn't you get a crown?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to have blonde hair." She shrugs, smiling at me in the mirror.

"I like you as a brunette. I like you as you." I dip down to press a kiss to her neck as goosebumps break out across her flesh.

"Okay, give me two minutes, and I'll be ready." She steps away from me slightly, and I walk to the door to let her finish. "Edward? Thank you."

I wink at her before waiting with Rose and Emmett for her to finish up. We all drive over to Crowley's together, and when we enter the bar, you wouldn't know that it was a Halloween party except for all the employees and patrons dressed up. There isn't a single stitch of decorations anywhere in the bar.

Bella leads us to the bar and introduces us to Jessica, who makes three Halloween cocktails and pours Diet Coke for me. I won't drink until we're settled out on the island. We chat with Jessica and watch as she makes drinks for other customers, and then I watch as Bella goes to work. She's personable as she approaches people for pictures and videos. It's obvious that the regulars already know her, and the ones who don't aren't soon to forget her.

She seems totally in her element until a man walks up to her, and they get into what appears to be a somewhat heated argument. "Oh, man, that doesn't look good," Jessica murmurs from behind the bar.

Rose and I both turn around to question her as Emmett keeps an eye on Bella. "What do you mean?" I ask as Rose glances back over her shoulder.

"So, that's Tyler, the owner? I'm sure Bella told you, but they got into it the other day because he wanted her to throw a party in like three days or whatever, and she told him no. It was an unreasonable request, and he knows it." She rolls her eyes so hard I'm shocked they don't roll right out of her head.

"Right, she told us. So, what's his deal now?" Rose asks as I turn back to catch a glimpse of Bella. Her face is a little flushed; her mouth is set into a firm, straight line. She's pissed, and she's not going to back down from whatever this Tyler is throwing at her right now.

Jessica leans on the bar closer to us. "Tyler decided as we were getting ready to open that he wanted to do a costume contest. First, second, third place winners, and everyone gets like a gift card. But he wants to announce the winners at midnight."

Rose and I glance at each other.

"But Bella won't be here. She has your party to go to. She made that very clear the other day, and Tyler acknowledged that." Jessica pulls back when a customer calls for her. Rose and I look at each other.

"Rose …"

"Don't, Edward. I know she loves this job; it's what she wants to do. You can't take this away from her." Her voice is low, and I know it's to keep Emmett from hearing anything because he still doesn't know.

"I would never make any decision for her. What if I could find her something else?" I ask, and Rose rolls her eyes.

"Sure, send 'Daddy' in to fix everything."

I shake my head. "She hasn't told you, has she? We dropped that; it's real now."

Rose looks shocked and turns back to find Bella in the bar. "Wait, where is she?"

I turn, expecting to spot her easily but I don't. "I'll go find her." Rising from my stool, I glance around the room again, but I don't spot Bella at all. I see a hallway where the restrooms are, so I head down there. A woman coming out of the bathroom tells me it's empty when I ask her if anyone else is in there, and I check the men's room for some odd reason to find it empty as well. There are three doors at the end of the hall: one leads to the kitchen, one to an unlabeled room, and one to an office where the door is ajar.

I can hear muffled voices coming from the room where the door is open, and as I approach, I can hear Bella's voice much more clearly. "Tyler, you can't fire me because I refuse to stay tonight. We already had this conversation; I thought we were both clear on the end result."

"It's obvious that this job isn't a priority for you, Bella. Your unwillingness to stay tonight just cinches it for me. You didn't want to throw the party, and now, you won't stay for the contest; I don't just see how we can continue this partnership." Tyler sounds like a smug little rat bastard.

"I've been doing this job for roughly three weeks, and I've increased your profits by almost thirty-five percent. Foot traffic is up and so is retention; imagine what I could do for you in three months or six. What about a year from now?" Bella's voice is rising, as it usually does when she starts to get really worked up.

Tyler chuckles darkly. "I don't think you get it. You're out. You can't commit to the bar; it's over."

I see her finger wrap around the edge of the door to pull it open all the way, so I step back and lean against the wall.

"I'll need you to log out of all the accounts. I'll be changing the passwords tonight." Tyler's words are sharp and dismissive.

"And who's going to run your socials for you?" Bella's voice sounds tight, as if she's on the verge of tears.

He scoffs. "It's not like it's hard, Bella."

She laughs, long, deep, and throaty. "Tyler, if it was so easy, you wouldn't have hired me." With that, she flings the door open and strides out, catching sight of me in the hallway. Grabbing my hand, she drags me into the main room and orders a shot from Jessica. After downing it, she pulls out her wallet to pay for everything, but Jessica waves her hand.

"You know your money isn't good here." She looks confused, and Bella laughs.

"Neither is my work. Tyler fired me." Jessica grimaces and marches out from behind the bar while Bella calls after her. "I'll text her tomorrow. I just want to go now."

I pull some cash out, leaving it under my glass for Jessica. I don't want our tab to come out of her tips, just in case Tyler decides to be a supreme dick. Walking back to the garage where I parked, Emmett and Rose tell us they're going to grab an Uber. I know they're giving us time to talk, but right now, I'd feel better with a buffer. Bella is so quiet; I don't know what to do.

There are still two hours before the party starts, and I feel like I'm at a loss. "Bella, honey? What can I do? Do you want to talk about it?"

She leans against the passenger door, staring at the ground. "I want you to do something for me. Something that may seem out of the ordinary at the moment."

I tip her chin up so she's looking at me. "Name it."

She doesn't speak, just leans up to kiss me like a desperate woman, with her hands on my shoulders. Before I can even fully lean into her kiss, she's pushing me down to the ground, down to my knees in front of her. Bella is bold but not inherently so. She's been forward with me about what she wants, what she needs, but this is something else.

"I need your mouth on me, Edward." She tugs at my hair, guiding my face closer to her. "Please?" Her plea is strangled, and I couldn't deny her even if I tried.

Glancing around to make sure there's no one lurking nearby, I trail my fingers up her legs, under her ragged and torn skirt before I force her legs apart. She moans as I pull her underwear to the side, running my middle finger across her clit before circling around it.

"Don't tease me, Edward."

I huff out a breath into her thighs and help her step one leg out of her underwear so I have easier access. I alternate kisses between her thighs, making my way to her apex before I reach out with my tongue and flick at her clit, teasing and tasting her as she grips at my hair and shoulders. I slowly insert two fingers inside of her, pumping in and out slowly as she tenses around me. "Do you feel what I do to you, Bella? Hmmm?"

"Oh god, Edward! Don't stop. Please!" I start moving in her faster until I hear her breathing get shallow, and she clenches hard around my fingers. She moans deeply, as quietly as she can, as she comes, and it's the sweetest sound. I pull my hand from her, licking it clean as she watches, eyes hooded, a serene smile on her face.

I climb to my feet, trying to adjust myself, but she reaches out to stop me. Instead, Bella unfastens my pants, springing my hard cock free and pumping it in her soft hand a few times before turning around to brace herself on the car door, sticking her ass out toward me.

"Honey, I don't have a condom on me." Even I can hear the disappointment in my voice. She laughs, squirming in front of me.

"Check my purse." She nods to the top of the car, and I reach for it; I find several rubbers tucked inside. Tossing the bag back up and sliding one on, I quickly sheath myself deep inside of Bella in one stroke. We both groan at the contact before I grip her shoulders and pull out before driving back in again. Long, solid strokes cause us both to moan in needy, sinful ways until Bella tells me to finish her off and make her come again. Then it's just a race to the finish line with Bella in the lead and me chasing her to the end.

She gets re-dressed while I remove the condom and pull my pants up. I see a trash can nearby so I dispose of our mess before I join her back in the car. Cupping her face over the center console, I kiss her softly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right. We'll talk later tonight or tomorrow. I just want to get to the house and enjoy ourselves." She lays her hand on my thigh after we both buckle ourselves in. "Thank you, Edward."

I would do anything for this woman; making her come twice in a dark, dirty parking garage doesn't even touch the surface. The fact that I love—

What?