Happy reading!
35
"You've been quiet tonight." Edward comments Thursday evening when we're cleaning up after dinner. My mom had put together a shepherd's pie before she went to PT that we heated up when we got back home. A few days ago, she asked me what my favorite thing was that she made, and it had been my pick. I think she sensed my blue mood and wanted to do something to help make me feel better. Since my talk with Angela on Monday, I'd been a little more reserved than usual, stuck in my head a bit and unable to get out because I knew what she said was true.
"I'm just tired." I tell him, trying to give him a smile, but I don't think it reaches my eyes.
He pushes off from where he's been leaning against the counter by the sink, coming over to where I'm standing by the oven, putting the leftover shepherd's pie in a storage container.
Playing with some of the hair that's fallen out of my ponytail, he asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"
I put the lid on the container, feeling tears sting my eyes at his question. Everything had been so much lately, with the move and taking care of my mom, and I know what Angela said was out of love and not to be mean, but it was really fucking with my head. Looking into those eyes I love so much, I'm so close to spilling it all, but I bite my tongue when I feel guilty over him having to be there for me again.
"Not yet." I tell him, biting my lip. "Eventually, yes. But not yet."
"I'm here when you're ready." He assures me, giving me a soft, crooked smile that makes my heart skip a beat. He really was too good to me.
"I appreciate that." I give him a real smile this time that actually reaches my eyes.
"I'd like to take you away for the weekend." He tells me out of the blue when I'm putting the leftovers in the fridge. His words catch me so off guard, I just stare at him.
"What?" He, of all people, knew I couldn't just cut and run at a moment's notice.
"You've had a lot on you recently, and I want to do something to help you decompress." He comes to stand in front of me, taking my hands in his. "Let me do this for you, baby. Please."
The thought of spending the weekend with him, just the two of us, is so tempting; I want to say yes so bad.
"I like the idea," I tell him, squeezing his hands. "You have no idea how much I like the idea. But my mom…" He cuts me off, already prepared for my argument.
"Angela already said she'd stay with your mom. She mentioned something about a Scrabble rematch." I laugh because Ang had been bringing up that rematch for months at this point.
"I want to say yes."
"Then say yes."
"I don't want to put Angela out, though." I chew my lip. "She's taken on so much extra work with the move and everything, I don't want to intrude on her off time."
"I didn't ask; she volunteered." One of his hands comes to cup my cheek. "I asked her if she thought that a weekend away would be something you'd enjoy. She said yes and told me to be persistent until I got you to agree because you'd fight me on it."
I groan, "She knows me too well."
"Your mom might also already know and told me to carry you kicking and screaming if I have to." He tells me, chuckling softly. "All you have to do is say yes, baby."
"You've really thought of everything." He really was the perfect man and took such good care of me. I just wish that I felt like I reciprocated enough.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said it was completely selfless." He wraps his arms around me, pulling me into him.
"Oh, I see. This is really about you." I tease, moving my arms around his neck.
He leans down, putting his mouth close to my ear so only I can hear his words. "Being able to make love to my girlfriend and hear her scream for me does hold a certain appeal."
My toes curl at his words. We spent so much more time at my apartment than at his place, to the point he kept a change of clothes in my closet. In recent weeks, we'd mastered the art of quiet sex, not wanting to risk my mom hearing us if she happened to wake up in the middle of the night. But he was right; being able to hear him call out my name did hold a certain appeal.
"So, this is really just about sex." I nip his jaw, and he groans. "We don't even have to leave the city limits for that; we could hold at your place all weekend." I tease, knowing he'd never go for that when he had a plan in place.
"Fuck that." He pulls back to look at me like I've lost my mind. "I'm getting you out of Seattle if it's the last thing I do."
"Fine," I sigh, "I'll let you kidnap me for the weekend."
The smile that comes to his face is so bright it takes my breath away. "I thought you'd see it my way." He says, leaning down to kiss me.
"I do have one question."
"What's that?"
"Where are we going?"
"My parents have a second house in Portland that they said we could use." He explains, placing a chaste kiss against my cheek.
"A second house?" I pull back to look at him fully. "Your parents must be really rich." Richer than I originally thought.
He shrugs nonchalantly. "They're comfortable."
"That's exactly what a really rich person would say." I poke him in the chest with my finger, but he grabs my hand, kissing the back of it in the way that I love.
"You're really letting me take you away for the weekend?"
"I'm really letting you take me away for the weekend."
"Good, because I really didn't want to drag you kicking and screaming."
I laugh into his kiss.
A/N: It may be clear from the last few chapters, but we're coming to a part of the story that's a little heavier. Most of the story to this point has been pretty fluffy, but we're coming to the heart of the conflict now. Please don't hurt me.
See you next time.