Edward took me out to dinner Saturday night. He must have known I had a thing for Italian, because he took me to Serafina. It was a quaint neighborhood restaurant with orange-yellow walls that were very reminiscent of the Tuscan landscape, at least from what I'd seen in movies and books anyway, and I found the dinner to be more intimate than our first date, probably due to the atmosphere. The restaurant just screamed romance.Our dinner conversation mainly remained on the topic of our families. I told Edward all about my father, Charlie. How he and Renee met in high school, fell in love, got married and had me-all by the time they were twenty.
"So, your mom took you and left when you were four?"
"Yeah. She told him that she couldn't stay in a town as small and boring as Forks, that she couldn't put down anymore roots. She said she was feeling trapped and needed to spread her wings and find herself. I still remember the look on my dad's face when she told him that-he was crushed," I explained, now disgusted with my mother's actions.
"Well, he loved her. Of course he would be crushed."
"But she never saw that. She thought he stopped loving her."
"Why?"
"Charlie isn't the most affectionate man. He gets uncomfortable talking about feelings. He's your typical man's man. I get it, I used to be that way," I said, looking down at my hands which were in my lap.
Edward grabbed my right hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, then held it in his lap. I gave him a weak smile, looking at him through my lashes. "I guess it didn't help either that he worked a lot. He wanted to provide for his family and Renee wasn't always happy about that. If the world doesn't revolve around her, she finds a way to make it that way. Even if it means running and leaving."
"Your mom moved you to Phoenix and that's where you grew up. Did you see your dad often?" he asked, taking a sip of his wine.
"Every summer until I was twelve years old, I flew back to Forks. We didn't do much-mainly fished or hung out on the reservation with Jake and his dad." I shrugged.
Edward looked at me skeptically. "I can't picture you fishing."
"I wasn't into it but give me a good book and the sunshine and I'm there. I remember the first time he taught me how to fish," I laughed, shaking my head as the memory played in my head. "He taught me how to cast and explained that it was all a waiting game. I made him put the worm on because I was not touching that slimy, wiggly thing."
Edward chuckled at that comment.
"So I laid the fishing rod down, pulled out my book, leaned back and waited. I guess I got so engrossed that I didn't even realize that the rod had been pulled out of the boat and was now being dragged away by some fish. Charlie was the first to notice and he started yelling, rambling on about how that was our dinner for the night and how we were going to starve. How that was a brand new rod he had borrowed from his best friend. He told me to go get it so I dove in the water, fully clothed. I thought he was mad at me, so I wanted to correct my mistake. When I didn't come up right away, Charlie jumped in after me, scared I had hit my head and was sinking to the bottom unconscious," I tried to explain through my giggles.
"Little did he know I had swum all the way to the fishing rod under water. I popped up, holding the rod and yelled 'Got it!'. I looked to the boat and didn't see him, so I started freaking out. I swam back, Tarzan-style, looking around for him. I was halfway there when he popped out of the water looking terrified. I yelled 'Dad' and the relief that swept over his face was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was the first time that I truly realized how much I meant to him," I said, a smile creeping onto my face at the thought of my dad.
"How old were you?" Edward asked, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
"I was almost seven."
"How did you swim like that?"
"I was on the swim team back in Phoenix. My coaches said I had great potential, but I never got the chance to see how much. The next year, Renee pulled me out of swimming."
"You should have been the death of your father. Between you diving after fishing rods, motorcycle riding and your clumsiness, I'm surprised he ever let you out of the house," he chuckled. "How's your relationship with him now?"
"It's great. We call each other a couple times a week to catch up. Sometimes I'll get a letter in the mail from him. He isn't tech-savvy at all and he’s constantly telling me how much he hates the computer at the station, so I humor him and write back. He hasn't complained once about my crappy handwriting either. I try to drive down to Forks with Jake and Leah every couple of weeks, in fact I'm due for a visit," I mentioned, making a mental note in my head.
"Now, I've told you about Charlie and Renee, I want to hear about your family. I know that your dad is a doctor, but what does your mom do?" I asked, excited to hear more about him.
His family was definitely more exciting than mine was.
"Well, my mom is an interior designer. She sort of fell into it. See, with my dad being a doctor and inheriting my grandfather's money, there was never any real need for her to work. She decorated the family house as if it were out of Pottery Barn catalog. Her friends loved her work so much that they asked her to decorate their homes. More people started asking for her help and she was getting overwhelmed. Rose owns her own business and suggested my mom should start one as well. So she did, she opened her own business. I think she has five people that work for her, but she has a say in every project they acquire."
"Did she decorate your home?" I asked, placing my elbow on the table, resting my chin on my fist.
"Yes, she did."
"I knew it looked too homey to be decorated by a guy!" I teased.
"Hey, now." He cocked his brow, poking me in the side and making me squirm a little.
From there, Edward told me about the rest of his family. His older brother, Emmett, was thirty and coached football at one of the local high schools. He also helped Rose with her business of restoring and selling classic cars. She finds classics that need to be restored, and then sells them for a hefty price. Oh, she was also a mom of twin, six-year-old boys. How she managed all that and still looked like a super model at the age of twenty-nine is beyond me. Edward said that Emmett and Rose met in their senior year of high school, stayed together through college, and got married once they graduated. About a year later, out popped Aiden and Ethan. He said that his family was really tight-knit, and while they weren't happy when he decided to move away to go to school, they were all really supportive. He said his mom, especially, was ecstatic that her 'baby boy' is back.
"By the way, my mom wanted me to invite you over for Sunday brunch," he mentioned nonchalantly as he took a scoop of ice cream off the plate.
I practically choked on my wine, feeling it burn as it went down my throat, and I coughed into my napkin. He dropped the spoon and started rubbing my back.
"Are you okay, Bella? Here, drink some water."
He grabbed the glass, placing it against my lips so I could take a sip. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would react that way." He wiped away the tears that had escaped my eyes during my coughing attack with his thumb, holding onto my face even after the tears were gone.
"You spring brunch with your parents on me and you didn't think I would react that way?" I asked, incredulous.
"No, I didn't. It's not a big deal-you've already met my mom and Rose. Now you can meet my dad and my brother." He shrugged, gently caressing my cheeks with his thumbs.
"I... I... Edward, I'm not," I stuttered averting my eyes to my lap. I wasn’t ready to meet his family in that kind of setting.
"It's okay, Bella. I understand, it's too soon." He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. He then leaned back in his chair, picking up his spoon of ice cream and taking a bite.
I placed my hand on his leg, leaning towards him, "Edward, I want to meet the rest of your family. Can we just give it another week or two? I want to get to know you more, and hear your stories from you, before I hear things about you from your family." I smiled at him through my lashes, which he‘d told me he adored.
"When you look at me like that, how can I say no?" he asked placing his hand on top of mine.
"Come here, Doctor," I commanded, placing my free hand on his cheek and giving him a passionate, closed mouth kiss; saving the deeper ones for later.
We left the restaurant and headed back to my place. Edward walked me to my door, after putting his foot down once more about making out in the car. Again, I asked if he wanted to come in, but he politely refused. I couldn't be too disappointed; he gave me one hot, deliciously long goodbye kiss.
As he leaned down, I wrapped his arms around my waist, I stood on my tiptoes and slid my arms around his neck. Our lips touched and as always, I felt that spark-as if they were on fire. It was the most amazing feeling and I hoped it would happen every time we kissed in the future. He took the kiss deeper this time, tracing his tongue along my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to give him better access. He held me tighter, lifting me off the ground. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist, but seeing as I was wearing a dress, I didn't think that it would be very lady-like.
Then again, I was making out with my boyfriend in front of my door.
My hands tangled themselves in his hair we both moaned at the sensation. I was waiting for Edward to freeze up, place me back on my feet and bid me good night; but he didn't. He continued to kiss me until the need for air became unbearable. Even then, he kept a hold on me, placing chaste kisses on my face before resting his forehead against mine.
I didn't know how long we stood there staring into each other’s eyes. It felt like hours, though I was sure it was more like minutes. I tried to decipher his feelings at that moment; I could see joy, desire, lust...maybe even remorse or a hint of sadness. Was Edward having the same thoughts about me? Did he see the joy, lust and maybe even...the beginnings of love showing in my eyes? I didn't know if I could call it love yet, but I did know that I was falling for Edward.
I nudged my head forward, gently pressing my lips to his. I knew it was time to go, that I needed to be the one to say goodbye first since it was obvious that Edward was fighting with his emotions. I should have been doing the same thing since it was only our second date, but I couldn’t. My body wouldn’t let me, it was as though it was drawn to his and felt the loss acutely the moment he moved away.
"Alright, Doctor, I think this patient needs to get back to her room before she does something inappropriate. Thank you for another wonderful night," I said, giving him another chaste kiss and loosening my hold around his neck. He set me back on my feet and I took a step back.
"It was my pleasure, Bella. I'll give you a call tomorrow, to tell you how Sunday brunch with my family goes." He winked.
"Sounds good. I look forward to seeing you Monday morning." I smiled.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful."
"Good night, Edward." I watched him walk away and disappear down the stairs before I unlocked the door and went inside.
On Wednesday, Edward texted me and asked if I wanted to meet up for lunch. We decided on Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company since it was near both the hospital and the daycare center.I arrived first, ordering two turkey sandwiches and ice teas and then I found a table. An employee brought our lunch out just as Edward arrived.
"Hey, beautiful," he said warmly.
He breezed into the seat next to me and placed a kiss on my lips. He wore green scrubs that made his eyes pop and my knees go weak.
"Why hello, Doctor," I smiled. "How are you doing today?"
"Eh," he shrugged and then sighed heavily. "It's been a rough day, which is why I asked you to lunch. I really needed to see you."
He looked tired and I hoped our late night phone conversations weren't getting to be too much for him.
I brushed his bangs out of his eyes, then moved my hand down to cup his cheek.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, offering a weak smile.
"Nah, I don't want to ruin our lunch by talking about my bad day," he said with that crooked smile of his, taking my hand in his, kissing my palm and then placing our hands in his lap. "Thanks, though."
I rolled my eyes. "Edward, that's what couples are supposed to do. If you're having a bad day, you're supposed to talk to me about it. I want to hear about what’s going on with you."
"I'm just stressed. There are some nurses who don't know how to take no for an answer," he mentioned before taking a bite out of his sandwich.
What?! Some skanks are asking my boyfriend out? I think I may need to pay the doctor a visit at work.
"Well, you know I could always help get the point across," I offered with a wink.
"Thanks, babe. I may take you up on that. How has your day been?"
"Not as eventful as yours, apparently. Then again, one of the little boys brought me a bouquet of flowers when we were outside this morning. The best part was were the roots and dirt still attached. He ran off after that to play with Alexis."
"Some competition from a four-year-old." He nodded his head with a smirk. "I'll have to scope him out later."
"Unfortunately for Chris, I like my men older."
"How much older? Are we talking ten, fifteen years? Cause I mean I'm only three years older..."
"Lucky for you, Dr. Cullen, three just so happens to be the magic number," I said as I leaned towards him.
"Luck has nothing to do with it. If it was any older, I was just going to have to change your mind," he replied, giving me that sexy smirk then another kiss.
"Mmm, I think we need to do these lunch dates more often."
"I have to agree. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner."
Since we had less than an hour, we ate our sandwiches, drank our ice teas and talked about our childhood.
I told Edward about the dance classes my mother signed me up for; what a waste of money those were. He doubled over laughing when I told him about the spring dance recital. I kicked, hit or tripped all the girls– completely by accident, of course until there were crickets chirping at the end of the performance. I stood on stage by myself, cheeks completely flushed. I wanted to run but my little legs wouldn't move. All the other girls were on the floor crying, a couple of them were giving me nasty glares. Then there were a sea of moms rushing to the stage to check on their daughters.
I was five.
When he stopped laughing, Edward told me about his musical skills.
"My mom insisted that I was some child prodigy when it came to the piano. She almost sent me off to Julliard but couldn't bear being that far away from me. I didn't care as long as I got to play." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you still play?"
"Sometimes. When I'm at my parents' house, my mom will ask me to play and I amuse her but my heart just isn't in it. Tanya loved it when I played. She had me play for her every night when she was pregnant with Alexis." I noticed Edward's happy, sparkly eyes grew sad the moment he mentioned Tanya.
Are we rushing into this too quickly? Is he not ready? Will he ever get over her or will she always be in the back of his mind? She was his first love and the mother of his child; of course she'll always be there. If he wanted to stop this and just be friends, would I be able to accept that?
Instinctively, I slapped my hand to my forehead and muttered stupid.
"Bella? Why are you hitting yourself?" he asked trying not to laugh.
"Um, I'm not quite sure. My hand kind of moved on its own," I replied, averting my eyes in complete embarrassment of my action.
"You always amaze me, Isabella Swan.”
"Yeah, that's me, Isabella Swan. Always surprising people, never doing what they expect," I mumbled, taking my bottom lip in-between my teeth.
"Stop biting your lip, Bella," he ordered, tracing his fingers over it. "You're going to hurt yourself, make it bleed, and then it will hurt when I try to kiss you. I don't want anything to get in the way of that." He smirked as he cupped my cheek moving the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. "You got that?"
"Yeah, I got it," I mumbled.
"Shit," Edward cursed as his beeper went off. He released my hand and pulled his beeper off his pants. He looked at it sadly, and then turned his attention back to me.
"I’ve got to go, but I don't want to leave our conversation like this."
"No, it's fine. Your job calls." I smiled. "I can't be mad about that. It's one of the things I like about you, Dr. Cullen."
We both stood up. Edward grabbed our tray and threw the trash away while I headed outside to wait.
"Bella, I'm serious. I want to finish this conversation later." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "There's something going on in that pretty little head of yours and I want to know what it is." He placed a kiss on my forehead as I pulled myself closer to him, letting go of his hand and wrapping my arms around his waist. I snuggled into his chest, breathing in his Irish Spring soapy smell.
I love that he doesn't wear cologne at work.
"I'll see you about seven o’clock. Give Lexi a big hug for me," he murmured, feeling him squeeze me tighter.
"I will. Have a good rest of the day, Doctor," I said, lifting my head to look into his eyes.
"You too, beautiful."
He bent down and pressed his lips against mine. I figured it would be just a peck, but he surprised me. Edward kept one arm around my waist as the other moved behind my head, holding my face to his. I felt my body melt into his; I felt so at home in his arms.
Did he sense my thoughts earlier? Is he trying to answer my questions? Whatever this is, I'll take it.
Edward pulled his lips away too soon, and I whimpered at the loss.
"’Bye, beautiful. Drive safe."
He placed a kiss on my forehead and then let go.
"’Bye, Edward." I smiled.
I watched him as he crossed the street, getting into his car and driving off.
I hope he forgets about this conversation. I don't want Edward to know that I'm insecure about our relationship.
I felt a sigh of relief when I saw Esme arrive to pick up Alexis at six o’clock . She let me know that Edward had gotten stuck with paperwork that had to be completed that night. I was bummed that I didn't get to see him, but glad that I didn't have to finish that conversation.
I'm not even sure how much we would have been able to discuss with Alexis in the room anyway. Edward and I tried to keep things professional when we were at work. We would never kiss or hug when he dropped Alexis off in the morning. If she's happened to be the last child there in the evening, then she and Edward walked me to the car where we quickly kissed, hugged and said goodbye.
A little after seven o’clock, I turned off the lights and grabbed my belongings, heading for the door. I was locking up when I heard footsteps behind me, getting closer with each step. I could feel my heart race as my breath hitched in fear. It was already dark and there was no one else around.
I felt my hair move off the back of my neck as the person behind me pressed their lips on the now exposed skin. Breathing in, my body instantly relaxed as my favorite fresh scent hit my nostrils.
“Hello, beautiful.”
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