The whole way home, I gushed to Alice about everything that happened. I told her about Edward calling me to get out of his date, what happened to his wife, an abbreviated version, the first kiss, how it felt, how he told me he had been wanting to kiss me since that first day, and that he wanted to take me on date. She was so happy for me. For six months, she had listened to me pine over this unattainable man, as I thought him to be all this time.
Not anymore, thank the Lord. I didn't hear from Edward all weekend causing me to be a nervous wreck. I had thought he would call me to set up the date but nothing. Even Alice was getting annoyed with me as I continued to check my phone during our rescheduled girls' night on Saturday.
Maybe he thought it over and decided the kiss was a mistake. I mean, yeah he said he wanted to do it, but with Alexis and everything...ugh, why do men have to be so confusing?
You should have just called him, Bella.
Maybe I should have or at least sent him a text to see how his weekend went. But no, I decided to torture myself, letting my stomach stay in knots. That would explain why I was so exhausted this morning.
The morning was already off to a bad start. I slept through my alarm, I forgot to set the coffee pot, and my iPod was dead so I couldn't even rock out to some music to make my day better. For some reason, everyone and their brother decided to leave for work the same time I did, so traffic was a bitch. I barely made it to work on time, and I had yet to see Edward...it was now almost seven thirty in the morning.
Around nine o'clock, I heard the door open and Alexis yell, "Bella!" I looked up from the art project I was doing with a group of kids and smiled at my favorite little girl. My smile slowly faded when I saw that she wasn't with Edward. Instead she was holding the hand of a semi-tall, beautiful woman with the same hair color as Edward and Alexis, green eyes and fair skin; she didn't look a day over forty. I stood up from my seat and walked over to the desk.
"Hey, Alexis, how are you?" I asked with a smile.
"Good. Me miss, Bella," she said reaching her little arms up for me to pick her up, which I did.
How could you not smile at this little girl? She could do no wrong in my book.
"You did? Well I missed you too, Alexis," I told her giving her an Eskimo kiss. She just giggled and told me, "Tickles." And that made me laugh as well.
"Bye Nana," Alexis waved.
"Well aren't you eager to get rid of me," the woman smiled. "Hi, I'm Esme. I'm Edward's mother and the proud grandma, or as she says nana, of this darling little girl."
"Nice to meet you, Esme. I'm Bella," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.
"So you are Bella," she said, eyeing me, and I suddenly felt self-conscience, meeting the mother of the guy I liked without him around to be a buffer. "I've heard a lot about you. You are just as beautiful as Edward said you are."
With that comment, I could feel my cheeks heat up.
"Thank you," I said looking down.
"You're welcome, dear. Let's see if I can remember how to do this, it's been so long," she said, grabbing the pen. "I just sign her in and if someone else is picking her up I put their name down?"
"That's correct. Have you been here before?" I asked.
"Oh, a couple of years ago. My other two grandkids came here, they're six now. That's how Edward found out about this place. His sister-in-law recommended it but she brought her boys here before you came along. How long have you worked here?"
"About two years. My best friend is married to Leah, and I took over for him when he left to open up his garage," I mentioned.
"You mean Jake? Oh the boys absolutely adored him. I would walk in all the time to see them wrestling. He tired them out, I was thankful for that. I'm so thankful Edward had a girl, two boys are enough for me and that is saying a lot since I raised two of my own."
"Yeah the boys here are a handful, but I enjoy running around with them, tossing a football or a baseball back and forth. I don't get to do that much with this one here. She occupies all of my time, don't you?" I asked Alexis, tickling her belly.
"Stop, tickles, Bella, tickles," she giggled.
"Okay, I'll stop."
"Well I have some errands to run. Edward will be picking her up. He wanted to drop her off but he just looked so exhausted from working all weekend. I told him to go back to bed," she told me with a wink.
Am I that transparent? My heart beat sped up just thinking about seeing Edward again and a smile crept onto my face.
Two days is much too long to be away from those eyes...and those lips on mine, to feel them on my neck.
Oh God, I'm dreaming about this woman's son right in front of her. Snap out of it, Bella.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
"I look forward to seeing you again, Bella, and somehow, I just know I will." She smirked before saying a quick goodbye to Alexis and leaving.
"Alexis, I think Bella just made a fool of herself in front of Nana," I commented, carrying her back to the table.
It seemed like time moved even slower once Alexis arrived. I was counting down the minutes until I would see Edward again. Not even playing hide-and-go-seek outside with the four year-olds could help pass the time.
I was outside cleaning up the toys that the kids left out when I felt a strong pair of hands grab my waist and squeeze, causing me to jump and scream. I turned around to see my best friend bent over laughing.
"Oh my God, Jacob Black! You nearly gave me freaking heart attack. You know I'm ticklish there, you jerk," I scolded as I smacked him as hard as I could in the arm, shaking my hand afterward. "Ow. Geez, Jake, you have enough time to workout but not enough time to come see your best friend?"
"Oh don't give me the guilt trip, Bella-Bell. That is just wrong. You know I have been busy with work. I would come see you when I'm not there, but you are most likely sleeping during those hours. I'm lucky if I get to see Leah at all," he explained, rubbing a hand around his neck.
"I know, Jake. I'm just giving you a hard time. You know I'm really proud of you. Who would have thought that little Jacob Black from La Push would move to Seattle and open up his own garage and it is successful?" I teased.
"Little? Who you calling little, shortie?" he asked, slinging an arm around my shoulder as I wrapped my arms around his waist giving him a little squeeze. "So how have you been, Bella-Bell? Leah tells me there is a new guy in your life?" he asked, placing a kiss on top of my head.
"Kind of, sort of," I squirmed.
"Come on, tell Jakey-Poo what the deal is," he teased, pulling out the nickname I used to call him when we were kids. He used to hate it; he said it made him feel like a baby, but now he found it endearing, much like my Bella-Bell. "You can't hide from me. I know everything about you. I mean we used to take baths together. I get to brag that I was the first guy to see you naked," he laughed.
"Shut up. Otherwise, I'll get all the kids to call you Jakey-Poo," I teased. "Besides, there's not much to tell. I'm still confused about the whole thing."
"I think a trip to Starbucks is in order. Let me go talk to Leah, see if I can steal you away early. You deserve it after the crazy hours you've been working, all for this mystery man," he said, waggling his eyebrows. I smacked his chest before he walked away.
While Jake was inside, I finished putting the toys away until I heard a throat clearing.
"Ahem."
I turned around to see Edward standing a couple feet behind me with a crooked smile. "Hi."
"Hi," I said quietly. "How are you?"
"Better now," he said as his eyes sparkled. "You?"
"Same." I smiled.
Edward slowly walked towards me closing the distance between us.
"Bella, I want to..." he started to say before he was interrupted by Jake.
"Bella-Bell, Leah says we can skip out," he said opening the door and hollering.
"Damn it, Jake." I humphed, motioning my eyes between him and Edward. "I'll be there in a second."
"Oh, sorry. I'll be in here waiting," he said before closing the door.
"Sorry," I said, giving him an apologetic smile. "You were saying?"
"Nevermind," he said looking down and turning around to walk away.
"Wait," I said grabbing his hand, sending a shock through my arm. I could tell he felt it too the moment his eyes opened wide. "Edward, what were you going to say to me?"
"It wasn't important," he stated glumly.
"It has to be important if you came out here to talk to me. Just say it."
I swear if he doesn't ask me out, I'm going to do it myself. These mind games are getting annoying.
"Look, I know this is all new for you, but I'm no expert either. All I know is that I like you, Edward, and I..."
"Bella, will you go out with me?" he blurted out.
"Well you already asked me that," I teased. "When and where?"
"I was going to ask for Friday night, but I don't think I can wait that long," he smiled sheepishly. "So how about tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night. Oh, I don't know," I said biting my bottom lip, mulling the idea over just to make him sweat. I mean he made me wait all weekend for this, he can wait a couple of minutes.
"Well, Bella? You're killing me here with anticipation."
I was moving my head back and forth, pretending to be thinking really hard. Then I smiled and nodded my head yes.
"Yes?" He smiled, eyes sparkling.
"I would love to go out with you tomorrow night."
"Great. I already have a babysitter set-up."
"Wait, what? You were going to leave here and not ask me?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"Well, I lost my nerve," he admitted.
"I swear, Edward. Please don't ever lose your nerve around me again. I can't handle you second guessing yourself."
"Well in that case," he said stepping closer to me, taking my face between his hands, tilting my head up, and pressing those delectable lips against my own.
He gently moved his lips with mine and I sighed softly into his mouth. I couldn't believe how much warmth I felt with his hand on my cheek, the way our lips conveyed our feelings for one another.
I don't ever want to let him go, I thought as I held onto his wrist, my other hand behind his neck pulling him closer to me. I wanted to deepen the kiss but I knew even this was not appropriate for where we were. Still, I couldn't bring myself to stop. I knew I would feel a loss the moment we parted, but unfortunately, our human need for air was calling. Two chaste kisses, then Edward pulled back just enough to look into my eyes.
"Now that's more like it." I smiled.
Edward didn't say anything. He just continued to stare into my eyes. I could feel his thumb move back and forth along my now swollen bottom lip.
"Edward, what are you thinking?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.
"I can get lost in those eyes of yours. They are just so beautiful," he commented. I blushed and lowered my head. He instantly moved me head up so I was looking at him again. "Please don't ever hide them from me."
"Edward! Come on, Alexis and the boys are getting antsy," a tall, gorgeous blond called from the door.
"I'm coming, Rose!" he yelled back without even looking at her. If it wasn't for that kiss, I may have been jealous; but I knew he only had eyes for me.
"The real world is calling," I whispered.
"Yeah it is. Can I call you tonight?"
"I would like that," I told him.
"Come on, I want to introduce you to some people real quick," he said, placing another quick kiss on my lips as he moved his hand down to my hand, wrapping his fingers around it and squeezing it tight. Everywhere he touched suddenly felt on fire, but not in a painful way.
I followed him inside. There standing around, was Leah, Jake, and the blond woman watching Alexis and two boys put a puzzle together.
"Finally, Edward," the woman said. "Aiden and Ethan are getting hungry and Emmett is calling me wondering where we are. Apparently your brother still can't fend for himself when it comes to food."
"We can leave soon, Rose. I'm sure once I talk to Emmett, he'll understand," he mentioned as he gestured towards me with his head.
Rose smiled and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Rosalie, but you can call me Rose. I'm married to this lughead's brother."
"Bella. It's nice to meet you," I smiled, shaking her outstretched hand.
"Likewise. So did you do what you needed to do? Because like I said, we have to go," she asked in a motherly tone. I swear, I felt like I was back in high school again, and I could tell Edward felt the same by the way his cheeks flushed slightly.
"Thanks for calling me out, mom," he said.
"Well gosh, Edward, man up. You're twenty-eight years old, stop being such a teenager," she commented before turning her attention to the boys. "Alright boys, clean up the puzzle. Uncle Edward is ready to go."
"Sorry about Rosalie, apparently she turned her filter off today," he said, squeezing my hand.
"Oh I don't mind. I was thinking the same thing," I teased.
"You better watch what you say there. Don't forget I get your undivided attention tomorrow night and I plan on learning all of your secrets," he teased back.
"I can help you with that man," Jake interjected. "I'm Jake, Bella's oldest, dearest and best friend," he said, putting his hand out for Edward to shake.
"Edward," he said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you. I just may take you up on that offer. Thanks."
"So I guess you'll need to be getting out of here early tomorrow, Bella?" Leah asked.
"Well I can stay till seven, we can go to a late dinner?" I started to say as I asked Edward, who just smiled and nodded his head.
"How about five? It's only fair to let you dip out early since you have been staying late for me. Believe me, Jake and I both thank you for that," she smiled, wrapping her arms around Jacob.
"Ew, Leah that's gross. What you and Jake do behind closed doors is none of my business especially when there are kids in the room. We need G here, not PG-13."
"Edward Anthony Cullen, if you aren't over here in five minutes, I swear..." Rose huffed from the door where she was waiting with her boys and Alexis.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Jake. We'll have to catch up another time. And Bella, I'll give you a call tonight after I put Alexis down. Sound good?"
"Sure. Bye Edward." He placed a kiss on my forehead, squeezing my hand before letting go and walking over to Rosalie and the kids. He picked up Alexis, who blew a kiss to me and then they were gone. I could feel my shoulders slump at the loss of his body beside me.
"Leah, I think our little Bella is growing up," Jacob commented.
"What are you talking about, Jake?" I asked, shaking my head.
"You got it bad, girl. I can see the wheels in your head turning. You are already picturing a future with that man and you two haven't even been on a date yet. Come on, let's go get some coffee, my treat," he said taking my hand. "Bye babe, see you at home later." He gave Leah a quick kiss then pulled me out the door. Thankfully, my purse was up front so I could grab it on the way out.
Starbucks~
"Alright, Bella-Bell, spill," Jacob said the moment we sat down with our drinks.
"I don't know what it is, Jake? I've never felt this way about a guy before," I told him. "I mean I know some things about him, but nothing too deep. No deep dark secrets or anything like that."
"What do you know about him?"
"He's a doctor, pediatrician to be exact. He has a three year old daughter. He was married, his wife died in a car accident. He moved here from Chicago. His family lives here and he was raised here. Went to college in Chicago, where he met his wife. He is twenty eight years old. He adores his little girl. He is just starting to get back into the dating game," I rambled off. "He makes me feel happy, Jake. I mean I know I'm always happy, but now I feel whole when I see him. When he touches me, even just the slightest touch, my heart beat speeds up. His lips are absolutely amazing. There is nothing I want to do more than just kiss him. I could have stood out there kissing him all night tonight. And you know me, I'm not one for public displays of affection, but with him it's like everyone else goes away. I forgot you were inside waiting for me, that Alexis was in there. How horrible is that? Does any of this make any sense? I'm falling for a guy that I've only known on the surface for six months. He knows nothing about me, Jake," I poured my heart out to my best friend, who knew me better than anyone; even Alice.
Jacob took my hand into his, rubbing small circles on the back of it with his thumb.
"It all makes sense to me. Did you forget who you were talking to? Remember when I told you about the first time I laid eyes on Leah. How I felt this pull to her, like we were two magnets that needed to be connected? I'm happy for you, Bella-Bell. You deserve to be truly happy for once. I mean love hasn't been your best friend." He smiled, knowing all too well my dating stories. "I'm just a little worried. Your situation is more complicated. He has a kid, Bella. There is someone else in his life that comes first and you deserve to be with someone who will make you their first. I don't want you to be someone's second," he said sincerely.
"That's really sweet, Jake. Believe me, I've thought about that. I've had six months to think about it, but no matter how hard I've tried to forget about Edward and these feelings I have for him, I can't. My head says no, but my heart and my body say yes. My heart especially tells me this is right. I have this feeling and it gets stronger every time I see him," I expressed to him before taking a sip of my drink.
"Alright, Bella. I trust you. But I think you have been hanging out with Alice way too much with all this talk of feelings," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm telling Alice you said that and she is going to kick your butt. You better watch your back, that little pixie doesn't like it when you talk badly about her 'premonitions' she gets," I teased back placing air quotes around 'premonitions.' "Don't forget that she told you about Leah coming into your life and you didn't believe her."
"What? She said a dark haired beauty would walk into my life. How am I supposed to take that? I already had two dark haired beauties in my life," he winked. "You and Alice were enough for me, I didn't want another one."
"You're such an ass, Jake. I'm sure Leah would love to hear that."
"Oh, she already knows that I didn't like her. I mean yeah, I felt pulled to her by some unknown force, but damn did I hate it when she opened her mouth. She was like you and Alice put together when she talked. My worst nightmare and at the same time it was such a turn on. I love my Alphena."
"Oh don't go into the bedroom nicknames." I pretended to gag. "I know I went a little mushy, but I kept it PG."
"What? You don't want to know about this move that Leah does that makes me..."
"Stop, stop!" I yelled covering my ears.
"Let me know when you and the doctor get to that stage of the relationship, I'll get Leah to give you some pointers. I know you're previous partners have left you feeling unsatisfied," he threw the offer out there. I hit him in the arm.
"Okay, on that note I think it is time to go," I said standing up, completely embarrassed.
"Hey, I'm just saying. I saw the way you two were kissing today. It won't be long before you two are naked and getting busy. Just remember to use protection. We don't need a little Bella running around." This time I jumped up, wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling his head down, putting him in a headlock to give him a noogie. "Get off. Come on, Bella, what are we ten?" he asked annoyed, getting out of my grip. I just laughed at his now messed up hair and flushed face as we walked to our cars.
"Hey Jake, thanks for this," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist once we reached our cars.
"No problem, Bells. Just try to take things slow. I know that is a stupid thing to say since you're already making out with the guy and you haven't even been on a date yet."
"I'll try, Jake." I pulled away and opened my car door.
"Oh Bella, he does know some things about you," he mentioned.
"What?" I asked surprised.
"Yeah, Leah says that on days when you weren't there, he asked about you. She only told him the basics like you're from Forks, you're parents are divorced, you lived with your dad, you're an only child, where you went to college, stuff like that."
"Oh. Thanks Jake. I'll see you later."
"Have fun on your date, if I don't see you."
"Thanks. Bye." On that note, I got into my car and drove home thinking about what Jake said.
He asked about me. Like me, he wanted to know more. I couldn't be mad about that. I was happy, elated. I was even more anxious for this date and looking forward to that phone call tonight.
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