Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

"Who the fuck were you talking to?" Jasper hissed as he curled his fingers into tight fists beside his thighs. If Edward thought he'd just sit idly by while he screwed around with some bimbo and not say a word, the man was seriously delusional. Jasper would have plenty to say, with his fists first, and then a few choice words as well.

Edward narrowed his eyes at the man across from him and barely registered the snort from the peanut gallery off to the side. "Isabella of course, who the hell else would it be?" he asked as he gathered his papers and a few files into a pile.

"Isabella?" Jasper asked incredulously.

Edward snorted and then took a deep breath, reaching up with his free hand to pinch, hard, the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Jasper, you know my wife, Isabella. Not that it's any of your business anyway."

"But, you never call her from the office unless it's absolutely necessary," Jasper whispered, almost to himself, but Edward heard him.

Well, he knew he would have to face the music sooner or later and because the others wouldn't be arriving for a few minutes yet, he figured now was as good a time as any.

"Edward Anthony, you can talk to him. It'll be fine," Seth tried to reassure.

In some ways, today would be even more difficult for Edward than yesterday and last night had been. Sure it had been gut-wrenching to face the hard truths of his past actions and their effect on his lovely wife, but even though Edward didn't outwardly admit it, he knew Isabella loved him. Earning her forgiveness was something different altogether, but he would never have to doubt her love for him. Opening himself up to others, his friends and his family, was going to be even more difficult and ultimately painful. The reward of that difficult process was so worth it in the end of course, but Seth had no illusions that it would take some work, and more than likely some angelic intervention, to make him believe that.

Edward bent over and placed both of his hands, palms down, on his desk and hung his head and closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking the necessary time to put his thoughts into some sort of coherent order. Of course he knew he couldn't tell Jasper that there was an angel sitting in the room with them, watching his every move, but he could tell him the partial truth. He owed him that at the very least.

"Um, well I," Edward stuttered for a second before he took a deep breath and let out a long exhale. "I had an epiphany of sorts during my flight home yesterday afternoon and it caused me to well...to try to make some changes," Edward finished.

There was no way he would be able to get through this. He already felt like he was going to be sick and he could feel his dress shirt stick uncomfortably to his chest and this was after saying one damn sentence to Jasper. Not Emmett, not Esme, and certainly not to Carlisle.

He lifted his eyes and looked toward Seth, who was waiting to give him an encouraging smile.

"You're doing fine, Edward. One step at a time you know," the angel said in a patient voice.

Edward shook his head and admitted ruefully, "This is really fucking hard."

The angel rose from his spot at the head of the conference table and glided to stand next to Jasper. "Look, Edward. Nothing about what you need to do is going to be easy. You've hurt a lot of people with your past actions and attitude. Every single one of those people has loved you in some shape or form, and Jasper is no different. He's stuck by you for a long time now, Edward Anthony, not to mention he's incredibly fond of Isabella. He was only looking out for her, as any good friend should. There are a lot more people that care about you than you realize, my boy."

"I'm beginning to understand that," Edward answered quietly. Seeing Jasper get so upset at the thought of him talking to someone that wasn't his wife just drove that point home even more.

"An epiphany of sorts?" Jasper questioned and stared, dumbfounded, at his complicated friend.

Jasper was hired as an in-house attorney for Cullen Publishing before he'd even graduated from law school. His mentor and predecessor, Garrett, had worked alongside Edward's grandfather, William, for many, many years. Jasper began working for CP around the same time as Edward had, but there weren't many opportunities for their paths to cross until later. Jasper was learning the ropes of handling the many different legal matters that a company like CP had to be concerned with and Edward was being groomed to take over the company from his grandfather.

William Cullen had devoted almost his entire adult life to Cullen Publishing, especially after the untimely passing of Carlisle's mother, Olivia. The two men were very similar in their approach to business and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Edward's similarity to his grandfather was perhaps part of the reason for the rocky relationship Edward had with his adoptive father. It was by no means the only reason, it wasn't even the main reason, but it certainly hadn't helped.

"Do you want to explain that, please?" Jasper asked Edward, wondering what in the hell had happened to him. Men like Edward didn't just have 'epiphanies' unless they were precipitated by something else. Even allowing that, it would have had to have been a hell of a something else to change Edward.

Edward huffed again and again the invisible presence let Edward know he was still there by chuckling loudly.

"Look, Jasper, I can't do this now. The others will be here any moment and this isn't the time or the place to get into it all. Suffice it to say, things will change around here, starting with Isabella. We can talk more about this later if you want to," Edward told him.

Was he stalling? More than likely. Would he talk to Jasper? He didn't have a choice, but he knew he needed to regardless. Did he want to do it? Most definitely not, but it didn't matter. He had to do it all.

"You're damn straight I want to, Edward," Jasper warned him, leaving no room for doubt as to the seriousness of that statement.

Edward opened his mouth to respond back but was interrupted when Emmett, Marcus, and Alec walked in. The flash of black and pink Edward saw in his periphery reminded him that there was still much work to be done.

"Hey, Ed," Emmett boisterously said as the group made their way to the conference table. Luckily the arrogant angel made his seat at the opposite end of the table. Edward had to silently chuckle at that because, in all reality, Seth was still at the head of the table...depending on how you looked at it.

"Nice." Edward smirked at him and the angel responded with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"I think I've already told you a time or two it will take a hell of a lot for you to get the best of me. My bet is on never, Eddie," Seth said and let out a booming laugh that shook all the glass windows in the office.

Needless to say, Edward was the only one privy to the blatant show off move.

Once everyone was situated in their seats, Edward focused on the business at hand and began to give them all an overview of his meetings in New York and the information he'd gleaned while there. He was sure and precise as he spoke, effortlessly discussing complicated business terms involving market penetration, shareholder value, and on and on.

Seth smiled as he watched his willful charge take charge and shine in his element. It really was a sight to behold. Edward was extraordinarily talented when it came to business, there was no doubting that. He was charismatic to the extreme, but had a way of speaking in such a manner that put his audience at ease.

That was not to say that Edward listened to much of what others had to say. He was supremely confident in his abilities and it was a very rare occurrence indeed when he changed his mind or asked for the input of others. His defense mechanism of relying solely on himself and the influence of his grandfather made it next to impossible for him to behave any other way.

"So what we need to decide on next is where to go from here?" Edward finished and sat back in his chair.

No one said anything and Edward looked down to the other end of the table, hoping the all-knowing angel could tell him what the hell was going on.

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie," Seth tsked with his tongue. "Can you tell me the last time you asked any of them for their input or opinion?"

"Sure it was...well, what I mean is...no, I can't," Edward said with an ashamed shake of his head. "Is that why they're all looking at me like I just broke out into a song and dance routine naked?"

"I would imagine so," the angel affirmed with a smile. "Makes you stop and think, huh?"

"Hmph," Edward grunted, knowing, or at least hoping, the question was rhetorical.

Taking the bull by the horns, Edward sat forward and asked, "Marcus, you've known Vincent as long as I have, what do you think?"

Marcus cleared his throat a few times and sat up straighter in his chair. He was shocked that Edward had asked for his opinion, but he was ready with an answer. "Fuck Vincent Sinclair," he said emphatically. "He has been trying to make Sinclair Publishing into an imitation, and a pale one at that, of CP. If he wants to spread himself too thin, I say let him. It will only come back and bite him on the ass in the long run. The deal with Deaton-Hall was one we never should have been involved in, in the first place to be honest with you. I think this is a blessing in disguise," he finished up.

Edward raised his eyebrows at his colleague and friend, surprised by his statement. He had come to the same conclusions that Marcus just vocalized on the ride to the office this morning.

"Told you so," Seth needled, not at all surprised by the insight.

"Yeah, yeah," Edward said and waved his hand dismissively at the annoying angel person. He was thankful that both his words and actions were unnoticed by others when he was talking to the unseen being. It felt a bit surreal and a lot odd to talk to…a presence…that others couldn't see or hear, but it was what it was, and Edward had come to accept that it was just the way things would be from now on.

"What about McMasters and Sons?" Edward asked him, wondering if their thoughts meshed on that as well.

"We need them," Marcus answered without hesitation. "Their presence in the Northwest is invaluable and that's our weakest market. If Sinclair gets wind of that deal we're in trouble because McMasters and Sons is the cream of the crop out there and without them CP becomes vulnerable to being overtaken as the number one publishing company."

Emmett had been listening attentively to the discussion and shifted uneasily in his chair. Watching Edward take charge and make million dollar decisions in the blink of an eye made him realize just how much he didn't want to be in charge of CP, ever. He grew up watching his grandfather allow the business to come first. He watched his own father struggle with knowing he didn't. He watched Edward push himself to the detriment of his marriage to his amazing sister-in-law. He had Rosie, Jack, and Emma and he was happy and content to do his job as Vice President and leave the hard decisions to Edward. It made him feel a bit sad and a lot selfish at times knowing that Isabella was the one that suffered because of Edward's ambition and whatever else drove him so.

Emmett adored his sister-in-law, and besides his wife and his mother, there wasn't another woman he loved or respected more. It broke his heart that she didn't spend as much time with the family as they all would have liked, but her loyalty lay with his brother. Isabella seemed to understand Edward in a way no one else was able to. His brother had always been an enigma, since the first moment his parents brought him home from Ireland.

Emmett had always known of Edward's existence so it hadn't come as a complete surprise when his mom and dad sat him down one afternoon after school to inform him of the emergency trip to Europe they were about to undertake. Because he was five years younger than Edward, it had been a bit of an adjustment to suddenly be the baby in the family. When he told his parents he wanted a brother, he didn't mean one that was older than him, but as was Emmett's nature, he looked for the good instead of the bad.

Today as he watched Edward scheme and plan with Alec, Marcus, and Jasper, he definitely saw more good than bad.

"Hmmm mmm." Emmett cleared his throat and got the attention of the others at the table.

Edward turned toward the sound, quite caught off-guard by his brother. "Emmett, you have something you'd like to add?"

"Well, I agree that we need to try to complete the deal with McMasters, but I think we should concentrate on fortifying Cullen Publishing even more," Emmett told the group.

When Edward swept his gaze past Emmett and his eyes fell on the being at the opposite end of the table, he found said being looking back at him, sporting a grin a mile wide.

"Huh? Imagine that, Eddie. Someone besides you might possibly have something to say," Seth said sarcastically.

Edward had no comment to that except for a rather impressive grunt and turned his attention to his brother. "How do you mean?" he asked, rather impressed with the idea.

"It just seems to me, that we spend so much time trying to make Cullen Publishing bigger by acquiring the smaller, vulnerable publishing houses instead of looking within our current company and branching off that way," Emmett said.

"Damn, he's good!" Seth said and clapped his hands in appreciation. "Don't you think so, Eddie?"

Edward was in a word...astonished...by the idea his brother had and he immediately saw the advantages and the success such an idea would have. "For example?" Edward asked, wondering how much thought his seemingly uninterested brother had given this particular idea.

Emmett sat up straighter in his seat since his brother hadn't immediately dismissed him as foolish and dug in. "We have a lot of really talented authors. Why don't we see about adding some specialty sub-categories that would highlight them?"

"Go on," Edward quickly demanded, feeling his adrenaline rush as idea after idea began to fly through his mind.

Emmett shifted under the scrutiny of the other four men, but the idea he'd gotten not too long ago had been given a lot of thought. He wasn't exactly sure how Edward would take his next suggestion, but at this point he didn't have anything to lose. "I was thinking we should get Isabella to come up with a very exclusive list of authors, say of books that appealed specifically to women, and have it be its own special division. Kind of like a best of the best type of thing. We could promote it; make an entire campaign around it or something. If it takes off, we could do the same with almost all the different genres. Mysteries, romance, non-fiction, autobiographies, the list is endless. They don't necessarily have to be the best-selling, more like a critic's pick kind of thing," Emmett trailed off and he waited to see what everyone, especially Edward, had to say in response.

Edward folded his hands in front of him and laid them on the table. He looked around the table at the others, trying to gauge their reactions before he said anything to Emmett. Jasper, unsurprisingly, nodded his head in complete agreement. Marcus looked intrigued and open to the idea, and Alec, who was almost harder to impress than Edward himself, seemed wary but receptive. There wasn't any need at all to look at the other end of the table for Edward was one hundred percent positive the angel was beaming with pleasure.

Edward wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that the otherworldly being might be slightly infatuated with his wife. He also wasn't sure how he felt about it either. Totally understandable, mind you, but still.

"No substance, huh?" Seth commented with a level gaze and Edward sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm a fucking idiot, we've already covered that," he remarked. "Look, you and I both know I had no business making a comment like that, when we both know nothing could be further from the truth. I'm ashamed of myself for saying it in the first place. Feel better now?" Edward snapped then ran his fingers through his hair.

"But of course. Now, what's your answer to your brother's suggestion?" the angel inquired in a bemused tone, leaving no doubt at all as to how the question needed to be answered.

"You all think this sounds like an idea worth exploring?" Edward asked each of his colleagues at the table. "Alec?" Edward questioned first.

Like Marcus, Alec was surprised to be asked his opinion, but also like Marcus, Alec had one ready. "My first instinct is to say let's go with it. We are all very well aware of Isabella's talents and her innate ability to find authors most editors wouldn't give a second look to. Is she ready to head something with this large of a scope, I'm not sure, but she sure as hell would be able to pick out the authors and the books. No question about it," Alec finished emphatically.

Edward was speechless. It was almost beyond his comprehension that the men he had worked with day in and day out had more faith in his wife and her abilities than he did. He'd always known she was talented, but he sure never let anyone know he felt that way, Isabella most of all.

He was such a fucking idiot.

Seth watched poor Edward as he absorbed what the others had said to him. He knew from watching the way Edward's mouth was drawn into a tight line and the way the space between his eyebrows had dipped, not to mention the fact that his normally vivid green eyes were clouded with self-recriminations, he was moments away from doing or saying something he had no business doing or saying in present company, himself excluded, of course.

A quick glance at the other men at the table served to reaffirm his belief. Emmett and Jasper looked worried, Marcus looked nervous and Alec, who was as no-nonsense as they came, looked at Edward with a look of confusion mixed with a bit of annoyance.

"Edward Anthony," the angel said sharply, getting his attention before things took a turn they didn't need to take.

Edward breathed out through his nose and slowly turned toward the loud voice. "It just keeps getting worse and worse. Just when I think I couldn't have been any more thoughtless or unfeeling, something else comes to the surface. How, or more to the point, why, in the hell is she still with me? I'll never understand what I ever did to deserve her."

"It's not for you to try to figure out now, Edward. You have a room full of your peers staring at you like you're getting ready to sprout wings and fly. Why don't we talk about this later when it's more appropriate?" the very torn angel suggested. There was still so much for Edward to understand and though the heavenly creature knew that it would take some time to get through it all, he wondered if he'd be able to make Edward understand.

Edward's mind was a chaotic mess as he struggled to tamp down the feeling of hopelessness that was threatening to swallow him whole. Looking around at the many different faces seated at the table, he realized he needed to focus on making it through the next few minutes. Falling apart could come afterward, when he was alone.

Emmett watched his brother with worried and confused eyes. The flash of utter pain he saw in Edward's eyes just a moment ago after Alec finished speaking made his heart clench. He'd never, in all the years Edward had lived with them, ever seen him react in such a way. He didn't understand what was going on, but there was no doubt in his mind that there was something going on with Edward. However, he'd long come to understand that pushing Edward only served to drive him away so he would have to wait and see if his brother opened up this time.

Emmett decided he might as well go all in since it was his idea in the first place and it wasn't like he wouldn't love to help Isabella if she decided to take on the project. "Well, I can work with her on the promoting part. If Isabella can get the list picked out, I can go from there. If she wants to help, I'd love to have her," Emmett said, obviously quite pleased with the prospect of working so close with his sister-in-law.

The affection Emmett felt for Isabella was plain as day and Edward once again felt terrible for the distance his family felt from her, and from him, too, if he was to be frank about the matter.

"Edward," Seth said trying to get his attention, but Edward waved him off. He didn't need any angelic pressure to know what to do about the recent developments. When it came to making business decisions, Edward Cullen was rarely, if ever, wrong.

"Emmett," Edward said slowly. "I think the idea has a lot of merit and just a first thought makes me believe this idea will take off. I also agree with you, and the others, that Isabella would be perfect for this," he stated, pointedly ignoring the snort from the being dressed in pink.

The meeting finished after it was agreed that Emmett would put together a full-fledged proposal for the new idea. They would meet again in the next few days to get things ironed out and begin a new campaign at Cullen Publishing. Edward felt that spark he always got whenever a good idea came to him, and it hadn't failed him in over five years so he was confident Emmett's idea would be a hit. There were still some other areas of concern as far as the stability of the company was concerned, especially in regard to losing deals to Sinclair Publishing, but he did feel a bit better about it than he had this morning on the way to the office.

Alec said a few words to Jasper before striding quickly out of the room. He was never one to stand around and talk when there was business to tend to so Edward wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was the other three standing and watching him, waiting for him to say something.

"Edward, you're going to have to say something or else the three of them are going to think you've lost your mind. Get it together, man," the angel barked at him, doing a fine job of shaking him from the stupor he was just in.

Edward was still reeling from all the different things that had just happened. Between the shock of Emmett's idea and the realization that everyone, including him, had recognized just how talented Isabella was, he was having just a tad bit of trouble doing much besides keeping himself upright. And that was only barely.

"Ed, you okay?" Emmett asked hesitantly, as if he was speaking to someone in the midst of a breakdown.

Taking a few deep breaths, Edward turned to his brother and his friends and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. The trip home yesterday was um...quite adventurous," he trailed off not knowing exactly how to word it so he didn't sound stark raving mad.

He was positive he couldn't tell them what had transpired yesterday, especially when he was still coming to terms with it all himself.

Edward ran his hands through his hair and stood up, ready for a few moments to himself. For some reason, all he wanted to do was call his wife and hear her voice and then try to get some work done. He wanted to be able to go home when he said he would, and in order to do so, there were important matters to attend to. If he was to keep his word to Isabella, and by God he would move heaven and earth to do so, he needed to work on the balance thing the annoyingly bossy angel reminded him of on the way to the office. He might not have much time left, but he knew however long it was, there was much to do.

Marcus left after asking Edward one more time if he was all right, leaving just Jasper and Emmett.

Jasper had stayed silent through the meeting, trying to absorb the changes he saw in his friend since the moment he'd walked into the office a short while ago. He was positive there was more going on with Edward than he'd admitted to, but he was willing to give him some space to work it out before he pressed him further. Some space though, and he wouldn't wait long.

"I think you came up with a good plan, Emmett," Edward said a bit offhandedly and the silence that followed was deafening.

"Is this going to keep happening?" Edward turned to ask Seth, who was watching the scene in front of him with a serene smile.

"Well, my young friend, it's obvious that not even your brother or your best friend has seen much of the true Edward Cullen, so yes, I would imagine it will keep happening until they can see you've changed," the angel answered.

"This is going to get old really damn quick," Edward muttered and then turned back to the two men across from him, not acknowledging the chuckle the angelic being let loose at his uncomfortable position.

Edward tried to calm his erratic nerves and kept telling himself that he could talk to Isabella in a minute, as soon as he talked with Emmett and Jasper.

"Okay, look, let's get this over with so you two can stop staring at me like I'm going to turn into a pumpkin or something at midnight. I realize that I might not be acting like I normally do, but you better get used to it because it's not going to change," Edward said and looked from Jasper to Emmett. "Emmett, I already told this to Jasper, so I'll explain it to you. I...um, well, had a rather rude awakening," he said and smirked in the direction of the angel at the table, to reinforce the rude part. "...on the plane ride home yesterday. I realized that I needed to make a few changes in my life, and well...I intend to do just that. I'm...ah...um," Edward stammered and then took a deep breath, just wanting to get this part out. "I'm sorry for the way I've acted toward both of you and I hope that in time you can forgive me," he finished and hung his head while he breathed in and out.

There was more he needed to say, but it was a start at least. Edward picked his head up and turned to look at Seth. Instead of the smug smile or a disapproving look he expected, the angel graced him with a sincere and loving smile. "See, Eddie, it's not as bad as you thought it would be, is it?"

Edward ran his hands through his hair and shook his head slightly. Besides the fact that his insides felt like they'd been put in a blender and he was sweating, he had to acknowledge it wasn't quite as terrible to admit to being an ass and ask for forgiveness as he imagined it would be. Oh, there was still more to say and more to have to admit to, he knew that full well, and he knew that this was just the very tip of a very large iceberg, but it was a start. Edward even was able to recognize that he felt a tiny bit better after saying just that much.

"Ed, man, is there anything else going on?" Emmett asked with a worried frown. He was as confused as hell by the total one-eighty his brother had undergone since he left for New York.

"No, Emmett, there is nothing else going on. I figured stopping being an asshole was quite enough, wouldn't you say?" Edward said with a roll of his green eyes.

Emmett couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face as he listened to his brother joke. He couldn't remember the last time Edward joked around with him and while he was sure that there was more going on than Edward said, he decided he'd quit while he was ahead.

Jasper snorted at the attempt at humor as well and also decided to give Edward a break for now. It was nice to see his friend smile and there was no sense rocking a boat that was for the present, calm. He'd give it a few days to see what happened and then he would talk to Edward some more.

"Edward, we'll talk again soon," Jasper told him, leaving no room for Edward to think he'd wait too long to finish their discussion.

Edward sighed once Jasper left the room, leaving him with just his brother and of course the ever-present angel.

Emmett couldn't decide what to do next, so he did what came naturally and tried to make a somewhat tense situation a bit better. "Jack's first t-ball game is tomorrow night. Rosie is so nervous you'd think he was pitching in the World Series or something the way she keeps going on and on about it."

Edward couldn't help but smile at that, knowing his sister-in-law, but then startled briefly when he had to acknowledge that he didn't remember that Jack was old enough to even start playing baseball. Well, he thought to himself, no time like the present to do something about it. "I'll be sure and tell Isabella. I'm sure she'd love to go watch him. Speaking of," he began slowly as he watched his brother's eyes widen in surprise, "we were wondering if you, Rose, and the children would like to come have dinner sometime soon, if you are free of course."

Emmett's heart skipped a beat and without even thinking about it said, "Hell yeah, we'd love to, Edward. The sooner the better." He would probably be in hot water with his even hotter wife, but he'd make it up to her if necessary.

Edward inhaled and then let it out in a calming breath and took a chance and peeked at the very proud-looking being and grudgingly smiled back at him. "Yes, I know. This wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be."

"That's because I'm always right, Edward, or did you forget?" Seth asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Edward and Emmett made tentative plans for dinner on Thursday night, and then Edward sat down to get to work, working straight through until his meeting with Amy Kim. After discussing the myriad of Human Relations issues that needed his attention, they concluded their meeting and Edward let out a moan. Normally a day like today was nothing if not stimulating, but Edward was anything but at the moment as he thought about going home to his wife. Well, that was not entirely true because parts of his body were well on their way to becoming embarrassingly stimulated as he imagined how she would feel in his arms when he got home.

Edward picked up his phone and sent Isabella a quick text, something he'd done very little of in the past, and got back to work, trying mightily to focus on the tasks at hand, instead of what the night would bring.

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~

Isabella pulled up in front of the school where she did her tutoring just as Edward's message came through on her phone. Smiling she picked it up as soon as she parked in her normal space. Texting was not something Edward usually made a habit of doing, but much like the morning's breakfast, she hoped it was a sign that he truly was trying to change.

Beautiful, did you know that it's less than three hours until I get to see you? Can't come soon enough if you ask me. Be safe going home. ~ Edward

Isabella giggled like a schoolgirl with a huge crush on the captain of the football team and couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips as she put her phone back in her purse. She debated on sending him a text back, but in all honesty, she was rather enjoying being pursued as she was at the present. It was about time for her husband to make an effort and as long as he was willing to do so, she was willing to play along. It was quite the boost for her ego she admitted with a smile.

She entered the school carrying the box of cookies she'd made while waiting to have lunch with her mother. She even put a few aside for Edward as a treat for later as well, especially because besides mint chocolate chip ice cream, double chocolate chip cookies were his favorite. He might have suggested butter pecan ice cream earlier, but she knew he'd never turn down a chocolaty treat if one was offered to him.

Tutoring went well and she found that her hour and a half sped by almost in the blink of an eye even though she was pretty sure that it was because she was just so anxious to get home. And see Edward. All day she'd had a nervous feeling in her stomach, hoping and wondering which Edward would come home to her. The sweet, almost carefree man that left this morning or the cool, distant one she unfortunately knew so well.

It went without saying which one she hoped for, but until she saw with her own eyes, she tried not to get her hopes up too much.

She drove her Lexus LFA home and parked in the garage, grabbing the few things she'd picked up at the market on the way home for their dinner. She carried the bags into the house and glanced at the time on the oven and her stomach fluttered when she realized it would be an hour until Edward had said he would be home. If he left the office when he told her would, he should get home somewhere around six o'clock, barring any unforeseen traffic problems.

Isabella quickly and efficiently chopped the vegetables they would use for the topping on their pizza and made two homemade pizza crusts. As soon as that was done, she chopped some tomatoes and prepared the sauce, using her Nonna's secret recipe. Once everything was done as much as it could be until it was time to bake the pizzas, she made her way upstairs to change her clothes. Going into her own room caused her to take a few deep breaths because if last night taught her anything, it was that she'd much rather be in the room down the hall.

There wasn't much point in spending time thinking about all that right at the moment, she reminded herself. She quickly undressed and then pulled on a well-worn pair of jeans, a dark brown t-shirt, and put her hair up in a loose ponytail. When she passed the mirror that hung over her dresser, she couldn't help but notice how bright her eyes were or the tinge of pink on her cheeks when she thought of how soon it was until Edward arrived home. She sprayed a bit of perfume on and ran a tube of lip gloss over her lips before going back down to the kitchen.

She went into the living room and found her favorite station on the satellite radio and again checked the time. Isabella took a few deep breaths and laid her hands over her stomach to try to keep control of her spiraling nerves. Edward was her husband for goodness sake, she admonished herself, but it was exceedingly hard to try to keep things in perspective. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the thoughts of Edward and the way he'd looked this morning and the way he'd begged to have her in his bed again tonight. She wanted it; she wanted it so badly.

While she was busy getting the plates down out of the cabinet and searched for the bottle opener for Edward's favorite beer, Edward quietly entered the house and leaned his briefcase against the wall by his feet. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his hands shook, but he'd never, ever, been so happy to be home as he was right now. The last few hours of the day felt like they took an interminable amount of time to pass, but that was only because he needed to see Isabella, touch her, kiss her.

Isabella let out a squeak as she turned around to put the plates on the island when she noticed Edward standing in the doorway. She hadn't heard him come in and she instantly wondered how long he'd stood there and watched her, but that thought left as soon as she'd gotten it because right then, Edward looked very much like a predator stalking its prey. His emerald green eyes blazed intensely and his nostrils flared as he continued to wordlessly stare at her. The purple shirt he'd worn to the office today looked a bit worse for wear and he'd already shed his coat and loosened his tie. He looked dark and dangerous and so sexy he took her breath away.

"Edward?" she questioned as she stared back at him, her voice an alluring, breathy whisper.

"Hello, Beautiful," he rasped out in a low, rough voice. He continued to stare at her, his eyes hungry as they traveled over her body. He took in the slight widening of her eyes, the gorgeous blush that had appeared on her face, the way her breathing began coming in faster breaths, and Lord help him, there was no way in hell he could miss the way her nipples had hardened underneath her tight t-shirt.

He pushed off the doorway and swaggered over to where she stood, her eyes blinking rapidly the closer he came. Her body tingled with anticipation as she watched him approach, the raw sex appeal just oozing off him.

It took all he had not to run to her, throw her over his shoulder, and run up the stairs to his bedroom to have his way with her. He wanted it, he really fucking wanted it, but he also wanted to just be with her. He wanted to ask how her day was. He wanted to help her wash dishes. He wanted to curl up on the couch with her tiny body pressed tightly against his. He wanted to be buried deep inside of her and not come out for days.

He wanted to love her, without fear, without any walls between them.

He couldn't tell her that, yet, but he sure as hell could show her how much it hurt him to be away from her during the day though.

When he was close enough to touch her, Edward reached a shaking hand up and grabbed her gently on the back of the head and pulled her against him. He felt her heart pounding beneath the thin cotton shirt she wore that hugged her body to perfection and he stared into her eyes as he held her in place. He lowered his head to hers and breathed in her unique scent before he hungrily pressed his mouth against her waiting one. He plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, letting out a low growl as the taste of her coated his tongue.

Isabella melted against him and reached up to slide her hands into his riotous hair. She wantonly ground her center against him and she couldn't help the hiss she let escape when Edward's hands slid around her waist and over her ass and he squeezed.

"Fuck, Isabella," Edward panted as he pulled his mouth away from hers and immediately fastened his lips to her exposed neck. "I missed you today. I thought about you constantly, thought about this," he told her as he continued to suck on the delicate skin behind her ear. "I thought about how much I wanted you, in my bed, spread out beneath me as I licked every inch of your skin until you begged me to make love to you.

"I thought about how much I fucking loved just thinking about you, my beautiful Isabella," he said as he took another deep breath to clear some of the lust-filled fog currently clouding his brain. She deserved so much more than to be taken against a wall in the kitchen, not that he thought she would mind all that much. It was definitely something to think about for another time, but he promised her cuddling on the couch, and in all honesty, he wanted and needed that even more than making love to her again.

With that thought, he disentangled his fingers from her hair and took a step backward, giving them both some much needed space. He almost gave in to his desires when Isabella looked back at him with hooded eyes and flushed cheeks, but he knew they needed to spend time just being together and not in bed.

The fact that the annoying angel person had told him that exact thing on the ride home this evening made him shake his head, and if he thought he could get away with it in front of his very perceptive wife, he'd even curse said being, but he kept the thought to himself.

Instead, he flashed Isabella a very charming smile and took her hand in his and said, "I'm starving. We're still having pizza, right?"

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~