The Business Arrangement - Chapter 6

Edward in his Forks attire

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I'm grateful to Stephenie Meyer for her dream.

Chapter 6 – Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Edward POV

As Sam drove me back home at around 10:30 a.m. that Saturday morning, I half-hoped, half-prayed Isabella was still there. Perhaps she was in the garden, deep in conversation with my mother about something. Maybe she was down by our stretch of beach, walking along the water, just enjoying the morning. I called her cell phone which went straight to voice mail. I left her a quick message, telling her I was sorry I was late and I'd be home shortly. I mentally kicked myself for not leaving her a note. I know how involved things can get at work and how involved I can get with work – what the hell was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't. Dammit.

I rushed into my suite as soon as we pulled up to the house. The bed was freshly made, the breakfast tray was gone, discarded clothing was picked up and put in the hamper – not a thing was out of place – exactly the way I liked it. It was as if Isabella had never been there. Where the hell was she and why wasn't she answering my phone calls – as I was now trying her once again and it again went to voice mail.

I heard some footsteps on the carpet behind me. It was Jasper, my level-headed brother. He said simply, "She's gone."

After turning to look at him like he'd grown another head out of his neck, I replied, "Well, I can see that."

And then in walked the whirlwind known as Alice Brandon. Walking was an understatement – I think stomping would've been a more appropriate term. She stomped right up to me and slapped me in the face. "What the hell, Alice?" I asked.

I remember Isabella saying I had intimidated her in the past. That obviously wasn't the case with Alice – obviously I didn't intimidate her at all. She was right up in my personal space – as much as she could be anyway – she was much shorter than I was – but like I said, intimidating in her own right.

"You have hurt my best friend, asshole, and I am not putting up with it for one more minute! She may not be here to defend herself right now, but I am and I'm going to. You've been treating her like your dirty little secret and I'm sick of it," she yelled at me.

"Alice, hang on. What are you talking about?" I glanced over at Jasper, but obviously he wasn't going to be any help in this situation and he was willing to give his girlfriend free reign.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, dickhead. You say you want to be with Bella and romance her and all that other bullshit. And that's all well and good. But then what do you do? You send her flowers – to the house. To the house, Edward. What the fuck is that about? Who the hell is ever going to see them? Who even knows you sent them? At least Emmett has the common decency to send them to the office, even if she didn't want those flowers."

Oh hell, I'd forgotten about those flowers. She was right about that. I remember her setting them on Lauren's desk so other people could enjoy them as well. Was I a bigger douchebag than my brother?

"And then," Alice barely paused for a breath, "you only kiss her behind closed doors. What the hell? I'm sure 99.9 percent of the people at your company don't even know you and Bella are having a relationship as you certainly don't publicize it. Are you afraid of what will happen if you break up or something? Why don't you ever take her out in public? When you have dinner together, she's always coming here. Don't you think she'd like to be seen by others on your arm? I know she cares about you a lot, although at this moment, I can't figure out why. Right now, I'd like to punch you in your junk. Aren't you proud of her? Don't you want to be seen with her? Are you ashamed of her? You are a fucking tool, Edward, and you piss me off."

"Alice," I said in reply, "Of course I'm not ashamed of Isabella. I am very proud of her. She's the most beautiful person in the world to me. I love her beyond reason. I suppose I'm just…scared."

She put her hand on my arm then and I was hoping her earlier violent episode was over. "Edward," she said as she looked at me, "it's ok to be scared – but get the hell over it already! None of us have a crystal ball. We don't know what's going to happen in our relationships a year from now or five years from now. I think you and Bella have a good start on something special and I don't want you to screw it up so badly that she'll never see you again."

Oh…had I done that already?

I asked her, "Where is she?"

Alice sighed and said, "She's gone."

"Yeah," I said a bit tersely, "I heard that already," as I looked at Jasper again. "Where did she go?"

"If I tell you, Edward, you have to promise me something. If you go there to try to get her back, you will not screw this up. Bella wants to be loved, cherished and protected just like every other woman of value."

I nodded dumbly as no words could make it past the lump in my throat. That was exactly what I wanted for Isabella and I'd been a stupid fool. I'd been holding on to my workaholic behavior for so damn long that I didn't know any other way to act. I'd meant it wholeheartedly when I'd told Isabella that she made me feel alive. The work paled in comparison. In this moment, I could see exactly what I wanted in my future – Isabella, trips abroad, children. The work would always be there. I could hire more people to do some of the things I'd been doing. I could learn to let go. Now I just needed to convince Isabella to come back to me.

"Edward?" Alice's voice brought me back to my present reality.

"Yes, Alice?"

"You're not going to screw this up, are you? Because if I find out you do, me punching you in the junk will be the least of your worries," she affirmed.

I smiled at her and said, "No, Alice, I'm not going to screw this up. Now, please, tell me where she is so I can bring her back home."

She still looked at me warily but said, "She went back to Forks for the week. She needed a vacation from your dumb ass, apparently."

This struck me as funny and I laughed out loud. Alice rolled her eyes and said, "You're really weird, Edward."

"Yeah, I know," I replied. "But now I have a lot to do, so could you two be on your way? I have to pack, get a flight ready…."

Jasper interrupted my speech, "Edward, Alice and I already packed for you. Your bag is ready to go on the other side of your couch."

A wicked gleam came into Alice's eye and she grinned as she said, "Oh yes, packing for you and going through your underwear drawer was like touching the Shroud of Turin!" Now it was my turn to roll my eyes! Women! She just giggled over my reaction.

"And," Jasper continued, "we already booked you first-class on a commercial flight to Seattle that leaves at 1. So you'd best get yourself to the airport. You also have a hotel booked in Seattle when you arrive. You need to have a clear head when you see Isabella. Plus you have a bit of a drive ahead of you."

At that, Alice handed me a Google map from the Seattle airport to Forks. She also handed me a hand-drawn map of the town of Forks showing me where Isabella's father, Police Chief Charlie Swan, lived.

I looked at Alice and asked, "Are you going to tell Isabella I'm coming?"

She looked up at me and said, "No, I won't. I want her to be surprised. But you have to be sincere and tell her what you're feeling in your heart, Edward. She has to know you love her without a doubt – not just when you're out of New York City – and that you're willing to demonstrate that no matter where you are."

Jasper said in parting, "And, dude, don't worry about the office. Shelly, Angela and I will take care of whatever comes up. We will live without you for a week. Take some time off – run away from home. Only check your cell phone once a day – not every 30 seconds like normal."

My flight was uneventful so I had a lot of time to think. I did want Isabella in my life. I wanted that right along with humanity's other basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. She was a necessity in my life. I prayed she would take my dumb ass, as Alice called it, back.

I had been so very stupid. I'd taken the image of the company upon myself and projected that out to the world and hadn't been thinking about what I wanted. But truthfully, Cullen International and Edward Cullen were two different entities. Cullen International was a publicly-traded company which made a multitude of products to satisfy customer's demands. Edward Cullen was a man desperately in love who would go to wherever the love of his life was to beg her to take him back when he screwed up – on my knees if I had to – I wasn't above that.

Isabella did deserve to be taken out and shown off to the world at large and/or at least New York City. I could take a few lessons from Jasper. He was doing that with Alice and things were working out great for them. They were absolutely nuts about each other. He sent her flowers at work, had bought her some jewelry, went out to numerous dinners and clubs, and probably even took her for some carriage rides in Central Park for crying out loud.

Once I landed in Seattle and was settled in my hotel room, I called to various motels in Forks. Most of them were full. What the hell? Apparently some popular book series had been written about the area and fans had been coming from every place around the globe to visit the tiny town. The last place I called, the helpful woman gave me the name of the motel that was at La Push Beach. I scored the last room with a queen-size bed available. Even I can change and squeeze into that size of bed. It wasn't as luxurious as my normal king-size, but for Isabella, I could do most anything.

I dressed in jeans and a cream thick cable-knit sweater, drove to Forks, and arrived at the home of Chief Swan. There was a police cruiser in the driveway. I looked at my watch and saw it was around lunchtime. Maybe Isabella was with him! I got out of the car and made my way up the front steps. Then I nervously knocked on the door.

The front door was opened by a man almost my height with the same color hair as Isabella and a mustache. "Can I help you?" he asked as he looked me up and down.

"Hello," I said. "I'm Edward Cullen. I'm looking for Isabella Swan."

"Huh," he replied. "Well, she's not here right now. Do you want to come in? Bella's told me about you and there's some things I need to say to you."

"Certainly, sir." No use arguing with a man who has a gun on his hip.

He shut the door behind me and I followed him into his kitchen with painted yellow cabinets. It was a cheerful enough space and I could imagine Isabella growing up here.

"Have a seat," Charlie said as he motioned to the chair opposite him. His lunch of a frozen entrée was on the table. "I wasn't expecting company for lunch."

I said, "Oh, it's no problem."

"So," Chief Swan said gruffly, "Bells tells me that you're her boyfriend in New York." A secret thrill ran through me. She actually told her father I was her boyfriend? "But she also told me you haven't been treating her right, Edward. I don't appreciate that for my daughter. My daughter deserves the best."

"Yes," I responded. "I agree wholeheartedly. That's why I'm here, sir – to beg her forgiveness. I haven't been acting as gentlemanly as I should. I've taken some time to reevaluate my priorities and now realize that Isabella is to be my number one priority instead of work. I've been a workaholic most of my life and need to make some changes. Hopefully she will listen to me and take me back."

Chief Swan took another bite of his meal and said, "Please – call me Charlie. Bells is a pretty level-headed girl, although somewhat stubborn. I think she'll hear you out if she thinks you're sincere."

I smiled and said, "Thank you, Charlie. Would you please tell me where she is so I can work on getting her back?"

"Sure, Edward. She's walking down on First Beach at La Push. You probably saw the sign for La Push when you were driving into town."

"I did," I replied.

I got up to leave. Charlie reached over to shake my hand. "Let me know how things go," he said. I assured him I would.

I drove my rental car to La Push and found my motel easy enough – it was the only one there. I placed my luggage in my room, then walked out to the beach. The sky looked like it was threatening to begin raining at any moment and the wind had picked up right out here on the Pacific Ocean.

I spotted a lone figure walking on the beach. She needed to be inside as it was cold out here. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie sweatshirt.

"Isabella!" I called out. The name was caught by the wind and snatched up toward the sky seemingly as soon as it left my mouth.

I jogged in her direction and soon caught up with her. There's no way she couldn't have heard my approach as the stones clattered under my shoes.

I gently took her elbow in my hand and said her name again, "Isabella."

She stopped walking immediately and wrenched her elbow out of my grasp. She said in a measured tone, "What do you want, Edward?"

"I want you," I replied.

"Well, you certainly have a difficult time showing that. I suppose if I hadn't smartened up and left, I could've been your dirty, little secret for years."

"No, Isabella…" I attempted to interject.

"No what?" she yelled, turning now to face me. I could see her beautiful face was streaked with tears.

"I don't want you to be my dirty, little secret at all. I was a fool for doing that. I was scared, Isabella. I didn't know where Cullen International left off and Edward Cullen began. I've taken a good, long look at what I've been doing with my life. That's not how I want to live anymore."

Isabella said through her tears, "No, Edward, don't. Go back to New York. Go back to the company you're successfully running. I understand its importance to you. It's what you want and need in your life. I was just a speed bump on your road to success."

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and implored, "Isabella, please. That is not how I feel about you at all."

"What the hell was all that secretive stuff about?" she demanded.

I took her hand in mind and thankfully, she let me continue to hold it. "I saw how you were with the press in Chicago, love. You were terrified of them. I didn't want to subject you to more of that in New York. When we start dating publically, the press will be all over both of us like vultures. Are you prepared for that?"

She chewed on her bottom lip in indecision for a bit, so I steamed full speed ahead. I dropped to my knees in front of her and just like a really bad movie, the sky unleashed a torrent of rain on First Beach. Fan-fucking-tabulous. Well, I wasn't going without a fight, dammit. She was going to hear me out.

"Love, I'm not ashamed of you. I want to be with you in every way possible. I am truly sorry for how things have gone between us. I do want to take you out and show you off to the world. If you see me getting all workaholic again, you need to tell me. Please, Isabella, tell me you forgive me."

I chanced a glance up at her through my lashes to see the rain had soaked her clean through and she was standing in front of me with her teeth chattering. Oh holy hell – what was I doing? I was on my knees, apologizing to the love of my life when clearly she needed to be inside, warm and dry.

I shot up off my knees, scooped up Isabella in my arms and ran through the rain and wind to my motel room. It seemed she was even colder by the time we arrived at the motel. She was shaking uncontrollably as her teeth continued to chatter.

Once inside the motel room, I stood her up near the bathroom and started the shower. "Isabella," I said gently, "you need to get in the shower to get warm." She looked at me warily. Did I need to beg her here as well? "Please, love? You're freezing and your clothes are soaked clean through."

I helped her remove her clothing as she was shivering so badly she could barely do it herself. There was nothing sexual about it. She needed to get warm and I wanted to help her toward that goal. As soon as she was undressed, she went into the bathroom and I shut the door behind her, hoping to hold the heat and steam in there as long as possible.

I took off my wet clothing as well. From my suitcase, I got out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants for Isabella. I knew they would be too big for her, but they would keep her warm. Once the shower shut off, I told Isabella dry clothing was waiting for her just outside the door.

I got into the bed to warm it up for her. I heard the bathroom door open and then close again quickly. Finally she emerged – looking so damn cute in my clothing I wanted to grin at her, but I knew now wasn't the time or place.

"Come, Isabella," I said to her softly, as I lifted up the bed covers on her side of the bed. She looked at me dubiously. "Please be reasonable, love. You're freezing and need to get warm. I'm not going to touch you inappropriately."

This seemed to appease her as she crossed the room and got into the bed beside me. I drew her into my arms as I knew body heat would be the best thing to warm her up. She snuggled closer to me as she drew from my warmth and was soon asleep.

I knew our discussion wasn't fully over, but she was at least sleeping with me again – at the moment. My hands ran down the length of her hair until I, too, fell blissfully asleep.