The Business Arrangement - Chapter 7

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

Chapter 7 – Forgiveness

Bella POV

I was dreaming – I had to be. I was so cold. It felt as though thousands of tiny needle-like raindrops were piercing my skin over and over. My teeth were chattering; I was shivering. Then I was enveloped in something warm, something comforting, something that smelled like…Edward? What the fuck? I startled myself awake.

I rolled my eyes around to assess my situation. I appeared to be in some motel room, firmly encased in Edward's arms with his hands running soothingly through my hair, my body snugly up against his. The earlier events of the day came crashing back in with amazing clarity.

I pulled my head back so I could look at his face. Concern showed in every feature as he whispered to me, "Are you warm enough now, Isabella?"

"Um, yes," I replied.

He reached around to cup my jaw in his hand and said, "Truly, love, I am sorry for any pain I caused you. I was an idiot and didn't treat you with the respect you deserve. I hope you can forgive me. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"Well," I sighed, "since you seem to do fine out of the city, I will consider a conditional forgiveness. When we get back to the city, we'll see how you do in real life."

He replied, "I think that's more than fair." Then he moved his lips closer to mine and kissed the corner of my mouth.

And I was supposed to remember how to think now? He didn't know how lethal his kisses actually were and I wasn't about to tell him.

I lay my head back on the pillow and looked over at Edward. He said, "If you promise not to go anywhere, I believe I saw a latte place a little way down the road. What would you like? I'll go get you something to warm you up on the inside."

I sat up and requested a chai tea and he got out of bed to do my bidding. Yes, he was on "probation," but I couldn't resist staring at his ass as he slid into his jeans. As Edward opened the door to go outside, I could see it was still raining, although not quite the downpour it was earlier. I lay back down contentedly, enjoying our shared body heat still warming the bed.

When Edward returned, it startled me. I must've fallen asleep again. Soon, he was protectively leaning over me. "I'm back, love," he said. Then he kissed the corner of my mouth again. It was enough to drive a woman absolutely crazy.

As I drank my tea and he drank his coffee, I asked him what time it was. He said around 3:30 in the afternoon. I mused I should get up and get back to Charlie's so I could get his dinner started. "So early?" he wondered.

"You still need to take me back to my truck. I need to get into some of my own clothes as I'm sure my own aren't dry enough yet. Knowing you, you probably didn't make any dinner plans in the booming metropolis of Forks. I'm cooking dinner anyway, so I'm assuming you're going to eat at the Swan residence. So, I need to go to the grocery store."

He grinned happily at me and said, "Well then, let's go!"

I looked back at him and asked, "Edward, have you ever been to a grocery store?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said cheerfully, "Nope!"

I hauled myself out of the bed and found my shoes that were still squishy, but would have to do for now – at least until I got to Charlie's. "Well, this will be an experience," I said.

Soon enough, my truck was parked back in my dad's driveway, I was dressed in dry clothing, my hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and I was riding in the passenger seat beside Edward in his rented Volvo. Who the hell rents a Volvo? Apparently Edward Cullen, that's who. We arrived at the Thriftway grocery store – the only true grocery store in town – which was alongside Olympic Outfitters, both owned by the Newton family.

I decided to control the grocery cart so Edward could gawk at the items stocked on the shelves. He wasn't kidding – this was a totally new experience for him. I wanted to giggle at his almost childlike wonder, but then we turned the corner to the next aisle and almost ran into Mike Newton who was stocking a shelf.

"Bella!" he exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since high school!" He pulled me in for a hug and I could've sworn I heard a sharp intake of breath from Edward beside me.

"How have you been? Where are you living now?" Mike kept on with the questions.

Mike looked almost exactly like he did in high school – blonde spiky hair, blue eyes, still built like he could play on the football or basketball teams. I responded, "Hey Mike! I've been good. Alice Brandon and I moved to New York. In fact," gesturing to Edward, "this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Mike Newton. Mike and I went to high school together."

I looked on as the two men silently sized each other up. Oh Lord, here comes the pissing contest. Edward politely shook Mike's hand. Just to get the story straight, Mike was never my boyfriend in high school. He followed me around a bit like a puppy dog when I first moved to the area, but the novelty quickly wore off.

"So, Bella," Mike was speaking again, "you look fantastic!"

And in that split second of me thinking of replying that I was caught in a pounding rainstorm at La Push earlier in the day, Edward's lips were claiming mine and his arms were around me, pulling me to him. What was he doing – going all caveman in the middle of the only proper grocery store in Forks? Ooooo…not that his lips didn't feel very nice – moving over mine. Soon I was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen.

Edward finally released me. I looked around for Mike who was no longer standing with us. I looked up at Edward and said, "Edward, what the hell are you doing?"

He replied, "Your friend was leering at you. I decided it was time to show him you are mine, Isabella."

"You don't need to make a scene at the only grocery store in Forks! Besides, it sounds a little caveman to me," I said.

His lips were near my ear and his velvet voice whispered, "Do you want me to drag you back to my cave by your hair and have my wicked way with you?"

I did have to giggle then. I slapped him playfully on the chest and replied, "Seriously, Edward! Don't drag me by my hair – that hurts."

His arm was still around my waist as he was whispering in my ear, "Does that mean I can have my wicked way with you if I don't drag you by your hair?"

"You're still on probation, mister."

To that, he reached up and pulled on my ponytail gently so that my lips were turned up to meet his. He gave me another light kiss. We then continued our grocery shopping without incident.

Dinner at Charlie's was nice. I was surprised at how well Edward and my dad got along – once my dad realized Edward really did love me and was looking out for my best interests. Edward didn't "talk down" to my dad because he made less money than he did or lived in a small town rather than New York City.

After dinner, Edward and I decided to go for a drive. I promised to show him my old high school and any other places Alice and I used to hang out, which weren't too many. But it got us out of the house so if we wanted to talk, we could, and my dad could watch his baseball game on his flat screen television in peace.

We'd driven around for a bit when we finally stopped in the well-lit parking lot of the still-open Thriftway. We weren't going back inside, but it was the perfect place to talk. I'd been keeping up a never-ending commentary about places Alice and I had went in our high school days and was now ready to talk about my future – a future that hopefully included Edward.

Edward shut off the car engine and turned sideways in his seat to look at me. He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. Then he kept it firmly encased in his larger hands.

"Edward," I started, "we need to talk about us."

"OK," he agreed with a smile.

"I don't expect you to reorder your entire world just because of me. I know your company is very important to you and I still expect you to give it the attention it deserves. But I would like to be a part of your life too. I'm sure we can work out the details of that somehow. I just don't like feeling like a dirty, little secret in your life."

His eyes looked into mine and he replied, "I know, love. I can't begin to tell you how wrong that was. It was originally to shield you from the press, but we should've talked about it. And I never gave you that opportunity. I'm so sorry. I'll apologize for that for the rest of my life for screwing up so badly."

"Edward, I don't want you to keep apologizing. I just want us to make a new start." I wiggled my hand out of his grasp and moved it to place it on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into my warmth. He seemed to make a hum of contentment. "Edward?"

He opened his eyes again and said, "Yes, love?"

"I want to go back home. I miss Alice and I can't wait to see you in action now that you know how I feel."

"You won't regret it. I promise you that. I didn't say I would be perfect at every opportunity, but I'll definitely make a concentrated effort. Just know that I love you, Isabella."

I then asked, "And you'll help me…with the press?"

"Of course, love," he said as he pulled me to him for a kiss that took my breath away. Once we came up for air, he continued, "You don't need to tell them every intimate detail. But I won't ever deny that I'm dating you. I don't want you to wake up some morning and read some ridiculous story in the newspaper where I said I was dating someone else. It will only be you. You'll normally be with me, so I wouldn't deny the facts."

Then he drew his head back and looked at me a bit more. "You look a bit tired. Are you ready for bed?" I had to admit that I was. "I wish you would let me take you back to the motel room and worship your body all night long to show you how much I love you and long for you. But I'll take you back to Charlie's. Can I come back in the morning for breakfast?"

This – this was the Edward I'd longed for and knew was under the exterior. The one who could make me feel like a puddle of goo just by something he said. "Of course. I hope you'll be getting our flight arrangements settled so we can head back to Seattle in the morning."

We kissed once more in the car in Charlie's driveway before Edward left. I loved the feel of Edward's arms around me.

I kissed my dad on the cheek as he was still sitting in front of the television with his baseball game blaring. I told him Edward and I would most likely be leaving in the morning back to New York. He said, "Aww, Bells, you know I'll miss you. It gets pretty lonely around here without you."

I gave him an impulse hug and then headed off to bed. I slept pretty well most of the night, then I woke up and got lonely for Edward. I didn't dare call or text him in the middle of the night. I found I still had his t-shirt and sweatpants that he loaned me from earlier in the day. I put those on and found they still smelled of him. It was so comforting, I fell right back to sleep.

The next morning, it was raining again. This was Forks, after all. I got up, took a shower, and dressed quickly. I made sure my suitcase was packed and ready to go when Edward arrived. Then I headed downstairs to make breakfast for my dad and Edward.

Just as I was finishing up with the French toast and putting the syrup in the microwave to warm, I heard the Volvo in the driveway. Soon, my dad was letting Edward through the door. As I went to greet Edward and kiss him good morning, I noticed he brought me another chai tea – so very thoughtful – my dad pulled the French toast, bacon, syrup, and orange juice to the table.

We had an entertaining breakfast. Charlie told us stories about the guys who worked at the station with him. He also talked about this famous book series that had been written about the area and these hordes of women who wanted to pose for a picture with him. I had to giggle, imagining my dad as a celebrity.

Edward said he'd been in contact with Shelly and she had secured tickets for us to fly back to New York at 2 p.m. today. My dad had to leave for work soon. I told him I'd clean up from the breakfast dishes, as he still hadn't installed a dishwasher after all these years.

He shook Edward's hand and said, "Take care of my girl." Edward replied that he had every intention of doing that very thing. Then Charlie pulled me in for a hug. "I'll miss you, Bells. Love you. Give Alice a hug for me," he said gruffly.

"I will, Dad. Love you, too," I replied, tears starting to form in the corners of my eyes. Thank goodness he ended the emotional moment for us as he strode to the front door, put his gun belt around his waist, gave us a wave, and was out the door without another word.

Edward pulled me into his arms in a moment. "Are you all right, love?" he asked gently. I just nodded silently, but buried my face in his shirt. My tears flowed for a few minutes as he stroked my back, soothing me.

Finally, I could speak. "My dad and I aren't big on emotional displays. I think it's just been a while since I've been back to Forks, so I've missed him a lot." Edward kissed me gently and wiped my tears with the pads of his thumbs. "OK," I said, "let's get this kitchen cleaned, then we'll get on the road."

Surprisingly, Edward was very helpful around the kitchen, even though I figured he hadn't spent much time in one. I think it was just because he liked order. He was good about putting things in their proper place. We finished and locked the front door behind us as we left. Then we were on the road back to Seattle.

I pointed out some places of interest on the way back, such as Crescent Lake where Alice and I had gone swimming numerous times, Bella Italia in Port Angeles where Alice and I went with some now nameless boys on prom night (holy cow – was that a growl I heard emanating from Edward's chest?), and the ferries that would take you to Canada.

We arrived in Seattle to (not surprisingly) more rain. They were really socked in with heavy fog. As we turned in the rental car and were shuttled back to the airport, the air seemed rather quiet to me. I had seen how volatile Edward could get at his brother, so I wasn't sure if I should say anything about the possibility of flights getting out in this weather.

When we entered the airport, chaos seemed to be apparent. There were people everywhere – standing, sitting, sleeping. As Edward led me by the hand toward our appropriate airline counter, I chanced a glance at one of the large screen read-outs of arrivals and departures. Oh hell, every flight had been delayed or cancelled due to the weather.

Since Edward always flies first class if he's not flying on his own plane, he was able to walk right up to the ticketing agent. "Good afternoon, ma'am," he said.

"Hello sir," the now slightly flustered agent replied as she gazed at Edward.

"What seems to be the problem? We have a flight scheduled for 2 p.m. to New York." Edward gave her our ticketing information.

"Sir, no flights are departing Seattle today due to the weather. I see you are booked in our first class section, though. At this time, we are prepared to offer you a night's accommodation in a nearby hotel and food vouchers for the inconvenience."

Edward's glance flickered over to me for a brief moment and said, "Hmm…well, that will have to do. I'm glad I had no urgent need to get back to New York today. I do hope the weather cooperates tomorrow, though."

The agent looked at both of us and addressed Edward again, "Are you traveling together?"

Edward's arm was around me at once as he replied, "Yes."

Her brief disappointed look was replaced with a smile as she said, "That will make it easier to get you a room – one instead of two."

Once again, Edward's gaze flicked to mine. Was he looking for – permission? I'd placed him on probation until we got back to New York so I could see how we fared in front of people we knew. Crap. Why does life have to be so friggin' complicated?

Edward was addressing the agent again, "We won't need food vouchers. Just the room is fine. We can find meals on our own."

"Thank you, sir," she responded, as she handed over the room information. It was for a nearby hotel with easy access to several restaurants and a shopping mall.

Soon, we were in a taxi, heading away from the airport to the designated hotel. Once in the room, we saw it was furnished with two queen-size beds. I figured we'd deal with sleeping arrangements later. Right now, I needed lunch!

We headed over to the shopping mall and ate in the food court. It was surprisingly good and filling. Then we each decided to do a little shopping on our own. Edward headed one direction and I headed off in another. We arranged to get back together in about two hours.

As I began walking away from Edward, I felt my phone vibrate for a text message. I took it out and looked at the display:

You do have the nicest ass. ILY. – EC

I knew I was blushing furiously. And I certainly wasn't going to turn around to give him the satisfaction of him seeing me blush. I jabbed in a message of my own and pressed "send:"

Yours is pretty nice, too. I checked yesterday. – BS

Let him deal with that and try to figure out when I checked out his ass. And now that he's effectively turned my insides to jelly again, I'd arrived in front of a Victoria's Secret store. Well, Mr. Cullen, let's see what we can tease you with.

I purchased a matching bra and panty set in black with hot pink ribbon threaded through it. Since he also seemed to like me in blue, I found a royal blue corset and panty set and got that as well.

I shopped in some other stores as well, picking up some things for Alice and some other girls at work and then met Edward back at the designated spot.

Edward's eyes widened immediately when he saw me coming toward him. He stood up to greet me and kiss me on the cheek. "Isabella," he said, "are you trying to kill me?"

"Why would you say that?" I wondered aloud. He pointed to the distinctive pink and white striped bag from Victoria's Secret. Oh crap – the bag. I wish I could've hidden it away so he wouldn't have known. "That's for…um…later."

His voice was low against my ear, "Isabella, how much later?"

"Um…"