A Woman of Conviction Ch 15
Chapter 15
BPOV
When we get back to my
apartment, the boys are being quieter than normal. I know I shouldn’t push
because they need to work through this, but it hurts to know that was most
likely the last time they will ever see him unless in passing.
Edward comes up behind
me as I watch the boys go hide in their rooms. The doors click and Edward
starts kissing my neck. I can't help moaning. “What are you trying to distract
me from?” I close my eyes and enjoy the intimate feeling.
His breath tickles me as
he chuckles. “You’ve found me out.”
“I should talk to them.”
“If you think that’s
what you should do,” he murmurs against my skin.
I’m content to let him
keep doing this, but I’m a mom first. I gently push him away. “Okay, lover boy,
go change. I’m going to talk to my kids.”
He gives me a smirk and
his eyes are smoldering. Those eyes make me want to strip naked and jump
him; shit, I’m in so much trouble.
I push him away with my
own—hopefully—smoldering look. He leaves as I walk down the hallway, debating
which one of my sons I should talk to first. I hear banging from Lucian’s
room, so it looks like he’s first. I open the door to see him throwing books
across his room. I stand there in shock for a moment. My shy, wonderful child
is having a tantrum.
“Lucian, what’s wrong?”
I close the door so we have privacy.
He looks to me with
tear-stained cheeks. “I hate him so much!”
I sit on the bed. “Baby,
come here.”
He aggressively wipes
tears away as he come and sits by me. I wrap my arms around him, noting that
he’s getting so tall. I remember being in the hospital for thirty-six hours of
labor. He came out of me at seven pounds, nine ounces, and eighteen inches
long. His hair was so light I almost thought it was going to be blond.
His sniffling brings me
out of my reminiscing. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore,” I try to
sooth him.
“I’m mad at myself.”
“What?” I put my finger
under his chin so I can look at his face.
“I missed my chance to
tell him how I feel.” He pushes my hand away and then cuddles into my chest,
wrapping his arms around my waist.
I don’t know what to say
as I hold him to me, rocking back and forth. I should have known that Lucian
would want his say, too. “You want me to talk to Jake and try to set up another
meeting with him for you?” I use my gentle mothering tone.
His arms unwrap
themselves from me and he looks at me with a hopeful expression. “Could you do
that?”
I don’t want to crush my
child, but I really have no idea if I can get Jake to agree to another meeting.
Maybe I can find out where he’s living. “I’ll try my hardest. How about you
write him a letter and say everything you want him to know.”
“Okay.” He gets down
from the bed and goes over to his desk to get started.
“I’m going to check on
your brother,” I inform him.
Lucian turns around in
his chair. “I really like Coach, Mom.”
I lean against his door
frame raising my eyebrow. “I like him, too.”
“Then why haven’t you
gone on a date with him?”
My jaw drops at my nosey
little man. “Don’t you worry about your mom’s love life.” I shut the door
before he can respond.
Opening Damon’s door, I
see that he has fallen asleep, so I leave him be and go out to the living room
where Edward has made himself at home watching TV.
“I’m starting to worry
you’re getting too comfortable coming and going.” I sit next to him, tucking my
legs underneath me.
He just gives me his
signature smile. “How are the boys?”
I sigh, leaning my head
back on the couch. “Lucian is upset because he wanted to tell Jake how he made
him feel.”
Edward sighs. “What are
you going to do?”
I look at him, reading
concern and compassion in his facial expression. “I told him I’d try to get a
meeting with Jake again, but until then I suggested he write a letter to him
about his feelings.”
Edward reaches up and
brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “You are such an amazing mom.”
I feel my whole face
redden at the compliment.
“Go out with me Friday.”
His hand slides down to intertwine with my fingers.
“I suppose I have had
you wait long enough to take me out properly.” I sigh dramatically. He yanks me
into his lap and starts tickling me.
“What was that?” he
growls.
“Stop, please, I’ll pee
on you,” I manage to get out between my laughing outbursts.
His lips crash into mine
and I can feel how much he enjoyed the tickling session. I have to stop this. I
pull away with a smile. “I would love to go out this Friday.”
He pecks my lips again
and grins.
I get off his lap and he
gives me a pouty lip. I can’t help but snort. “I have to make dinner,
man-child.” I pat his head as I walk by to get to the kitchen.
I’m in the middle of
making pasta when I hear my oldest start hollering, “It’s Halloween on
Saturday and I don’t have a costume! Mike texted to say they were at the store
and there isn’t much left. Mom, we have to go!” His face is dead serious.
I feel the laugh
bubbling because my child thinks this is a life and death moment. I will
probably regret forgetting that Halloween is this weekend. “After dinner, we’ll
take you guys to the store and get costumes.”
Edward is holding it
together better than I am, but I can see the humor in his face and his
shoulders shaking.
Lucian nods his head in
seriousness and texts away on his phone, walking back to where he came from.
Edward moves around the
island and comes up to me, still shaking with silent laughter. “I remember
being young and thinking that getting the coolest costume was life or death.”
I hum, thinking back to
my childhood. Halloween meant something when my mother was around, but at
Lucian’s age I was trying to keep the house clean and food on the table for
myself and Charlie.
I feel Edward standing
behind me; his breath tickles my ear. “Hey, you okay, love?”
I sink into his chest.
“I’m just thankful that I can go buy them instead of searching ads, and looking
for hand-me-downs for them.”
This is my first time
being in a Halloween store, and overwhelmed is an understatement. I am not
alone, though; Edward’s face says it all. The boys pull us in so many
directions, we end up getting kicked out at closing. But not before getting the
boys costumes.
Friday rolls around, and
I’m full of nerves and crackling voices of doubt. Lucian is with Mike for the
night, and Damon is with Uncle Jasper. To think that this time last year, it
was just us, Tanya, and Irina; now they have lots of family. I think even if
something happens to separate Edward and me, his family will never give up my
kids.
I look myself over. I’m
wearing a simple black dress and I have my hair in an up-do with some hair
curled to frame my face. I‘ve never been on a date. I am twenty-five years old
and I have never been on a real date; I am so fucking pathetic.
I decide on some black
flats; my nerves are too shot for heels. I know the date is with Edward, the
guy who has been at my side since the kids started football. If I really think
about it, we’ve been together for nearly three months now. It shouldn’t be this
nerve-wracking. I mean we’ve even kissed already. I wonder if he will knock
like a person picking up a date should. As if on cue, I hear a knock at the
door.
My stomach does
flips. This is it.
I open the door. Edward
is standing there holding one pink lily. He’s wearing a deep blue Armani suit
with no tie, and he looks so good, I wonder how creeped out he would be if I
just lick him. What the fuck am I thinking?
“Bella, wow. You look… ”
His eyes rake over me and I can’t help but blush three shades of red. “I don’t
think there are words for how gorgeous you look.”
“Thank you, you don’t
look too bad yourself.”
He hands me the flower.
“This is for you.”
“Thank you, it’s
beautiful,” I gush. “I’m going to put this in water and we can get going.”
The drive to the
restaurant is nerve wracking. Edward has been a complete gentleman, opening the
doors for me and keeping his hand on the small of my back.
He pulls up to The Pink
Door. “I read some good reviews of this place. I thought something Italian and
fun,” Edward’s voice is low and nervous.
It didn’t occur to me
that he’s as nervous about this date as I am.
We walk in and I’m in
awe. It’s so gorgeous, and there’s upbeat music playing. I watch a few women
across the restaurant do an act in the air.
He leans in and whispers
in my ear. “They have different types of unique entertainment. That’s the
trapeze artist, and they have jazz players, and I think in the back they have a
tarot reader. Maybe after we eat we can go over to them and see what they say
about our future.”
“Maybe I already know
what the future holds.” I look at him with a sexy smirk; at least I think it’s
a sexy smirk.
Edward’s eyes dilate,
but says nothing as we go up to the hostess. “I have a reservation for Cullen.”
The hostess’s mouth pops
open looking at Edward. I can’t blame her, but it irks me all the same.
“Yes, this way.” She
grabs the menus and we follow her until we come to a secluded booth. I look at
Edward with my brow raised. I know he tipped extra to get this kind of seating.
He shrugs with a smirk
and waits for me to be seated before he sits himself.
I feel… lost looking at
the menu. I never had money to spend frivolously. I have more now, and I’ve
even managed to build a savings account, but this menu is too much. So
expensive!
Edward has put his menu
down and is looking at me with a curious expression.
“What?” I smile, still
staring at the menu.
“I am just so fucking
lucky to be here with you.”
I’m speechless. I can
feel the heat on my chest rising to my face. “I think it’s me who’s lucky,” I
mumble, wondering if he heard me.
I cannot concentrate on
anything I might want to order. Our server has come and gone three times now.
“Bella, is everything
okay?” Edward shifts in his seat with his eyes downcast.
I toss my menu down.
“I’m messing this up.” I let out a shaky breath. “I have never been on a date,
let alone one like this. I have no idea what dish to get because my eyes keep
landing on the prices.” I finally look at him, and he’s smiling gently at me.
“Price isn’t an issue,
but if you want, I can just pick something I think you would like.”
“Yes,” I answer quickly,
so on the fourth time the server comes, Edward orders us food with a bottle of
wine.
I shift in my seat. This
was such a bad idea, Edward is going to regret taking me out in public.
“I had one serious
relationship, so it’s been awhile since I’ve been out on a date. I’m happy that
it’s with you.”
I look at his face,
something crosses his features like a nightmare almost. “What happened?” I want
to slap myself. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“She, uh.” He clears his
throat. I feel the uneasiness coming from him in waves.
“I’m sorry, Edward, I
didn’t mean to pry,” I tell him shyly.
“No, beautiful, it’s
fair to ask. I dated Kate for a few years. She was with me as I started to make
real money with my business. I thought she was the one I was going to marry and
have a family with. I started to notice that she was spending a lot of
my money. I confronted her, and she said that she was pregnant.”
I don’t like where this
is going. I know he loves kids, so if she was pregnant, then where is little
Edward at?
“It wasn’t long before
the truth came out. She was never pregnant; she just wanted my money.”
What the fuck? “She better hope I never see her.”
Edward stares at for me
a second, then starts to laugh.
“What? That’s horrible,
what she did. I can’t believe, as a woman who would give anything to have her
kids’ father be like you, she would just use you for money. I want to punch her
in the face,” I growl out.
His lips press to mine,
but just as quickly as he was there, he’s back in his seat.
“What was that for?” I
can’t keep a smile from forming on my lips.
“For being you.”
Our food comes and the
waiter pours our drinks. Everything tastes delicious. As we eat we watch the
show that’s being put on by the trapeze artist. Edward pays the bill and
we listen to the band for a bit before we decide to head back.
During the car ride, I
can feel the electricity crackling between us. We have our fingers intertwined
and laying on his thigh. All I keep thinking about is kissing him, undressing him.
OH, God.
As I’m daydreaming of
what our night could be like since the boys are gone, I hear Edward clear his
throat, bringing me out of my trance.
“You want to come up and
watch a movie with me?”
I’m not ready to have
our night end yet. “Okay, a movie sounds good.”
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