Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

The meeting was long and tedious, but one that I expected as we discussed the accusation of another small plastics plant in a neighboring town. It would be a good purchase and one that I hoped Aro would consider along with me. I knew he was interested by the gleam in his eye. He was easy to read at times and even easier to please since all he wanted was good products along with high profits. I, on the other hand, was even easier to keep happy by keeping Bella close by. Aro did his best to honor my request.

Bella was ever the girl who loved her job and the job was good for her. She was Aro's mercenary. She came into a waning business, spotted the weaknesses and either corrected or eliminate them. She loved her job and because of it I could not ask her to quit. It would be like asking me to leave the company as well. Instead, we found a happy compromise somewhere in the middle. She was never gone for longer than two weeks and I let her go to do as she needed. It was a happy agreement that always brought her home to me.

"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Swan called while you were in the meeting. She has been delayed and will arrive after six," Alice announced with her typical cool perfection as I nodded a thanks to her while sighing over Bella's name.

"Thank you, Alice," I replied as I pulled out my phone to see Bella's text awaiting me.

I will be there on time so stop worrying. Love you,

She knew me all too well that I would worry about her until I saw her once more. It was a horrible to live like that, but I endured it if it meant that I was close to her.

I searched through my contacts until I found Charlie Swan's number. The phone had barely ringed when he picked up with a gruff hello.

"We'll have to meet you at the hotel," I said as I listened to his soft laugh.

"I told you she would be late," he said as I hung my head over his words. He was always right when it came to Bella.

"I know. I just want her to be there and…" I began to say, but he cut me off.

"Breathe, son," he said with a low laugh as I listened to his smart ass laugher.

"She'll be there. She would never leave you high and dry like that," he continued on before rambling on about his date for the evening. Charlie Swan as never short a date.

I ended the call and informed Alice that I was leaving for the night. She knew I would take off early, but I think I caught her off guard as I walked past her without a glance back.

I went home to the empty house that I had shared with Bella for the last two years. It was not out of the ordinary to ask her to live with me. It didn't even seem odd to buy a house together or to merge money into a shared account. It all felt normal, as normal as the afternoon I stood before her in her father's bachelor pad professing my apology before she kissed me senseless so that her father found us naked on his couch as we continued on with our making up. He wasn't shocked to find us like that, but insisted on a new couch all the same. It was the first large purchase her and I had ever made together.

I looked around at the empty space that we shared. In the past my home had not been much of a home. It was a place that I slept in and ordered take out from, but a home it wasn't. Looking around at the pictures of friends, family and finally Bella and me I could see that it was finally a home.

I ambled back to our bedroom and looked at her clothes scattered around and her makeup knocked around on the stand beside the bed. It was mess and chaotic, but it was Bella, so I tried not to complain.

The phone rang loudly, pulling me from my thoughts of her as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket while giving it a glance.

Renee.

Renee was one who had not quite forgiven Bella for her involvement concerning Leah's arrest and eventual jail time. She claimed they were family. She claimed a lot of things, but none that Bella agreed to. It was a long year that Leah served in a low security prison while Renee harped on Bella to just let the past go. The funny thing was that she had.

Once Billy was on trial and Jacob had confessed there was a sense of peace about our house. It was as if the mission that Bella had placed herself on was over. She was pleased with the outcome. Justice had been served to an extent and she seemed content. If my girl was content then so was I.

"Hello?" I called into the phone, acting as if I was glad to hear from the woman who always made my girl frown.

"Oh, Edward!" she called into the phone happily as if she was happy to hear from me as well when I knew damn well she blamed me for the imaginary rift between the women even though there was no love lost long before I ever appeared in either of their lives.

"Renee," I stated as I waited for what was coming next.

"I hate to do this, but Harry and I won't be able to make it tonight. Leah and Jacob will be here so…" she said as trailed off not needing to say more. We all knew Leah and Jacob were trying to make a go of it once more. I wished them luck since neither one was especially good at being faithful.

"I'm sure Bella will understand," I lied since there was no way my girl would understand and even less of a chance that she would care. With a few more words of regret we ended the call leaving me every little time to change from one suit to another before leaving once more.

The drive downtown was slow and made me miss my apartment with it being close to everything, but the house the suburbs was better for us since it gave us a sense of normalcy even though that was about as normal as Bella and I got together. Once I was at the hotel I allowed the valets to park the car before heading inside.

I had reserved a room for dinner and after ducking inside to greet my mom and dad I left Charlie along with his date Shelia to keep them out of trouble and their clothes on.

"You're parents are…special," Charlie said with a laugh as we both watched them flirt endless with the pretty red had that Charlie had brought along for the evening. Thankfully, Shelia seemed to take their interest with a grain of salt.

"Yeah," I mumbled as I looked away which only made him laugh even harder. No enjoyed in the fact that my parents were different more than Charlie. The first time he met them he spent all night listening to stories about far off places and three somes that somehow saved their marriage. It was fucked up and oddly endearing as we slowly came together as a family with our parents enjoying each other's company. I was fine with it, as was Bella, as long as everyone kept their clothes on.

"She should be here soon," I said as Charlie waved me off, promising to keep everything and everyone in check until I returned. He knew what I was about do and he knew that most what would happen.

I stepped out into the hotel bar room, leaving them behind to take a deep breath before her arrival. I needed to be calm and collected because I knew she would see right through me since she always did.

I had barely had a chance to breathe when I heard a soft giggle that always made my heart pound.

"Don't you look handsome?" she called to me, causing me to jump in surprise as I turned to find Bella standing there. She was early and still had found the time to change into the black cocktail dress that I knew she would wear tonight. She was stunning with her hair down and her eyes alluring with their smoky color. I stared at her like a lost school boy, letting my gaze wander over her curves that I had memorized in our two years we had been together. She was still soft and warm. She was still simple and stunning. She was still simply my Bella and after all the time and worry for nothing I wanted more.

I stepped closer to her, pulling her to me in a tight embrace that caused her to laugh at me as I buried my face in her neck to breathe her in before kissing her silly.

"I missed you," I breathed against her lips as she murmured her agreement. Three days apart was too much and the ache to take her now was overwhelming. It almost over shadowed what I had planned. Almost.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered to me in a sultry tone that hinted at what she wanted. It was what I wanted as well, but first I needed to take care of some things.

"We will," I breathed before capturing her lips with mine once more for one kiss for luck.

"Let's go," she said as I felt her hand slip down my shoulders to grasp mine. It was a slight gesture, but one I loved.

"Wait," I said as I remained still, holding her there against me as she stared at me in disbelief.

"What's going on?" she asked in a worried tone as I felt the flutter of nerves rise inside of me.

"Nothing," I replied with a shrug as she pulled herself out of my embrace to look at me with a hard expression.

"What did you do?" she demanded from me as she practically shoved me backwards with her words.

"Nothing," I retorted as she glared at me while the night took an awkward turn.

"No, you did something because you look guilty," she stated in a rush as she continued to stare at me with those all knowing eyes.

"So out with, Edward. Just tell me. Did you screw around on me?" she demanded as she poked me in the chest hard as if to bring pain with her accusation.

"I'd never cheat on you and you know that" I retorted as I tried to calm her, but it was too late. She may have known in her heart that it was only her in my world as well as my bed, but she was pissed and when she was angry she would go off on a crazy tirade that never ended well.

"Well, what is this then," she said as she waved her arms around motioning to the hotel bar that we stood in getting stares for our outlandish display.

"Since this is not normal at all," she finished with a paranoid high pitched voice that made me crazy.

"I want to marry you!" I blurted out while practically yelling at her in effort to end this nonsense of her questioning me and her damn accusations. My declaration stopped her cold.

"I brought you back to the hotel that we went to celebrate our being together two years ago to ask you to be my wife," I continued on as she stared at me slack jawed.

"I know it's not something that we had agreed on. I mean, we talked and agreed marriage was pointless. It's just a name change, a piece of paper, a man made promise that counted for nothing compared to all the promises we've made each other," I rambled as she watched me wide eyed from what I hoped was surprise and not horror.

"But I can't see not being your husband. I can't see not telling the world that you're mine and I'm yours. I know it's a piece of paper and the promise is between us, Bella, but I want everyone to know what we've known since that night in my bed; that we belong to each other" I finished simply as I stepped away from her to drop to my knees before her.

"Will you marry me?" I asked her in a soft whisper while not looking at any of the lurkers that were now a part of what I hoped would be one of those moments that we would tell people in years to come. I pulled a velvet box out of my pocket, and opened it to show her the princess cut diamond ring that I had picked out with the help of her father.

Bella looked at me with wide eyes that were glassy with unshed tears. They could have been tears of joy or sadness, I didn't know which. I knew her too well and she hated surprises, so this surprise may have been too much for her.

I waited while holding my breath, unsure of which way she would sway when it came to her answer. It was Bella and anything was possible because of that simple fact.

I waited as she looked at me with those wide eyes never leaving mine as she stood there before while wringing her hands together in a nervous manner that only added to my fear of her saying no.

"Yes," she replied in a clear and confident voice before launching herself into my arms, knocking the ring out of my hand as of it was nothing to kiss me while the crowd around us cheered wildly in response.

AN:
Thanks for reading! I appreciate the time spent reading my words as well as every review shared, even those who flounced it : ) Mad love to you all.

Xoxo

Mamasutra