Beauty Takes on the Beast

Chapter Twenty—Dreams

I knew it wouldn't be easy once we left the hospital. I had it on good authority that Bella would be a horrible patient, only rivaled by my tolerance for feeling vulnerable mentally and physically.

Worse yet, because both Bella and I needed assistance around the house, we hadn't had any privacy in over four weeks. We were ticking time bombs, and Emmett and the others knew it.

Our so-called loved ones wore out their welcome after the first few days. Bella and I were stubborn enough to get around fine on our own; whatever she couldn't handle, I did, and vice versa. Despite that, family and friends dropped by unannounced often, and all I wanted to do was cuddle with my girlfriend.

Yeah, it surprised me too that I was the cuddler in our relationship. What could I say? The Beast liked snuggling up to Bella's gorgeous ass.

After we called our family out on what they were doing, they got worse. Now that we received word we could resume certain activities, drastic measures had to be taken before I lost my shit on my cockblocking friends.

Why couldn't they be like my parents?

They saw we spoke the truth that we were okay and headed home within a week, though Mom called every other day. Thankfully, Dad had a conference in Hawaii, and Mom was taking advantage of free accommodations, so maybe Mom would stop hogging up my girlfriend on FaceTime.

Even with our doctors' thumbs up, the others refused to let up with the helping us to ensure we recovered. Emmett and my baby sister were overprotective as fuck, and they found common ground when it came to our care.

Tyler was the only one who understood our dilemma because his mama and girlfriend sat on his ass until the doctors said he could resume light duties. I didn't mind greeting him when he stopped by one afternoon while Bella went out shopping.

"I hear you two are looking for some time alone," Tyler said as I answered the door, the one to Bella's and my new but temporary place.

We were in the process of searching for a nice piece of land within the area to build the perfect house for her. Maybe one for us, considering I had yet to run for the hills at the thought of living together. Four weeks of domestic bliss, never thought I'd see the day.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, at this point it would be a fucking dream."

He chuckled and patted my shoulder then placed something in my palm. "You're in luck." A set of keys lightly dug into my skin. "A cabin awaits you; just pack a bag, my friend."

My eyes widened at the thought of being alone with Bella, closing slightly as my imagination took over. I had a lot of time to come up with a few scenarios, including being tied up, as in me being at her mercy. Fuck me; the thought alone had the Beast reawakening in my jeans.

"How did you arrange this?" Although, I wasn't about to hand back the keys. Bella and I needed to get away for a while.

Tyler smirked; the scar from that day bisected his eyebrow, only emphasizing the cocky look. "The credit doesn't go to me; it's all Bella. She rented a cabin up in the woods for you two and I'm here to drive you to meet her. You know for a fact if any of the others get wind of it, they'll be on your doorstep within minutes."

I shook my head. "They're fucking ridiculous. How the hell are they keeping tabs on us? The second either of us feels remotely frisky, they show up."

His chuckle lasted a few seconds. "I gotta be honest with you. I'm damn sure they have a pool going on when and who will break first and go off on them."

I groaned, for once not feeling the stitch on my side when I did. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second, but if Bella finds out, she will lose her shit on their asses and I'll just sit back and enjoy the show." I gestured for him to follow me into the hallway as I grabbed some clothes—though I planned to ban all of them while we were gone—and a duffel bag from the room.

Tyler's silence wasn't unusual but something in him had shifted as of late. A little bird told me he asked for help in finding a ring for a certain woman.

I turned to look at him in time to see him rub his hand over his bald head. "You can talk to me about anything, Ty. Whether you need something or just to get something off your chest, I'm listening."

Tyler nodded. "I'm going to ask her to marry me while you two are gone and if she says yes…"

"She'll say yes." I did not doubt it in my mind.

He rubbed his hands together and laughed. "Yeah, she ain't going to let me go anytime soon. Damn glad of it, too. Anyway, the plan is to move into the city. I have some work lined up there that will last me a while, and she's got that executive job, so I can't ask her to commute for long—you know what I mean?"

"If you're looking for a letter of recommendation, it's yours, no problem. If you need help moving, we're all there. If you're looking for me to talk you out of any of it, I can't do that. You've been with my company for years, and I always knew you'd outgrow this small town."

"Thanks for everything, Edward. You gave me a chance when no one else would. If you ever need anything, even to hide a body, give me a call."

"If Marcus keeps sending Bella flowers, I might need help with that soon." I zipped up my bag after grabbing the last of my stuff from the bathroom. How had I not noticed Bella's things missing from the shower? I had been too preoccupied with her absence; she'd gone shopping with my sister.

Those two got along so well, often ganging up on me if I was acting ornery. I saw Rosie coming out of her shell more and more, and it scared the fuck out of me. I knew she was a grown ass woman and had a good head on her shoulders, but the idea of her going out a lot more, I couldn't help but think about the other guys back in my college days.

"You have nothing to worry about, man." Tyler grabbed my duffel and reminded me to grab a jacket, no doubt channeling his mama. "Marcus is only keeping you on your toes, soon enough he'll get bored."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. This is Bella we're talking about."

"Good point." He tossed my bag into the back of his truck after I locked up. "Oh shit." His eyes on something behind me.

Down the street, taking the corner way too fast was Emmett, Jasper, and Eric, all of them nearly hanging out of Emmett's jeep, yelling at the top of their lungs. "We must protect your virtue!"

Tyler and I jumped into his truck and hightailed it out of there before they had a chance to delay me any longer.

Bella was waiting for me and I refused to be late.

.

.

.

She wore a dress that fluttered and teased her beautiful thighs, standing by a rental SUV outside of the diner in town. Her hair whipped at her face as the wind picked up, and seeing her there in the fading sunlight, she almost didn't seem real.

How could she possibly be mine?

It was stupid of me to question why, but I couldn't help it. She was out of my league and I knew it. Too soft, sweet, and beautiful for someone like me. I never believed in fate or soulmates. If I did, they had made a mistake in putting her in my path. Someone like her deserved the best, but for whatever reason, she thought that was me.

Who was I to argue?

I hopped out the truck, thanking Tyler, though my eyes remained on my Beauty. She smiled, not missing the hint of heat in her kaleidoscope gaze. My sister handed me a picnic basket filled with food for the drive. I glanced at Rosie to find her smiling an 'I have a secret' smile.

My eyes narrowed. "Just in case you're planning to take advantage of the fact that Bella and I are gone, don't do anything on our couch or bed. One fucking ass print from Emmett and you'll be paying to get all the furniture steamed."

Rosie turned beet red and her hands landed on her hips in a move that reminded me of our mother, forcing me to take a step back.

"What? I'm not telling you that you can't be together, just not somewhere I do the same things!" Or would if everyone would stop cockblocking me.

Newsflash! You're doing that right now.

"Beastie!" Bella rolled her eyes and tugged at the front of my jacket. She bit my lip, igniting a need so deep, I could do nothing but follow her. The goodbyes with Tyler and Rosie passed in a blur, too preoccupied with Bella and all the things I wanted to do to her. So many possibilities, and with an hour-long drive to the cabin, I intended to start on the road.

I rubbed my hands together and waved at the others as they drove by in the nick of time with laughter and a promise to hold the fort until our return. Bella sat in the passenger seat as we drove away, dusk as her backdrop, wind her hair, still looking unreal.

I realized right at that moment: she was my dream.

The question was, could I be hers?

AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but the next part should be a bit longer. Thanks to Midnight Cougar, she made my words pretty but any mistakes are mine. I tend to mess around with it every time I open the doc. I hope to have things a bit more under control now, writer's block kicked my ass for far too long. Though I miss sitting in a cafe to write, I made my little corner of my living room a nice little haven for me. I'm working on several updates, hoping to have more soon. Thank you! Stay safe and healthy xoxo