Author A/N:

Just a small snippet to get myself back into the groove.

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Edward was… different.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the entire ride home felt like a page out of a book- a book that I had written as a love-hungry teen, a young adult fantasy piece. He held onto my left hand the whole time, kissing mindlessly on the back of my palm as we listened to Tony ramble in the backseat. Just watching him handle the car and be in his element was kind of sexy. Maybe it was the fact that he always had drivers shuffling him around but seeing him this way made me more attracted to him.

He was almost a normal man like this.

"Do you have work tomorrow?" Edward pulled me out of my reverie.

I cleared my throat and shook my head slowly, my eyes never leaving the side of his face. "No, I'm off for one more day." He said nothing at first, and I had to fill in the awkward silence. "I'm sure you'll have to go right back to work tonight. How your company ever lived without you for a day was a miracle, huh?" Edward worked his jaw and stayed silent. Did I hit another nerve with him? Any time I mentioned his work, he got into a little bit of funk. He knew how I felt about him being a workaholic, so I didn't need to dig my heels in anymore. "Edward, I didn't mean to ruin the mood-"

"You're right." Edward cut me off. "I work too much; it's taken over my life. I should slow down." I was too stunned to speak at first. Who was this man sitting next to me? Sure as hell wasn't the egomaniac, workaholic asshole from months ago! I should slow down… what did that even mean for a man like him? Instead of eighty hours a week, he would work seventy? I didn't see him ever slowing down, if I was honest. "Antonio is getting to be the same age I was when I first noticed my father's absence. Work was his life." Edward adjusted the rearview mirror and peered at his son in the backseat before focusing back on the road. "And maybe if I had my father around more to mold me, I might have… turned out differently."

I knitted my eyebrows together, clutching his hand to mine tighter. "Edward, don't say it like that. Sure, you work a lot but that doesn't mean you came out bad. And if Antonio came out just like you, the way you are right now, that wouldn't be a bad thing at all. You're a CEO, a hardworking single dad, and overall, a decent human."

Edward let out a small scoff, his lips twisting in a pained smirk. "You only say that because you haven't seen all of the bad. If you did… you probably would never have anything to do with either of us again."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. "I've seen your temper, Edward. I'm still here." He gave me a half smile, half grimace and I almost asked him what had changed his mood so suddenly. But if I knew Edward the way that I thought I knew him, if I just let this go his mood would fix itself.

And it did.

Minutes later, Tony had roped us into a road trip song and various renditions of I-Spy. Edward's words never let my brain, even as we arrived back into the beautiful windy city we called home. What did he mean exactly by you haven't see all of the bad? I had seen him lose his cool a little here and there, and what else could a control freak like him do? He wasn't a bad guy, not that I could tell. Tony spoke high of him, Alice spoke highly as well, and I had met most of his immediate family and staff. I felt comfortable enough around this man to drive in the backseat of a car with him plenty of times, hadn't I? I had been in his home a few times, too.

I never got a bad feeling off of him.

"Antonio." Edward called to the backseat to get his son's attention. "Ask Mommy Bella if she wants to have dinner with us tonight."

Before I could object, Tony was bouncing up and down in his seat. "Momm-mommy! Pl-please! Dinner!"

I looked down at my cell phone and saw that it was already late in the afternoon. What was he up to? I glanced at Edward suspiciously, but he said nothing. "I have prior engagements tomorrow, so it will have to be just dinner." I put extra emphasis on the word. He had asked me plenty of times before to stay for drinks or grab a nightcap at the sports bar across from his penthouse, but I knew that if I crossed that tricky line with him… it would be no good at all.

He would love me, leave me, and I would likely not see Tony again. And plus, if I really wanted to be in Antonio's life long-term, how would that work? I would sleep with his dad once, and then watch his dad live happily ever after with countless others while I watched his child?

No, that didn't work for me.

He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it soundly. "Of course. I will have you home by midnight, Cinderella."

I scoffed quite unladylike at his compliment. "The only thing me and Cinderella have in common is how poor we are. And the pumpkin for a car." Edward laughed, and it completely caught me off guard. I was always secretly pleased when I was able to make him laugh. He could be a such a serious, stuck-up prat so it was nice to see him smile like that.

"Not even the Prince Charming coming in and sweeping you off of your feet?" Edward teased, making a swift sharp turn that led onto his street.

"You, a prince?" I guffawed. "Prince of darkness, maybe." I muttered back, earning another dark chuckle.

I tried to hide my pleasure at making him laugh, but it was no use. He knew everything about me, especially the way I reacted to being around him.

He put the emergency lights on the Escalade and parked right in the middle of the street, earning enough honks and curse words from other drivers to make even me blush. I hurriedly ushered Tony from the backseat and Edward tossed the keys to the awaiting valet. The exchange was so natural, as if it was an everyday thing. I couldn't imagine living a life as lavish as he did- people practically ran behind him wiping his ass all day.

Edward caught me staring and instead of say something, he slipped his arm around my waist and walked us to the elevator. Antonio filled up all of the silence and didn't let a moment go by without constant chatter and hundreds of questions. He talked through the wait to the penthouse, chattered as I tried to order takeout over the phone, and stood outside of the bathroom door as I tried to pee in peace. It may have seemed overwhelming to a bystander, but it felt oddly peaceful to be so loved and sought after by another human being. When I was home, it was pure silence; sometimes it could be peaceful, but mostly it was so damn lonely.

An hour later, a bellman brought up the Chinese food I had ordered and bowed politely before leaving us. I helped Antonio wash his hands before serving three plates for us, allowing myself to become more and more nervous as time went on. Were we going to have dinner, like a normal little family? What would we talk about? Would things be weird? What the hell did he and I have in common, anyway? My brain raced with all of my unanswered questions as I closed up the containers and shoved them back in the brown paper bag.

You'll be fine, Bella.

Just play it cool.