Changing The Future (On Hold)

Chapter 48

I snuck the gift out of its hiding place and handed it to her with a flourish and a bow. She took the box and studied it reverently, running her finger lightly over the raised letters on the top—GODIVA. She looked back up at me, awe shining in her eyes.

"You drove all the way to Seattle to get this for me?" she inquired. I nodded in response. I was shocked when she threw her arms around me and planted a big kiss on my lips. I was positively gaping at her as she sat back down, setting the box delicately into her lap.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed in excited appreciation, doing an excellent Alice impression.

"Well, she certainly likes whatever he got her," Emmett commented rudely. I wished they would go away. They're ruining the moment, even if Bella couldn't hear them.

"Yeah, her emotions remind me of Alice's," Jasper agreed. "Excitement, love, lust, sexual frustration, longing, hunger, happiness, hope, and joy. Impressive. It's hard to get that much excitement out of Bella, but she is stoked now." Then again, they do have their uses. It was really nice to be able to get a read of her emotions. Hmmm. Obviously, expensive, gourmet, overpriced chocolate was on the list of exceptions to the 'don't waste your money on me' rule. I smirked. Everybody has a price, and I think I just found hers.

"I've always wanted to go into that store, but I was too embarrassed, so I contented myself by looking through the window at the items on display," she confessed. She looked at me and giggled. "It must have been torture for you to go into that store. You certainly never had a need to before you met me."

"Anything for you, love," I admitted. It had been torture to have to smell the strong chocolate odor emanating from that store.

"Wow! I bet Eddie went into the naughty store. I never knew he had it in him. Our Eddie is just full of surprises tonight," Emmett exclaimed to Jasper on the ground below. Both of them pictured my face upon being confronted with a lot of sexually related items for sale. I rolled my eyes. Those two really needed to grow up. Thankfully, Bella was once again enraptured with her gift and didn't see my eye roll. She would have interpreted it as a personal affront.

"I'm just happy to be able to please you," I proclaimed. "It will bring me pleasure just to see you enjoy it." I saw her struggling with the cloth ribbons tied around the box and offered, "Do you want me to take them off for you?"

"No, thanks, I'll do it. I'm afraid you'll tear the cloth, and I'd rather keep them," she answered, smiling at me as she was finally able to untie the ribbons and open the box.

She gasped as she opened the lid and saw the delicacies inside. She picked up one of the chocolate covered strawberries, examining it with delight. "It's so big! I didn't even know they could grow this big. Trust you to get the biggest one ever."

I chuckled. "I'm sure there are bigger ones out there somewhere."

"Maybe," she conceded. "But this one sure is a mouthful. There's no way I can fit this in my mouth. I'll have to alternate sides, I guess." She took her first bite out of the huge strawberry and squealed, "It's so cold!" I had been keeping them in the refrigerator so the chocolate wouldn't melt.

"It'll warm up quickly from the heat of your mouth and hands and then it'll get messy quickly. I have a wet wash cloth already prepared for you to clean up with afterward," I cautioned her.

"Incredible! He's put a great deal of thought into this, hasn't he? Already has the wash cloth ready for afterwards. Impressive!" Emmett exclaimed softly.

"Isn't the Boy Scout motto to always be prepared?" Jasper responded. I reviewed my conversation with Bella in their minds. Without the visual cues, they had managed to think of a whole different scenario to match the words we had used. I started to get angry with them for being so disrespectful to Bella and for listening in on our private moment.