"I am so in love with you, Isabella Swan," he said, pulling me into his arms as we recovered. "I want the whole world to know!"
"Oh, Edward!" I said, tears springing to my eyes. "I love you too!"
"I have something for you," he said, pulling back a moment, looking for something beside the bed and giving me a delicious view of his muscular back and ass.
"A present?" I giggled. "Edward, you spoil me so much."
"If I could give you the world I would," he vowed. "For now, this will have to do." He held out a jewelry box in the palm of his hand. It was not a big box, like one that would hold a necklace or bracelet. It was small box…like one that might hold a ring.
"Edward?" I said, looking at him, confused.
"Isabella," he said standing up and letting the sheet fall away from his body completely. "Oh, Darling Girl, you have changed my world so much. I want forever with you. I want a beautiful house and little mini-Bellas and Edwards running around in the yard. But mostly, I want you to agree to be my wife."
"Of course I will," I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. He opened the ring box and produced an amazing diamond ring, which he slid on my ring finger.
"Soon?" he asked.
"How soon?" I asked, looking between him and the ring on my finger.
I have to fly back to Chicago next week, but the week after that we could take a week and fly down to Mexico, or Tahiti… You name it the place and I'll make it happen.
10 days later, we exchanged vows on a private beach in Tahiti and I was Isabella Cullen. Life was as close to perfect as it could get. My family and friends adored him. Sadly, he had no family, nut mine more than made up for it. When we returned to Seattle, Edward insisted that we buy a house. So we sold our condos and moved out to a 4-bedroom house in the suburbs.
"We don't need four bedrooms, Edward," I said, completely overwhelmed by the size of the house that Edward insisted that I had to come and see,
"It's perfect, Bella," he had enthused. "An office for you, an office for me, our bedroom, and then a room for a little one."
"A baby?" I squeaked.
"A perfect mix of me and you," he grinned.
"And an office?" I asked. "Why do I need an office?"
"So you can quit your job at the hospital," he said. "You're wasting your time in administration there. And you could focus on writing your novel. "
"And then I could be here for you," I said. "When you're home."
"That would be perfect," he said.
And it was. Our home was perfect. Our life was perfect, or as close to it as you can get when your husband has to travel for work so much. Edward was sometimes gone for weeks at a time but he called and we skyped all the time. And 10 months after our wedding, the two greatest things happened at the same time. The first, a publisher in Chicago wanted to publish my book and the second… He was about to become a daddy.
"Hello?" I said, as I answered the phone.
"Hello. Is this Isabella Cullen?" the voice said.
"Yes," I said.
"I'm Tanya Denali, " she said. "From Denali publishing house in Chicago."
"It's nice to hear from you Ms. Denali," I said, biting my lip. I had submitted my manuscript to them only ten days previous and had not expected a response for months, if at all.
"I have to tell you Ms. Cullen, that your manuscript has created quite a buzz at our office here. We'd love to fly you to Chicago to talk about it some more," she said.
"Really?" I squeaked, sounding far from professional.
"What does tomorrow look like for you?" she asked.
"I think I can make that happen," I squeaked again before apologizing for my lack of professionalism.
"Watch your email," she said, laughing at my enthusiasm. "Your tickets and accommodation details will follow."
"Thank you," I said.
It was absolutely perfect. I had just found out that morning that I was pregnant and now I wouldn't need to tell Edward over the phone. We'd actually be in the same city and could celebrate both pieces of news in person.
So barely 14 hours after the phone conversation with Ms Denali, I found myself sitting in first class on my way from Seattle to Chicago. A limousine and driver took me directly from the airport to Denali and I was meeting with Tanya Denali before noon, Chicago time the next day.
By two, I was a signed author with a contract that could possibly earn me into the millions. Shock didn't even begin to cover it.
"To your hotel?" the driver asked as I got in the back.
"No," I said. "Actually, do you know where CCH is?"
"Everyone in Chicago knows CCH," he laughed.
"Can you take me there, please," I asked, knowing Edward was in meetings on the third floor all day. I couldn't wait to share all of my news. I sat back and looked at the city skyline. Thrilled to be able to share this with Edward in person.
The driver dropped me off and offered to wait, but I refused. I knew I may have to wait a while for Edward but I couldn't wait to surprise my husband. I grabbed my small suitcase and entered the lobby. The guard showed me to the elevator and assured me that Edward's secretary Jessica was expecting me.
"Bella," she smiled as I got off the elevator. "What a surprise! Edward didn't tell me that you were coming to Chicago. It was a last minute surprise. Is he here?"
"Actually, he just left for the night," she said, her smile looking slightly different. "Do you want me to call for a company car to bring you to him. This is such a wonderful surprise after all."
"Oh," I said, momentarily disappointed that I couldn't see him right away. "I guess, if that isn't too much trouble."
"No trouble at all Mrs. Cullen," she smiled. I wasn't too sure I liked her, but if she was getting me to Edward, she couldn't be all bad. "Just have a seat. It won't be long."
Within five minutes, Jessica was escorting me to the garage to a waiting town car, and again I found myself looking at the city skyline as we drove off towards Edward. Almost twenty minutes later, we pulled up to a house in the suburbs, which looked remarkably like our own in Seattle.
"Edward is here?" I asked the driver.
"It is his house and his car is in the driveway," he responded.
"Well, thank you," I said, getting out with just a bit of confusion. I grabbed my small carry-on suitcase and started up the walk. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to be working overtime as I approached the door and I couldn't understand why. I rang the bell, and waited, anxious to see my husband.
The door was answered by a statuesque blonde with a small boy on her hip. "Hello," she said, smiling at me. "Can I help you?"
"I think I may be at the wrong place," I said, smiling at the woman who obviously lived at this house. "I'm looking for Edward Cullen."
"Oh," she said. "Edward didn't tell me he was expecting anyone. Come on in. He's just gone for a run. Come on in."
"Okay," I said, as I stepped slowly inside, not comprehending at all what was happening.
"Sorry," the blonde said, as she closed the door behind me. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Edward's wife, Rosalie."
I opened my eyes and looked around in confusion. I was in a dark room and I could hear a voice outside the door. "Can you please come over, Carlisle, some woman showed up at my door asking for Edward and then passed out in my front hall. Thank you."
I sat up in a hurry, ignoring the foggy feeling in my head, and put together everything I had just learned. Edward was married… to the blonde… Rosalie. And the baby…. He already had a baby. I placed my hands on my abdomen and tried not to throw up. He had a wife. He had a baby. What was I? What were we? I hunched over and tried to take deep breaths. I didn't know what to do, or what to even think.
Before I could even try to figure it out, the door flew open and a blonde haired man rushed into the room.
"Are you okay, Miss?" he asked as he saw me sitting up.
"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I think I just need to get home."
"My daughter-in-law said that you'd fainted. I'm a doctor. Let me check that you're okay before we let you do that."
I nodded. Daughter-in-law. So that meant that this man was Edward's father… His father who was dead…
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Bella C..." I responded. "Isabella Swan."
"Well, Ms Swan, it's lovely to meet you," he said. "I'm doctor Carlisle Cullen, Edward's father. I understand you know Edward."
"Yes," I said, trying not to cry. "From Seattle."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you," he said. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."
"Me too," I whispered.
"Your heart is beating a mile a minute," he said. "Are you okay?"
"I need to go home now," I said. "Please?!"
"You came to see Edward, maybe you should wait for him," he said.
"No, please!" I said. "Take me away before he comes back. If you don't… it'll be bad… It'll be very bad."
"Miss Swan," he said. "I can't help you unless you tell me what is going on."
"My name is Isabella Cullen," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "I'm Edward's wife."
He looked at me; his eyes the size of saucers, and nodded. He helped me up and made sure I could stand before opening the door.
"I'm going to take her to the hospital, Rose," he said to the worried woman outside. "I'll talk to you later. Let's not tell Edward she was here until we have some more answers."
"Okay," the blonde said. I lowered my head, not wanting to look at her as Carlisle led me past her to the door. "But you know you're going to explain this to me later, right?"
"Oh, we'll all be needing some explanations," he said to her.
He led me to the car and placed my purse and suitcase in the back, before helping me into the front seat. As he backed out of the driveway, he asked, "Okay, now do you care to explain?"
"I met Edward Cullen in Seattle two years ago," I said quietly. "I worked in Grace Hospital. He swept me off my feet. 10 months ago he whisked me off to Tahiti and we got married on the beach. We have a home in Seattle. I came here to surprise him… I guess I was the one who was surprised."
"How did you find this address?" he asked.
"I went to CCH," I said. "Jessica knew me. I'd spoken to her so many times over the last year and a half… Oh God. She knows Rosalie too… She…I…"
"So you went to CCH," Carlisle said, "What happened from there?"
"She arranged a car to drop me off here," I said starting to cry. "I thought I was coming to surprise my husband. I didn't know… I didn't know about Rosalie."
"What about us?" he asked. "What about Edward's parents? You met and married a man without meeting his parents."
"He said he had nobody," I said. "You were dead. It hurt him to talk about…"
"It's not that I don't believe you… But do you have proof? I mean Esme… Rosalie… the whole family is going to implode when they hear this."
"I have pictures in my wallet," I said. "All my ID says Cullen. My marriage certificate is at home on my wall. I could get my dad to send a picture…"
"I don't understand this," Carlisle said.
"Neither do I," I whispered.
"I'm taking you to my house," he said. "Under the circumstances, I don't think you should be alone. Is there anything else I should know?"
"I'm pregnant," I whispered.
"Shit," Carlisle said, before we continued the rest of the car ride with only my sniffles and the sound of the road for company.
We pulled up to a long gated driveway and Carlisle pushed a button and buzzed us in.
"Please just bring me to my hotel," I said. "I'll go away, move somewhere else so that nobody ever needs to know. Please, I don't want to tear apart your family. If I had known… I never would have come. I never would have even looked at Edward. Please! I can't do this!"
"Bella," Carlisle said with a sigh. "This isn't your fault. This is Edward. I don't know what he was thinking but I'm going to be demanding some answers from my son. You deserve those answers and so does Rosalie. Adam and your baby will deserve them as well."
"I didn't know," I cried.
"I know that," he said. "This isn't going to be easy on anyone. But, if everything you have said is true, I promise that we will be here to support you through this."
He led me reluctantly into the house and led me to a chair in the front room.
"Carlisle?" I heard a voice call from farther into the house.
"I'm here, Es," Carlisle said, sighing.
"Oh," she said, " I didn't know we were expecting company."
"Es," Carlisle said, "Sit down please, there's been enough fainting for one day."
"What do you mean, Carlisle?" she asked, sternly.
He led her to a seat.
"I'd like to introduce you to Bella," Carlisle said. "Our son's wife."
"James has a wife? But he's gay?" she said, obviously stunned.
"James is gay," Carlisle said. "This young lady is Edward's wife."
"But… Rosalie… You can't be serious Carlisle!"
"I am most certainly serious," he said.
"I didn't know," I said, tears still pouring down my cheeks. "I thought he was my Romeo… I thought he was only mine."
"Can you show us your pictures?" Carlisle asked before explaining to Esme how he'd met me. I opened my wallet to get out the little album I kept in there of pictures of Edward and I, and glanced at them before handing it to Carlisle.
Esme was crying softly on the sofa. I handed Carlisle my passport and driver's license as well. Carlisle nodded and whispered his thanks before moving towards a desk in the room and making a call.
"Edward," he said. "I need you to come over here right away. No, I don't care if you have some important business calls that can't wait, this is infinitely more important than that."
I started to shake my head. The last thing I wanted was to see my husband, if that's even what he was. What a change from how I'd felt mere moments ago.
"He's on his way," Carlisle announced as he ended the call.
My phone binged with a message and I cringed, knowing from the tone that it was from Edward.
"Edward?" Carlisle asked.
I nodded.
"Look at it," he said.
"Sorry, I can't call yet, Beautiful," I read. "Important business to be taken care of. I'll call you as soon as I can. All my love, Edward. He always ends his texts so formally"
"Do you want to wait in the den, when we first confront him?" Carlisle asked.
"I'd like to wait with her," Esme said. Carlisle nodded and Esme stood and ushered me into the den.
"I swear I didn't know, Mrs. Cullen," I said to her.
"I know that," she said. "I'm so sorry that you are going through this. Edward has some serious explaining to do."
We spoke for a few moments with her asking questions about me and my life before we heard a car pull up and I looked at her in a panic.
"Let Carlisle speak to him. We'll just listen for now," she said.
I heard his voice and bit my lip as the pain ripped fresh at my heart.
"Dad?" he called. "What's so urgent that I had to come right away? I had calls to make and you know I don't like to miss Adam's bed time when I'm in town."
"Son," Carlisle said. "Sit down."
"Sit down?" he scoffed. "What is going on?"
"Tell me about Seattle," Carlisle said.
"What about Seattle?' Edward asked. "It's my west coast base."
"You are spending an inordinate amount of time there lately, far more than you ever used to," Carlisle said.
"Business is growing there," Edward said. "I have to."
"I think it's time for you to pull back home, you've travelled enough," Carlisle said.
"That's not happening," Edward laughed.
"What if I step down?" Carlisle asked.
"You want to make me CEO?" Edward asked.
"Would you stay in Chicago if I did?" Carlisle asked.
"Well, I certainly couldn't spend as much time there," Edward said. "But I'd still like to keep my contacts there."
"Like your wife?" Carlisle asked.
"My wife," Edward scoffed. "Rosalie lives here."
"What about Isabella?" Carlisle said.
"Who?" Edward said, after a brief pause. His voice sounding a little more rough than usual.
"Isabella Swan Cullen," Carlisle said.
"Dad," Edward said. "You aren't making any sense."
"Really Son?" Carlisle asked. "Your face is telling me a lot more than your words. Shall I call Jessica? She must know something."
"Dad!" Edward said. "This is preposterous!"
"You're right, Son. It is!" Carlisle said. "But it's fucking true!"
I heard him toss something towards Edward and I knew that it was my ID and photos.
"Where did you get these?" Edward asked.
"From the lovely young lady who showed up at your front door while you were out for a run," Carlisle said.
"Bella is here?" Edward asked.
"With your mother in the den," he said.
"Oh God," Edward said. "I have to see her. Please Dad!"
"Start explaining Edward!" Carlisle said. "I have one heartbroken young lady in the next room and Rosalie who is expecting an explanation very shortly."
"Rosalie knows?" Edward gasped.
"Not yet," Carlisle said. "However she has met your wife. She just doesn't know exactly who she is."
"Dad, you can't tell her. She'll never let me see Adam again," Edward cried.
"Start explaining, Edward!" Carlisle demanded. "NOW!"
"I met Bella when I was working in Seattle. Dad, she's everything. I came home and tried to end things with Rose, but she wasn't having it. She refused and told me that if I ever left her she'd make sure I never saw Adam again. He's my son, Dad! I tried to avoid Bella. But she's my everything, my soul mate. So I lied to her just so I could see her. And she was perfect. I couldn't stay away. I know I was wrong, Dad. But I didn't feel like I had a choice."
"You did! You had so many choices!" Carlisle growled. "There's lawyers, Son. You could have fought Rosalie for joint custody. But now… Now you have lost everything. No court with take a philanderer seriously. And do you think Bella will have anything to do with you or let you have anything to do with the child she's carrying?"
"Bella," Edward roared, running into the den.
I stood and faced him with his mother standing slightly in front of me. I'm sure I was a sight to behold, red eyed and snotty from all my crying, not to mention the fact that I had just flown across the country.
"Is it true?" he asked, tears filling his eyes.
"Yes," I whispered. "I just found out yesterday morning. Just before I got the call that they wanted to publish my book. They flew me to Chicago this morning. I thought I would surprise you. I guess I really did."
"Bella," he said. "I…"
"Don't," I begged. "I don't want to hear anything from you. There is nothing that you can say to make any of this okay."
"I love you," he said.
"No," I said. "You really don't. Because you never would have lied to me if you'd loved me. You never would have told me that your family was dead, that I was all you had in the world. You would have shared the fact that you had a son. I loved you Edward. I loved you with all that I was. And now I have to figure out how to get up and move on without you because you were never mine to begin with."
"Bella, please?" Edward cried, tears streaming down his face.
"You made me believe in fairytales, in a world of nightmares. And then you turned it into the biggest nightmare imaginable," I cried. "So don't tell me you love me. Love doesn't do that. It doesn't!"
"You need to leave, Son," Carlisle said. "You've done enough damage here. Now you get to go home to your wife and offer some explanations there. Tomorrow, we'll see a lawyer to find out the legal ramifications of you being married twice. And deal with Jessica, who I am sure will want an exorbitant amount of money to keep her mouth shut on all of this."
"Bella," Edward begged again.
"Just go, Edward," I said.
Epilogue:
Jacob Charles Cullen Swan was born in the spring. He inherited his father's unruly red hair and his mother's temperament. Edward spends time with him whenever possible, never missing an opportunity when he visits to try to woo his love back to him.
Adam Lennox Cullen spends some time with his father, so does his younger sister Lily Sophia Cullen Hale, who was born 3 weeks before Jacob.
Since Edward and Bella's marriage was never legal in the States, Edward didn't face any criminal charges due to his double marriage status. He is currently single, but trying desperately to change that fact, with Bella.
Rosalie Hale is currently engaged to Royce King. He's a big wig in New York City, which is where she and her children plan to move.
Isabella Swan is content for now with her son and her writing career. She moved to Chicago due to her writing career and formed a close bond with Esme and Carlisle.
She is still adamant that she will never give Edward another chance to hurt her.