A/N: I wanted to let you all know that I have been working with a great Beta, 7 Ace. Starting todayI will be removing the current chapters to update them to the new ones. Thank you all for staying with me through Bella's journey. I want to make sure this is the best story it can be. I promise I am working on the next chapter and should be able to update soon. So if you are a current reader and are not sure we all left off on chatper 19 :) As always i do not own Twilight.
Love Will Bring You Back
Chapter 8
Edward had returned back to Forks to talk to his family. He knew that they would not be pleased with Bella's choice, but they needed to respect it. He needed to respect it. When Edward arrived back at the home, he found Rosalie outside. He sat down next to her on the steps as she spoke.
"How is she, Edward?"
"She is ok. She's a great mom. Just as I always knew she could be. She's not ready to see any of you yet. Hell, she didn't really want to see me either."
"Can you blame her? Look at what we did to her."
"You never liked her anyway."
"That's not true. I envy her. I did then and I do so more now. She had everything and now has more than we ever can, family, friends, love, and a son. Yet she was going to give it all up. She got the one thing I ever wanted Edward. I wanted to be a mom more than anything. I still do. I never hated her; I just wanted her to live."
"Come on, let's go inside, we all need to talk."
They all gathered in the living room to talk. There were so many questions about Mason. He tried his best to answer them. He told them that during the talk, Bella said that she was not ready to see them. There was disappointment all around.
"Will she ever let us back in?" Esme asked.
"I am not sure. We all hurt her. I think the only reason I am able to see them is for Mason, not for me. We all have a lot of work to do. We owe her so much. It will not be an easy struggle."
"Edward, why can't I see them? I have tried so hard to pick up on them, but I can't." Alice asked.
"I am not sure. I still can't hear her. Maybe it has something to do with Mason."
"Well, can you just tell us where she is? We need to see her. We need to try to explain. There are things you do not know Edward."
"I'm sorry, Esme. I can't do that. I promised her that I would not make her choices for her. I promised her that I would respect her."
"But dude you do not understand. Things happened, we didn't have a choice. You need to know…" Emmett said frustrated.
"What is there to understand? I left her. We all left her. She needs time. It's not like she knew we were coming back. This was a shock to her. Please just wait until she is ready. You don't owe me any explanations. You owe them to her. I'm sorry, I know that I started this, but we all need to fix it." With that, Edward was out the door in a flash.
"You need to tell her about the Volturi. She has to know your reasons for leaving." It was the first thing Rosalie had said all night.
"Rose is right. We need to wait. When she's ready, she will let us know. Then we can tell her the reason we went along with Edward's choice."
It had been a week since Edward mistakenly came back into Bella life. He had shown up every day to spend time with Mason. He even took him on that hunt he promised. They each got a mountain lion that day. Mason was so proud. He also left every night. Bella had made plans for Mason to spend the night at Ben and Angela's. It was time for her and Edward to talk. They had talked many times throughout the week, most of them ending in fights. That was until today. Edward and Mason had just come back from swimming in the pool.
"Mason, baby, can you go get your bunny from upstairs. You are going to stay with Uncle Ben tonight."
"Yay. I love sleepovers. We are going to have so much fun. Can Daddy come too?"
"Not tonight, baby. Mommy needs to talk to daddy ok? Maybe you can see him tomorrow."
An hour later, Bella was sitting in the living room ready to talk.
"Edward. I have done a lot of thinking over this past week. I think we need to set up some rules."
"What kind of rules?"
"This is all too much too soon. You hurt me so badly when you left. I am not ok with that. I love my son more than my own life. You need to understand that I still don't trust or forgive you. I also refuse to deny my son what he needs. At this time, he needs you in his life, but I can't keep letting you come around all the time like nothing ever happened. It confuses him and myself. I know how smart he is, but he's still my little boy. I will not put him in the middle of us or jeopardize his wellbeing in any way."
"Where is this going, Bella?"
"Please let me finish. I have set up a visitation schedule. I know that we can't go through the courts on this, but I am hoping that you will respect me on this. Mason and I will continue to live here. This is the only home he has ever known. You can see him two times a week Tuesday's and Thursday's. You can also spend every other weekend with him. You need to understand that I meant what I said about walking away. I don't know if we can ever be friends or more than that. I need to do what's best for me. I make my own choices now. We will not speak unless it is needed for Mason. You will pick him up at Ben's and drop him back off at Ben's. When it is your weekend, you spend it with him at Ben's until I am more comfortable with you taking him other places. I know that you would not harm him in any way. But these are my rules take them or leave them."
"What about my family. When can they meet him?"
"I don't know. It's too soon and he hasn't asked about them. I refuse to have any contact with them. You are more than welcome to share anything you want with them. You can send the photos, but he is to have no contact with them. I know that this may sound harsh, but I have my reasons Edward. You need to respect my choices, you all must respect them. If they love him at all, they will want what is best for him. At this time, this is what is best. Can you agree to this?"
"Yes. As much as I would love to pick up where we left off, I understand. Please know that I will be here if you need me. I promised you the other day that I will not make the same mistake twice. I will not make your choices for you. I still love you, Bella. I always will."
"Thank you for accepting my terms. Seeing as tomorrow is Thursday you can pick him up at 8 A.M. from Ben's. Ben will go with you. I packed a letter in there that has all the info and phone numbers that you will need. I also know that Mason's Birthday is this weekend. You are more than welcome to come. I know he would want you there. Your weekends will start next weekend. Does that sound fair?"
"I wish there was more that I could do to fix this. I respect your choice. Please let me know if you need anything, anything at all." Edward stood up, and Bella walked him to the door.
"I will, but as you can see, we have done quite well for ourselves. Goodbye Edward."
Bella called to say goodnight to Mason and told Angela that they could get together in the morning to talk. She went to bed that night feeling peace.
Bella awoke the next morning to a knock at the door. She rolled over to look at the clock only to see it was 10 A.M.. She hadn't slept this late in forever. She grabbed her robe and rushed for the door. It was Angela looking for details. They sat at the kitchen table as Bella sipped coffee.
"So how did it go last night? I see Edward came to see Mason this morning. I am assuming you told him?"
"I did. It went well. I made my choice, I told him my rules and he agreed. He didn't even fight me on it. He did tell me that he was going to respect my choice. I wish he could have done that three years ago, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"I know. I am so proud of you though. You made your choice and you stuck to it."
"He asked about the rest of the family."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him Mason was not to have contact with them. A part of me, be it a very small part of me, can almost see why Edward left. I probably would have left him if it came down to him being safe and alive and not. I know I could for Mason. I cannot however understand why they left me. I can't take that risk with Mason. He is my life. If he starts asking for them I may reconsider, but for now I will not budge on that one. Edward will be joining us for Mason's birthday party though."
"Well girl, then get dressed it's cloudy out and we are going shopping."
"Don't you know it! Let's take my car, I am in the mood to go fast today."
"Like you need an excuse to want to drive that thing." 20 minutes later, they were out the door.
It was Saturday morning and Bella was joined by Ben, Angela and Edward to celebrate Mason's second birthday. It was a perfect day. They took lots of photos and had cake. There was no fighting, no tension, just a day filled with fun, laughter and love for Mason.
Edward had gotten Mason the most beautiful gift. It was a thick leather bound book that contained their history. Edward had been writing it for about a week now. It took up all his free time, but he knew it was worth it. He had included all the information that he could remember about his parents. He had even managed to find an old family photo of them. He included his story over the years. He wrote about Bella and his love for her. He even included a bit about why he left.
That night when she was tucking Mason into bed, he asked to talk to her.
"What's up, baby, did you have a good birthday?"
"I did thank you. I was so happy Daddy came. Momma, can I ask you something?"
"Mason, you know that you can ask me anything, baby."
"Why can't I see Daddy everyday?"
This was not the question that she was expecting, and to be honest, Bella had not thought about what to tell Mason about the arrangement.
"Well, buddy, there are a few reasons. I know that Daddy just came back and it's new and exciting, but remember how sad Mommy was because Daddy left a long time ago, before you? Well, Mommy and Daddy don't want to rush things. We want to make sure that you are happy and safe, but Mommy and Daddy have some things to talk about."
"What kind of things, Momma?"
"Baby, they are grown up things that you do not need to worry about, but we decided that Mommy and Daddy would share you for a bit because we both love you so much."
"But I'm getting bigger, I grew again today."
Bella tickled her boy a bit before she said, "Yes, silly little boy, you did grow. You are getting so big, but these are things for mommies and daddies, ok?"
"Ok. I love you, Momma. Thank you for my birthday."
She kissed him goodnight and thought to herself how he got so smart. It was so easy to forget he was only two. But she would do whatever it took not to let him grow up too fast.
It's been a month since Mason turned two. It was Edward's weekend with Mason and she was picking up his room when she saw the book that Edward had given Mason on his birthday. She took the book and curled up in the chair and began to read it. She skimmed through some and was captivated by other parts. She finished the book and realized that the last page was a letter that Edward had written. She almost didn't read it, but there was a pull in her chest that compelled her to read it.
Mason,
I am writing you this book so that you can you where you come from. This is my history which is now your history. I hope this answers any questions you may ever have. Please know that no matter where you are, at any time, that I love you. Before you, I didn't know what meaning my life had. Before you, the only love I knew was your mom. I now understand why my mom begged Grandpa Carlisle like she did to save me. I would do anything if it meant you were safe. I have made so many mistakes Son, and the choices that I have made have not always been the best. For this I am truly sorry. I hope that in reading this you can learn from my mistakes. I want you to know that when you do make mistakes (and trust me, son, you will) that I will be here for you to tell you it's ok. Know that I will love you no matter what you do. There will be times when you ask yourself why, why did things happen the way that they did. Why was I gone for the first two years of your life? Why was I born this way? You have to know that your mom and I are here to provide you with these answers. When you feel like there is nothing to live for, know that your mom and I are here to show you just how much there is to live for. When you get to the point where you hate what you are, know that you mom and I are here to remind you that you were made out of love. Please do not ever question the love that I have for you or for you mom. There are no two more important people than either one of you. I will spend the rest of my time on earth making up to you the two years I missed. I am making you a promise today. I promise to love you each and every day, I also promise to never make choices for you just because it is what I think it best. I promise we will talk and I will listen. It's what I should have done all along.
I love you Mason,
Daddy
Bella was wiping the tears from her eyes before she even finished reading the letter. It was truly a beautiful gift. Bella called Edward at Ben's and asked him if he could bring Mason home tonight. She needed to see him.
"Bella, do you mind if I put Mason to bed tonight?" he asked, as he walked in to the house holding a very sleepy boy.
"That fine, Edward. Mason come here and give me a snuggle before bed."
Mason ran and jumped in Bella's lap. She hugged him tightly, as he she told him she loved him and to have sweet dreams.
"I love you too, Mommy." He pulled her into big hug and whispered in her ear, "It's going to get better now Mommy. I promise, just talk to him. I have a good feeling." With that, he got off her lap and jumped into his father's arms and she watched them walk up the stairs.
Edward returned a few minutes later and sat on the couch next to her.
"Bella, I wish I could fix this. I am so thankful for the time I get with Mason, but I hate not seeing you."
"I don't know if we can ever be together again, but I do know that Mason loves you so much. I do know that I will do whatever I have to, to make sure he is safe and happy. I also know that it includes you being in his life."
"I truly hope I can fix this. I love you Bella. I never stopped, not for one day. I was stupid. I truly thought that I wasn't good enough for you. I thought that you really were better off without me. That there was someone out there better for you. Some one that could give you all the things I never could."
"You never stopped to really listen to what I wanted. I gave you my choice time and time again. I begged you to change me. I knew what I was giving up. It was just that. You were not taking anything away from me. I was giving it up to be with you. Didn't you see that?"
"No, I didn't. I'm sorry. I was so caught up in my love for you. I was so caught up in keeping my control, that I didn't see that you were really ok with the life you were choosing. I didn't think that you really knew what you wanted. I thought that because I was over 100 and have lived so much more than you, that I knew what was best. I had gone through the pain of watching everyone I loved die, I couldn't watch you do the same thing while I stood there knowing I caused that pain. I should have known that being in love was just as new to me as it was to you. I should have talked to you about it more. I should have seen that the feelings and love that were behind my choice were also behind yours."
"Well, they do say girls mature faster than boys."
"I will promise you that I am here. I am not leaving. I can't leave my son, and I can't leave you. The choice is yours to make. I will not make the mistake of choosing for you again."
"I miss you," she said almost too quietly.
"I have missed you too, love. So much. This past month has been so hard knowing that you are so close, but I understand why you chose what you did. As I said before, I will not choose for you."
"Thank you for that. I still don't know what I want though. You need to understand how much you hurt me. That doesn't go away overnight. I have changed a lot over the last three years. I can't promise you the future, but I need you back in my life. I am not complete without you."
"What did she mean? Do I really have a chance?" he thought.
"Bella, what are you saying, love?"
"I am saying that as hard as I tried not to, I miss you and I still love you. Like I said, I cannot promise you anything, but I know that I need you in my life. You don't need to stay away anymore. I would like to rearrange the agreement and let you see Mason more. I want to be able to do things with him together. I want us to try to be friends again and see where that leads us."
"Bella, you don't know how long I have wanted to hear that. I still love you as well. I promise I will try to prove to you that I am sorry. May I ask what brought this change on?"
"You did."
"What do you mean? I have not spoken to you in over a month."
"I was picking up Mason's room today, and I came across the book you gave him for his birthday. I decided to read it. I found the letter that you wrote to him in the back. I had been thinking a lot lately. About the things you said to me when you came back. I understood some of them. I didn't agree with them or the way that you handled them, but I understood. If it meant that I would have to leave to save you from harm or pain, I probably would have done the same thing. I know I would for Mason. I would die for him. So as I said, I had been trying to think about it from your side. When I read the letter, I could feel the love flowing through the words. It really made me realize how sorry you were, that you truly do love him. Love us."
Bella had a single tear that was falling from her eye. It took all the control he had not to go to her and take the pain away.
"Love, please don't cry. I wish we never had to go through what we did. I will spend my life making it up to you." He wasn't able to keep the control any longer. He moved over next to her and looked deep, asking if he could hug her. She nodded silently and he wrapped his arms around her.
It had been three years since they had last been in each other's arms. So many emotions came rushing back. Bella had forgotten how safe she felt when he held her. She had forgotten the way he smelled. How the cool hardness of his body next to hers sent bolts of electricity through hers. Most of all, she had forgotten what home felt like. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried. She was able to finally get out all the pain, the hurt.
As Edward held her in his arms, he could feel the emotion between them. He could feel how soft and fragile her body still was. He could feel the warmth of her radiate through every inch of him. He had missed the smell of her hair and how she fit perfectly against his body. He felt Bella finally let go of her emotions. He held her for 45 minutes as she cried and spoke of her pain to no one in general. He didn't want to push it too far, but at the same time he tried to pull back to talk to her, she just pulled him closer to her. He just held her tight and before he even realized, he found himself humming her lullaby to her softly. He finally felt her body relax and he looked down to see that she had drifted to sleep.
He held her for a few minutes longer then decided to put her in her bed to rest. She shifted a bit as he rose, but didn't wake, she soon snuggled back in the crook of his neck. As he tried to tuck her in bed, she woke a bit.
"Please stay."
"I can't Bella. It's too soon. I feel like I just got you back, love. I won't rush it."
"Can you stay in the house? Mason would love it if you were here when he woke up."
"Sure, love. Now go to sleep. We have forever to talk. I'll go check on Mason."
By the time he said Mason's name, she had drifted back to sleep. He spent half the night in Mason's room watching him sleep and listening to his dreams. He was still fascinated by these. He dreamt of the most innocent things. Games and frogs. He seemed to be fascinated with frogs. Though Bella did say that last month it was butterflies. There were dreams of the three of them as a family. These are the ones that he enjoyed the most.
It wasn't until Edward heard Bella call out his name in pain that he went to her room. When he entered, he noticed that she was restless. Her legs were kicking the blankets and heard her rolling side to side.
"Please no… don't leave. I love you. I belong with you. Edward…please, just love me…no…don't go… come back…" she started crying in her sleep. He couldn't watch her pain any longer. He went to her bed sat down and as he moved the hair out of her face, he whispered that he was never leaving her again, she calmed. He tried to move his hand but the pain in her face came back. He stayed there for a bit telling her that she was safe, he was here, and that he loved her.
"You came back."
Edward thought she had woke, but her heartbeat said she was still asleep.
"Of course I did love. I could never stay away forever."
"I love you. I never stopped, I knew you would come back. Forever Edward, I want forever." Bella was calm the rest of the night.
It was coming up on Bella's 22nd birthday and Bella and Edward were doing great. They had talked more and decided that they would not rush anything. Edward had not spent another night with Bella. They did, however, spend almost every day together as a family. They were both enjoying getting to know one another, and Mason was happy to have both of his parents around at once. He really was the love that brought them back together.
Bella woke the morning of her birthday to giggles. She opened her eyes and tried not to laugh, but was unable to hold it in. "What on earth are you two doing?" she asked, as she looked at Mason and Edward. They were both dressed up in matching shorts and shirts, but to top it off, they were both wearing the most outrageous birthday hats she had ever seen. It was truly a site to been seen. They were each wearing a tall cone hat on their heads. It was the same shade of blue that Edward had always said was his favorite on her. There were multi-colored streamers coming out of the top that hung down like a jester's cap. There was glitter and pompoms and even bells.
"Don't you like our hats, Momma? We made them this morning, Daddy helped me."
"I love them, baby. Now what are you two up to?" she said in between her fits of giggles.
"Go on and tell her Mason."
"Well, we have a whole day planned out for you. First, you get breakfast in bed. But you have to wear your party hat. Then we are going to the park for a picnic. Then, I am going to have a sleepover at Ben's."
"That sounds like so much fun, buddy. Why are you having a sleepover?"
"Go ahead and tell her Daddy."
"Well, beautiful birthday girl, I would like to ask you if you would do me the honor of going on a date with me this fine evening?"
Bella blushed a bit, as she looked at Edward and smiled. "I would be honored to. Now can I have my breakfast in bed?"
The three of them spent the day laughing and playing. They fed the ducks at the park. That was until Mason asked if he could drink one. He swore he was only kidding, but Bella was not going to take the chance. They played on the playground, and just enjoyed each other.
When they got back to the house that night, Edward got Mason ready and dropped him off with Ben while Bella got ready. He refused to tell her where they were going, only that she needed to dress formally. When he arrived back, he called out to her.
"Bella, love, are you almost ready to go?"
"I'll be right down."
Edward went to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. What he saw took his breath away. Or would have if he needed to breathe. She was wearing the most beautiful, sexy dress that he'd ever seen. It was royal blue. It had a halter style top. The dress was cut low. It went well below her breasts. It was floor length with a slit up the side clear up to the top of her thigh. By the time he saw the waist, he was quickly swallowing the venom that was pooling in his mouth. At the waist of the dress, there were cut outs on the side revealing her soft skin. She looked incredible in that dress. He didn't realize how long he had been starting until she spoke up.
"I take it, you like it?"
"My god, Bella, you will be the death of me. That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen. Wow."
"Is it too much for your plans tonight?"
"It's perfect love. Shall we go?" He held out his hand for her to take.
Bella took his hand and walked to the car. They decided to take her car because Edward had been itching to drive it. The Cullens were known for their cars. They liked them fast. She had them beat though. None of their cars was a match for hers. Edward drove her to the city to see a play. It was a beautifully romantic play. She never once let go of his hand. After the play, he said that they had one last stop.
He drove her to the coast. She began to wonder what they were doing. There was nothing around but a lighthouse. Edward parked the car and opened the door for her after he got out. She started to question him, but he told her to wait and see.
They walked slowly to the water's edge near the lighthouse. I was a beautiful evening and the Sun would be setting soon. She noticed that there was a blanket and basket already there. There was also a small radio.
"Edward this is beautiful," Bella said, as she took in her surroundings.
"Not nearly as beautiful as you, my love. The Sun will be setting soon. Come sit. I brought you something to eat and we will watch the sunset."
Edward helped her sit down on the blanket and opened the food. He had brought her an assortment of fruits. He sat down next to her and slowly fed her as the sun set.
"I know it's not the meadow, love, but I thought you might like the sunset. They are amazing here."
"This is perfect. Thank you. I haven't seen a sunset like this in forever." She leaned into him as he put her arm around her and they watched the sun dip below the horizon.
Edward started to stand up, and before Bella could ask him what he was doing, he spoke softly, "Dance with me?" He turned on the radio and the most beautiful classical music started to play. He reached for her hand.
"I would love to," she said, as she took his hand. He helped her up, slowly kissed her hand, then wrapped his arms around her.
Bella and Edward didn't talk while they danced. There were no words needed. They held each other close as their bodies told each other what they needed. As the last song played, Edward pulled her closer. She moved her hands from his arms and placed them on his chest. She pushed back the slightest bit, and they looked in each other's eyes.
They both knew this was a turning point in their relationship. He looked at her once more looking for any doubt in her eyes. After seeing none, he slowly brought his face closer to hers. He made sure to give her enough time to pull back if that was what she wanted. She didn't pull back though. Instead, she ran her hands up his chest behind his head where they met in his hair.
At that moment, he closed the distance and kissed her. It was soft and gentle. They kissed like it was the first kiss. It was slow and full of so much emotion. She ran her tongue over his bottom lip expecting him to pull back. This time, he didn't. He opened his mouth to her and their tongues met for the first time. She was amazed at this new feeling. He had never let go like this. Not even when they made love. He was always so worried about his fangs. She didn't want to take time to analyze it. She just enjoyed it. She could taste him. As their tongues moved slowly, each exploring the other's mouth, she could taste the sweetness that was Edward mixed with the bitterness of what she could think was his venom. The kiss seemed to last forever until she had to be the one to break it for a breath.
"Edward…"
"Just feel Bella," he said, as he kissed her again.
When she broke the kiss again, she looked into his eyes as she said, "Come home, Edward."
