A/N: Sorry I'm late, but I had some crap to do. I hope you all had a good day (it's nearly 5:15 PM here, and I'm getting ready to start happy hour!). Thank you for your reviews. I truly hope you like this chapter. Heads up – that anal sex thing comes up again. It's not going to be integral to the plot, but I'm sure that a lot of you are just as perverted as me and like to see our couple get a little freaky.

SMeyer owns all Twilighted characters. No copyright infringement intended.

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10. News…Good and Bad

"So, I made reservations tomorrow night for the two of us at Dominic's, but I'm at a loss about what to get her for her birthday and what else to do that night," I whined to my mother. Bella's birthday was Saturday, and I was going to propose, finally. I had a few signs from her that led me to believe that she'd agree, so I was ready. I called my mom for ideas about what to get her for her birthday because the engagement ring wasn't going to be her gift.

"What, are you ten? Quit whining. Get her some nice pearls," Mom suggested. That wasn't going to work.

"Ma, she'll be twenty-seven, not forty-seven. What about a bracelet? Women like diamond bracelets, right?" I asked. I had not one fucking idea about shit like that.

"Oh, a diamond bangle bracelet would be perfect. Well, actually, she's so tiny, I don't know if you could find one small enough. What about a diamond watch? I wouldn't mind one of those," Mom responded. That was actually not a bad idea, and I had an idea about something to get my mom for Christmas.

"Maybe. So, after dinner, what should I do?" I asked. I was a lame mother fucker when it came to romance, and I didn't find any ideas on the internet that weren't cheesy as hell.

"Well, you could take her for a drive down by the Riverfront. Oh, where'd you two meet?" Mom asked.

"A house Charlie was building over in South County, why?" I asked.

"Take her to the neighborhood and propose to her there, unless there's some other romantic place that the two of you've spent time that you'd like to memorialize," Mom suggested.

"Hmm. I'll think about it. Okay, I'll hopefully have good news for you on Sunday. Remember, we're not telling anyone but you, so you're going to have to keep it to yourself. Can you do that?" I asked pessimistically. She had as big a mouth as anyone I'd ever met, and I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to keep it to herself, but I hoped she could. It was going to be up to Bella when we told people, but I'd definitely be pushing her…that was, if she said yes.

We exchanged 'I love yous' and 'good-byes' and hung up. I had a lot of thinking to do before dinner that night, and the current problem was that I had to go meet up with Aro to pay him.

I pulled up in front of the building and left my keys in the car. I reached into the glove compartment and pulled out my gun, placing it behind my waist, and I exited my car with what I hoped was bravado. I could see Chubs and the other guy standing outside the door smoking, and after a deep breath, I walked confidently across the street.

I approached the building and exhaled deeply before I got close to them. "Gentlemen," I greeted.

"You got somethin' for me?" Chubs asked. I reached behind me and handed him the gun. He nodded and the other guy patted me down. He nodded to Idiot 1, and the guy opened the door.

"I get that shit back?" I asked as Charlie had done the first time I was there. The big guy nodded and I walked inside. I breathed deep and slowly strode down the hallway, giving myself time for my eyes to adjust to the change in light. When I could focus again, I rapped two times on the door and waited.

"In," I heard called through the door. I took another deep breath and opened it, walking inside to the desk in the middle of the room. I could hear someone shouting somewhere within the structure, but I blocked it out, focusing on the matter at hand. Pay the man his money…make small talk…get the fuck out.

I walked up to the desk and stood with my hands in front of me, fingers laced together, and waited for him to acknowledge me. "Mr. Cullen. I like to see a man ahead of his obligations. I wondered how you'd handle it with the middle of the month falling on a Monday. I don't do business on Sunday or Monday, and those with whom I do business who believe that it's okay to come to me after the fact end up being painfully mistaken. I'm glad you were astute enough to figure it out. So?" he asked.

I got his fucking drift, the old prick. I held my hands up and slowly reached into my breast pocket of my jacket, pulling out the envelope with the cash inside. I placed it on the desk in front of him and laced my fingers together again, waiting.

He counted it quickly and smiled the smile of a deranged killer that I was certain he was. I had to hide the shudder that racked my body, but the fucker wasn't going to intimidate me…much. When he finished, he motioned for me to sit, which I did, placing my hands on the arm rests of the chair in plain sight. I wasn't sure why he wanted me to sit because all I wanted was to get the fuck out of there.

"So, how's your mother? Breast cancer is a terrible malady. I trust she's doing well since her surgery," he announced. Oh, the mother fucker had my attention, all right. I swallowed my lunch back down and cleared my throat.

"She's doing well, thank you. Her last tests came back clean. I'd hope she'd remain well," I responded, remembering what Charlie had told him.

He laughed. "What about that brother of yours? He's a doctor? In my business, a doctor with a blind eye can come in quite handy," he suggested. I wondered for a minute if I'd be sorry if he took Carlisle out, and then I mentally slapped myself remembering that he was, after all, my brother, and it would kill my mom.

"My brother and I, as I'm sure you already know, don't get along so I'm sorry but I can't really help you with that. I'm sure that you already have a team of doctors at your disposal. My brother isn't a surgeon, so I'm pretty certain he'd be of no use to you, anyway," I responded. Carlisle was an ear, nose, and throat doctor, so I was sure that he brought nothing to the table for Aro Volturi. Of course, Aro already knew that.

"Well, doctors have prescription pads that can come in very handy," he began. I had to cut that shit off at the knees.

"If you find yourself in need of penicillin, Flonase, or with an ear infection, you call me and I'll see what I can do. Other than that, I'm pretty sure that if he wrote a prescription for anything you'd be interested in, it would raise all kinds of red flags," I responded.

He laughed. "You're a very shrewd young man. It seems that you're currently without female companionship. I assume you're interested in women. I have another daughter, Jane. How old are you?" he asked. I knew the old fuck knew how old I was, but I was relieved to hear that he didn't have Bella on his radar.

"I'm very much interested in women, and I'm sure you know that I'm twenty-seven. How old is your daughter?" I asked, praying to God that she was too young for me. I wasn't sure I could get Bella on board with me taking Aro Voluturi's daughter out on dates to keep the peace. I wasn't sure I even wanted to fucking try. Let him break my goddamn legs. I could still be with Bella if I was in a wheelchair. What she'd do to me if she found out I was dating Aro's daughter at the same time scared me far worse than what he'd do to me.

"Ah, therein rests the problem. Jane's only seventeen," he responded. I was thanking every saint I could remember from my religious upbringing for that little bit of news.

"I don't think either of us wants the headlines with regard to me being arrested for dating an underage female. I'm pretty sure you screen her potential dates pretty stringently, so I'll have to take a pass. I'm fairly certain that my sordid past wouldn't meet up to your high standards," I responded.

"Ha! You're a clever guy. Okay, young Cullen. I'm sure that you've got someone waiting to hear from you. How is my old friend, Charlie?" he asked.

"He's just fine. I appreciate your time, Mr. Volturi. Have a nice weekend," I announced. He rose from his chair and stuck out his hand, and I shook it, hoping and praying that he couldn't feel my hand shaking and sweating.

I walked out of the building, collected my gun, drove up the block and around the corner, and I puked my fucking guts out next to a dumpster. That time, I had a bottle of water with me, having thought shit through that time.

I heard someone approach me from my right, and I reached behind my back, thinking it was one of Aro's henchmen. "Whoa, there, cowboy. It's just me. I wanted to make sure you're okay," I heard and recognized the voice immediately. It was Charlie Swan, and I wasn't really surprised. I moved my hand from behind my back and wiped my forehead and mouth with my handkerchief. I stood up and turned to look at him, taking a long drink of water.

"Call Bells and tell her you're okay, and then let's go over to Jimmy's Diner and have a cup of coffee real quick. Tell me what he said," Charlie ordered. I merely nodded and followed him.

We sat at the diner for half an hour and I explained to him everything Aro had said that I could remember. He told me I was smart about it and we left so I could get home to Bella, though he didn't know that was the reason I was in a hurry. I was already dreading the visit the next month.

After my discussion with Charlie, I was somewhat more enlightened. Apparently, everything Aro said to me was a test of one type or another. The mind games were going to give me a fucking ulcer that was for certain.

I swung by the office to pick up some research I'd asked Tanya to do regarding properties for sale in St. Louis, and I went home, finding Bella pacing nervously in the living room. I dropped my shit on the floor and picked her up, taking her back to the bedroom to make love to her. It was the only thing that could release the tension at the time. I was pleasantly surprised that it actually worked. I couldn't remember one fucking thing that happened before I hit the door that night. That was a very good thing.

##

"So, why do I have to dress up?" Bella complained. All I told her was that I was taking her out to dinner. I'd decided that after our romantic dinner, I'd actually drive us out to the subdivision where we'd met and propose. The house that we'd worked on together was actually empty because it had been foreclosed on, and I planned to sit in the driveway of the place and beg and plead for her to marry me. I assumed my fucking knees would be raw before I was through humiliating myself, but I was getting a yes one way or another.

That afternoon while Bella and her Mom went out for her birthday lunch, I went shopping and finally found her something for her birthday. I hoped she'd like it, because when I'd called my mom like the fucking baby I was to ask her what she thought, she'd given it two thumbs up.

"Because, it's your birthday and I'm taking you out for dinner. Less bitching…more dressing," I responded as I reviewed the shit I'd brought home with me the day before. She'd showered and was complaining about me asking her to wear a dress. Hey, I was a fucking guy and I liked to see a little leg every once in a while…shoot me.

"Fuck. Fine," she groaned and then stomped down the hallway. All I could do was fucking laugh. She was a spitfire, and I was going to have my hands full for the rest of my life if I had any say about it.

I went back to shower and dress while she put on her make-up and did whatever she did with her hair. When I finished showering, I walked into the bedroom in a towel and saw her lick her lips. Maybe we didn't need to go out? No…no…no…I'd put too much thought into the evening, and I wasn't going to let the seductress dissuade me from my objective.

"Put that away until later," I told her as I pulled on a pair of boxer briefs under the towel. After I dropped it, I heard a soft "hmph" from her, and I walked into the closet to keep from laughing at her.

I pulled on a pair of black trousers and a blue shirt before I walked out of the closet because when the woman saw me without a shirt, she got a look on her face that I couldn't help but give in to. Just one look from her and I was ready to strip us both down every fucking time.

"What tie should I wear?" I asked as I grabbed a black and white silk herringbone sport coat and tossed it on the bed.

"Um, let's see? I'd say no tie. You're wearing a jacket and slacks, so I don't think I want you in a tie. Now, get out so I can dazzle you," Bella instructed. I kissed her on first one cheek and then the other, then I kissed her in the middle of her chest. I couldn't wait to get her naked later.

Thirty minutes later, I heard the bedroom door open as I sipped my Scotch. I was truly trying to calm the fuck down, and since I'd reserved us a car and driver to take us to dinner, I wasn't worried about drinking. I wasn't going to get drunk, but I was definitely going to push drinks at her, hoping to soften her up a little.

When I looked at her as she entered the room, I dropped the papers in my hand on the floor. She was devastatingly beautiful, and I nearly couldn't catch my breath. She was wearing a green dress that I'd never seen, and I was speechless. Her hair was up, and she looked incredible.

"You look fucking gorgeous," I remarked as she walked over toward me. I kissed her cheek, seeing that she was wearing lipstick, which was a new thing, and I could help but brush my thumb across her exposed collarbone which was particularly fucking enticing.

"Thanks. Can we go?" she asked, looking uncomfortable. I took her hand and placed it on my chest and I reached into my pocket and pulled out the gift I'd settled on. It was a charm bracelet…platinum…with three charms. One was a pave diamond-crusted claw hammer. The other was an emerald crusted "E." The last was a sapphire crusted "B." I latched it around her small wrist and kissed her lips gently.

"Happy birthday, baby," I told her. She quickly pulled her hand away and looked at the bracelet. I was worried because of the fact that she didn't accept gifts easily and my initial was on that bracelet, but the smile on her face put my mind at ease. I hoped the rest of my plans wouldn't freak her out.

"Edward, it's beautiful. Thank you so much. You know, I didn't expect you to get me anything. Dinner was enough," she responded.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't get you a birthday present? I'm not a douche, you know. Come on," I answered as I pulled her behind me out of the apartment and down the elevator toward the waiting Town Car.

We went to Dominic's and had a very nice dinner. It was as romantic as I hoped, and when we finished, I got a tiramisu to go. We went home, and I pulled her toward my car before we went inside. "Where are we going now?" she asked.

I laughed and drove us toward the highway out to Tesson Ferry to the house where we met for the first time. I pulled down the street and saw the light in her eyes.

"Why are we here?" she asked as she looked around as I pulled into the driveway of the house and turned off the car. I reached into the doggy bag and pulled out the Styrofoam container with the dessert and the plastic fork. I cleared my throat as I opened the container and prayed to all the saints that I'd find my fucking voice.

"I'm a sentimental bastard. This is where I met you, many years ago, and I wanted to bring you here for your birthday and remind you that you loved me from the moment you laid eyes on me," I responded cockily.

She laughed and took the fork from me, cutting into the dessert. She took the first bite and quickly offered one to me. I choked a little on the cocoa powder on top, which caused her to laugh. She was fucking flawless when she laughed.

I swallowed and reached into my jacket pocket to find the velvet box I'd placed there and I hauled up my balls, yet again, looking deeply into her beautiful brown eyes. "Bella, I need to talk to you about something serious," I began.

She placed the container on the dashboard and looked at me nervously. I had no fucking idea what she thought I was going to say, but she had to have some inkling, at least I thought so. "Um, well, we've been together for a long time. Not formally as a couple, but as friends. You're my best friend, you know? You're the only person who knows everything about me, and you're the only person who I want to know that much about me. You were there for me when my mom was sick, and I'll be damned if you didn't make the best of that fucked-up situation. Anyway, you being my best friend and all, I can't let you get away. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life, and I brought you here to ask you, formally, will you please marry me?"

I waited. I saw her eyes look around, and I saw the magnitude of the situation hit her. I pulled the ring out of my pocket and opened the box, presenting it to her. I saw the surprise on her face, and I truly wanted someone to walk up to the car and shoot me in the head before I heard her answer. I was quite certain it would be a big, fat 'no', and I'd have to figure out how to recover from that, but I wasn't giving up on it. I'd pursue her until the day one of us dropped dead.

"Uh-hum. Yes," she responded after she cleared her throat. It was my fucking turn to do a double take.

"Yes?" I asked because I couldn't believe I'd heard her right.

"God, yes. I'd have said yes the last time, but you asked me in such a half-assed way that I didn't want that to be the story we told our kids. This is so much better," she responded as she launched herself across the seat at me.

I caught her and kissed her passionately…more passionately than I'd ever kissed her before unless we were fucking. Okay, it was kind of sloppy, but she fucking said yes. I was doing everything I could to keep from tossing her into the back seat and fucking her. I was trying to be romantic.

She kissed every inch of my face, and I was so fucking grateful that she was actually happy about it that I nearly shot off in my pants. My dick was very happy about it too because he was pretty sure that he was going to get to show her some love later that night as well.

She was in my lap, me having moved the seat back as far as it would go and the steering wheel in as far as it would go so that her tight little body would fit on my lap. I pulled the ring out of the box and hoped and prayed that I'd been right that it would come close to fitting her because she was about as small as my mom. When I placed it on her finger, it was just a bit big, but it wasn't going anywhere.

"God, thank you," I whispered as I kissed her again. It was the most incredible feeling in the world to me. I actually belonged to someone, officially, and someone belonged to me, officially. All I wanted to do was firm-up a fucking wedding date and change the incorporation papers on the business to a partnership instead of a sole proprietorship. She wasn't just going to be my life partner…she was going to be my business partner. If I was smart in the first place, I'd have made her that anyway.

After forty-five minutes of making out in the cramped car, we went back to the apartment. I carried her inside, with her protesting the whole time, and we went back to the bedroom, dessert still in her hands and my mother's ring on her finger.

I gently placed her on her feet and removed my jacket and unzipped her dress. When it hit the floor, I was once again surprised. She was wearing a black-lace bra that barely covered her nipples, and a garter belt holding up black stockings. I took a step back and caught my breath.

"Holy shit! You had that on all night and didn't tell me?" I asked, feeling my cock spring to life in record time. Never before, in person, had I been presented with such a perfect package. The fact that her mound was bare was just a fucking bonus.

"If I told you, we'd have never made it through salads. Though, that coat closet would have been a great place for a quick fuck. Anyway, strip. I've got something special in mind," she ordered. I peeled my clothes off like they were on fucking fire, locking away the idea of public sex in the vault for the near future.

I watched her walk over to the nightstand and pull out a condom and the lube, and I was confused. I didn't want to go back to condoms. I fucking hated condoms, and fucking her without them was likely as close to heaven as I'd ever get. There was no way in hell we were going back to condoms.

"Did something happen with your pills or something?" I asked as I pulled the covers back on the bed and sat down facing her. I placed my hands on her ass and pulled her between my knees, placing kisses across the waistband of the garter belt and moving south toward the Promised Land.

My tongue snaked into the crevice of her mound and met with her clit, causing her to jump. "God, it is more sensitive. Okay, wait, that's not…I mean, yeah, I want you to do that, but I've got a little something new that I want to try," she remarked.

"Hmm…something new. I'm all over something new. Do tell," I responded as my tongue continued to probe the crease and her fingers wound into my hair. I could tell she was getting very turned on, and I wanted to hear her scream my name more than anything.

I moved her legs on either side of mine to spread her open, noticing she still had on the fucking heels that had taunted me since she walked out of the bedroom before dinner, and I continued my assault of her. With the heels, she was the perfect height with me just having to bend a little to reach my favorite spot on the planet. I grazed the backs of my fingers up the insides of her thighs and felt her shudder. My middle and ring fingers found their way into her tight pussy, and I moved them over the spot inside of her that I'd found, quite accidently, that drove her insane.

"Fuck. You're going to ruin my surprise. Actually, getting me that worked up might help. Don't you want to know what I want to try?" she gasped as she lifted her left leg and put her foot on the bed next to my hip, opening herself even more to me. I pulled back and looked at the position she was in, and I was insane with lust.

Without halting my fingers inside her, I looked into her eyes and said, "Tell me what you want."

"Oh, God. Okay, I want to do something you asked about once in the shower," she answered. Blood wasn't exactly flowing freely through my brain at that moment, and I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about.

"Tell me what it is, and we'll do it. I can't think clearly at the moment, so I'm not sure what you're talking about," I told her before I dove back in between her legs with my tongue.

She pulled my hair and pulled my head back to look into her eyes. "Back-door love?" she asked. Just like the gears in a clock, it all synced up for me and suddenly I was in love with the idea.

"Why the condom?" I asked. I understood the lube, obviously, but the condom sort of threw me.

"More hygienic and less messy. But, I'm going to start carrying one in my purse, and sometime we're going to do that public sex thing. A condom will keep it from being messy that way too, but tonight, I want you to fuck my ass…I mean if you want to," she demanded.

I took a deep breath and I know I did a double take. After a minute of dumbfounded silence, I answered, "Oh, hell yeah. Um, I think that me going down on you first will get you more in the mood for it, and, I'll sorta, you know, start the preliminaries," I responded as I held up my other fingers so she'd get what I meant. She nodded, and I went back to work, continuing to work her pussy with my fingers and her clit with my tongue, gathering the moisture that was flowing freely from her and inserted my middle finger of my left hand into her ass. I slowed my assault on her core because I wanted her to be a writhing mess when I stroked into her because it seemed to me that it would make it a lot more pleasurable for her. I stilled my fingers in her pussy and added another finger in her ass.

I slowly circled her clit with my tongue, and moved my fingers in and out of her puckered hole, adding my ring finger to loosen the muscle so that I didn't hurt her with my cock.

She was moaning and groaning against me, and I could tell she was going to come, so I sped up my assault on her clit and felt her body tense and her pussy pulse around my fingers. After she stopped moaning, I slowly removed my fingers from her and looked at her for guidance because it was all her show.

She took her foot down from the bed and reached over to the nightstand, opening the condom package. "Get your boxers off and get ready to rock my world, Cullen," she announced. I stood from the side of the bed and quickly dropped my shorts, taking the condom and quickly rolling it down my rock hard cock. I hurriedly covered the condom with lube, and then squeezed a generous amount on my fingers.

"How do you want to do this?" I asked. I wasn't sure what the best position was for her, but I'd go along with any-fucking-thing she suggested, including standing on my goddamn head.

She stood up and bent over presenting her beautiful ass to me as she rested her hands on the bed. "Put it in this way, but go slow, okay? You can reach my pussy…right hand only…a lot easier that way, and I think we'll both get a lot out of it," she suggested. Fuck, she'd thought about it, a lot.

I pushed two fingers of my left hand back into her ass, finding her looser, and then pulled them out and gently breached her opening with the head of my cock. I heard her take in a deep breath, and I stopped. "You sure you wanna try this? We don't have to if you don't really want to, Bella," I asked. Hell, if she did, I was on board but if it was painful for her, there was no way we were going to do it. Her pussy was tight enough for me, and I was perfectly happy to set up camp there and spend the rest of my life.

After a few agonizing minutes, I was fully inside of her, and she was a writhing mess. I reached around her to continue to work her pussy into a frenzy. She took over the pace and it started slow but before too long, she was bouncing against my cock at a pretty good clip, and my fingers and thumb were keeping time with her.

I leaned back a little to take in the view, and I knew I wasn't going to last very long. The idea of it nearly had me coming in my shorts when she mentioned it. The fact that we were doing it for real meant that I wasn't going to last long, but I had to get her off before I did. "Fuck, Bella, baby, this feels so fucking good," I gasped as I bit her shoulder.

"Gah," she screamed and I felt her pussy clamp onto my fingers. I let go just after her and had a mind-blowing orgasm. I didn't know if we'd ever do it again, but I was grateful that she was adventurous enough to try it once. I could live with the memory.

I gently moved her off of my soft cock and carried her into the bathroom, filling the tub as she removed the bra, garter and stockings. "That was, um," I babbled, still unable to comprehend what we'd just done. I squeezed some bath stuff under the warm water and climbed into the tub after I removed the condom and flushed it.

I waited for her to say something, and I prayed to God that I hadn't hurt her. She climbed into the tub and turned to face me. "That was pretty fucking great. I had no idea I'd like that. I'm not saying we'll do it every time, but if you get me worked up like you did tonight, I'd be all for doing it again," she replied with a smile on her face. That was the best fucking news…literally…I'd heard all day. Life was fantastic and my girl was a freak. Score one for me.

##

"OH MY GOD!" Mom shrieked as we walked into her house Sunday afternoon to go to lunch. She knew I was going to ask, but I knew neither of us was sure Bella would accept. When Mom picked her up and swung her around, I was pretty fucking surprised.

"Liz, I can't breathe," Bella gasped. I laughed. The sight of the two most important women in my life in an embrace nearly made my pussy-ass cry. They were everything to me, and I'd never let anyone hurt either of them. If Liam hurt my mom, I'd drop his ass in short order, and if any outsider thought they'd ever get near us, or try to hurt Bella, I'd kill them too. I finally had something and someone important in my life, and I wasn't letting go of it.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I'm just so happy. Tell me everything about it. Edward, we need to take this to Jack and get it sized for her. Her hands are smaller than mine," Mom advised. Bella shot me a look and I remembered one thing we hadn't discussed the night before or that morning between all of the fucking. Oh, yes, we fucked like rabbits. After the first go-round with me in her ass, we continued along the adventurous path and I found out that the woman was quite agile, and I took advantage of it. She came up with shit I'd never even begun to imagine, and I was quite happy and exhausted, having gone along with every idea.

"Wait…is this your ring?" Bella asked. I worried that she'd think I was a cheap fucker, and I was just about to offer my defense when Mom led her to a chair and sat down with her to explain.

"This engagement ring was Edward's great-grandmother Cullen's ring. It's been handed down for years, and I'm so happy to see it resting on your finger. Every woman who's worn that ring has been happily married. I'm so glad he asked me for it before he went out and bought something. It's a…" Mom went on to describe the size and cut of the diamond. She gave Bella the history, and I prayed she didn't think it was my way of cheapening out on her. I'd have given her anything she wanted…all she had to do was ask.

At the end of the discussion of my family tree, Bella looked at Mom and asked, "Why didn't you give this to Carlisle to give to Esme?" It was a question I'd asked myself many times. Carlisle was the first born, and it was the ring to give, so why didn't she give it to him?

"What I'm going to say is going to sound quite harsh, but the three of us share a very special secret with this engagement, so I can tell you anything. This ring is very important to me. Ed gave it to me when we got engaged, and I always cherished it. Carlisle wouldn't have attached the sentimentality to it that Edward did. Carlisle wanted to get Esme something flashy, and that's what he did which is fine, but I knew that Edward would give it to the right girl at the right time. Carlisle never asked about it, but Edward did, so I knew it was right. It's perfect for you," Mom answered.

Bella walked over to where I sat and kissed me sweetly for reasons I didn't know. When she pulled away with tears in her eyes, I was worried. "Thank you for thinking so much of me that you'd want me to wear this very special ring. I'll cherish it always."

I kissed her and she kissed me back. When we broke apart, I'll be damned if the three of us weren't crying. I don't cry. I'm not a fucking pussy most of the time, but what she'd said just took my ass out. I dried her eyes with my thumbs and then rubbed my hand over my own face. "Okay, this shit is too much. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving," I responded. I pecked Bella on the cheek and pushed her off my lap. I kissed my mom on the forehead and walked into the bathroom to get my shit together. I couldn't be a crying pile of goo in front of the two women I loved more than anything. I blew my nose and walked out to find them laughing.

"So, let's go out to Fenton and see how Felix is doing with the new restaurant," I suggested. They both agreed, so we did.

The grand opening was set for the next weekend, but we were open for business to smooth out the kinks. The construction of it had gone quickly because it was a simple plan, and we were able to open two weeks earlier than we thought. The owner of original Lester's was there to help train staff and work out the bullshit, and we had high hopes for the joint.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I was happy to see it was pretty full. We walked in and found the hostess, and as we waited for her to seat us because there was a wait, I looked around the bar. The set up was the same as the restaurant in West County, but my eyes stopped moving when I saw Aro Volturi sitting at the bar. I wasn't happy about that at all.

I walked to the hostess stand and grabbed the girl by the arm. "Where's Felix?" I hissed. It wasn't good for Aro to be at my place, and it wasn't good for him to see Bella with me, engagement or not.

"Mr. Anselmo is in the office. Is something wrong?" the girl asked. It wasn't her fault that things were fucked up, and she had no idea who the hell I was anyway. It was my fault Aro was there because he was keeping tabs on my stupid ass, so I couldn't take it out on the girl.

"Get him, now. I'm Edward Cullen and I own this place. Go get him right now," I ordered. When she left, I walked over to my mom and Bella. "Go to the ladies' room, and Bella, honey, take off the engagement ring and put it in your pocket. We're going to have lunch somewhere else, so when you two come out, go to the car and drive away. Go to Mom's house and we'll go somewhere else from there. Please don't give me shit about this right now, and just do what the fuck I say," I responded as I pressed the keys to my BMW into her hand and walked away. She actually nodded and did what I said for once in her fucking life, and the two of them hurried away to the john.

I walked over to where Aro sat with the big guy, Chubs, standing behind him. I was fuming mad, and I couldn't begin to understand why they were there. If I were a fucking mind reader, I'd guess it was because he wanted to fuck with my life some more.

"Mr. Volturi? It's a pleasure to see you at my humble establishment. What brings you out today?" I asked, wondering where the fuck Felix was hiding out.

"Young Cullen. Nice place. I hear the food is very good. I was out for a drive and got hungry. What's the house specialty?" he asked nonchalantly. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bella and Mom leaving, and I was actually relieved.

I looked at his guy standing behind him and said, "You got somethin' you wanna give me?"

He looked at Aro who nodded, and Chubs handed me his gun under the bar. I shoved it into the front of my pants and sat down next to Aro. I ordered a beer and waited for Felix. I was going to shoot his ass for the fuck up that was for sure.

"So, you're just out for a burger?" I asked. If the fucker thought he was going to horn his way into my life and my business, he was sadly mistaken.

"I am. So, I saw you with your mother and Charlie Swan's daughter. She looked very happy to be with you," Aro remarked, watching closely for my reaction. I prayed my face didn't give anything away.

My head was a fucking mess. I wanted to just shoot the fucker with his own gun, but I wasn't about to do that, so I had to think quickly. "My mom and Miss Swan are very good friends. Miss Swan works for me, as I'm sure you know," I responded.

"Ah, then that explains it. Well, I'd like to order," Aro announced. Just then, Felix walked over to the bar where I sat with Aro. I was pretty fucking sure that he knew I was pissed, and I wanted a lot of answers from him.

"Hey, Boss, sorry. I was on the phone with the butcher. Gentlemen, welcome to Lester's West. Your meal is on the house. Carlie, give these two gentlemen anything they'd like…this time," Felix remarked as he pulled me away. I excused myself and followed him to the office.

Once the door was closed, I punched him in the goddamn mouth. I knew a hit to the gut wouldn't register with him because he was fucking cut like a marble statue, but he had to know how fucking pissed I was, so the mouth it was. I was quite happy he didn't hit me back because the fucker could have killed me with one blow.

"You wanna explain this shit to me?" I snapped as I tossed the gun on the desk and shook my hand like it would stop the pain that was shooting through it. Felix looked at the gun curiously as he wiped the blood from his lip, and I rolled my eyes. At least I'd broken the skin.

"That's not mine, jackass. I took it off the big guy. Why aren't you out there finding out who the fuck is showing up here? I had to send my mom away from here. Is this the way we're gonna do business here because I'll shut the fucker down before the grand opening. This isn't going to be some thug bar, you know. If this is more than you can handle…" I responded.

"Wait…wait. Look, I was busy checking liquor orders and talkin' to the butcher about next week's order. Rhonda told me that I need to hire a bar manager for this shit to go right. If your mobster friends are comin' in, I need a head's up. We're in a new business phase here and we all need to adjust.

"Now, I'll go deal with them, and I'll make it apparent that they're not welcomed here, but you know they showed up to make sure that you know that they can be everywhere. I don't know why, but I'm afraid he wants in on a piece of your action. I know we're legit here, but I don't know if he knows it. Let's just go tell him that, pay for his meal, and ask him not to come back without calling first," Felix responded.

Well, he didn't fucking clock me, so I had to listen to him. He was right, and I had to deal with shit myself.

We walked back to the bar and I sat down with Aro. As he ate his hamburger, I explained, as politely as I fucking could, that I was happy with my business the way it was and that he was always welcome to come back, but not without calling me first so I could be there to eat with him. He told me he'd give me a heads up if he was coming back and reminded me that if business took a bad turn, he was always looking to invest. I told him I appreciated it but I declined, and then he left. I wanted to puke.

I called a cab and went to my mom's house, happy to see my car in the driveway. I walked inside and found the two of them at the kitchen table with a bottle of Maker's Mark between them. "Ladies, shall we try this again?" I asked. They both shot daggers at me, but I was happy Bella had the engagement ring back on her finger.

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E/N: So, they're engaged and they've got a new customer coming into the restaurant that they're not happy about. I hope the engagement didn't disappoint, but to me, it fit them perfectly. Please let me know what you think.

Till tomorrow…xoxo