A/N: Yeah, I know. You don't have to tell me, I know. It took forever. Sorry, but you know how real life can be.

Thank you to Adrena and Kristy (IhateCleanBreaks) for the awesome beta skills:)

That being said, brace yerself Bessies!

Previously:

"Ms. Swan, this is Nurse Raymond at Forks General Hospital. I'm calling because your aunt has been in an accident..."

I dropped the phone and collapsed on the floor. I could hear Nurse Raymond's voice coming through the receiver, but I couldn't hear the words.

All I could hear was "accident."

Edward drove us to the hospital, and he kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "The nurse said it wasn't serious. You need to try and calm down, because you're going to hyperventilate if you don't."

I turned to gape at him. "Are you fucking serious? My aunt got in an accident because of me and she could have died because I didn't try to stop her! What if I had lost her too? I'd have no one!" I shrieked.

Edward's hands clenched on the wheel. "She has a sprained ankle and a few bruises. They were both going under fifteen miles per hour. According to Nurse Raymond, your aunt is perfectly fine, she'll just need some time to rest off her injured ankle."

My body shook all over and I sat on my hands so that he couldn't see how they trembled. I stared out the windshield and clenched my teeth together to keep them from chattering.

"Anyway, you have me," he whispered so quietly that almost I didn't hear him. I bit my tongue to stay silent.

At the hospital, the ER was dead but for a few people in the waiting room who looked exhausted and ready to escape. Edward dropped me off at the front so that he could park the car, and I rushed up to the desk to ask the tired-looking nurse about my aunt.

"I'm looking for Esme Evenson. Is she okay? I'm her niece," I told her.

The nurse turned and clacked away on her computer. "She's about to be discharged, but you're welcome to go back and keep her company until then." She hit a hidden button under the desk and the door to the triage area swung open to allow me through. I rushed through it without a backward glance, trusting that Edward would know where I'd gone.

I found another nurse who gestured toward one of two closed curtains that were side-by-side. I peeked in and saw my aunt sitting up in the bed fully dressed. She looked almost exactly the same as she had when she'd left the house earlier, save for a few bruises on her arms and a flesh-colored ACE bandage wrapped around her ankle. "Hey," I said quietly.

She met my red eyes and sighed sadly. "Come here," she said as she opened her arms for me. I rushed forward and flew into her embrace, suddenly sobbing.

"I don't know what I'd do..." I wailed as quietly as I could. She gripped me tighter and shushed me as I let out all the terror I'd experienced since the hospital called.

"You'd be okay. You're married now, remember?" she soothed as she brushed my now damp hair back from my face.

I looked up at her and she seemed to have more she wanted to say, but she didn't. "You don't hate me?"

She looked shocked. "I could never hate you, Bella. You're my only family. I'm just afraid of what you've gotten yourself into. Who is this man? Why did you rush to marry him, and how did I not even know anything about him until now? I was completely blindsided!"

I pulled from her arms and collapsed limply on the bed next to her. The waterproof sheet crackled beneath our weight as I scooted over to bury my head in her neck. "I know, I know. I was too afraid to tell you. Edward...well, he's amazing. I can't really explain it. Everything happened so fast, but I guess I just felt like it was meant to be, or at least that's what he tells me, and I'm willing to believe him. After my parents...died...I started to see how short life could be. I think that's part of it. Mom always told me that if something was right, I wouldn't be afraid. I'd just go for it."

Esme pulled my hair back over my shoulder and smiled sadly at the thought of her sister and my mother. "Is that what happened? You fell in love and jumped right in, just like Renee did with your dad?"

I sniffled and wiped some errant tears on my shirtsleeve. "When I first met Edward, I was terrified of him. He's older than me, and he's so...so serious, but there was something about him that made me want to know him, to get inside that armor. I know that you were in shock earlier, but really...Edward's not a pervert. He didn't take advantage of me. Everything that happened between us was, and still is, completely consensual."

Esme looked doubtful, but she kept her mouth shut. Finally, she said, "Are you sure this is right, Bella?"

I looked down at my hands as I answered her. "I think so. When I'm with him, I feel like it is. It's only when I'm away from him, or when I let myself start to doubt that I wonder if..."

"...If?" she prodded.

I sighed. "If I'm completely crazy and out of his league. Like he'll lose interest in me soon and then I'll be alone and I'll be that idiotic teenage girl who thought she could make a relationship with a grown man work."

We were quiet as Esme absorbed my words. "If you love him, then you need to have faith in him. I may not know him, or approve of this relationship, but if he is who you want to spend the rest of your life with, then you need to be sure. You can still get it annulled if you..." One look at my face stopped her from finishing that sentence. "Okay, then. I guess I'll just have to back off."

There was a soft knock on the wall next to the curtain. "May I come in?" Edward asked, his voice muffled by the heavy drape.

Esme was the one to answer. "Please do."

When he pushed open the curtain, his face was strangely expressionless. I assumed it was due to the fact that Esme had practically accused him of being a child molester not even three hours ago. "Thank you. I just wanted to make sure Bella's okay. Can I get either of you anything? A soda or something from the vending machines, perhaps?"

His stiff formality awkwardly reminded me of how he had been as a vice principal, and it seemed to put my aunt on edge also. I knew he couldn't help it, though. He looked so uncomfortable, and if I were a better wife, I'd have known how to help make him more comfortable.

Unfortunately for both of us, I suddenly realized I was clueless when it came to comforting him or knowing what I could do to make him happy.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Esme answered politely.

I started to decline, but a nurse entered the area next to ours and I heard a woman instantly begin to shout. "Well it's about damn time! I've been sitting here for god knows how long while you people are obviously sitting around with your thumbs up your asses!"

The three of us froze as the pissed off woman's accusatory words echoed through the triage area.

"I'm sorry miss, but we needed to wait for the doctor to give the orders for your release," the nurse answered timidly.

"This is inexcusable! I'm going to tell my fiancé about this! He's a doctor here, you know. You'll be sorry for not treating me better," the woman said bitterly.

"Who's your fiancé?" the nurse asked.

"That's none of your business!" the woman shot back.

"Well, ma'am, if you'd like for me to call your fiancé so he can come down here, I'd be more than happy to. You said earlier that you didn't want us to call anyone, but perhaps..."

The nurse was cut off by the irate woman. "I know what I said, you idiot! If I wanted my fiancé here, I'd call him myself! I think I can handle that much better than you can, considering how long I've sat here already just waiting for some stupid paperwork to go through!"

I winced and I saw Edward's eyes go all disapproving. I knew that look, because I'd seen it before. Esme gripped my hand and whispered, "That's the woman I got in the accident with. She ran a stop sign and hit me. She sure is a pill, isn't she? I can't imagine why anyone would want to marry her."

I shook my head and looked back up at Edward. He hovered between the end of the bed and the curtain looking like he wanted to go next door and save the poor nurse from that heinous bitch. I would have too, if I'd felt like it was my place.

Finally, he shot a considering look in my direction before saying, "I'll be right back."

I heard him knock on the wall next door and when the nurse answered him, his voice was muffled, but I could still hear him. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering if my wife's aunt could get some help. She seems to be experiencing some pain in her ankle."

The nurse paused for a moment. "Oh, yes, of course. Let me just finish up here, okay?"

Edward returned and grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry, I just couldn't take hearing that nurse get abused any longer."

Esme looked at him with a small measure of...respect. I was amazed. She nodded. "It's quite all right; I completely understand."

A moment later, the bitch next door shouted, "Fine! Leave! Leave me here until I fade away and you can put someone else in this bed over my dead body!"

The nurse knocked on the wall and entered looking harried. "I'm sorry, ma'am, do you need some pain medication? I can tell the doctor and she may be able to prescribe you something."

Esme smiled gently. "It's no problem, really. We just wanted to save you from next door," she whispered conspiratorially.

The nurse looked embarrassed. She shot a quick look at Edward and her face turned red. "I, ah..."

Edward gave her an understanding look and shook his head. "We'll be out of your hair soon."

She nodded and said a small thank you before leaving us. I turned back to Esme and stood up. "I think I'm going to go to the vending machine for a Coke. Edward?"

I reached my hand out for his and he gratefully looped his fingers around mine. "Sure, let's go."

I told Esme I'd be right back and we left to go to the vending machine. Edward was quiet as he pulled enough bills from his wallet to buy a bottle of Coke for me and a bottle of water for himself. He handed me the drink and took a swig from his bottle.

We were silent as we stood next to the humming machines. Finally, I lunged for him and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. His arms came around my waist and I dropped my bottle of Coke on the ground. Luckily, it didn't burst open. I buried my face in his chest and cried. "I'm so sorry," I cried.

"For what?" he asked.

I gripped him harder. "For breaking down on you like this," I said as I pulled away and tried to get myself together before we had to return to my aunt.

His eyebrows drew tight over his eyes and his mouth was grim. "Don't worry about it. I know you were worried about your aunt."

Without another word, he pressed his hand to my lower back and led me back to where Esme was now signing her discharge papers. The nurse handed her a copy and then an orderly wheeled in a wheelchair. I helped Esme into it while Edward gathered the stray items around the room. The orderly pushed the wheelchair and we walked next to them until we reached the front door.

"Oh, wait here. I'll pull the car up, okay?" Edward said before rushing out the door toward his car. Esme held my hand as we waited for him to return. When he pulled up front, Edward and I helped Esme into the passenger seat so that she'd have room to stretch out her ankles. I sat in the backseat behind him and he drove back to my house.

The house was cold and quiet when we entered, and I saw the abandoned dinner sitting out untouched. I helped Esme upstairs and settled her into bed before returning downstairs to clean up, but Edward had already cleared the table and was loading the dishes into the dishwasher.

"I...oh, thank you," I said in surprise.

He turned and I saw his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his forearms. They were wet from the water. I recalled the way he'd wrapped those arms around me earlier at the hospital, and I felt like everything would be so much better if he could just hold me all the time.

His face was impassive. "I'm just finishing up here. I was going to go out to get us something to eat since we missed dinner. What would you like?"

I stopped short. "I'll come with you."

He shook his head and turned off the water. He dried his hands and arms with the frilly, feminine dish towel and I almost smiled at how ridiculous it looked in his strong hands. "Why don't you stay here and keep your aunt company? I'll go. It'll be easier that way."

"Okay, then...," I said, curiously disappointed by his refusal for my company.

When he returned an hour later, he had a bag of Thai food in one hand, and crutches in the other. "I thought your aunt might need these," he said as he handed them to me.

I heard Esme call down the stairs. "Is that Edward with the food?"

I looked back at him and smiled, but it felt forced and sad. He was acting distant and I couldn't put my finger on why. "She wanted me to tell you thank you for helping so much, and that she really appreciates you getting food."

He set the bag down on the kitchen table and pulled out two boxes. "It's no problem, really. Here's the red curry and rice she wanted."

I took the boxes from him and grabbed a plate and fork before heading upstairs to give her the food. When I came back down, Edward had pulled down two more plates and forks. He sat at the table waiting for me with a look of patience. "Hungry?" he asked as he opened up the remaining boxes. "I got the mixed vegetables with garlic."

I sat down. "Mmm, my favorite," I said.

"I know."

After we ate, it was getting late, so we settled into the couch. I turned on the TV but he pulled out the newspaper. I waited for him to cuddle up to me, but he stayed about six inches away from me during the entire episode of Semi-Homemade Cooking on the Food Network.

I knew by now that something was wrong, but I still didn't know what to do about it. He wasn't acting like himself, and he wasn't touching me like he normally did.

When I nodded off, he nudged me awake. "You should go to bed," he said. I sat up and sleepily reached my hand out for him.

"I think I'll stay down here tonight," he said with a look at my hand, still outstretched for his.

I must have looked as hurt by his rejection as I felt. He reached out for my hand and stood up. "I'll come tuck you in."

I turned and tread up the stairs with heavy feet and a heavy heart. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't think. I couldn't make myself speak.

Edward's footsteps were quiet behind mine, and when we reached the top of the stairs, I turned to lead him to my bedroom. He followed until I stepped to my bed, where I had assumed we would be sleeping tonight. "Will you stay with me?" I whispered without looking at him.

"I will for now," he replied. "I don't want to upset your aunt any more than she already is."

I raised my eyes to his and he reached out to pull me into his arms. "I need you, please" I whispered. His mouth was hot and harsh on mine as he kissed me. I clung to him, pulling him tighter, trying desperately to absorb him into my skin so he couldn't leave.

His strength overpowered mine as he pushed us back onto the bed. "I'll give you what you need," he replied. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but his words weren't important anymore because he was unbuttoning my shirt, kissing my skin as he went. When he got to my breasts, he fisted my shirt in his hands and pushed the undersides of my breasts up until they were plumped into an offering to his face. He buried his face in my cleavage and I reached up to brush a hand through his copper hair.

His breath was hot as he inhaled harshly. Without looking up at me, he dug his fingertips beneath my bra cups and pushed them down. His hot mouth sealed over my nipple and sucked hard, causing my back to arch off the bed in pleasure. I whined his name and he pulled away to blow on my wet flesh. "Shhhh," he said as he turned his teeth and tongue on my other nipple.

I struggled to remain silent as he handled me, stroking my desire to a point where I was reduced to whimpers. He removed his clothes and I pushed further up onto the bed as I watched him with heavy-lidded eyes. His muscles were taut and his erection was stiff and throbbing when he reached for me.

His heavy weight came down on top of me and I arched against him, wrapping my legs around his waist and bringing my feet around his thighs. His cock was trapped between us, and the feel of his smooth, hard skin made me wetter than before. "Please," I pleaded as he held my chest up to his mouth. His hands were cupped behind my shoulder blades, and his hips were thrusting against me as he licked and nipped at my breasts.

"Do I need to cover that sweet mouth of yours so you don't alert your aunt to the thorough fucking you're about to get from your husband?" he murmured harshly into my ear.

I shivered and bit my lower lip. That didn't sound like a bad idea. "I need you inside me," I whimpered, quietly this time.

His hands released my back, only to press down into my hipbones, holding me immobile. He positioned himself over me and I felt the head of his cock pushing against me. I accepted him easily, but he still stretched me deliciously. "Mmmmm," he rumbled deep in his chest. I cried out and gripped his shoulders.

He stopped moving and his golden eyes were fierce on mine. I gasped and he let go of my hips and reached for the pillow next to my head. He pulled off the pillowcase and stared down at me with wicked intent. I didn't get a chance to ask him what he was doing before he said, "Raise your head. I'm going to make sure you stay quiet."

My eyes widened and my pulse quickened, but the feeling of him inside me ensured that I would do anything to keep him exactly where he was. I lifted my head off the pillow and he tied the pillowcase around my mouth, effectively gagging me. It was loose enough that it was comfortable. "There. Now you can make as much noise as you'd like without worrying about your aunt," he said as he reached down to pluck and pinch one of my aching nipples. My eyes closed in ecstasy as he began thrusting.

I whimpered and whined, letting myself go as he moved over me, bringing me to a place of pleasure that made my skin tingle and ache.

"You need this, don't you? You need to get fucked. You can't live without it now. You're always so eager to take my cock in this tight, wet pussy," he growled into my neck. I shuddered and clenched my muscles around him, making him moan. "I'm so fucking addicted to you. I can't stop. I need you so much. I fucking need you," he said.

I moaned through the pillowcase and he reared up away from me. His eyes were hard and hot, just like his thrusts. He took my legs from around his waist and pushed them wide open so he could angle his thrusts deeper. "God, yes. Take it. Take my fucking cock. I love fucking you, Isabella. I'd fuck you all day and night if I could. All you have to do is look at me with those big fucking brown eyes and I'm ready to do anything."

His harsh tone set off my release, and I felt it rush through me like a wild horse, pounding and strong. His face was just as harsh as his tone as he bit off the shout as he came hard, harder than even I had.

When he was done coming, his eyes were closed tightly and his face was blank. I saw a tear slip down his cheek as he tried to calm his breathing.

"Bella," he whispered without opening his eyes.

I shut my own eyes against the emotions struggling and welling up inside of me. I only opened them when I heard my bedroom door close quietly behind him.