Okay, so here it is. The sequel for A Nerd Story of Love. I don't own any of this. The only thing I do own is the plot to the story and a very cool 'Geekward' mug. I'm planning on keeping the story lighthearted as can be, but there will be angsty moments. I will post warnings in the author's notes at the beginning of the chapters for fair warning.
Thanks for everyone who's faved, reviewed or read my story. I love writing SGB and Nerdella and I'm so happy that you all love them too.
Also, thank you for everyone who gave me funny baby stories. I needed some inspiration for the interaction with Kyra and her parents. A special thank you to Isabelle Masen for her help with research about appropriate baby 'movements' and milestones. Another special thanks to 'Starbucks.' He doesn't know that I'm sending him a shoutout because he's not a part of the fandom, BUT he saved my files on my now defunct computer. You rock, dude!
Chapter Eleven: Confrontations of a Blonde Skank
BPOV
After my birthday, Edward dove headlong into work. The demand for the mini-microphone was staggering. Nearly every major city was banging down Whitlock Technologies' door for this technology. Edward even received money from the government to work on some high-tech camera that could be installed in something as small as a ballpoint pen.
Edward also was determined to nail Lauren on something to get her fired. The background check proved to be fruitless on Lauren. The only thing that Ricky found was that she was a resident of Forks. He thinks that the social security number listed for her was not the correct one and was currently on a trip to Forks to find out some information. Johnny was flying solo with us for a few days. He currently went to work with Edward while I mainly stayed locked up in the house.
That. Sucked. Royally.
When can Emmett be found? I'd like to live my life.
Kyra was growing by leaps and bounds. She was babbling when we talked to her. She especially loved when Edward sang to her. Her golden eyes glazed over and she looked at her Daddy with such love and adoration. We also moved her into her nursery. I slept with the baby monitor on the night stand; ready to help her if something was wrong. But, she didn't need me. She slept through the night.
The one thing that was troublesome was Alice. I understand that she was going through a difficult time, but she wouldn't hold or bond with Kyra. Alice stayed a few feet away from her niece, eyeing her warily. Jasper had finally warmed up to Kyra and was actually a doting uncle. He loved Kyra. Jas spoiled her as often as he could, bringing her a new outfit or toy. He also pulled on his own musical talents and strummed Edward's guitar for our little girl when he visited. Jasper wrote the funniest lullaby about my daughter. The first time I heard it, I was on the floor in hysterics.
Only Jasper would use moonshine, cigarettes and baby bottles in a song and make it work.
"Bellini!" Rose called as she came into my home. "Is gas normal when you're pregnant?"
"Hello, Rosalie. I'm fine, thanks for asking," I snickered as I watched her waddle into the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of pregnancy skinny jeans, a tight black top and red leather jacket. Even while pregnant, Rose still looked like a fucking supermodel. I just looked fat. Kyra was in her swing, playing with some toys.
"Hi, Bella," she said dryly. "Seriously, gas?"
"Feeling flatulent, Rosalie?"I asked, arching a brow.
"My ass is on fire, Bellini. Tim refuses to sleep with me because it's apparently the worst while I'm sleeping," she pouted. "It's so gross." With a grimace, Rose farted loudly and let out a sigh of relief.
"That's foul, Rose," I said.
"And they're smelly," Rose said, wrinkling her nose. With a flourish, she waved her hand, sending her stench in my direction. I threw a towel at her which she batted away. "Have you gotten your dress for Alex and Demetri's wedding?"
"Yep. Esme watched Kyra when I picked it up yesterday," I answered. "You?"
"Yeah. Alex was panicking that the dresses he picked out wouldn't work with my pregnancy bump," she said as she put her hand on belly. "I'm growing really fast. My doctor is concerned. Kind of."
"Have you had an ultrasound?" I asked.
"I have, but it's fuzzy," Rose said with a furrow between her brows. "I have an appointment to get a 3D ultrasound done before we leave for Michigan."
"Could you be having twins or something?" I questioned.
"I don't know. My mom was a twin. She had a fraternal twin brother. However, I didn't get a chance to meet him. He was killed in the first Gulf War. He had a falling out with my mom and my grandparents when he decided to join the military. He was the black sheep of the family."
"That's so sad," I frowned. "He never reconciled with your mom?"
"Nope. I never got to know my Uncle Grady," Rose said with a pout. "Anyhow, I was wondering if you and Miss Kyra wanted to join me for some lunch? I'm taking some time off from writing and I need to get out of my condo. Tim is in Naperville working on the latest foundation location. I'm bored."
"You want to go to visit Edward? I want to check out this skank to see if it's the Lauren I grew up with. Plus, I want to show off Kyra to Tia and the girls," I suggested.
"You just want to give your hubby a blowjob at work," Rose said with a wry grin. "Atta girl!"
I blushed a deep crimson, shooting Rose a glare. She widened her grin and gave me a wink. I did want to give my hubby some relief. Perhaps, stake my claim to him at work. Is this a bad thing?
"No, Bella. It isn't," Rose answered.
"Did I say that out loud?" I asked, laughing quietly.
"Yes, you did. Go put on a sexy top and show off those melons. And wear heels. I'll watch Kyra. Besides, I need to change her into something cuter. She has more clothes than God and you dress her in a pink onesie?"
"Rose, I wasn't planning on going anywhere," I said with a dramatic eye roll. Rose shoved me toward the stairs and I quickly went to my bedroom. I changed into a black sweater that had one shoulder. I put on a black camisole underneath it so I wouldn't feel like a complete skank. I slipped on a pair of green suede booties that Rose gave me. She didn't want to wear heels while she was pregnant. So, she gave them to me. I suggested that she give them to Alice, but the midget has midget feet. I mean, who wears a size four shoe? Alice Cullen Whitlock, that's who.
I applied some light makeup, curled my hair and pulled it into a low ponytail. I went downstairs. Rose had changed Kyra into a cute purple outfit with green accents. She was sitting with my daughter and helping her to sit up unassisted. I cleared my throat and smiled. "Lovely, Bella. I approve. Personally, I'd lose the cami, but it's still sexy," Rose said. "Can I drive?"
"You don't have a car seat," I replied.
"Yes, I do," she winked. "If I need to take care of my goddaughter, I need to have a car seat. Besides, I have my own baby that I'll need to prepare for."
"Or babies," I countered.
"Shit."
We loaded Kyra up in her carrier and got into Rose's new Volvo. She traded in her BMW after her first snow storm in Chicago. She hated having rear wheel drive in the nasty weather. Edward sold her on the Volvo. It wasn't as ostentatious as her BMW but she didn't feel like she was going freak out when it rained.
We pulled into the parking garage of the Hancock building, parking in my assigned spot for Eclipsed Sun. I picked up Kyra's carrier and we rode up to Edward's floor in the Hancock. I smiled at the receptionist and walked toward Edward's office. Eric was typing furiously on his computer. "Hey, Yorkie," I said.
"Bella!" he squealed. He hopped out of his chair and gave me a fierce hug. "You look good, girl!"
"Thanks," I said. "This is my best friend, Rosalie Hale."
"Wait a minute, THE Rosalie Hale?" Eric asked, his thin brows shooting to his receding hairline. "Fuck, I love your books. Can I get your autograph?"
"Sure," Rose said. Eric thrust a pad of paper into her hands along with a pen. She signed the paper and even posed for a picture with Eric. "I'll make sure you get an advanced copy of my latest book, Eric. Thank you for being such an avid fan."
As Rose was speaking, Kyra let out a shriek. Eric looked at the bundle in the carrier. "Is that Kyra?"
"Yes. Do you want to hold her?" I asked.
"Definitely," he replied, bouncing on his toes. I unstrapped my principessa and placed her into Eric's waiting arms. He melted when he held her. He got the 'Daddy rock' and his facial features softened as he gazed at my baby. Edward poked his head out of his office. He saw me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"I thought I heard your voice, gorgeous," he said as he kissed below my ear. I turned around and pressed a soft kiss to his pouty lips. "Hmmm, another one."
"Hey! What about me?" Rose asked with a smirk.
"Hi, Rosalie," Edward said dryly as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "How are you?"
"Good. We're on skank patrol," Rose replied, rubbing her hands together. "Have you fired this Lauren chick?"
"No," Edward grumbled. "I swear, Kyra is smarter than Lauren. She's four months. That's just wrong."
"Eric, can we take our baby?" I asked. With a pout he handed her over into Edward's arms. Edward kissed Kyra's forehead, smiling crookedly at her. Rose squealed and started bouncing on her toes. "What the hell, Hale?"
"SGD is so sweet," Rose said.
"What am I going to do? Drop her on her head?" Edward asked, arching his brow over his reading glasses. Yes, he had Lasik but he needed some assistance to read for long periods of time on the computer. The prescription was much lighter and subsequently, his glasses were actually trendy and handsome. Not that his usual glasses weren't trendy and handsome, but when you are almost legally blind, the frames become a bit cumbersome.
"Bella! You're spacing, girl," Eric said.
"Sorry," I muttered. "Kyra had me up at the ass crack of dawn, begging for food."
"You could have woken me up, gorgeous," Edward said as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Nah, I'm fine," I said. "We had mommy/daughter bonding time."
"Come on, Cullens. We need to see this skank!" Rose said as she pulled on my hand. "Later, Eric!"
"She said my name," Eric murmured wistfully. "Rosalie Hale said my name."
Edward shook his head as we traveled to Jasper's office. Sitting at the desk outside of Jasper's office was my arch nemesis, Lauren Mallory. The years had not been kind to her. She had tacky makeup caked on her obviously tanned, leathery skin. Her platinum blonde hair was thin and stringy. Edward was right, she had the worst boob job ever. The right boob was significantly larger than left. Her clothes were inappropriate for anything besides stripping and she was snapping her gum like a high school girl.
"Lauren?" Edward asked curtly. "Is Jasper in his office?"
"I don't know," she asked in a bored tone. She looked at my husband and licked her lips. Mine! He's mine, bitch. I nestled closer to him, glaring at her. "Isabella Swan? Is that you?"
"Isabella Cullen," I replied tersely.
"Cullen? Oh, right, you're married to Eddie," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Have you gained weight? You look a little chubby, darlin'."
Edward growled lowly, "Lauren, this is my wife you're speaking. Please treat her with respect."
"Sorry, Eddie," she said.
"It's Mr. Cullen, Lauren. If I have to remind you again, I will write you up. One more letter in your file and you'll be fired," Edward snarled. "Come on, gorgeous. Jasper is dying to see this little one." Edward pushed into Jasper's office with Rose and I following him. Jasper was working on the computer.
"Hey guys!" he said with a wide grin. "You brought Kyra! Come here, sweet pea! Come to Uncle Jazzy!" She squirmed in Edward's arms. Jasper scooped her up and nestled her against his chest. "Don't you look adorable, sweet pea. Is this a new outfit?"
"Courtesy of Auntie Rose," Rose smirked. They sat down on the couch in Jasper's office. Edward pulled me to the corner near the door. He hugged me tightly, apologizing for Lauren's rude behavior. He, then, kissed me deeply. His tongue swept inside my mouth as his fingers glided up my bare arm.
"Yo! Porn stars!" Jasper called out. "I hate break up the make out session, but Kyra had an 'oops.'
With a groan, we separated and walked to the couch. Jasper was holding Kyra away from his body, wrinkling his nose. Rosalie was sitting at Jasper's desk actually plugging her nose. "What did you do, principessa?" I wailed. "How long were we kissing?"
"Long enough for your daughter to shit all over herself and on my couch," Jasper chuckled.
"Ugh," I grumbled as I threw my baby bag over my shoulder. "I'll take her to the bathroom. Edward, here are some baby wipes to clean up the couch."
I carried Kyra to the bathroom and stripped her out of her new outfit. I washed her as best as I could in the sink and changed her into another outfit. I faintly heard the door open and I saw Lauren come into the bathroom. "You really haven't changed, Isabella. You're still plain, ugly and smell funny. I can't even imagine why a sex god like Edward would want to be with you. I mean, really. Your hips are wide. Your boobs are flabby and let's face it. You're fat."
"At least my clothes fit," I spat. "And my boobs are the same size. Where did you get yours done? Tijuana?"
"Bitch. I paid good money for these tits," she said as she grabbed her chest. "Edward loves to bury his face between them."
What?
"Edward would never do that. He loves me," I snarled.
"Whatever," Lauren smiled. "He doesn't say that while he's fucking me. Makes me come, every single time. His dick should be bronzed. Besides, you're not as tight as you used to be, Isabella. Pushing out a kid does that."
"Well, for your information, I didn't push out Kyra. I was sedated and had a C-section. Secondly, I know that Edward would never cheat on me. Especially not with you. You're a slut and a skank and incredibly stupid to even bring it up. It would behoove you to stay away from my husband. If you so much as lay a fake acrylic nail on his body, those fingers will not be attached to you anymore. Am I clear, bitch?" I spat. I picked up my daughter and pushed past her. I carried Kyra to Edward's office. I sank down onto the couch and sobbed against my daughter's shoulder.
Edward came into his office and found me crying. He ran over to us. He pulled me onto his lap and held me as I sobbed. Kyra was crying too. She knew that Momma was sad. Evil skanks tend to do that to a person. I finally calmed down and looked into Edward's golden orbs. "What did she say?" he asked as he caressed my cheek.
"That I'm not worthy of you and that you've fucked her," I muttered, looking down at my daughter who was in my lap.
"She's so fired," Edward seethed. "I'm not worthy of you, gorgeous. You and Kyra are my life. I'd give anything for you. Do anything for you. As for 'fucking' her, I wouldn't do it with Emmett's dick. She's just nasty."
I snorted and looked at my husband. The look of disgust on his face was comical. I giggled at his expression. "Nice face, baby."
"She's probably got every single bacteria and sexually transmitted disease in her body. I can't be certain but I think she fucked Harold, the copy machine guy," Edward said as he scrunched his nose. "Harold's sixty and has back hair."
"And you would know this how?" I asked, arching a brow.
"It pokes out of his shirt," he shuddered. "Thank GOD I don't have that problem. Ew!"
"Are you really going to fire her?" I asked, staring at my husband's eye.
"Yes. She's been reprimanded several times by me and twice by Jasper," Edward said as he cupped my face with his large, warm hand. "Can you type up what Lauren said to you in the bathroom? I want to submit it to HR and have her gone by the end of the day."
I nodded and handed Kyra to him. I went to Edward's computer and typed up what happened between Lauren and me. I saved it to Edward's computer and printed off three copies: one for me, one for HR and one for our records at home. I signed the HR copy and handed it to Edward. His face grew red with fury. His hands were balled in tight fists. "Do you think that Rose can watch Kyra while we attend to this?"
"I don't see why not," I answered. "I think even Eric is over the moon for Kyra."
"I'm not leaving Kyra with Yorkie," Edward shuddered. "I love the man, but yeah, he's weird. Like weirder than me."
"Oh, stop it," I said with a roll of my eyes. Edward gave me a look that pretty much said 'don't fuck with me.' I decided to not push it and I called Rose. She came into Edward's office and watched Kyra while we went to Jasper's office. Edward had called the head of HR, a man named Gregory. All of the staffing decisions were ultimately up to Edward and Jasper, but Gregory covered their asses against potential lawsuits. He also maintained employee records. Apparently, he had been quite busy with the acquisition of Lauren.
I told my story about what happened with Lauren in the bathroom while Edward explained what happened prior to that outside of Jasper's office. Gregory, Edward and Jasper decided that Lauren wasn't a good fit for the company. The letters in her file were proof of that. She had received three reprimands for inappropriate attire, two for bitching out another employee and there was the incident with Harold, the copy guy.
What she said to me was the final blow. Gregory, Jasper and Edward made the decision to let her go. I was asked to leave the meeting after that decision. I told Edward that I was going to bring Kyra up to Eclipsed Sun. He kissed me and I left. I grabbed Kyra and Rose. We went up to the publishing company. We spent an hour up there while my staff cooed and cuddled Kyra.
My phone vibrated from my pocket and I saw a text from Jasper.
Lauren has been canned. She went bat shit crazy and wailed on your hubby. I think she broke his nose. Edward's giving a statement to the police as she's getting arrested for assault and battery – Jas
You may want to come down, Bella. I'm so sorry about what she said to you – Jas
With a sigh, I pulled Kyra away from Tia's arms. I promised to bring her back before I came back from my maternity leave. I was tentatively coming back after the first of the year. With a hug, I went back down to Whitlock Technologies. Eric told me to go to Jasper's office. With a frown, I walked to the office. Charlie was standing there, taking statements from Gregory. An EMT was addressing the situation on Edward's face. Lauren had clawed her nails into his cheek and his nose was swollen, obviously broken.
"That fucking bitch," I spat.
"She's in jail, Bells," Charlie said. "Edward is pressing charges. Relax."
"I will not relax. It's one thing to call me plain but another thing to hit my husband. What the hell?" I snarled as I sat down next to my husband. He smiled painfully then winced. He put the ice pack he was holding back onto his face. "What did she do, Edward?"
"She flew at me. Used her talons to scratch the hell out of my cheek and then started pounding on me with her fists," Edward said in a nasally voice.
"Why do you sound like Elmer Fudd?" I asked, arching my brow.
"I have gauze shoved up my nose," he grumbled. "It won't stop bleeding. If they can't quell the blood, I have to go to the hospital to get it cauterized. I don't want that. No, no, no…I had that done when I broke my nose in fourth grade. That like, sucked."
The EMT checked Edward's nose and said that he didn't need to go to the hospital. He visibly relaxed and thanked him. The EMT did suggest that Edward see an ear, nose and throat doctor to get his break looked at, but said that he was fine. Charlie had Edward sign some paperwork, along with Jasper and Gregory. Before Charlie left, he went to Edward's office with us and spent some time with his granddaughter. Eventually, Charlie left. His partner was itching to get back to the precinct to type of the charges against Lauren. Edward packed up his stuff and we decided to head home. Rose gave me a hug and drove back to her condo.
Johnny, who had been at lunch while this whole situation had happened with Lauren, came to the office. He was contrite and apologized profusely for what happened. Edward told him to not worry about it. What was Johnny going to do? Hit a girl? Edward was adamant that no woman should ever be hit by a man. It's just wrong. We drove back to the house in Glenview. Jasper told Edward to go home after what had happened.
Once we got home, I put Kyra down for her nap. Edward guided me to our bedroom and we made love while Kyra slept in the nursery. We both needed it. I desperately needed his reassurance that he did love me and still found me desirable. Edward needed it to forget Lauren and her skanky ways. Our love making was pure and sweet. Edward peppered my face with kisses as he gently thrust into me. I just stared into his beautiful eyes, conveying my devotion to him. Even though this was not about our releases, the orgasm that I had was intense. And it came out of nowhere. One moment I was moaning at how good he felt. The next moment, I was biting down a scream as my body clenched around him.
We curled up and took a nap after our sexual activities. Edward's grip around my waist was tight. Almost like he was afraid that something was going to happen to me. However, something happened to him and I wasn't there to stop it. I could kill Lauren for putting her hands on my love. I cried quietly until I eventually fell into a fitful, not restful sleep.
Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?
xx TGGTP xx
The rest of the week went by quickly. Alex had a minor heart attack, though. He saw Edward's swollen nose and slightly black eyes from Lauren's punch and he freaked out. Alex didn't want Edward's huge 'schnoz' ruining his wedding pictures. Admittedly, the swelling had gone down a great deal, but we still had the black eyes to contend with. To appease Alex, Edward said he'd have me put some of that 'concealer makeup shit' to hide the bruises.
On Thursday, we piled into my beastly car and drove up to northern Michigan for Alex and Demetri's commitment ceremony. Ricky had come back from Forks and was coming with us to the wedding. Johnny got some much needed time off. Ricky sat in the back seat with Kyra while I sat in the front with Edward. He was almost tempted to get a private jet to shuttle us to the vineyard. With scheduled stops for Kyra, the drive time was roughly eight and half hours to the vineyard.
I pretty much told Edward that was not necessary and that we were driving. He grumbled and agreed. After our trek through Michigan, we arrived at the vineyard. There was a large house where we would be having the reception. Surrounding the house were tiny cottages. Each family member got their own cottage. We got the largest one, after the 'honeymoon' cottage because we had Kyra and Ricky with us. Once we got to the resort, Alex bounced toward us.
"Oh MY GOD! You're here," he squealed as he pulled me into a tight hug. "I need my MOH. I'm having some floral issues. They put BABY'S BREATH in the center pieces. I fucking hate baby's breath. What should I do?"
"First thing you need to do is breathe, Alex," I laughed. "The second thing is to just remove the baby's breath from the center pieces. It's not that hard, sweetie."
"Oh," Alex said as he scratched his head. "You're brilliant, BB! I love you! Oh, and hi, straight boyfriend."
"Hello, Alex," Edward said with a crooked smirk. "What do you have against baby's breath?"
"It smells like cabbage," Alex responded, wrinkling his nose.
"Baby's breath doesn't smell like anything, Alex," I snickered.
"No, it doesn't," Edward agreed.
"Whatever, kids," Alex said with an eye roll. "I'm going to rectify this situation. Demetri is in the main house, talking to Papa. Oh, and Bella? All of us girls having a spa day tomorrow before the rehearsal. You will be glowing once we're done with you."
"Who will watch Kyra?" I asked.
"I've arranged for an au pair while you all are here," Alex said as he kissed my cheek. "Love you, girl!" He danced to the reception area while we walked to the check in desk. Demetri was standing, talking to his father. There was a look of concern on Demetri's face and Marcus was attempting to comfort him.
"Hey guys," Edward said as he put Kyra's carrier on the ground. "Is everything okay?" Marcus hugged Edward and me. Demetri clung to me a bit too long and he appeared to be almost defeated. "Something's wrong. Tell me, please?"
"We were getting ready to drive up here when I got a phone call from my brokerage firm. This economy has been brutal and it's hitting us hard. I was let go by my boss," Demetri said with a frown.
"That's horseshit," Edward spat. "How long have you been working for them?"
"Since I graduated from college," Demetri explained. "I was a finance major and did my internship with their firm. Now, after nearly nine years of working there, I'm done."
Edward pursed his lips and arched his brow. "Give me a minute, Dem," he said as he handed the carrier to Ricky. Edward whipped out his cell phone. He stepped away and I faintly heard him hissing to Jasper.
"Other than the work drama, are you excited about marrying Alex?" I asked as I rubbed my hand along his muscled arm.
"I am. I just wish that I was more into it," Demetri frowned. "I love Alex. With all of my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. But, I feel like a leech now. Mooching off of him because I'm fucking unemployed."
"You can work for me," Marcus said.
"Papa, I am not cut out for what you and your brothers do. You all have these shrewd business minds and that's not me. I can be shrewd when pushed, but I'm too nice," Demetri mumbled dejectedly. "I mean, Pop, you're nice too. But when you get involved in a business deal, you're a complete prick."
"I know," Marcus said, wrinkling his nose. "But, the offer is still there, Demetri."
"Thanks, Papa," Demetri said with a sad smile.
"Hey, brother," Edward said as he ran toward Demetri. "Let's get a drink. I saw a bar in the town outside of this place. Is that okay, Bella?"
"That's fine, Edward," I smiled. "Can you carry the suitcases to the cottage, though?"
"Sure, gorgeous," Edward said with his crooked grin. We got settled into the cottage and I put Kyra down for a nap while I washed the grime off my body from our drive. After my shower, I sat down in the living room. Ricky plopped down on the chair opposite me.
"Ms. Bella?" he asked.
"What's up, Ricky?" I replied.
"I have some information about Lauren. I've already shared it with Mr. Edward but I wanted to talk to you personally with the information that I found."
"What was it, Ricky?"
"Well, the social security card that Lauren used to get the job at Whitlock was fake. The Lauren Mallory that was attached to that social security number had died in a car crash three years ago in Reading, Pennsylvania. Secondly, Lauren was originally from Forks. I pulled some strings from an old war buddy who lived in Port Angeles to gain access to her information. She was married to a man, Tyler Crowley, who mysteriously disappeared in early August. Tyler was the mayor of Forks. They are investigating Lauren for the disappearance. There was also a man linked to Lauren that was not her husband. The description is almost like Mr. Edward's brother, Emmett, but not quite. When I questioned about the guy, no one could tell us who he was. The closest answer I got was from a bartender at Forks. He said that the guy that was with Lauren was named 'Mac.'"
"Mac?" I asked.
"Yep," Ricky replied. "Anyhow, Lauren left Forks shortly after Tyler's disappearance. That is a clear indication that she has something to do with it. My guess is this Mac is involved too."
"If you had to make an educated hypothesis, would you think that Mac is Emmett?" I asked, my blood running cold.
"I would, Ms. Bella," Ricky said as he patted my knee. "I'm really worried at how close Lauren got to Mr. Jasper and Mr. Edward. We're going to step up our protection."
"If Lauren's here, then Emmett or Mac or whatever his name is close by, too," I said with a feeling of dread. "And we're not safe?"
"No, Ms. Bella. Johnny volunteered to stay back at the house while you were at this wedding for Mr. Alex and Mr. Demetri," Ricky said. "He feels responsible for what happened to Mr. Edward and now he's trying to make amends. We're also hiring another security guard, Matthew, for you and Mr. Edward. He's a former Navy SEAL. He'll be assigned to Mr. Edward permanently while Johnny and I protect you and Kyra. None of you will be out our sight. We can't lose you. You're too important, Ms. Bella. You and Mr. Edward are like family to me and I refuse to let Emmett get you. If I have to kill to protect you and your family, then I will."
"Thank you, Ricky," I said, tears falling down my cheeks. "I just pray that it doesn't come to that."
"Me neither," he said with a sad smile. I stood up and hugged him fiercely. He gently patted my back. "You will be safe, Ms. Bella. I promise you."
I nodded and pulled away. "I'm going to lay down for awhile. Can you let Edward know that I'm going to rest?"
"I'll send him a text. Also, if Miss Kyra wakes up, I'll take care of her. You need time to absorb what I told you," he said.
I nodded woodenly and climbed into the king sized bed. I curled around a pillow and allowed my sobs to overcome my frame. The brevity of the situation just got a whole lot worse.
A/N: So, I had planned on having the wedding in this chapter, but it just didn't fit. When we pick up, it'll be when Edward and Demetri left for the bar. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it. As always, picture teasers and sneak peeks are on my blog. The link is in my profile. Also, if you have a suggestion of what should happen to Mac and Lauren, leave me a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts.