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Still Breathing
Shallow Breaths
Chapter Twelve
TRIGGER WARNING!
This chapter contains drug use, violence and rape. If you don't want to read it, skip James' POV.
JamesPOV
Shaking the water from my hands, I don't bother looking up at the mirror. I know what I'd see, and I'd get it in my head that the bitch making all that noise in the room next door wasn't good enough for me. Truth be told, she wasn't, but there had only been one that ever came close to being worthy enough and it had been a long while since I got to bury myself in that.
These days, even the thought of Vicky brought a scowl to my face. Slamming my palms down on the bathroom counter, I stare at the wedding band hanging from a chain against my bare chest. I don't know why I still wore the shit. Victoria hadn't been faithful to me in years and I sure as hell wasn't going to sit by and let my dick die while she went off and tried wife with a new family. No, I'd gotten my dick wet plenty, but I still wore the ring. We weren't even married. Not really. Fucking government officials thinking they can own us? That they can tell us who can and can't be together? I wasn't falling for that bullshit, and Vicky agreed, so we stole a pair of rings off of an old married couple a few years back. They weren't going to be using them for much longer anyway, and Victoria had a thing for diamonds. These days I wore the thing to remind myself of what I was doing, what I was missing. The bitch thought she could take my son and run? She had another thing coming for her.
The muffled screaming and a bang against the wall draws a sigh from my lips at the same time it brings a smile to them. Speaking of bitches… it was about time that I dealt with the one tied up in the shitty Motel 6 closet.
I wasn't a difficult man to please. There were things I wanted, things I expected, and as long as they were dealt with, I didn't give a fuck about much else. When Vicky took our kid and ran, it took three weeks before I tracked her down. I watched her for days, watched her play mommy to our son and wife to a man who couldn't give her half of what I could. That bastard was on my list too, but I had a plan for that. Hair dye and fake smiles didn't hide who she was, and I knew exactly how to strike. I waited until the guy was gone, not that it was much of an effort as he rarely seemed to be around anyway, but taking Ethan was a sure fire way to get Vicky's attention. To get her running back to me so that I could teach her a lesson and show her what happens to bitches that betray me. The carnival was the perfect spot, crowded enough that I could grab the kid without a scene. The plan was to get out without Victoria seeing me, to make her chase us down, but the bitch never did make shit easy.
I didn't feel bad about roughing her up. She deserved it. Fuck, she deserved much worse, but I wasn't going to make it easy on her. Still, it'd been two years of taking care of the fucking brat and she still hadn't found us. I expected better, expected more, and not for the first time, Vicky let me down.
I'd only lasted two weeks before I grabbed a broad off the corner and offered to pay her in heroin to take care of the kid. The crying was driving me up a fucking wall and no matter how much I yelled and threw shit, he never shut up. It was a woman's job any-fucking-way.
Jessica, I think, was her name. Or maybe Jasmine. Either way, she only lasted a few months before she grew attached to Ethan. I couldn't blame her. He was my son, he had my genetics. Eventually she tried to wean herself off the dope, tried to get clean, and with that came one too many questions. I could still hear her bullshit screams as I dragged her through the forest, her mangled blonde hair stained red with blood.
'He's not even your son, James! You killed your own kid. That one isn't yours! I-I know what happened! The fire, your wife. All of it! You're a sick —"
I put a stop to that before she could finish her sentence. I didn't know how she'd heard about that, about the dream I had and the fight that broke out the night Vicky and Ethan left, but I'd be damned if she was going to try to take my own blood away from me. Vicky was one thing, but she was nothing but a cracked out whore trying to stir up shit between me and my wife.
Speaking of cracked out whores, the one making the racket in the closet had something coming to her too. Lauren, I think. I asked for one thing, for the kid to be fed and taken care of. I was pissed at Victoria, but I didn't want her to hate me, and not taking care of our son was a sure as fuck way to do that. The bitch raided my jeans while I was asleep and banged a little too much dope, so when I woke up and she was staring at the walls, her breathing wet and shallow, I knew I couldn't leave Ethan with her. Instead, I took him to the bar with me, threw a pack of donuts in his lap and told him not to move until I came back. If we'd been lucky, Lauren would overdose before we got back.
Of course, luck hadn't been swinging my way in quite awhile, and all it took was a jackass at the bar to get a little too cocky and I ended up in a jail cell. I thought that everything would be fine, but I forgot that I left the kid in the car, and by the time I stumbled back into the motel room, Lauren was still alive and Ethan was gone.
I knew without even looking into it where he was. Of course Victoria got her fucking hands on him again. I took my anger out on Lauren, left her lying in a pile of bruised ribs and fractured bones, and when her moaning got too loud I stuck a needle in her arm and hit the plunger until she shut the fuck up long enough for me to think. She'd been tied up ever since, and I'd had my fun playing with Victoria's pathetic excuse for security. Oh, I'd been watching. I'd seen the way she looked at that motherfucker that wanted to play daddy to my family, and I'd seen the way that Ethan wouldn't even look at her. I knew that shit had to fuck her up, so I was content to sit back and watch her misery unfold as she realized how little she knew about our kid.
I knew that every time she looked at him, she saw me, and the asshole walking around her like he knew her, wouldn't be an issue for long. I was going to have fun with that one, but for now, I needed to blow off some steam and get rid of Lauren.
Pushing off of the sink, I smirk at myself in the mirror and justify it with the knowledge of the girls limited life span. The motel room isn't big, so it only takes three strides before I'm flinging the closet door open and pulling Lauren out by her hair. She smelt like piss and shit, and I laughed to myself as she struggled to keep her feet under herself as I tossed her on the floor. I hadn't given her a hit in over three days, and I knew from experience that by now her body would be itchy and sore as a motherfucker. Shame that she couldn't scratch herself, what with the bindings around her wrists.
Those would have to go. The gag too, actually. My pocket knife comes in handy, and a few minutes later the whimpering pile of shit at my feet is unbound. Wrinkling my nose at the smell, My foot shoots out and lands a blow against the bitches ribs.
"You're disgusting. Take a fucking shower."
There's a short scream of pain and a series of coughing that follows, but Lauren manages to pull herself up. She opens her mouth as if she's going to say something, her eyes darting to the needle on the nightstand, but she, fucking wisely, decides to shut the fuck up and listen. She leaves the bathroom door open, but I don't bother sneaking a peek. I'll have my fun shortly. Instead, I snap the hair tie on my wrist and pull my hair up into a ponytail and sit on the side of the bed. My fingers move quickly with practiced movements, and I load up two needles. We don't have any clean ones, but the whore has never minded and I sure as fuck am not going to waste my money on a dead girl walking.
Her shower is quick and she's standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame for support with a threadbare towel tucked around her by the time I'm done. Her eyes fixated on the uncapped needles beside me, and I smirk as she trails them towards me.
"I believe you owe me an apology."
My words cause her hands to tighten on her towel, a movement that I notice the moment it happens. She drops her eyes and nods, her throat clearing in the process. "I'm sorry James. I… I didn't mean to steal from you."
I'm tempted to laugh, but I don't. This went beyond stealing from me, and it was almost funny that she thought that was the problem. Almost.
She fucked up my plans, and I was going to get even for it. Her eyes flick towards the nightstand again, towards the little orange caps tossed on the bed, and I'm suddenly tired of the charade.
"You want a hit?" Before I finish speaking, she's nodding and walking towards me. I let her, in fact, I don't move until her arm reaches out for one of the overloaded needles on the nightstand. My hand reaches out and tightens around her wrist, and I let loose a dry chuckle.
"Not so fast, Lauren. Ethan isn't here anymore, so there's only one way for you to earn your keep. Get on your knees."
She doesn't hesitate, and at least I can give her credit for that. Then again, I'm not surprised. I'd be eager to suck my dick too if I had a pussy.
Her hand shakes as she reaches out and pulls my cock from my jeans, and I know it's from the withdrawal and not nerves, because it sure as fuck wasn't Lauren's first time with my dick down her throat.
It takes awhile for her to get me hard, but the dirty blonde hair is the wrong shade and her staggered breathing is distracting, so I fist a hand in her wet locks and close my eyes as I shove her down deeper. I get there, eventually. Not fully, but enough to appreciate the warmth of her mouth surrounding me.
Her teeth graze my shaft, and I hiss through my lips as they dig in a little too deep. Pulling her off of me, I rear back my hand and let it slap against the side of her face with enough force to break skin. She cries out, and I chuckle deeply as I push her off of me and her towel falls to the floor. She isn't attractive, all skin and bones jutting out at wrong angles. Pale flesh and too much hair, but it doesn't matter. Not right now, anyway. She scrambled back onto the bed, her hand cupping her red cheek with tears in her eyes, but she stops trying to run when I reach for one of the needles. Kicking my jeans off, I put the needle in my mouth, my teeth pinning it in place as I reach for one of Lauren's ankles. She does flinch away, and I run my tongue across the plastic between my teeth as I forcefully yank her back towards me and spread her legs apart. She lays back, her throat bobbing in acceptance, and I don't give her any warning before I shove my cock inside of her. I'm rough, and fast, and my fingers tear at the skin on her rib cage as I slam her body onto me.
I know it hurts, not only because of the withdrawals, but because her face is set in a wince and she's gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes to keep from crying out, and I enjoy every fucking second of it. It isn't until she's crying, begging for me to stop and clawing at the sheets that I pull the needle from my lips. I'm panting, both from excitement and exertion as I grip the bitches arm in my hands, exposing her inner elbow to me. Her veins are fucked, blown out and bruised from overuse, but with this amount of H it won't matter. I shove my dick in a little deeper as I push the needle into her skin, and Lauren groans in pain laced pleasure for the first time since she spread her legs for me as I push the plunger down.
I don't go all the way. Not yet, but I leave the needle in her arm, my fingers holding it in place as I lean forward and drag my tongue across her neck, my dick twitching.
"Does that feel good, baby?"
She whimpers, and I take it as a yes.
"Do you want a little more?"
This time she nods, and I bite down where her neck meets shoulder, hard enough to draw blood as I push the plunger down a little more.
"Say please, little bitch."
Her walls clench around me, and I groan as she stutters out her reply.
"P-please James."
I give her what she wants, and I push the plunger down until it's empty. Tossing the needle aside, I reach for the second and grip Lauren's jaw between my fingers.
The first was enough to cause an overdose, but the whore came close before and pulled through, and I wasn't going to leave any chances this time.
"You ruined everything, you fucking whore, and you deserve every bit of this."
I turn her head to the side, my tongue tracing my bite mark against her flesh as my hand pins her head in place. Her breathing comes out in ragged spurts, and I know she's trying to talk but can't around my grip, so I move quickly, not wanting to miss out on any of the visuals. The jugular vein is much easier to find, and the needle slips past her skin with ease. This time, I shoot the entire dose all at once, fast enough to hurt, and I drop the needle beside her as I move to grip her hips.
I've never fucked a girl while she overdosed, but Jesus fuck was it a ride. Her body started convulsing beneath me mid thrust, and I had to work to keep myself buried inside of her, and even though Lauren was by no means tight, she made up for it with the way her tits bounced around as she started choking on her own vomit. Her body lurched against me, and I dug my nails into her flesh as the sound of skin slapping against skin slowly became the only sound in the room besides my own breathing. I fucked her until her body grew cold, but even then it wasn't anything compared to Vicky.
Even if she went by Bella these days, I'd get her back and I'd teach her how to be mine again. She may be fooling everyone else, but she would never fool me.
BPOV
"Are you sure you have to go? Why can't Jasper meet with you in your office here?" My question came out with a hint of a whiny voice and much to Edwards amusement, I simply rolled my eyes and did my best to bite back another attempt at keeping him home.
"Bella, you know what'll happen if Jasper shows up here. Alice will take that as an olive branch and do her best to weasel her way back in and I'm just not ready to see her. I know you aren't either." His voice was sympathetic while his features softened, he knew I didn't want him to leave us alone yet, but I understood his reasons. Not to mention, he wasn't wrong. I had a strong feeling that if his sister showed her face around here anytime soon there would be a family war. He paused for a moment and stepped a little closer, letting his thumb brush against my cheek. Our eyes met and I felt that familiar pull, my hands pressing against his chest on their own accord. "I'll be right back. An hour at the most." With a delicate sigh, I nodded and straightened his tie, our gazes locking once more.
"Just hurry back to us, okay?" My smile was weak but the effort was made. The crooked grin that responded was enough to rattle the emotions I've been trying so hard to keep hidden. My fingers trailed down the length of his tie and smoothed it over with a subtle press against the silver and sapphire tie clip that rested there. A gift from me a few Christmases ago. I smiled at the memory of Edward coming home with a perfectly gift wrapped box; blue with a white bow. The bracelet inside is one I still wear everyday. Sapphires and diamonds on a white gold chain link. Edward always preferred me in all things blue. What once felt like the memory of another lifetime was now a possibility to our new future. Our second chance at everything.
"Always. Besides, you don't have to worry. I've hired our own protective detail. You and Anthony now have personal bodyguards. They'll be here around the clock, take you where you need to go and believe me, they'll do a hell of a lot better job than the Police department." With a nod towards the front door, Edward rolled his eyes but found my questioning gaze.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, all the time?" I couldn't help but wonder if we would ever have a normal day where there were no threats, no police or bodyguards. In all honesty, I would feel safer with them here if Edward had to go back to work, but I had hoped he would take some more time off. He reassured me that he wasn't going to be returning to courtrooms any time soon, but the thought of him being away from us for an entire day set my already frenzied nerves on edge.
"Bella. It's necessary, and it's already done. They'll be here any minute." No sooner than the words came out of his mouth, there was a knock on the door. A sound I was beginning to resent. Edward raised a finger and looked towards the door as he slipped his phone and keys into his pocket.
"I just… I'd rather have you home with us than some strangers watching my every move. At least for a little while, maybe until Jam— he is caught." Swallowing down my nerves at the mere thought of that bastard, I did everything I could to keep the bile from rising in my throat. Edward sensed my unease and threw an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side with a kiss to the top of my head.
"I know, Baby. I don't want you to feel afraid and with some extra resources of our own, I can feel better about those few times that I'll have to leave the two of you here. Just let me protect you and Anthony." His eyes softened and I looked down, mostly to hide the smile that crept onto my lips at the sound of his voice in that moment.
Leaning close to Edward, I tugged on his arm and whispered next to his ear as soft as I could while the front door opened. "You know, I really love it when you call me that." His eyes snapped to mine and while his lips parted, he said nothing as I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and breathed a laugh under my breath at the look on his face. Maybe he didn't realize he had called me that familiar name, or maybe he was surprised that I acknowledged it, but either way, his face was priceless. A throat clearing pulled the both of us out of our moment and our gazes landed on two men at the front door, hands extended to introduce themselves.
"Mr. and Mrs. Masen, I presume?" Edward nodded and extended a hand of his own. The giant of a man moved his attention to me and even though I knew they were here to protect us, I couldn't help but move to stand behind my husband. Both men were dressed in all black clothes from head to toe, their jackets defined by the protective vests they wore underneath, Their presence wasn't as intrusive as I originally assumed it would be, but I still couldn't help the feeling in my gut about my son. I worried that the presence of these two men, these bodyguards, would scare Anthony, or at least become counter productive in his recovery. This was not the time to bring that up to Edward, but I made a mental note to have a conversation with him about it when we had some time alone.
"Edward. This is my wife, Bella. Please, come inside and my wife will show you around the house. I do have to run out for a short time, is there anything else you need from me that we haven't already discussed on the phone?" I watched the two men take in the details of our front entrance and I couldn't help but notice IPad that they were taking notes on as they made their way inside. Edward caught my questioning gaze and hesitated at my raised brow. I knew my husband, and I knew there was something else I didn't know about.
"Sir, we have everything we need, I'm sure your wife can assist us with anything we might require. Are we clear to go ahead with the security system upgrades?" The taller one looked to my husband while the note taker watched me, an awkward smile on his face. I smiled back, welcoming but still uneasy as I watched the exchange between them and Edward. My brows shot up and my arms naturally folded across my chest as I waited for an explanation from my husband. Edward nodded his agreement and ducked his head shamefully to avoid my gaze, but only for a moment.
"It's just some extra precautions, Bella. They'll explain everything and I'll help you learn to use it all when I get home, alright?" With a dip of his head, Edward leaned into me and pressed a quick kiss against my hair and nodded towards our new house guests. My frown was prominent and apparently amusing to Edward as he chuckled his laugh under his breath and headed for the front door. We agreed that when he had to leave the first time, he wouldn't say goodbye to Anthony. We had hoped that by the time Anthony noticed Edward's absence, he would be on his way home already.
"Hurry back to us." I called after him, watching his crooked smile fade as he got into his car and looked a little hesitant to actually leave. I didn't want him to feel anymore guilty than he already did, so with a delicate wave, a soft smile and a slight nod of my head for encouragement, I closed the front door, locking it behind me as I turned back to the two burly gentlemen waiting in my living room.
"Can I get you boys some coffee?" My curiosity peaked when I saw them open some bags and pull out stacks of wires, tiny cameras and little boxes. They both politely declined and kept their focus on their work, documenting everything they did as they took photographs of every newly installed device. My nosying came to a halt when I heard the baby monitor click on, a sure sign that there was movement in Anthonys bedroom. "Excuse me, my son is awake. I'll just be a few minutes." With that, I made my way upstairs, doing my very best not to wonder about every little thing those guys were doing to our home. I trusted Edward.
As I made my way into Anthony's bedroom, I was sure to be extra quiet, just in case he was still sleeping, but as I poked my head in the doorway, I smiled at the scene before me. Anthony was standing next to his bed, laying his teddy bear on the pillow and tucking him in the way I do to him. Once the blankets were pulled up over the bear, Anthony kissed the top of his head and I brought my hand up to cover my mouth so I wouldn't give myself away. I had no chance at stopping the tears that spilled. Even after everything he had been through, all the emotional trauma, abuse, heartache and sadness, my son still had compassion. He was a little boy who wanted not only to love, but to be loved, and no matter how long it takes for him to feel that way with us, he was taking care of his best friend, his teddy bear.
When Anthony turned around and caught me watching him, my smile must've been wide because he looked surprised and a hint of his dimples showed. I knew he wanted to smile too, and it only made my smile widen. With a questioning brow, he pointed towards the stairs. Anthony wanted to go downstairs.
"Are you hungry? You want to go to the kitchen?" A tiny shake of his head and I was laughing through my next question. "You want to go to the bathroom?" An anxious nod and a hint of a smile had me holding my hand out for him. Anthony's feet padded across the floor in a hurry, his hand reaching up for mine as I walked us towards the steps. No matter how many times I could get him to hold my hand, I couldn't contain my happiness each and every time it happened. I knew he was warming up to us, Edward especially, but it still surprised me to see him take my hand so quickly the last couple of days. I would hate to assume, or get my hopes up, but I was starting to think that Anthony liked it here with us.
"Hey, Buddy. What's your name?" Jumping at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, I held onto Anthony's hand a little tighter and smiled down at his questioning gaze. I shot a look to the the two bodyguards and knelt down to whisper to my son that it was okay to be around these two men because they are friends of Mommy and Daddy. Naturally, Anthony was timid, standing behind my leg as we reached the final step. I wasn't comfortable doing this without Edward here, but my worries were short lived. Before I could explain our sensitive situation, I realized that Edward probably already had, and I felt infinitely more relaxed as the conversation progressed.
"I want to tell you something really cool, are you ready?" I raised a brow as one of them dropped to a knee to get down to my son's height and the other kept taking notes as he connected wires and tucked them away through the floor, underneath the moulding strips. "See my friend here?" He pointed towards his partner, waiting for Anthony to acknowledge in his own way, and when he did, he continued. "Me and him? We're friends but we also work for your Mom and Dad, so we work for you too. Do you know what that means?" Anthony shook his head, his little eyebrows furrowed in a way that made him look like an exact replica of Edward. My heart swelled at the thought. "That means, you're the boss!" The smile that radiated off of that man was well practiced, but somehow felt genuine. I hoped it wasn't pity. My eyes found Anthony and when he looked up at me, his brow raised and a hint of a smirk on his face, well, he was more Edward in that moment than he ever had been. I simply laughed under my breath and nodded my agreement.
"So, anytime you want to go outside and play, all you have to do is make sure your mom knows about it, and then tell one of us and we have to come and play with you too, alright? Anything you want to do, you tell us, okay? That's very important." I nodded again, confirming that it was alright to make that deal and I appreciated his way of making sure that my son knew to tell someone before he wandered into the backyard. Even though we have gated property, it didn't guarantee our safety, so I was grateful for him planting the idea. With the threat of James, we had to take every precaution. Anthony was still unsure, but he reached his hand out when his bodyguard waited for a high five. I grinned at the sight and wished Edward had been here to witness it. The thought of my husband had me checking the time. It hadn't even been an hour and I was already anxious for him to come home.
After I got Anthony settled on the living room couch with some cartoons and a snack, one of the men came over to me. I had already forgotten his name, and he handed me something that looked like an iPad, just bigger. "What's this?" My voice was shy, unsure of whatever device they handed me, but I had a feeling this was the work of my husband.
"This is just one of the devices that control your home security system, your husband will have another one, we will have one and there will be a wall mount at the entrance door. From this tablet, you can lock the doors from inside or outside the house, from up to five miles away. You'll have access to a live stream or recording from any and all cameras installed on the property and you'll be able to listen to the audio as well. If you're ever in trouble, there's a panic button and it will alert all other devices simultaneously, as well as the police." As I listened to all his instructions, I couldn't help but wonder if we had all these gadgets from the beginning, would we have ever went through any of it? It was dangerous for my mind to go there, so I forced myself to stay in the present, take it all in, and hope that I would remember how to use all of these things.
"I appreciate you showing all of this to me, but I'll probably have more than a few questions when I have to use it." He laughed and nodded his head, smiling over at Anthony as he ate Cheetos and watched his afternoon cartoons. Just as I was about to pull out my phone and send a text to Edward, I heard his car pull into the driveway. I was off the couch and at the front door before he even got out of his car, and when he caught sight of me waiting for him, he paused and flashed his famous crooked grin. It was the smile that made me fall in love with him all those years ago.
"Welcome home." My voice was soft, but confident. Edward leaned in and pressed a kiss to my cheek before he made his way inside, his smile growing even wider the moment Anthony waved at him from his spot on the couch, his little fingers orange from the cheetos. "We're watching Mickey Mouse and I'm learning all about the new cameras and screens we had installed all over the house." Edward flashed an awkward grin and scratched at the scruff of his jaw while he watched me.
"I think it's a good idea, for now, until we get everything taken care of, and I know privacy is a huge thing. I just.." I waved my hand and pulled Edward close enough to m so that I could whisper in his ear, without Anthony overhearing.
"I think it's a good idea too, I'm glad you did it." My smile was genuine, my cheeks tinged pink as Edward smiled down at me and for the second time today, I found that he was staring at my mouth. My natural instinct was to lick my lips in anticipation, even though I knew Edward wouldn't kiss me. Not yet anyway.
"So, you're not mad?" He looked a little surprised but relieved al the same. I shook my head and eyed our son sitting on the couch.
"No, I'm not mad. You're keeping us safe." My voice was still low enough so that only Edward could hear me and in that moment, when his eyes met mine, I felt the tension between us. I had felt it plenty times before during our close encounters, but it was growing stronger as the days and weeks passed. I wasn't sure how much restraint Edward had, but I was finding myself struggling to keep my hands off of him. We hadn't even kissed, not once since he'd come back, but I was already wondering how much longer he would want to stay on the couch. I thought about it a few times, how I would approach the subject with him, but I decided I would just wait for Edward to make the first move. I knew he was right to want to take things slow, and I agreed completely and trusted that we would find our way back to each other in time, but I couldn't help but wish it was happening a little bit faster sometimes.
"Always." His voice was hoarse, raspy enough to recognize the intent behind it and I couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, my hand immediately resting against his forearm as we instinctively started leaning towards one another. A cleared throat had us pulling apart before we could get lost in the moment, my cheeks burning with my embarrassment.
"Sir, when you're ready, I'd like to go over the security update with you and your wife. We can sit in the kitchen, we have everything set up and all the computers ready to be transferred to your home office."
"That's fine, we'll be there in a minute." Edward's tone was clipped, I took a little satisfaction in knowing that he was a little flustered too and silently hoped that our new friends wouldn't be making it a habit to interrupt us. My gaze found the floor as I stepped away from him and did my best to hide my blush from our new somewhat annoying bodyguards, but as I started to walk away, Edward grabbed me by the wrist to keep me there. My eyes found his, questioning as I stepped closer to him.
"Bella, wait." His voice was softer now, maybe even a little nervous. I stepped closer but he never let go of my wrist, he just pulled me in tighter, his other hand reaching behind my back, resting low as he all but whispered his words.
"What is it?" I asked as he took a half step closer, his chest now pressing close to mine.
"I was thinking it's been a while since we've all been home and I was wondering if maybe we could have a date? Just the two of us, maybe dinner and a movie?" His eyes flicked to where Anthony sat on the couch before he finished talking. "I know we said we would take things slow, and I still want to, I mean, if it's too soon…" I interrupted his worrying by brushing my thumb across his bottom lip, my smile soft as I whispered my words back to him.
"I want to. We should have a date night, but I don't want to leave Anthony with anyone." Before I could get the words out, Edward was shaking his head in agreement.
"No, me either, we could have it here at home. We can cook dinner together, get all fancied up, have some wine, watch a movie on the couch? Maybe over the weekend?" I wondered to myself if Edward could still have just a couple glasses of wine after developing the habit he had, but I found myself nodding with a smile, unable to hold it back.
"That sounds perfect." We both smiled as Edward laced our fingers together and we made our way into the kitchen to see all the new techy toys these men had to play with. I flashed a smile to Anthony as he furrowed his brows at the TV, watching with wild curiosity as Mickey and Friends sang the hot dog song. Our home was safer, our family was a little happier, and that was all I could ask for while we dealt with the dark cloud looming all around us. I didn't know what would happen tomorrow or the next day, but I knew we were headed in the right direction. All of us. Together.
A/N: We are so sorry that it took us a while longer to update Still Breathing. We have been busy, sick, working, and just all around chaotic but we aren't going anywhere! Thank you for your patience, your epic reviews, kind words, questions and support. We hope you all stick with us, we appreciate all of you. A huge shoutout to all of our readers, we love you guys.
Alyce, this one was for you.
So, a date night for Edward and Bella? What do you guys think?
And James? Let us know!
All our love,
Fireheart & Firefly
