I love you all so much that I'm giving you another chapter. Plus, I'm snowed in. Again.

Several reviewers questioned Edward's intelligence. Shouldn't he have known better than to meet Jessica all by himself? Probably. But remember, he had no idea she'd seen the picture in the paper. He had no reason to believe that she was going to be a jealous bitch. He expected cold, heartless Jessica. He didn't expect to have to defend his relationship with Bella. His plan was to have a civil conversation with his wife and to find out why she'd suddenly decided to call. He got more than he bargained for.

Disclaimers: SM owns it. Chapter song is Celine Dion's "Taking Chances."


Chapter 12

Taking Chances


BPOV

I slammed my bedroom door, shaking the pictures that lined the wall. I winced slightly, but then I remembered that Riley was gone to a movie with Carmen. Collapsing against the bed, I pulled the pillow close to my chest and sobbed.

No one could be this evil. Could they? What kind of mother uses her son as a bargaining chip in a divorce? A divorce she initiated?

A woman scorned…my subconscious whispered to me… a woman who sees the new nanny as competition.

But competition for what? Her son's heart? Or her husband's?

Marcus's words to Edward rang in my ears.

"In Jessica's eyes, you have a new girlfriend. And her son has a new mother. The claws are going to come out, Cullen. Mark my words."

No one could be that selfish. Could they?

And I wasn't Edward's girlfriend. I didn't know what I was exactly. It was all so new. We were wildly attracted to each other and having a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves, but I thought we'd done pretty well. The dance at the charity gala had been our only public outing without Riley.

My cheeks flamed as I remembered that dance. And the kisses that followed. That night on the piano. And later, the heated kisses in his study…

All in all, I thought we'd shown amazing restraint. But Riley had noticed our connection, which proved just how observant he was. And Marcus obviously had concerns…

We'd been so careful, and it was all for nothing. Jessica could make her claims, and it would be up to us to disprove them. Would it matter to the judge that Jessica committed adultery and abandoned her son? In my mind, that knowledge should be enough to grant Edward full custody of their son. But I wasn't the lawyer, and the lawyer was concerned that my living here would provide just enough ammunition to plant the seed of doubt in the judge's mind. The last thing I wanted to do was cause Edward to have to share custody with a woman who obviously had no desire to be a mother.

Just the thought of Riley having to spend any unsupervised time with his neglectful mother brought a fresh wave of tears, and I clutched the pillow tighter.

It was so unfair.

I sighed when I heard a faint knock at my door. I knew that he was going to try to convince me that everything was fine.

He didn't want me to leave.

I didn't want to leave.

But we don't always get what we want.

"Come in," I whispered softly.

Edward opened the door; his face was creased with worry as he made his way over to my bed.

"Don't," I whispered pathetically against the pillow. "I won't be able to handle it if you try to hold me."

He ignored me and climbed right into my bed. He nestled me close, and I was powerless to fight him. With a sigh, I buried my nose against his chest as his arms wrapped protectively around me.

"Shh….everything is going to be okay," he whispered softly.

"I knew you'd say that," I muttered.

I felt him chuckle.

"Because it's true."

I let him hold me. Occasionally, he'd kiss my hair, and I'd just snuggle deeper, letting his scent ground me and his touch soothe me.

Finally, I took a deep breath.

"I'm going to cost you your son."

Edward sighed as he kissed my forehead. "First of all, Marcus worries too much. We aren't doing anything wrong, Bella."

I sniffled and turned my face toward his, resting my head in the crook of his arm. We stared intently into each other's faces as he trailed his fingers along my wet cheeks.

"Did you know that you have the biggest, brownest eyes I've ever seen?" He whispered softly. "They're so beautiful."

"You're changing the subject."

He smiled. "Just making an honest observation." His smile faded as he gazed at me. "Bella, we aren't doing anything wrong. They can't prove a thing."

"But we want to," I murmured shyly.

"Wanting and doing are two very different things," Edward reminded me with a soft smile. "We've been very good at keeping our distance. It's going to be okay, Bella."

I shook my head. "But look at us – right at this moment…." My eyes looked down at our bodies. Without even realizing what we were doing, we'd shifted closer. One of his hands remained cupped around my cheek while the other was resting on my waist. My own hand was lying against his chest.

"We're like magnets, Edward…."

He didn't deny it, but his eyes darkened. My stomach clenched with longing as I felt his hand slide through my hair.

"Do you know how infuriating it is to be accused of doing something that you aren't doing?" He asked softly. "Especially when you want to do it…. so very badly?"

I gasped as his hand trailed along the curve of my neck. I sighed softly…my eyes closing in contentment…

"Your skin is so soft," He whispered roughly. "I want to kiss every last inch of it. Someday, I will."

He nuzzled his nose with mine, and I whimpered softly as he pulled me closer. I could just imagine how we looked with our legs tangled and our hands roaming. Common sense nagged at me…warning me…

Don't do this, Bella…

"Edward, we can't," I offered pitifully. I didn't sound convincing at all.

"Why not?" He whispered urgently. My hand had a mind of its own as it slid along the planes of his stomach. He groaned softly as he placed soft kisses along my cheek. "If nobody believes us anyway…"

I moaned as his hand made its way beneath my shirt, softly grazing the skin along my stomach. He buried his face in my neck, tenderly kissing the spot right below my ear. I trembled in response, and he moaned softly, obviously aroused by the fact that I was so affected by him that I was literally shaking.

Before I could even register what was happening, I was pinned beneath him. He stared down at me with his blazing emerald eyes…his penetrating gaze causing my insides to turn to Jell-O. We both moaned as he pressed against me. My hips arched to meet his, and he growled in my ear.

"Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you," he whispered breathlessly in my ear.

I couldn't tell him how much I wanted him to kiss me. Because then he would, and I'd be lost.

And Jessica would be right.

So unfair.

"You can't," I replied firmly, and I gently shoved him away.

Surprise flashed across his face, and he leaned back against the mattress. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

I closed my eyes in frustration. I sat up and pulled my knees up to my chest. I rested my head against them and gazed at his tortured expression.

"I'm sorry, too. But this is exactly why I should move out. It's obvious that we can't keep our distance…"

"We can," Edward replied confidently. "We will. I just need to keep my hands to myself and my focus on my son." His face paled; his voice resonated low. "Bella, if you were to leave him…."

"I know," I whispered. I couldn't bear for him to finish that thought.

On cue, a high-pitched voice resonated down the hallway, shouting both of our names. We grinned at each other as Edward took my hand.

"He loves you so much," Edward whispered. "Please Bella…we'll figure this out. But please don't leave him. I know I have no right to ask, but I can't even imagine how devastated he would be. Please….." His voice was pained, and I had to resist the urge to climb into his lap and wrap my arms around him.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Riley was grinning from ear to ear. If he was surprised to find Daddy and Bella in the same bed, he sure didn't show it.

Carmen, on the other hand, looked positively mortified.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered from the doorway, her eyes wide with panic.

Edward just chuckled.

"We were just talking," I explained quietly as Riley climbed into my lap. "It hasn't been a good day."

Carmen's eyes rose in curiosity as her gaze settled on Edward.

"Meeting didn't go well, I take it?"

"We have some....potential complications…" Edward offered as an explanation, and Carmen's face flashed with annoyance. I focused my attention on the little boy in my arms who was smiling brightly at me, totally oblivious to the tension in the room.

With his sweet green eyes and his tender heart…how would I ever be able to say goodbye?

Carmen growled. "Why am I not surprised? That selfish, egotistical, miserable excuse for a…."

I cleared my throat loudly. "Riley, why don't we take your bath and you can tell me all about the movie?"

"Okay!" He jumped down to the floor and raced down the hallway.

"He's very happy today," Edward noted with a sigh. Carmen and I nodded in agreement. I offered each of them a tired smile before making my way to Riley's room.


"Close your eyes," I grinned at him as I grabbed the handheld shower head. This was Riley's favorite part of bath time…having the shampoo washed out of his hair under the spray. He giggled and squeezed his eyes shut as the water and soap trailed down his face. I used a towel to wipe away the shampoo from his eyes. His laughter echoed off the bathroom walls, and I couldn't help but grin. His happiness was so contagious. I wish I could bottle it up and sell it. I'd never have to work another day in my life.

"Bella, are you sad?"

His perfect observation surprised me. I thought I'd been hiding my feelings so well.

"A little bit, yeah."

He grew thoughtful as he sloshed the water back and forth. He accidentally splashed me, but I didn't care. It was rare that I ever escaped bath time without soaked clothes.

"Sad because of me?" His voice was just a whisper.

Startled, I softly touched his wet cheek. His eyes were wide.

"Of course not, baby. You make me very happy."

"I do?"

I smiled softly. "You do. Always."

He sighed and leaned his chin against the edge of the tub, looking up at me with his father's beautiful green eyes. He was such a beautiful little boy. I thought about Jessica and how effortlessly she'd just walked right out of his life, as if she hadn't given birth to to the sweetest little boy on the planet. I was plotting her death just as Riley's little voice resonated in my ears.

"I love you, Bella. Did you know that?"

I gasped softly as tears welled in my eyes. His little face was so sweet and bright as he smiled up at me, as if telling me he loved me was just as natural as saying hello.

My heart leapt in my chest, and I realized that there was no way I could leave him. Had I honestly believed I could do that? I could never do that, and that realization floored me. I loved him as if he were my very own child. He'd been so shattered when I first arrived. Angry. Hurt. Depressed. And little by little, with lots of hugs and kisses and love, that devilish little boy had disappeared, replacing him with this innocent child that was so starved for affection and eager for love that it nearly took my breath away.

I loved this little boy so much that I was willing to fight for him. I'd stand by Edward's side and we'd fight Jessica and her team of lawyers if it meant that Riley would sleep peacefully every night and wake up each morning with that beautiful smile on his face.

Suddenly, Mama Bear had resurfaced…and she was pissed.

That bitch didn't deserve this adorable child. She'd deserted him! Discarded him without a second thought until another woman came into the picture. And her husband! Edward was the sweetest and kindest man I'd ever met in my entire life. How dare she abandon them and then threaten to wreak havoc on their lives once again just because they'd dared to move on with their lives?

Sensing my fury, Riley leaned closer, placing his wet hand on my cheek. The innocent gesture warmed my heart and momentarily suppressed my rage.

I leaned close and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, too, Riley," I whispered sincerely.

And his answering smile was all I needed to solidify my decision.

More determined than ever, I helped Riley get dressed for bed. Carmen offered to read to him, and I kissed him goodnight before I made my way to the study. The door was wide open. Edward's head snapped up as soon as I walked through the door…his troubled eyes cautiously searching my face.

"Bella?"

Without a word, I shut the door behind me and made my way over to his desk. He stopped typing on his laptop and leaned back in his chair as I walked around the desk. Swiftly, I climbed into his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. His face flashed with surprise, but his hands reached lovingly around my waist. He gazed at me….concern etched across his face…and I lost myself in his emerald eyes.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked softly.

I placed my hands on each side of his face, watching him….wondering how I could put into words everything I wanted to say. I wanted Riley. I wanted to fight.

I gazed down into Edward's handsome face.

I wanted this. I wanted him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I said the only thing I could think of that would perfectly illustrate my point.

"Kiss me," I whispered urgently.

He gasped but didn't wait for me to change my mind. His eyes darkened to jade, and he wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck, pulling me flush against his body.

We moaned in unison as his mouth crushed hungrily against mine.


My readers are so creative when it comes to Jessica's demise. Car accident. Stabbing. Driven/pushed off a cliff. Matters not how it happens; you just want her gone. Maybe I've made her too evil? Surely there's something good about her…right?

I love you all!

As always, let me hear it.