A/N: OK, so I have to say, you've read a little bit about Renee, but you get much more here. She is not your typical Renee…and some of you may not be happy with how I portray her. The purpose of my doing this was for all of you to understand Bella by understanding how her mother treated her. So, I hope you all don't hate me, but this part was necessary to my overall story.

I must thank my girls! Starpower31 and torisurfergirl…boy, what would I do without you two!?

Chapter 25 – The Past

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future."

Bernard Meltzer

BPOV

"What do you want, Renee?" I asked my mother, who was standing outside my apartment. She looked furious—a look I easily recognized. It had been a rare moment when, as a child, she hadn't been angry with me. Haven't I always been a constant disappointment, Mother?

"Don't take that tone with me, you little shit. I've come to tell you that I have the money you need," Renee said, walking into my home like she owned the place. She dropped her purse on the floor and draped her jacket over the back of the couch.

Money? What the hell? "What are you talking about?" I asked, closing the door behind her. "I don't need any money."

"Oh, yes you do. I have the money you'll need for the baby. There's no way that you can do this on your own. You can barely take care of yourself…there is no way that you can take care of a baby." She flopped on my couch, kicking her feet up on my coffee table.

Edward was still standing next to me, and I felt him tense. Knowing Edward as well as I did at that point, I knew he wouldn't step into the conversation unless I needed him…or unless Renee crossed the line. I walked over to Renee, pushed her feet off my coffee table, and sat down in the chair across from her. Edward came and stood behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Renee's head snapped up, as if she had just seen him for the first time. Her eyes narrowed.

"Who is that?" she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"That is the father of my child, and my boyfriend. We are managing just fine getting ready for our baby, and there's absolutely no reason why we'd need to take your money." My chin lifted defiantly in the air. It was amazing how childlike my mother could make me act.

"Oh, please! You think this man is going to stay with you just because you're pregnant? He's enjoying the free ride you are probably giving him with your father's life insurance money. Once that runs out, he'll leave. They all leave, Isabella."

"It's Bella," Edward said quietly. I felt his hand tighten on my shoulder. I'm not enjoying this any more than you are, Edward.

"Don't you talk to me, you asshole! I'm speaking to my daughter, who I named! I can call her whatever the hell I want!" Renee stood up and began walking over to Edward. As quickly as I could, given my size, I stood up and blocked her path.

"That's far enough, Renee." I held my hand out, pressing it against her stomach.

"Stop calling me that! I am your mother, and I deserve your respect. Pregnant or not, I will put you in your place." Her hand came up and instinctively, I closed my eyes, turning my head to the side. She had threatened me daily…but only once did she make contact. That was enough for me.

However, the blow that I was expecting never came. I looked up to see Edward's hand clutching Renee's arm. Clearly, he knew that she had been about to hit me, and he had blocked her by grabbing her arm. The look on Renee's face was priceless. She was clearly angry, as her cheeks were red and her eyes were wide.

"Get your hands off me!" she cried, pulling her arm away from him.

"Keep your hands off her," Edward said, quietly and calmly. "I think it's time that you leave."

"I'm not leaving without my daughter."

Shocked, I looked up at her. "You think I'm coming with you?" I squealed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Finally—and I should have expected this given how horrible my mother was behaving—Edward snapped. He stepped forward, grabbed her coat off the back of the couch, picked up her purse from the floor and walked to the front door. He placed both items just outside before turning to face Renee.

"I think we've been more than patient with you. I don't care how far you came, or what your purpose was in coming here, but you are no longer welcome. I am asking you to leave our home, now, before I make you leave."

Even though his voice was calm, I could hear the anger pouring out of each and every word he'd spoke so carefully. I couldn't deal with my mother anymore, so I was inclined to let him get her out of there. At least now he truly understood what I had been dealing with my whole life.

"How dare you—" she started, only to stop as Edward took another step toward her.

"This is our home…not yours. Get out now, or I will call the police and have you removed."

Renee's eyes shot over to me, as if expecting me to defend her. Maybe it was Edward standing up to her, or the personality change because of the baby, I didn't know, but for the first time in my life I held my head high and refused to back down.

"You heard him. He has more rights in this house than you do. He is asking you to leave, so you better do it. Oh, and Renee,—"I emphasized the word, knowing it would drive her crazy, "—This is the last time. You and I are done. I'm changing my number, and I expect you to leave me alone from here on out. I will not raise my child in this type of environment. As far as I'm concerned, both of my parents are gone. Get out…and stay gone."

Renee looked almost comical as her mouth opened and then closed. My self-esteem finally jumped up a little as I watched her. For the first time in my life, I had stood up to my mother.

Renee, however, wasn't going to take any of that without having the final word. She was nothing if not a creature of habit. "Fine, I'll leave, Isabella. But, I want you to listen to me. Your father may have loved you more than me, but that doesn't mean that this man is the same way. He'll leave you just like all of the others. He'll leave you because you aren't worth anything. Never have been. You have been a waste of my time, money and energy since you were born.

"I am all too happy to leave you alone. Phil and I are moving to Florida in a couple months, so you won't be able to find me. If you should come to your senses before that and realize that you do need me, you know where to find me. If you wait too long, your chance will be gone."

As my cheeks heated up, she turned her glare toward Edward. Taking a step forward, Renee pushed her finger into his chest. His jaw grew rigid, but he didn't move.

"And, you, whatever your name is…if you are after money then you better leave now. I don't know what that little snot told you, but she doesn't have that much. Not enough to hold you for too long, anyway. Plus, with her figure, she'll probably never lose the weight after the baby. Pretty soon, you'll be stuck with a baby, a fat girlfriend and no money."

Edward had obviously had enough. He grabbed Renee by the hand and pushed her outside. As soon as the door was closed, he turned around and swiftly pulled me into his arms. I hadn't realized that I was crying until he wiped a tear off my cheek.

"Bella," he said, pulling my chin up so I was looking at him. "I don't want you to believe a word that she said. She is an extremely insecure person who pushes all of her doubt and fear onto other people. You are a wonderful person, the only person in the world that I could ever love. You are everything to me…and the fact that you are giving me a child means the world to me. I love you so much."

I nodded, unable to speak. My head fell against his chest, and I began to cry harder. He calmed me down by whispering over and over again how much he loved me and holding me tight. After a few minutes, I had calmed down enough to make it to the couch. Edward pulled me onto his lap, his hands resting on my belly.

We didn't speak—it wasn't necessary. We just held each other. The whole day had been filled with one emotional issue after another; first the sex of the baby, then the fight with Edward and now my mother. Apparently, I had had too much upheaval for one day, because before I knew it, I was waking up to Edward carrying me to bed.

"Shh, don't move, beautiful. You're exhausted, and I'm taking you to bed." He kissed my forehead and set me on the bed gently.

"What time is it?"

"Just after nine."

"God, I feel so old for going to bed so early," I said, sitting up slightly and rubbing my eyes. "I'm so sorry about her."

Edward chuckled a little bit, winding his arms around me again. "You never have to apologize to me about her."

"'Kay," I whispered. I wound my arms around him bringing his lips to mine. "I'm also sorry that I freaked out about Tonya."

"No. No, you were right. We've been together for a while now, and I should have told you. I'm sorry that I never told you that story."

My phone ringing stopped me from saying anymore. Edward stood up and walked into the living room, coming back holding my phone. I checked the screen…it was Alice.

"Hi, Ali."

"B? What's wrong?"

"I forgot about your creepy ability to read my moods. Renee was just here," I sighed, snuggling closer to Edward as he slid into bed next to me. "She was her normal self."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry! How did Edward handle her?"

I snickered. "He threw her out."

Alice laughed with me. "That's awesome. See, B? I told you he was perfect for you."

Edward joined us in laughing. He had apparently heard what Alice had said. "So, what's up with you, Ali?"

"Well, I wanted to invite you and Edward over for dinner tomorrow night. I know it's Saturday night, and you guys might be going out, but I haven't had you over since I moved in…"

Looking up at Edward, he nodded, so I responded, "Sure. We'd love to come over for dinner. What time?"

"Jazz, what time do we want them to come over?" I could hear talking in the background, but I couldn't tell what was being said. "How about five?"

"Jasper is there?"

"Uh, yeah, he's here every Friday night."

"Very cool. Well, we'll see you tomorrow night at five. I'll tell you all about Renee," I said, ending the call.

"Jasper was there?" Edward asked. It sounded like he was just as confused as I was.

"Yeah, Alice said he is there every Friday."

Sliding out of bed, Edward began changing into his pajamas. "Huh…I guess that's a good thing. Seems weird, though. Wonder what brought on that change?"

Edward came over to the bed and helped me into my pajamas also. "I'm not sure, but I believe it has to do Esme. Alice said that she thought Esme threatened him or something. She didn't go into it too much, but that's the general idea."

After switching off the lights, making sure that the front door was locked and shutting the bedroom door, Edward slipped into bed with me. I turned to lie on my side, and he wrapped himself around me, gently stroking my stomach.

"Mom's awesome. If she can get Jasper to come around and do what he's supposed to do, then that's all the better for Alice and the baby," he murmured in my ear. His lips were so close to the side of my face; I felt heat spread through my body.

His tongue snaked out of his mouth and gently licked my ear, sending tingles all down my body. Shifting slightly, so that I was facing him, I brought my lips to his. I enjoyed the taste of wine on his tongue, since I wasn't allowed to drink. His hand came up to my face, stroking down my cheek, my neck and stopped on my breast.

Edward had enjoyed the fact that my breasts were getting bigger and played with them often. Shoving my nightgown aside, his hands began rubbing my breasts, turning my nipples into painful peaks. By this time, his tongue was lacing down my neck. I arched my chest as his mouth came to rest on my already throbbing nipple. They were extra sensitive these days, and his mouth on them caused me to moan loudly.

With his mouth still manipulating my nipple, his hand slid down my growing belly and pushed my underwear down. His fingers slid over my heat, manipulating, caressing, and soon had me panting and begging for release.

His mouth moved to mine, as he slid carefully over my body. The belly posed only a slight problem at this point. I wasn't too big yet, so while he had to be careful, we could still make love.

"Ready, beautiful?" Edward whispered, lifting his lips away from mine for a moment. His eyes searched mine, and I nodded, unable to speak.

With heartbreaking tenderness, he slowly entered me. He began to move in and out leisurely, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. One hand moved to my breast, peaking my nipple again, while the other one moved next to my face. Leaning on one arm, he brought his lips down again. His tongue slid across my bottom lip, begging for entrance. Opening my mouth to him, I felt myself get closer as he continued to slide in and out.

Moaning slightly, I bent my knees and pulled my feet up to circle his back, encouraging him to move faster. As if reading my mind, Edward began to move faster. His lips hadn't moved, but I found that I was out of breath. I pulled my head away, gasping for air, and he continued kissing me down my neck. When he moved to the tender spot behind my ear, my release came hard.

"Edward!" I screamed, as my legs squeezed tighter around him.

"Bella…I love you…" Edward leaned up a bit, and I saw his eyes roll back into his head for a moment.

Soon, we both collapsed on the bed, tired and sated. His arms came around me once more, and he snuggled into my back. He was still stroking my belly, and I felt sleep starting to pull me under.

"You make me so happy, Bella. I couldn't imagine my life without you."

A/N: So….what's the verdict? Let me know what you think!