DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended. Additionally, "Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines" belongs to Dylan Thomas. No copyright infringement is intended.

Previously:

"No," I interrupted her immediately. "You have nothing to apologize for." I turned to kiss her on the head. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? It's been a very long day. We can talk more about it tomorrow, but for now you need your rest."

"Thank you." She squeezed me around the waist. "Love you."

"Love you too."

It had been two months since Bella saw Lars at Pike Place. Two very tense, nerve-wracking months. The day after she saw Lars, we had gone to the FBI office to meet with the team, and Bella was introduced to Jane, her new shadow. Jane was a former Army Ranger and held a black belt in Taekwondo as well as Judo and Krav Maga. She was a bit rough around the edges, but Bella liked her. Jane also insisted Bella continue her self-defense training, but she took it over claiming it would be something they could do in their down time.

Understandably, Bella didn't take it well when she learned we had known there was a possibility Lars was in Seattle and did not tell her. I'd never seen her so angry before. She pushed out of her chair so hard it crashed to the floor. When she tried to leave and someone grabbed her arm, we all watched in amazement as she took them to the ground. She didn't even spare the man on the ground a second glance as she told Jane she wanted to leave. When I stepped forward, she shook her head once breaking my heart. I didn't blame her though, and my anger at the team, at my aunt and uncle, grew even more.

It took two weeks and a few therapy sessions for Bella to work through it enough that she'd speak to me on a regular basis. It took almost a month before she starting speaking to Carlisle and Esme in a capacity outside of the investigation, and even then it was infrequent and stilted. As for Agent Acker, she still wasn't speaking to him. At all. He had threatened me with criminal charges, and for that, she had not forgiven him.

Today was a happy day though. There was no thought of the investigation or the threat that still lingered. For one night, tonight only, I'd convinced Bella to forget about it all. It was her birthday, and I had every intention to spoil her rotten…or at least as much as I could get away with. She deserved all the good in the world, and if I could give her a fraction of that, I would.

"You better not have some big party planned," she said as she opened the door once I'd knocked.

"Well, hello to you too," I greeted her with a chuckle. At least, I was chuckling until I looked her over. A tight black cocktail dress clung to her every curve. And there were curves. She'd gained muscle from her workouts, and it was paying off. An intricate lace covered her neck and chest before the solid, silky looking material became solid and fell to mid-thigh. The dress was very flattering, but it covered her completely. It left everything to the imagination, and perhaps that was why it was so enticing. I knew what was underneath, but every man that saw her would be wondering. That made the caveman in me quite happy. "You look absolutely breathtaking." She tried to hide her smile but couldn't so she looked away as she mumbled a 'thank you'. "Happy birthday, Bug."

"We're not talking about that," she mumbled before pulling me into her for a kiss. When she began to pull away, I wrapped my arms around her and held her in place as I let my lips linger. She sighed and melted into my chest. Eventually, I let her tilt her head away and look up at me. "We could stay here and do more of this." I had to pull away so I wasn't laughing directly in her face.

"It isn't going to be painful. You'll enjoy it; I promise." She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, and it made me smile. This was the most lighthearted I'd seen her in months. "None of that. Don't be a spoilsport. Trust me. You won't be disappointed."

After retrieving her coat from the condo, I led her down to the car with Jane not far behind. Phillip greeted us with a smile wishing her a happy birthday. She graciously accepted the sentiment, which I pointed out she didn't do for me. That drew a smirk from her but no comment. She tried to get me to reveal our destination a few times during the car ride, but I managed to redirect the conversation each time. Before long, the car pulled to a stop and Phillip opened the door helping Bella from inside. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, I was caught off guard when Bella's weight hit me causing me to rock back.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted. "I can't believe you brought me to Lola. This is one of the last places of Tom's we haven't hit yet. Thank you!" I smiled and hugged her back.

"You're very welcome." After our Valentine's dinner catered by Chef Tom Douglas, Bella decided we needed to try all of his restaurants. After tonight, we would only have the Brave Horse Tavern and Etta's left. "Let's head inside."

I gave the hostess my name, and she smiled widely upon hearing it. She relayed a message from Tom that he wanted to wish Bella a happy birthday and planned to visit the table if he had time to that night. Once the message had been passed along, she led us to the back room. I stepped through the door first and turned to watch Bella's reaction.

"Happy birthday!" For a few moments, Bella's startled expression worried me. Had I gone too far? Quickly though, she smiled at everyone in the room, and my worry dissipated. I chuckled when she reached over and thumped me in the chest without any weight behind it.

"I told you no party," she sighed.

"It's dinner, not a party," I clarified. She rolled her eyes at me before leaning forward and pressing her lips to mine. Not only did the heels make her legs look killer, they also brought her closer to my height. I could kiss her longer without having to worry about her pulling away. I finally pulled my lips from hers though when I heard Charlie clear his throat. "Let's go say hi to everyone." I helped her out of her coat then motioned for her to go ahead of me.

Charlie, Sue, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice sat around the table with empty chairs for Bella and I. Bella was making her way around the table hugging everyone. I followed behind thanking them for helping me make the birthday special for her. Alice was the last in line, and Bella kissed her cheek warmly before reaching for the bundle in her arms.

"Pass her over," Bella said with a bright smile. "Hi, Maelyn. Come see Aunt Bella." Alice handed over her daughter with a tender smile. "You're one month old today, little one. Isn't that exciting? This is your dinner too. I declare it." I smiled as I watched her interaction with the baby. It had taken a few weeks for Bella to determine what her true feelings were about Alice having a child. Once she did though, she was all in. She spoiled Alice in any way she could, and once Maelyn was born, she doted on the little girl too. Watching her with Maelyn did things to me. I pictured her with another baby one day, one that meant a little more to her than Maelyn.

"Sir," a voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned to see the waiter. "May I get you something to drink?"

"Water, please," I told him after clearing my throat. I turned to Bella to ask what she would like before turning back to the waiter. "Tea for her, please."

He nodded before leaving the room. I turned back to listen to Bella coo at the baby, but Charlie interrupted me. We talked about our upcoming fishing trip we had scheduled next month. All of us guys were going, so it should be an interesting trip. Emmett and I had grown close over the last year with him serving as Bella's protection for the first several months. He would be new to the overall group, but I suspected all would go well.

"Do you have the boat booked, or did you buy it?" Charlie asked with a chuckle. Ever since Valentine's Day, he liked to tease me about my "toys" as Bella referred to them.

"Yes, it's been booked," I said with a smirk. "I wasn't able to get the larger boat though. Hopefully it won't be a problem."

"What boat did we end up with?"

"It's a Viking Sportfish. The 98-foot was already reserved, so we ended up with the 76-foot." Charlie just stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"I think we'll survive."

The waiter returned with our drinks and two others followed him with trays. Various plates were set around the table while he explained the spreads were courtesy of Chef Douglas. Bella tried to refuse, but the waiter was hearing none of it. We thanked them and began sampling all the wonderful food. Bella's favorite was the Roasted Sweet Red Pepper spread. She closed her eyes and moaned when she ate it, and I had to shift in my seat.

After everyone ordered their meal, we decided to start with presents. Bella was completely embarrassed by the attention, but she did her best to be a good sport. Alice and Jasper gave her a beautiful sapphire necklace that Bella had apparently commented on when she was with Alice on a shopping trip. Charlie and Sue gave her a certificate to have her diploma custom framed which made her choked up. Unable to contain my excitement, I gave her my present. She opened it up, and once she saw it, her breath hitched. She held it to her chest and looked at me with watery eyes.

"Is it not okay?" I asked alarmed.

"Five stars," she said, her voice thick with emotion. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine.

"What? What is it?" Alice asked giddily. Bella pulled away after whispering she loved me. Bella turned it around so the table could see the embroidered notebook. "IMC Threat Assessment and Securities. What's that?" Bella had decided she was ready to tell everyone about her business. I thought this would be a good way to prompt her to do so.

"It's my company."

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Well, the company I want to start." She went on to explain what she'd been working on for so long. Everyone was interested and supportive of her dream. She had been a bit nervous about telling them, but I knew it would go well. Once she finished explaining, she looked over at me once again. "Thank you so much."

"That's not even the main gift." I was beyond excited to give her this. "Open it up." She looked at me curiously before unzipping it and opening it up. It took her a moment to read over the first few lines before it registered to her. She laid the notebook on the table with shaky hands before running a finger over the text. I couldn't keep my grin contained. Her breath left her in a rush before she looked over at me.

"Is this?" She looked back at the papers before meeting my eyes once again while biting her lip. I nodded. Her lip trembled as tears filled her eyes. "I-" A soft sob broke through before she leaned forward and threw her arms around me. I returned her embrace with a chuckle.

"What? What? What?" Alice asked excitedly. Maelyn fussed for a second from the excitement until Alice bounced her to calm her down.

"It's a contract," I explained when I realized Bella was too choked up to speak. "MC Incorporated wants to invest in the start up of IMC." Everyone got excited and began congratulating Bella. They were passing her around the table for hugs while she tried to dry her eyes. When she hugged her dad then moved on to Sue, I realized Esme was standing in the doorway. I hadn't invited her, so I was surprised to see her. When she looked up and met my eyes, she gave me a heartbreaking look. She opened the door to the private dining room and stuck her head out for a second. Quickly, Jane walked into the room and shut the door. My heart dropped. "What's going on?"

"We need to go," she said without explanation. "We need to go to the office. Now."

AN 06/16/2019: A lot going on this chapter, so I'd like to hear what you thought. Bella took quite a while to come to terms with being lied to/betrayed. I don't blame her though. They broke her trust. Seems she's still on the outs with Carlisle and Esme seeing as they were not at her birthday dinner. Alice had her baby - woohoo! Bella seems to be loving life as an aunt. :) I've always enjoyed being an aunt. You get to play with them, love them, be the best friend, hype them up on sugar and send them home to mom and dad. Ha! Then Edward's investing in IMC, which probably doesn't surprise anyone. CoppertopJ was so very kind and created a logo for IMC that is absolutely spot on. Check it out on my Facebook page - Lena Kay - and leave her some love.

To the guest reviewer that's been with this story for quite a while now: You have brought grammar issues and spelling mistakes to my attention throughout this story. That doesn't bother me, though your delivery could use a little work. I don't mind when people point that out and help me fix it. However, I don't appreciate your attitude and unnecessary criticism of my writing style or choice of words. My story. My choice. You are not my friend, editor, or trusted advisor. I'm not soliciting that type of advice from you so keep it to yourself. And now you're criticizing the way I write my authors notes? Ha! Honestly, you made me laugh at the one. If things are bothering you so much that you feel the need to badger me behind an anonymous review, I encourage you to leave the story. There's enough negativity in this world that we don't need one more asinine troll in this place that so many of us use as an escape from people and attitudes similar to what you've displayed.