A/N: Sherry rocks

EDITED 11/07/15

Chapter 25

EPOV

"So, what we gonna do about him?" Em asked, the minute Bella walked out the room.

I turned to look at Charlie. I knew killing him was out of the question, she would never forgive me, but I also knew I couldn't trust the fucker as far as I could throw him. I had no idea what to do with him.

"I want to work for you," Charlie said, taking us all by surprise.

I laughed. I couldn't help it, but the thought of him working for me was fucking hilarious. Did he honestly think I was that stupid? Once a cop, always a cop, as far as I was concerned. I would never be able to trust him, but then I thought of Leah. She had been on the payroll for years and never steered us wrong. She was actually a valuable asset.

"I'm serious," Charlie said, standing up. Em pushed him back down onto the couch.

"You should consider it," My father whispered. "For Bella."

Yeah, Bella did need her father in her life, but not like this. I couldn't shake the voice in the back of my head telling me not to trust him. I had taken his daughter from him, and he would do whatever it took to get her back. Possibly even seek revenge.

"Garrett, take him to one of the spare bedrooms," I said, pointing to Charlie. I needed time to process this shit, and work out a plan.

Garrett pulled Charlie to his feet and shoved him forward, but he refused to walk past me. He stood there, staring at me with intent. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but trust in one thing. I love my daughter. I would do whatever it takes to keep her in my life. Whatever it takes."

"Would you kill for her Charlie?" I asked, half expecting him to back down.

"Yes," he answered, without hesitation, taking me by surprise. Killing in self-defense was one thing, but cold-blooded murder. Yeah, I wasn't sure if he could handle that.

"What if I told you to go and kill a family with kids that owed me money, would you do it?"

He stared at me with determination. "For Bella, yes, I would."

I had to admit, the fucker was convincing, but was he convincing enough? I motioned for Garrett to take him out the room. I knew that Charlie would need to be tested, to find out if he really meant what he said.

"I don't trust him," Jasper hissed.

"It's clear that he loves Bella. I don't think he would do anything to hurt her," my father said, trying to be the voice of reason.

I sighed. We would know either way, soon enough.

I went over to the drinks cabinet, unlocking it with a key I kept in my pocket. I grabbed four shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey. I placed the glasses on the coffee table and poured each of us a drink. It was time to celebrate Emmett's good news. He had come over earlier to tell us as a family that he was about to become a father.

"A toast," I said, lifting my glass, "to Emmett and Rosalie, the new parents."

I knocked my whiskey back and pulled my brother in for an embrace, offering him my congratulations. I was truly happy for him. I knew that they had unsuccessfully been trying for a few years. I just hoped the now that Rose was finally pregnant, it would maybe make her a bit happier.

"So how far along is she?" Jasper asked, as if he knew anything about this shit.

"Twenty weeks, so halfway," Emmett stated. "We had our second ultrasound this morning." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a dark photo, showing it off. All I could see was black and white squiggly lines.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked, trying to be funny. I couldn't ever imagine Bella and I being parents, we were too dysfunctional.

"No, Rose wanted to keep it a surprise," he said, tucking the photo back in his pocket.

"Shit man. You're gonna be a father," Jasper said, shaking his head.

"I know," Emmett said, letting out a deep sigh. "We spent so long trying that I never thought it was actually going to happen and now it is actually happening and I'm shitting myself."

"You'll be an excellent father," dad said, patting him on the back. "You have nothing to worry about."

"So," Em said, turning his attention to me. "You and Bella will be there right?" He asked concerned. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

My mother had booked a private room at the Le Bernardin for tomorrow night, for us to get together as a family and celebrate the good news. Emmett had just finished telling us about it before Bella burst in the door.

"Of course," I reassured him, but I had no idea how I was going to convenience Bella to go. She hated him and my father right now. I knew I would more than likely be attending myself, unless, I tricked her.

.

~Relentless~

.

When my family left, I went in search of Bella. We had to talk. I understood that she should be able to choose who did and did not come into her home, but she had to understand that she couldn't go around speaking to them like that either. It was a sign of disrespect, and to let it go unpunished was a sign of weakness. She was lucky that it had happened in our house, in front of people we could trust.

I checked her room first, figuring that was where she would be, or at least that was where she should be as that was where I had told her to go, but she wasn't there. I shouldn't have been surprised. I knew she was stubborn.

Upon leaving her room, I noticed the door to mine was partly open. I decided to check it out, knowing that I had closed it earlier. As soon as I entered the room, the scent of household cleaner assaulted my nose, some sort of concoction with fresh flowers. I noted that someone had pulled the covers back and poured a liquid all over my bed. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had done it.

I turned to exit back out of my room, slamming the door behind me, once again annoyed by Bella's childish behavior. What was she playing at? We hadn't even had a proper argument. So, why the hell was she so pissed off? I guess there was only one way to find out. I looked all over the house, searching for her, but I couldn't find her anywhere. I even checked with Liam at the front door to make sure she hadn't left. He assured me that she hadn't. I was just about to give up, when I realized that I hadn't checked the pool in the basement, which was exactly where she was, doing laps in the pool as if she didn't have a care in the world.

I walked to the edge and waited for her to see me. She swam over to my feet, blinking water from her eyes as she looked up at me. "Coming for a swim?" She asked, smiling. From this viewpoint, I could see right into her bikini top. The navy material, or lack thereof, was hugging her perfect tits, pushing them together, creating an amazing cleavage shot. My dick grew hard as I stared at her breasts, unable to remove my eyes from them. All I wanted to do was jump in that pool with her and take her against the wall.

I had to shake my head and remind myself that I had other matters to take care of. "I didn't bring my swim trunks," I said, in response.

"That's too bad," she replied, as she made her way over to the stairs.

I went over to meet her, taking her hand and helping her out of the pool. When she left the water, I could do nothing, but stare at her at that piece of cloth she called a bikini. She looked fucktastic and suddenly, all I could do was think about fucking her. I needed to fuck her. I pushed her against the wall, pinning her hands above her head as I kissed my way to her neck, down to her collarbone and then made my way back up. Bella moaned, letting me know how much she was enjoying it.

I took her earlobe into my mouth, nibbling and grazing it with my teeth, as I cupped her breast.

"Please," she moaned. "Please, stop." I stood back, letting her go, wondering why the hell she wanted me to stop. I thought this was what she wanted. What we both wanted. "I'm not complaining," she said, smirking. "It was good, real good, but there is only so much a girl can take. I need the real thing or I'm going to explode. I swear you're giving me blue ovaries or something."

Ovaries? What the fuck? If that wasn't a turn-off, I didn't know what was. Women shouldn't mention that shit when you're in the middle of making out with them. In fact, there should be a general rule that there is no talking during foreplay and sex, unless it's to call out your name in ecstasy. "What the hell is blue ovaries?" I asked, too curious.

"You know," she said, shrugging at me as if I was stupid, "the female equivalent of blue balls."

I shook my head. I didn't know there was a female equivalent, and if there was, I had never heard of it before.

"You put shit all over my bed," I said, remembering why I was down here.

"You belittled me," she said, glaring at me, "in front of everyone."

She pushed me backward and started to walk away. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, causing her to bump into my chest. "You can't speak to my family like that."

"You hit my dad and I didn't make a big deal out of it, but you're telling me that I can't tell your family to get out of my house after what they did to me? That's bullshit and you know it!" she snapped, trying to pull away from me. Was it wrong that I found her so fucking hot when she was pissed off? I let her go and followed her over to the jacuzzi.

"They're made men, Bella," I said, trying to make her understand.

"Made what?" she asked, climbing in.

"It's a mafia thing."

"I don't care," she shrugged.

I took my shoes off, followed by my trousers determined I was getting in with her. I couldn't stay away from her any longer. "Look, all I'm asking is, if you have a problem with them, then come to me first. Don't disrespect them like that again. It doesn't look good for either of us."

"Fine."

"Thank you." I said, taking off my socks off, followed by my tie and shirt. "If you want me to ask them not to come around as much then I will, but I can't ban them from my house. They're my family."

"Okay," she said, her tone softening a little.

I kicked my boxers off and climbed in the Jacuzzi with her. I saw a small smile on the corner of her lips as I sat down beside her. "So, are we done fighting?" I asked, moving her hair to the side so that I could gain access to her neck. "I hate that we fight so much, I'd much be doing something else."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, playing coy.

"How about a little makeup sex?" I asked, placing a trail of kisses down her neck.

"I might be interested," she answered, breathlessly.

"Might?" I asked, pretending to be offended. "Let's see if I can change that might, to a yes." I kissed all the way down her neck to her breast, pulling her perked nipple into my mouth and teasing it with my tongue. God, she tasted divine. I began to wonder why we had waited so long. Me. Yeah, that's right. It was my idea. I thought I was being the gentleman, doing the right thing for once. I guess it wasn't my brightest idea.

I glanced up at her face, noticing that her eyes were closed. I wasn't having any of that shit. I stopped what I was doing and pulled away from her, waiting for her to look at me. When she finally opened her eyes, she looked bewildered. "Keep your eyes open," I ordered her. "I want you to watch me. I want you to see everything I do to you." My words had her moaning and rocking towards me. I loved that she was so responsive and I had barely touched her. I couldn't wait to see her come undone.

I threaded my fingers into her hair, cupping her head as I pulled her mouth to mine. She tasted of peppermint toothpaste and something else, something that could only be described as her. Her kisses were hungry and needy, just as much as mine were. Her tongue fought with mine to claim dominance, but I wouldn't let her have it.

I slowly slid my hand up her leg, making her wriggle with anticipation. I moved her thong to the side and parted her lips with my fingers, going straight for her sweet little nub. I wasn't in the mood for teasing or messing around. I had to have her and I had to have her now. I circled her clit a few times, before thrusting my fingers inside her and pumping her furiously, making sure she was ready for me.

"Edward," Bella moaned, "please. I need you."

I had never been so fucking happy to hear her say that. I lined myself up with her, before glancing to her eyes, making sure she was ready and still watching. She was. I thrust into her without warning, satisfied as I watched her grip onto the edge of the jacuzzi as she called out my name. That's it baby, hold on, you're gonna need to.

I braced myself against the wall as I grabbed her ass, pounding into her fast and hard. I knew I wasn't going to last long, and I needed to make her to come before I did. I started rubbing her clit, urging her to the edge. It wasn't long until her walls were clenching around me as she called out my name. I emptied my load, collapsing on top of her. "That was fucking amazing," I mumbled, placing a kiss on the side of her neck. Bella merely hummed in response. I think she had lost the ability to talk. That fucking pleased me.

BPOV

When I woke up the next morning I felt rested. For once I hadn't spent the entire night tossing and turning, or being plagued with nightmares. I wondered if Edward was the cause of that. After our moment in the jacuzzi we had spent the entire night together. We had made love several more times. It was bliss.

Edward was one of the most experienced partners I had ever had. He knew how to make me feel good. His fingers were magical and his tongue … my body trembled at the thought of what the guy could do with his tongue, it should be illegal.

I turned around to look at him. He had shared my bed again last night, since, well, his bed had been destroyed, he had no other choice. I wondered if I could persuade him not to buy a new one, but to share mine instead.

Sadly, when I turned around, he wasn't there, the bed was empty. I looked at the alarm clock to see it was one in the afternoon. I had overslept. No wonder he wasn't in bed. I got up, and grabbed a nightgown from my dresser. I put it on as I made my way out of my room and headed downstairs.

I was halfway down the flight of stairs when I heard raised voices coming from the kitchen. I paused on the step I was on, listening. I knew I shouldn't, but I was curious and I knew Edward would never tell me anything anyway.

"It was Heidi. She's dyed her hair in an attempt to disguise herself, but without the sunglasses you can see it's her," Jasper said.

Who was Heidi? Was he talking about the woman I had met yesterday?

I heard a glass smash, causing me to jump. "I don't like that she got that fucking close to Bella. She should have never got that close. I want her brought to the club," Edward hissed. "This ends today."

Close to me? I didn't understand. What was going on? Who was Heidi and why did Edward think she would harm me? The woman I met yesterday appeared harmless.

"I don't think that's our best move. She doesn't know that we're onto her. We should play her. Use her to find out where her father is hiding. No one has been able to find him since he got back to New Orleans."

"I won't put Bella at risk."

"She won't be at risk," Jasper argued. "We'll protect her. Let Bella play Heidi while we get the information we need."

"No!" Edward roared, causing me to jump again.

"If you're really worried give her a gun."

"Do you remember the last time she had a fucking gun?" Edward snarled.

"She seems to be doing better," Jasper argued.

"And what if she kills Heidi? Do you think she could live with that?" Edward growled, as he stormed out of the kitchen, with Jasper hurrying after him. They both stopped in their tracks when they saw me, standing on the stairs.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to ignore how much his previous comment had hurt me. "Who's Heidi?"

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Then, why are you so angry?" He shook his head. "I have a right to know!" I snapped. I hated when he kept me in the dark, treating me like a child. If I was in danger, I had a right to know.

"Heidi is the daughter of the New Orlean's boss. We believe she is the interior designer who approached you," Jasper said, stepping around Edward.

I looked away as my eyes filled with tears of frustration. I was naïve, perhaps they were right to treat me like a child. I could have let that woman in our home. She could have hurt me, or worse, Edward.

"Mr. Cullen?" I turned around to see an older, plump woman standing at the top of the other staircase. Who was she? I quickly wiped the tears away from my eyes, not wanting her to see me upset.

"Yes, Sue?" Edward answered.

"Your visitor is here."

"Show them into the sunroom and I'll be down in a minute." She nodded and turned to leave.

"Sue," Edward said, calling her back. "This is Bella," he said, motioning towards me. "Bella, this is Sue, our new housekeeper."

"Hi," I said, tugging my nightgown down. I now wished I had come downstairs dressed, since it seemed we had a full house.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Swan," She said, before turning and heading down the stairs.

"When did we get a housekeeper?" I asked, once she had left.

Edward walked over to me, placing a kiss on my head. "She started this morning. I couldn't expect you to take care of a house this size on your own."

I wasn't sure how I felt about another woman helping in the house.

"Sue will fix you something to eat if you ask her. I have a meeting to attend."

"I can make my own food," I muttered.

Edward laughed. "Or you could do that." He motioned for Jasper to follow him and they headed over to the other set of stairs. "Oh, and be ready by six, we're going out for dinner."

"Where are we going?" I asked, a little excited. He hadn't taken me out to dinner since our first date.

"It's a surprise," he grinned.

.

~Relentless~

.

At six o'clock, I went downstairs in my new dress and heels, both of which I had bought yesterday when I was out shopping. They both had been ridiculously expensive. It wasn't something I would usually buy, but at the time I had been trying to cripple Edward. I figured I had better put them to use.

When I reached the entryway, Sue came out of the sunroomcarrying a tray of empty glasses. "Mr. Cullen said he will be down in five minutes."

"Thanks," I replied, sourly. It didn't like that she seemed to know more about Edward's comings and goings than I did. I wondered if Edward was sure she could be trusted. Had he done a background check on her?

"You look beautiful in that dress Miss." I turned around to see her looking at me with admiration.

"Don't you have something you should be doing?" I snapped at her, immediately regretting that I had. I was beginning to sound like Rose and that wasn't someone who I aspired to be. It wasn't Sue's fault that I was jealous of her. No, that was all on me. I decided that I had to try and be nicer to her, from now on. Especially, if she was going to be around all the time.

"You look stunning in that dress," Edward said, catching my attention. I turned around to see him standing on the stairs, watching me. "But then, you would look stunning without the dress too." I smiled as he came down the stairs. He pulled me into his arms, placing a tender kiss on my lips.

"Thank you, you don't cleanup too bad yourself." Truth was he looked handsome in his black suit. I even considered asking him to skip dinner so we could stay at home.

"Are you ready to go?"

I nodded as he offered me his arm, leading me outside. "There was something I forgot to tell you," Edward said, as we got in the car.

"What?" I asked, not liking the sound of what he was about to say.

He linked hands with me, threading his fingers through mine as he brought my hand to his lips. "My family will be there."

"What?" I felt betrayed. How could he do this to me? I shoved his hand away and glared at him. "Garrett, turn the car around. I'm going home."

"Just keep on driving," Edward ordered him, before turning to me. "Please, Bella. It's a celebration dinner for Emmett and Rosalie, they're having a baby. I understand that you hate them right now, but you don't have to talk to any of them if you don't want to. You can sit beside my mother and me, and ignore all the rest of them if you want to. I don't care, just please come with me."

"You knew I wouldn't want to go," I muttered.

"Emmett really wants you there. I want you there," he said, giving me one of his cheeky grins. "And if it sweetens the deal I'll make it up to you later."

I sighed. I knew I really didn't have any choice. I was going out for dinner, whether I liked it or not.

We pulled up outside the Le Bernardin shortly after. Edward was the first out of the car. I couldn't help, but notice the way he wearily looked around himself before offering me his hand and helping me out. Getting out of the car elegantly in this dress wasn't an easy task. I just hoped I didn't look like a fool, if I did, Edward never let on.

Emmett and Rosalie were waiting for us at the entrance. I hesitated when I saw them, but Edward put his hand on the small of my back and urged me forward. "Play nice, princess."

"You made it," Emmett smiled.

"I told you that we would."

"Thanks for coming Bella," Emmett said, turning to me. "I understand I'm not one of your favorite people right now, so it means a lot that you made the effort to be here for us." He offered me his hand. I reluctantly took it, shaking it, but when I tried to pull away, he tugged me to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "So," he said, guiding me towards the restaurant, "I think you're going to make an amazing aunt." I didn't answer. I wasn't sure how I felt about being an aunt to his child.

The restaurant was exquisite, decorated and furnished in a modern style. We dined in one of the Les Salons, which was a private function room. We had our own set of waiters that catered to our every need. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself. Edward's family were very welcoming, even when I wasn't treating them the same way.

I spent most of the night talking with Esme, telling her about the new house, and my plans for it. I felt bad that I hadn't invited her over to see it yet, but I told her that we would arrange something soon. She even offered to help me with the decorating.

Surprisingly, even Rosalie was on her best behavior and attempted to strike up a conversation with on several occasions. She told me that she was halfway through her pregnancy. She didn't even look like she was showing yet. I knew if that was me, I would be about the size of a house by now.

It got me wondering though, would I ever be a mother? I had once wanted a child, but now I was living in this world, I wasn't sure it would be possible. I would always be worried about the child getting hurt or becoming a target for an enemy, like I had. No, I didn't think it would be fair to bring a child into this life.

I also found out that Rosalie had had several miscarriages over the past few years. It made me understand her hateful behavior a little more, not that it excused it.

After dinner, we stayed for a few drinks, but by nine o'clock, I was starting to tire and ready to get home. We said our goodbyes and headed outside to meet Garrett. He was standing by the entrance, but when he saw us coming he hurried over to the car to open the door.

One second Garrett was reaching for the handle, and the next Edward was screaming at me to get down. A horrifying boom filled the air as an invisible force knocked me off my feet, sending me hurling into a concentrate wall, then, everything went dark.

A/N: Thanks goes to SunFlowerFran & CristinaN for working with me on the old version of this chapter.