Training the Swan

Chapter Thirty-Five—The New Ring

Ellie, Jacob, and I had dinner in California. Charlie had managed to stay away from us, and Ellie was completely unaware that he'd been nearby most of our day in LA. To Ellie the day was just a little outing, fun and happy, but tension was still inside me the whole day, even once Bella was on board a plane. Sam had her in the air shortly after her meeting with James and no one wise to her new identity. Our only thought was that James had come to California alone because he didn't want his father to find out about it. He wanted to confront Bella on his own, maybe even grab the money and the evidence, and fucking run.

Sam had a few people on the contents of the safe deposit box, hoping to piece together something so that they could bring down both James and Senior. We only needed something to taint their names enough to launch an investigation.

We were finally home as Jacob stopped the car near the front of the house. Ellie nearly vibrated where she sat, curled up against my side. Since we had left California, she'd been especially clingy. I didn't mind it, but I had a feeling she was scared. Not hearing from her mom for a while had made her nervous.

Jacob had received word while we were shopping in LA that they had managed to get Bella on board the plane. All the tips and tricks that Rosalie taught Bella for disguising herself seemed to have worked. Before Jacob, Ellie, and I boarded our plane, Sam let us know that Bella had arrived home.

"You ready, princess?" I asked as I helped her out of the car.

She smiled up at me, nodding. "Yes! Yes! I wanna tell Momma about the dress you bought me. I'm going to look like a real princess."

I touched the tip of her nose, making her giggle. "You always look like a princess to me, baby." She blushed adorably and nodded, tapping her chin.

"Because you love me."

"That I do."

With her hand clasped in mine, we walked up the steps toward the front door. The moment Ellie and I crossed the threshold of our house, Bella ran toward us. Ellie squealed at the sight of her, meeting her halfway. Bella lifted her giggling daughter into her arms, breathing her in deeply as if they'd been apart for weeks instead of nearly two days.

I knew what she felt since I thrummed with the need to hold, kiss, and not let go of Bella for hours. Her dark, tear-glazed eyes lifted to meet mine, her smile widening. Her fingers stretched for my hand, the tips finding purchase quickly, before tugging me toward them.

"Bella," I whispered hoarsely in her ear. My arm wrapped around her waist, the other draped over Ellie's back.

"We missed you," Ellie said softly, nuzzling her tiny nose against her mother's cheek. "I don't want you to ever go away again." I felt the quiver of tension still Bella's body, but she softened as it passed. Since her encounter with Jenks, we hadn't had any further contact. The risk of someone cloning her phone, and listening in on our conversation that could lead our enemies to our door, was too great.

We had to take every precaution.

"I missed you, too, baby," Bella murmured, kissing Ellie then lifting her face up to look up at me. I bent to press my lips against hers for a too brief kiss. "You, too."

"Come on," I said, leading Bella toward the kitchen. "I know you have to be starving."

"Big time," she replied, grimacing. "The guys didn't want to stop anywhere for food on the way to the airport or here."

"Can you blame them?"

She only shook her head, realizing that Ellie had remained unusually quiet listening to us. Right, she was too smart. I had to keep conversations about the situation as a whole with James to ourselves. At the very least not in Ellie's presence, she didn't need to know what we were doing.

"Why did we go to California, but not together?" Ellie asked me, using those eyes of hers to find answers. She was such a cheater sometimes.

I sat her on one of the barstools for the kitchen island to buy me time to answer her question. Looking at Bella for guidance, she only nodded encouragingly. She wanted me to handle it, as a father would. I sighed, raking a hand through my hair and building up the courage to answer. I knew I couldn't tell her the exact truth since we worried about how she would react. I also didn't want to lie to her, either.

"Your mom had to go somewhere, but she had gone without us just in case."

Ellie's eyes widened and whispered, "Because of my other d-dad." My heart ached as my fists clenched tightly in both pain and anger. She feared him still, even with hundreds of miles and almost three states separating them.

"Yes," I answered, taking her small face in my hands, thumbing away her tears. "But she was safe."

"I was very safe," Bella added as she handed Ellie a glass of milk. "I had Paul and Embry with me. Sam and Seth were also nearby."

Ellie bit her lip, lifting her thumb to her mouth. She stopped before it reached her lips and dropped it, her little chest heaving. "It's not the same like when you're with her!"

We were afraid of her reacting this way and we hadn't even told her that Bella was leaving again in a few days, or that she'd be gone for at least a week or two.

I lifted her in my arms again, Bella soothing a hand over Ellie's dark curls and back. "You're right, baby," she said, continuing in a soft, soothing tone. "I'm safest when I'm with Edward. But you remember how I told you that I had to do everything I could for us to be safe."

Ellie nodded and leaned toward her mother's arms. She slipped easily into them, playing with Bella's hair. It was something she started to do whenever we watched television or read together.

"Even though I wasn't with her," I started, breathing deeply. "I was close enough so that if she needed me, I could've helped."

Ellie turned her worried eyes toward me. "Nothing happened?" I could see Bella's arms tightened around her. Ellie looked at each of us. "Something did." Tears started to fall harder than ever, tiny, choked sobs, shaking her body.

"I saw your dad," Bella said softly, holding her daughter closer. "He didn't hurt me, baby. I swear he didn't."

With a shuddering sigh, Ellie said, "No ouchies."

"No ouchies," Bella murmured as she pressed a kiss to Ellie's forehead. For a several minutes, they sat nearby as I made something for Bella to eat. I watched as mother and daughter provided each other with much needed comfort and reassurance.

While Bella had eaten, Ellie had fallen asleep on her shoulder. "I'll take her upstairs," I said, lifting her into my arms. "Go take a bath." Bella nodded gratefully.

I laid Ellie in her bed, covering her up and kissing her soft cheek. I exited the room and quickly checked that everything was okay with security. It was still too early for bed, being only after nine in the evening.

I found Bella neck deep in suds, a content smile on her face as I handed her the glass of wine that I had waiting in the bedroom for us.

"Anything hit the news, yet?"

I smirked and nodded. "Just like we planned."

"Tell me." I held out my phone to show her the video on Phoenix's Fox 10 News.

"Leading our local news, Senator Adler's son, James Adler the Second, also a future political hopeful, has been seen with his estranged wife in California. In a video uploaded to our website a little after twelve pm today, it appears that the couple is arguing while Isabella Adler is under the much-needed protection of two bodyguards. This is the first appearance of the couple since Mrs. Adler filed for legal separation approximately eight months earlier, followed by Mr. Adler's file for divorce a few months earlier this year. A warning, the video is graphic in nature."

Bella watched the video; a lot of the conversation covered up with beeps. The meanings behind the sounds were clear in his expression and words. Her jaw snapped shut as he threatened to bleep her until she bled. There was no denying the threat.

I stopped it, tossing my phone on a towel on the counter. She didn't need to see anymore. "News crews are already parked in front of Senior's house and they managed to catch James at the airport. He tried to punch a reporter that asked him if you left because of his abuse."

Her eyes closed, her head falling back against the tub's edge. "It's working."

I knelt beside the tub, skimming a fingertip along the surface of the water. "Yeah, and after next week, no one will ever doubt the kind of man he is."

Long, dark lashes fluttered over the skin beneath her eyes, for a few moments before she whispered, "And they'll have lots of speculation about me. Maybe even think I had stayed because I was too scared of him and that I was a bad mother for staying for so long."

"Stop that," I said firmly. "Don't for one second spare an ounce of care to what anyone thinks. They don't know shit about you and the situation. If there is anyone out there that thinks those things, they've never been in your shoes."

Her eyes opened to watch my small rant, her mouth gently lifting on one side. "You'd defend me to the very end, wouldn't you?" Her hand lifted to touch my face, and I took it in my own, kissing the tips of her fingers.

"To the very fucking end, baby," I answered. "Don't ever forget that. I would die and kill for you."

The half-smile on her beautiful face fell slightly. "I don't want it to come to that. I hope that it doesn't. Killing Jane and Alec's father did a number on you." I shook my head, but she stopped me from responding. "But considering that I would do the same for you, I guess it's a moot point." The thought of her dying, brought a shiver quivering down my spine.

"I wish I could carry the burden for you." My palm slid down the arm I still held in my other hand. She felt so warm and wet from her bath, soft, too.

"Don't," she stated with a shake of her head. "I have to do this."

Again, I pressed my lips to her hand and the inside of her wrist. "I know you do."

A shuddering sigh escaped her when I nipped at her skin, soothing it with lips. "I missed you so much," she sighed as my mouth continued a path along her arm. I murmured the same words back, bending to close my lips over hers. Warm, wet, and inviting, she responded eagerly.

She giggled softly after a few seconds, forcing me to pull away in question. "I had pictured the cliché movie ending of me running into your arms, wrapping my legs around your hips when I had gotten home."

I wiggled my eyebrows. "Not gonna lie. That sounds damn good."

Her arms lifted around my neck and her lips touched my ear. "I want you, please." I groaned and shifted her fully into my arms. Water and suds dripped all over the floor, instantly saturating my clothes.

I didn't give a fuck. I needed this so damn badly.

Her head fell back to watch me, one of her arms were draped over my shoulder, playing with the hair along the back of my neck. As I stepped toward the shower enclosure, her other hand started on the buttons of my shirt, swirling a finger at every inch of my skin she exposed.

One of her legs lifted at the knee, giving me a fantastic view between her thighs. My mouth suddenly dried as I watched tiny drops of water slip down her stomach and gather at her navel. I set her down at her feet, allowing her to divest me of my damn clothes. Shifting around her, I turned on the shower just as she knelt.

I groaned but shook my head. "No, the rock tile will hurt you."

She nodded and helped me out of my jeans and shoes. Before she stood, she kissed her way back up. My hand clenched in her hair with every touch of her hot mouth, trying to control myself. I felt the tip of her tongue on me, making me groan.

Her lips circled my nipple long enough for my fingers to curl around her hips. "Bella," I groaned again. Our hands moved over wet skin, washing the days we spent apart away. It was her turn to reach around me, her chest pressed tightly against mine, so she could end our shower.

We dried each other with the same care which only added to the need that clung to our skin. Taking my hand in hers, she led me to the side of our bed. She lifted the covers to one side, slipping beneath them. I turned on the lamp nearby, needing to see all of her.

The moment I sat on the bed to slip beside her, she straddled my thighs. I looked up at her, running my fingers in her hair. "Bella?"

She only softly smiled and kissed my lips. Her first touch was gentle and sweet, but it quickly escalated as her hands roamed. My body arched when one them enclosed around me. "Bella?"

"Shhh," she whispered. "Let me show you I'm alive and here with you."

"How did you know?" I groaned and gasped as her hand tightened around me.

"You're trembling," she replied. I had been since she had left me. It had been worse since she arrived though. "Because you need this," she said as she explored my neck with her lips, answering the thoughts I didn't realize I said aloud. "You need to know that I'm here. That I'm real and not some dream. That I'm fine and that he didn't touch and hurt me."

I quaked beneath her, my fingers urgent to touch her, too.

"And I need this, too."

I nodded and fell back fully on the bed, allowing her to have all of me. To have the control she sought for one night. Her mouth moved heatedly along my jaw and toward the corner of my lips. With the touch of her tongue, my lips parted for her. Sighs and whispered words of praise and love felt so fucking good against my sensitive skin. When she finally kissed me, there was nothing sweet about it. It was carnal, needy, and fucking perfect.

My fingers slid up her thighs, eliciting a mind-numbing roll of her hips. I couldn't keep from growling when her hand moved off my cock, making her laugh breathlessly against my chest. "Be patient."

"Fuck, Bella, I can't," I said hoarsely. "I need you."

"I need you, too." She whispered the words against my heated skin. Every brush of her lips, every skim of her fingers between my thighs, had me twitching in return. She was slowly driving me insane. I loved every fucking second.

"God," I hissed when she finally took me in her mouth. "Fuck!" She hummed and moaned around me, making it that much harder for me to retain control. Every time I was close to the edge blissful of oblivion, she slowed, leisurely nipping and licking me. Her hands continued to roam and it kept me from taking over. I desperately wanted to, but I held back for her.

She climbed slowly back over me, kissing me hard as she took me deep, deep inside her. "Oh fuck," I groaned, feeling super sensitive and at the fucking brink. Her hands led mine over her body, cupping her breasts, sliding down her sides, my thumbs brushing the top of her sex. We watched where we connected, both vocal about the hot and fucking sexy sight of me disappearing inside her. Her hips pistoned lighting fast, taking me deep, hitting, and grinding against me hard.

"I love you," I growled, wanting and seeking more. Her eyes snapped open to look into mine, nodding at the need she read within them. I growled again, tucking her beneath me in a fast move. My hands slipped under her ass, lifting her over my knees, slipping back inside slowly. She moaned, tossing her head back and arching to meet the next thrust of my hips.

I reached out with my right hand for her left, slipping her new engagement ring that I had hidden beneath her pillow. She cried out when she realized what it was, tears leaking from her eyes. I pulled back but kept our hands linked, hovering over her abdomen, as I continued to move inside her.

"I love you," she moaned again. "I'm here. I always come back." Unable to find the words, I only responded by pounding into her harder, wanting to feel her clench around her, needing it. Fear cloaked my words, choking them in my twisted emotions of the moment and forming a lump in my throat. My breath escaped and my lungs ached with the need for air. It wasn't until she tightened around me that I gasped and slanted my mouth over hers. Her cry of pleasure got lost in our heated kiss. I shook when my body finally surrendered, pulsing inside her.

My sweat slick skin moved over warm, fragrant softness. My head dropped to hers, both of us panting, yet smiling at each other.

"You gonna marry me, sweet heart?"

Her arms wrapped around my neck and shoulders. "With that memorable proposal, how can I say no?" I growled as she rolled her eyes at me. She laughed, managing to escape my hold before she ran back to the bathroom to clean up.

I fell back against the bed, feeling the smile I had for her fall from my face. "She'll be fine," I whispered to myself. "She'll come back home." I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to sleep for the first time in days.

I tried not to dream about what would happen the following week. She'd be leaving for Arizona to put the rest of the plan in motion and set up the confrontation with James.