A/N: Soo sorry for the delay. Long story short, the neighbor's tree fell on our power and internet line yesterday. We have power but no internet, so I had to wait till I got to work to post this.
To my wonderful pre-reading ladies: Mandi, Dawn, Sandy and Nikki- love you all! To Pixiekat, my amazing beta.. *hugs and kisses* Its been a ride girl!
I'll see you at the end with some news.. ENJOY!
Ch 49
EPOV
When I opened my eyes the next day, I honestly thought I was still asleep. I was convinced that I dreamt Bella had returned, that she told me she loved me, and that we'd made love. But when I looked at the other side of my bed there was all the proof I needed it wasn't a dream at all. I watched her sleep for a bit, enjoying the reality of her lying next to me.
When I couldn't hold back any longer, I trailed kisses over her face and grinned when she woke with a beaming smile. I captured her lips in a sweet kiss, pulling her to rest on top of me. It's hard to describe how amazing it felt to have her in my arms. When we both needed to breathe, I nuzzled her neck inhaling that all too enticing scent of Bella.
"How you doing?" she asked as she ran her hand through my hair.
Inhaling deeply, I mulled over her question. I'd been functioning on autopilot until I spotted Bella yesterday at Marcus' funeral. Once I was in her arms, the fog in my head lifted. It was the first time I actually believed that I would survive the crushing grief.
"Tired, but good, thanks to you. I'm so glad you're here, Bella." I kissed her cheek and pushed a few stray hairs off her face. When I peered deep into her chocolate brown eyes, I saw hesitation and worry. Something was on her mind. I gave her time to collect her thoughts, confident she would speak when she was ready.
She chewed her lip for a moment, before speaking. "What happened with Marcus?"
I had a feeling that would be her first question and it didn't anger me like it had over the previous few days whenever anyone asked me. Needing to feel her touch, I twined our hands and told her what I knew. She listened as I recounted his illness and all of the secrecy. When I'd finished, there were tears in her eyes. I wiped them away before they could fall.
"He loved you all so much. I didn't know him long, but you could see that family, and you especially, meant the world to him. His last act on this earth was to protect you from his suffering."
Her simple statement stopped me cold. I hadn't ever looked at things quite like that. All I could think about was how pissed I was that he kept us in the dark. I'd never really given any credence to the idea he did it to protect us. I remembered how shocked I was when I'd seen his body, so thin and frail looking. He was a pale shadow of the vibrant uncle I knew.
"I never once thought if it that way." I kissed her nose. "Thank you for giving me a different perspective."
We laid there all cuddled up while questions whirled in my mind. I wasn't sure if I should give voice to them and possibly ruin the content mood surrounding us. But the longer I deliberated, the harder it became for me to be quiet.
"Just spit it out, Edward. You're starting to look constipated." There was no trace of worry or anxiety on her face and it gave me the courage to finally ask what was on my mind.
"When did you read the letter?"
A brief look of pain flashed across her face but she faced me and told me how it wasn't until sometime after the first of the year she had the guts to open it up. "There was so much going on in my head, Edward. I was adamant that what we had would stay as a fling. It took some major soul searching for me to realize I still hadn't fully let go of Quil." She told me about her dream and the graveside visit. It pained me to think about her being alone in her sadness.
But there was one question that nagged at me as explained her time apart from me.
"Why didn't you call after you read it?" I looked away, wary of her answer, but needing to hear it all the same.
"I..I guess I was scared, uncertain, and all around confused," she answered simply. I turned to glance at her, not sure I understood her reasoning. My face must have revealed my confusion because she used her finger to smooth the furrow between my brows. "I'd been denying how I felt for you for so long; I needed time to really make sure that what I felt was real. That I was in love with you, the man, not just the idea of loving you."
"Is it real?" I was desperate to know that she was as deep into this as I had been since the day I met her.
She straddled me and for a moment I got distracted by the sway of her bare breasts, but her warm palms cupping my face drew my attention to her eyes.
"It's real, Edward. Even when I refused to admit that I loved you, my heart knew. I was miserable without you. Reading your letter made me realize that I belong with you, Edward. It just took a while for my brain to catch up. I'm so very sorry that it took me so long" I didn't want to doubt her. There was such sincerity in her eyes that I knew I couldn't doubt her.
"Oh, Bella," I breathed. I pulled her down, needing to taste her, to consume her once more. This kiss was softer, slower, allowing me to savor every second. Of course, my family had other plans. A knock on the bedroom door followed by my mother's voice was enough to drop everything down to half mast. Bella scrambled off me and wrapped herself up in our sheets, looking mortified.
"We'll be out soon, Mom!" Smiling at Bella, I winked. "Don't worry, babe, the door is locked." The relief on her face was enough to make me laugh which only served to embarrass Bella even more. As we rushed to get ourselves presentable, I calmed Bella's nerves about being around my family.
Luckily, she worried for nothing. Mom and Dad loved her, hugging her and thanking her for coming out. She and Rose chatted as if they were old friends and Emmett teased her like he was the brother she never had. I wished that the light feeling in the house at that moment could last, but a knock on the door made all our heads swivel when in walked Marcus' lawyer, Scott Jenks.
I wanted to hate him, but I knew he was only doing what he was paid to do. Plus if Marcus was standing next to me, he'd hit the back of my head and tell me to snap out of it. Tears welled in my eyes knowing that I'd never get to feel that again.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, everyone. As you know, Marcus was a rather stubborn and determined individual." We all snorted at that, it was a huge understatement. Mr. Jenks smiled and continued. "He asked that the reading of his will take place here in his house and not in some stuffy office." Once again laughter erupted.
With a deep breath, the lawyer asked if we were ready to begin and at our solemn nods, he did. To Emmett he left some old collectible guns and the flag that had been draped over our grandfather's coffin as well as a small monetary inheritance. For Rose it was a set of our grandmother's china as well as some of her jewelry that he had inherited. Their son got money earmarked for a college fund. Carlisle was given ownership of an antique car he had in storage, a convertible Marcus had restored from scratch. There was a brief protest from Emmett who exclaimed he wished it was bequeathed to him. A reminder from Rose of the two cars he's totaled brought him back to reality.
After that short interruption, Mr. Jenks continued. Mom was handed down all the rest of the family heirlooms, some jewelry, family photos, letters, and a few pieces of antique furniture that had been passed down in the family for generations. Together Marcus left both Mom and Dad a nice little sum of money.
"To you Edward, Marcus left the house and all its contents minus the items bequeathed to your family, and the jeep, both of which are paid for. You are also the sole beneficiary of his life insurance which is approximately $200,000."
A collective gasp went up around the room. My hand reflexively squeezed Bella's in surprise and all I could think was, holy shit!
A/N: Ahh Marcus, taking care of Edward till the end. Here is some exciting news: We are winding down, 2 regular chapters and then 2 epis. So, I will post all the regualr chapters this week- Thur and Saturday and then next week the epis on Mon and Thur. If you won an outtake from me, please let me kow ASAP what you'd like to see. For all others, if you have an outtake or futuretake you'd like to see, let me know. So now its time to leave me your thoughts.. good or bad... Can't wait to hear from you all!
