No, your eyes aren't deceiving you...we have an update!

Special thanks this week to RE Hargrave and Pates GreenEyes. Love to the rest of my crew: Nic, Theonlykyla, Cutestkidsmom, and SparrowNotes24.

Last chapter: Edward and Bella were having sexy, lemony times in the foyer...

Anyone wonder what Jasper has been up to? Let's find out!

SM owns all.

.

.

.

Chapter Fifty One

Jasper

Four months have passed and the anger hasn't eased. I thought that would change after I blabbed everything to Kate; you know, got it all off my chest in the hopes that it would help to ruin Edward's life. It spurred Kate on of course, but did nothing for me in the process. Now I'm just one pissed off son of a bitch.

Isabella Fucking Swan was nothing but a tease, leading me on for months on end. She'd whisper in my ear promises of a future for us, and take everything I had to offer – only to keep me at arms' length while she messed with Edward behind my back. Isabella Swan is nothing but a two-bit lying whore.

Rose says I should have seen it coming; that I was in denial about the whole relationship all along. Well, fuck, I couldn't see past the love I had for Isabella, or at least the love I'd thought I had for her. Why does Rose have her nose in my business anyway? Emmett needs to keep a tighter rein on his wife.

Ali tells me I should look at it differently. She said Edward and Bella were destined to be together, brought together over coffee and donuts, or some damn shit. I think Ali is just trying to smooth things over for Edward. Even she has to realize how fucked up this whole situation is.

"Try to see love through another's eyes, Jasper," Ali babbled one night. "It's the only way for you to heal and move forward with your life."

I have no clue what that even means?

So here I sit in the dim light of my bedroom with a near empty bottle of Jim Beam in one hand, and a generous handful of Leah's left breast in the other. She is curled up and content, though hopefully not too content. I don't let women sleepover. Ever.

"Move on," Ali had said? Sure thing, Alice – from one broad to the next. Thanks to the band, I'm never without willing volunteers. Glancing behind me I squint at the headboard, studying the seven distinct notches etched deep into the dark, distressed wood. Yep, Leah here will make number eight. Eight ... cuz yeah, that's the way I roll now.

I'm a southern gentleman no more; the line forms in back, bitches.

Rumor has it that Isabella ran off to her daddy's place in Forks. It doesn't surprise me in the least, especially since Kate must have laid into her after I'd enlightened her of Eddie's extra-curricular activities at the wedding. That bitch had it coming as far as I'm concerned. And Edward? Well he is another matter entirely.

I take a long pull of my JB and give Leah's breast a light squeeze. My de-stress ball, I think with a silent chuckle that racks my body, causing her to stir and turn away from me.

Edward freaking Masen.

Best friend since I moved to Forks; peas and carrots. Yeah, right.

Number one wingman all through high school.

My distress call in college and beyond. I scoff at that thought now.

Now my worst enemy. Fact.

I heard his divorce is over and that Kate's out of his life. Well goody for him. I hope she took him for everything he and his pompous parents had; it would serve him right.

I'm guessing he'll be riding into Forks any day now on his white horse Pretty Woman style, giving 'Julia Roberts' her happily ever after. That thought makes me want to puke. I hope they are very happy together. Insert sarcasm here.

"Mmm, Jazzy, you ready for round two?" Leah purrs into my ear.

Oh, why the hell not. "Indeed I am. Do you want to ride this cowboy? Climb on, darlin'."

Bella

Edward holds me close as our breathing returns to normal. It smells of sweat, sex, and of him in the confined space. Sighing, I realize it doesn't get much better than this. Eyes closed, bodies entwined – I'm reveling in this moment, hoping it will be forever etched in my memory.

The bright flash of light coming through the heavy leaded glass door snaps me out of my post coital bliss. That flash could only mean only one thing.

"Oh my god, Edward, your mom and dad are home!" I manage to climb off Edward's lap without falling flat on my ass, and try to gather my clothes while he chuckles and does the same, albeit at a slower pace.

"Relax, Bella, we're consenting adults!"

I huff at him as I frantically search for my panties. "Yes, but naked ones, Edward! I can't let them see me like this! This is not the impression I want to make with your parents. Do you really want your mom to see that?" I wave my hand at his dick as he is tucking it into his jeans, boxers forgotten.

"No, of course not! I'd have to compare that to walking in on my parents when they were having sex. I was like eleven, they thought I was out playing ball with Emmett ..." He trails off, disgusted no doubt by the memory. "I can still remember the look on mom's face." Edward winces in abhorrence.

I hear the distinct sound of car doors slamming. "Yuck – stop, just stop! Let's get upstairs, quick!" I know I'm in total panic mode, but I can't help it. Where are my damn panties? My suspicious eyes give Edward a fast once over; I wouldn't put it past him to stash them somewhere.

"Bella, calm down. My folks met you at Rose and Emm's wedding, remember? They already love you," Edward says as he tries to pull me into his arms; I'm not having it though. His hands raise in defense. "You go upstairs and I'll greet them when they walk in; come down when you're ready," he says as he strokes the side of my cheek with his thumb.

My body is a traitor; I lean into his touch automatically. Bella, think – parents, remember? Right!

Taking the stairs two at a time, I'm impressed that I make it to the top of the stairway and into Edward's room before I hear voices downstairs. Wait, Edward said to come down when I'm ready? Does that mean his parents know I'm here? I'm all shades of red as I realize that they very well may. Maybe Edward called them; maybe he even coerced them into leaving their own home to begin with so we could be alone.

Get a grip, Bella, I whisper yell to myself as I walk into Edward's bathroom to freshen up. If I don't stop this instant, I'm going to have a panic attack. Just breathe, you can do this.

Edward

I'm grinning when I spy Bella's leopard print panties on the hardwood floor to the far side of the foyer. I manage to snag them and tuck them in my back pocket while I'm leaping onto the couch as the front door is opening. MINE.

"Edward!" Mom's boot heels click in a quick beat across the floor until she reaches the carpet of the family room.

"Mom." I'm up, and pulling her into a hug. She smells wonderful; her trademark scent, Chanel, fills the room. "How was your weekend?"

"Oh, it was spectacular, Edward. You really should have come with us. Doctors Without Borders is a wonderful organization." She pulls back and messes with my hair a bit before removing her jacket and her boots. "You should consider volunteering."

"Your mother may have mentioned your name this weekend, son," my father muses as he bends over and fishes my boxers out of the Ficus plant that stands in a copper pot near the door. My eyes plead with him to ditch the evidence before mom sees. He raises a curious eyebrow as he wads them up and puts them into his suit pocket. Oh, eww, man, but thank you, Dad.

"That's sounds like Mom. Thanks for the heads up, Dad. How are you?" Our hands clasp each other's in a warm greeting.

"Oh, fine, it's always an adventure schmoozing with your mother at these events. It's nice to come home, though, I've missed our bed," he finishes while casually looking around the room. "Care to help me get the luggage out of the trunk?"

"Sure, no problem, Dad." After pulling on my shoes, I follow him out the door.

"Real smooth, Edward. I'm guessing Bella is somewhere in the house?"

"Umm, yes. She is ... just freshening up a bit," I mumble realizing how that sounds.

Dad chuckles while handing me a garment bag. "Oh, Edward, you are an open book, but you look better than ever. Divorce suits you."

I have to correct him. "Bella suits me, Dad."

"Point well taken," he says as he reaches into his suit pocket. "Oh, and son? You may want to do something with these." Dad laughs, and shakes his head while handing over my boxers.

"Right, umm. Sorry about that, Dad." In true Masen style, he simply slaps me on the back before handing me my share of the luggage. Disaster averted.

The scene when we walk into the family room is surreal. Mom has Bella wrapped into a warm embrace and the look on Bella's face is a mix of both shock and delight. When she sees me I shoot her a cocky grin.

"Edward, you're back!" Bella exclaims.

"Yes, I guess I am." I chuckle as I set the bags I'm holding down near the staircase. The look Bella shoots me tells me she needs to be rescued. Strolling over to her, I wrap an arm around her shoulders, effectively freeing her. My mom's face is priceless: she's grinning from ear to ear. I guess I need to say something – right, introductions are in order. "Mom, Dad you remember Bella Swan, right?"

Mom glares at me. "Of course, Edward, don't be silly. It's so great to see you again, dear. I must say you are positively glowing, unlike the last time I saw you at Safeway." Bella flinches at the memory of running into my mom at the grocery store. She had been caught off guard seeing mom, panicked, and had left in a hurry. I squeeze her lightly, trying to comfort her.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, dearest. That came out all wrong. Please, forgive me?"

Bella relaxes a bit. "There's no need, Mrs. Masen, you're right. I was a bit of a mess that day." Needing to be closer to me, Bella wraps her arms around my waist. "Anyway, I should be the one apologizing to you. I seem to recall that I was rather rude and in a hurry to flee the scene." Brown eyes look down in embarrassment.

"Oh nonsense, Bella. Let's just drop it, shall we?" Mom smiles and Bella follows suit. "And please, call me Liz, we are very informal here. Now, what have you two been up to, huh? Has our boy been entertaining you? Has he been a proper host?"

Um, really, Mom?

Dad saves me for the second time tonight. "Lizzie, let's go unpack and we can all catch up later. Maybe we can pop some popcorn and watch a movie later. Are you kids game?"

Really, Dad? What are we, ten?

Bella chimes in before I can turn down family time with my parents.

"That sounds perfect, Mr. Masen, err, Ed. I could actually go for a snack."

So, family time with the Masen's it is...

Bella

They say all good things must come to an end, and that includes my time with Edward. He's due back at the hospital tomorrow afternoon, which means he'll need to leave for Seattle in the morning. I want to make the most of our last night together, but with Liz and Ed being home, that sort of complicates things a bit.

After a Bridget Jones marathon and a rousing game of Apples to Apples, Edward nods his head up toward the ceiling. I'm guessing this is his signal saying he is ready to turn in. What is proper etiquette in a case such as this? I want to be respectful not only to Liz and Ed, but to my dad as well.

Charlie was happy when I called to tell him I was spending time with Edward. He rambled something about 'the old man still knowing a thing or two about love,' and asked if I could bring Edward by the house for an introduction. Instead, we are meeting in the morning at the Carver Cafe before Edward heads back to Seattle.

As if she can read my mind, Liz declares: "Ed, darling, I'm exhausted. You ready to head upstairs?" Liz stands and stretches her arms.

"After you, dear. Goodnight, kids." Ed gives us a wink as he follows his wife out of the room.

~LTAE~

Slivers of moonlight peek through the wooden shutters in Edward's room. Our bodies are melted into one atop his plush, blue, goose down comforter; there is no telling where one of us starts and the other ends. Content in our bubble, we are both lost in thought. Tomorrow will become today in a matter of hours – and that means goodbye.

Choking back the sob rising in my throat, I silently scold myself to pull it together. There will be time for tears later, Bella, but not now. Tonight is about closeness, love, and hope for our future.

Guilt. Yes, I'm feeling a bit of it if I'm being honest with myself. Despite Edward's declaration to do whatever it takes for us to be together, I still feel he is sacrificing so much. Seattle is a huge city, and my announcement about not returning there with him now seems ludicrous and childish of me.

"Stop, Bella. I know what you're doing."

I flinch; Edward's voice is soft but startles me nonetheless. "What do you mean?" My arms grip him tighter. You know exactly what he means, Bella.

"You're overthinking this. I may not be able to read minds, but I'm somehow in tune with yours." Warm lips find their way to my forehead, calming me. "Let's have tonight, and we'll work on the rest as it comes. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it." Long fingers reach for mine and they intertwine in perfect form.

"You're right, of course. Kiss me?" The request escapes my mouth and Edward shifts his body so he can comply.

The first touch of his tongue dragging along my bottom lip makes me shiver and crave more. His breath is warm, inviting, and my mouth opens to his. Our tongues tangle, soft moans filling the air around us.

We kick the comforter aside, and then our clothes float to the floor. Skin meets skin and caresses are tender. Green eyes stare into mine, never straying. The familiar current we feel when we touch is crackling around us, a low hum, yet somehow powerful, and oh, so satisfying.

"I've never desired you more than I do at this moment," Edward's whispered words send a jolt straight to to my heart. "I promise you, Bella, tomorrow won't be goodbye. We won't say the words." His kiss stops me from speaking; it's slow and passionate.

Finally, as one, Edward moves inside me – slow, but with purpose. Each movement of his perfect body molding into mine is gentle. Each stroke gradually becomes more intense until we give in and surrender; I feel pleasure, perhaps even rapture spread throughout my body and spill out into the charged air around us. No, this is pure love.

As we begin to drift off, my mind wanders to the picture in the foyer; a young bronze-haired boy among the wildflowers. So carefree with the whole world ahead of him. I imagine Edward longs for those days once again. My sigh sounds harsh in the quiet of the room.

"You are my whole world, Bella."

It's but a faint whisper as he drifts into slumber, but my heart hears the words loud and clear.

He can read my mind.

~LTAE ~

Edward

"Chief Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Edward Masen." My hand extends to shake his, it's firm and full of integrity.

"It's nice to meet you, Edward. Please, call me Charlie."

We have a seat at a small table and order breakfast from Cora; the Carver Cafe's best waitress. Bella's hand is warm in mind, and I have to admit it's keeping me from freaking out. Charlie's opinion of me means a lot; I suspect Bella has filled him in on my sordid past with Kate. Based on that alone this little meet and greet could go wrong in a blink of an eye. Bella must sense my nervousness because she squeezes my hand tightly. There she goes again; saving me.

"So, Edward, let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

Charlie's eyes are boring into mine, and I can't bring myself to look away any more than I can manage to think of a single thing to say. Sensing my uneasiness, he speaks up.

"I know duty in Seattle calls, so ..."

C'mon, Edward, form a coherent sentence. "Yes, sir, although I'll be sorry to leave my parents and Bella, I need to get back to the hospital."

"Dad, Edward is a very successful pediatrician at University of Washington Medical Center," Bella chimes in as Cora refills our coffee.

"So you've mentioned, Bells; that's quite impressive, son." Charlie's eyes shift casually from Bella over to me.

"I enjoy it immensely; it's all I ever wanted to do. Not to sound cliché, but children are our future. It's not only important to focus on health, but also a patient's overall well-being. I not only want to help heal them, I want to enrich their lives if I can."

"Huh, that's a very well thought out answer. Now, onto something a little more challenging..." Charlie trails off as Cora arrives at that moment with our breakfast. I've never been more grateful to see a high cholesterol laden plate of bacon in my life.

A few minutes of silence pass as our talking turns to eating. My head is swimming with all the possible questions Charlie may be getting ready to fire at me, and I'm mentally trying to prepare my answers.

"What exactly are your intentions with my only daughter, Edward?"

And there it is.

"I'm sitting right here, you know!" Bella exclaims. "Really, Dad?"

"Look, Bella, I know this man here means something to you; it's written all over your face. But let's be honest here: you came back to Forks, to me, because you were hurting. If this yahoo had something to do with that," he quirks an eyebrow at me, "and I'm almost certain he did, then it's my business to get to the bottom of it, and to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Of course he knew I had something to do with it. I rub my face in exasperation.

"Chief Swan, Charlie, I understand your concern. The relationship Bella and I have is . . . unique." I take a deep breath and continue. "When we met in Forks all those years ago I was visiting my folks; and I was also contemplating proposing to Kate. The brief meeting at 7th Avenue with Bella was magical, but short lived; we never even exchanged names. It wasn't till years later when we reunited that I realized that she was the one I should be with."

"But you were married by then." Charlie grabs a bottle of hot sauce and douses his eggs.

"Yes, sir, unhappily, but married. I tried to make it work, some say for far too long, but that is how I was raised."

Bella unexpectedly leans over and kisses my cheek. I'm sure that I'm turning all shades of red; Charlie just rolls his eyes at Bella's action.

"Your parent's did a fine job, Edward. Sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses and call it quits. From what I've heard, you did just that," Charlie finishes as he pushes his plate away. "And now that your divorce is final? What is in the future for you and Bella?"

"Dad, that's for Edward and I to figure out together, and I assure you, we will. Don't worry, you'll be the first to know our plans," Bella says as she reaches over the table to pat her dad's hand.

I feel the need to help Bella out. "My first step is checking into my career options, then based on that we will decide where we will live. I want Bella to be comfortable, and if that means staying out of Seattle, that's what we'll do. Her happiness is my first priority." Letting go of her hand for the first time, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her close.

"Huh, well, I can't see a reason not to believe you, son. Be that as it may, I wouldn't be a good dad if I didn't say that if you hurt my daughter in any way I will hunt you down and shoot you. I have a gun, you know?" Charlie's mustache twitches as his hand automatically drops below the table where his holster rests on his right hip.

"Seriously, Dad, are the theatrics necessary?" Bella runs her hands through her hair; clearly she's had enough of the 'Edward Masen' inquisition.

"Yes." Charlie's voice is firm.

I motion to Cora for the bill. "It's fine, Bella. I expect nothing less from your father."

"Which is why you are okay in my book, Edward. Take care of Bella, she's all I have left in this world," his voice cracks a bit.

"I will protect her until my dying breath, Chief, you can count on it." My hand reaches out for his and we share a solid handshake; a pact from one man to another. My anxiety is officially gone, and Charlie and I seem to be in a good place.

Bring on the future.

.

.

.

Well, are you still with me? Thoughts? I know you have them. Anyone surprised about Jazz and his new attitude?

I can't say for sure when the next update will be, but as always, I will work as hard as I can not to delay the story too long. Real life is crazy now but this story needs to be told. Thanks for your continued support.

Judy

XO