"Wow, a personal chauffeur, dinner at my favorite restaurant, and now I'm being blindfolded. Have I told you that this is one of my fantasies and rated highly on the kink scale, Doctor Swan."
"Shut up, Edward." She swats me playfully as she leads me along. We stop, and I hear a key entering a lock and the swing of a door opening.
"There had better not be a house full of people shouting welcome home when you finally take this blindfold off, Bella."
"You haven't been gone long enough for that to happen and stop ruining the surprise."
"I hate surprises."
"Well, I hope you'll change your mind about this one." She slowly undoes the makeshift blindfold, fashioned from one of my silk ties.
"Ta-da!"
There is a banner, stretched across the foyer. I turn to look at her. She's gnawing at her lip, a clear sign of her nervousness.
"I thought it was very apropos, given the situation."
I nod silently, and read it a second time, as I take in the significance.
Welcome Home Edward and Bella.
To some, it may appear cheesy, but I love the thought and effort that she's put in to give me the answer that I've been longing for. The gesture is as beautiful as she is, and it's rendered me speechless. I'm too afraid to speak, concerned that if I do, I'd be overcome with the emotion bubbling up inside of me.
"Oh God, you don't like it." Her face drops. She moves to take the banner down, and I gently grasp her wrist.
"It's…It's perfect." I whisper hoarsely.
"Are you sure? I felt it was a bit cheesy, but I didn't know how to…I meant I thought about just telling you over dinner, but I wanted to…"
"Bella, are you sure?"
She nods without hesitation, and my knees nearly buckle with relief. Ever since she'd first told me that she needed time, I'd been living with the dread that she'd end up deciding that she couldn't spend her life with me.
I cradle her face and stare into her expressive eyes and kiss her deeply.
"I love that you brought the painting home. It's where it belongs." I peck her lips as I take in my gift to her, proudly displayed in my home, our home.
"I agree. It's the perfect place for it." She lovingly combs her fingers through my hair.
"Now, about this banner…." I reach up and snatch it down.
"Edward!" She gasps in shock.
"I think I know of a way to put it to good use."
"I worked so hard on that!" She protests humorously, her hands on her hips as she surveys the trail of paper at my feet.
"I won't let your hard work go to waste. I promise." I pull her close and lightly kiss behind her ear.
"How?"
"I'm going to wrap this around our naked bodies, then I'm going to make love to you."
She squeals as I hoist her over my shoulder.
"What about paper-cuts." Her voice sounds strained from her upturned position.
"What's hot sex without a little danger?" I chuckle. "Welcome home, Bella."
.
.
.
"Sorry about the banner."
True to my word, I've made love to her repeatedly, until it was destroyed.
"You're not sorry at all." She hums contentedly as she idly runs her hand over my abdomen, my relaxed and flaccid state a testament to her statement.
"Guilty." I sigh happily as I play with her wild hair, twisting it gently into a bun. "So, when will you start pleasantly cramming my drawers with sexy underwear and completely taking over my closet space?"
"I've been gradually doing that for a while now, not that you've noticed." She turns to me, and her hair spills enticingly around her shoulders.
"I've definitely noticed, and I can't wait until you start moving in the rest of your things."
She smiles and kisses my chest. Her breathing slows as she's falling into slumber.
"Bella?"
"Hmm?"
"Things happened in Dallas. Mike was acting rather weirdly. I didn't respond and tried my best to avoid him. I don't want to make a big deal of it, I really just want us to be able to move past all of that bullshit and get on with our lives. I don't want to spoil what should be a truly happy time for us."
"What happened?" She yawns discreetly.
"He was being a jerk as usual and seemed to be everywhere I turned. I feel that he was looking for an opportunity to get back at me; he even made innuendos in front of our old college professor."
"Innuendos?"
"He alluded to how I had strayed from the straight and narrow, probably hoping that Professor Granger would ask what he meant. Then he'd have had the opportunity to really get into it. He kept riling me the way he normally does and threw your name into the mix to further incite me. Just his usual juvenile behavior."
"That's awful, Edward. It will take a while for him to get over the Angela thing and the promotion. He's being a jerk, but hopefully, he'll move on."
"You're probably right." I lean down and kiss her forehead and see that she's frowning worriedly.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I tilt her chin up.
"I had my own altercation while you were away. I ran into Lauren, well, she ran into me."
"What do you mean she ran into you?"
"Don't get upset…"
"I'm not upset…well, not with you, but I am worried. When did this happen?"
"Friday afternoon, Rosalie and I were out to lunch, and she happened to be dining in the same restaurant."
"What did she say to you, Bella?" I pinch the bridge of my nose.
"Nothing of substance."
"Tell me." I meet her eyes, compelling her.
"Well, she walked into the bathroom when I was there. I don't know whether she saw me when I got up and then decided to follow, I can't be sure. She surprised me, and the way she just stood there and stared at me unnerved me a bit, so I accused her of following me. I might have overreacted slightly."
"Oh, I sincerely doubt that." I can't believe Lauren's audacity.
"She mocked me for being paranoid and said that she wouldn't need to lift a finger to make sure that I got what I deserved."
"Fuck!"
"It's not as bad as it sounds. Like Mike, she was just acting to form, Edward."
"Wait a second…" I run a hand through my hair in exasperation and reach over to retrieve my phone.
"It's really late, Edward, who are you calling?"
"My lawyer. We can use this, she threatened you in public, and I'm sure that violates the terms of her bail."
"We can't prove that." She pries the phone from my hand. "We were alone in the bathroom, she made sure of that before she said anything, Edward."
"You were alone with her? Bella, what the hell is wrong with you? She could've done something to hurt you." I jump out of bed and pace the floor agitatedly.
"I knew you'd overreact." She mumbles, falling back dramatically onto the pillows.
"I'm not overreacting, Bella. I've come to know Lauren a little better than you do, the hard way. Everything she says or does should be taken with a grain of fucking salt."
"So, you are upset with me?"
"No, I'm worried." I sit beside her. "Lauren is calculating and manipulative; and she's bordering on being psychotic, as we've discovered to our detriment. She meticulously planned, and then she manipulated, drugged, took advantage and nearly destroyed me. She nearly killed my nephew. And she did all of that to people she claimed to love. What do you think she would do to you?"
"I didn't think of it like that, but I'm fine, I'm right here with you." She soothes.
"I appreciate you being honest with me, sweetheart, but next time, please call me immediately if you encounter her, okay?"
"Okay, I will. Come back to bed, and let's not let Lauren and Mike ruin this time for us."
She holds the sheet up invitingly, and I spoon her from behind, snuggling in comfortably. I listen to her breathing slow as she drifts off.
I will be calling my lawyer in the morning.
.
.
.
"Welcome home, Edward." He invites me into his office, where we exchange a brief hug.
"I could say the same to you. You've been gone for weeks, Carlisle."
"I had a few loose-ends to tie up at the L.A. office."
"Still making the transition, I see."
"Pretty much, your aunt is still there, packing up a few more things she claims not to be able to live without."
"I'm sure one of the things she can't live without is your brilliant son."
"She's desperately trying to get him to relocate here. He told me that he spoke to you on your big night. We were all sorry that we couldn't be there."
"That's all right, and yes it was good to hear from him. I miss him."
"He misses you and the rest of the family a well."
I admire the marvelous artwork adorning the walls of his office. Carlisle has always been headquartered in Los Angeles, so this is the first time I've seen them.
"I know I'm your favorite cousin, but you didn't come down here just to admire the paintings. What can I do for you, Edward?"
I tell him about Josh's accident, the role that Lauren played in the tragedy, and her most recent confrontation with Bella. I also, reluctantly, fill him in on what I suffered at her and James's hands.
To my surprise, he remains calm, keeping his personal feelings at bay; he's the consummate professional as he listens. Right now, he's not my favorite cousin; he's the extremely, skilled and successful lawyer that his enviable reputation is built on.
"Why didn't you contact me right away, Edward?" He huffs, clearly irritated.
"You were busy with the move. I had every intention of..."
"I don't care. This is a potential mess, and I don't just mean now, but eight years ago. You could have saved yourself many years of misery." He pinches the bridge of his nose and searches through his files.
"That bad, huh?" I exhale sharply.
"I'm just saying, that had you come to me eight years ago, I'd have been able to get justice for you, and have Lauren and her accomplice pay for what they did. You would have been saved so much unhappiness. Of course, it would not have changed the heartache caused by the loss of your son, but Lauren should not have been able to get away with a crime and then continue to make your life miserable up to this day.
I may not be able to have her held accountable for what she did to you, but I'm going to make damned sure that she gets what's coming to her for the part she played in Josh's injuries, and that she is stopped from ever causing you or the people you love harm in the future.
In the meantime, I'll contact Josh's lawyer so they can bring me up to speed. That'll also give me some time to contact her counsel to gain access to the discovery report. But, Edward, I don't think from what you've reported, that we can take any action against Lauren for her run-in with Bella at the restaurant."
"So that means that she can just harass Bella any time she feels like it? She should not have been near Bella at all, she's violated the terms of her bail, Carlisle!" I raise my voice angrily.
"We can't prove that she actively sought Bella out, Edward. It could well have been an accidental meeting as she claimed. And the fact that she verbally threatened her, is her word against Bella's, there were no witnesses." He states calmly, obviously choosing to ignore my ire.
"And Lauren's word holds a lot of weight?" I snap.
"Look, Edward, I'm not going to lie to you. From what you've told me, Lauren is going to spin this so that James bears the brunt of the responsibility. If she succeeds, she may get away with a slap on the wrist, but I'm going to do my best to make sure that doesn't happen. And if she keeps showing up around Bella, then we may have something to act upon. But right now, we can't do anything about her run-in with Bella. I know that you fear for Bella's safety, but you all just have to be vigilant and keep me informed when anything untoward happens so that we can act rationally and legally."
I start to protest, and he effectively cuts me off, not surprising, given his reputation in court.
"Now, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure she doesn't get off scot free for her part in Josh's injury, but you need to know that this isn't going to be an easy feat."
I hate that he's right about Lauren's confrontation with Bella; we just need to be more careful as he says and document every one of her transgressions. I silently vow to make sure that Bella truly understands that she should not take anything that Lauren does lightly.
"Alright, and thank you, Carlisle."
"Hey, we're family. I would do anything for you." He reassures me as he ushers me to the door.
.
.
.
Josh opens the door as Alice races down the stairs scolding him for doing so.
"Uncwle Edward!"
"Hey, buddy!"
"Josh, how many times have I told you not to open the door without me or Daddy!"
"You said bwecause it might be a stwanger at the dwoor, Mommy."
"That's exactly right."
"But it's Uncwle Edward. I saw him thwough da window."
"Joshua Whitlock, that is no excuse."
"Mommy!" He whines, turning his puppy eyes look on her.
"Fine, just don't let it happen again, or I'm not letting you watch Spiderman for a week."
Josh and I both gasp dramatically and stare at her in shocked dismay.
"Oh please." She waves us off and gives me a hug.
"Mommy has a baby in her tummy, Uncwle Edward. It's my li-lit-le br-bro-ther," he enunciates carefully, and I raise my brows, as I mouth the words 'speech class?' to Alice. She nods happily.
"Well done, buddy, you're speaking like a big brother now. Hey Josh, I've brought you a present all the way from Dallas." I hold up the bag, and he grabs it eagerly.
"Is it Spiderman?"
"No, but I'm sure Spidey won't mind if you have other friends. Go on, have a look." I place him back on the floor, and he takes off. "Thank you, Uncwle Edward!"
"You, Em and Jasper spoil him." She shakes her head in mock ruefulness.
"He's a good kid. Oh, by the way, here's something for the baby. Hopefully Josh is wrong in his prediction."
She pulls out the carousel music box and gushes.
"Awe, this is so sweet, but a boy would enjoy this too, Edward."
"I know. I'm just really hoping for a niece. How are you feeling?" She takes my hand and leads me over to the sofa.
"Oh, you know…fatigue, excessive hunger, peeing every five minutes. I'm having the time of my life." She jokes. "How was Dallas?"
"It was good. I wish Bella could have gone with me, but professionally, it was a good trip."
"How are things between the two of you?"
"We've decided to live together." I smile broadly.
"Wow, that's great news! You have to invite her over for dinner some time, Edward. In fact, Rosalie, Em, me and Jasper and you and Bella should all hang out one night."
"Sounds good to me." I rise from the couch and head for the door. "Set it up. Bella and I will be there." I feel elated that I can make that statement with such surety. Bella and I are a couple now; I don't have to look on in envy at the other happy couples in my family.
"Look at you with that smile and those sparkly eyes. Why, I do believe you're in love, big brother." She folds her arms and badly mangles the southern accent. But I can see that she's truly happy for me.
"Shut up." I laugh as I shut the door.