Nothing could have prepared Edward for the miracle of his son's birth. Unfortunately, nothing could have caused such a deep loathing to well up inside him, either. At the same time that Bella went into labor, Edward was dealing with a disloyal asshole who thought it was acceptable to leak information to Carlisle. Edward had to stop in the middle of torturing someone to go home and shower before heading to the hospital to watch the most innocent of souls come into his world. His ugly, cruel, sick and twisted world. Mere hours before, he'd been covered in someone else's blood, so how was he supposed to anticipate the pureness of his son's arrival without feeling as though he were the most disgusting, undeserving piece of shit on earth.

Atoning for his sins the only way he knew how, he tried his best to be strong for Bella. He was nothing if not excellent under pressure, a skill he'd honed over the years. The least he could do was keep his cool and help Bella through labor, encouraging her and supporting her.

It would be impossible to describe watching the appearance of his baby. He did look exactly like Edward, though he'd never doubted Quinn's parentage. Bella was too shy to look him in the eyes when they first met, and she was a virgin. There was no chance she'd hopped into bed with someone else mere days after he left. Still, the boy's likeness to himself, right there for all to see, filled him with deep satisfaction. Naysayers had no place in Quinn's life.

Being in the hospital with her for so many extraordinarily emotional hours gave Edward the hope that he could work things out with Bella. Connecting with her over something so monumental made him want to be a better man. If he was pleasant, she was pleasant in return.

They managed to maintain a sense of harmony for the entire first week until his father fucking ruined it. Carlisle wouldn't yield easily, and Edward would have to come up with an alternative plan for him.

For the first time in his life, it didn't occur to him to curb his mouth when someone outside the business was in the room. Not until Quinn's cries over the baby monitor interrupted him did he realize what he'd done. Bella ran from the dining room like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels, but worst of all was to hear her soothe their son while sounding so fearful.

When he heard her soft voice over the monitor she'd left behind, he froze.

"Were you woken by Daddy's shouting? I wouldn't think you'd hear it all the way up here."

Jasper and Emmett left the room, and Edward realized how much he regretted his life choices.

"What do we do, Quinn? We follow the rules and keep our heads down, I guess."

Dropping his face in his hands, he tugged at his hair until it hurt.

"We're innocent in all this, aren't we? We'll make it work. We have to."

His way of life terrified her, as it should. There was nothing redeemable about him, not anymore, and it was better for them both to keep it in mind. Recreating the wonder of their time in Forks wasn't an option.

Only after Garrett informed him that Carlisle had left did Edward feel ready to go, and by then he only had enough time to say goodbye to his son. With heavy steps, he made his way up the stairs. Bella had dozed off in her chair, an open book in her lap. Ignoring the painful squeeze in his chest at the sight of her, he moved silently to the bassinet. Not wanting to wake Quinn, he crouched and ran a finger over his cheek.

"Is breá liom tú, Quinn. I'll be back soon."

After a moment of watching his chest rise and fall, Edward stood and leaned down to kiss him.

He couldn't stay in that house for one more second, not with Bella and Quinn there, two undefiled souls reminding him of all he was not. He'd already married someone he shouldn't have, already had a baby with her when she'd never been introduced to the other Families. Someone would undoubtedly take offense at his choice, and he'd spend eternity defending it. New territory needed reviewing, offices needed restaffing, businesses had to be reorganized, and shipments overseen. As the boss, he didn't have time to worry about anyone's feelings, least of all some asshole who liked the old traditions of marrying someone from another Family to cement their alliance. Now that his heir had been born, there was nothing anyone could do, but there would be plenty of complaining when they found out. The last thing he wanted was to show up on someone else's radar. No one would soon forget the bomb which killed so many, and though Aro Volturi had been an evil man, he was respected by quite a few. The Santiagos were hell-bent on revenge and had yet to ease up on their efforts to discover who was behind the attack. A meeting was in his near future, despite his unease over the matter.

Edward didn't want to marry someone from the Young Family, and they wouldn't be pleased with his decision to pave his own destiny. All along, he knew the choice wasn't his to make, he just didn't expect it to come in the form of an unplanned baby. Quinn made it impossible for Edward to even consider not marrying Bella; the only way to ensure she was recognized as untouchable, and their son as legitimate. He couldn't put a bastard child in line to inherit the business, whether he thought the idea was stupid and outdated or not. If he expected the other Families to respect the rules they'd set forth regarding innocents, then he had to abide by them to the best of his ability. The marriage needed to happen, despite any misgivings he had about it. Many layers and reasons were hidden beneath their secret wedding ceremony.

It was a shame there was such a lack of romance in their union. Edward wasn't the type of man to cheat on his wife now that he had one, regardless of how she came to be his. That left him with no sex and no probability of that changing. Loveless or not, he was fully committed to the marriage. Plenty of mafia men had wives and families, and they weren't expected to flagellate themselves every hour of the day for bringing the type of life they led into their home. They were congratulated and honored with receptions, lavished with gifts and praise.

Shaking his head, Edward watched the scenery pass by out the window. He hadn't told Bella he was headed back to Port Angeles; he knew she'd only cause a scene if he told her she couldn't come. Maybe there was something he could do for her instead, a way to make her feel as though she mattered to him. If he couldn't give her affection and she wouldn't go shopping, perhaps he could bring something back for her. Surely he could find something which would be appropriate. Did husbands give their wives gifts after giving birth? He felt certain that Alice would expect jewelry of some nature, but his sister was a different sort of person than Bella. And that reminded him of the fact that he was seriously disappointed in her attitude toward his new wife when she knew better. Alice disrespected both Jasper and Edward with her actions. Jasper assured him she'd been properly punished, but hadn't stated in what way.

As he brought his thoughts back to getting a gift for Bella, it occurred to him that he hadn't given her a ring. He would find her a nice wedding set while he was away, and it wouldn't hurt to wear a band on his own finger.

"We're here."

Edward looked up at Jasper's words and discovered he'd been lost in thought for the entire drive. Exiting the limo after Phil opened the door, he surveyed the city block, feeling a familiar sense of pride in ownership. It was his high-rise building, his name on the door. His employees ran the company while he was running the rest of the business in Seattle.

"Ready to fire some people?" he asked of Emmett.

Clapping his hands together, Emmett chuckled. "Oh, boy, my favorite part."

They headed inside, followed by their security detail. Edward couldn't believe he'd once thought the other Families wanted peace at any cost. He would never have peace, never have a time when he could go out alone or with only one person and expect to not be bothered.

Or to not have an assassination attempted on him.

Edward took a deep breath as the receptionist stood to greet them with a smile. Air was rarified in buildings such as these, the filters keeping anything unpleasant at bay.

"How may I assist you, Mr. Cullen?"

Pleased that she knew his name, he gestured vaguely toward the rest of the office. "We need coffee and other refreshments set up in your largest conference room. As per my memo, has anyone notified the other employees of the meeting?"

"Yes, sir," she answered with another cultured smile.

"Good."

"Please, follow me," she said, moving to the back of the large open area filled with nothing more than lush plants in glossy black pots and a scattering of sofas in white leather. She led them to an open glass door, stepping aside so they could enter the room. It was set up as he'd instructed, so somebody would keep their job.

"Thank you. What is your name?"

"I'm Bianca."

"Bianca, please inform the rest of the staff that we're ready for them. They have five minutes."

"Of course, Mr. Cullen."

Bianca went back to the front of the office to complete her duties while Edward and his men made themselves comfortable in the conference room. Though it wasn't his main source of income, he enjoyed buying struggling companies, restructuring them, and seeing how profitable he could make them. It was almost a hobby, one which made him extremely rich.

Men and women in suits and subdued expressions began to file into the room. They sat stiffly, some with trepidation in their mannerisms, some with indignation. Edward didn't fire anyone for looking at him sideways, but he put a checkmark in the negative column if they forgot to be respectful of their new CEO.

By the time the meeting concluded, approximately three quarters of the employees found themselves without a job. It wasn't that difficult to filter through their files and come up with the reason the company had failed. Incompetence was rewarded while the executives became lazy, assuming they were above hard work. Under Edward's ownership, anyone with a less than stellar evaluation had to go. Exceptional employees were promoted with a large bonus, ensuring they would continue to maintain their work ethic.

As they stood to leave, Edward and the other men felt the glares aimed in their direction. Shrugging it off wasn't a big deal for him, but he was surprised to see a woman he'd let go standing in the doorway.

"Mr. Cullen, I'm sure we can find a way to make this work."

Jasper frowned. "Make what work?"

She flicked a glance in his direction, then refocused on Edward. "I'll do whatever the three of you want."

"In order to keep your job?" Emmett clarified.

"Yes." She practically purred the word, reaching out a long red nail toward Edward's arm.

The look he gave her was enough to wither a grown man. "Don't touch me."

With her finger centimeters from his skin, she froze. "All four of us could be really cozy together."

"Not in a million years," Edward spat, skirting around her and heading for the front doors.

"It's not just me, right? She's super hot?" Emmett asked.

"It's not just you," Jasper answered.

"Doesn't matter what she looks like," Edward said. "The answer is always no."

Edward thought of Bella at home with Rose to keep her company. Once she heard he was leaving, Rose insisted on staying at the house. Edward told her to go ahead and help Bella redecorate while he was gone. Bella needed a friend and someone she could lean on while she was in the throes of the newborn stage with their son. He regretted having to leave so soon, but there were some things he simply couldn't reschedule.

The idea of having sex with the woman desperate to keep her job didn't interest him in the slightest. Especially not including his friend and his cousin, but not alone, either. Missing Bella was new to him, but he had several more days' worth of business to attend to before he could go home to her.

Is breá liom tú~ Gaelic for I love you.

I hope he answered a bunch of questions for you.