Ready for the Epilogue?
I want to thank once again each and every one of you. You made this whole journey even better. This story will always hold a special spot in my heart.
A big shout out to Gabby for always helping me with making this story better.
Dark clouds greeted Edward when he opened his eyes to the only day in the year he hated the most. The pain was never going away, but he'd learned to live with it, and having Bella by his side had healed him. Bella had saved him, without even trying.
Edward slid out of the bed as quietly as possible, so he wouldn't awaken his wife. He'd never get used to addressing her that way.
After a trip to the bathroom and getting dressed for the day, he took the baby monitor from the nightstand. They had found some alone time the previous night, which had allowed Bella to sleep throughout the night.
Tanya was working on coffee when he joined her in the kitchen. "Morning, Tanya."
She startled, turning to him. "Good morning! I didn't expect anyone to be up quite yet."
"Don't jinx the peace," Edward chided her.
She laughed. "Do you need Felix today?" she asked, worried.
"No. Why?" Edward accepted his coffee, sitting on a stool.
"Oh, I just saw you dressed for going out."
"I won't need Felix. Is he still sleeping?"
"Not for long. I want to go grocery shopping later."
"He's all yours." Edward smirked into his cup, amused at seeing Tanya's cheeks turning red. "Check with Bella, but we might need more diapers."
"They're always on the list. Don't worry. Uh, I don't want to spoil Bella's surprise, but you have dinner plans."
Edward nodded seriously. He'd fucked up the previous year's Valentine's Day, and it hadn't been the best time to play with Bella's fragile emotions since she had been pregnant at the time, but it had been several weeks until she'd figured out she was expecting.
"Don't worry. I'll hopefully be back before she wakes up."
"I'm going to check if Felix is awake," Tanya said, disappearing down the hallway.
Edward sipped from his coffee, staring at the fancy baby monitor. Bella had turned into a worse control freak than him. She'd demanded they got the monitor with the camera option so she could see the baby, not only hear her. The image was black and white, a little blurry, but it did the job.
At the moment, it showed Carlie sleeping, sprawled in her crib. Edward could spot Harley on the floor. From the moment he'd noticed the changes at Bella, and then later, after he'd met the new member of the family, he was in love with Carlie, rarely leaving her side.
Tanya returned just as Edward was ready to leave. "Be sure Bella gets a little more sleep," he advised.
"Of course, sir."
He went to the garage, and got in his Volvo. He drove slowly to the flower shop, trying not to think about what he wanted to do, because the emotions would get the best of him.
He was happy to find what he wanted.
Edward bought a large bouquet of red roses for Bella, knowing she'd appreciate the gesture. He also bought a couple of stems of lily-of-the-valley, which had been Angela's favorite flower. Edward had never understood what she'd ever liked at them, and they were going to wilt in a few hours' time, anyway.
The ride to the cemetery was short. Edward walked slowly toward the familiar grave. It was still very early for anyone to be visiting their deceased dear ones, but the solitude didn't bother him.
He placed the flowers on top of the headstone, sitting on the marble stone covering the grave. It was the first time he'd come there in years. Also, the first time he'd been there alone, since that unfortunate night he'd spent getting drunk, while coming to terms with both lives that had perished in the accident.
Edward had never envisioned himself as someone who'd talk to a grave, but he found himself telling Angela about the changes in his life and how happy he was, how much he loved Bella and their daughter, and that he'd forgiven himself for the accident.
Footsteps approaching, made Edward sit up straighter and clear his throat. He was surprised to find Ben and his boyfriend approaching slowly.
"Fancy seeing you here," Ben said in greeting.
Edward rolled his eyes, standing up and dusting off his jeans. "I just dropped by." He nodded to Eric, who nodded back, but his eyes were on Ben. "I'll leave you…" Edward gestured to the grave.
Ben met his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ed."
"No," Edward retorted, touching Ben's elbow. "I'm sorry." He turned to leave, before Ben could start an argument about who was left with the worst pain.
On the drive home, Edward felt a welcoming feeling of peace wash over him. Several years ago, he wouldn't have conceived thinking of Angela without the bitter taste of sorrow lingering, but with Jasper and Bella's help, Edward had healed enough to remember her without pain ripping at his insides.
At home, he was greeted by Bella's laughter. She was leaning against the kitchen island with her cup of coffee in her hands, watching Jacob, who was currently covered in baby vomit. That had been another surprise.
Edward had accepted Bella and Jacob's friendship, trusting him to be there for Bella in her last month of pregnancy when his company had gone through a rough patch that had required for him to spend many hours at the office. Jacob had become a constant part of their lives, and he was an amazing babysitter.
"Look who's home! Go, puke on your dad!" Jacob passed Carlie into Edward's arms.
Edward arranged her so he wouldn't drop the flowers he had for Bella. He walked to her, leaning to kiss her.
Bella smiled against his lips. "Where did you go?"
Edward wasn't going to tell her the truth with Jacob around, so he handed her the roses. "Be my Valentine?"
She snorted, accepting the flowers. "Sorry, but Jake already won me over with the chocolate candy." She pointed to the box on the counter.
"Fine. Go to your Jake. I bet Carlie will be a better company."
"Sure, sure. She doesn't talk back," Jacob laughed.
"On whose side are you?" Bella grumbled. "I hate it when you two gang up against me. Sometimes, I wish you were still not getting along."
"I could punch him, for the kicks of it," Edward offered, making Jacob crack his fingers.
"You're both bigger children than Carlie." Bella took her from Edward. "Tanya and Felix are shopping."
"I know," Edward replied.
"Uh, Jake's gonna crash here for a while. His upstairs neighbor flooded him."
Edward turned to Jacob, who looked tired. Edward hadn't noticed that at first glance. "Anything we can do?"
"It's time to look for a new place. Something always breaks in that apartment. Now, with half of the ceiling collapsed, it's high time I start seriously searching for a new apartment."
"Did you bring all your things over?" Edward asked, watching as Bella took their daughter away. It was probably diaper change time.
"What I could salvage, yes. Don't worry. I hope not to crowd you for too long."
"I could help you find a new place. I'll just have to check the local market."
"Thanks, man."
"Don't mention it."
.
.
.
Bella insisted for Tanya and Felix to go out and have fun for Valentine's Day. It wasn't like she and Edward had big plans for that evening. Besides the dinner she'd worked on earlier, there was no other concrete plan.
At the moment, Edward and Jake were in the garage. They'd been there for a while. Bella was just finishing feeding Carlie when Harley came into the living room.
Bella eyed him curiously. He slumped by the coffee table, not even paying any of them attention. He was usually glued to Carlie's side if they were in the same room.
After rearranging her shirt and shifting her daughter in a better position in her arms, Bella decided to check on the men. When Harley didn't make a move to get up and sprint ahead of them, she turned to him.
"Get up, you lazy ass! Come."
He sighed dramatically, staying put.
Bella rolled her eyes, heading toward the garage. She found Jake bent halfway over the hood of the Mercedes, with Edward hovering by his shoulder. Edward's eyes snapped to hers when the door opened.
"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.
"Looks like the Merc needs more than an oil change," Edward said, shaking his head.
Jake straightened, wiping his greasy fingers off on his jeans. "Well, it's an old model. The German might make them unbreakable, but when they break…you actually have to replace the defective piece, instead of repairing it."
"Can you get Carlie? I'm going to prepare her bath."
Edward picked her from Bella's arms, and Bella couldn't get enough of watching him holding their baby girl. He was a totally different man – gone was his stern Dom appearance, or his playful nature. He was all soft and adoring with Carlie in his strong arms.
Bella cupped his elbow, reaching on her tiptoes to kiss him quickly. She just smiled when he shot her a confused look.
After preparing the scene of the crime, like Edward joked about their daughter's bath time, Bella went to get her. They were no longer in the garage, so she followed their hushed whispers to the kitchen area.
Edward was standing in front of the island counter, with a somber expression on his face. Jake had Carlie in his arms, several feet away. Harley was lounged on the couch as if he owned it.
"Don't be mad," Edward started in a pacifying voice.
"I don't care if you tolerate him on the couch. I don't," she muttered, taking a step toward the dog.
Edward cleared his throat, grabbing her elbow. "Harley on the couch might be the last thing to get him in trouble with you, right now."
"What are you talking about?" Dread filled Bella's body as she spoke. What had that idiotic dog done now?
"If you plan on screaming, let me know to take Carlie away. She shouldn't witness her mommy losing her temper. It might traumatize her," Jake joked.
"What has Harley done?" Bella demanded.
Edward stepped away from where he was strategically blocking her view to the counter.
"Fucking piece of shit!" Bella shouted. "I'm going to kill you, Harley!"
Harley shot up, ears plasters to his head, staring at her scared.
"You're DEAD!"
Only Edward keeping a strong grip on her elbow stopped her from doing something she was likely to regret. She wanted to kick her dog for the sneaky bastard that he was.
He'd stolen the turkey legs she'd worked on most of the day. But, of course, he'd left the vegetables on the tray.
A part of her was curious if he'd put grease on the couch, or wherever he'd eaten them. But she decided that she didn't even care.
Tears sprang into her eyes as frustration and anger roiled inside her. Edward rubbed her back soothingly.
"I ordered pizza," Edward said after a while.
"That's exactly what I wanted tonight," Bella spat, still glaring daggers at Harley. "Get out of my sight, you fucking mutt!"
Harley rushed down the hallway, and Bella hoped he was headed outside, not inside some room. If she found him in the middle of their bed, he'd end up as dinner.
"Do you trust me to bathe Carlie?" Jake asked, watching her worried.
"I'll do it," Edward interjected, sensing Bella wasn't likely to allow her best friend to do that delicate task. "You should take a bath, love. Jacob, wait for the pizza, please."
Bella spun on her heels, stomping toward their bathroom, while Edward went to get their daughter from Jake.
Harley hadn't upset her so much in years. She had come to trust him alone around human food. Probably, the roast turkey legs had smelled too good not to get a bite. No matter what, he better avoid her until she'd cooled down.
After a long shower, where she allowed the hot water to relax her muscles, Bella pulled on her yoga pants and one of Edward's black t-shirts. If they were going to eat pizza for Valentine's Day dinner, there was no need to dress up fancy.
Bella found Edward dividing the pizza on two large plates. He'd gotten several different types.
"Is Jake not eating with us?"
"He took his Hawaiian to his room, saying he'd rather not have you vomit all over it."
Bella snorted. "Good for him. I don't even need to be pregnant to feel nauseous at the sight and smell of that atrocity."
Edward chuckled. He walked closer, stroking her cheek. "Harley's in the backyard. I've never seen him so guilty-looking."
"Don't talk to me about that devil!"
"Okay, okay. Come on. We're going to watch a movie while eating our dinner." He picked the plates, leading the way to the entertainment room.
Bella followed him with two bottles of beer. While she made herself comfortable on the loveseat, Edward went in search of a movie.
"Here are the options." He returned several minutes later with a few cases.
Bella choked on her gulp of beer. "Did you hit your head? These are chick flicks."
"I figured you'd like romance for tonight." He shrugged, smiling bashfully.
"You should keep the romance for the bedroom. I'd rather watch some action movie."
Edward leaned down, catching her under his green gaze's spell. "I'd rather keep the action for the bedroom," he said in a low voice.
"Oh, God." Bella clenched her thighs at his words.
"God's not here, baby girl."
"Screw the movie!" Bella seized his wrist, pulling him toward their room.
She half expected Edward to chide her, in the very least, but he laughed, clearly amused at her eagerness.
They had played only a couple of times after she'd given birth, and she was ready to forget about everything for a short while.
Edward freed his hand when they reached their bedroom. "Let me tell Jacob, he's got babysitting duties for the night."
"I'll be on my pillow, Sir."
"Good girl." Edward dropped a kiss on her forehead, before disappearing down the hallway to the guest bedroom Jake had claimed as his earlier.
After giving birth to Carlie, Bella's body had changed. She'd managed to return to her previous weight, but the part that killed her was the excess of skin on her tummy. She'd even taken to joining Edward on his morning run sometimes.
Being naked in front of Edward had become a mental challenge for her. She knew that he'd never judge the way she looked, but as that saying goes: you have to love yourself first, before you let others love you.
As Bella took her spot on the new pillow Edward had bought, she kept her eyes on the ugly skin on her stomach. The old, ratted brown pillow had died a horrible death at Harley's teeth when he'd discovered it under the dresser. Tanya hadn't seen him going into their room while they weren't home, and when Bella and Edward had returned from a check-up at the hospital during her pregnancy, they'd discovered Harley sleeping in a pile of stuffing, looking quite smug. Bella had joked that she was ready to borrow one of the whips to test it on Harley's back.
The door opened, alerting her Edward was back. Unlike every other time, he didn't immediately undress, which worried her and made her peek up, without breaking stance. Edward was standing by the door, typing on his phone.
"I don't have to look at you to know you've earned yourself a handful of swats on that ass," he said casually, still focused on his phone.
Bella cursed loudly inside her head. After so many years with him, she should have known he had some freaky extra sense to know when she disobeyed him.
"Get up," he commanded, finally approaching her.
His shirt was thrown to the foot of the bed, and he unbuckled and opened his pants as he joined her. Bella expected to give him a blowjob, though, with her standing, that was out of the question. Edward made quick work of his pants and socks.
"Go into the closet."
She gulped, shuffling in there.
After enjoying being tied up to that beam during their trip to Alaska, Edward had spent a whole Saturday working on a drawing of how he wanted to redesign the ceiling of their closet. Then, he'd contacted a team and had everything he wanted installed in there.
They'd only enjoyed the pulley system once, some weeks ago, because he'd been too worried to use it during her pregnancy.
Bella had no idea how to wait for him in the closet. The other time, he'd led her in there, and while the mechanism had made an appearance from the ceiling, he'd talked to her about what he wanted to do.
Now, she was left standing in the middle of the closet, nerves gnawing in anticipation.
"Turn around," Edward said, appearing in the shadows of the door.
Bella did as told, turning her back to him. Their eyes met through the large mirror. Amusement danced in his eyes.
"Close your eyes, baby. I don't want to ruin the surprise."
Unwillingly, Bella did as told. She heard the mechanism whirling to life, but over its sound, she failed to hear Edward approaching. When he placed a soft cloth over her closed eyes, she jumped startled, nearly falling over.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said fervently. He knew better than anyone what that meant.
"You just startled me…Sir," she whispered, taking a deep breath to calm her body.
"More spanks?" His warm breath washed over her right ear.
Bella hoped she hadn't overstepped some line by answering him, but she wanted him to know that she wasn't scared of him.
When Edward grabbed a fistful of her hair, she realized her mistake. She hadn't tied her hair.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she debated answering him and apologizing, but if she'd learned one thing over the years with Edward, silence spoke volumes. He didn't have to leave her side to get a scrunchy. He already had one, having seen her mistake from probably the moment he'd returned to the bedroom.
After catching her hair in a tight ponytail and securing the blindfold, he took a few steps back.
Bella could hear the clinking of what sounded like handcuffs. He'd never used handcuffs on her.
"Come," he said softly, taking one of her hands, walking her where he wanted. "Show me your hands."
Bella offered him her hands, elbows pressed to her sides. The cuffs weren't metal. They felt like leather on her skin. Edward secured them, checking with her if they were too tight, before humming in approval.
"Arms up. Tell me if it hurts."
She did as told, immediately feeling the stretch as the mechanism whirled to life, rising. It stopped when her arms were stretched out above her head.
"If, at any point, anything hurts, tell me," he insisted.
"Yes, Sir."
Bella was even more on display, but being in the correct mindset while playing with Edward, she didn't feel insecure at all.
"You get to choose the weapon for your punishment: the paddle or my hand."
Bella hated being given options. She usually chose wrong, even when she was familiar with the toy, because Edward proved to her what some particular toy could do. Like the time she'd argued with him about wanting to experience the cat o' nine tails. Edward had told her that she wasn't ready for that, but she'd foolishly insisted, until she upset him. Barely three strokes of the tails on her back, she'd Red him, promising to never argue his decisions.
And now, the options were simple, yet, each of them could hurt like nothing else when used as punishment weapons. Edward had only used the paddle as punishment once. It had brought her pleasure during that scene, but then she'd come without permission, earning herself three harsher taps on her flaming butt.
By saying that Edward could use whichever, he'd bring in something else into play. It had happened in the past, just to show her how he valued her opinion.
"Your hand, Sir," she answered, realizing that the longer it took her to answer, the more upset he might get.
"Good choice, baby girl." He wrapped a strong arm around her middle, until she was slightly bent, making her tether on her toes. "Five for breaking stance. Five for not having your hair up."
Bella braced herself for the first blow. She still gasped at the sensation of his large hand slapping against her ass. The sound was too loud in the small closet. Her fingers curled around the metal chain holding her upwards and her legs strained, as Edward hit her other cheek. Surprisingly, she didn't topple over, because he held her securely.
The third blow landed on both her cheeks. The dull ache installed in the soft tissue of her ass, but he had a long way to go until he was done with the punishment.
Bella bit back a whimper when, by the sixth smack, her butt was on fire. The seventh blow brought tears to her eyes. The eighth one had her groaning loudly when it landed on a particular sore spot.
She hated stopping a spanking session. But Edward always told her to stop him if she couldn't carry on.
The only option was Red, and she had to say it before he hit her again. It was a good thing, he gave her a breather between the spanks.
"Baby?" Edward checked, his arm tightening around her middle.
It was then, when Bella realized she was sobbing. She hated putting an end to it. "Red. I'm sorry, Sir."
Edward helped her back on her feet, coming around her to lift her blindfold. Concern marred his handsome face.
"Don't," she said, panicked, when she noticed him reaching for the remote controller to lower her hands. "It just hurt," she admitted.
"You know I hate talking to you about why you called Red while still in the scene," he demanded.
"Then let's talk about it after."
Edward pulled her flush against his body, gripping one of her flaming cheeks with his clawed fingers. "Don't make me push your limits, Isabella."
She gulped, lowering her eyes.
"Anything else you have to say before we start?"
She snorted, making him growl in annoyance. "I have to blow my nose, Sir."
Instead of digging his fingers into her ass for her witty answer, Edward started laughing loudly. "Good Lord. What the hell was in my head to ever think you'd say or do what I expect of you?"
"I like keeping you on your toes, Sir."
"From your position, it's funny how you think that phrase applies to me." Edward went to the vanity table, bringing a couple paper tissues.
"No!" Bella shook her head.
"Oh, please. It's not less gross than watching you puke. Blow, Bella."
It was Bella's turn to laugh. "I bet you never thought you'd use those words in this context."
"You're simply asking for me to finish that spanking with this attitude." His eyes narrowed minutely.
Bella closed her eyes, cringing, at what she was about to do. Somehow, it felt intimate having Edward cleaning her snot.
"Are you okay to continue?" His soft voice asked, as he returned from throwing away the tissue.
"Continue?" she gasped.
"Not the spanking," he assured her, stroking a hand over his ribs.
"Yes, Sir." She barely had the words out of her mouth when Edward pulled the blindfold back over her eyes.
"You can be as loud as you want, but let's not scare Carlie or Jake."
Bella felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Color?" Edward was standing to her left.
"Green, Sir."
The feeling of multiple fringes touching her shoulder, made Bella gasp. The leather tails ghosted over her breasts and arm. Edward was showing what he had prepared for her.
It was one of the floggers, which she'd been afraid of until she discovered the kinds of pleasure it could bring.
When the soft tresses left her skin, Bella worked on her breathing. She knew that if she held her breath, anticipating the blow, Edward would delay it. He'd told her multiple times that if she trusted him not to hurt her, she had to let go of her fears and just feel.
Just as her shoulders sagged as much as possible as her position allowed, the first lick of the leather tails washed over her tummy. She sucked in a breath. It might have taken her longer than Edward expected, to exhales, because he pressed his lips to her ear.
"Breathe, Isabella. I don't need you fainting on me."
She breathed evenly for a few moments. Fainting during a scene had happened quite a few times, but he had a gift to make her lose her mind with the highs he could bring her body to.
The flogger danced over her back, causing arousal to spike through her whole body. She was so wet, she could feel some running down her thigh.
When the leather tresses landed on her breasts, it had an amusing effect. She didn't need her eyes to know milk was dripping from her nipples.
"Shit," Edward cursed. "Did I hurt you?"
All she'd felt was intense pleasure. It took her a moment to be able to answer. "More," she breathed.
Edward's fingers grabbed her chin. "I asked you a question, Isabella."
"No, it didn't hurt, Sir."
He surprised her with his next move. His tongue licked her clean, making her whimper. They hadn't gone down that lane yet. Edward had made the mistake to suck one of her nipples the first time they'd made love after Carlie was born. Bella had laughed with tears at the horrified look in his eyes when he'd realized what had happened.
What Bella didn't expect at the moment, was for Edward to cover her breasts in soft strokes, soon followed by his tongue on her nipples.
His actions caused the coil in her stomach to tighten, as her moans got louder.
"I can't," Edward gasped suddenly.
Bella heard the soft thud the flogger made as it hit the carpet. Before she could worry that he'd somehow pushed one of his limits with his actions, she felt her legs being lifted up. The frightened shout that left her mouth was a sound she wasn't proud of.
"I'm not going to drop you, baby."
Edward wrapped her legs around his hips. He pushed inside her slowly, groaning into her neck.
Edward usually let her down by the time he entered her. Like during their first time using suspension on that trip, Bella felt unusually out of control of her body. She trusted Edward implicitly, but not feeling the ground under her feet, or having the ability to cling to him in some attempt to prove to herself she was safe, was an odd sensation.
It also proved how crazy strong Edward was. He held her tightly as he snapped his hips up, quickly bringing her spiraling toward the first release of the night. If Bella had learned anything during their sex, it was that Edward rarely left her with only one orgasm before coming himself. Unless they were in a hurry, and craving each other for a quickie, he always brought her to at least two orgasms.
During their playtime, he loved testing her in all ways possible, including how many times she could come before she blacked out from sheer pleasure.
His lips claimed hers when Bella came undone, effectively silencing her groan. Once she could feel her limbs again, she was surprised to feel him slipping out of her. The pulley being lowered meant she'd be out of the handcuffs.
Until Edward, she hadn't met a man with such self-control. He could stop fucking her at will, even though she knew how it pained him to part from her.
Once her wrists were freed, he pulled the blindfold from her eyes, guiding her to the vanity.
"Brace yourself on the edge of the vanity."
A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine at his commanding voice and the desire dripping from it. The second she was in position, Edward grabbed her hips, slamming back inside her.
"Oh, God!" Their eyes met in the mirror. The deep shade of green she was staring into, reminded her of tropical forests.
One of his hands went to the valley between her breasts, anchoring himself better, as his other hand dropped between her legs, where they were joined.
Bella closed her eyes briefly, unable to watch exactly how he was wrecking her body. She could feel another release fast approaching.
"Look at us, Bella," he rasped into her neck. "Look how hot we are."
Her eyes opened unwillingly, gluing on the spot where his fingers worked her clit.
"Fuck."
"That's what we're doing, baby." He made sure to prove his statement, by working his hips faster and harder, until she toppled over the edge of her impending release. "Fucking shit," he spat, stilling deep inside her.
Bella loved the feeling of when he came inside her. It was in these brief seconds when all his walls were down and he was most vulnerable, yet the most beautiful man in the world. She could never tire of watching him come apart.
.
.
.
The following morning, Bella was in the kitchen with Carlie in her portable baby basket, sitting tight on the counter. Currently, Carlie was rattling one of her noisy toys, while Bella ate from the pizza. Edward had put it in the refrigerator before joining her in their room the previous night, which she appreciated.
Bella was also swapping text messages with Alice, asking her for teething tips, because the cream the doctor had prescribed worked for so long. The crying sessions Carlie could have, were out of the world when something hurt her.
Jake appeared in her line of view, just as Bella placed her phone next to her coffee mug. Alice had to abandon their chat to make pancakes for Cynthia.
"You do realize, now that you live here, you have to wear more than boxers, right?" Bella muttered.
"I thought you weren't a morning person," he grumbled.
Bella snorted, because his answer didn't make any sense in regards to what she'd said. "You're a terrible babysitter," she continued. "I know that someone could fire a cannon next to you while you're asleep, but Carlie's cries can wake the dead!"
"I didn't hear a thing," he said, perplexed, stopping by the coffee pot.
"The black mug is Edward's. Try any other," she pointed out. "I have no idea how you couldn't hear her, considering you slept with her in bed, next to you!"
"Cut me some slack, Swan."
Bella rolled her eyes, deciding it was wise not to point out that she hadn't been Swan for some time. It was clear that Jake had a rough night taking care of Carlie.
Jake slumped on the stool next to her, stirring the sugar in his cup. "She sure gets it from you – all the screams you're telling me about."
Bella could feel her cheeks coloring in embarrassment. He'd heard her last night.
"Has Cullen considered gagging you during sex?"
Bella choked on her misjudged sip of coffee. Her eyes watered, as she coughed loudly.
"Have you considered earplugs?" Edward's grave voice came from the hallway, eyes narrowed on Jake.
Jake snorted, not seeing the dangerous glint in Edward's eyes. "I might survive the time I have to spend with you here. I'm just thinking of this poor bunny. To grow up down the hall, listening to her parents every night." He shuddered for effect.
"Do you wish to fall on my enemy list again?" Edward muttered, heading to his mug to pour himself coffee.
"Just saying, dude."
"Just shut up, Jake," Bella groaned, seeing how Edward was not in a good mood, for some reason.
Jake shot her a questioning look, like he usually did when she defended Edward's volatile nature. Bella ignored her friend, as she walked to her husband, wrapping her arms around his middle.
When Edward startled, nearly splashing coffee all over the counter, Bella met his eyes. He'd grown used to her unexpected touches.
"What," she mouthed.
"Nothing," he murmured into her hair, pressed his face against the side of her head.
"Edward," she insisted, pulling away enough to look into his frosted eyes.
He glanced at Jake, before returning to stare at her. "Nightmare."
Bella could feel her heart squeezing, because he didn't usually have those unless something triggered them. The only explanation was that something about their scene had brought back bad memories. But what?
Edward sat in the stool closer to Carlie, ignoring Bella and Jake, as he drank his coffee and played with their daughter.
Bella knew better than to push him, but she was truly curious what part of their night had reminded him of Siobhan. Because, they had to avoid doing it again, whatever it was. She'd hate seeing him in pain.
Edward made sure to avoid her until he couldn't dodge her questions anymore.
It was well into the afternoon when it happened. Carlie was sleeping. Jake had gone to the garage when Embry called agitated. Felix and Tanya had gone to meet Garrett and Kate for dinner.
"Talk to me," Bella demanded, turning to face Edward.
They were on the couch in the living room.
"You never give up, do you?" Edward groaned, running a hand over his scruffy jaw.
"I think you know me better than that, Edward."
His hand moved to his hair, messing it up further. "We should have probably just stopped when you said Red."
Bella felt instantly guilty for pushing him into the scene he wanted to play without talking about why she'd stopped the spanking. Because, after the fucking against the vanity, she'd fallen asleep in his arms on the way to the bed.
"Shit. Why didn't you insist on talking?"
"Because I saw you were okay to continue with what I wanted, not the spanking, though."
"But you weren't okay," Bella pointed out, touching his knee.
His troubled green gaze met hers. "When I flogged your breasts, I realized I hurt you."
"You didn't."
His eyes hardened. "I know your body better than you know it, Bella. The sound that left your mouth wasn't pleasure."
Bella looked away, remembering how the initial shock and pain had turned into pleasure. Though, she couldn't change his mind if he believed he'd hurt her.
"When I asked if I'd hurt you…" His tortured voice made her find his eyes again. "…and you said 'more', I almost stopped the scene. Again, if I didn't know you so well, I'd have most likely put an end to it. In hindsight, I should have done it."
"You know how I usually stop you if anything you do hurts," Bella whispered.
"It wasn't that." Edward shook his head, grabbing her hands. "My favorite word when Siobhan tested my pain threshold was 'more'. That's why I never put all the blame on her shoulders for how things ended between us. It was her fault for not seeing I was reaching my limit, but it was my fault, too, for encouraging her to keep up the pain."
"Holy fuck." Bella made a mental note to never say that word again during a scene. "Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?"
"I'll spare you, and save the details for my next session with Jasper."
Bella pursed her lips, only imagining what terrible things he'd dreamed of. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault I'm all kinds of fucked up, baby. Now, tell me what made you end the spanking."
Carlie's whimpers from the baby monitor on the coffee table put their conversation on hold.
"Later," Edward decided. "I'll get her."
Bella joined him, loving any opportunity to see the soft side of Edward when he was around their daughter.
If someone had told her some years ago how her life would look like after meeting Edward, she'd have laughed in their face. Bella had not only fallen for the most troubled man to walk the earth, but she'd entered, albeit reluctantly, a lifestyle that had terrified her at the time. Now, she was enjoying all sides of their relationship, and how Edward could switch from ruthless Dom to loving husband, and recently, to devoted father, completely in love with their little Carlie.
It had been Edward's idea to name her something unique, to honor both their dads' names. Bella had blamed her pregnancy hormones for sobbing her heart out at the thoughtful idea of mixing Charlie and Carlisle to create the name Carlie.
Edward had mastered changing diapers several weeks ago, and he was proud of his new skill. When Carlie still wailed loudly, kicking her little limbs, Edward turned to Bella, a playful smile on his lips.
"I think she wants tit. I must admit, I understand what all the fuss about your milk is." He licked his lips, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Bella picked Carlie from his arms, sitting in the rocking chair by the window. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
Edward laughed, leaning against the white dresser, folding his arms across his chest. He plucked one of the many plush toys sitting on top of the dresser, watching them with an adoring look in his eyes.
Bella had stopped feeling self-conscious feeding their daughter in from of him. If anyone else was present, that was a different problem.
"Think we can find a unicorn the size of a pony?" Edward asked, startling her.
"Maybe my milk causes you hallucinations, but last time I checked, unicorns did not exist."
Edward rolled his eyes, playfully throwing the stuffed teddy bear at her.
"Hey! Don't move me while I feed her."
"I know they don't exist, smartass! Emmett mentioned how Vera's obsessed with them after seeing them in her brother's cartoons."
Vera was Emmett and Rosalie's seventh-month-old daughter. Rosalie had found out she was pregnant shortly after their trip to Alaska. It should have been answer enough to some of Bella's questions about her own behavior, but she had been in denial for too long.
"Vera can't even speak!" Bella laughed.
"Em says she gets all excited when she sees unicorns on her brother's tablet."
"I won't be part of buying her a life-sized unicorn, but I promise to mention the reason behind your death in the eulogy at your funeral."
Edward scowled, mirth dancing in his eyes. "You did promise something along the lines…for better, for worse…tickle any memory?"
"Until death do us part," Bella said seriously, shifting Carlie in a sitting position on her lap, to pat her back. "After that, nothing I say will be held against me."
Edward's jaw dropped, which was a hilarious sight. "If you weren't holding Carlie…"
"My ass still hurts from last night," she said playfully.
"You simply can't stop yourself from challenging me, Bella."
"I love getting you all riled up, honey."
Edward pushed away from the dressed, bending over her, kissing her lips. "I love you sassy and disobedient."
Bella bit on the inside of her cheek, still stroking Carlie's back. "I love you, too, Sir."
- THE END -
See you for another few chapters - which will hold the outtakes.
Also, if you're following my new story Illicit Affair, the update comes tomorrow.