Chapter 24

Songs:

"Remember Everything," Five Finger Death Punch
"Fix You," Fearless Soul

**Fiddling was had. Words were added. All mistakes are mine.**

I can count on one hand how many times I've seen Ed Masen truly speechless. He's always been a force of nature, in and out of the courtroom. For as long as I can remember, he's had big opinions with an equally big mouth and no fear of letting everyone know what he's thinking. But he seems to have been rendered momentarily mute by the women in his life.

When he snaps out of it and finds his voice, he turns to Carlisle with an angry yet bewildered expression on his face. "Are you going to just sit there and let her do this?"

My uncle reaches for Esme's hand, making it absolutely clear where he stands. "I'd be happy to help you find a hotel or make arrangements for a flight home."

"This is bullshit." He tosses his napkin on his plate and stands, his fists balled at his sides. "Come on, Liz. We're obviously not wanted here."

Mom shakes her head as she tries futilely to calm a red-faced, screaming Zoe. She hands over the baby when Bella walks around the table to take her. Able to focus her attention where it's needed, Mom looks my father in the eye. "You weren't listening, Ed. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with my son and his family."

My father's gaze travels over the room, lingering a little too long on my wife as she comforts our daughter, before it lands on me. "Are you happy with yourself? Do you see what you've done? You're driving a wedge through this family."

I can't stop the humorless chuckle that comes out of me before I widen my arms. "Look around, old man. You're the only one driving a wedge through anything."

His attention is on my girls once more, and it takes everything inside me not to tackle the asshole to the floor. When he finally looks at me, shaking his head, there's nothing but disgust in his eyes. "You had so much potential, but you gave it all up. And for what?"

I open my arm to Bella as she steps to my side, wrapping it around her and Zoe. Just the feel of them so close helps calm the storm brewing inside me. I take a deep breath and look straight at my father. "I have everything I need ... everything I want right here."

A lot can be said with just a look, and the heated stare we exchange says it all.

We're both done with each other.

Without another word, he storms from the room, making a show of stomping up the stairs to the second floor and slamming a door.

Everyone seems to exhale a collective breath, none of us saying a word. The atmosphere that settles over the room is uncomfortable, but no one makes a move to change it. I turn my body toward Bella and wrap both my arms around her as she tucks her head under my chin. Zoe is still crying between us, but I feel like I'm frozen in place, unable ... unwilling to move from my spot.

Without warning, Bella pulls away and places the baby in my arms. "I think she wants her daddy," she whispers.

Zoe's cries quiet almost instantly, the wailing changing to stuttered breaths and whimpers as I cradle her against me. I press my lips to her soft forehead and breathe her in, my whole body relaxing now that I'm holding my little girl.

Bella turns to Esme. "Thank you for dinner, but it's been a long day and I think we're going to make it an early night."

"Of course, sweet girl," my aunt says, looking to me with a sad smile before turning back to my wife. "Please let me know if you need anything."

Bella nods before turning to first my uncle and then my mother. "If you'll excuse us."

Lacing her fingers with mine, she leads me out of the dining room and up the stairs to the solitude of our room. I'm kind of in a fog as I walk past her toward the windows on the far wall. Bella closes the door, shutting us off from the rest of my family, and presses her back against the wood, allowing me the space she knows I need.

With Zoe still held to my chest, I stare out into the night sky over the lake. A million thoughts hit me at once, but one stands out above all the others.

"You embarrassed me!"

Months ago, my mother tried to tell me it wasn't embarrassment that drove my father to react the way he did. But I've always suspected his humiliation was the root of his anger with me and my life choices. His tantrum tonight only confirmed it.

It doesn't make it any easier to accept.

I close my eyes and hold Zoe closer. I may have only been a father for six weeks, but it's unimaginable to me that anyone could watch a child grow up and not want them to be happy. For the longest time, I've felt like my parents would rather I be miserable doing what they wanted than live the life I wanted.

Zoe's soft breaths and quiet sighs break me out of my inner turmoil and I'm reminded of the responsibility I have as her father. I silently vow never to make her feel anything less than loved and supported, no matter what path she chooses to take with her life.

I don't know how much time passes as I sway us side to side, lost in my thoughts. Bella leaves me alone, readying herself for bed while I work through what I need to. And when I finally lay Zoe in her bed, I want nothing more than to curl up in my own and hold my wife.

When I turn around to hide under the sheets, Bella's there waiting for me ... just like she always is when I need her. The sight of her in one of my old shirts, her bare shoulder peeking out as she curls up on my side of the bed, tugs at something inside of me. In the storm that seems to be raging around me, she's my safe harbor.

With my eyes locked on hers, I strip down to my boxers and pull on a pair of sleep pants. Wordlessly, she folds back the blankets, letting me pull her into my arms as soon as my head hits the pillow.

"I'm proud of you," Bella whispers into the dark.

I press my nose into her hair, feeling unworthy of the praise for some reason. "I didn't do anything."

She reaches up and presses her palm to my cheek. Her gentle touch instantly quiets all the nagging voices in my head. "But you did. You stood up to him and held your ground."

"It doesn't feel like it."

Still cupping my cheek, Bella pushes up on her elbow and looms over me, her eyes intense, even in the dark. "You did, Edward. You stood up for yourself." Her head turns in the direction where our daughter sleeps soundly before turning back to me. "You stood up for all of us."

I cover her hand with mine and kiss her palm, my gaze locked on hers. "I wasn't going to let him talk to you that way."

"You didn't let him talk to you that way either. No one deserves to be spoken to like that. Especially your own child. But even after everything he said to you, you stood up to him. You were so strong."

I shrug, doing my best not to show her how much my father's rejection stings, but my pain doesn't go unnoticed. She can read me just as easily as I can read her.

"I'm sorry," she says softly, leaning in and pressing her forehead to mine. "I can only imagine how hard this is for you ... how much his words hurt you."

"It's nothing new."

"I've told you before, but I don't think you realize just how amazing you are."

"I don't feel very amazing."

"Trust me, you are. I ... I know what it feels like to have a shitty father." Her voice drops to a whisper. "You're nothing like your father, Edward."

"But what if—"

"No. Listen to me. I see the way you are with Zoe and ..." She pulls back just enough to stare down at me. "I know she'll never be subjected to any of the things I was as a little girl ... things that made me go look for love in the wrong places. She has a father who loves her ... who will protect her from people like—" Her lids flutter closed and she shakes her head. When she opens her eyes, they're shining with unshed tears. "I know my daughter is safe with you. I know I'm safe with you. I'm ... so lucky I found you."

Her kiss is gentle, soft, just like the rest of her. And as much as I want to deepen it, to hold her body against mine and show her just how much she means to me, I'm completely spent after the events of the day. I have nothing left in me tonight to give. Besides, when we're finally together that way, I want it to be special; she deserves more than a quick fuck in a borrowed bed.

The woman hovering above me with so much love in her eyes makes me feel like I matter, like my presence in her life makes a difference. And for tonight, that's enough.

Reluctantly, I pull away, pushing a fallen lock of hair behind her ear as my eyes search hers. "I think I'm the lucky one."

Her cheeks pinken as she shyly ducks her head. "Then maybe we're both lucky." She leans in to kiss me again, murmuring against my lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Bella. So much."

Without another word, she settles in beside me and rests her head on my chest. And not even the sounds of shouted words and slamming doors floating up from the ground level can keep me from sleep.

Christmas Eve morning I wake to the familiar sounds of a crowded kitchen. Deep voices and laughter float up the stairs, and I can't help but strain my ears for any sign that my father is still here. Bella is still asleep beside me, catching another short stretch of sleep after being up with Zoe through the night.

I try to slip out from underneath her undetected, but she's too light a sleeper these days.

I'm sitting on the edge of the bed, reaching past her for my discarded hoodie when she cracks open one sleepy eye. "Where are you going?"

I hover over her and place a soft kiss on her lips. "I'm gonna go see if there's anything I can grab and bring up here for breakfast in bed."

I stand, but before I can escape, she reaches for my hand and tugs me back to the mattress. "Don't hide from them."

"I'm not hiding."

"Grabbing breakfast and disappearing is hiding." She pushes back the blankets and sits up, leaning in and resting her head on my shoulder. "They're all on your side. Please don't push them away."

Anxiety creeps back in, the thought of facing everyone making my gut twist. I worry what they'll think of me, if they'll blame me for my father not being here. But as I look down into Bella's hopeful eyes, I know what I need to do. "I'll try, okay?"

"That's all I ask." She kisses the side of my neck before curling around my pillow and cuddling into the blankets, leaving only her head peeking out. "Now go," she says with a gentle nudge to my back. "Spend time with them."

After I steal one more kiss, I make a stop in the bathroom and grab a thick pair of socks before leaving my sleeping girls to seek out breakfast.

The smells of brewing coffee and frying bacon waft my way before I reach the last step. And when I step toward the Cullen kitchen, just like in my memories of years past, it's full of life.

Family.

No one notices me, so I linger just outside the doorway, my hands stuffed in my hoodie pockets, and watch. Mom and Esme are manning the griddle where they've started to pour pancakes, Alice and Rose are at the island chopping fruit, my cousins are fighting over how much icing to drizzle on the cinnamon rolls, all while Carlisle sits on a barstool reading the paper.

It's a little surreal, seeing my family all together doing something so familiar after all this time. I should be in there too, laughing and joking, talking about old times and sharing parts of myself they've not been around to see, but I can't bring myself to step into the room.

No matter what was said last night, a huge part of me still feels like my presence wouldn't be wanted.

Deciding I'm not quite ready to face them all, I turn and silently retreat, slipping my feet into a pair of someone's abandoned sneakers before I disappear through one of the patio doors. I'm not prepared for the blast of cold. It finds its way inside my hoodie, licking against my bare skin underneath.

Pulling my hood over my head, I walk the path to the dock. There's no sun, only cold and clouds. The gray, overcast sky is a mood all its own. And it kind of reflects how I feel inside.

Not crisp, vivid colors, but muted and diluted.

Gray.

I step onto the dock, walking past the moored boat and jet ski. When I reach the end, I skip the bench and instead opt to lower myself to the decking and cross my legs. Even without any boats to disturb its surface, the lake is choppy, the stiff breeze pushing the water to lap against the dock. The slight, rhythmic swaying of the platform under my ass would be almost soothing if I didn't feel so mixed up inside. The biting chill of the wind makes my nose run, and my breath makes misty clouds as I exhale. I push my hands farther into my pockets, curling in on myself to ward off the cold.

I may be freezing my ass off, but I can't face my family yet. The raw, exposed feeling I had last night has returned with a vengeance. Seeing them all together like that is a painful reminder of what I've missed out on.

Flashes of what erupted last night pop into my head.

"You embarrassed me!"

"Do you see what you've done?"

"You had so much potential, but you gave it all up. And for what?"

I clench my jaw and my eyes fall closed, angry with myself for still allowing him to affect me. He's always had the ability to make me feel two feet tall, but I thought I'd escaped that when I left Chicago. Even if his insults can't really hurt me, they still make me feel like the little kid who can't live up to his expectations.

But as I squeeze my fists in my pockets and feel the cool metal around my ring finger, I'm reminded that I'm not the same kid I used to be. I'm a married man with a family of my own. I can't let his words affect me anymore.

Voices coming from the house carry over the wind but are silenced almost as soon as they begin, a door likely closing behind whomever is coming to check on me. I wait for the telltale tingles that let me know Bella is the one to approach, but even as the soft footsteps fall on the dock, they never come.

"It's peaceful out here, isn't it?"

I look over my shoulder at my mother as she tightens her sweater around her. "You should go back inside. It's too cold out here." I turn to look back over the water, hoping she'll get the hint and leave me alone.

Seconds pass before she lowers herself to the decking, close but not quite touching me. "You forget, I haven't been in sunny California for the last few years, so I'm used to the cold."

"Suit yourself."

The silence between us is uncomfortable, making me feel like the walls are closing in around me. I wish she'd just leave and give me some space to work shit out on my own. But she lingers. Her sigh is heavy, years of things unsaid hanging between us.

"I wish I knew what to say, but I don't know where to start," she finally says, breaking the silence.

"I don't either. He—" I stop and close my eyes, trying desperately not to let my anger at my father cloud my feelings toward my mother. "A lot of things were said, Mom, and you never stood up to him until last night." I turn my head to look at her. "Why did it take so long for you to speak up?"

A sad smile plays on her lips as she reaches to cup my cheek. "I know it's a terrible excuse, but I was afraid."

I sit up straighter and her hand falls away, landing in her lap. "Of what? Did that asshole hurt you?"

"No, he never hurt me. Not physically anyway."

"Then what were you scared of?"

She shrugs. "Of everything. I was afraid of what would happen if I went against him. I was afraid of what would happen to you if you stayed on your own path. In the beginning I genuinely thought you were throwing your life away. No parent wants to see their child struggle, and I knew what you wanted to do wouldn't make your life easy."

"I never wanted an easy life. I—"

Her rueful smile returns. "I know. And seeing you with your family, seeing the wonderful man you've grown into makes me so happy. But knowing I had nothing to do with that ... it breaks my heart."

I don't know how to respond. I want to tell her it was her choice to drive me away, to cut me off, but I already know she has regrets. There's no reason to throw it back in her face. So, instead, I stay silent.

"I want to start over," she says softly, placing her hand on my knee. "I know neither of us can forget what I've done—what I allowed to happen—but I'm hoping we can put it behind us and start over." Her pause makes me look up and meet her sorrowful eyes. "I don't know this version of you, and ... I want to get to know him. Please tell me we can start over?"

There's no logical explanation for it, but I can feel Bella's eyes on us. And thinking of Bella automatically makes me think of Zoe. I know over the years I'll do stupid shit as I stumble my way through parenthood. And while I've promised myself I'll never shut her out like my parents did me, there's always a chance I'll screw up and drive her away for other reasons. The thought of her not giving me a chance to rectify it makes me physically ache. So, I do what I hope my own daughter would—give my mother the chance to make things right.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her to my side, her head resting on my chest. Her shoulders sag in relief and a sob racks her body. She wraps her arms around my waist and I hold her a little closer as I whisper, "I want that, too."

When we rejoin the family in the kitchen, it's still as loud and chaotic as it was before I stepped outside. Just like when we were kids, Jasper and Emmett are fighting over how many pieces of bacon they're entitled to, and Carlisle is trying to referee.

Esme hands me a plate and tells me to load up. "But save some for Bella."

I grab a second dish. "Oh, I was just going to make her a plate and take it up."

Before Esme can argue with me, Bella appears in the doorway with Zoe in her arms and a sleepy smile on her face. "You won't need to do that."

Like a magnet, she comes straight to me. She fits in my arms perfectly, and the calm her presence gives me is exactly what I need right now.

"You okay?" she whispers before pulling back to look up at me. "I saw you talking to your mom from our window."

The concern in her eyes makes me fall that much more in love with her. I brush my thumb over her still sleep-warmed cheek. "Yeah, I'm good. We're good."

She spots someone behind me and adjusts her hold on Zoe. "Do you want to hold her, Liz?"

I look back and see my mom, trying her hardest not to overstep. "Can I?"

"Of course." Bella smiles and walks over to her, handing over our girl.

Conversation is animated around the breakfast table, everyone excited for the events of the day to get underway. Bella listens with rapt attention as she's filled in on what is involved in a Cullen Christmas. Everything from cookie decorating to a Christmas movie marathon with a Chinese take-out feast is planned, ending with the final sentimental ornaments being hung on the tree.

And when it all finally gets underway, Bella's quiet, but I can see how much she loves making new memories.

We've never talked about what holidays looked like for her growing up, but I have a feeling they were nothing like this. Every once in a while I spot her holding Zoe up, whispering to her and pointing out an especially bright cookie or a shiny ornament on the tree. It quiets any doubts I may have had about bringing her here.

"Are you having fun?" I ask as we curl up on the couch together. She's hovered over a box of chicken lo mein, occasionally feeding me bites with her chopsticks, and I'm hoarding a box full of egg rolls I managed to wrestle away from Emmett.

"I'm having the best time." She kisses me with saucy lips before turning back to watching Jack Skellington on the big screen.

I look over at my mother. She's got Zoe in her arms, not paying a bit of attention to the movie. When she looks up at me, the smile lighting her face is the biggest I've ever seen. And when she mouths "Thank you," I know I've made the right decision about allowing her back in my life.

When the credits roll on the last movie, Esme excitedly hops up from her spot at my uncle's side and claps once. "Time for ornaments and presents!"

Bella's head whips around, shock written all over her face. "We're doing presents tonight? Ours aren't under the tree yet."

I run my hand up and down the outside of her thigh. "No, babe. This isn't all the presents; just one." I lean in closer and whisper in her ear. "New Christmas pjs are the required uniform for tomorrow morning."

"I didn't even think of that. Why didn't I think of that?"

I peck her pouty lips. "Stop. This is what they do. But if you like the idea, we can do it next year, okay? Make it our tradition, too."

Her beaming smile tells me everything I need to know.

"Okay, we'll start with the ornaments," Esme says as she pulls a box out from behind the tree. "I've saved all the prime real estate for the good ones."

Ornament after ornament is pulled from the divided box, and with each one there's a story to go with it. My cousins each have one from every year of their lives. Even Rose and Alice have a few from their shared holidays with the family. But I'm beyond shocked when my mother pulls out a large box and hands it to me.

"I want you to have these," she says, her voice unsure. "You've got your own family now, so I think it's time you have them."

As Mom opens the lid, Bella gasps at my side. Nearly twenty years of Christmases are immortalized in glass, wood, and stone. From my first Christmas to the last one I shared with them, they're all there. My fingers pass reverently over them, and I do my best to answer Bella's questions about the significance of each of them. Mom answers what I can't, and I'm grateful. It's an emotional tidal wave I wasn't prepared for.

And it hits again when she pulls a small, wrapped box out and hands it to Bella. "And these are for this year. I ... I hope you don't mind."

When the wrapping is pulled away and the contents are revealed, it hits me just how serious my mother is about being back in my life.

A "Baby's First Christmas" ornament is nestled in the box, Zoe's name and the year painted in green and red. And beside it is a gray stone heart, "Our First Christmas" engraved on its surface above our names and the year.

"Oh, Liz, thank you." Bella hops up and hugs my mother.

Mom wraps her arms tighter around Bella and closes her eyes, rocking them back and forth. "You're so welcome. I hope it wasn't too presumptuous of me to—"

"No, Mom." I stop and clear my throat, emotions suddenly trying to choke me. "No, it's great. Thank you."

The rest of the family looks on as Mom releases Bella to hug me, and I don't think there's a dry eye in the house.

Once all the ornaments are hung, Esme passes out gift bags, and one by one, everyone pulls out their new pajamas, each couple receiving a matching set. While Carlisle, Esme, and Mom all have subdued plaid-patterned flannel, my aunt didn't hold back when choosing for her kids.

Jasper and Alice's consist of a red shirt emblazoned with "Christmas Crew" across the chest and matching red and green striped pants. But the look is complete when Alice pulls two pairs of green elf slippers from their bag, complete with bells sewn to the toes. Emmett and Rose have a coordinating set covered in multicolored Christmas lights, and Em's shirt reads "Get Lit" across the chest.

After seeing what was chosen for them, I'm a little afraid to see what was picked for us. Bella, though, couldn't be more excited. I'm relieved when red and black flannel is pulled from our bag, followed by black and white shirts.

"Oh, I love these!" Bella holds up the shirts and grins.

The baseball-style shirts have a red and black plaid bear in the center, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and on the tiny matching sleeper, Baby Bear printed on the fronts.

Seeing Bella so excited makes me smile. "Those are pretty great." I look over at my aunt and Mom. "Thanks, guys."

Once our mess is cleaned up and Emmett makes sure his favorite cookies are left out for Santa, everyone says their goodnights and disperses to their rooms. While Bella gets Zoe changed and fed, I gather our presents for the rest of the family and sneak downstairs to stash them under the tree.

It's not Alice or Emmett banging on our door that wakes me like I expect it to be. It's Bella crawling back into bed. The mattress dips beside me, and her warmth is immediately felt.

"Everything okay?" I ask, my voice gravelly.

"She was hungry and wet," she whispers. "Go back to sleep."

I roll toward her, wrapping my arm around her waist. My fingers have a mind of their own and slip under the hem of her shirt, dancing along her soft skin until finally splaying out against her back to get more contact. "I doubt Em lets us sleep much later."

She nuzzles into me, kissing my chest. "Then maybe we should get up and get dressed."

I hum, my lips finding her neck and trailing warm, wet kisses down to her shoulder and up to behind her ear, continuing the circuit several times. I'm nowhere near ready to leave the warmth of this bed, and the way her body is arching against mine, I'm pretty fucking confident she's not either.

"Or maybe not."

With her lips on mine, she pushes against me, just the slightest bit, and I roll to my back, completely comfortable with her taking the lead. Both of my hands are under her shirt, spread out to soak up the heat of her skin.

The warmth of her breath as she kisses my neck sends a shiver down my spine. Even hidden beneath pajama pants, the proximity of her pussy to my dick sets my entire body on edge ... in the best way. And when I pull one hand out from under her shirt and slip my fingers into her hair to pull her closer, cradling her in my arms, the heat between us only increases.

Her slight body covers mine, and fire spreads through my veins. She's everywhere. As my lips trail down her neck, kissing and nipping, her hands grip my shoulders and she pushes to sit up. Her knees spread wide as she straddles me, the heat between her legs rubbing against my cotton-covered cock. I'm hard as steel, and the way she whimpers when she rocks against me, I have very little doubt of what we'd be doing if we were at home.

But we're not.

I'm about to put the brakes on, but when her fingertips rake down my chest and stop at the waistband of my pants, I freeze. In all the fooling around we've done, she's never put her hands on me. I want it so badly I can fucking taste it, but I won't be the bastard to ask it of her.

"Bella?" I whisper into the dark. "What—"

"Shh." She leans forward and kisses me, hard and deep before slithering down my body, leaving a trail of hot kisses on her way. "Let me do this," she whispers.

When I realize what her intentions are, I grab at the sheets beneath me. "Bella, you don't—"

She looks up, her pleading eyes shining in the darkness. "Please?"

Unable to stand the distance between us, I sit up, gently grasping the back of her neck and bringing her mouth to mine. Our kiss is slow but so deep I'm having a hard time knowing where I end and she begins.

Finally, I pull away and stare into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me, okay?"

Seeing no reason to say no, I nod. Her palm rests on my shoulder, giving me another gentle nudge and forcing me to lie back.

It's slow, not frenzied at all as she kisses down my chest and along my stomach, taking her time to skim her nose over me as she descends, breathing me in. Her exhaled breath warms my skin, making my whole body tingle and my insides curl in anticipation. She hasn't even touched my cock yet, and it already feels like the most intimate thing anyone has ever done to me.

She pulls at my waistband and I lift my hips, and when my pants and boxers have been tossed somewhere into the dark recesses of the room, she starts her exploration. Her touch is timid at first, only her fingertips grazing me, dancing lightly over the metal balls above and below the head. But with each shudder of my body and quiet grunt to escape my throat, her touch becomes more sure.

It's almost agonizing, waiting on her to grab hold of me, but I fist the bedsheets again, breathing deeply to hold on to my control. Her eyes are locked on my cock, but mine are on her. Her messy hair and bare shoulder peeking out of my old shirt does something to me. She looks so ... at ease, so soft. I may be physically vulnerable, my dick on display and at her mercy, but she's exposing herself in ways I've only ever hoped she could.

When she lowers her head, I draw in a huge breath. And when her lips kiss along the shaft, that breath leaves me in a gust.

She looks up at me through the curtain of her disheveled hair and smiles. "You like that?"

A stuttering laugh bubbles out of me. "I'm pretty sure I'll like anything you're gonna do."

Without breaking eye contact, her fingers wrap around me, her pinkie brushing ever so lightly against my balls. And when she leans in just enough to pass her lips over the head, I nearly come on the spot.

I toss my head back and groan. My body jerks as she licks and sucks. She's miles away from deep throating me, her tongue and lips not making it much farther than just past my piercing, but it's fucking mind blowing. Her mouth is hot and wet, and the way she swirls her tongue around the steel and flesh is almost my undoing.

It's also been close to a year since anyone has done this to me, so my self-control is fading fast. It nearly breaks when I look down and meet her eyes.

"Baby, if you don't want me to—" A grunt comes from deep inside me, my mouth falling open as I pant through the electricity running up and down my spine and the tightening in my balls. "Bella, I don't know how much longer I can—"

She releases me with a pop, her hand still firmly wrapped around me, her pace never faltering. "Then don't. I want to see you let go." With her eyes still on mine, she wraps her lips around me again, this time slipping me farther into her mouth. Her cheeks hollow out and she seems to double her efforts, her hand keeping a perfect rhythm with her lips and tongue.

With restraint I didn't know I possessed, I somehow keep myself from grabbing her head and fucking her mouth. Instead, I tighten my grip on the sheets beneath me, my back arching off the bed as my hips start to move.

When her other hand joins in, brushing the underside of my balls and pressing ever so slightly, I'm a fucking goner. I try to maintain eye contact, but I can't. My face screws up and I groan, pleasure erupting like tiny explosions throughout my body as I come. I jerk and spasm beneath her, tremors wracking my body as she slows her pace.

With a pounding heart and labored breaths, I melt against the mattress, spots dancing behind my eyelids.

Bella's warm body slides up alongside mine, and I don't even have the energy to hold her. The feel of her fingers in my hair is fucking divine, the innocent touch alone sending shockwaves through me.

"Was that okay?" she whispers.

"You have no idea, baby." I manage to open my eyes and loll my head to the side, my eyes meeting hers as she rests her head on my pillow. "That was ... I have no words." I gather the energy to roll to my side and cradle the back of her head in my hand, bringing her mouth to mine. "I love you," I murmur against her smiling lips.

"Love you, too."

Just as I start to deepen the kiss and slide my hand up her shirt, the wake-up I was expecting comes.

"Santa was here, fuckers!" Emmett booms, pounding on our door as he passes.

Instinctually, we both turn toward the bassinet, holding our breath.

"Maybe she—"

Her cries aren't loud, but it's enough to tell me our time is up. Bella's head presses into my shoulder and she huffs a laugh. "Is this what we have to look forward to every Christmas morning?"

I exhale a heavy breath and nudge her chin up so she'll look at me. "I hope so."

A/N: Whew! This was a packed chapter. Are we all ready to form a mob to go hunt down Ed Sr.? What about the convo between Edward and Liz? Do you think she's sincere in wanting to get to know him better? And the piercing FINALLY saw some action! Lol. I know a few of you out there were worried about it. ;) I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one!

***Chapter 25 will be the last weekly chapter for a bit. After next week, I'll be going to posting every two weeks for a bit. RL is catching up with me, and my bank of chapters is shrinking rapidly. I'm averaging writing a chapter every two weeks, and I would rather switch to bi-weekly posting so I can stay consistent. But once I get it all written, hopefully, I can get back to weekly updates.***

And for those of you who have read this far, I have a little surprise. I'll be in the Nashville area next weekend (7/23-25) for a "micro" meetup to see one of my favorite people, BitterHarpy. If you think you might be able to join us or stop by to say hello, shoot me a PM here or through Facebook so we can make arrangements. We'd love to see some of our Twi-sisters!

The best way to stay up to date with what I'm up to is to check out my FB group, Sunshine Fics. I share exclusive teasers and teaser pics for this story and others. I'm most active on FB, but I'm also on Twitter at CSunshine1220.

Be kind.
Stay safe.
Stay well.

Lots of love,
~Sunshine