A/N: Well, this is it for this love story. I hope everyone has enjoyed it much like I did when I originally wrote it. Please keep me on alert because I will be posting again real soon.
**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. All mistakes are my own.
ENJOY!
10/16/2022
Chapter 30
BPOV
Epilogue 2
"Nova and Nat!" I yelled for my eight-year-old twins. I was currently picking up their mess off the living room floor.
They came running in, their blonde curls bouncing. "Yes, momma?" They said in unison. They do everything the same except wear the same clothes and their taste in music. At their young age you would think they liked everything.
I sat back on my heels, "Girls, I'm your mother, not your maid. Please clean up this mess before your dad gets home or you're on punishment."
Nova spoke first. "But momma, we didn't do this, Grayson did."
I looked at her over the top of my glasses, "Novalee, what have me and daddy told you about lying? Your brother didn't make this mess." Natalie just stood with her hands behind her back. Novalee was six and a half minutes older and chose to think she was the boss between the two of them.
"I'm not lying," she said, her eyes blinking faster as she spoke.
The peculiar thing of it all, I knew she was trying to pull the wool over my eyes because their brother had been attached to my hip all day. I was only giving Novalee one more chance to come clean.
"Nova..."
I was cut off by Natalie. "We did it, momma. We'll clean it up."
Novalee stomped her foot. "That's not fair!"
"Novalee, it's very fair. You told a lie and what happens to liars in our house?" I kept my eyes locked on hers. When me and Edward had to use the eye contact, they always folded, with all the kids.
Natalie started picking up all the toys. "Momma and Daddy always says we shouldn't lie because that makes you a dishonest person and lying is for bad people..."
Natalie kept reciting the rules we made years ago when Avery began to walk and developing her own attitude. If they were caught in a lie, they were supposed to pay the lie jar from their own money that they earned each week. If they didn't have the money, they were submitted to double chore duty, depending on the severity of the lie.
Our lie jar was usually empty. Not because they didn't have the money to pay, but because Edward and I feel that we've done a fairly good job raising our children. Honesty was a large part of our life.
"Nova, this is your last chance," I warned before placing punishment.
Her bottom lip began to tremble before she launched herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm sorry, momma. I didn't mean it."
She cried harder, "Stop, okay? You're gonna make yourself sick."
She pulled away from our hug. "Brooklyn at school, she...she...she..." Novalee kept hiccupping as she tried to explain herself.
"Slow down. Take a deep breath and tell me about Brooklyn." I pulled her over to sit on the couch. Natalie had finished cleaning and joined us.
She took a deep breath before trying to explain, again. "She says telling little lies is okay."
"Oh, sweetie. That's not true at all. When you have friends trying to get you to do bad things, they're not really good friends. Do you think it's okay to lie? About anything?" I placed my hands on my lap and waited for her answer.
She shook her head no. "Who makes the rules for you to follow? Me and Daddy or Brooklyn?"
"You and daddy," she replied, her bottom lip poking out as huge tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Okay, now tomorrow, if Brooklyn tries to get you to do something bad, you tell her no. Then tell your teacher. If that doesn't help, then mommy will take care of it." Brooklyn's parents had another thing coming if they thought teaching their kids to lie was a way to raise their kids, then I had more than a few things to say about it.
"I'm sorry, momma," she said, again, hugging me.
My twin daughters had the hair of their grandfather, Carlisle. They were our only blonde-haired, blue-eyed children. Avery had my hair and her father's eyes. The same for Mackenzie. Lucas was a spitting image of his father when Edward was a teenager. And then there's Grayson. He's my beautiful, brown-eyed baby boy. His hair was a cross between brown with a hint of red and splashes of light blonde; not too much, but you could see it.
Grayson was very much a surprise and definitely our last baby. I had my tubes tied when they cut me open for a c-section. He was breech and absolutely refused to turn around.
Edward had a war within himself, for a few days, before he agreed to the tubal ligation. I had three teenagers that were closer to adulthood than I liked. I was feeling a little nostalgic, though, so that's why we have Grayson.
"You two go get cleaned up before daddy gets home. Dinner is soon." I grabbed two throw blankets from the couch and folded them before stuffing them in the hall closet.
The girls scurried upstairs as I made my way into the kitchen. My phone chimed as I turned the corner, so I grabbed it from the counter. It was my brother. "Yes, brother of mine.
"Hey, B. Vic informed me that Avery agreed to be in Maddie's wedding." I knew my brother was very bitter about his daughter getting married so young.
I sighed, "Yes. Only as a bridesmaid, though."
I heard him growl. "You know how much I hate this, don't you?"
"Yes, but brother of mine, your daughter is over eighteen, not pregnant and moving to a military base. She's going to be okay." I had to have this conversation with him at least twice a week.
Maddie had met her soon-to-be husband in high school. Her sophomore year, to be exact. They're high school sweethearts. Simon decided to join the Army National Guard, so him and Maddie want to be married before he leaves for boot camp.
He'll be gone for ten weeks or more. His boot camp was in Missouri, and we all agreed to go to his graduation. I'm not sure about all the stuff he has to train for, but he'll eventually be a Military Police Officer and sooner rather than later, Maddie would be moving where he's stationed. James is freaking out because one of his choices is Japan for three years.
"Bella, I'm losing my daughter," he whined.
"You. Are. Not. She's grown up now, Jimmy. You have to let her spread her wings. You can't hover and suffocate her." I pulled a lasagna from the fridge where I had put it the night before to defrost. Our freezer in the garage was full of pre- made meals and fish. Carlisle, Edward, Jasper and my brother recently took a trip to Alaska to do some fishing. We'll be stocked with Salmon and Cod for months.
I heard Jimmy sigh, "I know. Vic tells me the same thing. I don't see how she's coping with this better than me." Then he chuckled. "Speaking of Vic. Have you met the new guy she's dating?"
James and Victoria divorced two years after their second child was born, which was a year and a half after Avery entered the world. It was irreconcilable differences. They're great friends and get along wonderfully. They just fell out of love with each other. There's love there; just not the romantic kind.
Benjamin, their second child, was definitely planned. Victoria got baby fever when Avery was born and when Alice got pregnant with her first daughter. She didn't let up until she was pregnant. It didn't take long for my brother to knock her up and not only that, he also got the boy he was hoping for.
"No. I didn't know she was even dating a new guy. What happened to Blane? Or whatever his name is?" Victoria has dated so many men since their divorce and was even engaged once, but really hasn't settled down with one guy. The only thing that she's positive about in her life is her children and her job. None of us, in the family, felt any ill will against her. They never did any wrong to each other. They argued here and there when they were first split up and during the divorce, but since then, they're like best friends.
"Obviously it didn't work out. He thought that because she was a high-powered attorney, she would pay for everything. He was hoping she'd be his sugar-momma," he chuckled, and I laughed.
After talking to my brother for another five minutes, I started getting the rest of dinner ready.
Grayson was watching Jurassic Park for the hundredth time. The twins were probably doing something they're not supposed to do. Lucas was at a friend's house down the road. That left Avery and Kenze who were at cheerleading practice. Edward was picking them up on his way home.
I heard screaming just as I sat the plates on the table. I flew up the stairs, two at a time, and entered their room. "What's going on in here?"
The girls were huddled in a corner. "There's a spider, momma; kill it." They were scared for their lives.
I walked over to the corner that they pointed at. I couldn't see anything. "Where?"
"It's there, momma," Natalie said. "It's big and hairy."
I turned to look at them. They were so damn cute. Their identical faces with scared features was picture perfect.
I went back to looking for the spider and found the tiniest of all spiders. It was on a web in the corner, and I wondered what they were doing to even notice the tiny speck, but instead, I went into their bathroom, grabbed a tissue and scooped it up. I squatted down in front of them. "I thought you said it was big and hairy?"
I pulled the tissue open to show them. I knew it was cruel, but I just had to do it. They yelped and huddled closer together. "Ew...Ew...Ewwww..."
Then I heard, "MOM!" coming from one of my other children. It sounded like Lucas.
"In the twins room!" I yelled in return.
Lucas poked his head through the door after a minute. "When's dinner?"
I turned to look at him. "Gee, Hi mom. How was your day?"
"Sorry," he said. "Hi mom. How was your day? When's dinner?"
"I thought you were eating at Matt's tonight?" I stood and threw the tissue, containing the spider, into the trash.
Lucas leaned against the door frame, looking every bit just like Edward. The older he got, the more the two could pass for brothers because Edward sure as heck didn't look a day over thirty. "I was going to, but I didn't like what they were having, so I made up an excuse and came home."
I turned to face the girls and reached my hands out for them to take. "C'mon. I saved you from the spider. Let's go downstairs and you two can help me set the table."
"Do we gotta?" Novalee asked.
"Yes, you gotta. And your brother's helping, too," I said, smiling up at my son who was nearly three inches taller than me at the age of thirteen.
We made our way downstairs where I pulled out the silverware and handed them over to Lucas. The girls were placing the plates at each seat. "When you're done with that, you can get the glasses and napkins."
Surprisingly, no one complained, and the table was beautifully set waiting on our dinner to mess it all up.
Twenty minutes later, I heard the telltale sign of the arrival of the rest of my family. As soon as the garage door opened, Grayson came running to greet his father. "Daddy!"
"Grayson!" Edward replied, mocking our four-year-old son.
"I missa you tooday, daddy." Grayson had his arms wrapped around his father's legs. Edward put his briefcase down next to the hall table before he reached down, picked Grayson up and flipped him over his shoulder.
"I missed you, too, buddy." Edward began his regular evening routine of tickle torturing our youngest son.
I watched them for a minute. "All of you need to go wash up for dinner. You have five minutes.
Avery and Kenze finally walked in from the garage. "It's about time you two decided to come inside."
"Avery was talking to her boyfriend," Kenze said snidely.
Edward and I looked at each other. We already knew that Avery was getting pretty close to the boy a few houses down from us. We were still very adamant about her waiting until she was seventeen, which was not too far away. One month to be exact. She argued with us, but we weren't backing down for nothing. I was more for sixteen, but Edward was set in his ways. That was a huge fight and the first time Avery raised her voice at us and had a nasty attitude.
Edward tried to explain that at seventeen she was closer to eighteen. And between me and him, we argued and argued for hours over it. He never made any damn sense at all. His reasoning was shit. We were close to agreeing that she could date at sixteen, but she charged in our room yelling at us that we were ruining her life. That made me finally agree to make her wait until she was seventeen. Honestly, it was more for punishment than anything. In the long run, I did get Edward to agree to having potential boyfriends visit at the house and phone calls, just no dating.
Since then, she barely gets nasty with us because she knows it's almost time to get her driver's license and that meant a car. We had news for her, though. She wasn't getting a brand-new car. None of our kids would get a brand-new car unless they paid for it themselves. They had to have good grades. They didn't have to be exceptional because I know that not everyone is perfect, and we didn't expect our children to make themselves sick trying to look perfect in our eyes. We just asked them to do the best that they could and make an effort.
Luckily, though, we were able to teach all of them to read before they started school, and they knew how to write their names and basic words. We were currently in the process of teaching Grayson and thankfully, he was learning quite well.
With a nasty tone, Avery said, "He's just a friend." Then she turned to Kenze, "You need to mind your own business."
Mackenzie's fifteen year old self stuck her tongue out in defense and headed for the stairs.
"Kenze, dinner in five!" I yelled out to her as she stomped up the stairs. "Avery, take your stuff upstairs and go wash up."
Edward finally put Grayson down and ushered him to the downstairs bathroom to wash his hands. Then he made his way back to me. "Your turn," he said, wrapping his arms around me and planting a searing kiss on my lips. "Mmmm...how's my beautiful wife today?"
I raised up on my tip toes and gave his neck a little nip. "Ready for all the kids to be in bed and asleep."
Edward then reached down and grabbed my ass. "You mean I finally get to fondle my wife tonight?"
The last week had been completely exhausting and I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I've been busting my ass trying to get my fifth book ready to send off to the editor. Over the last ten years, I've had four books published.
My recent book is my true story. I finally put my whole life into words, hoping that it could help someone who has or is currently going through what my mom and I did. My other books come from my dirty minded side.
I smiled up at him. "I'm sorry I've been so tired lately."
"Don't apologize. I know what it's like to be overly busy." He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
"Mmm..." I responded. "I feel like I've been neglecting my husband and I'm horny as hell."
His smile grew a mile wide. "I look forward to fixing your issue." He smacked my butt, "Later."
All the kids came running down the stairs and planted themselves at the table. Grayson was already seated like the patient little man that he was.
Edward poured everyone's drinks and I served the food. And the most amazing part was that most kids grumbled when they had to sit, as a family, to have dinner. Not our kids; they looked forward to eating with everyone. We always had something to talk about and Grayson occasionally had his own little story to tell.
"Daddy, did you know that Kenze has a crush on a boy at school named Quinn?" Avery was about to get an argument started.
I felt the table rattle and Avery yelled, "Owwwaaaa...what was that for?" She asked, looking at Kenze.
"Don't start somethin' and there won't be nothin'," Kenze said, sneering at her sister.
Edward smacked his hand down on the table, rattling all the dishes. "Girls! Not one more word about who likes who or who's talking to who. I suggest you think long and hard before anymore words come out of your mouths." Edward took a deep breath. "Kenze, if you have a crush on a boy at school, that's fine, but don't go teasing your sister about who she's talking to. If you can dish it and not take it in return, you need to keep your mouth shut. As I see it, you started it. Regardless, there is no dating until you're seventeen - both of you. If you keep it up, then you won't date until you're thirty."
The girls let out deep breaths, slumped in their seats, crossing their arms over their chests and curled their upper lip in a mean looking sneer.
My husband took a deep breath, as well and picked up his fork to continue eating. "Lucas, is there a girl out there that you're interested in that we need to know about?"
Lucas blushed and replied, "Um...no, not really."
"Ha!" Barked Kenze. "There's plenty of girls that Lucas is interested in." Then she giggled. "Their names are Rosie Palmer and her five sisters."
Lucas sneered at his older sister. "Shut the hell up, Kenze."
"OH!" Edward and I shouted in unison. "Watch that mouth son or you'll find yourself on restriction."
"That means grounid, ha daddy?" Grayson asked. "They's get in trouble cuz they's bein' mean."
Edward cracked a smile at Grayson. "You are very correct, buddy."
"Nova and Nat, if you're done, please take Grayson upstairs and help him get his stuff ready for his bath." Edward and I were about to have a discussion with our oldest children. "Put your plates by the sink before you go upstairs."
The three of them did as they were asked. "You three, don't leave this table."
I heard grumbles from all three and after the youngest Cullens were out of earshot, we began our parental duties. "Kenze, first off, where did you hear about Rosie Palmer?" I couldn't believe I was asking this question because now these days, kids were learning so much stuff from other kids at school.
Lucas growled, slouching down in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for his sister's answer.
"I do read a lot, mom," she replied, pushing her half-eaten food away from her, looking at me like I should know what she's talking about. I never gave her permission to read my books and I wondered if she was sneaking them or getting them from friends.
Edward gave me the stink-eye. "Don't look at me like that. I can't control what she reads. We can tell her what she's allowed to read, but are you gonna walk behind her twenty- four/seven to make sure she doesn't read what we tell her not to?"
He pushed his plate away, much like Kenze did. "I'm getting too old for this shit."
It was my turn to give the stink-eye, ending our conversation, that never got started, with our oldest children. "You three can go. No more teasing especially if you can't handle getting teased in return."
They made quick work of getting up from the table, gathering their plates, kissing mine and Edward's cheek and leaving the dining room. I decided to ignore my husband. That comment didn't sit too well with me, and he was probably wondering where Mackenzie got the books that she's learning such crude things to say. He, also, probably thought I gave her permission to read them behind his back.
I stood from the table, started gathering dishes to take to the kitchen and left Edward to stew. He could sit there and think about what he just said and wonder. I was doing the dishes then taking my ass upstairs to shower then go to bed.
"Bella," I heard him call for me, but I wasn't giving in, so I turned on the water to start rinsing the dishes. I moved them around a little too rough, causing them to clang together. I didn't give a shit. Maybe I was overreacting; making a big deal out of something small, but then again, if Kenze was getting my books, then it very well could be my fault she was reading them.
I felt him before I heard him. "Bella." I stopped what I was doing and watched the water find its way down the drain.
Edward slipped his hands around my waist and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for, and I know it's hard to keep an eye on what our kids get their hands on. Especially reading material."
I was stunned. I thought he was going to rip me a new asshole.
I shut the water off and turned in his arms, placing my wet hands on his face, knowing it would irritate the piss out of him. "This shit that you're too old for is our shit; our family; our dreams and dramas; our children. If you're too old for any of that, then you're too old for me. I know you're tired and frustrated, but there for a minute I felt like you've grown tired of me and this life that we built together, and I thought you were about to put full blame on me for Kenze reading stuff she's not supposed to." I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm sorry about the books. I'll get a lock to put on my private stash. I really am sorry."
"Baby..."
I interrupted him. "No, I know I let my mind go a little too far when you said you were too tired for this shit. I know you didn't mean for it to sound the way it did. We've been married for seventeen years, and I should know better than to think things like that."
"Seventeen amazing years," he said, pulling my body closer to his. "I wouldn't change one thing."
"It's definitely been amazing, hasn't it?"
I tilted my face up toward his and stretched up on my tiptoes to press my lips to his. He still sent shivers down my spine. Thinking about being with him for seventeen years, brings up all the stuff that's happened.
I met my true love, and we had six of the best kids that any parent could ask for. Avery's on the verge of turning seventeen. She'll be starting her senior year of high school in the fall. Time was getting away from us.
Mackenzie - she's right behind her sister with growing up way too fast and very book smart. Sometimes too smart for her own good.
Lucas just began his teenage years. He's a very curious thirteen-year-old. Edward has already had to talk with him about spending too much time in the bathroom. Yeah, Lucas is at that stage where he's popping wood if the wind blows in his direction and his older sisters aren't easing up on him about it. I know it's mainly payback from Mackenzie because Lucas constantly teased her when she first started her period.
And then there's our ever-gracious identical twin girls Novalee and Natalie. They may be identical, but their personalities were forces to be reckoned with. Much like their Aunt Alice.
Last but not at all the least is our baby boy Grayson. He knows he's the baby and the last to add to our family. We figured six kids was a good even amount. I'm sure Edward would have loved all boys, but I also know he wouldn't change anything when it came to our girls.
Even with three women in the house that have periods, he still has minimal gray hair. I chuckled, imagining Edward with a head full of gray hair once the twins get old enough to start their cycle. It was still a few years away before my husband decides he wants to be bald.
As for everyone else. My parents are out traveling the world together. Gracie and Alex were off to college on the east coast. Alex is attending NYU and Gracie goes to the University of Tennessee. We make sure we see each other at Christmas. One time a year never seemed like enough, but it's become a part of our life.
Alice and Jasper are still head over heels in love with each other. Their youngest child is only a year old. Alice calls Kyra her late in life baby. Kendall and Kylie are teenagers and definitely keeps Jasper on his toes. With him being the only male in his family that he created with Alice; he wouldn't change a thing. Much like his cousin, Edward.
Jasper runs the family business now. His parents retired when John had his first stroke about four years ago. A year and a half later, a major heart attack took him from us. It's still all very fresh, but we've made peace with it.
Except for maybe Joan.
My parents ended up living with Joan for about six months to be there for her until she started having episodes of forgetfulness. The Alzheimer's took over in no time. As much as Jasper hated to do it, he had to put Joan into a nursing home.
It was like everything happened with his family all at once. John passed away about the same time I had given birth to Grayson. Then Joan and her Alzheimer's. Three months to the day after Joan was diagnosed, Jasper's brother Colin was murdered.
Apparently, Colin was a huge, well-known sports agent that followed the wrong path. He got mixed up with the wrong people. He had led everyone to believe that he was doing really good for himself, but he owed a lot of money to a suspected Mob Boss for gambling. They still haven't found the person who killed him because they made it appear as a robbery gone bad. Jasper couldn't figure out how Colin blew through more than ten million dollars in a matter of two years. He's still in denial over all of it. So, when my dad did his own investigation into the matter, that's when we found out about the whole Mafia part of his murder.
Emmett and Rosalie were still going strong. They went through a rough patch about a year after their twins, Jacob and Riley, were born. Emmett being away from home so much was putting a toll on Rosie. They separated for about five months leaving Emmett to live with Carlisle and Esme when he was in town. Rosalie didn't deny him his children, so he saw them every chance he had available.
Rosalie finally gave in, stating she couldn't be without him anymore. They went to counseling, which lasted about two months before they decided to agree to disagree about their separation.
Jacob and Riley were exceeding in all things that they did, and they did a lot of things including volunteer work and even had jobs. Jacob was into all sports and not just football like his father. I think he likes to play soccer more. Riley was too girly and very popular with the boys. Emmett and Rose, unlike Edward and me, say it's okay for her to date at the age of fifteen. They weren't our children, but we shared our views with them and why we made the choice that we did.
So far, Riley has had the same boyfriend since they gave her permission. Jacob on the other hand, he really doesn't make time for girls, but he does have his eyes on a few.
They tried for years to have another baby, but it never worked out the way they planned. Rosalie stopped using birth control and gave up. She's forty-three now and six months pregnant. Alice decided that Rosalie took the late in life trophy away from her. Emmett and Rose were very happy about it. They feel blessed even with the news that they very recently received.
Considering Rosalie is forty-three, her doctor suggested for her to have an amniocentesis done. They're having a baby boy that'll need extra special care because he has down syndrome. It never crossed Rosalie's mind one time to terminate her pregnancy because she knew that God picked her for a reason. She loved him unconditionally already and they decided that he would be named after his daddy. Emmett Jonathan Cullen Jr.
And then there's David. Gosh, I miss that man. He had become a huge part of my life; in all of our lives. He finally got the life he wanted and lived it for a good ten years before his cancer returned. This time, it came back with a vengeance. He was terminal this time around and there was nothing the doctors could do, so he denied any treatment and lived the rest of his life making more happy memories with the love of his life.
After he passed away, his wife Agaytha, passed shortly after him from a broken heart. She died in her sleep while she held a picture of David. Those two were so perfect for each other.
"Bella..." I was pulled out of my reverie by my wonderful husband. "Did you hear anything I said to you?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry."
"What's on your mind?" He asked, taking my hand and leading me into the living room to take a seat on the couch.
That was until we heard Grayson scream to the high heavens. It was so surreal how we could tell the difference between which kid was screaming.
Edward and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes, so we made our way upstairs.
We entered the recreational area that we had my brother build into the house years ago when we had more renovations done. It's the game room, TV room, and all the toys were in that room, too.
Grayson was sitting in the middle of the floor crying with a pile of Legos laying in front of him. Edward bent down to pick him up. "What's the matter, Gray?"
"Natawee breaked my weggo tower." Grayson tucked his head under Edwards chin the exact way every one of our children have since Avery was a baby.
I looked around the room and didn't see the girls. "Where did Natalie go, Grayson?"
He pointed toward a chair in the corner, so I walked to the chair and looked over the back. Natalie was crouched down behind it trying to hide. She must not have heard me coming. "Nat?" I said, causing her to scream and fall back into the wall and hit her head. Now she was crying.
I looked at the clock on the wall and wondered if I should forego baths and just put them to bed or bathe them, so they didn't need to bathe the next morning. "Come here." She crawled from behind the chair and climbed on my lap. I rubbed her head and there was a small knot forming. It wasn't too bad, but to her, she was dying. I was just about over the dramatics for the day.
"Nat, do you know what karma is?" I asked, knowing she didn't know, but she was a smart girl.
"No," she cried into the crook of my neck. I looked at Edward pleadingly, and sighed, "Okay, do you know how you just broke Grayson's Lego tower and tried to hide?" She nodded, answering yes. "Well, because you did something not nice to your brother, you fell back and hit your head. That's called karma, so each time you do something bad, then something bad will happen to you."
She stopped crying and looked up at me. "Every time I'm bad, I'll get hurt?"
I made a face. "Well, not every time, but if I were you, I wouldn't do something bad just to see if you'll get hurt." I was definitely ready to lock myself in my sanctuary and not come out for days.
Edward interrupted, "Hey, how about we get baths out of the way and go to bed?" He sounded encouragingly bitter. I knew he was exhausted, too.
To make a long night shorter, we tag teamed and got the twins and Grayson bathed and in bed within thirty minutes. It was close to nine before we headed toward our bedroom.
We stopped by Avery, Kenze and Lucas's rooms on the way. Avery was on the phone. Probably with the boy down the street. I knew they were probably more than friends, but I wouldn't bring that up to Edward anytime soon.
Mackenzie was sitting at her desk with a schoolbook open doing homework.
Lucas? Well, he was in his bathroom. We could hear him talking but not hear what he was saying. We closed the door really quick and quietly.
I was so glad our room was on the bottom floor. It used to be upstairs, but when we did the remodeling upstairs, we rearranged rooms. I didn't know how he pulled it off, but my brother managed to make Edward's man cave into our bedroom. He made it where we entered from the kitchen and not from the garage which was how it used to be. Have I mentioned how wonderful my brother is?
I began stripping out of my clothes the moment I walked through my door. I headed straight to my - our wonderfully, outrageous bathroom with Edward right behind me.
Our shower was absolutely, insanely huge. There was a his and her side where we could meet in the middle. We could choose any shower setting we wanted; it was endless. My favorite was the rain shower, and to say that my brother spoiled us when he built our bathroom, would be an understatement.
I reached in and switched on all the shower heads. I wanted it hot, but not too hot to melt my skin. As soon as I was naked, I turned to say something to Edward, but he caught me by surprise. He picked me up by my waist, causing me to wrap my legs around him. He didn't waste any time trying to eat my face.
It had been a while since we'd been so animalistic with each other. One minute my back was pushed against the wall and the next, my husband slammed his steel rod of a cock into me. Oh, sweet heavens. I'll have to use this in my next book.
"This is gonna be quick," he warned. "I've been so damn horny for the last two weeks and I am not waiting anymore."
The harder he slammed into me the harder my back hit the wall. I didn't care, though. I felt his love and want with every inch of him that he sank into me.
A few minutes later, Edward rammed into me one last time as came with a loud grunt, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I felt his teeth graze my shoulder before he sucked on the crook of my neck. "Fuck," he cursed, as he licked where he sucked on my skin.
"You're definitely not too old to do that," I said, releasing my legs from around his waist, letting me slide down his body. I could barely stand because he always made me weak in the knees. His cock was still semi-hard, so I reached out and slipped my fingers around him. "Yeah, definitely not too old."
He chuckled, placing his hands on my cheeks and pulling me to him. "And you, my gorgeous wife, are definitely not too old, either. I hope to fuck you like that until I'm 90."
My face was riddled with small kisses before I spoke. "You're stuck with me because after six kids, I'd be too embarrassed to let another man see my body."
"Hey, now," Edward said, as he turned around and tilted his head to get his hair wet. "That's my wife you're talking about and I happen to think her body is the most beautiful creation that I've ever seen."
He stopped what he was doing and placed his hand over my stomach that was mostly flat, but it was also a canvas of stretch marks. "This place here is where you carried our babies. To me, that's beautiful." Then he reached up and cupped both of by breast. He lightly rubbed his thumbs over my nipples that were already hard as a rock. He leaned down and ran his tongue over the tip of my right one. "These provided our babies with food. Again, the most beautiful set of breasts that I've ever seen."
He resumed his ministrations on my nipples and gave one a good suck, causing a jolt run down my body and end in my clit. "Your whole body is beautiful. Especially when I can look at you and my heart still races. It's hard to explain it. It's like that feeling when you were a teenager and your biggest crush enters a room and you get this really weird feeling in the pit of your stomach."
I smiled up at him, knowing all too well what he was saying. That was the same exact feeling I had when I first laid eyes on him many years ago and the same feeling I get every day. "I still feel it, to this day."
Edward placed a light kiss on my lips. "Let's wash up real quick because I'm aching..." he pointed down and his erection was waiting for attention.
So, we finished showering. Neither one of us taking our eyes off the other unless we had to. The ache between my legs was growing by the second, and once we were done, we dried each other and never bothered to put our robes on. Then my husband took my hand and led me to our bed.
There had been many times over the last seventeen years that Edward made me feel like the queen he says I am and during those times, I really did feel like a queen. This time, he was making me feel like the sexiest woman alive as he traced every inch of my body with his hands. We made love for hours and fell asleep with smiles on our faces.
"Isabella..." I heard my name before I rolled over and poked my sleeping husband. He was probably talking in his sleep. After the birth of Lucas, Edward developed sleep talking.
"Isabella..." I startled, clutching my blanket and sitting up. Edward was definitely not talking in his sleep.
Phil was standing at the end of my bed. "What the hell?" I grumbled. "Why are you in my room?"
"Can we talk?" His hands were in the pockets of his white dress slacks.
I made a face. "In my room?"
"Edward won't know I'm here. This is your dream, after all." Phil took a few steps over to a small bookshelf where I had pictures of the whole family displayed.
I sat up more and leaned against my headboard. "I thought you said you wouldn't visit me anymore?"
Phil turned and smiled. "I did say that didn't I?"
"Yeah, you did. Almost seventeen years ago, to be exact. My oldest daughter was just born."
He continued looking over the pictures. "Avery's grown to be a very beautiful girl. All of my grandchildren are beautiful." He smiled. "I know you're wondering why I'm here."
"Yes; I guess you could say that. You could have at least waited for a night that I was dressed." Edward made a deep breathing sound and turned to his side.
Phil walked over to the chair in the corner of my room and sat down. "I made amends with your grandfather. I forgave him for allowing my mother to be the way she was. I know you never knew all the stuff that woman put him through. Even me as a child. You're better off not knowing, but you're a grown woman and can use your imagination."
David had said the same exact thing to me many years ago when I first agreed to give him a chance.
He sat and looked at me for a minute before continuing. "I was stuck in the afterlife for a while. I had to atone for a lot of my sins while I was there. And I had to learn to forgive myself. I'm almost there; that's why I'm here. I had to see with my own eyes that you were doing well. I was only allowed to see glimpses of your life every once in a while, and after all these years, I finally get to move on. I can head to the higher ground, now."
He chuckled and stood from the chair. "Phyllis will be atoning for the rest of her existence, if she's allowed. I have a feeling she'll be sent to lower ground no matter how much atoning she does. I haven't associated myself with her. I finally have the opportunity to move on and I won't allow her to rule me, again."
"So, I'm one of the reasons you can move on?" I was still a little confused by his visit. Maybe it was because I was still half asleep.
"Yes; I needed to say my final good-bye and let you know that your grandfather and I have our own place waiting for us." He chuckled. "It's going to take some getting used to."
I gave him a small smile. "I'm glad Grandpa is okay. Is Agaytha with him?"
He laughed. "Oh yes. Those two keep me on my toes. They're the ones pushing me along so they can move on, too. They've been waiting on me."
"I miss them," I whispered as a tear slipped over the apple of my cheek. "I'm glad they're together wherever they are."
Phil was standing in the far corner of my room, now, with his hands behind his back. "You've done great with your life. I'm so proud of you."
"I forgive you." I sat stunned for a moment when the words flew from my mouth, but as I thought for a second or two, I realized it was true. I really did forgive him. "I guess I've known for a while. It was probably that night, seventeen years ago, that I forgave you."
"Thank you," he said. And if I wasn't looking at him with clear eyes, I would swear he was crying. "I'm free now and remember that I'm very proud of you. I hope that you'll always keep a small place for me in your heart, although I don't deserve it."
"You do; now you do, anyway." I was fully crying now. As much as I love Charlie and cherish every moment that he's been my dad, there's still a very tiny part of me that longed for a happy life with Phil I'm very content and pleased with how my life turned out.
"Good-bye, Isabella."
"Please tell Grandpa and Agaytha hello and I love them." I gave him a small smile. "And Phil I'll be seeing you, again, soon."
He chuckled. "Not for a very long time, I'm afraid, but yeah, until then."
Phil slowly faded into the corner of my room.
"Baby..." I was being shaken awake. "Bella."
I opened my eyes to the handsome face of my husband. "Yeah."
"You were dreaming," he said, lightly rubbing the side of my face.
I smiled at him. "Did I wake you?"
"Sorta." He tucked close to my side. "Was it bad?"
I shook my head. "No, not at all. It was Phil. He was telling me a final good-bye. He finally gets to move on."
"That's good, I guess. Did he say anything else?" His hand was rubbing across my stomach and slowly making its way up.
"Just that he was proud of me and we won't be seeing each other for a very long time," I said, turning my face toward him. He pressed his lips to mine. "So, I guess you really are stuck with me forever."
Edward eased himself on top of me, spreading my legs wide open. He kissed me along my neck as he spoke. "The life we've lived is the life we were meant to have and no matter where we go or who we meet, that's the way it's supposed to be." He stopped kissing on me and looked directly in my eyes.
"Whether it be this life or Another Life, I'll always be there. We're soulmates and we'll always be apart of each other."
As my husband began to make love to me, I knew, wholeheartedly, that I had a sure thing in Another Life.
The End
