Capitolo Diciannove


It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.


A/N: This chapter picks up partway through the last chapter in EPOV. Then it moves beyond then. This should answer your questions from last chapter.


EPOV

I worked hard to get shit taken care of at work so I was able to go home early. Luckily, we had gone several days without anyone trying to break in, and Bella's mood had improved, which in turn made mine as well. It was hard not to get complacent and think that maybe whoever was behind these attempted invasions had finally given up.

When I walked inside the front door, my blood ran cold when I heard Bella yell, calling for help. My first thought was: where was Dem? I called his cell and told him to get inside now as I ran up the stairs. I pulled my handgun out and flung open the closed bedroom door.

Never in a hundred years would I have assumed or imagined I'd find my dad standing there with a gun to Bella's head or his hand over her mouth. My steps faltered as I took in the sight before me, but when he wrapped his hand around her throat, I saw red. I was ready to shoot the motherfucker, father or not.

The problem was he was using Bella as a shield, so I couldn't get a shot off. I had to do something or he was going to choke Bella out. To my surprise, she elbowed him in the stomach, making him let go of her and causing a distraction. Dem came up behind me and shot my dad in the shoulder.

It almost seemed to happen in slow motion when my father pushed her toward the bedposts and then kicked her in the abdomen when she fell to the ground. My stomach dropped, and I yelled her name. Dem pushed me to get her, and he grabbed my dad.

"Get her to the hospital, Edward. I will take care of the stronzo."

I had taken Bella to the ER, and luckily besides a mild concussion and a broken rib, she had been okay as had the baby. After the doctors assured me that she just needed to rest and heal, we were allowed to leave the hospital. I stayed with Bella the rest of that day at home. Dem had taken my dad back home and had Felix guard him—he wasn't allowed to call anyone or leave the house. My mom was staying with Esme and Carlisle, and Rose was in and out so much she didn't notice.

~NDMN~

The next day, it was time to take care of business. I hated leaving Bella at home, but Dem and Rose were with her. I hadn't lost my faith in Dem as her bodyguard, and there wasn't anyone else that I'd trust to watch over my family. My dad knew our routine and knew that Dem walked the perimeter at regular intervals, so he knew how to get past our security. After the incident, we made adjustments so it wouldn't happen again.

I walked into the warehouse and took in the people already gathered there. Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Alec, and Santiago were all upper-level family members. When I called this impromptu meeting, none of them hesitated to show up. I pretty much knew how this discussion would go because they all loved Bella, but I still needed to follow protocol. My father's absence did not go unnoticed by the group. The boss was the head of the family and usually made all the decisions, but I felt that he was no longer fit to lead. As the underboss, I had the power to question his authority and bring it before the capos. Carlisle was here as an unbiased party. He may be my father's brother and his advisor, but he wasn't involved in the dealings of the family, so he could be unbiased, putting personal opinions aside, and do what was best for the entire operation.

Emmett knew everything that had happened. He was my best friend, and he talked to Rose every day. I was a little worried about how Carlisle was going to react because he loved Bella like she was the daughter he never had.

"So, why are we all meeting together in secret?" Alec asked. He was loyal to the family, but he and my dad didn't always get along.

"Yesterday, my family was attacked by someone we are supposed to trust. We have been betrayed."

"By whom? Do we have a rat?" Jasper questioned. He was set to become underboss when I took over as boss.

"My father, Ted. He came to my home yesterday, threatened my wife, attempted to kidnap her, and then he pushed her on the floor and kicked her in the stomach, breaking a rib. The only reason I am here today instead of with her is this is a serious offense, and I need to call his leadership into question. I don't have the evidence I require yet, but I'm sure he is behind other underhanded dealings."

"Edward, this is a violation of the code. Is Bella okay?" Carlisle asked, his expression horrified.

"Yes. She is fine other than the broken rib. I have already discussed it with her, and she is okay with you all knowing. She is pregnant, so not only did my dad put her in danger but also our unborn child."

The atmosphere in the room was tense. I could tell they wanted to congratulate and celebrate with me about Bella being pregnant, but that wouldn't be in line with the other news. That someone had tried to hurt my wife, an untouchable, and it was someone who knew the rules.

"My vote is he is done. That motherfucker was out of line when he let Royce beat Rose, and that was unforgivable. This is beyond that." Emmett was set to become my advisor once Carlisle decided to retire. He was an eternal goofball, but he was also really smart and business-minded. Now his usual grin was replaced by the tight angry line of his mouth. He had protected Rose from the moment we became friends and held a romantic candle for her for years.

Alec nodded. "I have questioned his judgment the last few months. My vote is he's out."

"I have thought the way he has handled the Volturi situation is wrong, and I have been on your side with that the entire time," Jasper drawled.

Santiago looked around at everyone. He was always slow to speak, preferring to observe situations instead of running his mouth. He was one of our most respected capos because he was smart and he chose his words wisely. "I haven't gotten to know Bella as well as the rest of you, but she is married to you so she is an untouchable. Not only that, his leadership as of late has been shoddy. He seems unstable at best."

Carlisle seemed to be thinking. His chin rested on his fist before he moved his hand to scrub his face. He shook his head and looked angry, an expression rarely seen on his face. "I can't make an unbiased decision. Despite his many faults, Ted is my brother but he broke the rules. Bella is like a daughter to me, so the father in me wants to tear him limb from limb."

"Honestly, right now, I don't think I want your unbiased opinion. This is about family. You get a vote," I explained. Carlisle was someone I respected and he was family. Simple as that.

"I vote he's done," he said with a sadness I could sympathize with. I don't think Rose would ever betray me the way my dad did, but if she did something that I couldn't save her from, I would feel the same sorrow.

"So, the question remains how to proceed from here. I still need to know everything he has done so that I can clean up the messes he made. Any ideas?" I asked, looking around the room with my eyebrows arched.

No one answered, but everyone seemed to be thinking. Suddenly Jasper snapped his fingers and smiled. "Truth serum."

"J, that stuff isn't real. There's no such thing as truth serum," Santiago jeered.

"Not true. There are medications that in theory work like truth serum. We could talk to the family doctor to see if he can give us some guidance," Jasper explained.

I found myself nodding at his information. I couldn't believe that I was gonna agree with him. "It's an intriguing idea, and it's the only one we have. Jasper, get with the doc and see what he says."

Jasper nodded. After that, there was a little more discussion before I adjourned the meeting. Jasper and Santiago congratulated me on the baby news before leaving to go talk to the doctor. Emmett also gave me a hug and told me he would stop by the house later. Carlisle and I walked out together to the parking lot.

"So, Bella is pregnant?" he asked.

I nodded. I knew he'd probably be hurt that he and Esme hadn't found out sooner. "Yeah, she's not very far along—only about seven weeks or so—so we wanted to wait until she was a little further along to tell everyone. Today it was important information for everyone to make a decision."

"I understand why you waited. Es was the same way when she got pregnant with Jasper. You know we had some miscarriages before him." He looked at me and waited for my nod in agreement. He smiled. "Just promise me that you will call your aunt and Nonnie and tell them when Bella is ready. I won't say anything before then."

I chuckled because I knew they would be ecstatic. "I will. Thank you, Carlisle. I appreciate all the support and guidance."

"You got a special woman there as your wife, Edward. I hope you realize how lucky you are that she accepts you and supports you for who you are, in here," he said, pointing to my chest where my heart was. He shook his head. "Don't take it for granted and wait too long to tell her." He gave me a knowing look, clapped me on the back, and walked away toward his car, leaving me staring after him in surprise.

I climbed into my car, trying to shake off what Carlisle said to me, but I was having a hard time doing so. What did he mean to not wait too long to tell her? He was obviously talking about Bella, but tell her what? That I was lucky to have her? Believe me, I knew that. She never asked me to change or acted annoyed when I had to leave her home alone. She just accepted it and busied herself with whatever.

I was still thinking about it when I arrived at home. Rose and Bella were sitting on the couch, but Bella had her head in Rose's lap and she was passed out. Sitting down on the other side of Rose, I reached over and stroked Bella's hair. I could see Rose watching me. She sighed. "She fell asleep shortly after you left."

"Yeah, they told me that with her broken rib and the concussion she should be resting as much as possible the first week. If you add in the fact that she's pregnant, she is tired often," I said softly. I felt responsible for all of this happening to her, and I wondered again if maybe I had made her life worse, not better.

"I remember I was tired a lot in those first few weeks too," she replied. She put a pillow under Bella's head and slid out from underneath her before she stood up.

My head snapped to my sister. As far as I knew, she shouldn't know at all what being pregnant was like. "Wha—"

She smiled and this confused me further. "Yeah, I'm pregnant. I'm about two and a half months along. I didn't tell you because I don't know what's gonna happen when Dad and Mom find out." She sat on the other side of me on the couch, so I slid closer to Bella's head.

I absently started smoothing her hair back from her face, stroking it down her back. I huffed out a deep breath, raking my hands through my hair. "Jesus. Is it—"

She shook her head, knowing what I was gonna ask. "It's Emmett's. He knows and is on board with whatever I need, but it's not like we can get married and live happily ever after," she said.

It hurt to see the sad look on her face because I knew she and Emmett cared about each other. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple. "It'll work out, Rose," I promised. "And if you need us to help with anything, then we will." I couldn't tell her that very soon our dad wouldn't have a say in how she lived her life. None of us knew what would come out of that looming confrontation. When I let go of her, she cupped my cheek and smiled at me.

"You and Bella are lucky that you have each other. Who would have thought that you would have had an arranged marriage and hit the jackpot?" she teased.

I smirked and pulled away from her hand. "Yeah. We fit together well."

She arched her eyebrows at me. "Is that all you feel? That you fit together well."

"What?" I frowned. I didn't understand why she had that surprised look on her face. "That's good."

"She's pregnant with your kid. Don't you love her?"

I shook my head, trying to keep my temper from flaring. Rose knew how I felt about the subject. "You know how I feel about love, Rose. I care about her, and I will, and have been, doing everything in my power to keep her safe. She's important to me. That's better than some emotional high that will eventually fade."

"Edward, you let our parents' marriage convince you that love was bad." She glanced at me with an expression of sympathy. "Have you ever considered that our dad is a cold asshole and Mom has just been doing the best she can? Es and Carlisle, Ali and Jazz, Chelsea and Marcus, Nonnie and Nonnino—they are all still together and crazy about each other. The women you chose in the past—well, who knows what you were thinking—but they never 'fit' with you." She grabbed both of my hands, causing me to look at her. She had a serious expression on her face. "Do you think Bella deserves to live a life where she is never told 'I love you' by her husband?"

I sighed, taking in everything she was telling me. It suddenly clicked—that had been what Carlisle was telling me. 'Don't wait too long to tell Bella.' Was it possible that even through all my attempts to say I didn't believe in love that I had let my guard down enough to fall for Bella? I knew I immediately let her in, especially because of what had happened to her parents. I didn't want to make anything hard for her or be a jerk by keeping her at arm's length—as I usually did with everyone. Most of our relationship was effortless. I didn't have to fight with her to trust me or listen to me. I didn't have to apologize for having to disappear at a moment's notice, didn't have to explain why I carried a gun at all times. I never had to hide that other side of me because it may make her uneasy; she accepted it all. I needed to think about all this, sort out my feelings. I wasn't the type of person to wear my emotions on my sleeve, but Rose was one of the few people who could still read me like an open book.

"By George, I think he's got it," she teased. She rose from the couch. "I think I'm gonna head home. You seem like you need to think, and Bella will probably lounge most of the day." She leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I love you, big brother."

"I love you too, Rose. Let me walk you out," I said, rising from the couch and walking with her to the door.

When I came back to the living room, Bella was sitting up and awake. The moment she saw me, she gave me a breathtaking smile. It made my heart stutter a little to see her so damn happy just by the sight of me. I came and sat next to her, and she scooched closer to me, putting her head in my lap before turning it to look at me. I stared down at her and ran my finger up and down her face. "Hey, mia principessa. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, and I kinda have a headache. I need to take some pain meds." She rubbed her head.

"I'll get them for you. You want some tea or something?" I asked, trying to jostle her as little as possible as I rose from the couch.

"That would be great, but I can get it, cucciolone." She smiled, about to get up.

I smiled at her and shook my head, my hand on her shoulder to keep her sitting. "I got it. I'll be right back."

I went to our bathroom and grabbed her medication from the medicine cabinet, along with her prenatal vitamins, just in case she didn't take one yet this morning. Afterward, I headed to the kitchen to set the electric kettle on to heat up to make her tea. With a tea cup and medication in hand, I went back into the living room to take them to her.

"Thanks," Bella said, taking the tea from me and putting it on the coffee table before grabbing the pill bottles. She poured pills into her hand and popped them in her mouth before swallowing them with a bit of water from the cup she had next to her. I went and put them back in the medicine cabinet. When I came back, she was happily sipping on her tea. After I sat down next to her, she draped her legs over my lap.

We talked for a while, but after not long, she got tired again. I carried her to the bedroom and got her tucked in before heading to my office. I should have been thinking about how this confrontation with my dad was going to go down. I knew the plan was to get him to confess all the things he had done under the protection and banner of power.

While I was glad that Rose had made me think about my feelings for Bella, it caused more worry than a sense of peace. Bella was my wife, therefore she was supposed to be an untouchable, but since our relationship started, it seemed like she was more of a target than protected. If being in my life was doing more harm to her than good, and I was in love with her, how was I supposed to let her go if it came to that?

Getting my dad out of the way was the best solution, which meant I would have to step up into the role of the boss. The transfer of power would be seamless internally, but it would be an invitation for other families to try and find a weak spot. I would be even more busy with making my organization as strong as possible with all the role switching, but if I had an injured pregnant wife at home, how was I supposed to do anything with the same detached efficiency? Shit was just starting to get good with Bella and me. We were communicating and enjoyed spending time together, just having a quiet night in. I already knew that when I get stressed, I pulled away from her, and it ended up hurting her.

I ran my hands through my hair and then linked them together behind my neck, staring at the ceiling. Things were going to change, and I wanted to hope for the best and tell myself that we would be okay in the end, but I had to ask myself if I really thought that or if it was just wishful thinking.


A/N: I promise I'm not going to pull a new moon. I always hated Edward for that. Anyways, so that answers some questions left from the last chapter. Ted got shot, is on house arrest, and they have a plan and vote to end him. 3 regular chapter after this and then a epi left. Click that review button and let me know what you think. Love you all and until later lovelies.