27

Bella was so beautiful. She and I were sitting on my bed. With her buds in her ears, she was listening to her iPod, one of her Nickelback playlists while she painted her nails and toenails black. My mother would have a cow when she saw them, but neither Bella nor I gave a fuck. That was Bella's style, along with the wild purple, blue, and hot pink streaks she'd put in her hair this morning.

"You're staring at me again," she murmured, shifting her eyes over her shoulder and smiling at me.

"Can't help it," I said with a smirk. "You're fucking sexy."

Though she rolled her eyes, her cheeks turned a delicious pink, which just made her more beautiful than she already was. "You're a pervert, baby, but I love you anyway."

"I love you, too," I told her, shifting on the bed so that I was kneeling behind her. Sweeping her hair away from her neck, I pressed my lips against her skin, nipping at her with my teeth.

"Fuck, Edward," She groaned, leaning back against me. "Stop. We don't have time before dinner."

"Fuck dinner," I snarled, sliding my hands to her hips and around her torso. One hand slipped under her shirt and straight up to her breast, and I was thankful she hadn't put a bra on yet.

"Edward," she moaned, her head falling back on my shoulder. "Stop, baby. I have to finish my nails and then attempt some make-up. Esme will have our asses if we're late."

I growled, but let her go and climbed off the bed. "Fine, take my sister's side. See if I care."

Bella laughed. "You're such a baby."

I glared at her, though it was hard to do considering how beautiful she was.

"I'll make you a deal," she offered. "If you stop trying to seduce me right now, tonight I will suck your cock and let you fuck me in any position you want."

I eyes widened. "Any position?"

She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and trying to act all innocent.

"Okay," I said, leaning over and sucking her lip into my mouth. "But I'd better take a shower and deal with my not-so-little problem."

Bella giggled, which didn't help my hard on, either. "Okay, baby, just imagine me on my knees in front of you."

"You fucking little vixen," I groused, stripping off my clothes as I walked into the bathroom.

I turned the water on, drowning out her laughter. She knew exactly what she did to me, and made sure I knew it, too. God, I loved her more and more for it. Once the water was somewhat warm, I stepped inside, knowing that my cock wasn't going to soften without help. So, I did as she told me, and imagined Bella kneeling in front of me while stroking myself. Her hands would be on my hips, guiding me in and out of her mouth and down her throat. Her eyes wouldn't leave mine, and I wouldn't be able to stop watching her, knowing that she was mine. Forever. That would never change. Not now, not ever. At the thought of a lifetime with my girl, I felt my balls tightened and I moaned as I found my release.

Shaking my head, I turned and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. I'd have to behave myself tonight.

—LO—

Two hours later, Bella and I climbed out of her Mustang and headed into the only steakhouse in Forks, a place only known as "The Lodge." In the year that I'd lived in Forks, I'd never been inside of the place. One look and I knew that it wasn't the type of establishment that served those who constantly monitored what they ate and how much they ate. Bella and I had to be careful that we kept our diets balanced when we were training, so we were cautious about the types of foods we ingested. But Esme didn't want to have dinner at the gym, since it smelled like sweat and boys, or the apartment, because it was too small to accommodate everyone. And with Nolan, Corrine, Renee, and Charlie coming, there would be enough tension in the air. No point in having it all pent up in one small apartment.

So, instead, Esme and Carlisle had rented the back room of the lodge and told us to be there at seven o'clock sharp, which meant, naturally, we arrived at seven-fifteen. Yeah, it was a douche move, but Bella was nervous and had needed the extra time to gather her nerves and put on a brave face. Even though she'd forgiven her parents, Charlie, and Renee for abandoning her, essentially causing her to go crazy with grief and guilt, she still struggled to be in the same room with them. I knew that would never change.

When we walked into the back room, we found Esme and Carlisle standing next to Ed and Elizabeth. While my mother had a wide smile on her face, my father was glaring at Emmett and Jasper, both of whom were standing next to Rose and Alice, trying to play it cool. I hadn't told Bella about the way my father had beaten Emmett the day before or the fact that the talk he'd had with Jasper had the man paling every time he glanced in Ed's direction. Bella was dealing with enough, and she didn't need to know that my father had fought for us, for our right to be together.

Nolan and Corrine stood next to Carlisle. Bella was the spitting image of her mother, though she had her father's eyes and smile. They shifted their eyes to Bella, their attention automatically shifting to the wild streaks in her hair. They were just one more reason Bella had for adding the mirage of color to her hair. They hated her rugged look, and she knew it. It was just her way of reminding them that they can't control her anymore. They gave up that right when they left her for dead.

"It's about time you two got here," Esme scolded, excusing her and Carlisle from their parents and walking over to us.

"Sorry," I lied. I wasn't sorry. Bella had needed time and I was giving it to her.

Esme nodded before looking to my girl, her eyes widening when she saw the rainbow of colors in her hair. "I liked it," she said, gesturing to the streaks. "Maybe you should do mine."

Behind her, my mother threw her hand up to her chest, acting like Esme's words had sliced through her. My sister smirked and shifted her eyes over to Elizabeth. "Calm down, Ma. I'm kidding."

Elizabeth glared at Esme. "That's not funny, Esme."

"It was a little funny," I said, smiling at my mother.

Though she rolled her eyes, she grinned. "Whatever."

"Are you okay?" Carlisle whispered to Bella, and when I looked over, I saw that she was shaking. Releasing her hand, I slipped my arm around her waist, drawing Carlisle's attention to me. For a moment I thought he might make a snarky comment about me touching her, but instead he smiled and turned to my sister. "Well, we should probably sit down."

Esme nodded and allowed Carlisle to lead her over to the table. It looked like they'd put four tables end to end and covered it in two long, white table cloths. While Esme and Carlisle sat in the middle of one side of the table, with my parents next to Esme and Bella's parents next to Carlisle, Bella and I sat on the far end, closer to Ed and Elizabeth. Renee and Charlie, who had yet to speak to Bella, sat next to Nolan and Corrine, leaving Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice to sit on the side opposite my parents, Esme, and Carlisle. The fact that Emmett was directly in front of Ed had me biting the inside of my lip to keep from laughing. Karma could be a bitch at times.

Two waitresses came into the room, their eyes widening at the multitude of people they would be serving. Once again, I had to bit the inside of my cheek when I saw that one of them was Lauren Mallory. A month had passes since Bella and I saw her and it looked like she'd gained even more weight. A grimace curved on her lips as she looked around and saw who she'd be serving, her eyes landing on me and Bella last. Though, before she could make a snarky comment, a tall, thin man waltzed past her and stepped up behind Emmett and Rose.

"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Masen, I'd like to take a moment and congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials."

"Thank you, Mr. Mallory," Esme said, and I knew, based on the scowl on her face, that this was Lauren's father. "We appreciate you allowing us to have the room tonight."

"Oh, don't mention it," he told her, waving her off. And then with a quick look toward his daughter, he added, "After everything you've done for my family, I'm only too happy to repay the small amount of debt I owe you."

Though I had no clue what he was talking about, it appeared that Esme did. She smiled. "Well, as I told you, you don't owe me anything. I did what anyone in my position would do. I'm just glad everything is working out for you and," Esme shifted her eyes to Lauren, "your family."

Mr. Mallory nodded. "Well, please, let me know if I can do anything more for you. Please, enjoy your dinner."

With that said, he shot Lauren and the other server a look before walking out of the room. I cocked an eyebrow at Esme, who shook her head, indicating that she wasn't about to tell me anything. At least, not yet.

"Hello, my name is Cynthia. May I take your drink orders?" Cynthia was shorter than Lauren, and slimmer. She had long, thick, curly black hair that had been pulled up in a ponytail.

One by one we gave her our orders. While most of them ordered tea or some type of cola, Bella and I ordered water. Cynthia nodded as she wrote each other down. "And are you ready to order or do you need a few minutes?"

"Um," Esme started, shifting her eyes around. Everyone motioned that they were ready, everyone by me and Bella, but she waved us off and said, "Sure."

Carlisle and Esme went first, followed by Ed and Elizabeth, Nolan, Corrine, Renee, Charlie, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and then finally me and Bella. While most of them ordered steak, burgers, chicken strip platters, Bella and I opted to eat light, and ordered a couple of chef salads. We had to be careful that we didn't gain too much weight while on Christmas break. We had a tournament in Oklahoma in the middle of January and needed to be within our weight classes.

"Okay, we'll get your drinks right out," Cynthia said before motioning for Lauren to follow, which she did, but not before throwing a glare in mine and Bella's direction. Bella lifted her hand to flip the bitch off, but I captured it and brought it to my lips before she could.

When Bella looked over at me, I smiled and said, "Don't want to make a scene."

"Yeah, I know," she muttered, glaring at Lauren as she walked out of the room. "I just really hate that bitch."

"Me too, baby," I whispered, kissing her cheek.

Nolan cleared his throat, causing Bella to tense as she looked around me and over to her father. "Problem?"

"No," he said, though it was clear by the tightness in his words that he wasn't telling the truth.

"Good," she gritted.

I moved my arm to the back of her chair, noticing the way Nolan grimaced, but he didn't utter a sound, knowing that if he did, Bella would leave. The fact that she was able to sit at the same table as them was more than they deserved, at least in my opinion.

"Well," Elizabeth said, breaking through the awkward silence. "This is nice."

"Yeah, it is," Ed agreed. He shifted in his seat, angling his body toward my mother as his eyes settled on Esme. "I have to admit. It's hard to be here, though."

"Why is that?" Esme asked, a frown tugging at her lips.

"I don't think I'm ready to let my little girl get married," he admitted, unashamed of his feelings.

"Daddy," she whispered, reaching across Elizabeth and taking hold of his hand.

"I'm proud of you, honey," Ed said with a smile before looking at Carlisle. "And you'll make her happy."

It wasn't a question; more of a statement or threat that if Carlisle failed to keep my sister happy my father would make his displeasure known.

"Yes, sir," Carlisle murmured, taking Esme's free hand in his. "I love her."

Ed smiled and offered nothing more than an, "I know you do."

Lauren and Cynthia came back in a moment later, each of them carrying a tray of drinks. They placed them on the tables behind everyone and began passing them out. When Lauren placed mine and Bella's water in front of us, we shared a look, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. No way in hell we were drinking those. Who the fuck knows what shit she might have done to our drinks.

"You're dinner should be ready in a bit," Cynthia said, smiling at everyone. "Please, don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you," Esme replied, grinning wider than I'd ever seen her. Happy wasn't a strong enough term for my sister. For the first time in my life, she looked entirely comfortable with her life. She'd found her home with Carlisle, just as I had found mine with Bella.

—LO—

"Esme came running around the corner," Elizabeth laughed, covering her mouth with her napkin, "and screamed, 'Mom, Mom, protect yourself!' Of course, I had no clue what in the world she was talking about. At least, not until Edward came around the corner with his hands full of water balloons. He laughed and threw them. The first one hit her in the face, while the other got me on the shoulder. I was just about to take him over my knee when Ed ran into the house and tossed another half-dozen at us."

Everyone laughed. Well, except me and Esme. Elizabeth had been telling embarrassing stories about us all night, but she wasn't the only one. No, Ed, Nolan, and Corrine had shared plenty, too. Lauren and Cynthia had brought our dinner to us about ten minutes after our drinks arrived. Though the evening had started out tense and awkward, it had turned out to be nice and relaxing. In so many ways, healing had happened and we were able to sit together, almost like a family.

"Car used to do the same shit to us," Renee laughed. She turned to Emmett and Jasper. "Remember the Christmas Bella was born?"

"Oh, my God, yes!" Emmett exclaimed while Carlisle groaned.

"Dude, the look on your face when you walked outside and realized that Santa's bells was actually Mrs. Freeman's wind chimes," Jasper snickered.

"You were the one who locked me out of the house," Carlisle muttered.

"Naked," Emmett teased.

"Not naked!" Carlisle exclaimed, looking at Esme, who was laughing so hard she had tears.

"Only your tighty-whities." Renee smirked. "And I have the picture to prove it."

"You said you burned it!" Carlisle wailed, his face as red as a tomato.

"Yeah, well, I didn't," she chortled.

"You're such a bitch," he laughed, shaking his head. Charlie glared at him, clearly not appreciating the way he just called her a bitch.

"Yo, watch it with the name-calling," he muttered.

Renee rolled her eyes and placed a hand on top of his. "It's okay. I am a bitch. You have to be when you're their sister." Renee shifted her eyes to Bella. "Right, Bell?"

She nodded. "If you aren't, they take advantage of you, make you do their chores even though . . .," Bella paused, looking over at Nolan and Corrine, ". . . Mom and Dad told them to clean out the garage."

"What?" Emmett gasped, trying to look shocked as everyone looked between him, Jasper, and Carlisle.

"That is a lie," Jasper said. "We would never force our beautiful sisters to do our chores."

"Whatever, Jasper," Corrine scoffed. "Remember the week before your sixteenth birthday?"

He groaned.

"I told you if you wanted to have a party that you had to clean the basement. Did you?"

Jasper pursed his lips together, refusing to answer.

"No," Bella replied for him. "He made me do it. When I tried to refuse, he threatened to tell James that I had a crush on him."

An awkward silence settled over the table. I had only met James a couple of times before he was killed in the island after catching one of the Omega Sector's men passing along information about our whereabouts to Aro Volturi. I tightened my arm around Bella, knowing how much his and his fiancées deaths had affected her. Even though they had betrayed her, having been a part of the same organization that Nolan, Corrine, Renee, and Charlie had been, she hated that they'd given their lives for her, for all of us.

"I wouldn't have," Jasper admitted, looking at James. "Told him. I wouldn't have."

Bella nodded. "I know."

"Well, it's getting late," Elizabeth said, shoving the check into my father's hand.

As Ed and Nolan divided the check between them, both men placing a huge tip on the table for Lauren and Cynthia, the rest of us trickled outside, doing our best to stay warm. The air was cold and the taste of winter filled the air.

"I guess we'll see everyone tomorrow," Corrine said, looking wistfully at Bella, who had her arms wrapped tightly around mine. "Goodnight."

"Night," Bella whispered, and I knew she longed to hug her mother, but still found it difficult to put herself in that position.

One by one everyone walked toward their cars. I expected Elizabeth to try to force Esme and Carlisle apart for the night, but perhaps they could see, as I could, just how difficult that would be on both of them. They needed each other too much.

—LO—

The moment the door to my bedroom was closed, I had Bella pressed against it, stripping off her clothes and leaving her naked before me. She cried out as I attached my mouth to her nipple, sucking the harden peak between my teeth and biting down just enough to send a wave of pleasure through her. Bella hissed before grabbing my hair, pulling hard. I released her and she placed her hands on my chest, shoving me backward so that I was lying on the bed.

In a heartbeat, she was straddling my waist, her fingers quickly working on removing my shirt, pants, and boxers. She tossed them over her shoulder and shifted her eyes up to mine, a playful smirk curving upward on her lips.

"I believe I have a promise to keep, baby," she purred, leaning down and licking the outside of my lips. I tried to kiss her, but Bella clicked her tongue at me before sliding down my body, tasting my skin as she went. When she was eye-level with my cock, she snaked her tongue out, lapping the pre-cum that had pooled at my tip.

I groaned, wanting more but unable to get the words to leave my mouth. Instead, I thrust my hips up, silently begging her to suck me. Bella laughed before taking me in her mouth, sliding me into her throat. I moaned, my fingers tangling in her hair.

"Don't . . . stop," I gasped, wanting more, needing more. Always needing more of Bella.

"I don't plan on stopping," she murmured, licking the side of my dick down to my balls, before sucking them into her mouth.

"Jesus fuck, Bella!" I gasped, slamming my free hand down on the mattress.

"You taste amazing, lover." Bella winked at me before taking me in her mouth again.

Gasping and panting, I laid there as she took me in and out of her mouth, down her throat. I wanted to cum, fill her mouth and watch her swallow every drop I gave her, but I didn't. Instead, I pried my fingers off the sheet and grabbed her arm, pulling her off of me.

"You said I could fuck you in any position I want," I told her. "Get your sexy ass up here and ride me, baby."

Bella smiled as she moved up my body. However, I grabbed her around the waist and turned her so that her back was toward my front. She wrapped her fingers around my cock before lining my up and slowly sliding down onto me. Our groans filled the air.

I brought my hands to her hips, watching as she began to move on top of me. Up, down, front, back, up, down, front back. Her head was bent forward, her hair falling over her shoulders. Her back was tense. I slid my hand from her hip up to her shoulder as I sat up, pulling her against me. My other hand wrapped round her, cupping her breast.

"Edward," she breathed, letting her head back on my shoulder. "God, you feel so fucking amazing."

"Fuck, baby," I moaned, pressing my lips against the side of her neck. "You're mine. Only mine."

"Yours," she gasped, increasing her pace as she climaxed around me.

Standing up with her still wrapped around me, I bent Bella over the side of the bed, keeping one hand on her shoulder and sliding the other to her hip. She tightened around me, hugging my cock with each thrust. With the new angle, I knew I wouldn't last. She felt too good around me. With a handful of thrusts, I stilled my hips, let my arm fall backward, and growled as I released inside of her.

Pulling myself away from her, Bella and I laid down on my bed, both of us smiling. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against mine. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," I murmured, nestling against me. I couldn't get enough of her. Not her body, not her soul, not her love. She was mine, I was hers, and together, we were perfect.