Darling, it was good, never looking down. And right there where we stood, was holy ground. Spinning like a girl in a brand-new dress, we had this big wide city all to ourselves. We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you.' And for the first time I had something to lose. ~ Taylor Swift, Holy Ground
BPOV
The first time I had a full-fledged panic attack was a few weeks into filming my first movie. The entire process was so much more than I ever expected it to be; more work, more pressure, more stress than my inexperienced sixteen-year-old self could handle. I remembered the moment perfectly. We had been shooting for about ten hours already and I had gone back to my trailer for a ten-minute break before we got back to it. I had been feeling off all day, and the second I was alone the intrusive thoughts that had plagued me all day got to be too much.
My hands started to shake, my head got fuzzy, and my breath started coming in shallow pants. All I could think about was failing. That in a few months I would have to go back home to Charlie and Renee with my head down and spend the rest of my life in Forks. I ended up throwing up the little contents of my stomach thirty seconds before someone knocked on my door and told me to get back to set. Since then, I had worked through too many meltdowns to count.
Since then, I had been prone to anxiety and panic attacks. Kate learned the signs pretty quickly and always tried to keep me from any triggers while I was working. The strategy didn't always work though. And now, so long after the first time it happened, I didn't have Kate. But, here I was, throwing up what little I had in my stomach as my eyes started to black out.
Flushing the toilet, I stumbled over to the shower and turned on the cold spray, not bothering to get out of the t-shirt and shorts I was in before falling into the corner. I tried to calm myself down, but my mind was spinning faster than the room seemed to be spinning.
I felt like everything was falling apart. After Edward and I decided it was time to tell Aiden the truth he started working longer hours. I never asked why, but it wasn't hard to guess he was getting things ready to tell Aiden. All I knew was he was planning on taking him on a boys trip with Emmett, Jasper, and Alec. Every time I thought of it I felt nauseous.
My mind was constantly fuzzy because there were too many things I needed to worry about. I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. Edward thought I had gotten into the habit of waiting up for him to get home, but the truth was I just couldn't relax long enough to rest. Sometimes once he got home I was able to relax a little bit, but that was it. I was going on two weeks with getting only an hour or two of sleep a night.
I was worried about Aiden's reaction.
I was nervous about how Edward was going to tell him.
I was scared that Aiden would resent Edward and I for not telling him sooner.
I was sad that my son's childhood was officially over.
The worst part was I hadn't told Edward any of it. Partly because he had been so busy lately, and partly because I had gotten back into the habit of feeling guilty about my own emotions. It was all a recurring cycle that I couldn't get out of. A cycle that had landed me hyperventilating on the floor of the shower.
I vaguely heard my name being called, but it sounded far away, kind of like I was in a tunnel. Squeezing my hands together, trying to stop the shaking, I dropped my head to my knees as I felt my warm tears mix with the cold spray of the shower.
"Fuck." I barely heard Edward's voice through the ringing of my ears. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
There was no way I could have brought myself to actually look at him. I squeezed my eyes shut and burrowed further into myself. Edward's knees hit the tile with a thud in front of me, and I flinched as he tried to pry my hands apart.
"Baby, you've got to tell me what's wrong," he said, his voice more desperate than I've ever heard it. It made me feel all the more guilty about everything. My breath became more shallow and it felt impossible to get enough air in my lungs.
Giving in, I looked up at Edward, still unable to catch my breath. "I can't…"
"Bella," he sighed, grabbing my hands and placing them on his chest. "Breathe with me, slow and steady."
Edward started taking slow, deep breaths and I did my best to match him. I focused on his face, watching his eyes dart over my body, obviously looking for some kind of injury. It was enough of a distraction to break the cycle of my intrusive thoughts, if only for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I…"
"Shh. Just breathe." He kept taking exaggerated breaths, letting me feel the rise and fall of his chest under my hands.
When I could finally breathe it felt like my mind was numb, too exhausted to worry about the list of things I knew I should be worried about. The tension that I had been holding in every one of my muscles started to relax.
Looking up at Edward, a few stray tears fell as I saw how worried he looked; eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide. He seemed confident that I could finally breathe and reached over to shut off the icy water. Nothing was said as he pulled me to him, cradling me in his arms and getting me out of the shower. We stopped in the closet, both of our clothing sopping wet. Edward sat me on an ottoman, carefully tugging my clothes off and replacing them with a warm, oversized sweatshirt that smelled like him.
"I ruined your suit," I mumbled, watching him toss the soaked garments on the floor.
"It doesn't matter," he told me as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Edward lifted me in his arms again, carrying me to bed.
"It was an expensive suit," I murmured to myself, not sure why I cared so much about something so mundane. It wasn't like he didn't have a closet full of them, or an unlimited budget for new ones. Maybe it was just easier to think about than what I should be thinking about.
Edward situated me in bed, tucking the comforter tight around me, and knelt down beside me. "I'm going to go tell Aiden to go over to Alice and Jasper's. I'll be right back. Will you be okay?"
"Oh… We should – "
"You should stay here while I take care of it," he instructed, pressing the softest of kisses to my forehead before heading out the door.
Relaxing back into the bed, I tugged at some of the strings on the blanket over me as I waited. There was no way I would be able to close my eyes and relax without falling back into the spiral of overwhelming thoughts that took me down before.
Thankfully Edward wasn't gone long. He climbed into bed next to me and I pressed myself into him, focusing on the steady beat of his heart and trying to match my breathing to his.
"I've got you. Everything is fine. Get some sleep, okay?"
"Everything's not fine…" I mumbled, but my body was too exhausted to put up much of a fight. It had been too long since I got anything more than a few hours of sleep, and with Edward's arms around me it wasn't hard to finally relax.
…Dark…
"Why was the doctor here?"
"To check on your mother. She's fine."
"I haven't seen her in days, and you haven't left the house in days either. Is –"
"She just needs some rest. Weren't you going to do some hitting practice with Michael today?"
"Yeah, but –"
"She's fine, Aiden. I'm taking care of it. Go get some fresh air."
The door clicked shut softly, waking me out of that spot between awareness and slumber. Sitting up slowly, my body felt like it had been beaten down and run over.
Edward scrubbed his hands over his face as he walked over, and froze for a moment when he saw me sitting up. A second later he was by my side, handing me a glass of water. "Drink."
I did as I was told and downed the entire glass before handing it back to Edward. He stood over me, obviously pleased I followed his instructions without any trouble.
"How do you feel?" he asked, pressing a hand to my forehead, his eyes worried.
Memories flooded back to me; sitting on the floor of the shower, Edward finding me, being too weak to even stand on my own. "Stupid," I replied.
"You've been out of it for nearly twenty-four hours. I had Banner come over to make sure you were alright," Edward said, his voice tight.
I had a vague recollection of seeing Banner. Not the same doctor we used to go to, he retired a few years ago. He had a son though, and had the same no questions asked deal with Edward. I couldn't remember how long ago it was, but I remembered seeing him here, checking my pulse and asking me some questions. I was pretty sure my response had been 'fuck off' but I wasn't positive.
"It was just a panic attack," I whispered. Leaning against the headboard, I pulled the comforter tight around me. Edward let out a long sigh and started pacing the room.
"Christ, Bella, you weren't breathing! You were fucking freezing, your eyes glazed over…"
"I've had them before," I shrugged, keeping my eyes down. They used to be a pretty common thing when I was younger. Before I met Edward.
"That's happened before? When?" Edward sat on the bed beside my legs, squeezing my calf through the blankets.
"Not for a long time. I used to get them a lot before we met."
He frowned at me. "When you were exhausted, stressed, and overworked?"
"That's not the issue now. I mean, I haven't slept in weeks, but that's because I'm just… scared. I haven't been handling it very well I guess." I hated how shaky my voice sounded.
Edward got beside me under the covers and pulled me as close as possible. His arms were just on this side of being too tight, but I didn't care.
"He's going to hate us. He's going to know what I did," my voice cracked thinking of the little boy that stood up for me when he was in school finding out that everything we had told him was a lie.
"He's going to be mad and he's going to be hurt. He'll try and rebel against us and probably try and provoke us, but most of that is shit teenagers pull anyway. It won't last forever, and his anger isn't going to be directed at you. I'm sure a majority of it will be at me."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, looking up at him and his wry smile.
"It was worth a shot." Edward tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You really don't need to worry about it so much. I'll take care of him."
"I feel like I should be doing more," I admitted. It didn't feel right to let Edward take him away and handle the entire situation himself.
"Give me two weeks with him. Depending on how he's handling it, you can come out to meet us. Deal?"
"Deal," I sighed, throwing the covers off of me to stand. Before I could move, Edward pulled me back to him and rolled so I was on top of him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Um, getting up. I've been in bed for a day, I have – "
"You have some more relaxing to do. Go pick out a move and I'll make you something to eat."
I sighed, watching him get back up and pull on an old tour t-shirt. He ran a hand through the mess of hair on top of his head and I smiled through the feeling of wanting to cry. Without thinking, I hopped out of bed and wrapped my arms as tight as I could around him.
Following Edward's instructions, I did spend the rest of the day relaxing. As much as I could. None of my issues were solved, but I didn't have to deal with them alone now. I didn't have to feel like the world was falling apart.
Throughout the day, Edward had tried to convince me that we should cancel Saturday dinner with the family, but I refused. I started to feel a little more like myself as I got dressed, the white stripped summer wrap dress making me feel more put together than I actually was.
Edward smiled at me as I came downstairs, grabbing my hand and making me twirl for him. I knew, when he pressed a kiss to my hair, that he only did it to make me smile. Aiden came down a minute later, hair still wet from his shower and eyes wide when he saw me.
"You okay, Ma?"
"Yeah, I'm good," I told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek even though he tried to dodge me. He was still trying to wipe off a smear of lipstick when we got to Emmett and Rose's.
It was one of the rare nights when everyone was here for dinner; including Maggie and Jared. The men headed up to Emmett's office before dinner to discuss things I had no interest in knowing while Aiden and Alec headed to the backyard for more baseball. I ended up in the kitchen with Alice, Rose, and Maggie. I sat at the counter next to Maggie and chopped whatever Alice and Rose put in front of me.
"So, you and Uncle Edward are going to tell Aiden the truth soon, right?" Maggie asked.
I frowned, wondering who told her. Maybe Jasper. "Yes, they're going on a 'boy's trip' in a few weeks."
"Are you nervous? About his reaction?"
I shrugged. "Of course. I know what it's like to have your parents keep a big secret like that for years." I started pulling at the garnish Rosalie had put in front of me. "He's going to hate us. We're taking his entire future away."
"You shouldn't look at it like that. You're just giving him a different future."
"But he has hopes and dreams now that he won't ever be able to act on. He won't be able to become a professional baseball player or have a normal life. It's going to…"
Fucking hell. "You're analyzing me."
Maggie's eyes got wide. "I was just curious about the situation."
Lie. "Edward told you, didn't he?"
Maggie sighed, her eyes drooping as she looked at me. "Yes. I'm sorry… I was supposed to be more subtle about it. He was just worried about you."
"I don't need a psychiatrist. I'm fine," I grunted.
"Edward said you had a pretty serious panic attack, Bella," Maggie said softly.
Alice and Rosalie came over, leaning across from us on the island. "What happened?"
"It was nothing. I used to have panic attacks all of the time."
"You mean before you had one that sent you to rehab?" Maggie's words were harsh, but her tone soft. It wasn't meant as an insult, but it still stung.
"It's different," I said defensively. "I can't really talk about most of the things that stress me out now."
"You can talk to me," Maggie said with a soft smile.
"You can talk to us, too," Alice added.
"I'll think about it," I mumbled, grabbing my glass of wine and downing it as I left the kitchen. I headed upstairs as the men were coming down, grabbing Edward's arm as we passed and pulling him into the bathroom to our right.
Part of me wanted to be mad, but I knew I couldn't be. He was just trying to make sure I was okay. And the truth was, I wasn't sure if I was okay.
"Do you think I need to go?" There was no need to specify, he would know what I was talking about.
Edward sighed, leaning against the vanity with his arms crossed. "I think sometimes you bottle things up. I don't want you to get in the habit of closing in on yourself again."
"Maybe… maybe sometimes you would go with me?" There were some things I was scared of that I didn't even know what they were. Edward knew, though.
His entire demeanor softened as he pulled me to him. "Whatever you need."
…Dark…
There had been a handful of times in my life where I was sure my career was over, where I thought no one would ever want to work with me again or when I thought the public was completely sick of me. When I was shot I was scared of being in the spotlight ever again and thought quitting was the best option. After Edward and I got married I thought even my most loyal fans had decided I was a horrible person and didn't deserve their support. Of course, during the trial I was certain that I would never work again if I didn't spend the rest of my life behind bars.
None of that happened though. I had six Academy Awards to my name, seven Grammy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, four Golden Globes, an Emmy, and more random awards than I knew what to do with. Despite nearly everyone I had ever met telling me a girl from the middle of nowhere Washington would never make it, I did. I had to fight tooth and nail to survive, but I did.
And, now… now I had a Tony to add to my list. I had done something only a handful of entertainers had ever been able to do, winning one of each of the four most prestigious awards in this industry. Emmy. Grammy. Oscar. Tony. I had them all.
The entire family had come to New York with me for the ceremony. They had all been much more confident than I was about the outcome. Although, ever since my panic attack a few weeks ago I had been a bit more cynical than I would like. I was working on it, though.
It was late when I was finally free from all of the press. I had told everyone to head out as soon as the show was over. Press was boring for me, I couldn't imagine how boring it would have been for them. Edward, of course, refused to leave with the others.
After the day I'd had, I should have been exhausted, but my entire body felt like a live wire as Edward and I got in the car. As soon as the door closed I practically threw myself at him, fighting with the long dress to get my legs on either side of his. It was partly because of the champagne that I had been given during every interview, and partly because I knew this was my last night with him for a while. Tomorrow afternoon he was leaving with Aiden for their trip.
I pushed those thoughts out of my head and focused on his hands wrapping around my waist and his tongue sliding against mine. Knotting my hands in his hair, I groaned when I ground my hips into his and Edward pulled away with a groan of his own.
"If I had known this was going to be your reaction to winning, I wouldn't have…"
Sitting back, I frowned at him. "What did you do?"
The car stopped and I peeked outside, realizing that we weren't in front of the hotel, we were outside of a fancy restaurant that looked packed inside. Edward lifted me out of the car with him and led me inside. As soon as the door opened, a chorus of congratulations echoed around us.
My eyes widened, looking at all of the faces around us. Our family was in front, including Maggie and Jared, both of whom I didn't even know were in town. Kate, Claire, and Heidi were there, along with nearly every friend in the business I had. Peter was there, nearly the entire cast of the Tainted series, producers that I worked with on my music, and the few friends that didn't turn on me after the trial.
"What did you do?" I repeated, my eyes darting from face to face, ending on Aiden smiling over at us.
Edward leaned in to me, his lips brushing against my ear. "Congratulations, baby," he whispered, softly pushing me toward the crowd of people.
The entire thing was a blur for a while. A hundred different conversations that were all similar congratulations. It was hard, living in Chicago and keeping these kinds of friends and relationships alive. But, it was heartwarming that these people still cared enough to celebrate with me tonight.
It was about an hour into the celebration when Edward got everyone's attention, drink raised.
"I'm not typically one for speeches, but I decided to make an exception tonight. When I first met my wife, I didn't know what it really took to do what she did. I didn't realize how rare the title of Academy Award winner was. All I knew was a pretty little brunette covered in tattoos was next to me and I wanted to know the story behind every one," he said, smirking at me where I sat next to Peter.
"But, since then, I've watched you accomplish everything you set your mind to. I've seen you go outside of your comfort zone for your art, watched you tour the world, and I got to see you become the most spectacular mother.
"You are a woman of many talents, Isabella, and it comes as no surprise to anyone in this room that you've managed to add a Tony to your collection. You are the most remarkable woman I will ever know. Congratulations, my love."
Staring at him, I let my emotions get the best of me for a moment. Edward didn't care about movies or music or the fact that he was standing next to the most notable actors in the world. He put up with the constant media scrutiny that came with being with me, he walked every red carpet I had to do with me because they still made me nervous after the shooting, and he never once made me feel bad about it.
Making my way through the crowd, I got to him as fast as I could. As soon as he had his arms around me I melted into him, always comforted by his strong embrace. He whispered how proud he was of me in my ear and pressed a soft kiss to my neck.
"Thank you for… everything."
No one ever expected us to make it to where we were today. Carlisle constantly tried to sabotage Edward, from nearly the moment he was born. Articles had been written about me nearly every day since I was sixteen, talking about how I didn't have what it took to have a lasting career. Then there were articles, usually around our wedding anniversary, that proclaimed one of us was cheating and the other was about to go on a rampage. Despite all of it, we were both doing better than ever.
We were happy. Life was as calm as it could be. Edward hadn't come home with any injuries in years, and it had been just as long since the last time I had handcuffs around my wrists. And Aiden… Aiden was happy. He had friends and was a typical teenager, and Edward assured me he could have most of that when he got back, too. Even though he would know everything and would start working with Edward more, he would still be able to be himself.
That was what I held on to, what kept me from spiraling again.
Now… now I was relaxed and tipsy and had a very handsome husband that threw a wonderful celebration for me. I wanted to drag Edward out of here and back to our hotel, but it was hard to leave a party thrown just for you early.
I didn't let Edward leave my side the rest of the night, no matter who I was talking to. As the night started to wind down, we ended up sitting at the bar because my feet needed a break. It was one of the first times I had seen Aiden all night. I noticed a flash of white in his coat pocket, and grabbed a stack of napkins.
My mouth fell open as I flipped through the stack, phone number after number scribbled on them. Most of the people here were my friends, but there were a few friends of friends that I didn't really know. I didn't recognize most of the women's names written on the napkins.
"What are these?" I asked, frowning at him.
"They're not all girls' numbers. A couple are directors, a few agents. Apparently, I have a natural charisma that would make me a great actor," Aiden said, smirking at me.
"Since when do you want to act?" I questioned. When he was seven he was in a school play, but every kid in the school had to be in it. He was fucking adorable, up on that stage saying his two lines, but that was the only time he had done anything remotely theatrical.
Aiden shrugged. "Since the best people in the business told me I'd be good at it."
A number I recognized jumped out from the pile. "Heidi!" I gasped, looking around the room and spotting her at a table not far from us.
"Oh, please, Bella. A kid with your genes and Edward's charm?"
"He has no interest in acting, Heidi," I sighed.
"Maybe I do. If I could –"
"You're doing it for the wrong reasons. All of the work is only worth it if you actually enjoy the job. Think about baseball. You love practice and the game, and it doesn't feel like work, does it?" Aiden shook his head. "That's where your passion is. My passion was acting and music. Your father's is… well, he has varied interests." I couldn't very well say what his father's interest was.
Aiden shrugged. "You're just worried I would break some of those records you set," he told me with a joking smirk.
I smiled at him, glad he wasn't serious. It wasn't that I didn't want him to act, I would have loved to see him have an interest in it, but I knew it didn't interest him enough for all of the work to be worth it to him.
Aiden's passion was very obviously baseball. He was fucking amazing, and I had gone from a girl who knew nothing about sports to one who knew that my son was damn talented at the game. In all the years he had been playing, I had only missed three games. There had been many red-eye flights that I had to take to get back to work the next day, but it was always worth it to see him out there.
Later, I was saying goodbye to the last people left, when I saw Edward and Aiden in the corner of my eye. They were talking intently, but I could see a soft smile on Edward's face. I never got tired of watching them together. I loved catching them together when Aiden was a baby, watching Edward throw a ball in the backyard with him as he grew up. They were my two favorite people in the world, and they were both leaving tomorrow afternoon.
I excused myself as quickly as possible and met them by the door. "Ready to go?" I asked, sliding my hand in Edward's. He gave it a soft squeeze.
"Congrats, Ma. I'll see you tomorrow!" Aiden said as Alec dragged him away, following Emmett and Rosalie to a waiting car.
"Where's he going?" I asked Edward.
"Back to the hotel room. I have one last surprise for you."
The surprises were appreciated, but all I wanted was to be alone with my husband. The car ride was torture, Edward sitting next to me with that cocky smirk and a hand on my thigh. I started to really appreciate the surprise when the car stopped and I looked out the window.
I couldn't help but laugh as Edward practically dragged me through the lobby, toward the elevator. The place had gone through a million changes since the last time we were here, but it was just as prestigious. It was the same place Edward took me so long ago, the night he was trying to show me who he really was.
Once we were in the elevator, he backed me up against the wall and I braced myself for his touch, but nothing came. He simply leaned on the hand rail behind me, his body close enough to let me feel his heat but not touching me. He looked down, his mossy eyes sparkling with mischief. Every time I tried to lean up to kiss him or touch him, he moved just out of my reach. It was torture.
Then, as the elevator dinged, his hands gripped my waist and lifted me over his shoulder. I couldn't stop the squeak that escaped me as the air left my lungs. Edward conveniently left a hand on my ass as he unlocked the door, kicking it closed behind us. I took the time to appreciate his ass.
Once he set me on my feet in front of him, all rational thought went out the window. I threw myself at him, pulling his lips down to mine and getting as close as humanly possible to him.
His hands tangled in my hair, but the intricate up-do it was in made it difficult. He let out a loud groan of frustration before twisting me around, pulling my back to his chest and carefully pulling all of the pins out that kept everything in place. My moan as he gently massaged my scalp once they were all gone was only slightly embarrassing.
Edward started walking slowly, hands on my waist leading me toward the bedroom. He stopped at the foot of the bed, his hands slowly pulling the zipper of my dress down my back.
"Fuck, I'm going to miss you," he whispered, his hands pushing my dress down to the floor. One snuck into my panties, immediately starting to rub slow circles into my clit. I squirmed under his touch which only meant I got to feel his increasingly hard cock against my back. With his free hand, he quickly undid the front clasp of my strapless bra and let it fall to the floor, and pushed the offending panties down my legs.
I twisted out of his arms and sat on the bed. My hands fumbled with his belt while Edward tossed his jacket to the floor and got rid of his shirt. Once he was finally as bare as I was, I stopped and smiled up at him. He was every bit as gorgeous as he was the first time I saw him.
His cock was straining in front of me, but I actively avoided it and ran my hands along his lower abdomen, enjoying the feel of his muscles tensing. When I kissed just below his navel, Edward let out a frustrated sigh. When I kissed the head of his cock, his frustration evaporated. Before his hands could tangle in my hair, I grabbed them and pulled him on the bed with me.
We ended up a mess of limbs, tongues tangled and hands groping for an immeasurable amount of time. No matter how many kisses I got, how many times his hands skimmed along my skin, nothing would ever be enough.
I looked down at Edward beneath me, taking in his swollen lips and the haystack of hair on top of his head. With a quick shift of my hips he was finally inside me. I kept my movements slow, gently rocking my hips against his and savoring the moment. It was obvious from the way his hands gripped my hips and how hard he thrust up against me that he wasn't in the mood for slow, but I kept my pace.
"Bella."
Leaning back, my hands on his legs, I switched the angle but slowed my movements. My hands squeezed his legs every time I moved, because as much as I wanted more I wanted Edward to crack first. It didn't take long.
His grip on my hips tightened as he flipped us over, pressing me into the soft mattress. Edward hitched my legs around his waist, burying his hands in my hair. His eyes locked on mine, so intense I felt my cheeks flush.
"You like driving me insane?" he asked as he started moving torturously slow. When I tried to thrust up to him, to get just the slightest more friction, he nipped at my bottom lip. "I thought you wanted it nice and slow?"
Oh, how my plan has backfired.
"I like driving you insane," I admitted, my hands digging into his back.
"So, what is it that you want, baby?"
"Just you," I replied. "Always you."
…Dark…
We both needed to sleep. Edward was heading out with Aiden and the boys in the afternoon and I rarely slept in the days leading up to big events, but neither of us slept that night. We were in the bathtub, watching the sunrise out the window instead of getting any last-minute sleep.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Edward asked me, his slick hands running along my abdomen under the water.
"I think so."
"We might be out of cell service for a while. If it's an emergency –"
"If it's an emergency I should call Greyson and he'll get the message to you." Greyson was one of Edward's guards, had been for as long as I knew him. He wasn't like Ben, though. He rarely talked to or acknowledged anything going on around him unless something was wrong.
"There is one more thing I should mention." My back stiffened at his tone. "Emmett and Jasper are coming with us, at least for the first week. Depending on how things go, I'll have Emmett come back to keep an eye on things here and have Alec come out." I nodded, already knowing of the plan. Of course, all three of the men couldn't stay gone for long. Someone had to be in the city, running things. I supposed Alec was excited about being somewhat in charge for the week they were all gone.
"Alec is too young to be completely in charge," he said, pausing like I should know what he was trying to say. I was completely clueless.
"Okay?"
"I need you to take over."
Take over.
His business.
The Family.
No.
"No."
"A week or two at most. Alec will handle most of the family side of the business. I trust you to take over the company and –"
"No."
"Bella –"
"There are a million other more qualified people in the family and the business to do that, Edward."
"I don't trust any of them like I trust you."
"The last time you left me in charge I nearly went to prison for life." My heart was racing and I could quickly feel myself start to panic.
"Nothing like that will happen this time. Alec will take care of most of that. You're mostly taking over my responsibilities at the company."
Shaking my head, I started to lift myself out of the tub but Edward held on to me. "You're going to need a distraction, something to keep you from worrying about Aiden." I relaxed back against him. "It's just for a week or so until Emmett gets back."
I supposed it made sense. I had much more experience running a business now, too. If I was being honest, it did seem like a welcome distraction for the weeks ahead. Still, the phrase history repeats itself kept echoing through my mind. Agreeing to do this could be very, very stupid.
"Okay."
A/N: I can't even begin to apologize for the wait. This chapter was supposed to be EPOV, but I started it about 12 different times that way and I just couldn't do it. The next one will (hopefully) be in EPOV. I won't bore you with excuses as to why it took so long to get this out, but I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be out as soon as I can get it done, I promise. Thanks for sticking with me.
