Capitolo Nove

In the long run, the most unpleasant truth is a safer companion than a pleasant falsehood - Theodore Roosevelt

To say that Edward's parents were happy at the news we were getting married was an understatement. Elizabeth looked like she was about to burst into happy tears and Ted looked smug. I hated that, in the end, he got his way, but we were doing it on our timeline. Rose wasn't as happy as them, but she didn't seem upset at the news, just more resigned. Elizabeth was already calling people and telling them, and I just watched, kinda fascinated that she was so excited given that she was a bit cold, while still being polite, when I'd first arrived. Ted pulled Edward aside and told him they needed to talk. Edward nodded his head at his dad, held up one finger, and then came over to me.

"Hey, my dad wants me to go talk to him. You gonna be okay here?"

"She'll be fine. Besides, Bella and I need to have some girl talk, and while she may not like shopping, I want to buy her an engagement present," Rose replied before I could say anything. She was looking at me like she was waiting for me to either reject her or take her up on her offer.

"Yeah, I'll be fine with Rose." I nodded.

She smiled at me and Edward kissed me on the temple before walking upstairs with his dad.

I was about to ask Elizabeth if she needed help when Rose shook her head and pulled me toward the front door. "Best to leave her to it. By the time we get back, she will probably already have your wedding colors and bridesmaids picked out."

"Aren't Edward and I supposed to do that?" I asked, kinda annoyed that someone else was just taking charge of this without even asking.

She scoffed. "You have so much to learn. I think we need to talk, Bella." She hit the keyfob on her keychain, and we got into her car. After buckling our seatbelts, she started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

"Okay, so talk," I told her.

"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" she asked. I told her no, but I was confused because she had just acted like talking was important. We stopped at Taco Bell, and I was surprised. She ordered her food and I got a drink. Then she pulled her car into the parking lot. "Don't tell my mom I had this. She would kill me."

I mimed zipping my lips, locking them, and throwing the key over my shoulder. We were quiet for a few moments as she unwrapped her food and started eating. Rose crumpled up her trash after she finished her first taco. "Bella, have you really thought about this? Do you know what you're getting into?" She looked at me and waited until our eyes met. "Things in our world ... they're different."

Okay, she was the third person to use that phrase. I really had to find out what was with this 'our world' thing. "What do you mean by that, Rose? Your dad and brother have both used that phrase a few times now."

She looked at me and then huffed a sigh. "Well, this family, it's more than blood. Once you're in, you're in, if you know what I mean." She glanced at me to make sure I did really get it. It took a moment, but then I nodded because I was starting to grasp what she wasn't saying, and it was making my stomach sink. "Loyalty is everything, so this commitment you've signed up to make—it literally could be life or death."

"Sounds like you're talking about the mafia." I smiled and shook my head, trying to keep it light because it couldn't be what my mind was traveling to. That definition for the word in my mom's letter, Mistress to a mafioso, came back to me, and I shoved those thoughts back. "Next thing you'll say is that if I make a wrong move, I could end up sleeping with the fishes." I chuckled, but Rose was silent and didn't glance at me; she just sat there looking uncomfortable. "No. Things like this only happen in the movies. You're joking, right?" I asked. My voice had a tinge of desperation in it.

"You're the first real friend I've had outside of the family, and I really like you, so I thought I should be straight with you." She shrugged. "They would never come out and tell you, and they are too smart to let it slip around you."

"So, are you telling me that Edward being a nice guy is an act?" I was so worried that he was just like his dad and this whole thing was to fool me. Though no one was that good of an actor. The things we told each other tonight were real and honest. Weren't they?

"No." She shook her head. "Edward is a good guy."

"You just told me he is part of the mafia. You know what that means, right?"

She looked exasperated, her lips pursed and her eyebrows raised. "I grew up around this shit and watched Edward be groomed to become the boss when Dad retires or dies, stubborn fucking man he is, so yes, I have a pretty good handle on what that means. Do you? 'Cause the shit you are thinking is ten times worse than what it is."

I opened my mouth and an unintelligible sound choked out. I couldn't form the words. Oh, I think I was starting to panic. Instead of trying to speak again, I focused on pulling in lungfuls of air.

"Talk to me, Bella."

"I don't think I can," I croaked.

Since I had leaned over and tried to put my head between my legs, Rose pulled me up to look in my eyes, and instead of the ice blue that her dad had or the piercing green that her mom had, I saw a deep violet color. It was something I hadn't really picked up on until now. We were so close, our noses were practically touching. "Breathe with me," she whispered, and I focused on timing my inhaling and exhaling with hers. "Listen to me. All the stuff you see on TV is fictional bullshit. They are lucky and get some things right now and then, but we don't deal in trafficking. There's the drug and weapons stuff—that's just par for the course—but a lot of it is like a business. My dad is the boss of everyone. Edward is right under him, or the underboss. My uncle Carlisle is my dad's advisor, or consigliere. Under them are capos, or captains, and soldati, or soldiers."

With my breathing finally under control, I took in what she was saying. The way she was explaining it made it seem like maybe it wasn't so bad. Like it wasn't as big as I was making it. I thought of everything I had heard and seen since I entered this life with the Cullens. Something that Ted had said the other night stuck out to me. "Can I ask you a question?"

Rose looked relieved. I was talking normally and not freaking out. "Yeah."

"Your dad said that you accepted your marriage with Royce, but I can tell that you're not happy with it, so why did you?"

"Well, I kind of had to. The type of control my dad has over my life, it's stifling. I didn't want the life I knew that my parents were going to map out for me. I had a guy I wanted to be with, and I wanted the freedom to choose who I wanted. My dad figured it out and dropped the hammer."

"Emmett?" I asked, remembering the way they were looking at each other on Sunday.

"Yeah, we're not subtle, are we? My parents don't want me to be a mafia wife. They want me to marry rich and have lots of babies. I want Emmett and to get the fuck away from my dad."

I looked at Rose, studying her. I noticed faint bluish circles by her neck. "Hey, what happened there?" I pointed them out to her. I don't think she meant for me to see her expression, but she looked scared. She quickly schooled her features.

"I don't know." She looked in the rearview mirror, lightly touching the marks on her neck. "That's so weird. I bruise really easily. I must have done something in my sleep," she said airly.

Something about her answer bothered me. Rose moved with purpose and grace; she wasn't clumsy or absentminded. I let it go because I really had no idea what she was trying to hide, and honestly, any more revelations tonight might send me over the edge. I had already been told my future husband was in the mafia. "Should I keep the fact that I know all about this stuff a secret?"

"No, but I would definitely wait until you and Edward are alone and maybe approach with caution. Feel him out and see if he will tell you anything. If he tries to stonewall you, then you should let him know the jig is up." I nodded in agreement. We got out of the car to throw our trash in the garbage cans in front of the restaurant, and then when we got back in the car. She started driving toward the city. "So this engagement present is for Edward a little more than it is for you."

"Oh what have you done, Ro."

"Nothing. Just maybe texted Alice to pull some things together." She glanced at me, waggling her eyebrows mischievously.

I scrunched up my nose and rested my face in my palms. "Oh, no. You two conspiring together does not bode well for me."

"Oh, be girly for just like half an hour, please."

"Fine," I agreed.

We talked conversationally on the drive to Alice's store. When we got there, Alice switched the sign on her door to "closed" and then ushered Rose and me to a backroom. Lingerie of every color, style, and cut filled the room. Alice gave me a bag with her store's logo on the front. "Since I am a firm believer that you have to be comfortable to be sexy, you can pick out whatever you want, but you gotta fill the bag."

"Um, I'm kind of more just a bra and boyshorts kinda girl, so I am completely out of my element here, Alice."

"Call me, Ali. We'll be family soon. Okay, so we're gonna run through a quick tutorial. Pay attention."

"Why, is there gonna be a quiz afterward?" I snarked.

She pursed her lips and looked at Rose in exasperation. "You and Edward are a match made in heaven. I'm surprised we didn't think of that," she murmured, sharing a knowing look with Rose. Then she turned serious and picked up different pieces, explaining them all to me. After turning about twenty shades of red from some of the scraps of fabric disguised as clothes were explained to me, they helped me pick out some of the lingerie.

I got mostly really lacey bras and underwear, but I also got babydoll nightgowns. I vetoed the crotchless panties and the garter sets. I think that I got something in at least every color of the rainbow. After my torture was over, we all sat around the breakroom in Alice's store, just talking, hanging out, bonding, and getting to know each other.

When I got a notification for a text from Edward, we wrapped up our visit, and Rose and I headed back home. I responded to let Edward know that we were on our way. Having exhausted almost all topics at the store, Rose and I were fairly quiet on the way home.

"Thanks for this, Ro. I know that I'm not super girly like you and Ali, but I had fun tonight."

"Absolutely, and I don't want you to think I'm not excited for you and Edward because I am. I just wanted you to know what you were stepping into."

"No, I appreciate that." When we pulled up in front of the house and the car was in park, I turned and gave Rose a hug. She seemed surprised for a few seconds, but then she wrapped her arms around me, returning the embrace.

"We're gonna be sisters," she said when we pulled away.

I smiled and chuckled. "I always wanted one. Figures I'd have to travel all the way across the US to get one."

Rose laughed. "I always wanted one too. I love my brother, but if he hurts you, I will help you take his ass down."

"Deal." I giggled and kissed her on the cheek.

We got out of the car and linked arms as we headed to the house, laughing. There was mass chaos when we entered the kitchen. Elizabeth, Esme, Nonnie, and Chelsea were there. They were cooking, talking, laughing, and drinking wine. Elizabeth saw us and poured two more glasses. She handed one to me and the other to Rose. We got pulled into the conversation that was flowing between the women, and I was taught how to make meatballs by Nonnie, which caused me to tear up a little. I hid it well, but I felt a familial bond with her. It was something I thought I would never feel again since the night my parents died.

I excused myself for a minute to go put my new clothes upstairs and found Edward standing there, leaning into the door jamb, just watching the scene in the kitchen. When I grabbed my bag and got closer to him, he straightened up and offered me his hand. I took it, linking our fingers together, before we walked up the stairs.

"So, I was thinking…" he started.

"Always a hazard," I said.

He chuckled. "Cheeky, cara mia. Seriously, how would you feel about moving your stuff to my room?"

I turned to him and pushed him against the wall now that we were on the landing. "Are you saying you want me to share your room with you? Whatever could be your motive there, Edward?"

Edward gave back just as good as he got, so he gripped my hips, moving them to grind against him. "Well, besides sleeping in the same bed as you, if I feel like violating you in the middle of the night, I would really like not having to travel across the house with a boner to get to you."

I dropped my head to his shoulder as we both laughed. "You are incorrigible. I mean it's not much of a move. The only thing I have more of then when I got here is clothes. Do you have the space for that?"

"If you keep going to Alice's, then probably not. We'll need your room just for your clothes, but that does have some perks," he teased, pushing my shirt up.

"Oh, well this is all lingerie," I said, pointing to the bag. "Doesn't take up much room."

He went for my clothes again, that look of desire clear.

I stopped him and shook my head. "Cameras."

"Fuck." He hissed. We pulled away from each other, and he helped me move my stuff to his room. It didn't take us long, and soon we were rejoining the women downstairs. Jasper and Emmett were there, and they looked on edge. Edward excused himself upstairs with them, and Rose gave me a knowing look. Esme pulled me into the kitchen and handed me another glass of wine, rubbing my back soothingly. I saw Ted and Carlisle come out of the garage and head upstairs as well.

Seeing many of the males of the family going up into Ted's study after now knowing about the mafia thing caused me to get a nervous feeling in my stomach. I threw myself into conversation and absorbed all the advice that was flying around the kitchen. There was also a surprising amount of sexual jokes and innuendos being made. I realized that we all were moving toward tipsy. I declined the third glass of wine, and when dinner was ready, the guys came downstairs to eat. It was another one of those moments that I felt like I was part of something bigger. I had always wanted a big family growing up, but it had just been my parents and me. I had to wonder why they left all this.

Then reality hit me. Because this was a mafia family, and my dad was a cop. I was left with a burning desire to know what my dad's history was with Ted, but Edward would be the go-between 'cause he wouldn't allow me to be alone with Ted. Would I have to deny one of his few conditions and go around him to get the answers I wanted? All I could do was ask Edward first and hope that he wouldn't give me reason to do that.

Once dinner was over, the guys all went back upstairs. Shortly afterward, I went upstairs and took a long hot bath. When it seemed likely that Edward was going to be a while longer, I climbed into bed, only dressed in my panties, shorts, and a tight tank top. I turned the light off and put on the nature sounds app on my phone, falling into the blackness of sleep sooner than I expected.

Translation:

consigliere, capos, and soldati- ranks of the italian mafia.

cara mia- my darling

A/N: So the jig is up and Bella knows the secret. what do you think will happen next? How long does she let him think she doesn't know? Thanks for reading and reviewing. Until later lovelies.