11

"Isabella," Carlisle cried. "Don't go. Stay with me!"

The sound of my husband's cries woke me, startling me by the neediness in his tone. I rolled from my side onto my back, and looked over at him. He was writhing on the bed, his head shifting from side to side and a look of horror was etched on his face. My heart ached as I watched him suffering, the thoughts or visions inside his head tormenting him, and it took every ounce of my strength to keep from weeping as I shifted and wrapped my arms around him.

"Lover," I cooed, "wake up."

Carlisle groaned and rotated in my arms, burying his face between my bare breasts. "Don't leave me, baby; please don't leave me."

"Never," I murmured, threading my fingers through his damp, blond hair. Carlisle's eyes opened and he looked up at me. "Bad dream?"

He nodded, looking ashamed. "You left me. Said you couldn't handle being with me and the boys anymore. Said we were too demanding, too constricting. The boys chased after you, begged you to stay, but you pushed them away. When I followed you, you . . . you said you never really loved me."

"Oh, honey, that's not going to happen."

"You don't know that," he argued, pulling away and sitting up. "You're young, Isabella. You have your entire life ahead of you."

"And you're what? Ancient?" I scoffed. "You're twenty-eight, Carlisle, not sixty."

"I feel sixty sometimes," he groused.

"Well, I don't feel eighteen," I countered. "Hell, lately, I feel like I'm sixty."

"I wish I could make everything better for you, for us. I hate that you're terrified all the time."

I wasn't sure how to respond, because he was right: everything terrified me. The thought of leaving the house, of staying there, of the boys starting school, which they were today, and the thought of starting my own classes. How was I supposed to be able to focus on my studies when I worried about Carlisle, Michael, and Tyler all the time?

"We should do something fun today," Carlisle said, pulling me out of the million thoughts that had bombarded me in the last few minutes. "After we take the boys to school, we should . . . I don't know . . . do something, just me and you. I did take the whole day off, after all."

"I don't know," I fretted. "What if they need us?"

"Then the school can call. We made sure they had all of our numbers, plus the numbers for Dad, Eleazar and Sasha, Edward, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Esme, Isabella. Our emergency contact list is four times longer than most, I'm sure."

"I know," I grumbled, pulling the sheet up and covering my breasts. However, Carlisle snatched it away and threw it onto the floor. "Carlisle!"

"I didn't say you could cover yourself, did I?" he smirked, pushing me back on the bed, and moving so that he was sitting on top of my legs. His long, thick cock was hard, and when I reached out to wrap my hand around him, he swatted me away. "No, no, baby, you don't get to touch me."

"That doesn't seem fair," I grumbled, but smiled when he brought my hands up above my head and held them against my pillows. "Am I your prisoner?"

"Yes," he said, laughing. "And you're naughty."

"How have I been naughty?" I asked before sucking my bottom lip between my teeth and giving him the most innocent look I could possibly give him.

Carlisle growled before his mouth covered mine and he thrust his tongue between my lips. He tore his lips away from mine, moving them down my neck to my shoulder. I moaned, unable to keep the sound from leaving my lips.

"I fucking love the taste of your skin on my tongue, Isabella," he mumbled as he sucked and licked my skin. "Sweet and delicious."

"Lover, please," I whined, trying to move under him, but he was keeping me still.

"Please, what?" he asked, leaning up just enough to look me in the eye. "Hmm? What do you want, baby?"

"You," I whimpered. "Just you."

Carlisle inhaled sharply as he shifted us so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed and I was perched on his lap, wrapping my legs around his waist. As he slid inside of me, I moaned. He fit inside of me perfectly. His hands slid around to my ass, kneading my flesh as I rocked my hips back and forth.

"Goddamn amazing," he growled. He leaned forward and sucked my nipple between his lips, nipping me with his teeth.

"Jesus fuck!" I gasped, grabbing onto his shoulders. "That kind of hurt."

"Oops, sorry," he snickered, but then moaned when I squeezed my thighs, causing my pelvic muscles to tighten around his cock. "Oh, yeah, baby, that feels good."

"You like that, huh?" I did it again. Carlisle's fingers dug into my ass cheeks, pulling me even closer to him. "You're driving me wild."

"When I'm inside you like this, everything feels better, Isabella," he murmured, shifting me up and down, back and forth. "Like no matter what or who we have to face, we're going to be okay."

"God, I hope so," I whimpered, feeling my release building. "I'm so close, lover. So close."

"Don't hold back," he begged, pleading with me to keep moving.

I slid my fingers into his hair, pulling he head back and crushing my lips against his as I felt my pussy quiver as I orgasmed. Carlisle's grip tightened even more on me as he thrust once, twice, a half dozen more times before stilling his hips and filling me with his release. As we stayed wrapped in each other's arms, I hoped like hell we'd never be forced apart. My heart was tied to his.

—TW—

I tried to be brave as Carlisle and I walked the boys into their new school. The hallway was packed with parents who were dropping their kids off, teachers who looked frazzled, and kids who appeared less than thrilled with the idea of being back at school after the summer break. I knew the boys needed to go, needed to be allowed to be free to explore and play, but I was terrified that Gabriel Varner would find them. He was crazy and desperate, and those two combinations don't usually mean hugs and kisses.

We stopped at Michael's classroom first. He had a male teacher, who had short, strawberry-blond hair and large blue eyes. He smiled as he looked from us down to the boys, holding his hand out to Michael. "Hi. I'm Mr. O'Malley. What's your name?"

Michael turned and looked up at me, clearly asking if it was okay to shake the man's hand. With a nod, I wondered if I had made him so paranoid, something that didn't sit well with me. He was a kid; he shouldn't be worried about every stranger being a bad guy.

"Michael Cullen, sir."

"It's nice to meet you, Michael Cullen," Mr. O'Malley greeted with an even bigger smile. "Your desk has your name on it. Why don't you see if you can find it while I talk to your parents for a minute, okay?"

Michael nodded before turning and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Love you, Momma."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Dad and I will pick you up after school."

Michael nodded and gave Carlisle a hug before he walked into the classroom and found his seat. I blew out a heavy breath as I turned back to his teacher, hoping I could keep from falling apart completely. The last thing I needed was for his teacher to think I was a nutcase. "I'm Bella."

"Alec O'Malley. It's nice to meet you," he said, shaking my hand before turning to Carlisle. "And you are?"

"Carlisle. Dr. Carlisle Cullen," my husband replied, his tone short and to the point. Biting the inside of my cheek, I barely managed to keep from laughing. Did he really think he had to compete with the man standing in front of us?

"It's nice to meet you, too. I know you need to get this one to class," Alec said, gesturing to Tyler, "but I wanted to invite you both to a meeting that I'm having on Thursday night with all the parents from our class. I find with the hustle and bustle of the first day that it's hard to really get to everything, and by having a small get together, we can make some plans. Can I count on the two of you to be here?"

"Um," I stammered. "We'll try."

"Good enough," Alec laughed, shifting his eyes back into his classroom. "Oh, I'd better get going. See you later."

Carlisle and I exchanged a look before we led Tyler down the hallway to his classroom. His teacher — a short woman with blond hair and soft, hazel eyes — was surrounded by anxious parents, and I began to understand why Alec liked to meet with his parents on a different night. How overwhelming it had to be for teachers on the first day of school. It was sheer insanity.

After several minutes, the rest of the parents cleared out of the room and Tyler's teacher made her way over to us. Tyler had wrapped his arm around my leg, and I wondered if he'd make a big scene when it was time for us to leave.

"Sorry about that," she laughed. "I'm Jane Addyman."

"Bella," I murmured and then gestured to Carlisle. "This is my husband Carlisle, and our youngest, Tyler."

Jane shifted her eyes down to the boy, smiling wider. "Hello, Tyler. How are you this morning?"

"Good," Tyler mumbled.

"That's good to here, because I'm a little scared," she admitted, squatting in front of him. "See, I have a dog at home. Now, he's not just any kind of dog; he's a giant dog. Like the size of a couch. His name is Buster, and Buster tends to get into things he isn't supposed to. Like the trash. So, while we're here, having fun and playing all day, Buster is going to be at my house, making a mess."

"What color is Buster?" Tyler asked.

"Brown with white spots. And he had one blue eye and one brown eye," she said.

"Really?" Tyler gasped.

Jane nodded. "Maybe I'll bring him to school sometime. Would you like that?"

Tyler nodded his head furiously.

"Me, too." Jane stood up and offered him her hand. "Can I help you put your stuff away so you can go play?"

Tyler shifted his eyes up to me before nodding and taking hold of her hand. "I'll be careful, Momma. I promise."

"I know you will," I murmured, feeling my eyes fill up with tears.

Carlisle excused us as he pulled me out of the classroom, down the hallway, and outside. As the warm air wrapped around me, I found myself sobbing, unable to keep the tears from seeping from my eyes. They were so little, so vulnerable, yet they had more courage than I gave them credit for.

"Shh, sweetheart," Carlisle soothed, rubbing my back as other parents brushed past us, looking at me like I was freak. "I know it's hard to let them go, but we can't keep them in a bubble forever, either."

"I know," I hiccupped. "Logically, I know that, but I worry so much about them. About you when you're at work. How do I let go of that worry?"

"You don't," he said, sliding his hands up to my face and brushing my tears off my cheeks. "As parents, we never stop worrying about our children. We just learn to . . . I don't know . . . deal with it better?"

"You're calm, though. Why aren't you more concerned?" It wasn't until the words left my mouth that I realized they sounded like an accusation. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"Every night, after you go to sleep, I climb out of bed and check the house one more time. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked, make sure the boys are still in bed, still breathing. Then I lay next to you, afraid that someone is going to steal you away from me, away from the boys." Carlisle blew out a heavy breath. "I'm terrified, Isabella. All the time, but I tell myself that you need me to be strong, that the boys need me to be strong. So I put on a brave face and try to be the man you deserve."

"You are that man. You know that, don't you?" I murmured, sniffing as I shifted my eyes up to his. "You're all I've ever wanted."

Carlisle smiled before pressing his lips against mine in a searing kiss. "You're all I've ever wanted, too. I love you, Isabella. So much more than I can really express."

My cheeks warmed. "I love you, too. Now, let's go have some fun. I'm tired of worrying."

"That's my girl," he snickered.

—TW—

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I practically screeched as I stood next to the car. "You want me to willingly get into one of those! You're insane. Fucking insane!"

Carlisle laughed as he walked around the car so that he was standing in front of me. He placed his hands on my hips and pressed the full length of his body against me, causing my breath to hitch. "Are you scared of that little, bitty helicopter?"

"Little, bitty," I scoffed. "Hell yes, I am! It looks to be about the size of Ty's bed, for fuck sake."

Again, Carlisle laughed.

"It's not funny," I wailed, though secretly, I was laughing at myself. "You want to take me on a helicopter tour of the city?"

"I do," he admitted. "It's a great way to see everything, get a lay of the land. Come on. It's perfectly safe."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked. "Helicopters crash all the time. I bet there's some stupid statistic about it, too."

"You're being absurd," Carlisle chuckled. "Helicopters are just as safe as airplanes."

"But planes don't have glass floors!" I argued, thrusting my hand toward the helicopter pictured on the billboard. There wasn't much to it except a metal frame and a lot of glass.

Carlisle sighed. "If you really don't want to go, we won't, but I'm telling you, you're gonna love it."

I pressed my lips together. "And if I don't?"

"Then you don't?" he asked.

"What do I get if I don't?" I challenged. "Hmm?"

"What do you want?" he asked, hesitating.

I smiled wickedly. "Lots and lots of you with your tongue buried in my pussy to start with. Then, maybe you fucking me in a multitude of positions."

Carlisle opened and closed his mouth a half-dozen times before saying, "Then I really hope you hate it."

I laughed as Carlisle dragged me into the building. While he arranged for our tour of the city, I walked around the main office and looked at all the pictures of other people who had taken tours of the city. Dozens of couples and some families, all with smiles on their faces. Suppose it couldn't be horrible, right?

"Bella?" Spinning around, I was shocked to see Seth standing in the doorway to the back with a smile on his face. "It is Bella, right? I'm horrible with names."

"Um," I shifted my eyes to Carlisle and then back to Seth, "Yeah. Seth, right? I didn't know you worked here."

Seth smiled wider. "We didn't really get into the big details of our lives, did we?"

"Suppose not," I murmured.

"My uncle opened this place when I was a kid. When I told him I was going to school out here, he offered me a job. Doesn't pay much, but it's better than fast food, right?"

"Guess so," I told him. "Do you fly?"

"Not yet," he chuckled. "Mostly just handle the books. Math wiz."

"Oh." I nodded and chewed on my lip, unsure of what else to say. Carlisle wrapped his arm around my waist and cleared his throat. When I looked up at him, he cocked an eyebrow and looked over at Seth, waiting for me to introduce them. "Oh, Seth, this is my husband Carlisle. Carlisle, this is Seth. He and I meet on campus, during registration. You know, when I lost Ty."

"We've met," Seth said, offering my husband a hand. When I frowned, he added, "When he came to campus to help search for your little boy. Don't worry about it, you had other things on your mind."

That was the understatement of the century, but I choose not to correct him.

"Well, it looks like you're tour is about to start," Seth said, gesturing to the man standing behind us. "Maybe I'll see you in campus sometime."

"Yeah, maybe," I mumbled, unsure if I liked Seth or not. He was nice, but could I trust him? I just wasn't sure.

Carlisle didn't say anything to me as we followed our pilot — a beefy man named Adam — to the very small helicopter. Adam gave us a few instructions before we climbed inside and buckled our seat beats and placed our headphones on our ears. As he started the copter, Carlisle wove his fingers in with mine. I shifted my eyes up to his and found him looking down at me with so much love, my heart felt like it would burst. I didn't deserve him, but I would hang on to him as tightly as I could.

The helicopter tour over the city ended up being amazing, much to my surprise. We flew over the Fisherman's Warf, The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, AT&T Park, and so much more. The city was beautiful, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a home. Like I belonged somewhere. And I knew that had largely to do with the man at my side. Carlisle loved me: flaws and all.

When we returned back to the main office, Carlisle's cell rang. He stepped away from me and Adam, who was giving me a few brochures of places we'd flown over, in case I wanted to visit them. I knew I would; they were a part of my home.

"Thank you," I told Adam. "So much."

"You're welcome," he chuckled and walked away.

As I turned back to Carlisle, my smile faded when I saw the defeated look in his eyes. He nodded and said, "We'll be there as soon as we can," before ending the call and sliding the phone back into his pocket. He dragged his hand through his hair and swore under his breath as he turned his attention back to me. "That was Demetri."

My breath hitched in my chest. "What's happened?"

"He needs us to come in immediately. Said he found Gabriel Varner."

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