A/N:

Look at that, I've got another chapter out for you! I knew this shorter chapters thing was a good idea ;-) I guess some stories simply ask for shorter chapters, and this one did, so me changing it definitely saved it. It was becoming more difficult to write this every day.

So, let's see what Bella's parents will say to all of this!

Title: Forbidden Attraction

Author: MarieCarro

Genre: Drama/Romance

Rating: NC-17

Summary: To Edward Masen, Bella Swan was nothing more than his daughter's best friend, but that all changed when they both applied for the same weekly writing course. Suddenly, she didn't appear to be the young girl that had played with his daughter since her family moved in next door. What will Edward do when he realizes that he's developing a very forbidden attraction for a woman twenty-five years his junior? AH

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 3, 492

CHAPTER 14

I gently pulled to a stop on the street outside the Swans' house and looked around to assess the surroundings.

Mary's car wasn't in the driveway of my former home, so she was most likely at the salon, and I was convinced Alice had fled to Jasper's since she knew I was taking Bella here.

I was relieved Bella and I would have this conversation with her parents without having to worry about my family next door.

My focus turned to Bella, and I noticed that she looked a tiny bit green. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked her worriedly.

She inhaled shakily. "Not at all. Just earlier today, I was going to tell them I am in a relationship but I didn't get the chance to do that before Dad made it very clear he only wanted to hear about the progress of my studies. Now I'm about to spring on them that I am, not only in a serious, committed relationship but that it is with a man they lived next door to for fifteen years. I have no idea how they'll react."

It was my turn to give her strength and show support, so I grabbed her hand kissed her knuckles. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you."

She smiled gratefully. "I know." She leaned over the console and gave me a sweet kiss. "I love you," she mumbled against my lips and the words filled me with warmth.

"I love you, too." It felt liberating to say the words without feeling any sort of aversion. Our relationship was controversial, but it didn't undermine our feelings for each other. We were the real deal.

Bella looked back at her parents' house. "Maybe you should stay by the front door while I try warming them up," she suggested. "They might be more perceptive to the idea of me dating an older man if they don't see you immediately."

I nodded. "It's your call. I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"Okay then," she said and opened her door. "Let's do it."

I also climbed out, and while I desperately wanted to place my hand on her back, I didn't out of fear that either Renée or Charlie was looking out the window. I didn't want their animosity directed at me before we'd even entered the house.

Bella opened the door and let me inside before she called for them. "Mom? Dad?"

"We're in the living room, honey!" Renée answered her, and Bella sighed in relief. They wouldn't see me from there, and Bella would have the chance to soften them up.

We exchanged a look, and then I kissed her temple before she went to the living room, which was close enough for me to still hear everything they said.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Renée asked pleasantly.

"In the city," Bella answered vaguely. "Um, would you mind shutting that off. I have to talk with you both about something."

I could clearly hear Charlie's protesting groan. "Can't it wait until the break?"

"No, it really can't."

"Charlie, it sounds serious. Shut off the TV." There was a pause. "Okay, honey, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I know about your opinions on me dating while I'm in college—"

"Is that what this is about?" Charlie interrupted. "Bells, we've already been through this. Studies come first."

"No, I know," she hurried to reassure him. "I don't ever intend to neglect my studies. But the thing is, um, I haven't told you that I have been seeing someone."

I waited with bated breath for them to react to this small, harmless piece of information.

"Stop it, Charlie," Renée reprimanded. "Bella is an adult—"

"Barely," he mumbled.

"And she's definitely mature enough to handle her studies while still having a life," she finished sharply, obviously displeased with her husband's interruptions. "Go one, sweetie, tell us about this boy. Is he from New York?"

I stopped breathing altogether. This was it. It was already painfully obvious that Charlie wouldn't approve of Bella being with anyone, even if I'd been her age, so I knew his blessing was out of the question. I had all my cards on Renée now.

"No, he's not from New York," Bella built up. "I didn't meet him through school. He's actually already finished college … quite a while ago."

The pause that followed was so tense even I could feel it by the door.

"Are you saying that he's a lot older than you?" Renée asked carefully, and it sounded like she wanted to take her words back about Bella's right to date.

"Yes..." Bella breathed out. "But you know how I've always been more drawn to older guys. You've said so yourself seve—"

"How much older?" Charlie asked with suppressed anger. When Bella didn't answer right away, he repeated the question much more harshly. "Isabella, how much older?"

"The age shouldn't matter," she tried, and it sounded as if she was losing the battle. "The only thing that should matter to you is that I'm happy."

"That's debatable," Charlie grumbled.

"Charlie!" Renée scolded. "Of course we want you to be happy, honey. It's just a lot to take in. Maybe you could tell us more about him?"

"Well, he's got a Master in engineering and he's got his own company, which is going quite well. He's very handsome, and the sweetest, nicest man I've ever met," Bella answered, and her description of me made me smile.

I took a few small steps forward in preparation of joining her.

"That's wonderful," Renée said genuinely. "Where's he from? Will we get the chance to meet him?"

"Actually … yes."

I took that as my cue and slowly made my way further into the house until I was standing next to Bella. She immediately placed her arm around my waist, and so I automatically placed mine over her shoulders.

Renée and Charlie both sat frozen on the couch and just stared at us for a long moment. Charlie recovered first.

"Is this a joke? Because it's not funny. Edward, would you please step away from my daughter?"

"Dad," Bella started slowly. "It's not a joke."

I inhaled deeply and shook my head. "It really isn't, Charlie," I confirmed.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?!" Charlie exploded and rose from his seat. Renée was still too shocked to move or say anything. He directed his hard eyes on me. "You get divorced and immediately start running after minors?! After my daughter?! Are women your own age not good enough for you?!"

"Dad, stop it!" Bella defended me. "Edward didn't pursue me like some predator. It just happened. Neither of us planned it."

Charlie wasn't listening to her. He was completely focused on me and was slowly approached us. "Have you slept with my daughter?" he asked through clenched teeth, and his eyes were wide and a tiny bit crazy. "Answer me, you jackass!"

He was getting close to us now, and while I had the urge to do what I'd told Bella and hide behind her, I wasn't about to display such cowardice in front of her parents. Especially not in front of Charlie Swan.

Bella made the decision for me, though, by placing herself in his path. "Dad, listen to me, this is the best relationship I've ever—"

"Oh, please!" Renée finally spoke up. "A relationship?"

"Yes, a relationship," Bella replied firmly and turned her eyes to Renée. "For your information, I'm crazy about Edward! I love him."

I ached to say it back to her, but I didn't want to provoke Charlie any further. He was already beyond furious as it was.

"Am I supposed to stand here and have to listen to this?" he shot at her. "Renée, help me out here!"

"No," Bella protested. "This is a good thing for me. Edward isn't holding me back from anything. If anything, he always supports me and my choices. Why should it matter that there's an age difference?"

"Sweetie, he's our age," Renée reminded her as if Bella had suddenly forgotten that. "That's not just a small little age difference. He's Alice's father, for heaven's sake."

"I know that, but it doesn't matter to us," Bella continued, but I felt it was time I spoke up.

"With all due respect, Renée," I said, and she turned her disapproving eyes to me. "What's between Bella and me isn't really your business. We're both consenting adults." Her eyes narrowed and from the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie clenching his fist. "But with that said, we are not deluding ourselves. We know there's a significant age difference, and we know how it may look from the outside, but I can promise you that Bella isn't some mid-life crisis rebound for me. You may not want to hear it, but I love your daughter, and for her sake, I wish you could at least accept that she and I are together."

Bella was looking at me with adoring, love-filled eyes, and a small smile slowly grew, but no matter how heartfelt my little speech had been, it had not done it's duty to convince her parents.

"Get out of my house," Charlie told me threateningly. "You have three seconds before I break your nose."

I nodded and turned to leave. Bella sighed and made a move to follow me, but Charlie stopped her before she could take a single step.

"You're staying right there, Isabella Swan. We're not done here."

"You can't tell me what to do, Dad. I'm an adult, and if I want to leave with my boyfriend, then that's what I'll do," she told him calmly. "I have said what I needed to say. If you can't accept Edward and me, then that's the way it is, but it won't change my mind about him."

She promptly turned around and followed me to my car, but she didn't make a move to get in. Instead, she walked with me to the driver's side and stood up on her toes to kiss me.

"I'm gonna stay here," she explained. "I know I have to talk more with them about this. I just hate when Dad tries to boss me around."

I chuckled. "It's kind of his job as a father," I told her. I understood Charlie completely. As the hypocrite I was, I remembered how I'd reacted when Alice told me how old Jasper was.

Bella laughed with me. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it. But I understand that he's freaking out. He's been doing that a lot since he finally realized that I'm growing up."

"It's a scary thing when the children flee the nest. It makes you start questioning everything." I kissed her forehead. "Go easy on him. He might not accept me, but I'm sure he'll come around to at least tolerate this for your sake. He loves you very much."

She smiled at me. "I know he does. I'll call you later tonight, or tomorrow. I guess it depends on how long this will take."

"Yeah, and if you feel like you need to stay somewhere else tonight, you have your key."

"Thank you."

We shared one last kiss before I ducked into my car and drove back home.

That summer became tense and awkward, to say the least. Things didn't miraculously get better just because everyone we cared about knew about our relationship, but it brought small victories our way as well.

Alice was so upset about the entire situation that she felt she had to get as far away from me as possible, but because she had put off applying for colleges, her only chance was to go to the state university and take a few classes as well as complimenting with a couple online courses. In her mind, that wasn't far enough away, but it was at least a few miles.

The first couple weeks after "all hell broke loose," I often came home in the early evening only to find Bella going about either making dinner for the two of us or sitting in the living room watching TV. She always insisted to me that she was fine, but her red-rimmed eyes told me a different story.

I knew she was fighting with her parents almost daily, and it was taking out its toll on her. She was often very tired, and her spirit had dulled down. What was supposed to be the great honeymoon phase of our relationship instead became the time when we were tried harshly from all sides.

Our sex life was still as great as ever, but a relationship couldn't be built on great sex alone, and my heart broke a tiny bit every time I saw Bella upset after a particularly bad fight with her parents.

As I always did in moments of doubt, I turned to Felix for advice.

"She doesn't want to talk to me about it. I can see she's upset, but whenever I ask, she just says she's fine," I said as I played with the small basketball that was a stress-ball Jane had given to Felix when his job became more demanding years ago. It was safe to say that the ball didn't alleviate his stress, and it ended up ruining his marriage instead.

Why he still had the ball was unknown to me, but I was grateful for it now because it gave me something to do with my hands.

"Of course she's upset," Felix told me from across the desk in his office with a tone that suggested he thought I was quite stupid. "She's the one who has lost the most in all of this."

I frowned. "No, she and I have discussed that already. She's not giving up anything that she wants, and I'm not going to hold her back."

He rolled his eyes at me, and I wondered for a moment why he was my friend. It mostly felt as if he was insulting me. "I'm not talking about the future or ambitions. I'm talking about what she's already lost and what she's still scared of losing by being with you."

"I'm not following you."

"No, that is already painfully obvious." He leaned back in his chair and casually put his feet up on the edge of the desk between us. "Ed, just use your brain for a second. I know for a fact that you have one, but it seems to have taken an extended vacation for the moment."

"Oh, shut up," I told him and threw the ball at him, but being the sports-fanatic he was, he had no problem catching it before it hit him.

"I'm serious. I mean, look at what you went through when Alice found out about you. She may hate you now, but you know that she will forgive you eventually. Bella, on the other hand, not only does Alice blame her now, but it will get worse." He shrugged apologetically. "They were friends; best friends. It doesn't matter they were already drifting apart. If there was a chance for them to find back to each other before, that chance is non-existent now. And when Mary found out, she was scarily calm about it all. Bella was there for you on both occasions. You say she even took Alice's accusations without flinching."

"I was there for her when she told her parents," I reminded him. "I've supported her as much as I can through all of this."

"Yes, but compared to her, your experience with all of this has been a walk in the park. You have a support system here that extends beyond her. Your entire life is here; your family; your friends; your job. What does she have here except you now that she can't lean on her parents?"

I opened my mouth to answer him but paused as it sunk in what he was saying, and I realized he was right. I hadn't given a single thought to Bella's lack of friends here, and I knew that while she loved me and knew that she could tell me anything, I couldn't offer her the same as a friend of the same age as her. Someone who could help give her perspective the way Felix helped me.

An incredulous chuckle escaped me and I shook my head before looking back at my friend. "Tell me again why you're an accountant and not a psychologist?"

He grinned at me. "Can't I be both? Next session with me will cost you. I can't keep giving you these friend-discounts. I have a mortgage to pay."

"Baby, are you sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?" I asked Bella a night when we were entwined in bed. She had decided to spend the night because she didn't have the energy for another heated discussion with her parents about all the reasons why she and I shouldn't be together.

She tensed up momentarily in my arms but then relaxed again. "What is there to tell? Everything's fine. We can finally be together without all the secrets."

Instead of my usual follow-up, I nodded and changed the subject. "Your roommate back in New York, her name is Ashley, right?"

I could taste Bella's confusion in the air. "Yeah," she answered slowly. "What about her?"

"Are you two good friends?"

"She's one of those I hang out with the most around campus," she told me, but her confusion was still there.

I was going to clear it up for her, but I wasn't sure if she would like my idea or not, and that was why I was treading carefully. "Where's she from?"

"Michigan. Edward, why are you asking these questions?"

I grimaced slightly because Michigan was far from here, but while I didn't like the distance, I was hoping it would be good for Bella. I turned my head and kissed her head. "I was thinking, maybe you should give Ashley a call and ask her whether you can visit her for a few days," I suggested.

"Why?"

I sighed. "Because I think you need to talk with someone who isn't me about all of this. Confide in someone who can understand what you're going through."

Bella sat up to look at me. The borrowed t-shirt she was wearing was swallowing her and made her look small, but the shadows under her eyes, enhanced by the darkness of the room made her look decades older than she was. "I don't want to confide in anyone else. No one understands what I feel for you."

I sat up as well and cupped her cheek. "I don't want you to become too dependent on me, Bella. That's not the kind of relationship I want us to have. I know you don't have a lot of friends left here, and now with everything that's happened with Alice, you need someone you can lean on for stuff that I can't help you with."

She placed her delicate hands on my shoulders and leaned her forehead against mine. "But I don't want to waste the time I have with you this summer. I will see Ashley when I go back to New York," she insisted.

"Baby, you're not happy here right now. I wish that wasn't the case, and I wish I could help you through this, but you know deep inside that I am not enough."

Her eyes were blank when she leaned away from me. "But Michigan is so far away," she continued to halfheartedly protest, but she could feel that I was right. "I don't want to go without you."

"But you have to," I encouraged softly. "And it would only be for a few days. Long enough to tell Ashley everything." Her eyes shot up to look into mine. "Yes, I mean everything. She might be able to help you see things differently, and hopefully, it will help you handle your parents."

She looked toward the window and thought about it for a moment, but then a sigh escaped her, and I knew she was going to do it. "Okay. I will call her in the morning."

I smiled. "Good. I'm sure you'll end up having a great time."

Bella turned back to me and immediately put her arms around my neck to kiss me and then promptly had me lay back down with her sprawling on top of me. When she made it obvious she wasn't interested in sleep just yet, I was more than willing to comply with her wishes.

A/N:

I think Felix is a good friend. He helps Edward out a lot. I guess he kind of acts out as Edward's subconscious in this story xD

Now, I'm turning this over to you! What do you hope will happen forward in this story? How do you want it to end? It will end happily no matter what, but what's the big ending moment where all of you will go 'aaww' in response?

You know, just for fun 'cause I already have an ending in mind ;-)