A/N:

Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie, who is now a married woman! She looked booty-ful, too.

CHAPTER TWELVE
*You Don't Belong Here*

Isabella…

…Isabella…

Isabella.

I stared at the printed words on the page in front of me, but all I could seem to see was Isabella, over and over again.

Edward shifted slightly under me, pulling my attention to him. I was laying on top of him, on the couch, my head against his chest, while we both read our books. I suddenly became very aware of the position we were in, our bodies pressed together, heat against heat.

Before I knew it, I'd set my forgotten book on the ground and scooted up his body so my head was nursed in the crook of his neck. His attention not deterred from his reading, he merely combed his fingers through my hair languidly.

He'd read that thing a million times. Couldn't he give me some attention? Taking matters into my own hands, I slowly extracted the book from his hold.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amusement in his tone.

"Nothing," I replied innocently, slammed the book shut, and set it on the ground next to mine.

"I remember this one time, when I was scolded by a beautiful, head-strong girl for lying to her."

I grinned. "You think I'm beautiful?"

He chuckled and pushed my hair behind my ear. "If I say yes, will you use it against me?"

I sat up and straddled his lap, right where I had the sudden desire to be. "Who says I'm not already?" I asked brazenly.

His playful mood vanished, replaced by a slightly fearful expression.

I'd taken him aback, which had me feeling insecure of my intention. "Is this okay?" I questioned.

"Yes," he spoke quietly, refusing to tear his eyes away from me.

With permission granted, and my confidence boosted again, I bent down so our faces were an inch apart. "The reason I took your precious book away is because I want all your attention on me." I pressed my lips to his only briefly, teasing him, making him want more.

"You've got that," he assured hoarsely.

I granted him another chaste kiss. "Do I?" I egged, and was about to kiss the corner of his mouth, when his lips captured mine passionately. My fingers grasped onto his neckline, holding him to me. His hands went to my back, feeling me, making sure I didn't go anywhere.

This was the first time we'd been like this—so consumed by each other. Most of our other kisses were hesitant, shy, or tame in comparison. This, however, made my heart pound and my head spin.

When his hands roamed down the curve of my butt, I realized just how different this kiss was. It was oozing sex. My mind instantly calculated how far we'd go. Who would stop first? Who wouldn't stop first?

His mouth opened, causing mine to follow his lead. Our tongues found each other's in an instant. His fingers clawed into the flesh of my backside, pushing me further down on his lap. And that was when I felt it. Lord.

Flushed, I pulled back minutely to catch my breath. His mouth went directly to my neck, trailing his hot tongue over my skin. I released a mixture between a whimper and a sigh, overwhelmed by his attention. Well, I'd said I wanted it, and I got it.

A knock on the front door caused us to both freeze. Sadie and Tucker barked loudly.

"Who the goddamn hell is that?" Edward asked grouchily.

I pulled back so he could get up, my breaths now stabilizing.

He rose off the couch with a grunt and pulled the door open roughly. "Go away," he barked at whoever our visitor was, and slammed the door forcefully.

"Edward!" I reprimanded as he stalked back to me and plopped down on the couch. "Who was that?"

He immediately went back to kissing my neck, like nothing had ever happened.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head at the sensation of his tongue circling below my ear, his beard tickling me yet making me shiver in pleasure. "Edward, you…" I breathed, my voice trailing when his hands found my thighs, just under the hem of my dress. His fingers were so close to—

"Open the dang door!" a woman yelled outside the cabin.

I jarred back with a gasp. That was Alice. What was she doing here?

"Don't make me break in, 'cause I will," she threatened.

With that, I removed myself from Edward's tight grip and launched off the couch to the door. When I opened it, Alice was glaring at me with her hands on her hips. She was angry. Great.

"I'd like a word, if ya don't mind," she spoke forcefully, and turned on her heel, moving off the porch.

I looked back at Edward, who was still on the couch.

"Want me to get rid of her?" he asked, still aggravated.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll just be a minute. Stay here," I ordered, to which he huffed and lay down on the couch dramatically.

Alice had her arms crossed as I neared her. Her disgruntled mood hadn't changed. Edward tended to have that effect on people.

"I'm sorry, Alice. You know how he is," I apologized.

"Like I give to figs 'bout that," she said, earning a confused look from me. "When were you gonna tell me, huh?"

"Tell you what?"

"About what you saw on the news, Isabella."

I gasped and stole a quick glance over my shoulder to see if Edward might've heard and come out. Thank God he hadn't. Grabbing Alice's arm, I hauled her a sizeable distance from the cabin.

"Nice try snippin' the cord, by the way," she spoke once I'd stopped. "How long have you known, anyhow?"

I ran a hand over the top of my head, feeling stressed that I'd been found out. "Only since yesterday," I replied.

Her eyebrows pinched together. "And ya still here?"

I didn't respond, choosing to turn my head away instead.

"Hun, there are people looking for ya," she spoke, "people that know ya. Family. You have a life. A darn good one, by the looks of it. Why in God's creation are ya still here?"

I couldn't tell her. I didn't want to be judged.

She was still waiting for my reply. "I'll take ya to the police station right now if ya get ya things together. I should've done it long ago."

"No!" I exclaimed in a burst of energy, surprising her. "Alice, I—no, I can't. I don't want to."

She looked at me as if I'd taken crazy pills. "What are ya talkin' 'bout?"

I sighed heavily, knowing I had no choice but to tell her. If there was anyone that would understand, it'd be her. "Edward—" Before I could even finish my sentence, she'd interrupted.

"This is 'bout him?" There was such blasphemy in her voice.

I frowned. "He's afraid I'm going to leave him. I can't do that."

She shook her head. "That ain't ya problem. That's his."

Frustration started to take over me. "I don't want to go anywhere," I spoke with gumption. "I like it here. I like being with him. I like seeing you all the time. I'm not leaving."

An earnest look crossed her features. "There's no doubt he'll be upset, and so will I, because I love havin' ya 'round. But, Isabella—"

"Don't call me that," I fired angrily. That wasn't my name, and she knew it!

She wasn't fazed by my caprice. "You don't belong here, darlin'. And I think a part of ya knows that."

Her words were like a chainsaw slicing right through me. They hurt. But she was wrong. Very, very wrong. "I do belong here, Alice," I tried to speak evenly. "You're wasting your time." With that, I took steps back to the cabin, back to him.

"Now, hold up," she called, causing me to stop. She came back to me. "I might not agree with what ya doing—" she sighed "—but I ain't gonna stop ya, either. If ya determined to stay, then fine."

"I'm determined," I replied.

"But let me tell ya somethin'," she continued. "Them guys that come to the tavern may not watch the news much, if at all, but someone, somewhere, is gon' recognize ya. What then?"

I shrugged. "I'll lay low."

"Ya already laying low, Petal. How much lower can ya get?"

"I don't know, okay? I haven't really thought it through, but I'll figure it out when the time comes."

She shook her head. "That's the thing. Ya not thinkin' this through."

I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated. She was supposed to be my friend, not a scolding mother!

"Alright, alright," she relented. "I won't bring it up again. Go get changed, and I'll meet ya back out here in five."

I felt like a deflated balloon as I went back into the cabin.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked me. He'd moved from the couch and was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah," I replied, and opened my mouth again to say something else, but realized I had nothing to say, so I shook my head and walked to the bedroom, making sure to shut the door so I could have some privacy with my racing thoughts.

As I changed, all I could think about were Alice's words. Would someone recognize me? What could I do to prevent that? Maybe it was just a lost cause. A part of me wanted to know why I was so hell-bent on staying away from my real life. I knew Edward was a large part of it, but it just felt like there was something else.

When I left the bedroom, Edward wasn't in the house. The front door was open slightly, and I could hear hushed arguing, which grew louder as I opened it more.

"Ya ain't told her yet?" Alice asked Edward angrily. "What on earth is the matter with ya?"

"If you tell her, I swear…," he spoke in a low tone.

"Don't you threaten me, Masen," she shot back.

"Then don't—"

"Hey, sugar!" Alice called cheerily to me, finally noticing I was here. Edward quickly spun around, his eyes blank. "Ready to hit the road?"

"Ready," I responded, staring only at Edward to try to figure out what was going on, but he gave me no leeway.

"Well, then, hup-two. My husband will be wonderin' where I ran off to." She went to her car and stood by the door as I approached Edward.

"What was that about?" I questioned.

He shook his head casually. "It's nothing bad or anything that involves you," he assured.

My brow wrinkled. "Okay…" I decided to drop the subject for now. "I'll see you later?"

He leaned down and placed his lips on mine, slowly kissing me goodbye. His fingers gently raked down the back of my hand that was at my side and took hold of it. "You can count on it," he said as he pulled back and brought my knuckles up to his mouth to press a soft kiss.

I felt like I was on a cloud when I floated over to Alice.

"Well, it's 'bout time," she said with a small giggle. And just like that, everything was back to normal.

X-X-X-X

"What were you and Edward arguing about earlier?" I asked Alice.

We were sitting at the bar, folding napkins together.

"He'll have a fit if I tell ya," she said.

"I can handle him," I assured confidently.

She set the napkins aside and turned on her stool to me "I only just found this out myself," she started. "Turns out, Jasper and I don't own this joint. Someone else does. I leave the business matters to my husband, but was pissed as all hell when I found out he'd kept that from—"

"Alice," I interrupted hastily, "are you implying that Edward owns this place?"

"Yeah."

I blinked a few times, my brain coming to terms with this information. "He owns the Redwood Tavern?'

"Yes, hun."

"But…," I began in confusion, "he told me he sold off his business, including the coffee dive his father started." My thoughts put two and two together, realizing this was the coffee dive at one point. How had I not seen?

"Well, we rent the space from him, but he still owns it."

"Why would he keep this from me?" I asked myself out loud. There was nothing to be ashamed of, if that was the issue. I was actually glad he'd sort of kept a part of his past—the good part.

"Lord knows, I told him he needed to tell ya, but he ain't budgin'."

"Does anyone else know?" I asked.

"Just Jasper," she responded. "And I'd also suspect a few of the older gentlemen that have been comin' here a while, since before the changeover, but no one talks 'bout it."

"Why not?"

"Because that's how Masen wants it. For whatever reason, he don't like no one knowin' 'bout him, and people 'round here get that, so they leave him alone. Plus, he got a bit of a reputation."

"What kind of reputation?" I questioned curiously.

She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "They say a couple locals wandered 'round his house. They got too close, so Masen shot one of them in the arm, yellin' for them to get off his property."

"Oh, Alice," I said in a sigh. "That can't be true. He wouldn't shoot anyone. Threaten them, yes, but not shoot them." If there was one thing I'd learned about him, it was that he was a lot of show. Who he was deep down was completely different to the type of person he exuded on the outside.

She shrugged. "That's just what they say. And because of it, no one bothers him."

I propped my elbow on the bar counter, resting the side of my head against my fist. "I can't believe he didn't tell me," I mused. Just when I thought he was being open and honest with me, something else comes along to jeopardize that trust. The question was, now, would I bring it up to him or just let it be?

"Oh! Look at the time!" Alice exclaimed excitedly, jumping off the stool and making her way into the bar. She wasted no time in turning on the television.

"What are you doing?" I questioned nervously. I didn't want that thing on. Not since what I'd found out about myself.

She flicked through the channels. "I've got a show comin' on at six I need to watch." She stopped when she hit a news program.

Oh no.

"Alice," I groaned, my head falling into my hands.

"Just stay quiet and watch, okay?"

"I don't want to watch that. I don't care about any of it," I spoke in a huff. However, I couldn't help myself as I stole a quick glance at the television and swiftly looked away. There was just a story about a local robbery caught on surveillance.

"Well, ya still on the clock, which means ya getting paid. Not a bad exchange, if ya ask me," she reasoned. "Plus, I'm ya boss, and ya gotta do what I say, anyhow."

"We interrupt this story to go to Shiela in Los Angeles, where I'm told Liam White is coming out of Cullen International momentarily," the anchorwoman spoke. "Shiela, you there?"

"Yes, Cassidy," Shiela, the reporter, replied. "I'm here, outside of Cullen International Headquarters, in Los Angeles. At any moment, Liam White will be exiting the building. Now, he's the only one close to Isabella that hasn't spoken to the media yet, so we're hoping to get lucky."

The camera panned over to the front doors of the large, black building, where a middle-aged woman emerged with a young, attractive, sandy-brown haired man that looked to be in his late twenties.

"There he is," Shiela spoke off-camera as she quickly followed several other reporters to the two people. "Liam! How have you been handling these past few weeks?" She was having a hard time of keeping up with him and the woman he was with.

Liam suddenly stopped and stared directly into the camera, his blue eyes capturing his emotion. "Awfully," he spoke sadly. There seemed to be so much pain inside him that he was trying to mask.

"Mr. White, we don't have time," his female companion spoke to him.

He held up a hand, silencing her. "It's fine," he responded.

"Liam, what of the accusations that Isabella's father was involved in her disappearance," another reporter brought up.

His expression suddenly turned angry. "Mr. Cullen loves her. He would never wish her away," he spoke urgently. "Instead of wasting time throwing these questions at me, why don't you put in the same amount of effort in finding her?" With that, he walked away.

"Liam!" Shiela shouted, along with other reporters, trying to gain his attention again. She turned to the camera. "Well, there you have it. It's clear to see just how upset he is by this whole ordeal and desperately wants Isabella home safely, like the rest of us. Back to you, Cassidy."

The image flicked back to the newsroom. "For those just tuning in, that was Liam White, Isabella Cullen-White's husband and long time family friend…"

I tuned the rest out, my mind only focusing on the last few words uttered—"Isabella Cullen-White's husband."

"Oh my Lord," I heard Alice gasp next to me, as my breaths came out in short spurts.

Tell me this was just a dream.

I was suddenly aware of Alice looking closely at my left hand.

My raging thoughts took over again, and all I could do was stare at the now switched off television screen. Why me? Why did all this have to happen to me? What did I ever do to God to put me in this sort of situation?

"Sugar," Alice said, shaking me back to reality, "are you okay?"

No, I wasn't okay.

I was married.

X-X-X-X

Standing at the side of the bed, I simply stared at his sleeping form. He looked so serene. I probably watched him thoughtlessly for a good five minutes before I pulled back the covers and slipped in quietly.

Almost as soon as I got somewhat comfortable, his arm scooped right between my back and the mattress. He rolled me into his side, and my head automatically rested against his shoulder. No words passed between us; just a sleepy sigh from him.

My body tensed as my thoughts began to barrage me again, just like they had all night. With eyes wide open, I listened to his steady breaths and my shaky ones. I realized then that there was no way I could sleep well tonight, so I maneuvered myself out of Edward's arm hooked around me.

I felt guilty leaving the bedroom, because if he knew why I wasn't asleep next to him, he'd…Well, I wasn't sure how he'd react. Would he be mad? Sad?

The couch cushions were cold as I sank down on them. My head rested against the arm, and I focused my eyes on the dark fireplace, getting lost in my head.

Married.

A husband.

Liam White.

I wanted it to be a dream. I wanted to be able to say there was no husband, no marriage. No Liam White. There was just myself and Edward.

At first, I wanted to believe that I was perhaps divorced, due to my lack of a wedding ring, but the news had been specific in stating that I was his wife. They would've said ex-wife, otherwise, right? And deep down, it felt true. My gut seemed to recognize him, but not my head. As far as my heart went…that was with another—the man who was currently in my bed, certain that I was in his arms.

If this Liam guy was so important to me, then why did he feel like such a stranger? Carlisle Cullen and Rosalie McCarty felt more familiar to me than him. Maybe it was because I didn't want him to feel familiar to me. I didn't want him—period. I didn't even know him. I couldn't want someone I didn't know.

All through the night, my thoughts remained just as busy. I slept on and off, my active mind needing to really over think this predicament.

At some point in the early morning, I managed to finally stay asleep, until I was awoken by the feel of claws on my skin. My eyes opened to find Sadie standing on her hind legs, scratching at my arm to get my attention.

"Alright, coming," I told her groggily, knowing full well what she was requesting of me.

I let her outside, keeping the door open so she could come back whenever she wanted. By the looks of the sky, it seemed to be around six in the morning, so I decided to make breakfast. Omelets had now become my specialty. In other words, it was the only thing I knew how to properly make that didn't involve Edward gagging.

The omelet finished cooking just as the bedroom door creaked open. For some reason, I couldn't turn around and greet him. I couldn't even look at him. So, I silently continued my breakfast preparations.

I heard a chair grate across the floorboards briefly. He hadn't said anything. I hadn't said anything. What on earth could I possibly say? I was pretty sure "Good morning, Edward. I'm married. Enjoy your omelet" wouldn't go over too well with him.

Finally turning around, I kept my eyes on the breakfast plates as I placed an omelet in front of him and another across from him. I sat and immediately tucked in, needing something physical to stray my thoughts.

I snuck a quick glance at Edward's plate. He hadn't started eating. Why hadn't he started eating? He hadn't even picked up the fork. I didn't dare look up to see why.

"Are you going to tell me why you weren't in bed this morning?" he asked.

I cut a small portion of my omelet with my fork and pushed it around my plate. "No," I replied, and finally looked up at him, seeing how hard he was trying to hide his sullen expression through indifference. "Eat your omelet. It'll get cold."

His hand reached across the table to mine and stopped the movement of pushing my fork around. At his sudden touch, I couldn't take it anymore. I dropped the fork to my plate with a clatter and shrouded my eyes with my free hand to cover the abrupt sobs that took over.

For several minutes, I just cried as he held onto my hand.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered, more to myself than him.

He didn't respond immediately, deliberating my words. "Are you hurt?" he questioned, strain in his voice. "Did someone touch you at work?"

I sniffled, my cries dying now. "No one touched me," I assured, and finally built up enough courage to maintain eye contact with him. "I want you to know, this doesn't change anything. I promise. I'm still Petal, and you're still everything to me."

Instead of looking relieved, his expression turned dark. His grip on my hand tightened. "Tell me," he demanded.

I took a deep breath, preparing. "I know who I am."

His hold on my hand slackened, and he moved it to his lap. "You got your memory back?" There was a dull curiosity on his face.

"No," I corrected. "What I meant to say was I found out who I am." I wiped the moisture from my cheeks. "My disappearance is all over the local news."

His eyes dropped to the table. He was taking it surprisingly better than I anticipated. However, this wasn't even the hard part.

"My real name is Isabella Cullen," I stated in a rush, so I could reassure him I wasn't going anywhere. I felt devious purposely omitting the "White" part of my surname. "But it doesn't matter, because I don't even like that name. In fact, I think it's—"

"Cullen?" he interrupted, his eyes finding mine again. There seemed to be recognition there. "As in the Cullen Hotels?"

I frowned. "How do you know?" I questioned in a whisper.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, as if exhausted. "The hotel franchise is popular. I've stayed in a few overseas back in the day. I don't know much about it, though. So, you're the daughter of the boss or something?"

I nodded. "I only know that Carlisle Cullen is my father, I have a sister named Rosalie McCarty…and I have a…" my breathing grew heavy "…a—uh…"

"Why are you breathing like that?"

I couldn't stop. I felt like I would faint any second.

"Petal?" he asked when I didn't respond, worried.

At the sound of my name, I relaxed. He hadn't called me Isabella. I was still his Petal, and that wouldn't change.

"I'm married."

Gone was the expression of worry. He simply stared at me, unblinking, unmoving. The air around us was thick in eerie silence.

"Are you going to say something?" I asked hesitantly, watching closely for any sort of change other than his blank stare at me. I'd really thrown him off.

After thirty more seconds, there was still no response.

"Edward…?" My voice was meek, because I was really beginning to realize that something was wrong.

Suddenly, he pushed his chair back and stood to his feet, his sight still focused on me. I watched him on bated breath.

"Please talk to me," I pleaded, not able to bear not knowing what he was feeling.

His eyes dropped to my left hand. "You're not wearing a ring," he spoke quickly, almost desperately, but slightly accusatory. "When I found you, you weren't wearing a ring."

I sighed heavily. "I know. And I questioned that and more. Maybe I'm separated or something. I don't know, okay? I have no clue. I just know I'm definitely married."

His slightly crazed expression hardened, until he just looked downright explosive. In a sudden move, he flipped the table on its side, sending our meals flying. Loud crashes sounded. Clattering of cutlery. Barking of dogs. Thumping of heart. Intake of breath. Eyes of malevolence directed toward me.

He was gone in a flash, ripping the front door out of his way. I did the only thing I could do—I ran after him.

"Edward!" I called frantically, racing out of the cabin.

He was already at his truck, getting in.

"No, don't!" I begged, and ran straight to the driver's side.

The engine started with a roar just as I approached the door. He wouldn't even look at me, an enraged derangement preventing him. I tried pulling at the handle, but it was locked.

"Please don't go," I pleaded, and broke out in choked sobs. "I told you. This doesn't change anything."

The truck raced forward and flew toward the path that led to Redwood City.

"Edward!" I screamed hysterically as I chased after the truck. I couldn't keep up, so I finally stopped, watching him disappear from view.

He was gone.

"Don't leave me," I whispered.