Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. The original plot and storyline of Never Enough, however, belong to me. Please be nice and don't copy or translate without permission. Thank you.
Nothing that I do here is possible without my betas, and there are no words that adequately express my thanks to them for all they do. Iadorepugs and Cullen_Crazy01 are amazing and two of the best friends a girl could ever have. Thank you for everything you do for me – betaing this story being the least of it all! And to Anne at Twilighted, who works all kinds of crazy hours and still takes the time to pretty up my story for you, I send my unending gratitude.
I apologize for the cliffie in Chapter 20. I did not do it to increase reviews or to simply be evil. It was truly the only logical place to break the chapters. So many of you asked questions, and so many of those questions are answered below, that I'll let you get to it. Please meet me at the bottom for some important information!
Chapter 21
His face, oh my God, his beautiful face! Edward's right eye was closest to the lamp and he squinted in the sudden brightness. There was no need to narrow the left eye, as it was already swollen shut. He had two butterfly bandages above his left eyebrow, and I could see stitches peeking out from underneath as well. He had another stitch directly between his eyebrows on the bridge of his nose, which was also swollen and bent at a slightly different angle than I was used to seeing. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see the darkening bruise under his right eye. Further observation showed that he had a cut above his upper lip, his bottom lip was swollen and split near the corner, and his left cheek was scraped and bruised.
I wanted to reach up and touch his face, but I was afraid to hurt him. He seemed to sense my need, or maybe he required the contact as much as I did, because he reached down to grasp my hand. I could see that the knuckles of his right hand were raw and abraded, and I looked back up at him as he raised my hand to place my fingertips on his right cheek. He let out a soft sigh when my skin made contact with his, closing his right eye for a moment and pressing a soft kiss to my palm, groaning softly as he did so.
"My God, Edward, what happened?" I whispered, afraid to move my fingers, not knowing where he was injured.
"Felix," he said with a moan as he shifted, wincing when he bent his torso, absently rubbing his ribs. "Long story short, Felix and I should never be in the same city as one another, nevertheless the same room. Heidi failed to tell him that I was invited to Chelsea's birthday party. After some angry words and quite a few choice phrases, Felix decided to take things to a physical level and remove me from the party himself."
"Edward, I….." I didn't know what to say. Even though I had spent years surrounded by Jake and his rambunctious friends, they had never done anything more than wrestle for fun. They had never purposefully hurt one another. "How bad is it?" I asked, gingerly touching the bruising beneath his good eye.
"I have a broken nose, three stitches, a split lip, and a couple of bruised ribs," Edward answered.
"And what did you do to Felix?" I asked with trepidation, worried about how badly Edward had hurt him.
"Nothing," he growled, his good eye narrowing. "A couple of his friends pulled him off me and restrained the both of us before I could get a punch in." I could hear the regret in his voice, and the coldness of his tone made me shiver.
"How did this happen, then?" I asked, lightly feathering my fingertips over the bruised and scraped knuckles on his right hand.
"I may have punched the wall at the hospital," Edward muttered, sounding embarrassed. "I didn't get your messages until I was almost here. I had to turn my phone off at the hospital. When they were done with stitches and x-rays, I called my partners and told them I wouldn't be able to make the meetings this week. But then I had to turn my phone off again when the police showed up, and I forgot to turn it back on when I got in the car." He ran the fingers of his undamaged hand through his hair, tugging on the roots. "I wasn't thinking clearly, I just turned the car and headed for home. It never even occurred to me to stop at the hotel to pick up my stuff. All I could focus on was getting out of Portland."
There were a million questions racing through my mind and I was going to insist on answers. Seeing his agitation, I knew those questions would have to wait for just a little bit. I wanted nothing more than to calm him. I reached up and gently pulled his hand away from his hair, pressing a kiss to his fingertips before settling our hands in my lap. "I'm glad you're here. I was worried when I didn't hear from you," I said softly. I raised my hands to his face, and I could see that my fingers were trembling violently. "May I?" I asked, touching him with just the tips of my fingers. Edward nodded wordlessly, his eyes closing when I started to move my fingertips across his skin.
I traced the curves of his cheekbones, carefully avoiding the bruising on the left side. I smoothed my thumbs across his forehead, bypassing the stitches above his left eye, soothing him until his brow was smooth and relaxed. I skipped over the bridge of his nose, instead trailing my index finger down the slope of his nose and then lightly touched his lips, which were open as he inhaled raggedly. I traced the small dent in the center of his chin and then cupped his jaw as I rose up to press a soft kiss to his lips. He moaned again, and this time there was more pleasure than pain in the sound. I gently rubbed my lips against his, unwilling to apply any more pressure and add to his discomfort.
A knock at the bedroom door startled me and I sat back. Edward stiffened and stood quickly, hissing sharply as he did so. I remembered bruised ribs from my foolish motorcycle days with Jacob and felt a rush of sympathy for Edward's pain. I remained seated on my bed and reached for his uninjured hand. "Come in," I called, and Sarah opened the door, standing uncertainly on the threshold.
"Hey Mom, I just wanted to let you know I'm headed to bed," Sarah said, her gaze flicking back and forth between Edward and me, her eyes filled with equal parts curiosity and worry.
I looked over at the clock on the nightstand, surprised to find it was only nine-thirty. It felt like I had slept much longer, and I was a little disoriented by waking so abruptly. I gave Edward's hand a squeeze and got up from the bed, suddenly feeling nervous about Sarah's reaction to me having my boyfriend in my bedroom. That thought sounded so backward and absurd in my own head that I chuckled. "Okay. Sorry I was so out of it tonight. Thanks for your help," I told her, putting my arm around her and giving her a squeeze.
"I hope you're feeling better," Sarah said, and her eyes were wide when she looked back at Edward. "You too, Mr. Cullen. No offense, but you look kinda awful right now," Sarah said.
"No offense taken, Sarah. I feel kinda awful, although it's gotten better in the last fifteen minutes or so," Edward answered, his usually crooked grin more lopsided than usual. "Thanks for not running screaming when you saw me, and for letting me in and telling me where your mom was."
"No problem, Mr. Cullen," she said, pausing for a moment before looking at me. "Will's in his room, if you want to tell him good night too."
"Okay. Thanks again sweetheart," I told her sincerely. I waited until she was in her room before turning back to Edward. "Do you want to wait in here?" I asked uncertainly, knowing that nothing was going to happen, but worrying about my children's impressions of the situation nonetheless.
Edward seemed to understand my unspoken concerns. "How about I wait in the kitchen instead?" he suggested.
"Sure, just down the stairs and off to the right. I'll be there in a few minutes," I promised, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. I watched him walk down the hall and descend the stairs before I headed to Will's bedroom.
I could hear Will shuffling around inside and I took a deep breath before knocking on his door. I hadn't expected to test his agreement to give Edward a chance so soon, let alone in this manner. "Come in!" Will called when I knocked.
He was sitting on his bed in sleep pants and a tee shirt. When he saw me, a tentative smile spread on his face. "Hey Mom, you feeling better?" Will asked.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks for letting me rest tonight," I replied.
"Mom, what happened to Mr. Cullen? Was he in a car accident or something?" Will asked, his voice full of unexpected concern.
"Actually, someone hit him," I told Will.
Will frowned in disapproval, his attitude instantly shifting. "Why, what did he do?"
"Will, stop," I warned, displeased by the tone of his voice. "I don't know all the details yet, but I do know that Edward was the only one hurt. Please don't make assumptions about what happened."
Will blushed. "Sorry, Mom," he apologized. "Tell him I hope he feels better. And looks better, because he really looks like shit right now."
"William!" I said with a sharp bark of laughter. I reached over and mussed his hair, pretending to put him in a head lock. "Thanks again for letting me rest tonight. Get some sleep, and I'll see you in the morning," I told him, leaning down and kissing his cheek.
Edward was in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water at the sink when I came into the room. Under the harsh lights he looked even worse, and I couldn't stop the noise of distress that escaped.
"I look that bad, huh?" he asked ruefully, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair.
"It's a good thing you're so pretty to start with," I joked. My humor was rewarded with a smile, just like I had hoped.
"Pretty?" he scoffed, pretending to sound offended. He met me halfway across the kitchen and slipped his arms around my waist. "Pretty?"
I raised my hands and placed them on his shoulders. "Okay...beautiful?" I asked.
"Hardly," he disagreed. "You're the beautiful one, Bella."
"Today? Absolutely," I teased him as he lowered his face to mine. He pressed his lips against my left cheek, then my right, and again on the tip of my nose before gently pressing them to mine. His lips moved softly, slowly over mine and I was reminded of our tentative first kiss at the bookstore. I stroked my hands over his shoulders, seeking to reassure myself that he was really here.
Edward's fingers grasped my hips, pulling me closer to him as his mouth opened over mine and his tongue surged forward between my lips. I heard his sharp intake of breath at the same time I tasted blood, and I pulled back.
Edward swore and touched his lower lip where the cut there had opened again. I silently gestured for him to sit at the kitchen table and grabbed a box of tissues, handing it to him. Edward pulled a couple out and pressed them gingerly to his lip, muttering under his breath the whole time.
"Have you eaten today?" I asked him.
"I had breakfast at the hotel," he answered.
I frowned in disapproval. "Nothing since?"
"Coffee at the hospital?" Edward said, more of a question than an answer.
I shook my head and went to the refrigerator, removing the containers that held leftovers from the meal I had barely been able to eat. "I hope you like lasagna," I said, dishing out a couple of portions and putting them in the microwave. Making sure I hadn't warmed it too much, I placed the plate before him and set one for myself next to him.
Edward took a tentative bite, careful to keep the food away from the injured side of his mouth. "This is delicious, Bella," he complimented, taking another bite. I ate as well, and for a short period of time the only sounds in the kitchen were the clink of silverware against plates. When Edward was finished, he took his plate to the sink and rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. I did the same when I was finished, and we stood in the kitchen, looking at one another.
"Do you feel up to talking a little bit?" I asked him.
"As long as I can hold you while we do, then sure," Edward said, and his words made my heart flutter. We settled on the couch in the living room, sitting side-by-side. Edward moved to put his arm around me, but I shook my head, wanting to be face to face while this discussion happened.
I took his hands in mine, wanting and needing the contact as I spoke my mind. "Will you tell me what happened today, the whole story, not just long story short?"
Edward sighed. "Can we compromise on long story medium? The abridged version for today, with the promise of a completely unedited edition when I'm not so fucking tired?"
His use of the profanity told me just how exhausted he was. "All right, long story medium it is," I agreed.
Edward studied my face, raising his hand to stroke my cheek, his eyes warm with worry. "Are you sure you're up to it? The kids said you weren't feeling well?"
"Edward, I was very concerned today when you didn't call or text when you said you would. And then when I couldn't reach you, I may have even freaked out and overreacted a bit and given myself a headache, so I laid down for a while after dinner," I squeezed his fingers reassuringly at the distressed look on his face. "I'm okay now, especially with you here. But I have to admit I feel a little justified in my overreaction when you show up on my doorstep looking like this."
"I'm sorry that I caused you to worry, Bella." He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to my lips, pulling away before either one of us could get carried away as we were wont to do. I settled back against the cushion and watched him gather his thoughts.
"So I guess I need to tell you more about my relationship with Heidi. We met at a networking function in Portland. She owns a public relations firm and my partners and I were looking for someone to help us with expanding the business. She and Felix had just finalized their divorce, and she asked me out for drinks. The night of our first date, her babysitter ended up with an emergency and so Heidi ended up bringing Chelsea with her. She was almost six years old, and an absolute delight. I think I fell in love that night, it just took me a long time to realize that I fell in love with Chelsea, not with Heidi."
"Felix was never around. He actually moved away from Portland right after the divorce was final, Heidi said to live with his girlfriend. He had nothing to do with Chelsea whatsoever, and Chelsea never talked about him. Heidi and I only dated for a couple of months before I proposed. Again, if I look back on it, I think I was totally swept up by the fact that they were a ready-made family. We were married within six months of meeting."
"Shortly after we got married, the PR business really started to take off, and Heidi's travel schedule with it. While Heidi was gone, I was Chelsea's primary parent. Evenings, weekends, it was just the two of us." Edward's eyes were distant as he remembered past events and shared them.
"I think I already told you that I found out much later that Heidi and Felix started up their relationship again shortly after we married. The signs were all there and in hindsight I should have seen them. But even though I knew things weren't the way they should be, the way I wanted a marriage to be, I let it go on for so much longer than I should have because of Chelsea."
I could feel my heart aching for Edward's loss, because that is truly what it was. He'd had everything he thought he wanted, and Heidi and Felix had ripped it all away from him, including a child he obviously cared for much more than they did.
"When we got married, Heidi told me she was anxious to give Chelsea a sibling. I'd always wanted to have kids, and having Chelsea in my life only reinforced that desire. But once her business took off, Heidi changed her mind, and told me she didn't want to 'destroy her body' that way again. Being in PR, Heidi was very into her image. She was obsessive about what she ate and how she looked. I resigned myself to the fact that Chelsea was going to be it for me, but I secretly hoped that Heidi would change her mind. One day Heidi suddenly told me she was pregnant. I knew there was no way it could be mine though. It had been months since we had been together that way." He started tugging at his hair again, and I reached up to take his hand in mine. "When I reminded her of that she didn't even try to convince me the baby was mine. She broke down and confessed that she'd been seeing Felix for almost our entire marriage."
"I moved into the spare bedroom immediately, even though Heidi begged me for a second chance. She promised to break things off with Felix and told me that Chelsea would be devastated if I left her."
I growled out loud at that. How dare Heidi use her daughter as a weapon like that against Edward!
"I knew I couldn't ever trust her again, but I couldn't just leave Chelsea there either. Just because my world had turned upside down didn't mean Chelsea's had to. I continued to take care of Chelsea when Heidi was out of town or worked late, although she was most likely with Felix those times as well. Heidi became very clingy, started showing up at my work, following me. She would go into a rage when I'd refuse to listen to her. Rosalie tried to convince me to get a restraining order, but I was afraid how that would affect my ability to see Chelsea."
"Felix finally managed to convince Heidi that the three of them – soon to be the four of them – were meant to be. She had me kicked out of the house, which had been hers before the marriage. That was when she stopped letting me see Chelsea. I tried to get a court order allowing me to see her, but with no biological or legal ties, I had no rights. Rather than drag out the proceedings, with the baby due soon, Rosalie convinced me to drop my claim for visitation with Chelsea and said we'd try again after the divorce was final. Felix moved right back into that house like he had never left, and as though I had never had a place there."
"Chelsea and Felix remarried three days after our divorce was final, and the baby was born a month later. Apparently Felix wasn't totally convinced of Heidi's claim that he was the father, because he insisted on a paternity test," Edward chuckled humorlessly.
"What about Chelsea?" I asked.
"I haven't seen Chelsea since the day Heidi kicked me out, although we are in contact via text and email. When things get really tough in their house, she calls. Last time I actually talked to her was back in the fall. Remember the night at the club, I sang that John Mayer song? Rosalie always accuses me of singing my feelings, and I guess she's right. I let Rose think it was Heidi on the phone, but it was actually Chelsea. It's been tough for her since the baby was born because it gave Felix the son he's always wanted. Lately she's been spending a lot of time with Heidi's sister, Gianna, which is good."
"Did Chelsea see your…altercation with Felix?" I asked, horrified at the thought.
"Actually Chelsea didn't even know I was coming. Heidi was mad at Felix for making plans for the weekend with his friends, and was just using me to try and make him jealous. I fell for it, hook line and sinker." Edward's eyes darkened with anger. "And no matter how hard I try to ignore him and be the bigger man, he knows just what to say to get to me, what buttons to push that cause me to react."
My heart simply ached, even as my anger grew. Who the hell was Heidi to use Edward like that, to prey on his affection for his step-daughter to further her own childish interests? I was irrationally upset that Edward had been the only one who had been hurt. I wasn't normally a vindictive person, but I suddenly wished that Edward had been able to get in a few licks against Felix. I personally would like to get my hands on Heidi, the conniving bitch.
"What in the world could he possibly have said to you that caused all this?" I asked, gesturing to his face.
"Nothing important," Edward dismissed my question with a wave of his hand, groaning as he leaned back against the couch cushions and closing his eyes.
I was sure he was avoiding my question, and I didn't believe his off-the-cuff answer for a moment. I had a feeling that whatever Felix said to him was the crux of the argument, and the fuel behind his abrupt return from Portland. But as much as I wanted answers, I couldn't press him any further when he looked so stressed and strung out. I filed the question away to deal with later. Instead I asked the other question that was weighing heavily on my mind. "Do you think Felix a danger to Chelsea, Heidi or the baby?"
"No, I don't. This kind of anger he reserves for me. Heidi's from a close-knit Italian family that would castrate the bastard if he ever raised a hand against her or the kids." I couldn't help but feel relieved at that, in spite of my ill will toward Heidi.
"I'd kind of like to castrate him myself," I muttered. "With a spork. A really dull spork."
Edward let out a sharp bark of laughter and then groaned. "Bella, please don't make me laugh, it hurts too much."
"And there's reason B for some spork revenge," I grumbled.
Edward laughed again, and this time the sound was lighter. He reached over and pulled me into his lap, groaning as he did so but refusing to release me even over my protests. I ceased struggling immediately, not wanting to aggravate his injuries. I laid my head against his shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to the side of his throat.
I had one other question for him that I needed to have answered tonight. His response was going to affect us all. "Edward, are you planning to try to keep seeing Chelsea?"
He didn't respond right away, and I didn't press him immediately for an answer. When it came, his voice was sad, resigned. "I don't think so. I love Chelsea, but I think she'd be better off if there was less of a chance of this kind of confrontation in her future. Heidi and Felix need to work out their problems, and I don't need to be caught in the middle. I can't do this to myself any more, especially now that it involves you and your family. I can only imagine what your kids think of me, showing up here looking like this."
"They'll understand when I explain," I reassured him.
"At least something good came of today," Edward murmured against my forehead, his fingers playing with my hair
"What is that?" I asked, feeling a shiver run down my spine when his fingers slipped beneath my hair to caress the back of my neck, his thumb pressing against my pulse point and undoubtedly discovering the way my heart rate picked up.
"I'm back home, with you," he whispered, tilting my head back so that he could kiss me. I reached up and threaded my fingers in his hair as our lips moved softly, nibbling lightly. I teased his lower lip with my tongue and felt his body stir beneath mine where I lay sprawled across his lap. He groaned, this time in frustration, pulling away when both of us were breathing hard. I slid off his lap, careful not to put any strain on his ribs. He stood beside me and took me in his arms again, seemingly as reluctant as I was to part company. As much as I wanted to ask him to stay, that wasn't something that could happen with my kids just up the stairs.
"Are you okay to drive home?" I asked, stroking his swollen cheek with my fingertip. "For that matter, should you have driven home from Portland today, with only one good eye?" I asked with a hint of censure in my voice when I considered that he had probably not been in any condition to drive.
"It actually does look worse than it is. I can see just fine," Edward told me. "I think once I take some medicine and get an ice pack on it, it will look and feel much better in the morning." Now I really wished he could stay, because I wanted to be the one to take care of him. He pressed another soft kiss to my lips. As much as I loved his deep, passionate embraces, these gentle ones were just as enjoyable, maybe even more sensual in their own way.
"So what's your schedule for the week now?" I asked him as we walked to the door.
"Well, I've got some phone calls to make to see if I can somehow arrange for this project to be completed without me returning to Portland. And I've got to call Rosalie. I gave her contact information to the police officer at the hospital as the way to reach me, and I better talk to her before they call. She is going to kill me for going to Portland without consulting her first," he said with a shudder. Knowing Rose and her mamma bear attitude, he had every reason to be fearful of her reaction.
"And I believe I've got some plans to make for the big Valentine's Day weekend with my girlfriend," he teased. His smile disappeared when I groaned and rolled my eyes. "What's wrong? You don't like me referring to you as my girlfriend?" he asked.
"No, that part I really like. What I hate is the Valentine's Day part," I confessed.
"How can you hate Valentine's Day?" Edward asked in astonishment. "I thought that was the ultimate holiday for couples."
"Only because the greeting card industry insists on making it so," I grumbled. "I have always hated these Hallmark holidays, the ones invented by marketing idiots for the sole purpose of selling overpriced gifts. Who can honestly believe the kind of drivel that results from such a consumer-driven occasion? Like you can buy someone's true affections with conversation hearts or a box of chocolates."
Edward was staring at me with amazement, not even trying to fight the grin the turned up the corner of his mouth. "Wow Bella, it's a shame you don't feel you can be direct or honest with me," he teased. "It's so hard to read between the lines when you're evasive like this."
I blushed, embarrassed by my little rant. "Sorry, I just find holidays like Valentine's Day insincere. What makes February fourteenth any more important than February fifteenth? Seriously, it's just a date on the calendar."
"Okay, duly noted," Edward said, still smirking. "May I still see you this weekend, or do I have to wait two weeks because of your dislike of Hallmark holidays?"
"You're lucky you're already hurt, buster, or I'd have to hurt you instead," I mock glared at him.
"Oooh, so Hallmark holidays make you violent as well," Edward teased. He tugged on my hand and pulled me into the circle of his arms. "Am I allowed to take you out to dinner, or is that a forbidden Valentine's activity?"
"Smartass," I muttered. "I'm actually working all day Saturday. Not only is it Jacob's weekend with the kids, but since both Holly and Angela both have someone, I told them I'd cover the holiday."
"You have someone now too, pretty girl," Edward reminded me, and my heartbeat quickened.
"Dinner would be fine," I agreed with a smile. "That's not a specific Valentine-influenced activity, and I'll have to eat after work anyway. Do you want to pick me up at the bookstore at closing?"
Edward's arms tightened around me. "If the kids are going to Jacob's for the weekend, I was wondering if maybe I could persuade you to spend it with me?" His voice was playful, hopeful, and I could feel my body thrum with awareness as I thought of an entire weekend alone with him again.
I pretended to think about it. "Hmmmm, you might be able to sway me to your way of thinking."
"Anything I can do to increase my chances?" Edward teased.
"Why don't you plan to plead your case for the weekend when you come over for dinner with me and the kids on Wednesday?" I invited, striving to keep my voice casual.
"Mmmm, that will give me extra time to work on my argument," he murmured, leaning down and capturing my lips with his. "What time?"
"Six o'clock?" I suggested.
"Perfect," he agreed. "I'll bring dessert."
We shared one more lingering kiss at the door and then I ushered him out into the night, making him promise to text me when he got home and to take his pain medication. As I wandered through the house, shutting off lights and closing things up for the night, I thought about all that had transpired today. For all of Edward's attempts to focus my attentions on lighter subjects, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he wasn't sharing with me. Despite the progress in our relationship, we still had some talking to do.
I hope that I am forgiven for the cliffie…..
Many thanks to those who have recommended Never Enough. I had a huge influx of readers this week thanks to ms-ambrosia, Iadorepugs, and BilliCullen, all of whom have recommended this story to their readers. Thank you so much! If you're not reading their stories, why not? I highly recommend them all, especially BilliCullen's Cleanup on Aisle 5 which cracks me up every time!
When I started publishing this story 20+ weeks ago, I figured I would get a few reads, maybe some reviews, and just enjoy sharing the story with a few people. The response on both Twilighted and Fan Fiction has far surpassed my wildest dreams! In commemoration of Never Enough hitting 1,000 reviews (!) I will post the first EPOV outtake next week. It will be published as a new story under my author name on FFN and not as a new chapter to Never Enough, so if you want to see what goes on inside my Edward's head, make sure you've got me on author alert. For those of you reading on Twilighted, I will not be publishing EPOVs until the main story is complete, due to the complex and lengthy process of getting a new story betaed and approved. Feel free to hop on over to FFN to check out the outtake, if you are so inclined.
Thanks so much to all of you for your amazing response and support of my little story. As always, if there's anything that made you smile, laugh, sigh or even growl with frustration, I would love to hear about it. Please consider leaving me your thoughts!
Thanks for reading!