Holy mess, so I totally thought this was Chapter 20! I had it typed out as that until I saw the docs on FF and 18 was the last posted chapter. I'm gutted. Oh well it ends on Chapter 19 *boo*

Thanks for the support by reading and commenting/reviewing.

Cheers x


Chapter 19

The End

Bella lies in his bed next to him. She is on her side as is he. Both awake, both staring at each other not saying anything. She feels relaxed. More relaxed in her downtime than she has in a very long time. More relaxed with a man than she has been in a long time.

Edward moves his hand and strokes down the side of her face. "You are wonderful" He whispers.

Letting her eyes shut for a moment from the sheer electricity of his hand against her skin she sighs softly after as he eyes open slowly. She is still having a hard time believing this. She feels it but to actually have it here and tangible is very surreal. "Talk to me" She whispers. She wants to know if this is because of Nonna. She doesn't want him to wake up in a few days and want her gone, and not want her.

"I don't" Edward murmurs. "I thought I couldn't live without her"

"You can"

"She told me you were the one"

"What?"

"More than once"

Bella smiles a bit as his thumb is still on her cheek smoothing down and up again. "She told me the same, to take time with you"

"Because I am so messed up?"

"She put it nicer than that" Bella responds to him softly.

Edward smiles at her. "I do want you"

"Yeah?"

"Yes, I am sure it is love, because I haven't felt like this about anyone, ever, and I want you to be happy and I want to protect you, and you to have everything, is that love?"

"I don't know" She whispers. "It could be"

"I am crushed about Nonna, but you here is right, like it was meant to happen like this"

Biting her lower lip lightly his thumb brushes over it forcing her to let her lip go. She presses a kiss to his finger there.

"I know you think I just want you because Nonna is gone" He watches her say nothing. "That's not true, and I can't really let you know that is not it, only time will show you that"

"I'm scared" She admits to him.

"Don't be" Edward pulls her close holding her around her body. "Don't be" He runs his lips and face against her neck under the fallen hair.


The next few days are spent in the warm sun of Italy. Just being together in this tranquil place.

Bella stands next to him; he has a hold of her hand firmly. "You did a beautiful job" She mutters looking at the head stone at Nonna's grave.

Edward's eyes roam over it, and he nods a bit to himself. He is grateful for her to come with him. Letting her hand go he watches her, take the flowers she cut from the gardens that Nonna tended, and crouch down resting them at the grave. He watches her, how tender she is in everything she does, and it is really just a special thing. He has never known anyone like that.

Standing she turns and looks at him, giving him a very small kind smile. "Are you alright?" Her hands come and cup the sides of his face making him look at her. Bella watches him nod his head. Giving him a small smile she licks her lips. "Do you want me to leave you for a moment?"

"No" Edward shakes his head and he takes her hand back in his. "We should go"

"This is a beautiful place, she would have loved it"

"Thank you" He whispers.


Edward laughs and throws a hand full of soil at her.

"No!" She shrieks. Glaring at him she digs her hand down and holds it up.

"Stop"

"No" Bella says, and then she stops and lowers her arm which was ready to fire.

Edward arches his eyebrows and then can't help but smirk at her defeat. He watches her push up to a stand and walk. "Where are you going?"

Bella ignores him and just smiles to herself as she walks to the hose. Picking it up she arches her eyebrows at him when she turns to look.

"Bella"

"Edward?" Bella answers him sweetly. Reaching down she keeps her eyes on his and she turns the hose on full blast. Laughing at him propelling himself out of the way. Moving the hose to get him she continues to spray him and laugh.

Edward gets to his feet and shields his face as he makes his way.

"Get back!" She yells keeping the hose on him.

He says spitting water out. "It's too late"

"Edward no" She yells as he grabs the hose from her and holds it up so the water falls around them like a rain umbrella. "No, no" She gets away but it quickly taken back close around her waist. He is soaking wet, and now so is she.

He looks down at her and smiles.

Bella gives him a smile back and tips her head up for him to kiss her. She feels him take her lips lightly the water still spraying down over them. Her hand comes up and traces through the base of his head and she moans softly.

He just loves how she responds to him. He feels important to someone, in a real way. She makes him feel like this. Not because of who he is, or what he has, or what he can do. He feels important because of him, being Edward. He has never been so at ease, and real with a woman.

She feels his lips tremble against hers. Pulling back slowly she blinks away the water. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" He whispers. "Nothing."


The plane ride back to the 'reality' of life is somber. Neither of them wants to leave, but the real world is waiting, as much as it seemed like time stood still while in Italy together it didn't and everything that was there before, in New York is still there, and more.

"I want to talk to you about something" Edward looks at Bella sitting across the aisle on a facing long chair/bench of the small air craft.

"What is it?" She knows things in New York and things in Italy might end up not meeting in the middle. She has gotten herself ready for the hurt which could be coming but that she brought on herself.

"The center"

"Edward" She stops him with her word and hand going up. "You don't…I know that your hands are tied"

"I am going to untie them"

"I don't want you doing anything that will jeopardize wha-"

"That won't happen; I am going to sort it out"

"All of this" She tells him. "-me coming to Italy was not to make you-"

"Stop right there, I don't think that"

"Then just leave it alone"

"No, you don't deserve that, the center doesn't deserve that, Nonna would not approve"

Bella lets out a little smile and chuckle. "What would she approve of?"

"I'm looking at it"

Blushing a bit, Bella turns her head to the side because she feels good. It feels like Italy was real, things will be carried over from Europe to New York.


Edward walks into the office.

"Mr. Cullen, I didn't expect you back so soon" Jenna stands with the many messages that collected over the week he was gone.

"Good morning Jenna" Edward rests his case on the desk and takes the messages.

"The board has been very understanding, but it has been hard to ward them off" She admits, not sure how much she should hold back because he is just back and doesn't want to overwhelm him. "They are ready to break ground"

"No one is breaking ground" Edward mutters reading and flipping through the rest of the messages.

"Excuse me?" Jenna says carefully.

"We will not be building; you need to call me a meeting"

"With?"

"The entire board and share holders"

"And Ms. Swan?"

"Ms. Swan is busy today"

"Should I still be looking for a replacement?"

"That is enough questions for the day Jenna, thank you I will be waiting to hear"

"Yes Mr. Cullen" Jenna leaves his office shutting the door.

Edward sits back in his chair and looks around his office. His eyes go to a photo of him and Nonna just taken on his birthday. He smiles. Leaning forward he rests his elbows on the desk and take the photo between his two hands and runs his thumbs over the glass holding the memory. Smiling a bit he sighs. "I will treat her right"


"What is all this about Edward?"

He rubs his hands together. "We won't be breaking ground in front of the center"

"What?" That was a word which sounds like a choir because all of the people in the room say it.

"I have thought it over, and I am not going forward"

"You don't have that much of a choice in the matter" Garrison speaks up.

"I don't?" Edward says with arched eyebrows. He doesn't want to bring it to a level of high school, mine is bigger than yours but he will if need be.

"No, this is a majority plan"

"This is my company and I won't have its name built on a lie"

"A lie, Edward do you hear yourself?"

"Yes, and building would be a lie to a center of people, some who have nothing left but that place, and to someone who is" He bows his head trying to find suitable words. "Um" He licks his lips. "We won't be building" Edward says firmly.

"Think about what you are saying, how much money it took to buy that land"

"Sometimes, we have to just accept loses, and think of the gains"

"What gains, what gains could any of us stand to get?"

"The feeling of doing something for someone else" Edward says before tipping his head and turning to leave the room. He knows he lost a lot of respect from his board; he lost money for them, a lot. But what he feels he gained in his heart is far more than anyone of them or him lost.


Bella looks at the door when he walks in. "Hi"

"Hey" Edward answers coming over to where she is standing in his kitchen. "Done"

"What?"

"The center"

What?"

"It had to be done, I gave you my word, and my word isn't shit" Edward looks at her. "I am not saying this right, am I?"

"No" Bella smiles.

He has to get used to this, being careful of another person.

Bella reaches over and rests her hand on the side of his face, against his cheek. "It's okay, thank you"

Edward smiles at her, leaning his face into her, against her hand she shuts his eyes for a moment. "What are we going to do, with us?"

"Um" She looks at him and strokes his cheek gently. She doesn't want to move too fast, well…faster than they already have moved with each other. "Maybe"

Edward waits for her to continue.

Bella smiles and shakes her head. "I don't know"

"That's alright" He answers straightening up, her hand comes from his face and they stare at each other.

"I just know" Bella says carefully watching him trying to pick up on his reactions and thoughts. "I like being with you"

"I feel the same way" Edward tells her right away. "And um" He feels like a nervous school boy, a boyish grin comes over his face.

"What is that smile for?" Bella can't help but grin as she looks at him and waits for him to lift his head right up and look at her.

"Nothing, you"

Licking her lips she doesn't know what to say. "I am still not working for you" She tells him.

"I didn't expect you to"

"And I am keeping my apartment"

"Okay" He listens to her.

"But" She has one more thing to say.

"Oh a but" Edward smiles. "Shocker" He grins.

"But I want to be with you" She lets him know what he has already let her know and somewhat proven to her.

Edward smiles. "That is all I want also" He uses his hands and presses them into the counter so that he can lean over and kiss her.

Bella smiles into the kiss before kissing him back. Her hands hold his head lightly. "Thank you" She mutters softly into his lips before continuing the kiss.

"Thank you" Edward whispers pausing for a moment, his eyes meet hers, not for a huge number of seconds just long enough to let her know. Nothing more is said because that, thank you says it all. He has grown from her and learnt. She is just incredible.