Disclaimer: I don't own them...

Thanks to SunflowerFran3759 for making this pretty

EPOV:

I know I'm in trouble as soon as I step into the kitchen. I stop in the doorway and contemplate turning around and going right back upstairs. I feel like I'm sixteen again and got caught skipping school.

"Edward."

My mother's voice is no nonsense. Her eyes are narrowed and boring into me like a laser.

"Mother," I answer, with raised eyebrows. I don't know what I've done, but I refuse to look like I've done something wrong. And honestly, I've been pretty good since I've been home. Maybe she found out I'm house hunting; but I don't think that would cause the look she has in her eyes right now.

I continue into the kitchen, knowing I can't escape.

I see my grandfather walking up the pathway from the guest house. Oh shit - she knows about the barbeque.

My grandfather looks up and sees me, then looks over and sees my mother standing a few feet away from me with her arms crossed over her chest; and he turns around and goes back to the guest house.

Coward.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and then turn to my mother. She shakes her head no, so I serve myself some sweet tea and make myself comfortable at the breakfast table. I want to smile at the angry face she is sporting, but I know that will just end badly for me.

"Do you know who I ran into at lunch today, Edward?"

I looked up at the ceiling trying to think of someone or something to say without getting myself into more trouble. I settled for shaking my head no, and taking a drink of tea.

My mother huffed, and sat across from me.

"This interrogation tactic used to work on you. Have I lost my touch?"

I laughed at this and took my mother's hand in mine. "Mom, I'm not fifteen anymore. What's going on?"

"I ran into Tanya Dailey at the club this morning."

I groaned. That damn family seems to be everywhere lately.

"I ran into Alice the other night. It wasn't pleasant."

"Tanya was very...adamant that you were spreading lies about Kate," she said quietly.

I laughed. "I'm sure she was. Alice told me that Kate has a child. She tried to reprimand me for not being there for Kate and the baby."

"She did not!"

"She did. I told her she needed to get her facts straight before assuming I'm the bad guy. I refuse to get involved in this, Mother. If Kate has a child - she has to own up to her actions. While I would have loved nothing more than to move on from what happened and try again, Kate pushed me away. The baby is not mine and I will not play into whatever game she's playing."

"Edward," my mother said softly. "What really happened with Kate? I know you haven't told us everything."

I looked at our hands and sighed; if the Dailey's were going to start playing sides, my family needed to know what really happened.

I stood up from my chair and walked to the window, looking out at my mother's garden.

The story unraveled as the sky grew dark.

When I was done, I turned to find my father, Rosalie and my mother sitting at the breakfast table. My father had his arm wrapped around my mother, and Rosalie's eyes were red and puffy.

"Oh Edward," my mother cried. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I just shook my head.

"Because I was embarrassed and I felt like a failure. The woman I loved had a terrible thing happen to her and I couldn't help.Nothing I did was enough, everything I said was wrong. It was always too little, too late. And then she was gone; just gone. What was I supposed to tell our family, our friends? I had no idea where she was or who she was with..." I shook my head. "And at the same time, I was so relieved that I didn't have to worry about her anymore. I felt like an asshole, excuse my language."

I wanted to say more but felt like I needed to stop while I was ahead. My mother and sister were crying and my Dad's eyes were closed as he soothed my mother.

"I'm sorry if you're disappointed in me," I whispered.

My father jumped up and came face to face with me. "Edward, never, for one moment ever think that we are disappointed in you. What happened was tragic and you and Kate will have to live with the memory of that terrible time, but you did nothing wrong. You were there for her, you cared for her and tried to help her but she refused you. You never once thought of yourself, and it's time for you to move on. Kate chose her path, her weakness dictating her direction. But you, you chose your family. We will help you get through this and support you."

My dad pulled me into a hug and then I felt the arms of my sister and mother around me. I would get through this with the love of my family.

And I couldn't ignore the flash of brown eyes I saw when I closed my eyes.

"Edward, we are meeting your mother and sister for dinner. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, give me a few minutes. I'll meet you in the lobby."

I shut down my laptop and locked my desk drawers before walking out of my office. It had been a long day and Isabelle's lovely face would pop up at the most random moments.

She's been in South Carolina this week, so we haven't had the chance to see one another. I cannot wait until things start moving along with the Estate and she is here full time. I'm having a difficult time being away from her.

This is all so strange to me, considering we haven't known each other for very long. But there is something about her that makes me feel good; content; and I crave being close to her.

As I step off of the elevator, a woman with long brown hair catches my eye. She turns away from the directory when she hears my footsteps, and her smile is breathtaking.

"Isabelle," I breathe out her name.

She walks over timidly. "Hi."

"Hi," I say, taking her into my arms. "It's so good to see you."

"Is this okay? I wanted to see you."

"This is okay," I leaned in and kissed her softly, "more than okay."

Her cheeks blush a lovely pink, as her hands squeezed my arms.

A throat clearing reminded me that I was meeting my father down here. As I turned to look at him I can see his raised eyebrow and his signature smile.

"Edward, aren't you going to introduce me to this beautiful woman?"

I shook my head but couldn't find it in me to be annoyed. "Dad, this is Isabelle Swan-Whitlock. Isabelle this is my father, Carlisle Cullen."

"It is lovely to finally meet you, Isabelle. I've heard a lot about you."

"It is nice to meet you too, Mr. Cullen. Edward and Mr. Masen speak of you often."

"Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Her eyes went wide and she looked at me. "Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you had plans with your family. I should have called," she shook her head and looked upset with herself.

"Isabelle, join us, please."

"I don't want to intrude..." I cut her off.

"You won't be. I'd like you to meet my mother. Rosalie will also be there."

"Are you sure?" She asked, looking back and forth between my father and me.

My father extended his arm to her. "Of course, we'll take my car so we can talk on the way over. Esme will be so jealous that I know you before her."

I laughed loudly.

My family was waiting in the reception area when we arrived. My mother watched my father guide Isabelle into the restaurant with a raised eyebrow. Her body tensed and she gave my father the 'what in the hell do you thing you are doing' look. But my father looked smug, and his smile grew brighter.

My grandfather and Rosalie were whispering quietly, trying to hide their amusement.

Bella looked a little scared and her eyes were pleading with me to save her.

"Mom," I leaned in and kissed her cheek but I was getting the same look as my father. "You don't mind if my girlfriend joins us, do you?"

"Girlfriend?!" they all said at the same time.

"Isabelle Swan-Whitlock, this is my mother, Esme Cullen."

My mother tried to look annoyed with me, but the smile on her face betrayed her.

She squeezed my hand, "Isabelle, it's so nice to finally meet you. My father hasn't been able to stop talking about you."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, too. I hope you don't mind that I'm joining you. Edward and Mr. Cullen didn't really give me a choice," she said, smiling at me.

"Lucky for them."

"Are you ready, Mrs. Cullen?"

"We'll need an extra setting."

"Of course, right this way."

Isabelle and I were strolling through the bookstore hand in hand. Dinner had been a little overwhelming. My mother was determined to find out as much about Isabelle as possible and her interrogation was nothing if not thorough.

At one point, Isabelle asked the waiter for a really big glass of white wine.

"Let's go across the street for coffee and dessert."

Wrapping an arm around her, I led her out of the coffee shop and across the street. I noticed Charlotte walking out of the coffee shop as we made our way toward the door.

"Hello, Edward."

"Hey, Charlotte."

"Isabelle, how nice to see you. How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you. How about you?"

"I'm fine, just stopped in here to get my caffeine and sugar fix. You two have a good night."

"I really like her."

We ordered our coffee and a slice of carrot cake to share. Then we found a comfortable area toward the back of the shop.

"Is this okay?"

Bella nodded and sat down.

"So are Charlotte and your grandfather a couple?"

"I wouldn't say that. My grandfather mourned my grandmother for a long time; it's been a little over five years. But I think he's attracted to Charlotte."

"She's beautiful. It must be difficult to move on after losing the love of your life."

"I had a difficult time when everything fell apart with Kate but that was nothing compared to what my grandparents had. He had a really rough time of it for the first year; he even came to stay with Kate and me in New York for a little while. But eventually, he started feeling a little better and his sense of humor came back and he returned home."

We were lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes before Isabelle adjusted herself on the couch to face me.

"I hope you don't mind that I showed up unannounced. I was so excited to see you; I didn't consider that you may have had plans."

I turned toward her, and moved a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I was missing you this week. I'm glad you were able to come before the weekend."

She smiled, and then leaned in to kiss me; one hand on my neck and the other on my chest, sending warmth through my entire being.

We made it to her place quickly, barely making it inside of the house when I pushed her against the wall. Her mouth was warm and soft and her kisses were sending pulses of electricity through me.

"Edward," she breathed and I pulled away, looking her in the eye.

They were wild, her hair was tangled from my fingers and her lips were swollen from my kisses. She looked like a goddess; her tanned skin glowed against the pink of her dress.

Her eyes softened, and I leaned in and kissed her softly, pulling her away from the wall. Fingers danced lightly over skin, mouths moved in sync, and nothing in the world existed outside of this moment.

She pulled away and took my hand, leading me toward the back of the house.

Her bedroom was lit in a soft, golden glow. The bed linens were a royal blue that stood out against the stark white of the rest of the room.

And this beautiful woman stood before me; plump bottom lip between her teeth, cheeks flushed, hair a sexy mess, but her eyes...her eyes were chocolate pools that captured my soul.

I ran my fingers along her face, pulling her lip from between her teeth, and then letting my fingers trail down her throat; my eyes following that trail.

Her breath hitched, and my eyes flashed back to hers.

Her hands moved behind her and the sound of teeth slipping through the zipper filled the room. And then she was standing in front of me intimately covered in silky pink ... shy and bold at the same time.

My hands grip her waist, as my thumbs moving along her rib cage, barely grazing her breasts. The blush that covers her cheekbones now seems to be covering her chest and holy shit, it's so damn sexy.

My hands are now sliding along the side of her body, her head falls back exposing her neck; and I have to lean in and lick her. I feel like I have no control over myself, and yetI'm in control all at the same time.

I lift her up and she gasps, making me smile.

I sit her on the bed as I undo the belt and button on my pants. Her trembling fingers start unbuttoning my shirt, nails barely grazing as each button slips through. I swallow and close my eyes.

I haven't had sex in over a year and I need to calm my ass down or this is going to end quickly.

She takes off my cufflinks and unbuttons the sleeves of my shirt, and then slowly trails her hands along my chest to slip it off. And then, in a completely contradicting manner, she pulls the undershirt over my head quickly; slowing again as her fingertips trace patterns on my skin on her way down. My pants are pushed down and I toe off my shoes.

She sits back down on the bed and we are on even ground. Both covered, just barely, in our underwear.

I use one hand to push her down so she is splayed out for me. I take in the beauty of her; curvy in all the right places, hair spread out behind her, flushed skin. I bend and kiss the inside of her thigh and she groans out my name, a rough and quiet whisper that sends me spiraling into her.

My mouth is on hers and our fingers are gripping and pulling. My boxers are gone and her bra is thrown across the room. I cup her over her panties and the feeling is warm and inviting. I wrap my lips around her breast and rub her softly.

"Mmmmm, please."

I slide her underwear down revealing her neatly trimmed sex and glistening core. I want to taste her.

"I want to taste you."

But it has to wait; I want to be inside of her more.

I dip my finger inside of her and she clenches around me. I suck my finger into my mouth and hum in pleasure.

"Do I need...?" I trail off.

"No...no. I'm on the shot. I want to feel you, Edward."

And with that I push her legs apart and tease her entrance. Her eyes are on mine and I slowly slip inside of her.

She is tight and clenching me, making it almost painful...but, so fucking good.

"Fuck."

She relaxes and I slide all the way in, sitting there for a moment so I can just feel her.

In her eyes, I see something.

Something that gives me hope.

And I wonder...

Can she see the same in mine?

a/n: hello, hello! I hope you are having a great weekend! I think I am finally getting back on track. I apologize for not responding to all of the reviews last chapter, but thank you for them. I love seeing my mailbox light up with emails. I will work on it this week and get a teaser out to you. :)

I know I jipped you guys with the mini-lemon...but I will try to make it up to you in BPOV.

I signed up for the Fandom4LLS Charity Fundraise for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma. It is still in the beginning stages, but if any of you are interesting in donating a story or other special skills you may have, check out the site at fandom4lls dot blogspot dot com.

Take care!