I HAVE GOTTEN A FEW CONFUSED MESSAGES. PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT I AM EDITING AND REPOSTING THE REST OF THE STORY TO FANFICTION ONCE AGAIN. IN THE MEANTIME THE ORIGINAL, UNCENSORED VERSION OF THIS STORY IS AVAILABLE ON TWCSLIBRARY DOT COM OR TWILIGHTED DOT NET.

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters or the rights to the Kings of Leon song quoted in this chapter.

Please note that this chapter has been slightly censored for erotic content.

I'm baaaacck and I bring Elizabeth confrontation drama and top it off with some more smutty goodness. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Kings of Leon song featured in this chapter has now been added to the EAM playlist.

Truth Revealed

EPOV

It was barely light out when that annoying fucking alarm clock, the one that sounded like a dying duck being choked by a foghorn, started wailing in my ear. I slammed my hand around on the bedside table, trying to find the annoying piece of shit. Finally grabbing it, I yanked it to pull the power cord out of the wall, tossing it back on the table.

Bella moaned, rolling back into my side. She curled herself around me, tangling her legs with mine and resting her hand on my chest by her head. I snickered when she began to mumble in her sleep about putting the duck out of its misery. I started running my hand through her hair, burying my nose in her thick locks to help calm my nerves.

Interesting enough, I had recently discovered that Bella was this strange mixture of calming healer, while also being able to wind me up, driving me completely insane all at the same time. I'm not going to lie; I've been daydreaming about burying myself in her hot tight wet pussy for a long time. Within the past month, I've actually encouraged those daydreams instead of trying to squelch them down and ignore them. To have her begging me last night to make love to her was nothing short of pure agony. Fuck, if she only knew how close to caving I really was, she never would have backed down as quickly as she did. I'm glad she did though, because now I could do this the way I had hoped.

I loved the fact that she swore up and down that she didn't need it to be perfect, that she just needed for it to be the two of us. If I were completely honest though, I'd have to say that the whole big plan was as much for me as it was for her. This was going to be a first for both of us. We deserved it to be in a beautiful place, not in some random fleabag motel in a tiny town in the middle of Minnesota with my fucking Mommy issues hanging over my head. No, Friday we would be together, alone, in a place special to both of us. There wouldn't be any brothers, or friends, no exes, or deadbeat mothers, and no distractions…just Bella, me, a bottle of wine, some soft music, and some alone time. I couldn't fucking wait!

Bella shifted again, her knee brushing past my morning wood, causing me to hiss a little at the contact. It was at this point that I remembered we were still naked, realizing that my plans for our romantic first time together was still in jeopardy until we were fully clothed and out of this motel room. By the end of the day, we would be constantly surrounded by Emmett and the guys until Friday morning, when they would head home, and we would head to our next destination.

I carefully shifted, trying not to wake the nude sleeping beauty draped so temptingly across my body. I finally succeeded in sliding out from under her, slipping into the bathroom to take a shower and start gathering our things. We would check out soon and make our way up to Pendleton lodge. Once we were done with 'mom,' we would go directly to Minneapolis to meet the rest of the guys.

I stepped under the hot streams of water, immediately lost in the memories from yesterday of Bella. I don't think I had ever underestimated an experience in my life as much as I had underestimated the feel, smell, and taste of Bella. My fantasies, as hot as they were, were a pale, faded, ghostly impression of the reality. Oh god, I could experience the reality every day for the rest of my life and die a happy man.

My Bella may not be perfect; she may sometimes overreact, and be a bit neurotic. I'm certainly not perfect either…but we're most definitely perfect for each other. I had never considered marriage ever in my life, because I just couldn't see it. I could never see myself tied to one person for any amount of time, much less forever, but with Bella, that was all I could see. She was all I really wanted. I would have sworn a few months ago that would never happen, and yet it most definitely had.

I finished my shower in a haze of daydreams of marking Bella permanently as mine with a wedding ring and my moniker, if she would take it that is. Being the liberated professional that she is, I wondered if she'd insist on keeping her name Swan. I really hoped she would take my name or at least hyphenate it. Hmmm…Dr. Isabella Swan-Masen. It was a mouthful, but I couldn't help but harden at the idea of her bearing my last name. If that made me a caveman, then so be it.

I stepped out of the shower, toweling off quickly, still feeling my hair dripping on my shoulders. I slid on the boxers and jeans I had thought to bring with me in hopes of staving off temptation, before walking out, toweling my hair as I went to grab the shirt I had forgotten.

I stepped out of the doorway to find a gloriously naked Bella, leaning against the counter, smirking at me with crossed arms. My jeans grew tight as her lustful gaze danced from my eyes down my chest to land on my bulge, which twitched upon eye contact. Her gaze lazily traveled back to my face as she pushed off the counter, moving to stand in front of me, her hands immediately tracing a trail down my abs.

"You left me all alone in that cold bed, Mr. Masen. That wasn't very nice you know…" She leaned forward, placing a few strategically located open mouthed kisses on my pecs, causing them to lurch at the sensation, an involuntary groan escaping my mouth.

"You could have at the very least let me help you with your shower. I mean a girl's gotta clean up after getting so dirty too…" Holy shit this vixen was going to be the death of me. I created a fucking monster! I took a few deep breaths, trying to focus on the goal…Friday…gotta wait till Friday…where we'll be free from the baggage of this week…FRIDAY!

I smiled down, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She glanced up at me through her lashes, nearly breaking the recently collected mask on my face.

"Sorry, Love, I wanted you to get all the sleep you could. We really need to get going. I want to get this Elizabeth bullshit over with and get to Minneapolis."

I leaned down to kiss her lips before continuing them down to the hollow of her neck and back up to her ear where I whispered, "I promise though, MY Bella, that I will make the wait completely worth your while come Friday." I pulled her earlobe between my lips for a quick nibble, earning a groan as she leaned in closer, scratching her nails lightly down my chest before I pulled away.

"Get your shower, Love, I'm going to pick us up a quick breakfast and fill up the car. When I get back, we'll eat here and load up our stuff. Okay?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes with a small smile on her lips. "Okay." She rolled her neck, wincing as her neck popped so loudly that I could hear it.

"Holy shit, babe! You okay?" I blurted reaching forward to massage her muscles with my fingers as I stared at her face, looking for how much honesty she was going to provide in her answer.

She shrugged, "It gets like that sometimes, especially when my life's been particularly stressful. I think I would qualify the last week or so with this Trager mess as a likely cause. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? Sweetheart, I heard that all the way over here! That can't be good for you."

She took in a big breath and let out a chuckle, reaching her hand up to rest on my cheek with a wide smile. "You are so completely overprotective of me. It'd piss me off it weren't so sweet and freaking sexy!" She tipped up to kiss me chastely on the lips before sliding past me into the bathroom, rubbing every inch of her along me as she traveled.

She second the door was closed, I practically ran out of the room. I jumped into my Volvo, speeding down the street toward the gas station, shifting uncomfortably in my seat as I drove. I filled the tank and then made my way to the restaurant where Tanya worked, pleased to see her working behind the counter.

She looked up with a wide smile and a twinkle in her eyes, "Edward! Where's Bella?" She looked around behind me for my better half.

"She's in the shower. I'm picking up breakfast to bring back to the room so we can eat before we check out. Any suggestions?"

She wiggled her eyebrows at me when I mentioned Bella in the shower before chuckling lightly. "The French Toast is awesome. I highly recommend it."

I laughed and nodded. "Fine, give me two orders with bacon on the side."

She nodded, turning to place the order in the kitchen. Soon she returned to stand in front of me, sliding a cup full of coffee on the counter between my hands.

"So did you call her yet?" Tanya asked looking concerned.

I shook my head. "I decided to just show up. You already told her I'm in town, so she shouldn't be too surprised to see me."

She nodded with a sigh before looking back up with a smile that caused her eyes to shine a bit.

"I have to tell you, I really like Bella. She seems like a really nice person. Boy does she ever seem to bring out the best in you. You better hold onto her."

I smiled, taking a big swig of the hot coffee, "I fully plan on it."

Tanya's eyebrows shot up in question.

I just sort of shrugged with a nod.

"Really?" she squeaked.

"What can I say, when you finally find 'the one,' you hold on as tight as you can and never let them go."

She smiled brightly at me, reaching her hand out to place on top of mine, squeezing it hard before patting it twice. "That's right, Eddie, you hold on with both hands for all you're worth."

I groaned at the old nickname, but didn't argue. When I was young, my parents started the Eddie thing. Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle picked up on it right away. When I started school, I insisted on Edward, but I never had the heart to tell Tanya not to call me Eddie when she heard everyone I cared about call me by the hated nickname. Even now, after all of these years, I still didn't have the heart to tell her how much I hated it. Now there are exactly four people on this earth allowed to call me Eddie without my wrath raining down on them: my Aunt and Uncle, Tanya as my oldest friend, and Bella, the love of my life.

She looked at me funny after the groan, chuckling at my reaction before she continued on. "I'm still shocked to think that you, of all people, are already thinking of taking that plunge after the way you got to be in high school. I guess true love changes everything." She sighed, looking down at her hand. "Maybe one day I'll find out what that's like."

I smiled and patted the back of her hand. "Trust me, if I was lucky enough to find it, then so will you. I learned one valuable lesson, sometimes it can be under your nose the whole time and you just don't see it until it's almost too late."

She nibbled her lip in a very Bella-like fashion that thankfully didn't have the same effect on me as when Bella did it, crinkling the skin between her brows. She had a worried expression that made me wish I knew what was bothering her. She reached down, fiddling with the tie of her apron at her waist, smoothing it out absentmindedly a second then sighed and nodded back at me. I wasn't sure what had gone through her mind, but she seemed pretty troubled by it. I began hoping even more that Bella and I could make some arrangements to help her out. It wasn't good for her to be stuck here all alone.

A large man in a white apron bellowed from the back and Tanya disappeared. She returned with a sack full of styrofoam carryout containers. "I threw in some extra napkins, silverware, butter, and some strawberry topping and cool whip in containers in case you want to put them on top. Tell Bella I said hi and that I hope we get a chance to talk again soon."

I took the bag, shooting her a wide smile. After tossing another hundred on the counter, I waved and stepped through the doorway. I slid back into the Volvo with the food in the passenger seat, careful to secure it so there would be no spills to ruin the interior. I slowly made my way back to our room, hoping against hope that she'd be dressed when I arrived. The sight of her in nothing but that damn white towel again would most definitely submarine my Friday plans.

To my relief, I walked in to find her fully dressed and ready to go. Both of our bags had been packed and sitting by the front door. We spread the food out on the bed between us, eating as I told her about seeing Tanya and what she had asked me to tell Bella. Bella smiled greedily when she saw the container of strawberries and whipped cream, putting a large dollop of both on her French toast and humming contentedly after each bite. I smiled, leaning over to lick the whipped cream off the corner of her mouth where a smudge was left behind. That resulted in a short match of tonsil hockey before we finished our breakfast, cleaned up our mess, and loaded up the car.

Stopping by the front office first to check out of our room, we pulled onto the road to begin our hour long trip to Pendleton Lodge and Ski Resort. As we drove, Bella's gaze shifted between me and the scenery as we wound our way through the countryside. She held my hand between us, occasionally brushing her thumb over the back in a comforting gesture.

Part of me wanted to get this the fuck over with, and another part, a bigger part, wanted to run away and just forget the whole thing. Elizabeth had no desire to see me all of these years, why should I bother? Then I thought of what Bella said, knowing she was right. If I ever wanted to move on, I needed to tell her how I feel, get it all off my chest. In order to move forward, I needed to confront my past.

We drove up a long winding road, seeing a tall A framed lodge poking out from the side of the mountain above us. The closer we got to the lodge, the larger it loomed ahead of us. My chest seemed to tighten with every mile of progress.

All too soon, we had reached the resort, pulling in front of the building, which was one large glass plate. A valet came scurrying out to park the car. I handed over the key in a dazed state while Bella came around to my side, hugging herself tightly to me. I reached both arms around her shoulders, holding her tightly. I was desperately trying to secure myself to what was grounding me both physically and emotionally in that moment. I hated to lean on Bella this much, but the simple truth was that I needed her…desperately.

We went toward the large double doors leading to the lodge entryway, stepping through into the rustic room with the high ceiling, crisscrossed by large dark wooden beams. The entire room smelled of hickory wood smoke. Despite my frustrations with Elizabeth, I had to admit this place was quite beautiful. If it weren't for the situation I was in, I would even say it was relaxing.

Bella and I approached a young girl manning the check-in desk who watched us with curiosity. I stared back, quietly willing my mouth to speak, and yet not accomplishing my task.

Bella spoke up for us. "Hi, yes, um we're here to see Elizabeth Pendleton."

The young girl furrowed her brow, cocking her head as she appraised me, asking if we were expected. Bella explained that we arrived without calling first, but that Elizabeth knew I was in town and was expecting to hear from me. At that moment, a light dawned in the young girl's eyes.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Masen. I should have known from the eyes and the hair, but I haven't seen any recent pictures to recognize you to go by. I do apologize. I will call up to her quarters; she will come down shortly."

I felt my brow furrow in confusion at her words. Bella thanked her and led me over to a couch in front of a large stone fireplace. She took a seat, still holding my hand. I started to sit next to her, halting when I saw the top of the mantle. I strode over to stand in front.

The mantle was covered in pictures of families with my mother sitting happily next to an attractive looking older gentleman who appeared only slightly older than herself. I couldn't help but be shocked at how much older she appeared in the picture. After all, it had been thirteen years since last I set eyes on the woman, and a decade did much to change a person's looks. I couldn't help but notice what Tanya mentioned; she did appear happy…for the first time since before my father died she had a light in her eyes.

My eyes grazed over the old family photos of the man only much younger, a pretty younger woman and four children surrounding them. It was then that the faces all started to make sense. These photos were of his children and their families.

My eyes grazed over the photos one by one before I froze; my heart stopped and my chest tightened as I struggled for breath. There, in a matching golden frame, was a picture of me at about ten years old with my father and mother. Next to that photo was a collection of three other photos of my mother and I together looking happy, maternal love glowing in her eyes. I felt tears form along the ridge of my lower lid. What the hell was this?

I felt two tiny warm arms around my waist moments before her head pop up under my arm. A small gasp escaped her lips as her arms tightened, her hands unclasped so that her left one could rub soothing circles on my back.

We stood like that for an immeasurable stretch of time, as I stared in sickening wonder at the pictures on the mantel. She abandoned me, only came back in hopes of absconding with my trust fund, and yet she kept pictures of me on the mantle in the lodge her new husband owned? Was this all just some kind of sick way of fitting in, making herself look like the perfect mother she most definitely is not? What kind of sick fucking joke was this shit? I felt the anger begin to boil; only contained from actually exploding in a fit of broken glass and flying picture frames because of Bella's touch and caress.

I closed my eyes, trying to slow my breathing, when the small sound of a throat being cleared behind us caused me to turn and find myself face to face with my mother. She seemed much smaller now that I was a full grown man than she had seemed when I was a child.

She was only slighter taller than Bella, which made me a full six inches taller than her. Her once reddish bronze hair that matched mine almost perfectly was now lightened with the intrusion of white and gray. She smiled brightly at me from across the room before shifting her focus to Bella. As she examined Bella's comforting hold on me, her smile faded and her eyes grew a bit cold.

She looked back at me, recovering as she crossed the floor with her arms open, as though she had only been gone seventeen weeks as opposed to seventeen years.

"Edward, my beautiful Edward, you have grown into such an incredibly handsome man!"

Bella relaxed her hold and began to step back, but I grabbed her arms and made her stay, holding tightly. When Elizabeth wrapped her arms around my neck, I immediately tensed.

"Elizabeth," I responded tersely.

She stepped back and eyed me with a hurt expression before shaking the look and smiling again.

"Oh, come along dear, you must see the rest of the lodge. Once I've given you the tour, we can talk over some coffee in the private parlor."

She turned, sauntering ahead of us as if everything were normal and there was no bad history between us. I found myself wondering if the woman was fucking insane. She led us in circles through the monstrous building, chattering nonstop about wainscoting and artistically carved timber. I didn't really hear a thing she said, just followed her in a slight state of shock.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she led us into a small parlor, leaving Bella and I to sit on a floral couch as she disappeared. I felt my hand tighten on Bella's, which hadn't left my embrace since we began our tour of the opulent place Elizabeth now called home, when I noticed more pictures in here of all of the families from the other room. The photos included more recent ones where Elizabeth proudly hugged this man's children and cuddled his grandchildren. As I stared at the images of her looking at their faces with pride, my resentment grew more palpable with every second.

Soon she returned, pushing a cart covered in pastries with a carafe of coffee and three mugs. She began to pour and pass them out to Bella and I before finally settling in a blue velvety looking armchair with a crocheted decoration on the back. She took a sip of her coffee, closing her eyes and humming, before sitting it down. She crossed her legs, grasping her hands in her lap.

"It's so nice to see you, Edward. I'm so glad you finally decided to come up and pay me a visit."

I felt the heat in my face as my anger bubbled over the edge of my filter. "What the fuck do you mean 'finally pay you a visit'? I didn't even know for sure that you were even fucking alive until last week. How the fuck am I supposed to pay you a visit if I don't even know where the fuck you are?"

Bella let go of my hand and began to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. I felt part of my tension abate as some of the heat in my face cooled. Elizabeth looked shocked at first before her eyes narrowed on Bella's hand comforting me.

"Edward, I sent you several letters letting you know where I was. I thought you simply chose not to respond."

"I never got any fucking letters. I think you're lying. Did you even know where to send them?"

"I had a private investigator find you soon after I married Drew. He returned to me with your school address at Northwestern and some other information about the company you were keeping."

At this, her eyes flashed evilly at Bella. I reached my hand out to rest on her thigh protectively. For some reason, Elizabeth seemed to be holding some kind of resentment against Bella.

"Well obviously he got the address wrong. I have to say though, if you were serious about wanting to contact me, you would have sent it to Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle's, Elizabeth. You should have known they would be in contact with me and would pass on the letters. I don't believe you ever sent any letters."

"First of all, I did send letters. Secondly, I would really like to know why you keep referring to me as Elizabeth. I am your mother. And finally, if I sent the letters to Esme and Carlisle, I did not believe that you would receive them."

I scoffed at her comment. "You have to earn the title of 'Mother,' Elizabeth. When I was ten you were worthy of the moniker, but you threw that away when you abandoned me and left me with Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle's maid! And yes, I would have received any letters you sent to their home, because they would have left it up to me if I wanted to hear from you."

"Obviously not, or else you would have received the birthday cards I sent you there for years."

"Oh, you mean the three cards before you showed up wasted with your Euro trash husband, trying to get your hands on my trust fund? Or the two that followed where the writing was barely legible, because I watched those curl up into embers in the fireplace. Yeah, Elizabeth, you were definitely mother of the year."

This time she scoffed, "You think I was the gold digger after your trust fund? Why don't you look to your left, my love? Are you trying to tell me the little girl who glommed onto you and stole your college years was more infatuated with you, rather than your bank account and visions of being a kept woman?"

I stood up, glaring down at the laughable excuse for a mother sitting across from me. "Watch yourself, Elizabeth. Nobody talks about the woman I love that way, especially the woman who screwed me up so badly that I nearly missed out on having love in my life at all. You will show Bella respect."

I sat back down with tension still straining in my muscles. I grabbed Bella's right hand, stroking her Claddagh ring with my thumb. I noticed Bella nervously reach forward for her coffee mug, as it shook slightly in her unsteady hand. I tightened my grasp on her hand. I never expected for Elizabeth to attack Bella, now I'm wishing I hadn't brought her along.

Elizabeth's eyes drifted to the ring, her mouth drawing into a thin line. "Jesus, Edward, you gave her my grandmother's ring? You seriously don't believe that she's not in it for the three hundred million sitting in the bank in your name?"

As Elizabeth's words escaped into the air, I heard Bella choking next to me, a spray of coffee spewing on the coffee table in front of her. I looked over at her wide eyes and her red face. I laughed, in spite of the whole situation, at Bella's shock. I reached down, grabbing a napkin, handing it to her, as I took her mug, setting it carefully down on the table.

"You okay, Love?"

She nodded, still in shock. I smiled and ran my hand across her cheek before turning back to Elizabeth with fire burning in my eyes.

"I think her reaction speaks louder than any words. Until this very moment, Bella had no clue how much money was in my account. She honestly didn't care. Matter of fact, she throws a fit if I buy her anything. She's a successful medical student on her own merit, making her way through school using what little insurance money her parents left behind, even taking extra classes in order to graduate early. I'm pretty sure even now, knowing how much I have in the bank, she will still refuse to let me buy her the new laptop I've been trying to get her for the past two weeks, not to mention anything resembling her being kept."

I turned my face back to my still shell shocked Bella. With a smile, I tucked an errant strand of hair away from her face, cupping her cheek as I finished my speech. "So yes, Elizabeth, I believe wholeheartedly that she would be sitting here even if I didn't have two pennies to rub together."

I about melted at the warmth behind Bella's eyes as she gaze up at me adoringly. I definitely knew my girl well, and I was right. I wanted to buy her beautiful clothes, a nice car, a new state of the art laptop, and anything else that would make her life easier, but I knew she would never accept it.

She sighed and nodded, turning to kiss my hand. I let myself get lost in her eyes for a moment before turning back toward the woman that had broken my soul so many years ago.

"I'm not here to talk about this, Elizabeth. My relationship with Bella is none of your concern and completely off limits. What I'm here for is answers. I want to know why. Why did you leave me? Why didn't you come back for me? How can a mother stop loving her son and leave him to grieve alone?"

I could hear my voice cracking. I felt Bella scoot closer to wrap one arm around me while stroking my leg with the other soothingly.

"I was hurting too. I lost my father damn it! But you couldn't stop long enough to take care of me? Didn't you love me at all? Didn't I fucking mean anything to you?"

I looked over to see her eyes dim, her posture slouched, and finally the proper little mask she had on this whole time was gone.

"Oh, Edward, I'm sorry. I don't know what I can say. When...when your father died, a piece of me died with him. I simply couldn't function on my own, much less take care of you. I was deeply depressed and simply lost. A part of me knew I should be pushing past it for you, helping you, but I just, I just couldn't. I couldn't handle the pain and the loss. I started drinking to kill the pain. It worked, I didn't hurt anymore, but I didn't do anything else either. Don't you remember Edward? Don't you remember begging me to get up and make supper because you hadn't eaten all day? Don't you remember how you were practically starving, and I was so drunk I couldn't even walk? Don't you remember living off of cold cuts and cereal for weeks because that was all you could make for yourself?"

Her voice cracked and she broke down into sobs, "Don't you remember having to help me up off the floor when I was so drunk I couldn't get up on my own? Don't you remember nearly burning down the house when you finally got sick of eating the same things and attempted to make spaghetti? Does any of this strike a memory?"

I sat there in shock. I had actually forgotten. I didn't remember any of that until she said it, and then faint memories floated into my mind in a haze of sadness and depression. I had been barely functional myself. I was depressed, so much so that I simply blocked out those horrible times. I felt the silent tears roll down my face as she continued.

"I had to leave you in the only place that I knew you would be safe and cared for. It hurt like hell, but I knew I had to do it for you, Edward. I left you with the maid because if I stayed a minute longer, I wouldn't have the strength to leave. I was also in desperate need of more self medication to survive the choice. I went home, buried myself in a fifth of Jack Daniels, packed up all of my clothes and the money I had withdrawn from the bank, and disappeared. I never forgot you though, my darling. I never stopped loving you...I just didn't remember how to survive anymore, much less take care of you."

Elizabeth sniffled. I felt Bella get up, crossing the room and returning to offer a tissue box to Elizabeth. She slowly pulled one from the box, gazed at Bella a softer look. Then, Bella offered one to me, before taking one herself and setting the box on the table between all of us.

"I spent the next several years in a perpetual state of inebriation. I dipped into deeper and deeper methods of self medication, hard alcohol, eventually drugs, and then harder drugs. I stayed in expensive hotels until I was kicked out for my inappropriate behavior and company. I blew through half a billion dollars in four years, just hiding from everything. Right before the last of the money was gone, I met Caius. Before he knew my money was gone, I married him, thinking that his money would provide for me. Little did I know, he was in the same boat. It didn't take long before we were destitute. I was so strung out and addicted to the life I was living, that I actually stooped so low as to try to go and get you back just so I could get my hands on your trust fund."

My stomach churned to hear the truth as she shook her head in self loathing. All of these years, I was haunted by thoughts and fears, many of which were true, while others were not as much. It was obvious she felt shame in her actions. Part of me still wondered if it was all a master manipulation by the queen of the puppeteers, but a bigger part of me believed her sad tale.

She sniffled again, wiping at her eyes with the tissue in her hand before looking at me, sincerity plaguing her green eyes that so resembled my own.

"That was the lowest pointing my life, Edward. I want you to know that. I am so ashamed of myself for the things I did back then. It still took me three whole years before I finally got away from Caius and that whole lifestyle, finally finding help for myself. I was tucked away for over a year in a facility, detoxing and learning how to deal with everything. I finally faced the pain of losing your father, the pain of letting you go; I dealt with it all and finally learned to live with myself."

"I came back to the Midwest in hopes of connecting with you again, but first I had to get my life set up, which was far more difficult than I imagined. I wanted to be established before I approached you, knowing after the way I had come in and out of your life last time that you would never believe that I was serious. I chose to live in Minneapolis since it was one of the closer and more prosperous cities. I began to rebuild my life, brick by brick. By some miracle, someone granted mercy on me, giving me a job at a travel agency. I began booking clients for vacations, and that's how I met Drew. He came in to work with us on creating vacation packages to his resort."

Her face brightened at the mention of her husband. I watched with fascination as her posture began to straighten once more and the tears slowed.

"At first he was simply a good friend. We would share coffee and talk. Eventually, I ended up telling him everything. He knows all about you, what a wonderful child you were, how gifted you were at anything you attempted, how loving and caring and kind hearted you were, and I hope you still are."

She glanced at Bella and out of the corner of my eye I saw her nod, her hands once again soothing my back. It felt nice, since it was beginning to ache now that my anger and tension were beginning to fade little by little.

"After a couple of years, we realized we had fallen in love and were married. It saddened me that you weren't there with me. I wanted you to be. I knew that my life was finally starting to fall into place enough that I could hopefully reach out to you. Drew convinced me to hire a private investigator, since I wasn't sure if Carlisle and Esme would allow me to see you or pass on any correspondence. I was quite sure they both hated me, since they most certainly have a reason to. I sent off the letters in hopes of a positive response. As the months of silence wore on, I finally began to give up hope, thinking you must hate me more than I had ever realized. It broke my heart, but I couldn't blame you. I abandoned you when you needed me the most." She began to sob again, bending over at the waist, rocking back and forth.

"I'm sorry, my son, my sweet little boy. I failed you in so many ways. I know I don't deserve for you to call me Mom, but hopefully, some day, I will get the chance to earn the title back."

She looked up at me through her tears as I realized mine were just as heavy as hers. I still held so much resentment, but at the same time, I needed to hold her close. I needed to know she loved me. I needed to feel it again.

Before I knew it, I was kneeling beside her. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders. I leaned against her shoulder and we cried together. Emotions I hadn't really dealt with in ages washed over me in a tidal wave, decades worth of resentment and pain bubbling to the surface. I lost all track of time as we stayed there together, crying.

When we finally broke apart, my knees screamed from the prolonged strain of the position we had been sitting in. I looked back to see Bella wasn't there. I guess she had left to give us our privacy.

My mother and I shifted so we were sitting next to each other on the couch. We tentatively held hands, talking about the things she went through in rehab and therapy. I told her about my teen years and how I had shut myself off from the world. I explained about the shell I had become, how I reserved myself from all relationships in order to protect myself. I told her how I had battled for years with my feelings for Bella before she woke me up again, bringing me back to life and helping me learn to love again.

Elizabeth's smile grew when I told her about my Bella and the rest of the guys, how they all helped to change my life, but how Bella was the key to my happiness. When I finished telling her exactly how much I loved her, I looked at Elizabeth's eyes to see them brimming with tears.

"Oh, my sweet Edward! I'm so sorry that you suffered for so long, but I'm so happy that you found true love. What you are describing is exactly what I had with your father and then was lucky enough to find again with Drew."

She frowned, staring down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. "I'm truly sorry for how I acted and the things I said about her earlier. I was so very wrong. The way it all appeared on paper, it looked as though she and her brother were taking advantage of you. Their finances made no sense until you explained the death of their parents and the insurance money. I guess I was just trying to protect you in the way that I was never capable of doing in your youth. I really am sorry. I will apologize to her before you leave."

I reached my hand over and grabbed one of hers, squeezing softly.

"Thank you." I sighed deeply, running my hands through my hair. Elizabeth giggled, reaching over to run her hand through the wild locks. "Still my color and still with your father's crazy cowlicks, making it stick up every which way. Your hair was the bane of my existence when you were young, it would not stay down no matter what I did!"

I chuckled, looking at the clock in surprise. "Oh, poor Bella. We've been in here alone for over two hours. She must be bored out of her mind! I need to go find her."

"I'll come with you. I need to thank her for brining you back to life after all," she said as she elbowed me in the side.

"We both need to thank her. I feel so much differently now, like a weight has been lifted now that I know the truth. I'm not sure I would have actually come if she hadn't encouraged me. She told me I needed to come confront you and find out what really happened or the questions would haunt me far worse than the truth, no matter what it was...and she was so right."

Elizabeth, who I was starting to feel more and more like she could be my mother again, wrapped her arms around my elbow and walked with me through the house, resting her head on my bicep with a sigh.

"It seems I owe her far more than I could ever repay. I just hope she can accept my apologies."

I smiled down at her, patting her hand. "Bella is the most forgiving person I know. Trust me, if anyone would forgive you, it would be her."

As we wandered around the lodge, I began to get concerned as room after room showed no signs of Bella. Panic began to rise in my chest as I had one last idea.

"To be honest, I don't remember much of the tour, being in a daze from everything. You don't by chance have a library here do you?"

She looked up and smiled, guiding me down a long hallway to the back end of the lodge. We entered a room that ended with the back of the building, another glass filled end of the A frame. Tall shelves of books surrounded the other three walls. Sure enough, lying across a couch in front of the fireplace with a book open across her chest, was Bella. Her hair was over the arm in a halo of soft mahogany waves, hands perched by her face. The sun caught the diamond in the Claddagh, glimmering at me from her left ring finger perched next to her face, serene in sleep. I sighed involuntarily at the sight. Elizabeth chuckled at my side.

"Oh my, you are completely and totally smitten aren't you, my little Eddie?"

My heart leapt slightly in my chest both at the fact that I was indeed completely and totally taken by the beauty on the couch, and also the sound of my mother's voice calling me the nickname of my childhood with such sweetness and care. I nodded soundlessly as she let go of my arm, whispering to me that she would be in the lobby when we were ready. She tiptoed out of the room, leaving me alone with my angel.

I crept over to the couch, kneeling down beside her head, my knees screaming at me when I made my descent. Once I was finally in place, I reached my hand up. running my fingers through the soft tendrils on to the top of her forehead, pushing them back over the arm of the chair. Grazing her cheek with my fingertips, I leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips.

I pulled back again in time to see her eyes flutter open, a slow smile gracing her beautiful lips.

"Hi, my love. I'm sorry we left you alone for so long."

She shook her head. "Oh no, it's okay. So how did it go?"

I smiled down at her and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Thank you for encouraging me to come and for being here to hold my hand. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me. We talked a long time. I really think, after all of these years, that we are finally in a better place."

She smiled, reaching her hand up to run it through my wild hair. "Good. I'm so glad, sweetheart."

"Elizabeth would like to talk to you before we leave. She wants to apologize for how she acted earlier. After I explained our lives and how important you are to me, after all you've done for me, she feels really horrible."

Bella frowned, looking concerned as she bit her lip tentatively. "Why did she hate me so much when we arrived?"

I sighed, standing up, offering her my hand. She allowed me to help her to stand before leading her back toward the front of the lodge.

"That private eye she hired researched you and Emmett just enough to know you were living above your apparent financial means, but never bothering to look far enough to find out about your parents insurance money. I guess on paper, it looked like you two were conning me into supporting you off my trust."

She turned to me open mouthed and wide eyed before snapping her mouth closed with a loud pop, "Well, I guess that would do it!"

I chuckled and pulled her tighter to my side as we entered the lobby. "He also didn't bother to tell her that I was finishing my last year of school when he gave her my contact information. Since all of my important mail still went to Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle's, I didn't leave a forwarding address. The guy sounds like a bit of a hack if you ask me."

Bella nodded her head at my side as we approached the couches in the large open lobby.

Elizabeth asked to speak to Bella alone, inviting her to sit next to her on the couch in front of the large roaring fireplace. I made use of the restrooms and decided to give Emmett a call to see where the guys were, glancing in occasionally to make sure all was okay with Bella and Elizabeth. After the heartfelt interactions for the first few minutes, they sat side by side on the couch talking animatedly with full smiles on their faces. I smiled back.

"Edward! How'd things go with the Taming of the Shrew?" What an Emmett thing to say when answering the phone.

I chuckled, "Far better than I ever thought possible."

"Really? Well fuck me!"

"Yeah, tell me about it! How you guys doing on time?"

"We'll be there in about three hours. What about you guys?"

I leaned out for another glance to see Bella gesturing wildly and Elizabeth's head thrown back in laughter and I smiled.

"We're about four hours away if we leave now, but I have a feeling it might be a while yet. I'll give you a shout when we head out okay?"

"Fine with me dude...we packed pajamas and things for one night in case you didn't make it with our stuff on the first night for whatever reason."

"Okay man...drive safe."

"That goes double for you...you have my baby sis in that car of yours. Don't forget!"

I laughed a bit harder. "Don't think that could ever happen, Em!"

"Better not."

"Bye, Em!"

"Bye, Edward."

I walked back into the room just in time to hear Elizabeth finish telling a story to Bella about my naked three year old phase when she couldn't seem to keep clothes on me. Bella almost fell off the couch in laughter.

"Just you wait, Bella. One day you guys will have a son who will probably do the exact same thing to you! Then you'll be calling me up, asking me for advice."

I looked down at Bella and smiled brightly. Images of little mixtures of Bella and I running around the house filled my mind. While there was a time in my life that the idea would terrify the shit out of me, I kind of liked the idea...in an abstract far in the future sort of way at least.

I settled onto the couch behind Bella, snuggling her close, relishing in her comforting presence. We talked with Elizabeth for another couple of hours before her husband came in the front doors. As we were introduced, I couldn't help but like Drew immediately. He seemed like a completely genuine and honest guy. At their insistence, we stayed for a quick supper before heading back south toward Minneapolis.

While we drove through the dark night, I couldn't help but smile at the results of the day. Hearing all of my long lost mother's shady and less than stellar past was difficult. Remembering how hard life was with her after my father's death and finding out the real reason she left me as the way she had was even harder. I had spent so many years believing she left me so she could have fun because I was a hindrance, but really, she left me somewhere safe while she went off to self destruct without taking me down with her. It still hurt that she couldn't be the mother I needed her to be, but I was grateful that she gave me the chance at a stabile life instead of risking me right along with her.

Bella sat in the passenger seat, beaming at me whenever I glanced over occasionally. I began getting a bit concerned at the devious look that was forming on her face.

After a while, she reached into the duffel bag in the back, pulling out her iPod and plugging it into the sound system. She scrolled through the list and hit play. The driving guitar line for Kings of Leon Sex On Fire filled the air. Bella looked over with a smirk and I grew instantly hard. Oh Fuck!

She undid her seatbelt, slowly leaning across the arm rest, placing kisses along my neck. She nibbled on my ear as her hand slid down my stomach and across my abs. Then she whispered in my ear how sexy I was and how much she loved me.

Lay where you're laying, don't make a sound
I know they're watching, they're watching
All the commotion, the kiddie like play
Has people talking, talking

You, your sex is on fire

Her hand slipped down as the chorus began. She massaged me through my jeans a second before popping the button and pulling the zipper down quickly. She whispered in my ear that she was dying to taste me. I growled as my hands tightened on the wheel, causing my knuckles to turn bone white.

When the next verse began, I tried desperately to stay on the road as she leaned over me, taking me into her mouth, but the sensations made my eyelids flutter closed involuntarily. I moaned her name, still in disbelief that my sweet Bella was such a fucking vixen. Hell yes and thank you!

The dark of the alley, the breaking of day
The head while I'm driving, I'm driving
Soft lips are open, knuckles are pale
Feels like you're dying, you're dying

You, your sex is on fire
Consumed with what's to transpire

Bella was way too talented at this. It made me both frustrated and grateful at the same time. She kept teasing me, dragging things out as long as possible. It was sweet torture.

Hot as a fever, rattling bones
I could just taste it, taste it
If it's not forever, if it's just tonight
Oh, it's still the greatest, the greatest, the greatest

You, your sex is on fire
And you, your sex is on fire
Consumed with what's to transpire

Just when the torture of the song and her mouth began to wind to an end, she finally granted me mercy, allowing me to find my release.

"Fuck, Bella! Oh Shit!" was all I could say. I repeated it over and over, doing my best to keep us on the road, shivering from the climax. The song began to come to its conclusion as Bella sat up, looking at me smugly.

She leaned in slowly, kissing my mouth, letting me taste myself on her tongue before sliding back into her seat and slipping her seatbelt into place. She picked up the iPod to scan through the selections like nothing had just happened, while I was still fighting to catch my breath.

And you, your sex is on fire
Consumed with what's to transpire

We reached the suburb just west of Minneapolis sometime around eleven o'clock, quickly finding our hotel for the next few days. Bella called the guys who all came down to get their stuff. They gave Bella big hugs while I carried our things up to our room, eager to avoid eye contact with Emmett. I was pretty damn sure that if he ever knew what happened in that car, I would be black and blue come morning, but fuck was it ever worth it.

Bella followed soon after, quietly getting ready for bed, taking her time. She put on a conservative pair of flannel pajamas with pants and a matching long sleeve button up shirt. It didn't matter though, because no matter what, I was still hard for her. Even more now than before, since I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that under that conservative girl next door outer layer lurked the sexiest vixen ever, just waiting to pop out and surprise me when I least expected it.

I curled up behind her in bed, burying my face in her long hair. I fell asleep humming Sex on Fire in my head.