True Love Way

Chapter 33

"Come on! Where the hell is it?" I muttered away to myself as I dumped the last of the drawers from my dresser on the bed for the second time. I had to be missing it, that's all. It wasn't gone. But if it were here, then… where was it?

When Rosalie called to tell me Mom was coming up for a few days the following week, I gave her my work schedule so we could pick out a time to sneak off together and do some ring shopping. Mom would be thrilled to have Nathan to herself for a few hours, and no one would think it odd that I took my sister out for a break. It was the perfect opportunity for me to be sneaky with a ring purchase. Perfect, except my stone was now missing. It's not that I didn't trust Rosalie's opinion; I'd simply feel more connected with Bella if I had the malachite stone with me that day. I'd stopped carrying it around with me, or even using it to help me fall asleep when Bella had become part of my life again. I had no need to use it to feel her presence. I merely had to look across the room, or place my arm around her waist as she slept next to me.

Ordinarily, when not in my pocket, it was atop my dresser. My first thought was it had fallen behind. When that failed to prove true, I'd deduced that it had slipped off into an open drawer at some point. After checking each drawer carefully, I'd lain on the floor, belly down, and surveyed the entire bedroom from that vantage point. I knew that whenever I dropped a coin, it rolled directly under the bed, no matter where I was standing in the room. It should have worked the same for the stone.

I didn't want to tear apart the entire apartment this way, since really, how would it have walked out of the room it was always in? So there I was, unfolding and re-folding every piece of clothing in each and every drawer, willing the missing stone to appear. The longer I spent looking without success, the more anxious I became. How could I have been so careless with something that meant so much to me? Bella had loved the fact that I still had it. How would I tell her I'd lost it? It was irreplaceable. My one-of-a-kind token had somehow grown legs and walked out. I snorted at the absurdity of that while I replaced the drawer in the bottom slot.

I wondered if I should check the laundry room. I had checked the laundry basket, of course – torn apart the entire closet in fact, now that we had to keep it up and away from Don Everly's quick mouth. He was an expert panty thief, often grabbing hold of a pair without us even seeing him grab them. They'd turn up in a wet ball by the front door or under the table. He knew not to bring them into his crate, because that would be the first place we'd look. Crafty little four-legged thief.

"Oh my god. No." My hands flew to my face as the new possibility hit. I went looking for the bandit in question, getting down on all fours to examine him. "Please tell me you didn't take the stone, Don. Did you take it?" I whispered in case Bella could hear me from the kitchen. "Don, you didn't eat it, did you?"

My stomach twisted into a knot with concern. This was a whole new issue. I may be able to cope with losing the first gift from Bella, but if it hurt our puppy…

"God… Don? Come here. Let me check you out." I cradled him against his will in an attempt to feel his stomach. As he would only lie in this position for Bella, his long legs protested. It was one thing to evade Nathan's flying fists, but another thing entirely to duck four spindly legs. He caught me on the jaw with one of them, leaving a long scratch behind. I hissed at the sting, and Don howled in return. His legs went at me even faster while I was preoccupied. Where was Emmett when I needed him?

"What are you two doing?"

When I turned at the sound of Bella's voice, I saw her standing behind the couch. I had Don pinned down on the floor in front of it. He let out another howl, and I had no choice but to release him. He righted himself quickly and came at me with his normal exuberance. His tongue lapped at the fresh scrape as he put his front legs on my lap to reach my face. His eyes looked concerned. His tongue looked wet. His mouth seemed to smile around the hanging tongue as he panted in my face.

"Such a happy doggy, you are," I murmured as I hugged him. "We were just playing around. I thought I could hold him like you do. Turns out, he's not so into that." I tipped my head to the side so she could see my battle wound.

"Ouch. Time for him to get some clipping done. He left a mark on the floor by his crate too. Did you see it? You know when he takes off for the door but loses his footing? Well, there's a nice, deep scratch in the finish."

"I don't think I have it in me to wrestle him anymore right now. How is such a little guy so strong?"

Bella walked around the couch to join us on the floor. "Our baby's growing, Edward. He's getting to be such a big boy." She flipped him over as I'd been trying to do and smiled smugly when I grunted in exasperation. "What big nails you have." Holding a paw in her hand, she took a good look at them. The little shit just lay there, letting her do whatever she wanted. "Yeah, I don't think I could give this a go either. We'll have to take him to a groomer until one of us is brave enough to try it."

Great idea!

I jumped up before she could stop me. "I'll take him right now." I smiled with my solution being handed to me. I needed to talk to Emmett. Taking Don out would give me the privacy I required.

"Where?"

"To the groomer."

"Yeah… uh, where is the groomer?" She eyed me curiously. Fuck, she would make a formidable mother in sticky situations where it was necessary to hide the truth. My own mother had given me the exact same look on many occasions.

I swallowed heavily to ensure I was calm before I spoke with a quivering voice. Deciding it was even better to avoid her look, I turned away to get Don's leash. "There's got to be one nearby. I'll just take him down to the shelter and ask them for a referral."

"I think we should look into it more before we just take him into anyone. What if they clip him too close? What if he gets an infection from their clippers?"

"Worry wart," I teased. "The shelter won't send us to a dirty place, Bella. We'll be fine. Why don't you relax with a book?. Take a bath or something. Enjoy some time to yourself, and I'll take care of Don. Deal?"

She still had a slightly suspicious look on her face as she kissed me goodbye. That was the moment I knew I'd never be able to hide something from her. She knew me too well.

I punched up Emmett's number as Don and I bolted down the stairs. "Em! I've got a situation here. Can you meet me?"

~ 0 ~

"Did you bring it?"

I'm sure we looked like thugs meeting up at the back end of the Safeway parking lot. It looked even worse when I held out a bag, showing Emmett the goods. "I can't believe we're gonna do this." I cringed at the thought of it.

"You said the stone was small enough to fit inside a bottle cap, so I'm fairly sure he could pass it. Obviously if he didn't choke on it, it went down. What goes down must come out."

"Right," I agreed with a grimace. "Well, it's nice and fresh. I ran him on the way over. He just popped this out a couple of blocks back."

"Groovy." My best friend and brother-in-law rubbed his hands together with apparent delight as he snatched the bag of shit from my grip. "Try to keep Don occupied while I poke around in this. I don't want him getting involved and possibly ingesting it for a second time."

"We don't even know if he did the first time," I corrected. "I honestly don't know when he would have gotten at it. But it's not in the apartment so…" I sighed heavily as I let more of the leash free for Don to run around a bit. There was a squirrel he was quite interested in by a nearby bush. "If he did eat it, he could have shit it out days ago. Who knows?"

"If he did, then that's great. Nothing to worry about, right?"

"Except the fact that Bella's gift was left in a pile of shit," I responded stoically.

"The upside is that it was a pile of Don's shit, so it went down with a loved one nearby." Emmett grinned at me as he squatted down to examine the specimen. "You know I'm just trying to lighten it up for you, Ed. I don't mean to minimalize the importance of this stone."

I ran a hand through my hair, watching over Don Everly. "I know. I appreciate it. The truth is, Don is more important. As long as he's okay, I'll get over it."

Emmett mumbled something as he shifted around the turds spread out on a larger bag. Thankfully, he'd brought the tools of our trade along with him – gloves and spatulas. He was currently dissecting each turd with the wooden sticks, cutting them up into slivers too small to hide a piece of malachite.

As if reading my mind, Emmett cracked a joke. "Y'know, it's shite digging for malachite."

"Ha ha," I said, deadpan. "Better you than me."

"True dat!" He knew I wouldn't fare well with this task. I was grateful to have a friend who was willing to do this with me. Or for me, as was the case.

"Did Rose tell you what we're doing next week?" I asked him to distract myself from the visual in front of me.

The appearance of his deep dimples that accompanied his biggest grin gave me the answer. "Taking the big step, huh?"

I shifted my feet, turning my attention to Don for a moment. "She might even say yes if I haven't killed our dog before I ask her."

Emmett chuckled easily. "No worries, man. Don Everly will survive, and Bella will be your wife. And I couldn't be happier for you."

"Don't count the eggs yet," I warned. "Or turds, if you will."

"Ha! Good one. Anyway…" Emmett wrapped up the dissection, tying it up neatly as he stood. "This is all clear. Nothing but healthy puppy poop." He walked over to the trash can and deposited the bag and his gloves before extracting a sanitizing packet from his back pocket.

"What if it's still in there? Am I supposed to bring it to you every time he takes a crap?"

"Yeah, yeah. Bring it around to the fire station. I don't take enough taunting from the guys about me changing diapers."

We both had a chuckle at our dilemma. "I don't know. I suppose I could do this if I really had to."

"You could," Emmett agreed. "I never saw myself elbow deep in baby Dijon until Nathan came around. You do what you have to, dude. Bottom line. And if you're crazy enough about the subject doing the expelling, you'll even begin to not mind it. Take pride in it."

"Own that shit!" I teased him with a hardy laugh.

"I'm proud of everything our little man does. His mom, too," Emmett admitted softly. "Anyway, I have faith in you, Ed. Rose said you were great with the impromptu sink bath the other day."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in disbelief. "Why are babies so slippery? It's difficult enough to keep them still without grabbing them too roughly, but wet? It's nearly impossible! He squirms so much."

Emmett smiled at me. "Rosalie's always done the bathing," he confessed. "I haven't taken that risk yet."

Unbelievable. I'd done something for Nathan that even Emmett hadn't dared?

"You've got balls, man. But you've always been this way. There's nothing you can't conquer when you put your mind to it."

I sneered at him playfully. "Cut the shit, Em. I feel like you're gonna hug me again or something." It was easier to act like a disgruntled alpha male than to acknowledge that his compliment meant the world to me. Rather than hugging me, Emmett took it one step further, latching on and humping my leg while a couple of elderly ladies gasped as they exited a nearby car. They quickly conferred and got back inside, driving away and leaving us in stitches.

~ 0 ~

We got home much later than I'd anticipated. Still concerned about Don Everly, Emmett had taken us to a vet one of the guys at work used. I was worried that the stone might be lodged in his intestine and cause trouble down the road. After waiting two hours for a doctor, a quick x-ray put my mind at ease. No malachite present in the dog. If he had swallowed it, Emmett was right. Its final resting place was with the remains of Don's Puppy Chow waste. As an afterthought, we cajoled one of the staff members into some clipping on the side. I didn't want to show up at home late without appearing to have accomplished anything. Emmett stayed with him while the trimming was done. I couldn't bear to watch in case he didn't like it. I didn't hear any howling, so I presumed he was doing all right in there.

He emerged from the other room on all fours, tail wagging as vigorously as usual. I squatted down to give him the biggest hug he'd ever gotten from me. Yeah, I was proud of my brave puppy. I couldn't wait to tell Bella how well he'd done.

"Go show Bella your new look, Don," I said with excitement as I unleashed him inside the apartment. "No more clicking. No more scratching."

Bella accepted his greeting and gushed over his clipped nails. However, when I took a seat next to her, I got a cold stare.

"Sorry. It took longer than I thought."

"Apparently."

I cast my eyes downwards, feeling every bit like a little boy about to be scolded. "I should have called?" I suggested.

She made a grunting sound. "Or answered your phone."

I plucked it from my pocket. I hadn't felt it go off. "Dead," I announced after identifying the problem.

"Of course."

"I'm usually more responsible than this. I don't let the battery run out this way. I just wasn't expecting to be out all afternoon."

"And into the evening," she added quietly.

I had nothing to add. Saying I was sorry again seemedd to be futile.

"Dinner's ruined."

I squeezed my eyes shut and uttered another apology. Guess it wasn't pointless after all. "I'll go get us something. Or order in?"

I watched her eyes pinch together as she scrunched up her face.

"I'm sorry I ruined your dinner, Bella. Did you save it? I'll still eat it. I can go get you something, and I'll have what you made. Just please don't cry over it."

A snotty sounding snort came out as she shook her head. "It's not about a burnt dinner, Edward. I thought something happened to you and Don Everly. I thought you were dead."

"Fuck," I grumbled, knowing I should have been more considerate of her emotions. "God, Bella, I –"

She cut me off with a kiss. Her lips smashed roughly against mine even while she continued to sob and gasp for breath. I tasted her tears. I felt her torment. All I could do was attempt to soothe her and swear it would never happen again.

After placating her and sharing some more tender kisses, we ordered a pizza, shared a beer, and cuddled on the couch to watch TV.

"I think I'm gonna shower before we go to bed," I announced when the show we were watching ended. "We did a lot of running. I probably smell worse than Don."

Bella grinned at me before nibbling at my earlobe. "Probably. But I love you anyway."

"Stench and all?"

"It's kind of manly."

"This is good since I am a man." I drew some of her hair between my fingers, humming with delight. "So soft."

"I did a deep conditioning this afternoon. Soaked in the tub until I was waterlogged."

"Good. That's good. You deserved a relaxing time. But I guess it was ruined by me making you panic."

Looking ashamed, she pulled back. "That's not me, Edward. I won't freak out every time you go out. I don't want you to think you're on a leash with Don."

I shrugged. "As long as mine gets to be longer than his and you're on the other end, I'm fine with it."

Bella snickered. "I'd like to tie you up sometime. Maybe."

Boing.

"I should shower." I stood before my penis jumped her on the couch. "Don looks content in his crate. I guess he's ready for bed as well." He was snoring softly on his bed in there, his paw flung over the doll he'd taken in.

"I love how he puts himself to bed," Bella agreed with a fond grin. "Easier than a kid, right?"

"Much," I agreed and then gave it a little thought. "I guess. I don't really know. I was a pain in the ass to get to sleep, but I didn't mind being in my room after Rose and Jasper went to sleep. Did you cause problems going to bed?"

"I don't remember. When Tanya was little, she'd do everything she could to avoid bedtime. This is why our puppy is the best of all puppies ever. And better than a real kid."

I agreed silently. Not only did he put himself to bed, but he'd never be able to talk and reveal to Bella that I'd taken his poo off to be examined and had him x-rayed for ingesting something I never should have left lying around in the first place. I sent another thank you to the Man upstairs for watching over us and getting Don Everly through the potential disaster.

"You ready for bed?" I asked Bella when she stood.

She nodded, taking my hand as we walked to the bedroom together. Don wasn't as fascinated with my undergarments, or any clothing for that matter, so I dropped the button-up shirt I was wearing on the floor before peeling my socks off. They joined my shirt. My glasses got set down carefully on the nightstand. When I tugged my t-shirt over my head, I saw Bella's blurry form sitting on the edge of the bed. She was silent and very still.

"You okay?"

"I… I –" She practically sprung the few feet between the bed and where I stood. Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and she kissed me like I was a deluxe bacon cheeseburger and she'd been on a diet for a decade. Her fingers wound upwards into my hair, tugging on it as her tongue explored my mouth. Her body seemed fidgety. She couldn't find a good position to get whatever she was seeking. I simply stood there, returning her kiss but letting her take the lead with everything else.

"God, I want you, Edward," Bella panted when she withdrew her tongue.

I moaned, deep and guttural.

"Fuck." Bella squirmed some more, her nails digging into the back of my shoulders. "Do that again."

"I don't think I can," I admitted with a chuckle. "It's kind of primal. I don't do it on purpose."

"Be primal then. I want you so bad." Her hands fell from my shoulders, and she took a half step backwards. Just far enough so she could get her hands in between us. Her fingers made fast work of my button-fly jeans. I was surprised they didn't fly off. I was more surprised when her hand dove right in to the front of my pants, right down to flesh. She found her target without any struggle, extracting my rapidly hardening dick and holding onto it with both hands. Her chest heaved, and her eyes locked onto mine. "Take those off."

I didn't have to ask her to elaborate on her demand. I shoved at the waist of my jeans roughly until they were below my hips, pulling my boxers along with them. Then I shimmied out of them, kicking them to the side with my earlier pile of discarded clothes. I inhaled sharply when she knelt in front of me. That primal moan she'd requested came forth. I'd never had a woman giggle while I was in her mouth. It sent shivers right through me.

"Fuck… Bella." I stroked her hair as she stroked me. I was the gentler one of the pair, and I was perfectly fine with that. Her head bobbed and her hands worked me over in the way I liked. She'd learned what sent me over the edge very quickly during our make-out sessions and extended foreplay.

Just before I could tap her on the head in warning, she released me with a loud pop, wiped her mouth and began stripping off her own clothes as adeptly as she'd undone my jeans. My dick pointed out to her. Nodding in the way it did in her presence. It said, 'That one. Yes, we want only that one.' I agreed, of course, but I wasn't as crude as my partner in crime. Bella deserved to be with a gentleman.

It was tough being a gentleman when the lady's leading me to the bed by my swollen partner. I chuckled like a teenager when I collapsed on top of her across the bed. I used my arms to brace myself over her so she wouldn't be squished. Her arms, however, kept trying to draw me closer. And her hips… oh god, her hips… they were moving in the most delightful way against me. Naked. Both of us naked. My dick so close to her… lady bits.

Although it was only in my head, the thought of 'lady bits' sent me into a fit of nervous laughter. It only ceased when the movement of my body due to the laughter made Bella issue her own primal sound. It wasn't a groan, but a sensual mewl. And it was fucking hot.

"I'm good to go," she declared.

"Yeah?"

"Really good. To go. Like… now."

"Bella… I kind of thought we'd do something special. I'm off for three days in a row next week. We could go somewhere."

"What about Don?"

"Right. Well, we could at least go out for an evening. Have a nice dinner. Do something romantic."

"This is romantic." Her lips trailed up and down my extended arm.

I groaned.

"This is special." Her lips left my arm and connected with my right nipple, which she bit. I gasped as she drew it out gently with her teeth before releasing it.

"That is special," I concurred, gasping for breath. "Are you sure about this?"

"Are you?"

"Sure that I want you, and I love you… absolutely."

"Then let's go. I'm ready."

"You want to go out now?"

Her hands gripped my face as she tossed her head back and laughed. "Oh my god, I love you. Don't ever change, Edward."

Slightly embarrassed, but comfortable enough with Bella to laugh it off with her, I suggested a few places we might like to visit. The ice cream shop. The restaurant by the pier. The Safeway. Of course, she had no idea of the significance of that, but she laughed anyway.

"I really should shower," I whispered when our laughter turned to tender touches and soft kisses.

"We'll do that after."

"I love it when you take the lead." I teased her lovingly as I shifted my knees to urge her legs further apart. "Lead me, my love." I began to inch down, assuming she'd want me to return the favour, and well, it wouldn't have been an undesirable request. But she stopped me.

"Uh-uh. Don't you go anywhere. I've got you right where I want you and I'm not letting you go."

We kissed. Softly. And desperately. A little wistfully and a whole lot hungry for more. All the while, I positioned myself to her best advantage. She was currently using my hip to grind on and I figured I may come out of this with some minor friction burn. Her hips were frantic – moving more urgently than her lips and hands. In that moment, I recalled just how long it had been since she'd had sex. Rather than drawing out the competitive side of me – the one that should want to outdo my brother in the sack – I realized that as much as she may feel the need for full intercourse, I'd have to be gentle with her.

"Easy, honey," I whispered against her temple. I braced myself on one elbow off to the side so I could use my fingers on her. It was the first time any part of me would be inside her. She took my index finger greedily, bucking against me as I buried it inside. She sucked in a breath when I curled that finger, tickling her sweet spot. My thumb rested on her hot little nub, so ready for me. But was she? I withdrew my finger slowly, stopping to swirl around her slick tender parts before trying out two. That got a groan, a throaty chuckle, and a back arch. Okay. Maybe she was more ready than I figured.

Taking in a deep breath as I prepared to fulfill a dream I'd had for almost half my life, I looked into the sweetest, most loving eyes in the world. The tension that was building in my neck eased. My body relaxed – with the exception of my anxious friend between Bella's legs. I smiled lovingly at her, stroking her cheek. "I love you, Bella Swan. Always have. Always will."

We kissed as she bent her legs up for me. Her hands gripped my waist as I positioned myself just right. She opened herself completely to me – her eyes showed her love, her hands displayed the way she always took care of me, and her hips revealed the raw need she had for us to be together in every way. Finally.

I entered slowly, both of us gasping at the new sensation. Not knowing if her gasp was for the exact same reason as mine, I hesitated before pushing ahead. I didn't want this to hurt her in any way. I only wanted to make her feel as good as I was feeling.

"Is that all I get?" she asked tauntingly. "Just the tip?"

"There's lots more when you're ready," I replied with a soft chuckle.

"I'm so ready. Go for it."

I knew Bella was brave. Bella was strong. Bella was daring and adventurous. If Bella was assuring me that she was ready for all of it, then I had to listen with my head and not my heart. My heart was warning me to go easy. Go slow. Let her lead with actions rather than words. The heat around the bit of me inside her told me to believe in her words, but I couldn't go wild on her like I wanted. I couldn't give in to the animal lust that was coursing through us. I didn't know how her first time actually was, but I knew how I'd have done it if I'd been the one.

I bent my head down to kiss her lips as I rocked ever so slightly against her. In turn, she matched my actions with her own grinding, in perfect sync. I smiled, heaving a rattling sigh as she kept that pace even after I switched it up. Gentle thrusts were met with her dancing hips, and with each thrust, I eased in a bit further. When I was in far enough to go hands free, I braced myself on my knees and elbows, kissing the tip of her nose while I continued with the motion below. It was all I could do to keep from screaming out when I felt my balls slap against her perfect ass cheeks. She'd taken it all and was showing no signs of distress. In fact, she did let out her own sort of scream – another mewl that sent a euphoric rush through me. I was inside Bella. Bella and I were having sex. Bella was coming… I think. If the throaty whimpering she was doing was any indication, she was having a blast.

Her hands slid down to grip my ass, holding me tucked deeply inside for a few moments. When she relaxed her grip, she smiled coyly. Chuckling, gasping, tossing her head from side to side, and biting down on her bottom lip. "Oh. My. God." Her deep laughter was more encouragement than I'd ever needed to keep going. My confidence soared, and I was no longer the gawking, awkward kid who longed for the girl he couldn't have.

I pulled back slowly. Easing inch by inch out of her until she whimpered anew and grasped at my ass frantically.

"No, no, no! Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, honey. You've got me." I pushed into her with a small grunt. She saw my grunt and raised it a low moan. Low moan turned to loud moan and then all out panting in between thrusts and grinds.

We were moving as one. Fluid and electric all at once. She had a hold of my hair with one hand, tugging on it as we moved; the other hand was imprinting itself on my ass. Her nails dug into the flesh, causing a delightfully wicked feeling of ecstasy. I could feel beads of sweat rolling down the centre of my back. Our stomachs slapped together making ridiculous farting noises. I couldn't even think of laughing about it right then, but I certainly would later.

In that moment, I was aware of every nerve ending in my body and how Bella ignited all of them for me. Her lips that nipped and nibbled, hands that grasped, nipples rubbing against my chest. The fire between her legs was the heart of it of course, but the sweet sensations continued down even further. One foot was rubbing my leg so sensually, and in perfect rhythm with our thrusts and twisty grinds. God, even my own feet were being romanced somehow.

Somehow.

But how?

Pausing, I glanced behind me hesitantly. That was how.

"What's wrong?"

"Bella… I can't…"

"Oh! Yes you can! Edward, you were doing great! Fucking fantastic, actually. Don't go anywhere – this is us. Just be us. Please. Be with me."

"I want to. Christ, I want to. I just can't. Not like this."

The beautiful woman beneath me squirmed upwards, releasing my ecstatic dick without a hint of warning. It slapped angrily against my stomach. Bella looked mortified, hurt, and a little angry.

"No, no… Bella… it's not you. It's…" I knelt and slid off to the side as she pulled the sheet around herself. "Don. He's… licking my feet. I can't…" Shaking my head, I groaned. "I've never had a three-way, and I would certainly never have one with Don. That's just wrong. In so many ways."

Bella was suddenly in hysterics. Her entire body shook with her laughter as she wiped away the tears that mixed with the sheen of perspiration on her cheeks. When she looked at me, the love was still there. There was even more of it, if that were possible.

"I'm going to take him out. You wait here."

She nodded, still snickering at my debacle. When I stood, Don did as well, eagerly pacing around me. I knew he expected an invitation into our bed.

"Not this time, pal. This is a game for two. And you're not one of them."

He wasn't grasping my words. He still looked at me with his playful puppy eyes, full of expectation that we would include him in our game. He began doing his circles, his tail whipping my leg with each pass. Naked as I was, I began feeling self-conscious, and a bit fearful for my highly sensitive package. I glanced at Bella who was biting off a new fit of laughter. "What do I do with this?" I chuckled as I gripped the protrusion from my groin. "This is just so wrong. So, so wrong." I grabbed my boxers out of the pile of discarded clothes and tugged them on, carefully tucking my erection inside. It still forced the front of them outwards in an amusing way.

"You can't hide that thing, Edward. Don't even try."

I shook my head, laughing at the situation. "Come on, Don. Bedtime for you." I started towards the door, but he sat, purposefully staring at the bed. "No. No sir-ree. You are not getting up there. Come with me."

He looked at me, even if he didn't obey. Defiantly, he plopped down on his belly.

I heard a snort from Bella.

"Thanks for your help in this," I muttered.

"Here." She reached over the side of the bed before lobbing something at my head. "I don't condone this at all, but we need to get him out. Now."

I knew what I had in hand from the silky feel. I made a show of rubbing them against my palms, slipping them between my fingers, and eventually drawing them up to my face. I gripped them with my teeth, growling playfully at my woman in bed. She roared with laughter, and Don was instantly on his feet, barking at me.

"Possessive little shit, isn't he?" I grumbled with a smirk as I lured him out of the room with the panties.

A/N ~ Well? Is this better than a ring? ;) I know you've waited a long time for this (so have they, lol). I appreciate you waiting.

I've had queries about Marcus and Gianna's ages after it was revealed that Aro, Marcus and Gran were all friends back in the day. I figured I'd address that here in case more of you were wondering. Yes, Marcus is an old fart who married a much younger woman. When Bella agreed to be their surrogate, Gianna would have been in her 40's. Not unheard of to have a baby of her own, if she were able. Though Marcus should have been retired, like Aro, he loved his work. His young wife kept him much more youthful than Aro, however. There was no indication he wouldn't be around to raise their baby. So, yes - Marcus, Aro and Gran were close in age. Gianna, around Renee's age, was the perfect substitute mother for Bella. All clear now?

I must thank Shug for making time to beta read this in time to update for you today. I hope her efforts are appreciated by you all as well. :) Thanks for reading! XX ~ SR