DISCLAIMER: The story doesn't belong to me; the characters are property of S. Meyer, and the plot belongs to Annalau Thank you so much for letting me share your story in English!

Gracias Laura, por darme esta oportunidad!

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Chapter 23

"Mom!" I roar when I see her standing on the threshold of my room.

Esme seems to be in a trance as she doesn't react to my scream, she just keeps her eyes fixed on us.

With my body on top of Isabella, I reach out my hand to cover her nakedness with the quilt, she, between scared and embarrassed, does the same, hiding her face in my neck.

Esme's shock passes within seconds of opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

"Oh my God!" she exclaims covering her lips.

"Can you leave the room?" I ask pointing to the door.

"I came back because I decided to invite you to lunch, I prefer..."

"Esme," I interrupt without letting her continue talking. "Please get out of my room."

"I need to talk to you, Edward."

I look at her again, this time without hiding my anger; my mother reacts by turning around and closing the door behind her.

"She didn't see us, did she?" Isabella murmurs.

"No. I would never let anyone see you," I leave a kiss on her lips getting out of bed. "I'll go talk to Esme, wait here.

I go out to meet my mother. She is standing leaning against the wall in the hallway with her disturbed look on her face, she crosses her arms and watches me paying attention to my unbuttoned jeans, I didn't even have time to put my shirt on.

"Don't you know that doors are knocked before entering? What do you want?"

"Edward, moderate your vocabulary with me. No matter how old you are, you respect me."

I lower my face and start buttoning my jeans.

"I hope you are being responsible and taking care of yourselves," she replies. "I don't want you to repeat what you keep going through with Charlotte. Enough is enough knowing how miserable you've been because of that woman."

"Esme, you're not going to talk to me about sexuality at this point in my life."

"How serious are you about Bella?"

I fold my arms.

"Don't think I'm going to marry her either, Mom, we're just having a good time."

I am reluctant to explain.

Her face relaxes into a somewhat surprised grimace; even one of her eyebrows arches and she smiles slightly pleased.

"Ah, you're just having fun. Be careful not to get her pregnant."

I exhale noisily bringing my hands to my hips, I was about to tell Esme that Isabella is on birth control and is now the most important woman in my life when I discern through my peripheral vision a silhouette.

I turn around.

Isabella has dressed and is looking at me with tears in her eyes, disappointment written all over her face.

"Isabella, let me explain!" I walk towards her and try to hold her hands, but she won't let me touch her. It's not what you're thinking.

"I do love you, Edward," her tears slip, and I can't bear that it's my fault, I reach out and begin to wipe the wet trail from her cheeks. "I thought you had feelings for me too."

"Let me explain. What..."

"I know what you said!" she interrupts me with a roar of anger in her voice. "No need to clarify further."

Feeling like a complete asshole I see her walking briskly to the bottom of the stairs; I run over and stop her by one arm and just then I feel a fucking whiplash hit my chest as I see her crying nonchalantly.

"Honey..." I hold her face. "You heard wrong."

"We had a good time and that's it."

She repeats the same words making me feel like a fucking cretin.

"It's not my feeling, I expressed myself badly... forgive me."

Isabella shakes her head and lets go of my grip.

"I have to go" she says goodbye going down the stairs, I go after her and she gets out of my grip again. We struggle again until I decide to stop, the last thing I want to do is make her angrier.

I watch her leave the house leaving an anguish settling in my chest.

"Why didn't you go after Bella?"

I turn around and face Esme. She comes down each step with extreme gentleness.

"It's obvious she's no hobby, just look at you. Your eyes are on the verge of tears."

"I don't think you understand anything."

I stride up the steps, I need to get dressed and look for Isabella.

.

.

.

"Edward, I told you he went out to the movies with friends. Some of her classmates decided to get together and they all went to spend an afternoon together." Jessica repeats the same thing for the fourth time.

"You mean it was James too?" I shift in my seat.

"Yes, so did he and several other friends. They went as a group," she clarifies.

"And why didn't you go?"

She snorts, and I can tell by the way she does that she's annoyed by my questions.

"I have a lot of homework. This is the first week of school, Edward, I need to finish my homework, can you save your interrogation for another day? Bella loves you, just give her time."

"It's been three days and she refuses to talk to me. She doesn't want to see me either."

"It's your fault! You made her so miserable that I couldn't comfort her that day."

I press my temples as I remember what Jess had told me.

"I explained how it happened. Isabella wouldn't let me talk to her."

"Yeah, yeah! I already know that story. I shouldn't help you," she snorts. "For what it's worth, Bella's leaving the law firm tonight, maybe you can go find her there. Just don't say I told you so."

"Thanks, Jess."

"Yeah, you're welcome. Now let me concentrate on my homework, see you, Edward."

Jessica ends the call just as Jacob bursts into my office with a dossier in hand and sets it on the desk.

"I didn't think you were serious about full custody of Pat," he says as he sits down, drumming his fingers on his knee waiting for me to look at the documents.

"There's a limit to everything and Charlotte has reached mine."

"I hope you're ready for the gale ahead. Charlotte will be relentless with you."

"I am aware that she will look for the best group of lawyers to face me. I am prepared to give her a fight."

"What did she do to break your fragile patience? It's well known that when it comes to Pat you can take a lot."

"Charlotte just crossed the line. I'm sick and tired of justifying her stupid attitudes in front of my son. And while I will never speak ill of her to Pat, I prefer a healthy distance between them."

"Best of luck, brother, because you'll need it against that scorpion. Charlotte is intolerable."

I reach out my hand to the dossier; I see it's some balance sheets from one of the old hotels.

"What do you know about Carlisle?"

I look up from the documents in my hands.

"The same as you, only he took a leave of absence. I know absolutely nothing else."

"It's puzzling that he left a power of attorney so that we can both run the consortium as we please. It's crazy to me that the CEO has left his place without an explanation, don't you think it could be due to illness?"

I rub my beard thinking that there is something underlying something with more background than a possible illness.

"Carlisle divorced my mother," I reveal, and Jacob's eyes widen.

"What?!" he shakes his head. "How is Esme?"

"Mom is showing her strong side and seems fine," I lift my shoulders as I read on. "I worry about her strength. I think at any moment she will collapse, maybe as the days go by the loneliness will make her crumble."

"Have you thought about taking her to live with you?" Jake asks. "You two have never had the best relationship. What are you going to do now?"

With a slam of my hand, I close the dossier in my hands and leave it next to my computer.

"I invited her to stay at my house, but she declined."

Jacob stands up when his cell phone rings, looks at the screen and smiles walking to the door.

"Hello, love..."

He says with a big smile, stops and turns to look at me.

"Ah, yes... I tell him, I'm with him right now," he answers and with his lips he gestures that it's Tanya. "I love you," he says as he ends the call. "My wife invites you to dinner tonight at the house, you let Bella know."

"I don't think she's going to make it. Isabella is angry with me."

Jacob closes the door again and takes his place in front of the desk.

"Has she left you yet?"

"She hasn't left me!" I immediately clarify. "She's just mad at me for being a jerk."

"It's nothing new. You've always been a jerk."

I ignore his comment.

"Isabella has a bit of a temper; she gets upset very easily. Although I admit that this time it was because of one comment."

"What did you say to her?"

"In a nutshell she heard me tell Esme that I was just hanging out with her."

"And is that true?"

"No. For me Isabella is much more than just a hobby."

"I'll tell you something," he leans back in his chair without taking his eyes off me. "I thought you were with Bella because you were having a good time, you know," he wiggles his eyebrows. "I didn't imagine it was anything more than a good time."

"Don't talk about Isabella like that!" I growl in annoyance.

"Cullen, there's nothing wrong, you did the same with Irina. Your relationship was consensual sex, but in the eyes of others it was a courtship."

"Leave Isabella out of this. With Irina it was different because we are both older and we knew what we wanted from the beginning. I would never have asked Isabella to be my lover, she is my girlfriend."

Jake just laughs showing his big white teeth.

"There is no doubt that Isabella does what she wants from you. I can even hear the pride in your voice when you say she's your girlfriend. I don't know you, Cullen, you're not the same anymore. I mean, the bitterness continues, but little by little it's diminishing."

"Go to hell!" I throw the dossier on him, making all the documents fall to the floor. "You take care of going through everything again."

My interest goes to my computer where I get ready to work, ignoring the verbiage and laughter that Black keeps spouting.

My afternoon passes stressfully between meetings and a lunch with new associates, before I know it the night comes, and I am waiting for Isabella parked outside the McCarty Law Firm.

Through the rear view mirror I spot her petite figure walking down the sidewalk, I get down to wait for her to meet me, realizing that the place is dark for her to be alone at night.

"What are you doing here?" She takes a few steps back when she sees me.

"We need to talk."

"I'm not interested."

Isabella tries to follow her path, but my hand is faster than her short steps, I go around her waist and she dodges my lips when I want to kiss her.

"Don't reject me, my love."

"Go to hell, Edward!"

"I love you," I whisper.

"I don't believe you," she shakes her head from side to side as I keep trying to kiss her.

"What can I do to make you believe me?" I ask. "What do I do?"

"I heard what you said. And if you could tell your mother what I mean to you, it's more than clear that your intentions with me are not the best."

"My love..." I cradle her face while she keeps pushing my chest. "I'm not the son who tells everything to his mother. I'm not that one. My relationship with my mother is a little different than most sons. But I swear I was about to tell her that you are the most important woman in my life."

Her hands stop resting on my chest, she lifts her chin and looks at me suspiciously.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

She lowers her gaze.

"Then let's get married" I pull her hand leading her to the van. "Let's get married tomorrow."

Before getting in Isabella turns to look at me.

"What are you saying?"

"If the only way for you to believe in me, is to get married. I agree, let's get married."

"Don't play games with me."

"I'm not playing games. Right now I don't have an engagement ring, if you give me a chance tomorrow I'll find the most beautiful one there is for you."

"You're joking," she laughs.

"No. My intentions with you are so honest that I would marry you in a heartbeat, because I love you."

Isabella stops laughing, she bites her lip watching me nervously.

"You know well that if you asked me for a baby, I would stop taking contraceptives because I love you too."

I smile, raise my hand, and remove some of the hair that the wind blew into her face.

"But neither of us wants it," she says in a soft voice. "Although..., it's the first time I'm excited to think about a baby," she admits with a beautiful smile.

"It wouldn't be bad," I say between joking and telling the truth. I hadn't thought about the possibility of being a father again for so long that hearing her talk about a baby for the two of us makes me excited. However, a reasonable part of my head tells me to keep my feet on the ground. "You're too young to be a mother, love. I wouldn't want you to go through anything I went through."

"Do you think I couldn't take care of your baby?" she mimics an offended voice that makes me smile.

"I have no doubt you'll be able to take care of it," I hold her hands. "I'm sure you'll be an extraordinary mother in the distant future, I have no doubt."

"It's too early to think about a baby," she comments seriously, "and marriage."

"Yes, it is. Before that you have to do many things; for example: finish college, travel, go out with friends and even go to the movies with them."

She rolls her eyes in a funny way.

"I don't want you to miss any of your precious youth," she added. "I don't want us to stay mad at each other either, my love. I miss you."

She sighs, closes her eyelids momentarily and gives me a shy smile.

"I just felt so bad when I heard you talking to your mom. It did hurt, Edward. And I should make you suffer more, but I can't," she pouts. "I love you, and I miss you so much."

"Forgive me, my love."

I wrap my arms around her as she wraps her arms around me. I let out a deep sigh, feeling complete having her with me. The gift I bought for her also comes to mind, she moans as my arms leave her and I carry her to the back door of the van.

"In there," I point, "someone is waiting for you."

She squints her eyes slowly opening, a huge giant-sized teddy bear is sitting in the back seat. Isabella turns to look at me and puts her hands to her mouth without hiding her squeals, she looks undecided between hugging the bear or me.

She decides on me and throws herself into my arms.

"Oh, Edward... it's so beautiful!" She lets go of me, turning back to the stuffed animal and climbs into the truck, burying her face in the bear's torso. "Is it for me?"

She doesn't notice that I shrug my shoulders.

"I know I'm not particularly thoughtful with you," I tell her, keeping to myself that I've never been thoughtful with any woman. Instead she encourages me to be a better person. "Did you like it?"

Maybe my question is silly, seeing how she's curled up in the bear.

"I loved it!" She reaches out her arms to me, pulls me close and holds my face, kissing me so hard... she pulls my lip between her teeth. "I love you."

I move another inch closer until I'm between her legs. Isabella ripples against my groin as we remain lost in our kiss.

I react when my girlfriend's innocent tongue wants to enter my mouth, I push it away and kiss the tip of her little nose making her frown.

"We are on public roads, my love."

"I love you and I don't want to stop kissing you," she sighs. "I love you."

I kiss her again and she shivers because of the cool wind in the city. I rub her arms feeling the coldness of her skin.

"I'll take you to your apartment, the night is getting cold."

"Will you stay with me for a while?" she offers biting her lip.

"I can't refuse such a tempting offer."

She throws herself into my arms and makes me hold her by her buttocks as I wrap her legs around my hips; I walk with her to the passenger door where I settle her in place by putting on her seat belt.

"So... are we going to have our first night of reconciliation? That's the word, isn't it?"

I laugh.

"You're so cute, my love," I caress her cheek. "And yes, we'll have the best reconciliation ever," I promise.

I don't think you guys wanted to read their reconciliation or did you?

Hello! Another chapter without so much drama between our main characters, what about Edward? I look forward to reading your impressions about today's chapter. This chapter talks about how they don't really think about babies. Edward is aware of Bella's youth and doesn't want what he went through to happen.

As always, be free to enter the group: Translations by Claryflynn

THANK YOU FOR READING!