WRONG DECISIONS

Disclaimer: The Cullen's, the Swans, and most of the characters mentioned in the story that are known from Stephanie Meyer's beloved Twilight Saga, are all hers and hers alone. I neither have nor wish to pass them off as mine. I do appreciate the fact that she did bring them to life and allows us to play with them in our imaginations. The only thing I will claim is the current storyline.

The awesome and talented dowlingnana searched out my errors and corrected them.

She didn't leave the apartment until several hours later after waking up next to Edward in their old marriage bed. Edward had taken his time to worship every inch of her body with love repeatedly.

Neither knew that that time would lead to some very long-lasting results.

CHAPTER 3: MOVING TO THE PRESENT

After waking up the next morning and ever since, Bella has had a reason to remember that last meeting with Edward and the actions she had succumbed to; the memorable lovemaking they had shared. Eight weeks later Bella found out that she was pregnant; not pregnant with one child, but with twins.

At first, she had considered letting Edward know, but each time she went to dial his number, she paused. Bella remembered what Edward was and what his family did and that was the reason she had left the love of her life. She simply refused to be involved in that kind of lifestyle and definitely wasn't going to allow her children to become involved with the fear and danger that went with what the Cullen family did.

Before finding out she was pregnant, Bella had gone home for a few days to spend with her dad. Charlie Swan was pleased with the actions that Bella had taken to separate herself from the whole Cullen bunch. But he quickly changed his tune when Bella had gone home to visit with her father for a few days and she told him about her condition. That was when he began talking to Bella that she needed to let Edward know about her pregnancy.

And, after giving her a few moments to consider his question that was when he asked Bella if she was going to let Edward know that he was going to be a father and Bella responded with a resounding, "NO!"

Once she said that, Charlie quickly told her, "Bella, although I understand your reasoning, you need to let the man know that he's going to be a father. He has the right to know."

"No, Dad. You might feel that he has the right despite what you think of the family's lifestyle, but like I told Edward, I refuse to have my children involved with all of the fear and danger that comes from being associated with his business choices.

"So, the best way to protect my children is to keep that family away from them."

"Bella, you're making a decision that has the chance of coming back to bite you in the ass.

"You know how I feel about what Edward is and what his whole family does, but still, he has the right to know about his approaching fatherhood.

"It's not my business as to how you didn't know that you were pregnant when you got the divorce. And believe me when I say that I don't want to know the details. I'm not without a certain knowledge of the making, if you know what I mean, because you're here.

"But…." Charlie started to say more when Bella interrupted him by saying, "I wasn't pregnant at the time of the divorce. We did have a one last getting together after the divorce and that was when I got pregnant.

"Anything else about that time isn't anyone's business, but my own and, Dad, it isn't really something that I want to discuss with you."

After he heaved a sigh of relief, "Believe me, daughter, I don't want to know any of that information either. That would be what you young people refer to as TMI. And, I don't have any brain bleach to get rid of the picture that would be painted in my mind of my baby girl doing those types of things." Charlie finished with a slight shudder.

Irina was with Bella during this visit to Charlie, but she was staying out of the father/daughter discussion. Bella had nearly taken her head off when she had made the same suggestion as what Charlie Swan had just told his daughter. But as she noticed that Charlie wasn't pushing the subject, Irina was still learning not to push a pregnant, hormonal woman too far.

Charlie looked at Irina after Bella had gotten up and gone into the kitchen. He quietly asked, "Have you tried talking to her about this?" Then as he saw Irina give a nod, he continued speaking by saying, "With how close the two of you have been over the years, I would think that she would listen to you before me."

"Chief, right now she won't listen to anyone, but she is doing what she thinks is right. To try to reason with her from any other angle causes her to get angry and starts the waterworks. Bella believes that she's protecting her babies by taking this stand. I can understand her reasoning, but like you I do feel that Edward Cullen has the right to know that he is about to become a father. Makes no difference what he does with his life, but he should be able to choose about being involved in his children's lives; at least, as far as Bella and the courts would allow him under the circumstances of the divorce."

All he did was shake his head and say as he gave a sighed, "I agree with all that you've said. This just isn't right and I'm afraid that at some point she's going to regret this decision."

The rest of the visit continued in a more pleasant manner as long as everyone avoided the elephant in the room and that would be discussing about Edward being told about the twins.

XXXXXX

Time passed and Bella delivered her babies with no problems. Charlie and Irina were there to support her, but Bella secretly wanted Edward to be there as well. She knew that she wasn't being reasonable in her thinking at that moment, and she passionately believed that she had made the right decision in keeping quiet about her babies, but still she wished that it had been possible for Edward to have been there.

Bella never said anything to anyone about how she felt about Edward after the divorce. She was fairly sure that Charlie knew, although he didn't mention it since she knew his feelings where her mother was concerned. She was the same way, more or less, about Edward; no matter the distance or the length of time, her love for Edward continued to grow. There would never be another man in her life, ever. Edward was her once and forever.

When asked what Bella was going to name her babies, she didn't hesitate. "Anthony and Annabella. Those are the names that Edward and I had decided upon a long time ago for when we had children for a boy and a girl. He always seemed certain that we would have one of each, so those were the only two names that we had discussed. So, Anthony Ross and Annabella Carlie and their last name will be Cullen-Swan."

"Those are some beautiful names, Bells, but I'm wondering if there was any particular reason, other than you what said, as to why you named them that?"

"No, Dad, there isn't. The Anthony is Edward's middle name and Ross just sounded like it belonged with it. However, Annabella's middle name is the combination of yours and Carlisle's name Car for Carlisle and lie for Charlie." Bella quietly explained to him.

She and Edward had only ever discussed first names, but never got as far as considering middle names for any children they might have. And, as she had explained the middle names to her dad, she noticed a small, pleased smile, a slight blush in his cheeks and a twitching of his mustache as he was trying to compose himself to stop a single tear that was trying to slide down from the corner of his eye.

XXXXXX

Bella had the same thoughts each year on her babies' birthday about how fast time was flying by.

She had slowed down on her writing to take care of her children. She hated doing the tours when each new book came out since it took her away from her children.

When they were still babies, it didn't seem like so much of a problem because her dad and his new girlfriend, Sue Clearwater, would take care of them. During that time, they were too small to miss her when she was gone, but she sure missed the hell out of them when she had to be away from them.

However, when they started crying before she ever got out of the door to begin the trip and then crying on the phone each time, she called to speak with them as they got older while she was away, it tore her heart out. She missed them as much as they missed her. She always felt that she would miss something important of their growth or any of their firsts while she was gone. It really took its tow on her nerves.

That was the main reason why Bella slowed down her writing. She didn't give up completely, but made it understood that her traveling was to be kept to a minimum and she would do all of the interviews over the phone or the internet. She kept her home address private, with only very few people knowing where she truly resided.

Bella wasn't sure, but she thought that Edward might try to find out where she was living. And, she had good reason to think this since from time to time a member of his family would call Charlie to ask how to get in touch with her. Her dad always played dumb telling them that he didn't know. He explained that Bella kept her address private because she needed privacy to be able to write.

She did have to move a couple of times because someone had come close to locating her home and she wasn't going to take the chance on anyone from that family finding out about her babies.

Bella had had a home in Port Angeles, but now she's in Seattle. It was here that she had to change her location at least one other time. She had the feeling that someone was watching her one day as she was meeting with her editor. So, taking a long way home with many twists and turns, until she no longer felt herself in danger, Bella returned to her home, got Irina and her babies, leaving everything else behind and moved again.

Since that time, she hasn't encountered any sense of being watched or of being in danger. Everything has been peaceful and calm. Even the periodic phone calls to Charlie had stopped from the Cullen's. Both, Bella and Charlie, felt that the Cullen's have given up on trying to locate her.

Each month a bank statement arrived at Charlie's with Bella's name on it showing the amount of money, which is the same each month and has been for years now, that Edward has deposited into the account for her. However, Bella has never touched it. She told him that she didn't want it, but he didn't listen.

Bella has managed to do quite well with her writing which is still immensely popular with the public. So, with that being the case, she had acquired quite a sizeable bank account of her own and has had stable investments made as well. In other words, Bella wasn't super-rich, but she was extremely well off financially and extremely comfortable. Neither she nor her children would want for money or stability in their lives.

Time had passed swiftly, and her babies aren't really babies anymore; it's time for them to start Pre-K. That thought brings tears to Bella's eyes because of how quickly time has passed.

Irina and Bella were close, even though Irina had her own home not far from Bella. She felt like she had helped to raise Annabella and Anthony right alongside Bella.

She dated, but never did she take the chance of taking someone around Bella or the children. Irina just wasn't that trusting after she and Bella left the Cullen bunch.

Irina knew that Bella was still in love with Edward, but she did understand why Bella had divorced Edward. She agreed with Bella's reasoning since she herself felt the same way.

XXXXXX

"Edward, when the hell are you going to remarry? I want some grandbabies and you aren't giving me any." Esme whined as she shot the stink eye to her son. She would attack him with the same nonsense at least once or twice a month after trying to set him up with another female that is of marriageable age, and the answer from Edward was always the same.

"Mom, you know that I'm committed to Bella. She is still my wife as far as I'm concerned. So, please, as I keep asking you, stop worrying me with trying to get me with someone else because it isn't going to happen.

"And where grandchildren are concerned, they will arrive with Bella being their mother or there won't be any."

As Edward reached this point with what he was telling his mother, his father, Carlisle, walked in to hear the last of Edward's statements. All he did was shake his head and asked, "Esme, are you after the boy again?"

Edward answered before his mother could by saying, "Yes, and she never lets up. I go through this at least once or twice a month.

"You both know that I'm working to remove myself as much as possible from the illegal side of the family business and working to dealing with only our legal stuff. I'm doing this because I'm going to get my wife back and this is the only way to do so." And, with that said, Edward turned and left the kitchen in the family home where Esme had cornered him.

AN: We know what Bella has been doing since she and Edward divorced and why neither of them knew she was pregnant at the time. We've also had a quick peek as how Edward still feels about Bella and what his future plans are.

Hope you enjoy the story, and I will try to update every two weeks. I will also continue with updates for IDOR.