Chapter Forty-Nine

It was hard getting outside when the ceremony was over. Everyone stood, tried talking with me, and hugging me. I shoved them aside as I ran out of the door. Esme stepped in my path, but I roughly shoved her out of the way. I'd feel guilty about that later, but I needed to confirm my suspicions.

"Bella!" Edward said as he grabbed my arm. "Bella what's wrong."

I pulled away from him, looking wildly through the parking lot. No vehicles had left the church. He wouldn't have had time to get away fast enough down the long winding road so that I wouldn't see him. I balled my fists, not understanding where he had gone.

"Bella talk to me." Edward said as he wrapped his arms lovingly around my chest.

"J-James," I said. "I saw James. I know I did. I just saw him!"

"James?" He repeated.

"Yes! He looked right at me and smiled! He killed my dad!" I spun around in his arms. "My dad would've never overdosed! He didn't do drugs! James killed him!"

Edward stroked the hair out of my face. "I believe you baby. I do. And as much as I would love nothing more than to track him down, we can't right now."

"What?" I snapped, "No! We need to find—,"

"I understand Bella, but listen, there are a lot of people around right now," He whispered. "Your dad died of natural causes; he wasn't murdered."

The air left my lungs. After a moment of this running through my head, I nodded slowly.

"I understand." I whispered.

He kissed my forehead. "I promise you my family will get to the bottom of this. I'm going to pull the security footage and see that he was here. And when I find him, I'm going to rip his throat out and let him bleed to death."

I nodded and placed my head against his chest. He rubbed my back soothingly.

"Bella are you okay?" Carlisle asked, his arm looped through Esme's.

"I'll explain later dad. We should be getting to the park now." Edward said.

Esme rubbed my back as we headed to the limo. She didn't mention me shoving her, which I was thankful for. My mind was tired, yet somehow, buzzing like beehive.

My dad wanted his ashes spread across his favorite fishing spot, which was extremely close to a park where we would be finishing the ceremony. Esme had arranged for the diner and the local restaurant to cater plenty of food for everyone. My dad was very well liked and very popular in town, so it wouldn't be a small affair. I was glad Esme was here and had done all of this for me because I had been completely useless.

When I stepped out of the car, Carlisle handed me the urn. "Are you okay to spread his ashes?"

I nodded as I walked towards the beautiful lake. Everyone was arriving now, finding a seat in the group of seats by the lake. I stared down at the water, waiting for everyone to settle in.

Edward was standing beside me, gently rubbing my back. After a moment, he kissed the top of my head and then turned to everyone.

"Thank you all for coming. This was Charlie's favorite fishing spot and he had requested his ashes be spread here."

I took a step closer to the lake, submerging my feet in it. I probably looked completely insane, but I wanted to make sure he actually got into the lake. As I spread his ashes along the lake, a steady stream of tears fell down my cheeks.

Eventually, there was nothing left to spread. When that happened, I felt Edward wrap his arms around me.

"Let's go get you some new shoes baby. Your feet are going to get cold."

I choked on a sob but nodded and allowed him to help me out of the lake. The crowd has dispersed and were now under the tents, enjoying the food and talking. As we walked to the limo, my mother stepped in my way.

"This was a very lovely service," She said. "You really fit the role."

"What role?" I asked.

"Mob wife." She said very bluntly. "The life I tried to shelter you from. I can see you're already pretty immersed in it. I wish I could've saved you from it. It only gets harder, baby. You don't understand what's expected of you now."

"Mom I don't know what you're talking about."

She smiled softly. "He does. When he asks you to marry him, you'll see his true colors then. Men in the mob are not as kind as they seem. I need to go now. Before your grandfather decides to fly down here and snatch me back."

"What does that mean?" I asked as she brushed passed you.

"Aro never told you the true reason I left. Just know, had I stayed and married the abusive man he wanted me to marry, there would be no you."

"Renee, this is not the time nor the place," Edward said in a dark tone.

"He knows the man I was destined to marry and yet he still calls me a traitor. So what does that say about his personality?"

"Mom please stop. Please. I can't handle this." I sobbed as I moved passed her.

"Get used to this baby, this is how it is when you become apart of this life. That pain that's sitting in your heart right now will always be there." She snapped. "To him, you are a great prize, but it's not a compliment. He wants you for your lineage."

"I'm asking you kindly to leave." Edward nearly snarled. "You have no idea what Bella and I have."

"I know exactly what you want from my daughter. I know what all of the mob men want. They want a submissive wife who can bring them at least one son. Did you know my daughter doesn't want children? Will you get your own portatori di semi?"

Edward reached forward and snatched my mother's arm roughly. "Leave. Now."

"What does that mean?" I asked, grabbing Edward's arm.

"Tell her, lover boy," My mother said as she jerked her arm out of Edward's. "Or better yet, ask his father. He would know all about that."

"Go!" Edward shoved my mother roughly, his face red and his nostrils flaring. I knew him well enough to know when he was angry.

"Mom please go." I begged. "Just go. Maybe we can talk later."

My mother gave me a look. "Be careful Bella. You may be in love with this man, but you are still my daughter. Don't let him tie you down."

With that, she turned and walked to a black car. Edward didn't give me the chance to watch her leave as he scooped me up and walked me to the limo. I knew he was pissed; his arms were trembling.

"I think Alice has an extra pair of shoes. She always keeps it with her."

"What was my mother talking about?" I asked as I kicked my shoes off.

"Nothing. She's crazy as shit."

"No, she clearly struck a nerve. You're upset."

"I'm not talking about this," He snapped. "I'm finding you shoes. That's what I'm doing right now."

My eyes widened. "D-don't talk to me like that."

He sighed heavily, his shoulders falling. "I'm sorry I snapped."

I wrapped my arms around my chest and looked out of the window. Everyone was gathered under the tents, talking, and eating.

"Found them." He said as he turned back to me. "Are your tights wet?"

I reached under my dress and just took the tights off. "The dress is almost long enough."

"Good, you still look great." He said as he put the shoes on for me. He kissed the top of my foot then smiled at me. "Should we go back?"

"I kind of want to go back to the motel." I said as I pulled my knees up to my chest.

Edward sighed heavily. "Bella, I'm sorry I snapped."

"It's fine."

"No it's not. Don't retreat into yourself. I'm sorry. That was a nasty interaction and I'm sorry I grabbed your mother like I did. She just pissed me off."

"What was she talking about?" I asked.

He got quiet and tapped the window to alert the driver that we were ready to go. Edward sat down beside me, loosening his tie.

"Look, you know about my family and most of our traditions and shit. Some, and I mean a tiny bit of what she was saying was true. As a man of this family I want a wife who is my ride or die and I want kids. But we're both still very young so I can wait until you're ready."

"And if I'm never ready? I mean… there's no guarantee I'll want kids in five or ten years."

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He said as he kissed my cheek. "But I love you very much and I think we can overcome anything."

"And what she said about having a son? Is that expected of you?"

He let out a long sigh. "Yes. It's part of what's expected of me."

I didn't push for anymore information. I couldn't handle anymore, not today. Edward must've realized this because he just reached over and placed his hand on my knee. It was a quiet ride to the motel. Once we got there, I sighed in relief.

We'd be leaving Forks tomorrow morning at my request. I didn't want to stay here for longer than necessary. We'd be leaving with the Cullens on their private plane.

"Would you like to take a nap?" Edward asked as he shrugged off his jacket.

I kicked the shoes off and took the dress off. I unsnapped my bra then slid out of my panties. I jumped onto the bed and wiggled so that I was in the center and my head was on the pillows. Edward watched in curiosity.

"Can you please make me feel good?" I asked, opening up my knees. "I just… I want to feel something else. Please."

He stripped down to his boxers before crawling onto the bed with me. He nestled between my legs as he began teasing my nipples, tugging, and sucking, making me wither with pleasure.

Once my nipples were sufficiently hard enough, his lips moved down my torso, to my hips. He was doing a great job of distracting me. The events of the past several days now in the back of my mind as waves of pleasure washed over me.

He reached the place where I wanted him most. He held my thighs apart and licked in the way I loved. His tongue slowly circled my clit which made my hips strain and wriggle. When he began nibbling, I placed my hand on in my hair.

"Edward keep going!" I gasped. "I'm almost there!"

His index and middle finger found their way into my sensitive hole. I threw my head back and began moaning. His fingers curled, finding the very sensitive spot inside of my vagina that always made my legs shake.

Only a few moments of his ministrations were needed until I exploded. I gripped the sheets, my fists shaking as I came. Edward continued licking me, taking as much as he could and keeping me sailing on the high for as long as possible. It was wonderful.

"Better?" He asked, his voice husky.

I nodded, closing my eyes. "What did my mom mean?"

"She's crazy."

"The comment about asking your dad. Obviously it meant something. What did it mean?"

"Can we not talk about this now? Please," He said, moving up beside me.

"No, I want to talk about it now. What did she mean?"

He groaned, "Jeez it's just essentially means a surrogate."

"So, if I didn't want kids, you'd get a surrogate?"

"No."

I rolled over and looked at him. "Why did she bring up your dad?"

He inhaled deeply. "That's my parent's business. Maybe I'll tell you about it later."

I stared blankly at the wall. "What's expected of me?"

"Bella c'mon. Let's not do this now. Let's just take a nap. Or order pizza or something. I don't want to dive into all of this."

"Tell me."

He threw his hand over his face and groaned loudly. "Damn it. Why are you worried about this right now?"

"Because I need to know if I should continue this relationship."

Edward sat up quickly, pulling me with him.

"Continue this relationship? W-what do you mean by that?" He asked.

I looked down at my hands. "I need to know if what my mom said is true. I need to know if we should cut our losses so you can find someone more suitable to your lifestyle."

He roughly ran his hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ. Alright fine. You want to get into this now, we can get into this now. But look, we're still fucking young and nothing is set in stone."