Chapter 12: Blackdog

Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move,

Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Ah, ah, child, way you shake that thing,
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way,
Watch your honey drip, can't keep away.



~Led Zepplin- Blackdog~




~Edward~



Heavy breathing and low moaning are the only things that fill the darkened room around us. Bella is writhing beneath me on the dark gold comforter with her dark hair fanned out around her head like a black silk halo. She gazes up at me from under her long, thick eyelashes and the sheer need reflected back at me nearly knocks me breathless as she reaches up, tangling her fingers into my hair. This woman looks at me like I am the most important man…no, like I’m the only man in her world. Instantly my raw carnal need for her calms and instead of wanting to devour her, I now want to worship her.



Tenderly, lovingly…because, well, because I am in love. For the first (and last) time, someone else is more important in my life than me. I want to spend the rest of my days loving and cherishing this amazing woman in my arms.



Yes, I am well aware that my vagina is showing…I just don’t give a fuck.



I never even imagined that it was possible for me to feel this way, so I can guaran-goddamn-tee you, I’m gonna enjoy every fucking minute…for the rest of my fucking life.



I brush a wayward strand of hair off of her forehead as I lean down to kiss her lips softly, reverently. I want to convey to her the depth of the emotions I am feeling at the moment. The combination of love, lust and need is overwhelming, making me feel vulnerable and a little on edge but at the same time, I want her to experience it with me...be lost in it with me.



Just as I snake out my tongue, about to deepen the kiss, Bella’s phone rings shrill in the heavy quietness of the atmosphere around us. “Let it ring…” she trails off, eagerly submitting to my kiss. Her lips are pillow soft and warm, molding easily to mine, and the heat radiating off of her tiny frame makes my mind hazy. I can feel the love pouring out of her through her fervent lips and gentle touch, making me impossibly hard. I never realized what a turn on it could be to care and be cared for so deeply. A deep moan escapes my throat as I rasp out, “God, I fucking love you.” Moving my mouth to the side of her neck to place wet, open mouthed kisses along her pulse point while skimming my nose along her jaw, inhaling deeply. I just can’t seem get close enough to her.



She lifts her knee, winding her smooth creamy leg around my thigh as she curls her arm underneath and around my shoulder, clutching herself to me as she arches her back, grinding against my straining arousal. Her lips are slightly parted and her head is thrown back as her breath hitches. She is glorious and she is all fucking mine. That thought alone spurs a frantic determination to be inside her. Relaxing the grip she has on my shoulder, she skims her hand down the expanse of my bare back leaving a trail of fire in its wake.



Sitting back on my heels, I pull her to a sitting position so I can discard the shirt she is wearing and then reach around to unhook the red lacy bra, taking the time to admire how beautiful the color looks against her flawless pale skin. I attach my mouth to her collarbone as I gently pull the delicate garment from her body, moving my attention down to the swell of her breast as I wind my arms tightly around her waist, pulling her up to straddle my thighs. She is so small and feminine and I relish the feeling of how her long silky hair tickles my thigh when her head rolls back and how very little weight there is against my arm when her body bows backward as I run the flat of my palm down between her full, soft breasts.



She is so beautiful.



Just as I lean forward to take one of her pert nipples into my mouth Bella’s phone rings again.



“Fuck,” I mutter as I reach over to the nightstand picking up her phone and not bothering to look at the caller id as bark into the offending device, “What?” I still have a squirming Bella on my lap who has now attached her hot little mouth to the base of my throat, working her way down.



A gruff male voice snaps back at me, “Where is Bella, and why are you answering her phone?”



I don’t fucking think so…



“Who the fuck is this?” I spit, immediately enraged that some asshole is fucking calling my woman asking questions that are none of his goddamn business. I feel Bella stiffen at the sound of his voice and I shoot her a questioning glance. She reaches for the phone just as he retorts, “This is her father…who the fuck are you?”



Oh, shit.



My eyes widen with the shock of panic that is surging through me. Bella takes the phone from me as she scrambles off of my lap and situates herself against the headboard, pulling the sheet up around her naked torso. I have never been more embarrassed in my life. I cannot believe that I spoke to her father that way. Way to go Cullen. I know I have just ruined any shot of having a good relationship with him. I look up at her with pleading eyes feeling physically sick at the thought of her being mad at me. God, I am such a fuck-up.



Lucky for me, she just shakes her head and smirks at me. And if I’m not mistaken, she looks somewhat amused. Huh. I finally come to my senses long enough to hear what she is saying into the phone as she summons me to the top of the bed while patting her lap. Like the good compliant boyfriend that I am, I crawl to where she is sitting and lay down on my stomach, resting my head on her thigh and wind my arms tightly around her hips. She starts running her hand through my hair immediately and the heaviness in my heart starts to subside. I know this is her way of reassuring me that she is not mad at me.



“…he is important. Yes, we were just going to bed…yes, dad…of course we share a bed…I told you, he’s important…very important…I know that…he is my forever…okay, I will…September 8th, and yes you’ll meet him then…yes…he’s coming with me to Seattle…we’ll talk about that later…okay…I’ll call you soon…I love you…bye, dad.”



She tosses her iPhone back onto the nightstand after she ends the call and turns to me. “Nice impression you made on my father,” she teases with a wicked glint in her eye while she scoots her body down to lay facing me on the bed. The tone she uses suggests that she either isn’t that concerned with what he now undoubtedly thinks of me, or that he wasn’t as upset as I thought. I decide to apologize anyway, because I don’t want her to fight with her father over me, or worse, have to constantly defend our relationship.



“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to your father that way…I shouldn’t have even answered your phone.” I peek up at her from under my eyelashes, trying for innocently chastised and I know I have succeeded when a beautiful smile overtakes her face. “You are ridiculous Edward Cullen. We both know you are not one bit sorry for answering my phone the way you did…you are only sorry that it ended up being my father.” I smile sweetly at her, not saying a word because she is absolutely fucking correct. This, of course, makes her laugh before she adds, “I would have done the same thing if I had answered your phone to find some unknown chick on the other end, ciccino…don’t beat yourself up. Besides, you’ll be punished enough when you meet him in person.” Her following laughter does nothing to ease the anxiety I feel, and my resulting scowl only makes her laugh harder.



Her giggles eventually die down, giving away to silence. I lay across her chest letting my mind wander while thoroughly enjoying the feel of her hands as they scratch lightly through my scalp and wander idly down my back. She completes the circuit several times before I finally work up the courage to voice a concern that has been plaguing me ever since her revelation about her past relationship.



“Bella?” my voice sounds small and unsure even to my own ears.



“Yeah?” It is obvious that she has picked up on the hesitance in my voice by the timid way she answers.



I tighten my grip on her as if somehow that will ensure that I will hear the words I am longing for. I am so fucking afraid to hear the confirmation of my worst fears, but at the same time, not knowing is worse. Taking a deep breath, I steel my resolve and blurt out the question that has been looming over me like a dark cloud.



“Do you still have feelings for him?” My words come out in a mere whisper and it is almost shocking how much I sound like an insecure little boy. Pussy. I roll my eyes at how ridiculous I’m being. Does it really matter if she does have some lingering feelings for the bastard? Does that somehow make her feelings for me any less real? I know that part of the reason this uncertainty is eating at me is because I can’t stand the idea of some other motherfucker possessing even a small part of her. I desperately want to be the only one she loves and I really fucking hate that she ever looked at someone else the way she looks at me.



She is thoughtful, momentarily stilling her movements before she declares, “No, not anymore.” As much as I want this statement to be enough, there is something in the way she says it that leads me to believe there is more to her declaration that she needs to say. My stomach feels uneasy as I lay quietly, waiting for her to finish her statement.



“I’m not going to lie, ciccino, I did when we first met. I think that was a large part of the hesitation you felt from me. Everything is so different with you, it was a little confusing to say the least. No one has ever really known me, and for you to so readily accept me without any indication that I should dress or act differently made me feel out of sorts. I didn’t really know what to do. Then to hear that you had no previous girlfriends to compare myself to, I really had nothing to mold myself after…it just left me, Bella. It still amazes me that you want to be with me, you could literally have anyone in the world and yet you want and you choose me…it’s astonishing.



“Once I started to realize that it really is me that you want, whatever lingering feelings I had for him started to dissipate. It’s an incredible feeling to have someone love you just the way you are. I hate that it took almost losing you for me to realize that what we have is real, it just seemed too good to be true. I’m so glad I was wrong about that. I didn’t know that it could, that it should be like this…”



Her voice trails off and when I chance a peek at her beautiful face I see that she is deep in thought. Before I get a chance to respond, however, she adds, “I realize now that I never loved him…that isn’t what love is. This is what love is. I’m so glad I never said those words to him…they are your words, they belong only to you.”



“Did you ever call him ciccino?” I know that I am being unreasonable and selfish, but I don’t want her to call me that if she called him that.



The tenderness in her expression lets me know that she understands where I’m coming from as she answers, “No…only you.”



Satisfied by her answer, I close my eyes and focus on the soothing motion of her hands as they explore my upper back and head. Just as I am drifting off I hear her soft voice, “It’s what my Nonni calls my Nonno. I would never use it on just anyone.”



Her revelation makes my heart swell and I can’t help the grin that breaks out on my face as I hug her tiny form closer to me, “I love you, baby.”



I feel her plant a soft kiss in my hair as she murmurs, “I love you, too.” I allow myself to succumb to sleep because quite honestly, the combination of talking about him along with the phone call from her father has seriously killed the mood. There is always morning…



I wake up to a freshly showered and dressed Bella straddling my waist planting wet sloppy kisses all over my face. She obviously thinks this shit is the funniest thing she has ever seen by the way she is giggling. Easily flipping her over and attacking her sides, I scowl at her while I tickle her until she is breathless and shrieking out ‘Uncle! Uncle!’ between her fits of laughter. She looks up at me with shining eyes as she explains, “I just wanted to kiss you before I leave to pick Seth and Sam up from the airport. I know you are recording today, so I figured I would do a little sightseeing with them. Lizzy, Esme and Alice are coming as well. I thought about asking the ice queen, but I dunno…what do you think?”



I can’t help but laugh at how excited she is; all of that came out with hardly a breath. “I think Rosalie is a bitch, but if you want to extend an invitation, go ahead…I don’t care. She might be hanging out with Tanya, though.” I reach out to push her bangs out of her eyes and then lean down to place a sweet kiss on her mouth before announcing, “I gotta piss,” as I push off the bed and head to the bathroom. This earns an eye roll and an exasperated smile. I hear her yell out ‘see you later, ciccino, I love you’ as she leaves.



Feeling much better after my shower, I join my father and Alec in the kitchen. Nodding his head toward the oven, my dad informs me that mom has left French toast warming for me. After practically drowning my breakfast in syrup, I take a seat at the table and dig in. It is fucking delicious, all warm and cinnamony. My dad shakes his head in disgust at the way I’m practically inhaling my food as he sips his coffee and goes back to reading the paper. He can be such a pretentious motherfucker sometimes. “What?” I snap at him with my mouth full. “Nothing,” he chuckles, “So, what time are you meeting Aro?”



“One,” I manage between bites. I swear to fucking god, I eat like a goddamn savage. It is obvious that Aro is not what he wants to talk about, subtle he is not so I sit quietly waiting for him to bring up the topic he really wants to discuss.



“So…things are serious with Bella?”



Bingo.



I don’t bother to answer because the question is obviously rhetorical, and he better not fucking think that he is going to sit here and question our relationship or speak ill of her. Just as I start to bristle he continues.



“She’s good for you, I’ve never seen you this happy. I’m really glad for you, son.”



“Thanks.” I let his words roll through my mind for a moment and I find that I’m glad to have his approval. I meant what I said about it not mattering if they accepted her or not, but I have to admit that it is nice that they do.



“Uhm, I’m planning to move with her to Seattle while she finishes school. Well, I’ll be there as much as I can while we finish up the U.S. tour anyway…” I let that statement hang in the air really wanting to express just how much she means to me without having to talk about my feelings like a fucking pussy.



“I expected as much.” My father’s voice is calm and accepting which makes me relax further into the conversation. “Your mother will be thrilled,” he adds with a smirk. I know he is right, my mother will be ecstatic to have me just a short plane ride away.



“Yeah,” I smile. “I don’t know where we will go after she graduates, though. I suspect somewhere in the southwest; she is working on a project and it would make it easier for her if we were in that region.” I say this without putting much thought into my statement and it makes me giddy to think about our future and how her book will have an impact on where we go next. We…I fucking love that thought.



My father’s amused voice pulls me from my reverie, “You’ve got it fucking bad, son.” I have almost forgotten that Alec is sitting with us until he snickers. Asshole. I turn and glare at him before considering my father’s observation.



Instead of pissing me off, though, his comment makes me laugh. “I guess I do.”



“I don’t blame you, she’s precious…not to mention hot as fuck. Damn, Edward, you hit the motherfucking jackpot with that one.” I notice Alec nodding his head in agreement in my peripheral vision.



I chuckle at his comment, “You don’t know the fucking half of it,” I goad with a cocky smirk, causing him to raise an eyebrow and shake his head with an exasperated groan before scrubbing his hand down his face.



The silence that follows is heavy but not uncomfortable as I contemplate whether or not I want to verbalize the thoughts running rapid through my mind. I risk a glance at my father who looks equally lost in thought and decide to just get it all out there.



“I, uh, I think she’s the one…” the words are wrong as they leave my mouth and I quickly backpedal, “No…I know she’s the one.” My father’s deep blue eyes soften as I make my declaration, and I rub the back of my neck awkwardly as I continue, “It’s like I’ve been waiting for her all of my adult life. I honestly thought I would be an eternal bachelor since I never even thought about settling down before, ya know, but now that I’ve met her…fuck, dad, I want it all.” His eyes flash to me and a small smile creeps across his face as the words keep flowing from my mouth, “The ring, the kids, the house, the fucking dog…everything. It’s kind of scary how fast this is all happening, but it just feels right. I don’t know, I can’t explain it…”



“When it’s right, it just is. There is no explaining it because words just aren’t big enough.” I nod, taking a moment to just absorb what he is saying before lifting my eyes to meet his. “Don’t try to put a timeline on what you feel, Edward, just let it happen and don’t be afraid, because when you finally completely give yourself over to it, it’s a goddamn beautiful fucking thing.” Scrubbing my hand over my face, feeling the scratchiness of the three day old stubble I’ve got going on, I take a deep breath, ready to change the fucking subject because I can literally feel my balls crawling up inside my body.



“Let’s get the fuck out of here, boys, before we start braiding each other’s hair and shit. I’m too fucking old to turn into a pussy now.” I laugh at my old man and wonder how this hard-ass fits together with the man talking about ‘beautiful emotions’ not five minutes before. I guess he is testament to the fact that you can love your woman completely but still maintain your edge. Thank fucking Christ for that.



Recording with Aro is fucking exhausting, to say the least. I have to keep chanting to myself that this is a fantastic opportunity and that I can’t fuck it up with my temper. It certainly doesn’t help matters that the first thing he asks as we filter inside the studio is, “Where’s that little girl you were with at the party? You know, the one with the lips and legs? You already send her packing?” Not only does it piss me off that he is thinking about her lips, but also that he assumes that I have discarded her already. Asshole. Lucky for me, the rest of the guys agree.



Despite the tension floating around the room, we manage to get three tracks recorded, and Aro assures us that he will work on mixing them when he gets back to LA. All in all, I have to say that he pushed us harder that we have ever pushed ourselves and if the rough cuts are any indication, the finished product will be fucking fantastic, making the stressful afternoon worthwhile. I let my mind wander momentarily to Bella as we say our thank you’s and arrange for him and his associates to see the show tomorrow night. I am planning to sing the song she inspired me to write and to be perfectly honest, I’m a little nervous. I’m not nervous about her reaction because I know she will love it no matter what, but I guess I’m a little nervous about verbalizing my feelings to the world. I don’t want them to think that I’ve gone soft, so to speak.



Oh, well. What the fuck do I really care what the world thinks anyway?



By the time we arrive at the house, Seth and the girls have already ordered pizza and beer and are digging in heartily. I laugh when Seth mutters, “Thank God, I need some more testosterone to balance this shit out,” as he waves his hands around the room to all the women. “I have had enough female bonding to last a fucking lifetime,” he announces as he gets up to grab another beer making the women burst into giggles. Striding over to Bella, I lean down to kiss her lips threading my hand into the hair at the back of her head. It is such a relief to have her in my arms after spending most of the day apart. It’s a little frightening how much I missed her this afternoon.



“I missed you today,” her beautiful voice pulls me from my musings and it makes me feel better that she felt the same way.



“Me too.” I plant one last kiss to her sweet mouth before getting some pizza and sitting on the floor in front of the couch where she is sitting. Conversation flows freely and easily throughout dinner and it solidifies, in my mind, just how seamlessly Bella and Seth fit into my life. I can only hope it works the other way around when we get to Seattle. I shudder at the memory of how my pseudo conversation went with her father last night, making me dread the day I meet the man face to face.



Tugging on my hair, Bella leans down to whisper in my ear, “I have something I want to discuss with you. Preferably before everyone calls it a night.” I turn my head only to find her beautiful brown eyes shining with happiness and determination, calming my initial nerves somewhat. Standing, I notice that she shoots a conspiring look at Alec as I take her hand and lead her out onto the patio out back. Just as I settle myself into one of the lounge chairs expecting her to join me, she pauses chewing on her bottom lip before darting back inside calling over her shoulder that she will be right back.



I have to admit that the way she is acting is putting me a little on edge, but then again, she looked so happy earlier…that thought alone is enough to relax me, yet leave me curious. She returns quickly with a piece of paper clutched in her hand. Sitting in my lap, she takes a deep breath and then hands the drawing over to me. I can tell by her stiff posture that she is holding her breath, probably waiting for my reaction. Understanding dawns on me as I study the sketch and my breath hitches before I snap my eyes to meet her worried gaze.



Throwing my arms around her tiny body, I burry my face in her neck. My voice sounds breathless with disbelief when I am finally able to form words, “You really want to do this?” I am overwhelmed by the enormity of the gesture and deeply touched by the significance of drawing. I’m the one…I’m her forever. I heard her speak the words last night on the phone with her father, but for her to offer this…it’s extraordinary. It also gives me a semblance of comfort to know that we are on the same page with our feelings.



“Yes…I’m sure about you, I’m sure about us. My soul recognizes its other half in you, the timeline is irrelevant.” The sincerity and strength in her voice is all the assurance I need. “My dad said the same thing this morning,” I mutter as I capture her lips, pouring all of my devotion into the kiss. “Yes, well, let’s just say that your parents share the same ideas about destiny and love. I had a nice chat with your mom this morning as well.”



I pull back to look at the piece of paper that she handed to me, examining the drawing closely. It is an intricate circular pattern made up entirely of interlocking infinity symbols, but the amazing part about it is that there is a subtle ‘E’ worked in without ever breaking the pattern. You have to look closely to see it, but it is there. I can’t believe that she wants to mark herself with me. My symbol, my initial…mine. That thought alone makes my dick hard as steel. She will be marked as mine, for fucking eternity.



“I talked to Alec and Lizzy about it this morning and this is what they came up with. He used the circle to represent my bracelet-never ending- and the infinity symbol for your pendant- also never ending- I requested that your name be present as well, but he said it would look better if it was only the E. I can put your whole name somewhere else, eventually.” Her eyes flash up to me filled with emotion, as hold her tightly to me, placing kisses all over her face. I fucking love this woman.



“Where do you intend to put this?” I ask, wiggling the paper in my hand.



“Uhm, on the back of my neck, I think.” Her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she continues, “I was thinking that eventually, uh, if we were to marry…someday…uh, I would add the date vertically underneath.” She is red as a tomato by the time she stumbles through her explanation. It is cute as hell, especially since I have never seen my girl this self-conscious before. I’m used to my self-assured vixen. Deciding to let her off the hook before she nixes the whole idea, I trail my lips to her ear, “I think that is a wonderful idea, baby.” Pulling back to plant a wet kiss on her mouth, I add, “Would you mind very much if I asked Alec to whip one up for me?” It’s surprising how I suddenly feel shy about asking, I mean, what if she thinks it’s stupid and cheesy to have matching tattoos.



Before I can dwell too much in my thoughts, she smiles sheepishly and says, her voice barely above a whisper, “I already had him draw one up…you know, just in case. I mean, I don’t want you to feel obligated, since it’s kind of corny, but…”



“Baby, I’m touched. And yes, it is corny, but I don’t give a fuck.” I accentuate my declaration with a deep passionate kiss effectively putting an end to all the self-doubt unnecessarily passing between us. “Can I see mine?”



She produces a folded up piece of paper from her back pocket and I gasp. It is fucking incredible. It is the same concept as Bella’s only larger and much more masculine. I didn’t even realize how delicate and feminine hers is until I placed them side by side. Alec is fucking brilliant. I smirk at the thought that she hoped I would want to do this together.



“Let’s do it,” I announce to her as I stand, wrapping my arm around her waist. I figure that I can bring up the scene I asked Alec to work on for my right forearm with her while we get these done. I know he won’t be anywhere near having anything to show us, especially since he’s been working on these, but I can at least let her know and get her input.



We walk back into the living room hand in hand and my eyes immediately scan the room for Alec. He merely raises his eyebrow in question when my gaze locks on his, prompting me to give him a slight nod. He immediately gets up heading for the room he is occupying and quickly returns with the suitcase that holds his equipment.



“Let’s do it in the kitchen,” he prompts gesturing for us to follow him. “Hey, is there a printer here? I would rather make stencils than go at it freehand.”



“Uh, yeah. There’s one in the study, it a printer/scanner/copier all in one. Do you need my laptop?”



He proceeds to set his equipment up as I take my laptop into the study, quickly scribbling my password on a scrap piece of paper and leaving it on the keyboard for him for when he is ready, and then join Bella in the kitchen to discuss and finalize our designs.



With Lizzy’s input, I decide to make the ‘B’ a little more prominent which is an easy fix that will transpire during the shading process. Luckily it does not require for him to alter the original drawing. Bella decides to leave hers in it’s original form, stating that it is perfect the way it is. We both agree to use only black ink, keeping it simple so not to distract from the detail of the artwork.



When Alec returns, he raises his eyebrow at me with a smirk. “Nice video collection, bro, but close it out next time you let someone else log into your computer. I think I might be blind after seeing your crazy ass grunting like a fucking ape.”



“Fuck you,” I retort while flipping him off, but wonder briefly how one of our videos ended up open…I distinctly remember closing it out after we watched the last one, they are even stored under a secret name. I push the uneasy feeling away, deciding that there is no way anyone could have gotten access to my computer and even if they did, they wouldn’t know what to look for. “Oh. My. God. Brain bleach! Brain Bleach! That is some fucking disgusting imagery my man just provided of you, Edward. I could have lived my whole life never knowing about your homemade porn collection.” My sister cuts in, scrunching up her nose in disgust. She turns her head quickly to face Alec, causing her dark auburn hair to swing around her shoulders, “Does Bella look hot though?” I shoot her a questioning glance because fuck, why does she even care…



“I don’t fucking know, babe, one look at his white ass and I closed that shit out A-S-A-fucking-P,” he chokes out, trying unsuccessfully to hold back his laughter.



“I love his ass,” Bella cuts in, glaring at Lizzy and Alec before turning you me, “You have the sexiest ass I’ve ever seen. Don’t listen to them…they‘re just jealous.”



Smirking, I lean over to plant a kiss to Bella’s sexy mouth then add another to her temple while I whisper an apology, stating that I must not have closed it out, to which she replies that we were rather distracted and accentuates her statement with a sexy as fuck smirk and a wink. It is at this moment that I notice the light glinting off of the diamond nestled into the skin below her eye. It is small and tasteful, and…



Fuck, it looks sexy.



“You do this today?” I ask, gently caressing the skin beside her new piercing. She nods her head slowly “You like?” There is nothing else for me to say but, “Fuck yes, you look good in diamonds.” My enthusiasm makes her giggle as she turns her attention back to where Alec is setting up. She looks like a kid on Christmas, so when he asks who wants to go first we both indicate her.



“It’s not a diamond, you dumbass,” Lizzy sasses at me with a roll of her sapphire blue eyes. “You’re gonna have to have one made. I made you a list of jewelers and gave Bella a couple of extras so you can take one to them to use as a template. Yes, you can thank me now for setting it all up for you, since I know you are romantically retarded.”



“Thanks…you are such a fucking sweetheart,” I deadpan, narrowing my eyes at my annoyingly awesome little sister.



“You eat with that mouth, big brother?” she snarks with a chuckle.



Raking my eyes up and down Bella’s body while licking my lips, I retort, “You’re goddamn fucking right I do, every chance I get.” Bella turns beet red but manages to laugh while Alec scolds me to not make his client move, and Lizzy lets out a defeated groan with an ‘eeewww, Edward, you are so fucking gross’ making me laugh exuberantly. I really fucking miss having my sister around.



Turning my attention to my girl, I have to admit that it is so fucking hot to watch as Alec brands me into her skin, for the whole world to see…forever. She stays mostly quiet except for a few breathy moans which, admittedly, makes my dick twitch in my pants. Finally ninety minutes later she is finished. It looks fucking beautiful. I am shocked by the amount of raw emotion that rushes over me and I clamp my eyes shut tightly to fight back the tears that are threatening to push past my eyelids as I wrap my arms around her. I refuse to let anyone see me cry, I don‘t care how sentimental I feel at the moment…I am not a fucking pussy.



I feel her press her lips to my neck muttering how much she loves me before we switch places and Alec goes to work on my neck. My whole body relaxes at the familiar sting of the tattoo needle and before I know it, Alec is cleaning me up. When I look over at Bella, she has tears in her eyes as she practically pounces on me. Her lips and hands are everywhere, making me chuckle. At the same time, however, I know exactly how it feels to be on the observing end of what we just experienced, so I happily indulge her overzealous emotions, kissing and wiping away her tears.



Lizzy takes pictures of our fresh ink for Alec’s portfolio, lightly teasing me about getting corny ass matching tats, while he cleans up his makeshift workstation. Completely ignoring Lizzy’s comment, I briefly chat with him about waiting until Christmas to work on my arm to which he breathes a sigh of relief, stating he would definitely appreciate the extra time to create a scene we would all be happy with. By this time, everyone has filtered in to get a glimpse of our tattoos giving compliments and jests in kind. My father merely nods as he slaps me on the back and my mother can’t stop petting and pawing at us while tears of happiness stream down her face.



I guess I didn’t realize just how hard my solitary lifestyle had been on my parents, my mother in particular. She had been resolved to the notion that she would never see me truly happy and in love with a life partner and a family. The relief in her eyes is almost excruciating in its intensity and it makes me feel a little guilty that I caused her so much despair over the years, although I would not change waiting for Bella for anything.



Finally managing to escape from my mother’s embrace, I wander to the hall bathroom looking for some aspirin. I know that between the piercing and the detailed tattoo Bella endured today, she will be pretty fucking sore in a couple of hours. It’s the least I can do considering that she is always fucking taking care of me. I return to the kitchen just as Alec is dressing her tat, and offer her the aspirin before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. She takes them from me with a grateful smile, mouthing a ‘thank you’ as he finishes up with the dressing.



It finally seems like everything in my life is perfect, like nothing can bring me down.