A Woman of Conviction Ch 20

Chapter 20

EPOV

Watching Bella coordinate with my mom, Alice, Rose, and Tanya makes me smile. Today is Lucian's party, and the first one Bella has gotten to plan and pay for.

Bella and the boys started family therapy and one-on-one sessions two weeks ago to help with everything that has happened with Jake, finding out they have sisters, and for Bella to process Charlie. Lucian wants to write letters and get to know them. Damon doesn’t care, or maybe he just doesn’t understand yet. Bella is on the fence about Lucian reaching out. This is still on the burner as they continue to go through counseling.

Charlie called her and invited to her to Thanksgiving dinner, hoping that maybe they can start seeing each other regularly and he can get to know the boys. After she nearly broke her phone, we had Thanksgiving at my parents’ house with Tanya and Irina attending also.

“Da-Edward, do you think you could have Mom just calm down a little bit?” Lucian quickly corrects himself, but I want to jump up and down like a thirteen-year-old girl every time he and Damon do that.

“She’s just excited,” I chuckle.

“Mom is embarrassing me in front of my friends. I’m 11, I don’t need all this.”

I wrap my arm around his shoulders and bring him into me. “Hey, let your mom have this, bud.”

“Okay,” he sighs and walks away to where Mike is playing games with Damon.

“Edward, you got the cake, right?”

I turn to Bella, who looks so beautiful today with her hair braided to the side and a fall-colored dress and black leggings to go with it.

“Yes, baby, I put it in the upstairs fridge since we ran out of space down here.” She nods and walks away. I practically live here; I have clothes in the closet and I stay here seven out of seven nights.

I walk back over to where the men are huddled around trying to not get in the way.

“Hey, guys,” I greet Jasper, Emmett, and my dad.

“Hey, when are you finally going to get the guts to ask her to live with you and let you adopt them boys?” Emmett says immediately. It’s not the first time that I’ve been asked this question from my family. I think every single one of them pulled me aside during Thanksgiving and asked the same question.

I sigh, looking at Bella tilt her head back laughing at whatever Rose said. “Tonight, when the kids are in their rooms.”

The party is successful. Lucian had several friends from school and from the football team. I don’t think I have ever seen Lucian smile so much, and I don’t think I have ever seen Bella look so happy about anything.

Once everyone is gone, and the boys have passed out, Bella and I are comfortable on the couch. I try to work myself up to spit it out; we love each other, and we are already living together, technically. I’m making circles on her arm instead of talking. I should start with the facts, maybe.

“You know the closet in there is kind of full of all our clothes. Maybe we should find a bigger one.” That’s subtle, right?

I can feel her eyes burn a hole in the side of my head as she stares at me. I finally look at her.
“What do you mean, look for a bigger one?” I can see her hands trembling, her nervous tick on full display.

I need to bite the bullet. “I mean, maybe we could start looking for a house for all of us to live in.”
Her eyes widen, and her lips create an O.

“I love you, Bella, and I love those boys. I want us to live together as a family. I want to marry you and adopt them. I want more babies with you, if you want, I mean.” I am the CEO of a billion-dollar company and I can’t seem to stop rambling.

She crashes her lips to mine, helping me to shut up, and then quickly pulls away. “Yes, I want all of that with you.”

“Thank God.” I kiss her again with passion.

We discuss the possible move with the kids, and all they want is to be able to stay at their school. Easy to do.

Christmas is close, and Bella has been crazy with her projects and shopping and now we have begun house hunting.

“Edward, hun, I have to meet with Heidi, are you okay for your two o’clock?” Bella hollers at me from her desk.

“Yes, love, I’m good. Tell Heidi I need those final numbers.”

She walks up to me with her bitch brow firmly in place. “We’re talking about that when I get there. I’ll have those numbers when I get back.”

I can’t help but smile. “See you later.” I peck her lips and watch her ass swing back and forth while she walks away. God has given me the perfect woman.

“You haven’t aged a bit.” I hear the sound of nails on a chalkboard enter my office.

My body freezes, and my eyes finally get the motivation to look up. Her makeup reminds me of a clown, her hair is fried and more blonde than I remember. She has a skirt suit on with too many buttons undone. And she’s gained at least twenty-five pounds since I saw her last.

“You have,” I reply, looking at my clock. “I don’t know what you want, nor do I really care, but I have a meeting.” I stand up and button my jacket.

“I know, I’m your two o’clock,” she purrs happily.

I narrow my eyes. “What the fuck do you want?”

She walks in and takes a seat. “I have to talk to you about our kid.”

Kid? She is fucking crazy. “We don’t have a kid together; according to you, you were never pregnant. And since I needed to know for sure, I had a private investigator dig into it. So, no, Kate, we don’t have a fucking kid.” I need to calm my fucking nerves. I take a seat again before I lunge over the desk and hit her.

She smirks. “Not getting one past you.”

“What the fuck do you want, Kate?” I ask again in an eerily calm voice.

She looks at her manicured nails. “I want you.” She flicks her eyes back on me.

I sit there stunned at her admission. And disgusted that she thought she could walk in here and say that. “Too fucking bad, I don’t want you.” Her eyes widen. “You really can’t be that fucking dumb,” I say, astonished. “I think that bleach on your hair fried your brain.”

“You wanted me then, and you and I know you never got over me.”

This woman is fucking psycho. “I got over you, and the shit storm you left me in.”

“Come on, baby.” She gets up and leans on my desk, showing so much cleavage I feel physically ill.

“Dad.” My head whips up to Lucian and Damon. I can’t help but smile at Lucian calling me dad.

“Hey, kids,” I smile, thanking every god that they just saved me.

Kate straightens up quickly and looks at the boys like they’re something on the bottom of her shoe.

Use self-control, Edward.

“Where’s Mom?”

“She had to meet with Heidi, why don’t you guys go wait in the lounge? I’ll be done here in a minute.” I smile.

Lucian gives Kate the stink eye. I know, kid.

Kate looks back at me. “You don’t have any kids.”

I stand up. “Yes, I do, and I’m in love with their mother. I’m only going to say this once. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me.”

She stomps her foot, screams, and walks out. Thank fucking God! I walk out to the boys staring at me with questioning eyes.

“Who was she?” Damon fires off.

“She was a woman I used to date long before I met your mom,” I answer simply.

“What did she want?” Lucian asks the next question.

“She’s not getting anything, so it doesn’t matter. How was school?” I effectively change the subject.
They begin to talk animatedly about their day.

Bella gets back with a large victorious smile and waves a file in my face. “I got the numbers, lover boy.”

I take the file and look it over. “When do you guys expect to launch?”

“January eighth.” She collapses in my lap and looks at our kids.

“Hello, my children, what should we do for dinner tonight?”

“Pizza!” they shout together.

“Pizza, it is.”

Later that night, with the kids off doing homework and what not, I decide to tell Bella about my horrific meeting.

She isn’t pleased. “What the actual hell?” she seethes.

“Lucian crushed all her hope, he came up and called me Dad.” I’m sure the megawatt smile gives away how happy I am about that.

Her anger melts and I watch her look at me with so much love. “I bet you loved that.”

“More than I can say. I don’t think we have to worry about her anymore.” I peck her lips, but she has other things on her mind and deepens the kiss.

I groan, flipping her over onto the couch. My dick is as hard as a rock grinding into her.

“Shit, we have to wait. Kids.”

My forehead falls to the crook of her neck. “I think it's bedtime.”

She starts laughing.

I can’t help but join her.