MOTM:FFF Chapter 24 on AO3
MOTM:FFF Chapter 24 on Stars
MOTM:FFF Chapter 24 on Wattpad
I was working in my home office, addressing some concerns from my daily email from Rhonda. While Bella was recovering, I’d be telecommuting and researching other options for my company. If I needed to meet with a client, I’d do it using Skype or another online teleconferencing tools. In regard to the other aspect of my job, I was still mulling over my choices. Emmett was making a few decisions for our legitimate business, but since we’d returned from central Illinois, our illegal dealings had come to a virtual standstill.
I was oddly okay with that.
It was even quiet in New York. Anthony and Nina, after they returned to their condo on the upper east side, focused their attention on their restaurants and clubs. Nina even began working for a small law firm on a part time basis, handling simple cases.
Felipe and Esteban, on behalf of Los Muertos, sent flowers to my wife while she recuperated. She was uncertain as to how to respond. I sent a thank you for their help in finding Bella and for the flowers. Felipe responded, saying that he was happy that we were reunited. He also said that our alliance would remain intact, but he saw something change in me.
I wasn’t about to disagree.
Something did change.
How can I take that change and translate it into reality?
My mother and Bella were in the living room while I worked. Bella had grown to rely on my mom, especially after her ordeal with her own incubator. She needed assistance with her recuperation. There were things that a husband should not do for their wives, like wipe their asses after taking a shit or trying and failing at blow drying their hair. Yeah, that was a cluster of epic proportions. I tangled Bella’s hair so badly that my mother and Alice were afraid they’d have to cut out the snarls.
Regardless, the relationship between my mother and my wife had grown by leaps and bounds. I was happy for them. Bella got the mother she deserved and my wife got a mother who adored her, unconditionally.
“Edward,” Dad said as he ducked into the office.
“Hey, Dad,” I smiled, saving my work.
“I was none-too-subtly asked to get the hell out of the living room. Esme and Bella needed to have some girly time,” he said, sitting down on the leather sofa in my office. “I think Bella needed to talk to your mother about her recovery. Have you met with Dr. Moretti’s brother?”
“After talking with Moretti and his brother, we got a name of a female therapist who can help. She’s not in the organization, but she’s aware of the situation. I think Bella needs more than what Moretti’s brother can do and that is to come to grips with what her mother did to her, not the implications of her involvement in the organization. Does that make sense?” I asked.
“It does,” Dad nodded. “I want to talk to you about how you’re coping. Ever since you’ve pulled Bella from her mother’s clutches, you’ve looked torn. Talk to me, Edward.”
“Is it worth it?” I asked, point blank and staring out the window. “Is what we do worth it? I was fucked over three years ago. Bella was fucked over three weeks ago. When do you pack it in and say fuck it?”
Dr. Moretti's Office
Dr. Manny Moretti
Nurse Ellen
Edward and Bella's Volvo
Dr. Moretti's Twin Girls, Alessandra and Carina
Joseph Jr.
Joseph, Manny's husband
Jason Jenks
Claire
Sergeant Kevin Atkins
Jenks' car
