Mafia Princess

Chapter One-Hundred Eighty-Seven

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 187

EPOV

We drove back to the safe house after we gave our testimony. Bella crashed in the car. She had had an emotional day. Hell, we both did. Seeing those photos from when she was brought into the emergency room in Portland brought back horrific memories. I wanted to run up to the witness stand and cover her eyes, hug the shit out of her and just make all of this go away. Stoically, she sat there, toying with her ring.

Once court was adjourned, Carlisle led us down the back way. There was a media circus on the front steps of the courthouse. We didn't want to subject Bella to that, so we managed to get her out through a side entrance. Once inside of the SUV, she collapsed against me, crying quietly. I held her and when I looked down at her on the highway, she was asleep. Parking the SUV at the safe house, Jasper helped in carrying Bella inside. I didn't have the strength in my arms to carry her due to the recovery of my surgery. It was abundantly clear when I lifted her inside of the conference room. I needed to use the wall to hold up her slight frame.

Jasper carried her, placing Bella on her bed. "Carlisle and I are going to go. Bella needs you, Edward. I'm certain she doesn't want an audience," he said.

"Thanks, Jas," I said, gently hitting his shoulder. He turned to leave and I heard the car pull out of the driveway. Bella and I were at the whim of my dad and Jasper. Turning, I went back into Bella's room and removed her shoes from her feet. I covered her with a blanket while I went to change out of my suit and into something much more comfortable. I put on a pair of workout pants along with a long-sleeve t-shirt.

I debated on changing Bella, but she still freaked out whenever my hands were on her bare skin. However, she couldn't be comfortable in her black pant suit. Against my better judgment, I sat down and brushed her soft, chestnut hair away from her face. "Little One, wake up." She groaned. "I know you're tired, but you've got to change out of your suit."

"Ugh," she moaned, sitting up. She looked around and noticed we were in her room in the safe house. "How did I get here?"

"Jasper carried you. You passed out in the car ride here," I said. "What do you want to wear?"

"Yoga pants and one of your sweatshirts," she said, getting out of bed. She unbuttoned her jacket before slipping into the bathroom. I picked out a pair of black yoga pants and got my Harvard Law sweatshirt from my duffel. I knocked on the bathroom door, holding the respective clothing. "Come in, Edward."

I opened the door and saw Bella sitting on the edge of the tub. Her shirt was off and she was sitting in her white bra and matching panties. I willed my dick to behave. She was sniffling. "Little One?" I whispered, crouching in front of her. "Talk to me, baby."

"I'm ugly," she whimpered, glaring at her scars on her body. "Seeing those pictures..."

"Bella, you're not ugly," I said. "The scars will fade." She glowered at me, pulling down her panties to show me the particularly nasty scar on her hip where her swan once was. I looked up into her eyes, cupping her face. "I'd rather have you be scarred then dead, Bella. This," I whispered, touching her bare hip, "can be covered, it can go away. I love you with and without your scars." I quickly pulled my hand away.

"No, touch me," she whispered.

"Not in here. You're tired and I want you to lay down," I said, taking her hand and leading her to the bed. "Get comfy, Little One."

She lay down, scowling at her body. She wasn't as 'ugly' as she believed. She had two relatively nasty scars: the one on her hip and the other on her leg from her two surgeries. I climbed into the bed with her, caressing her cheek. "You're strong, beautiful and amazing, Bella. The scars do not define who you are. When I see you, I see Isabella del Cigno...my girlfriend and the love of my life." Tenderly, I moved my hand down to safe territory. Running my fingers along her arms, I reveled in the softness of her skin.

"Why can't I move past the scars? The fear of being touched" she asked.

"It takes time," I answered, still caressing her arms until I reached her wrists. Picking up her hands, I gently kissed each of them, almost trying to erase the gouges in her skin from the handcuffs. "I'm still struggling with it and probably always will. But, you need to know your triggers. What you can handle and what you can't. Are you okay?"

"Yes," she breathed, staring at my hands.

"Can I touch your belly?" I asked, looking directly into her eyes. "Just my hands, only my hands."

"Go slowly," she choked out. I lifted her hands and kissed her palms before flipping them onto her stomach. She jumped. Using her hands, I moved them along her torso, from just below her bra to above her panty line. My hands were on top of hers. Looking into her eyes, I weaved my fingers through her delicate hands and I felt the warm skin of her stomach on my fingertips.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied, looking down at our hands. Slowly, she inched out her hands and my palms were directly on her belly. She pressed her hands to mine, crying softly. She was keeping my touch on her skin. Her hold on my hands was strong and firm. Pulling them away, she looked up at me. Her chocolate brown pools filled with tears. "Touch my hip, Edward." She hooked her thumb on her panties, pulling them down slightly to display the full scar. Keeping my eyes on hers, my right hand inched down to her disfigured hip. Wrapping my hand around her slender body, I massaged it lightly with my thumb. A sob broke through her lips and she launched herself at me, straddling my legs.

"Shhhhh, Little One. It's okay," I soothed, holding her tightly against my body. "I love you so much. I'm so proud of you; you're so brave, Bella." She continued to sob, clutching me like I was her lifeline.

"Thank you for being so gentle," she cried against my shoulder. She pulled back and she was weepy mess, but still gorgeous in my eyes.

"Were you okay?" I asked.

"Not quite, but I'm getting there," she said, giving me a watery smile. I handed her the sweatshirt along with the pants and she quickly dressed, cuddling against my side. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, Edward. Siete veramente un angelo e ti amo più di quanto non potrebbe mai immaginare."

"Siete voi che sono un angelo e ti amo più della mia vita, piccolo," I whispered back. She looked up at me, smiling softly. With a tender caress, she traced my cheek before laying on my chest and succumbing to her exhaustion.

A/N: Translations:

Siete veramente un angelo e ti amo più di quanto non potrebbe mai immaginare. ~ You are truly an angel and I love you more than I could imagine.

Siete voi che sono un angelo e ti amo più della mia vita, piccolo ~ It is you who is an angel and I love you more than my own life, Little One.

Up next...the verdict. And yes, Edward can speak Italian, among numerous other languages. He's like a certifiable genius. ;-)

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