Me: Congratulations are in order here.

Bella: (smiling) Thank you. I'm so happy I almost feel guilty.

Me: You shouldn't, he's perfect for you.

Bella: Yes, but I just wish everyone could be just as happy.

Me: You said at the end of Shamrocks that you had things you wanted told. I offered to just tell them then, but you were insistent that we hear your side of this.

Bella: Listen, you can't actually think it's possible that Edward and I got married and then for twenty-five years, he woke up every morning singing my praises and our life together was nothing but rainbows and puppies. I can assure you he and I both did things we regretted and it wasn't always pretty. Edward may be this insanely beautiful man, but he's also just that, a man. A man that snores on occasion, passes gas under the covers and thinks it's funny, and leaves wet towels on the floor. He forgets things and he's said things that have hurt my feelings, those are things that every man does.

Me: You make him sound so ordinary.

Bella: He is ordinary. He's the sweetest guy I know and I love him with a red-hot passion, but…

Me: But?

Bella: A lot of things happened in those years. Some good, some bad, but they happened and they deserve to be told.

Me: Alright. In Shamrocks, we ended with your son, Declan, heading to Ireland. Where do we start?

Bella: That's easy, we begin where Declan did, our honeymoon.

Me: So Declan was conceived on your honeymoon?

Bella: Yes.

Me: Well then, the floor is all yours, or rather Edward's.

Bella: Oh, he'll do most of the story telling this time, except for a few times when I need to tell something. By the way, don't forget to thank those gals that help you in the background. Gemma is an image wizard and your best Facebook fairy, and Dollybigmomma helps your readers keep their hair in place.

Me: What, is she a virtual beautician?

Bella: She might as well be. You know damn well they'd pull themselves bald with frustration trying to pick through that mess you send her if she didn't use her fine-tooth comb and straighten it out.

Me: (Fills my glass with more wine and sighs) Good point. Okay, Bella, I think I'm ready…hit me with it.

CLADDAGH AND CHAOS

Chapter 1

The soft pattering of raindrops combined with the gentle cool breeze had stirred me from my brief but much-needed sleep. The feel of Bella's warm soft body nestled against mine was the only reminder that this was all real. Even with the cool temperature if the room, the sheet she was under was barely covering her lower half.

I welcomed the rain; it ensured that my plan for my new wife wouldn't be interrupted by a desire to enjoy the beach or any of the other activities the island had to offer. No, today I would keep my Bella right where she was now.

I watched as the cool breeze ruffled the sheer curtains that adorned the door leading out to the beach. I could hear the sound of the surf as it crashed along the shore, the soft whirling of the ceiling fan in the room giving a gentle hum, like a lullaby. How I wished we could stay here in our little cocoon for the rest of our lives, no one to interrupt the peace and quiet.

The desire to have her again was overwhelming. Last night was the first time we had been together since before the kidnapping. Once I had her in this house, I threw her into this bed and took what was mine, and gave her what was hers as well.

Reaching out with my right hand to touch the soft skin of her back, my hand made contact with the tip of her shoulder, slowly caressing her shoulder blade, down her soft back, and finally to the junction of her hip. It was as I started to make my way back up her spine that the claddagh ring on my pinky finger caught my attention. I sighed as I remembered how only a day ago, I had made the promise and placed it on my finger.

When I was a little boy, my father always made time for me and my sister. With me, he would take me to ballgames or just hang out in the backyard and throw the ball around. With my sister, he would take her out to dinner and show her how men were supposed to treat her.

I could remember this one time that my father took me out for ice cream. Amex was at a friend's house and so it was just my dad and me. I remembered that I had seen his ring on his pinky finger, but I never really paid attention to it. So sitting outside in the Chicago June heat, I asked my father where he had gotten that ring.

"Edward, one day in the future, you'll stand in front of all the family and God and make a promise to a beautiful young girl. You'll promise to protect her, provide for her, and most of all, love only her. But before you do that, you'll stand in front of all the men of your family and you'll swear an oath to always put your family first."

I had nearly forgotten all about the ring when my father and my uncles came into the room as I was dressing before the wedding yesterday. At first, I was worried that my nightmare had come true and they were here to tell me that she had changed her mind. The look on my father's face was of severity and seriousness. What happened next was something I would remember for the rest of my life.

"Edward," his tone confirmed this was serious, "As you know, you're about to take a vow of marriage."

I didn't respond. It was a statement, not a question. My job was to listen and listen well.

"You know that for generations, the men of this family have made a vow of our own. One we keep amongst the men of this family."

Behind him stood not only my uncles, but some of my closest men, as well as men of my extended family. Charlie stood beside my father, his look just as pensive. Sherman and Jasper stood tall beside him.

"You were given the position as the head of this family because of your birth. You're given the gift of being head of your family by sheer luck. Being a husband and father is an honor. One we don't take lightly."

I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest. I had sworn to Bella that I wouldn't have my gun on me at our wedding. I was regretting that promise.

"The shamrock you gave to Isabella was a promise, but the claddagh holds so much more."

My memories came flooding back to me, the ring my father wore on his right pinky finger.

"I told you when you were little that this day would come. I didn't tell you about what would be expected by the men of your family and what would happen if you choose to break the vow you give to us today."

I watched as all of the men stood behind my father, a united front, they were making their presence in the room as strong as possible. There would be no misunderstandings today.

"By accepting this ring, you accept the consequences of breaking the solemn vow you make to us as well, to always honor her and your family."

Knowing how our family worked, I didn't have to ask what would happen if I broke this vow. Besides the obvious of losing Bella and any children we had, someone would have to hand out the ultimate punishment.

"By whose hand?" was my only question.

"Mine," my father spoke clearly and emotionlessly as he extended his open hand with the silver claddagh resting in his palm.

With absolute confidence, I took the ring from his hand and placed it on my pinky. The vow was now made and my fate sealed. If I ever dishonored my bride, my father would be forced to take my life. I was confident I would die a happily married old man.

"Good morning, husband," Bella's sweet voice brought me back. She would never know of the vow I had taken. Last night after our second round, she held my hand and it was then she noticed my ring. I told her it was a gift from my father. It was the truth.

"Actually, I think it's afternoon."

Covering her body with mine once again, my need for her was evident against her silky thigh. I learned early on that Bella loved it when I nibbled on the junction of her neck and shoulder. The moan she would make went directly to my groin.

Bella knew me well also; she would grab a handful of hair at the back of my neck and tug. That combined with her sweet moans would send me to places I had never been. I wanted this feeling to last forever, to make every time I made love to my wife feel like the first time.

The rain lasted for two days, two wonderful days that we spent naked and wrapped around each other. I felt it was in those two days that my son was conceived.

For the next three weeks, we explored not only that island, but each other as well. I learned more about Bella in that time than all the months prior. She had an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter. She had it every morning for breakfast, on her toast and her pancakes.

I also found out that she had the cutest giggle when she was tickled behind her knee, how she screamed like a little girl when she saw a bug crawl across the floor. I discovered that it was very erotic to paint my wife's toenails with nail polish. That she discovered how biting gently on my bottom lip made me growl and then attack her. How taking her cup of coffee in the morning was a very bad idea.

I watched as she would twist a piece of her hair as she read her book. How she hummed an unfamiliar tune when she brushed her teeth. I watched as she laughed and laughed as she tried to do cartwheels on the beach. By the time we had to leave, she had perfected them. She was even able to get me to drink "girly" drinks, because Bella made them taste so good.

We learned that even though Hollywood made having sex on the beach look very erotic, it was actually a pain in the ass, literally. You found sand in places it didn't belong for days afterward.

As we boarded that sea plane heading home, I sighed. Holding my beautiful wife's hand, I kissed her forehead and settled into my seat. Bella and I had discussed that once we were back from our honeymoon, our life would likely be a little crazy. I would have to get caught up with my work and I knew my mother would have something planned for us.

What I didn't know at the time was that my life was about to change in ways I had never dreamed.