AN: No, you're eyes not deceiving you! This is an actual chapter. Happy reading!

Incognito

Chapter Thirty-Four

"How can you be nervous meeting my family?" Edward shook his head, taking Bella's hand in his. He kissed her knuckles and noticed the slight tremble. They were about to touch down in Seattle. "You've met some of the biggest names in Hollywood and handled that with ease, and yet, you're shaking like a leaf when you're about to face my family."

Bella shrugged, tugging on her bottom lip with her free hand. "To be honest, when I was about to meet a celebrity, I put up this façade, mainly because they do, too. Once I got to know them, and they started to melt, so did I. It's much easier that way. It gave me time to figure out if they'd be okay with the real me." She pouted when Edward gave her a little glare. "Relax; the transition from acting to me happened pretty quickly with all of your friends."

"Yeah, well, Tom hasn't stopped asking for your number."

Bella giggled, giving him a devastating smile. "He only wanted to reach me about my car warranty, I swear!"

Edward groaned, leaning closer and whispering, "You're stuck with me, love."

"That's right, don't you forget it. It's not like Tom is on my freebie list."

He froze and looked at her. She kept a straight face for only a few more seconds, torturing him.

Edward's stare narrowed. "You can't have a freebie list when the chances of you meeting any of them increased dramatically since we met."

Bella doubled over in laughter. "The same goes for you, too, babe."

Edward shrugged. "Never really thought about it, though I'm curious who was on your list if Tom didn't make the cut."

She refused to meet his eyes, but kept a soft smile on her lips. "Who they are, isn't important, what is, is that I don't feel the need for one anymore."

"Why is that?" He already knew the answer, or his ego thought so, at least.

She looked at him; batting her long lashes and making him lose himself in her beautiful gaze. Dazzling him in ways she often accused him of doing, she had him beat a hundred times over in that department.

"Why would I need one when I already have my dream man?" She leaned a little closer, her lips hovering over his mouth. Teasing him like no other. Love made moments like this even more memorable.

"I'm your dream man." He wasn't sure how he felt about that, other than a little worried he'd eventually turn into a nightmare. Relationships in Hollywood could turn in the blink of an eye.

Bella sat back; a slight look of confusion came over her features. "Now that I say it out loud, I realized something. You're not."

Okay, that wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Relax, Edward." She placed her hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer. "What I'm trying to say is that you surpassed my dreams. You are so much more than a pretty face and hot as fuck voice."

"I hope so," he whispered, closing the distance between them. Ignoring the obvious passenger taking a photo, he kissed her soft and sweet. Too short for him, but he wasn't about to give the asshole behind them a show.

Enjoy your fifteen minutes of Twitter fame, asshole.

He had a right to feel bitter, but he loved his fans. At least the ones who respected his right to privacy and his relationships. Bella and his agent often had to stop him from going off on internet trolls every time haters posted disgusting shit in the comments of their social media posts.

Bella had even had a serious threat to her life once, a plan to disfigure her in the hopes that he'd end the relationship. They thought he was that fucking shallow. The last few times a fan asked him to sign a photo of him and Bella with her face all scratched out, he ignored them and moved on. If these so-called fans thought he'd be okay with that kind of disrespect, he had no time for them.

He didn't owe them shit.

"Are you okay?" Bella ran fingers through his hair, and it sent warmth through him. She was observant enough to know what had him upset. "What can I do to make you forget for a while?"

Edward leaned his head on her shoulder, weaving their fingers together. "Tell me about your dream version of me."

Bella laughed and squeezed his fingers gently. "Well, to be honest, I think Dream Edward always had his villain voice on."

"Ugh, do you have any idea how much tea with lemon I had to drink to keep that voice on set" He shuddered. "So, is my real voice a disappointment?"

"Hell no, it's perfect. Smooth and warm, but with the slightest inflictions so I can figure out your mood."

He didn't have to look to know she had that smile that said she had a dirty little secret. "I can tell sometimes, since the look in your eyes and the flush in your skin are very telling."

Bella sighed. "Damn, I inherited my dad's blush."

"Thanks for killing the direction my thoughts were going."

They each laughed and enjoyed another ten minutes before they touched down. Edward figured he at least eased Bella's worries about meeting his family. His grandpa would love her, though they met via FaceTime a few times while he was in the hospital. His parents only caught a glimpse of her before they had to draw paparazzi from his sister's wedding. Since then, they have talked on the phone, but timing hadn't worked out to meet until now.

They were both going to meet his nephew for the first time. Something to look forward to, and Edward wanted to try holding him to see if he could handle fatherhood. Then again, with Bella by his side, he knew he would be okay.

Maybe in a few years, the family would fly out to them to meet their little cherub. No doubt that their kids would be beautiful and they would have plenty of help from friends and family.

.

.

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"How am I doing?" Edward kept his voice to a whisper, didn't want to risk scaring his nephew who slept in his arms.

Bella kept her sarcastic retort at the tip of her tongue. How was she supposed to know? She hadn't been around a child younger than a few years, ever.

However, she felt something. In fact, she had a lot of feelings watching him with a tiny baby in his arms. "To be honest, my ovaries are singing," she whispered in a singsong voice.

Her words made one of Hollywood's hottest villains blush, and that amplified the song harmonizing through her. Bella never believed in the whole baby fever thing, but she felt like she was coming down with something.

Before Edward had a chance to respond, Kate ran in from the kitchen as if it was on fire and slid to a halt in the middle of the living room. "Does that mean I'll be an auntie soon? My baby will have a cousin or two to play with soon?"

Bella and Edward did all the gestures that meant to shut your damn mouth, but it was too late. Kate's sudden outburst not only woke up her son Matthew, but it brought every member of the family, also visiting Edward's parents, to come out to confirm what they heard.

"Am I getting another cute grandchild?" Esme Cullen was near tears at the thought of it.

Nana wasn't too far behind, but asked for clarification.

Edward and Bella shared a look as everyone started talking over each other. No one was listening to them, though. Too caught up at the thought of adding another member to this larger-than-life family.

Edward stuck the tips of his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled so loud, poor little Matthew screamed in fear.

Oops.

"Soon? Uh, not yet," Bella said the moment everyone shut up. They weren't ready. She looked over at Edward who was trying to soothe Matthew, quietly apologizing for whistling. "However, this little guy isn't helping matters."

Was it a bad idea to give them hope?

Edward and Bella had agreed they'd marry within the next two years, depending on scheduling. If they decided to have a family, they wouldn't start for a while.

Soon was subjective to everyone. Edward's family knew film projects were often scheduled months to years in advance. They knew he'd want to be with Bella every step of the way and not miss her pregnancy because he was filming overseas or in some jungle.

"Soon" to Edward's family meant a year at most. However, Edward and Bella promised early on they would never let anyone—family, Hollywood, haters, or fans—influence their relationship, and that meant children, too. Time management and healthy communication would—hopefully—help with the promise they made to each other.

Edward, reluctant to release his nephew, relented when Matthew grabbed at his chest. "Looks like someone's hungry." He handed him over to his disappointed sister. "I know you want him to have little cousins running around soon, but let us decide when that will be."

Kate nodded, nuzzling her little Matty, Garrett offering her a comforting hug from behind her. "You're right, I'm sorry. We may have an idea of what it's like to have your entire life splashed across gossips rags and being followed constantly by fans and paparazzo. Why would you be in a hurry to bring a child into that?"

"She's right." Esme sighed. "You two need to adjust to a life together and until you feel you have a handle on it. Waiting to start a family is logical. Just know we'll support you in whatever you decide."

Bella felt some relief. After such a fun and easy first introduction, she would've hated feeling pressured to push out a couple of kids. Who wouldn't?

"Thanks, everyone." Edward was grateful they weren't pressuring them; he could still feel the sting of their disappointment. Through the years, he had disappointed a lot people. Plans changed or fell through, planes were delayed, a project didn't get the green light—he had to learn to get over it.

A family would be no different in that regard. Bella agreed, and even insisted they wouldn't let anyone dictate how to be together. If they decided to get married tomorrow, it was up to them. Not anyone else. Definitely not a hater or even studio executives; it was their relationship.

Bella sighed beside Edward, and they shared a look. No doubt, she felt their disappointment, too. She was more empathic than Edward was, and would feel it even stronger than him. He learned to let it go, while she had just met them all.

Edward wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head when she leaned against him. "Ignore them, I do."

She chuckled under her breath and shook her head. "Are you sure I'm not going to find a statue of a fertility goddess in our room later?"

"Probably." He nuzzled her cheek when she playfully elbowed his side. "Let it go. They'll get over it."

"Yeah, I know," she whispered.

Edward and Bella remained in their little bubble while the rest of Edward's family looked on and realized he was genuinely happy. He always gave the impression that he was, and maybe it was the truth, but loneliness was another matter. One that wasn't as easy to hide, even for an experienced actor. He didn't have the shadow of that in his eyes any longer.

That was more than enough for them.

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.

.

Bella couldn't sleep, which she hated. Nights with Edward were numbered once he started filming again. She had begun delegating more of her work to her employees, because leaving for long periods of time was not good for business. Hopefully, she could leave on occasion. Some clients insisted on her working on their projects. By mid-June, all Halloween and Christmas projects filled their custom orders, and with her new line of business fast approaching, she would be just as busy as he would be. Her business was booming.

However, her mind wouldn't shut off after Edward's family insisted they understood why they were waiting to marry or start a family. She kissed Edward's cheek, soothing him back to sleep, leaving the room shortly after. What she needed was a midnight snack and glass of wine to soothe her soul and grumbling stomach.

Distraction was key to handle sleepless nights. She focused on cutting some cheese and cherry tomatoes, grabbing some crackers and grapes for something to much on, pouring a glass of wine leftover from dinner.

"Couldn't sleep, darling?"

Bella startled a little, but kind of expected someone to hear her if she went to the kitchen. The house was full of people at the moment and there were a few creaks in the stairs.

"Hey, Gramps," she murmured. Her face warmed at the name he demanded she call him earlier that day. "Want to share?"

"No wine for me, had to take some medication for this damn hip." He rubbed his backside and gave her a mock pout. "I'll take some of those grapes, though."

He pulled out her stool, and they settled at the snack bar on one end of the enormous kitchen island. Bumping shoulders, they remained quiet for a little longer.

"Tell me what's keeping you up at night, dear."

Bella sighed, had known Gramps would want to talk once he entered the kitchen. "A little of everything. Work, life in general, and my relationship with your grandson."

"You mean the pain in my ass." He chortled and shook his head. "Growing up, that boy got into trouble more times than I could count. His head got so big after becoming an overnight sensation. Don't let him tell you different." He pointed a finger in the direction of Edward's old room where they were staying. "Sure, it overwhelmed him, got no doubt about that. It also made him into a cocky, arrogant little shit. Suddenly, he had no time for family. The first time he cancelled," he growled and made quotation marks with his fingers, "on my wife was the last time he did." His hand landed on his chest. "There we were at our favorite local restaurant for her birthday, had reserved one of the private rooms, and he didn't even call to tell us he'd be late or that he couldn't make it. His nana insisted on waiting, for hours."

Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing, but it also made sense. Edward had been in his early twenties when he was shot to celebrity status.

"We waited for almost four hours when I'd had enough and had to take my teary wife home. Only to wake up to his shenanigans plastered all over the news and papers—out with some actress, drunkenly walking to a car and nearly falling face first onto the ground."

Bella winced, remembering something about that. The studio cracked down on him shortly after it became normal to witness Edward coming out of some club or restaurant drunk or high.

"I called him up and told him what he did to his grandmother was unacceptable and not to bother making plans with us unless he really wanted to see us."

The crack in Gramps voice prompted her to place her hand on his, noting the warmth seeping into her skin.

"None of us heard from him for months. He not only broke plans with his nana, but also his parents and sister. He missed her graduation. Did you know that?"

Bella shook her head. "He was probably scared of what he'd bring to your front door if he'd shown up."

"I understood that to a point, but eventually, it became the excuse. Do you honestly think every star out there doesn't know how to hide in plain sight? They do, but sometimes they'd rather be seen."

She agreed, but sometimes time was of an essence and special arrangements couldn't be made. Edward and Bella managed it this time only because they took precautions and had decoys in place. Sometimes, they just wanted a fucking cup of their favorite coffee. Having it delivered was nice, but it wasn't always as hot or ice cold as it could be.

"Anyway, after my wife's stroke, we found out pretty quickly how bad it could be. He rushed home, and the hospital was swamped with reporters and paparazzo, then the fans showed up. It was a nightmare. I realized that what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have given him an ultimatum. Back then, he was at the beck and call of the studio. I apologized, which apparently triggered him, and he had a nervous breakdown."

Edward had mentioned to Bella, pretty early on in their relationship, about his first breakdown shortly after his rise to fame. She hadn't known the details, but it made sense. His family meant so much to him, and pushing them away had been the only answer at the time.

"Should you be the one to tell me about this?" She kept her tone neutral, but the warmth of her soft smile told him they were still good.

"I pulled him aside shortly after you two arrived and asked if anything was off the table to discuss with you. I even mentioned his mental state in the beginning, and he said you knew about it already."

"I do, but just the CliffsNotes version. I appreciate what you're telling me, and I do need to know how it was and how it could be."

Edward hadn't seen a therapist in years, especially after someone in his last therapist's office had stolen and leaked one of the taped sessions. They'd been fired, of course, and Edward was offered some compensation, but he stopped trusting them.

Bella needed to discuss with him about going back, maybe insist on NDAs and no tapings of any kind with a new one. The stress of being apart could take a toll on him, her, them.

"I'm telling you this because you're with him and it's going to be as nightmarish for him when he starts working again, especially in the beginning. You have haters already, the kind that will make up stories to ruin your relationship, criticize every single thing you wear or do. You won't be able to go down to the store for a loaf of bread without them saying something ridiculous, like how dare you make Edward eat carbs."

They laughed because something like that had already happened, but with pancake mix.

"There's always going to be someone watching, tomorrow or five years from now. It's up to you if you let it bother you and your little ones."

Bella pulled back and gave him a look. "You want another great grandchild, don't you?"

He shrugged, completely unashamed. "It wouldn't hurt. We aren't getting any younger. But if you wait, we'll be fine. We'll be watching from above, flicking the paparazzi off your trail."

She giggled, unable to help herself, grabbing his old wrinkled face and planting a kiss on his temple. Blood quickly rushed to his cheeks and the tips of ears, making her laugh harder.

"As long as you shut your eyes when we get down and dirty." She winked.

"I wouldn't have time for that, anyway, I'm gonna be chasing my wife around up there. You have nothing to worry about." He turned serious again, tapping his temple. "You two are going to be okay. I can tell when a couple is going to make it, and you two have forever written all over the place."

It was good to hear from someone who'd been married for more than fifty years. Especially someone who had seen Edward grow up to be the man he was today.

"I know we'll make it. I've seen it, too. It's not going to be all rainbows and sunshine, but as long as we're honest and communicate, we'll be okay."

"You need to be better than okay when you start a family—a child can always tell if something is not right with their parents. No matter how much you hide it, they will know."

"Good to know, and you're right. We've been inseparable for months, but he's returning to his filming schedule and it will be the first time we won't see each other every day."

"I'd say the heart grows fonder and all that bullshit, and maybe there's some truth to that, but it still hurts like a sonuvabitch."

They called it a night since they had an early morning wake-up call. Considering how seldom the family was all together, they took advantage of every second they could share. That meant itineraries and planned events, and arrangements made to better their chances at privacy.

Bella watched as Edward's gramps headed toward the only bedroom on the main floor, a little skip in his steps. She was happy to see he was much better than the first time they met over FaceTime months earlier when he had been hospitalized.

She got up to start cleaning up when a pair of hands circled her waist from behind. "How long were you listening?"

"Long enough to know he's worried about me." Edward bared her shoulder to nibble on, eliciting a soft moan. "That you're also concerned. You don't have to worry, Bella. I'm having Jane look into some possibilities for me."

She turned within his arms and placed her hands on his bare shoulders. "Thank you. I know it can't be easy to risk your privacy after that fucking shit that went down with your last therapist."

He shrugged. "There's a lot of bullshit in this business, and after I complete my obligations over the next two years, I will stick to my plan of not filming more than two films a year and start seeing about directing, maybe writing, too."

"Whatever you want, Edward," Bella whispered, and pressed a soft kiss to his gorgeous mouth. "I'll stand by your side. You do what makes you happy."

"You make me happy, Bella." He pulled her up, kissing her with all that he had. He loved this woman and he knew he always would. No matter what happened. He pulled away much too fast.

"You irritate me." Bella grumbled when he set her down to finish cleaning up. He remained behind her, teasing her with more kisses and caresses, making the process longer than needed. "What if in two years we start baby-making?"

His hands stilled on her ass, after tapping a little beat on it. He knew it would annoy her, and a feisty Bella would ensure a pleasurable evening.

"Bella," he groaned, pulling her back against his chest. "You can't say shit like that when I can't make you scream my name for the next few hours."

"Did I ever tell you I have a kink?"

He turned off the water at the sink and proceeded to get the counter wiped clean, and put the remaining cheese and grapes back in the fridge in record time.

"What kind of kink?" They dabbled in a little of this and that since they came together, learning and exploring.

"The kind where you hold me down and gag me."

"Fuuuuuuuck," Edward cursed, and reached out for her. "You're asking for it now, baby." He tossed her over his shoulder and turned off the lights, then headed toward the stairs. "What am I going to gag you with?"

He felt her hands resting on his lower back attempt to reach for the front of his sweats. "I can think of something."

He took the stairs three at a time.

AN: First, thanks to Midnight Cougar for helping me clean this up. She's been awesome with the sudden influx of chapters. Heads up Di, there's a chapter of Beauty Takes on the Beast coming in a bit. LOL. My son is training for FOUR hours a day and since we live about 35 minutes away, it didn't make sense for me to go home. Gas or time-wise, so I've been sitting at Starbucks for 3.5 hours every day. It's been fabulous. Training ends in a week and I'll have to go back to finding time when I can. Until then thanks for reading and sticking around. This fic is almost done, I think.