Mafia Princess

Chapter One-Hundred Eighty

Twilight...not mine (sigh).

Chapter 180

EPOV

I had been nervous all fucking day. Rose had helped me plan this romantic, secluded date for me and Bella. She was adamant that it was going to go off without a hitch. Me? Not so much. I was afraid that Bella was going to push me away again. If she did it one more time, I was going to walk away forever. I loved her with every ounce of my being, but each time she pushed away killed me a little bit. My mom agreed with me and told me that I shouldn't have run to her aide this last time after I had surgery. I think the exact words my adoptive mother said was 'play the field, Edward.' However, I didn't want to play the field. It took me nearly twenty-seven years to let someone into my heart. I'm not like normal guys. Touch still freaks me the fuck out. Dr. Molina believes that I'll always be afraid of touch and to rebuild what I had with Bella instantly would not have been good. You know?

However, I wanted Bella to know that I was not going to hurt her or give up on us, but I was gun-shy. When you have been as hurt or as damaged as both of us, you need a lot of help to get back to normal, if that was possible. I was done being pushed away.

Reaching into my pocket of my suit coat, I pulled out a small box. Inside, nestled in the velvet was my mother's engagement ring. I wasn't proposing to Bella, but I wanted to give her a tangible promise that I was in this for the long-haul. It was the one thing I had from my old life in Chicago. My mom's parents gave it to my birth father when he asked for her hand in marriage. It was family tradition to share this ring. Now, I wanted to continue that tradition and honor my mother. The ring was small, but it was tribute to the humble beginnings of the Platt family.

If I didn't panic and freak out. As of right now, that seemed more likely.

"Edward, stop squirming," Rose said as she fingered hair gel into my messy locks. "You're going to get hair gel into your eyes and that would be bad. I'm certain you'd like to see Bella when you pick her up, right?"

"Sorry," I mumbled, tugging at the tie around my neck. Carlisle had fixed it for me since I couldn't do much with my right hand due to my surgery. It had been casted on Thursday. I had to go in a week to get the stitches out and then a new cast put on.

Rose took my chin, forcing me to look at her. I was slightly panicking. "Relax, Edward. I won't hurt you. You know that, right?"

"Yes," I whispered. I closed my eyes, counting to ten before reopening them.

"Better. Just be yourself. Whatever happens will happen," Rose said, patting my cheek. "You're giving each other another chance and I know you still love her. She loves you. Whenever Alice and I went over there, she was blushing like a school girl when I mentioned you."

"I'm afraid, Rose," I muttered. "I can't...what if she runs again?"

"She won't. I see a lot of myself in her. She needed that kick in the ass with Randall. She knows what she's missing and what she needs. She needs you. She needs normal. I'm pissed at her for making you feel like crap, but I understand why she did it. If she does it again, wash your hands of her," Rose said, shrugging. "The limo's waiting outside for you." She handed me a pill bottle. "Don't let tonight make you turn into a macho man. Take your pain meds."

"Yes, Mom," I quipped, slipping them into my pocket. She rolled her eyes as we walked out of my condo together. She hopped into her little Porsche roadster while I got into the waiting stretch limo. I couldn't really drive with the pain medication and didn't want to rely on my mother to drive us all over the city. She was still pissed at Bella and understandably so. Even I was upset with her, but I was giving her another chance. A new start for both of us, minus any false pretenses. So, I rented a limo.

Once I picked up Bella, giving her the lavender roses I had purchased for her, we got into the waiting limousine. "You really went all out," she laughed.

"With the pain medication from this, I get really loopy. I shouldn't be driving," I said. "I splurged a little bit."

"This is more than a little bit," Bella deadpanned. "Are you secretly a millionaire?"

"I do come from money. My mom was the daughter of one the well-known families in Chicago. Ever hear of Platt Textiles?"

"They make a ton of fabric for furniture and uniforms," Bella replied.

"My mom was the daughter of the owner. When she died, all of the money from her trust fund was transferred to me. My grandparents hadn't known that she had had a child. They didn't approve of my father and when they got married, cut her off from her trust," I shrugged.

"Why didn't you stay with them after your mom's death?" Bella asked.

"My grandmother was sick with cancer and my grandfather was in a nursing facility for Alzheimer's. They couldn't take me. In fact, they died shortly after my mom's funeral. I was the sole heir of the Platt Textile fortune. I was in no way to make any decisions. I was thirteen. The company was sold. The money from the sale and from my mom's trust fund was placed into my own trust until I turned twenty-one. I used it to pay for my schooling, my condo and my car. The rest is still in the trust and will stay there until I die or I have my own child," I answered. She frowned slightly. "What?"

"You live very frugally," she said.

"Just because I have money doesn't mean I want it," I answered. "I'd trade all the money in the world to ensure that you'd be safe and happy. Or to see my mom again."

"Why did your mom choose your dad?"

"She wanted to be different from her cousins and not be associated with the Platt family fortune," I said grimly. "My mom was the black sheep of the family. At first, my dad was a total schmoozer, but it all changed when they got married and my grandparents cut her off from her trust fund. My grandparents knew he was bad news. They just didn't know how awful. It wasn't until they were informed of her death that they found out about me and how dreadful our lives were. My grandmother scrambled to ensure my place in the family and the rest is history."

"Wow," Bella breathed. The car stopped and the driver opened the door. I slid out of the limo, helping Bella out and guiding her to Canlis. "I've never been here," she said, her brown eyes twinkling. "How did you get reservations?"

"Esme is close friends with the general manager," I answered. "There was a last minute cancellation in one of the private dining rooms and I jumped on it." Offering her my arm, we walked into the well-known restaurant and directly into one of the private rooms usually used for VIP guests.

A/N: Finishing up the date in the next chapter. Then, moving on to the trial. Leave me some!