Isabella exited the bathroom and immediately looked for Edward. Not finding him where she thought he'd be, she made her way to their group of friends and family figuring he'd be there. As she approached, she could hear a few murmurs and noticed Alice and Alec looking off to the right and exchange a worried glance.

When she looked in that direction and found Edward and Anna sitting together and facing one another for what looked like a very private conversation, she turned back toward her friends and smiled...after rolling her eyes.

"Your eyes are going to stay that way, Alice, if you don't stop staring...not to mention you look like a fish with your mouth hanging open," she said as she stepped into the circle where everyone was standing.

"Ali, sugar, I told you that." Jasper laughed at his wife and reached up and pressed on her chin to close her mouth. "You're way too beautiful to stand around looking like a fish," he teased and kissed her on her now closed mouth.

"But...Bella...didn't you?" she started to question then snapped her mouth shut.

It really wasn't any of her business but she was shocked at how calm...and confident her friend appeared. She knew if she saw Jasper sitting and having what appeared to be a very intimate conversation with an ex...and an ex he'd lived with for two years no less, there was no way in hell she'd behave the same as her friend.

"Yes, I see them. What do you want me to do, march over there with my hands on my hips and demand to know what's going on? I don't think so, Alice. I trust Edward, completely, and if he has something he needs to talk with Anna about, then I'm sure he'll tell me what it is...later," Isabella answered her friend.

Alice spluttered in response to her and everyone in the group laughed at her. "Sugar, let's go get another drink," Jasper said sweetly and gave Bella a wink before turning his overly excitable wife toward the bar.

Rose shook her head at her friend. She adored Alice, but sometimes she was like an annoying puppy, always into everything. Once it seemed like there would be no major drama, not that she expected any from Bella anyway, the guys all picked their conversation back up again. She noticed Bella smile at Edward...and Anna and sighed. The world would be a much better place if more people acted like her sister-in-law, no question about it.

"So, you really don't mind Edward and Miss Skankalicious having a conversation without you?" Rose asked her.

Isabella chuckled and rolled her eyes at her blunt as ever sister-in-law. "No, Rose, I don't. Like I said, I trust Edward, so there isn't anything for me to worry about. I mean he's sitting less than a hundred feet from me in a roomful of people so I highly doubt it's anything more than healing some old wounds."

In fact, she was positive she was right, especially when she glanced back at Edward and Anna and noticed both of them looked infinitely more relieved than they had at the beginning of the night.

"I take it, judging from the fact you haven't scratched her eyes out, Edward told you about her?" Rose questioned a bit hesitantly.

Isabella nodded her head and said, "Yes, thankfully for my husband, we talked about her last night."

"You didn't know about her before?" Rose immediately asked and couldn't help the snarl that accompanied her question.

Edward really could be such a fool sometimes.

Isabella sighed and shook her head. "No, I didn't. In all defense of Edward, I've never pushed for many answers either about his past or what happened before me. That's as much my fault as it is his," she admitted.

Rose gasped and then quickly tried to cover it up hoping Isabella didn't hear, but it didn't work.

"I know, Rose. I have no doubt that knowing what she did to him and how their...relationship for lack of a better word...ended would certainly have helped me understand him better," she said quietly.

"He's always been so different with you, Bella, than he has with anyone else. I don't just mean other women either, though there haven't ever been many of those. Since I've known him, besides Anna and Sophie, there wasn't anyone but you," Rose told her. "You have to know, and judging from your reaction to seeing the two of them together, I'm sure you do, how badly he was hurt after he found Anna and Vincent together. I know that they were together only to keep William off his back and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what Anna was after, but even someone like Edward, or like he used to be, has to be hurt and angry at being treated the way he was."

Rose sighed again. There were times she felt incredibly guilty because she was extremely grateful that William had set his sights on Edward as the chosen one to run Cullen Publishing. She would have detested it if Emmett had been put under the same pressure and scrutiny as Edward had been.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Rose said quietly.

"Whatever for, Rose? It's not your fault he didn't tell me and I never asked any of you about his past, not that I ever would anyway. Whatever he wants me to know, he'll tell me. He's sharing more all the time and it's only a matter of time before he tells me everything," Isabella answered and laid her hand on Rose's arm.

"That's really great to hear, but that's not really what I'm sorry about. I just realized how grateful I am that William chose Edward over Emmett and that makes me sound like a selfish bitch...though we both know that's not that big of a stretch," she said with a grin. "Seriously though, William did a real number on Edward, everyone could see that. As much as I hate to admit this, we all just sort of sat back and let it happen. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, me, Jasper...each of us just let William do his thing. Me because I didn't want it to be Emmett; Emmett for the same reason, and Carlisle and Esme...who the hell knows. Poor Jasper was the only one that even tried to do anything about all the pressure William was putting on Edward, but even he could only do so much."

Isabella closed her eyes to try to keep the thoughts of her poor broken husband at bay. She knew she and Edward were closer than ever and she knew it was only a matter of time before he shared everything with her...or at least it better be. The time was quickly approaching, she realized, that it would become necessary to press him for answers. He owed it to her...and to the rest of the family as well. As disappointed and yes, even angry, as she was at all of them for not doing more to help Edward, it was way past time to lay the past to rest.

"So much unnecessary hurt and anger," Isabella said with a sad shake of her head.

She felt her skin tingle and knew Edward was near and sighed when she felt his lips on her neck. When she turned around and looked at him and could see no trace of anger or pain, she smiled at him. As long as he was okay, nothing else mattered.

Rose watched the two of them and felt Emmett wrap his arm around her shoulders. "We're so lucky to have her, you know? She's going to put this family back together."

"I sure hope so, babe," Emmett answered quietly.

Rose smiled knowingly at him and said, "I have no doubt; it's about damn time, too."

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!- ♥Pbroken

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!- ♥Pbroken

As for Bella and Edward, yeah, they're both kind of playing the denial game. This story's just one long denial with some really tough obstacles thrown in the mix. Lol

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!- ♥Pbroken