A Single Step

Chapter Eleven

"I have come a long way, thanks to Edward, but I still have a long way to go. I still need assistance to walk great distances and my stamina is not there," Bella chuckled. "I need to rebuild the muscles in my legs."

"Well, my nephew can work miracles," said another woman, sitting opposite of Carlisle. She looked a lot like Esme, but with silver hair and bright green eyes. "I'm Elizabeth and I'm Esme's older sister and Edward's godmother. He's simply over the moon about you, Bella. You are quite lovely and you have a lot of fire."

"I wouldn't go that far," Bella snickered, taking a sip of water. "More like I'm a pain in the butt."

"But, you're my pain," Edward smiled, kissing Bella's temple. "How are you, Aunt Lizzie? Have you settled into your new place?"

"I'm happy to be in a smaller place. My home was too big for just me and my kids are far too busy to visit their elderly, widowed mother," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. "I also don't miss stairs." She blinked to Bella. "I had a knee replacement about ten years ago. Me and stairs are not good friends."

"And you'd be surprised the number of places that don't have wheelchair accessibility," Bella murmured. "I was lucky. After I had my stroke, I already owned a ranch house. I do have a finished basement, but that is solely my sons' domain. I trust them to clean it. I make my older son, Jake, take photos to prove that it's decent. There's no foul smell coming from down there, so, I assume my boys are keeping it clean. Where do your children live?"

"I have three. My oldest, Felix, lives in Boston, working his ass off as a lawyer to the rich and corrupt," Elizabeth smirked. "He's married to his job, but he is a handsome devil."

"Felix and I are the same age and we were often mistaken as twins," Edward said. "The difference was that Felix had browner hair and hazel eyes."

"Plus, the worst attitude known to man," Elizabeth chuckled. "I love him and I'm proud of his achievements, but I wished he would get married and give me more grand kids."

"Felix is also a lot like her late husband, Edward," Esme explained. "Both men were so driven to the point of madness."

"My Edward was also an attorney, but he worked for the state as a district attorney," Elizabeth smiled. "He was a workaholic until he retired. Unfortunately, ninety days after he tried his last case, he had a massive heart attack and died before he even fell to the ground."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine, Elizabeth." Elizabeth waved her hands and gave Bella a warm smile. "Did you always live in Jacksonville?" Bella asked.

"Oh, no. We lived in New York. Jacksonville was our retirement plan," Elizabeth said sadly. "I just couldn't leave here after my Edward died. We came here numerous times as a family for vacation. We planned on living the rest of our lives here. I decided that I would fulfill my husband's dream. Though, in a smaller house than the giant McMansion my husband bought for us."

"Again, I'm so sorry for your loss," Bella frowned. "To lose someone you love that way ... my heart is breaking for you."

"It's unfathomable," Elizabeth whispered, her eyes staring at the flickering candle. "Your life changes in an instant." Blinking to Bella, she gave her a tender smile. "You get it, don't you?"

"I do," Bella breathed. She reached across and squeezed Elizabeth's hand. She gave Bella a warm, understanding look.

The server picked that moment to arrive and Carlisle ordered a bottle of wine for the table, while everyone chose an appetizer to share, along with salads. Elizabeth told Bella about her other children, a pair of twins, Alec and Jane. Jane followed in her uncle's footsteps and became a doctor. She worked in a level one trauma center in Chicago as a trauma surgeon. She had a little boy, Demetri, from a previous marriage. She was pregnant with her second child, a girl, with her boyfriend, an anesthesiologist who floated to her hospital. Alec was a free-spirit, working as a photo journalist with his long-time partner, Amun. They were in Africa, at the moment, and talking about adopting a baby girl from a refugee camp.

Bella felt more comfortable with Elizabeth, than Esme. They were kindred spirits, bonding over nearly unbearable personal losses; Bella with the loss of her mobility and Elizabeth with the loss of her husband. However, Bella made a concerted effort to show Esme that she held no ill will toward her off-the-cuff comment upon her arrival. Regardless, Esme felt guilty and probably would continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

After dessert, Elizabeth insisted that Bella spend the day with her and Esme. They wanted to get to know the woman who had stolen Edward's heart. With a few phone calls, a day of relaxation was planned while Edward and Carlisle would go golfing. Edward explained that they needed to be mindful of Bella's limitations, but Bella smacked at him. "I'll be fine. I'll bring my walker and if I need to, I'll call you. I know my limitations better than all of you combined."

"Quit being a mother hen, Edward. Be her boyfriend," Elizabeth teased. "Now, go back to your hotel and have some great hotel sex!"

"Elizabeth!" Esme gasped.

"What? Sex in a hotel is amazing," Elizabeth snickered.

"I think you broke the illusion that I was still a virgin, Aunt Lizzie," Edward deadpanned as he helped Bella to her feet. "Sorry, Ma. I ain't no virgin."

"Trust me. I know," Esme sighed. "I found the condom wrapper in your room after your eighteenth birthday."

"At least, I was responsible," Edward shrugged. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"As you can see, he's eager for the hotel sex," Bella said, winking over her shoulder. Elizabeth cackled while Esme groaned in embarrassment. Carlisle just shook his head in disbelief, with a smile on his face. "Am I right, Edward?"

"Hmmmm, you have no idea," Edward said, sliding his arm around her waist and helping guide his girlfriend out of the restaurant and to the lobby.

A/N: Will we see some hotel sex? And even though I've been single for the better part of a decade, I remember that having sex in a hotel room is so much more exhilarating. Makes me want to find a guy to bone in a hotel room.

Pictures of the restaurant and Aunt Lizzie are on my blog. You can access that through a link on my profile. I'm also on Facebook: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. I'm on twitter, too: tufano79. Leave me your thoughts and I'll see you in a couple of days! Thank you for reading!