A/N:

I didn't plan for this to be the Epilogue, I really didn't! But as I sat down and started to write this, I realized it was time to say goodbye to my Olderward and little Bella.

It has been a long journey, mostly because of my long breaks in-between chapters, but this story is now officially complete. I hope the ending leaves you satisfied.

Title: Forbidden Attraction

Author: MarieCarro

Genre: Drama/Romance

Rating: NC-17

Summary: To Edward Masen, Bella Swan was nothing more than his daughter's best friend, but that all changed when they both applied for the same weekly writing course. Suddenly, she didn't appear to be the young girl that had played with his daughter since her family moved in next door. What will Edward do when he realizes that he's developing a very forbidden attraction for a woman twenty-five years his junior? AH

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 2, 839

CHAPTER 17 - EPILOGUE

6 years later

BPOV

Edward had forgotten his phone when he took Max for a walk, but I had no qualms to answer it when it started to ring on the coffee table.

"Edward Masen's phone, this is Bella."

"Oh, Bella … hi," Alice's voice said on the other end awkwardly. "Um, where's Dad?"

"Hi, Alice," I replied politely. "He's out with the dog, and he forgot his phone … again," I told her, and I heard her soft laugh that remained rather strained.

Alice and I never found our way back to each other, but as she matured during her college years, she couldn't deny that her Dad was happier than he'd been in a long time. She tolerated our relationship now, and she had warmed up even more when she realized that Edward and I had no intention of giving her any siblings. She had already known that I couldn't have children, but she'd forgotten that detail while we were in the middle of the storm.

"He does that so often, I'm starting to believe he's doing it on purpose," she said now.

I let out my own laugh. "He very well might. Do you want me to tell him to call you back?"

"No, I'll just call some other time. It was nothing important. I just wanted to talk to him."

I shrugged. "Okay, if you're sure." I was just about to finish the conversation and hang up when a thought hit me. "Oh, before I forget, are you and Jasper going to visit this summer?"

"We haven't planned that far yet," she replied. "Why?"

"Your dad's doing some renovation work on the guest room, and I just wanted to see if I need to tell him to hurry it along or not."

There was a moment of thoughtful silence, and then Alice hummed. "Well, even if we don't visit, we have plans to go to New York for your premiere. When was that again?"

"August fifteenth."

"Right. As I said, Jasper and I haven't planned that far yet. We're waiting for his band's tour dates, so we'll see."

"Yeah, okay," I agreed but felt the need to finish up quickly. I wasn't particularly comfortable talking with Alice, either. Her hatefulness had been brutal before she started to see sense, and it would be a long time before I forgave her for that. "Have a nice evening, Alice, and tell Jasper we said hi."

"Of course, thank you. You too, Bella."

We hung up and I exhaled in relief. I was always polite toward Alice, but as soon as I heard her voice, I couldn't stop myself from tensing up, almost expecting her to revert back to her old ways and start screaming in my ear and call me whore and slut.

After six years, it was very exhausting. But at least I didn't have to worry about accidentally running into her in town because we didn't even live in the same state anymore.

Once I'd graduated from college, my career didn't suddenly soar and in the two years that had passed, only one of my scripts had been picked up by a small theater company in Brooklyn. However, both Edward and I knew that it would be beneficial for me to stay close to New York, but he longed to own a house again, and preferably not one in the city, so we bought a house on Long Island.

It was my first real home on which I stood as a part owner, and although Edward was the one who had paid for it, I had made him promise that he would allow me to pay him back half of it once I started earning money. He agreed because he knew that was what I wanted, and he saw no reason to argue against it despite the fact that he'd had no problem affording the place with the money he got for his apartment and the carpentry, which he also sold.

Only a couple of weeks went by after we moved in before my "nesting" became blatantly obvious, and Edward had laughed at me when I spent half an hour deciding on what kind of sheets we were going to have in our bedroom.

"This is important to me," I'd told him with a pout. "I need our home to be a sanctuary if I'm going to be able to write masterpieces."

He'd kissed the top of my head. "I understand, I'm only teasing you, baby. Besides, I think you're adorable."

I huffed. "At least I'm not harassing the staff about not having the best things in stock like you did when you bought your new tools," I retorted.

"I need those tools for work, and you know that," he'd reminded me, still amused by how put out I was toward his teasing.

The truth was that making our new house into a home, while being a dream come true, was stressful for me because, for some reason, I continuously remembered that Edward had done it before.

I rarely allowed my insecurities to take control, but there were times when they couldn't be stopped. I hated when that happened, and I always reminded myself that Edward loved me and wanted to be with me, and had stayed with me through some very trying times, and not once had he appeared to second-guess our relationship.

It took time for me to open up fully to him about everything that worried me, but when I finally did, it was the most liberating feeling I'd ever had. Edward hadn't just tossed my insecurities aside. He'd listened to them and talked to me about them. He asked if I knew the reason for their existence, and while I didn't at the time, it had dawned on me at that moment that I was, in fact, in a very adult relationship.

Our age difference didn't matter to us, and those around us had accepted it as the years passed. After I'd turned twenty-five, people didn't act as shocked about our relationship anymore. When it all came down to it, though, the fact of the matter was that the large age-gap often caused inequality. Not so much in what we did together, but more in the way we thought of things.

I had always been mature for my age, but I was still twenty-five years younger so it was obvious we'd look at things differently, and sometimes, it caused heated discussions between us.

One of those being that he too often "forgot" his phone at home, and as he now walked through the front door and released Max from his leash, I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying anything too snidely.

Instead, I cleared my throat to gain his attention and held out the phone, which was still in my hand.

He, at least, had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Are you, though?" I asked, unable to keep it in completely, but then I sighed. "Edward, I'm not telling you to take your phone with you just to nag. What if something happens and I need to get a hold of you? Or you need to get a hold of me?"

Max, our Lab-Pitbull mix puppy, ran forward to greet me and started barking happily, and I ached to crouch down and scratch him, but our puppy trainer had told us we couldn't do that while he was too excited because it could worsen his behavior as he grew. We were only allowed to give him love when he was calm and collected.

So, I stood my ground and looked steadily at Edward.

"You know, there was a time when very few had their own phones, and humanity managed pretty well," he replied, and I had to really fight to stop myself from gritting my teeth.

"Honey," I said sweetly, and he immediately understood that I was bordering on becoming very angry. "We've been through this before. Things were different back then. Why are you so stubborn about this?"

He threw his arms out in frustration. "I just enjoy to not always be available to everyone. I actually think it's only healthy to get some distance from all of that."

I closed my eyes in annoyance. "I'm not asking you to take your phone with you so that you can tweet, or post on facebook, or whatever. I couldn't care less about that. I just want to know that I can get a hold of you in case something happens."

"I was out on a walk with Max. What could possibly happen?" he asked without thinking.

"You know very well what could happen while just being out for a walk," I replied as my eyes welled with tears.

Edward realized his mistake and immediately walked up to me to pull me into his arms. "Shit, I'm sorry, baby. I wasn't thinking."

What Edward hadn't been thinking of was the accident that had cost my dad his legs four years earlier. He and Mom had been on vacation on the west coast and while out, on a walk, by the cliffs, he tripped and fell down on the rocky shore.

He was lucky to be alive after a fall like that, but the injury to his spine was unrepairable, he would never walk again.

"If you got injured when I'm not around and you don't have your phone..." my breath hitched in my throat. "I can't even think about it without—"

"Shh, I'm sorry, Bella," he comforted and leaned away to shower my face with kisses. "I promise, from now on, I will always have my phone with me."

I sniffled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you." He gave me one last kiss on the mouth and lingered there until the tension left my body completely, and I buried my tear-stained face in his shirt. "I hate fighting with you," I mumbled.

"I can't say I enjoy it, either," he replied softly. "But I guess that's inevitable when you care for and love a person this much."

"That's the only reason I nag, Edward," I said and looked up into his eyes. "I love you so much, and I can't bear the thought of something happening to you."

"I love you, too, baby. And I promise I won't be stubborn about this anymore."

EPOV

I rubbed my eyes tiredly as I leaned back in the chair behind my desk. The light from my laptop monitor made my eyes water, but I was determined to find the exact kind of wood that I wanted to use for the dinner-table and chair set a woman from the upper east side in New York had asked for.

She had very specific requests, but she was also willing to pay whatever it would cost, so I had no problem with it.

Bella's suggestion to start an online-based carpentry that specialized in custom-and-hand-made, and elegant furniture, was the best thing that could have happened to my career because I was once again back at doing what I enjoyed, which was to make artful furniture.

It took time to build the new brand, and at first, clients were reluctant to make business with me as they didn't trust that I was legit since I didn't have a company address, but Bella helped out there, too, and acted as my "personal assistant" and took the phone calls and answered the emails in a very professional manner by always referring to me as Mr. Masen. She dropped a white lie here and there by saying I was very sought after make my work desirable, and eventually, the rich elite heard about me.

Once I'd delivered my first order to a lawyer in Manhattan who wanted a desk made of Ebony, a wood mostly used for instruments because of its durability, and he was more than pleased with my work, it didn't take long for more orders to fall into my inbox.

I was able to hire a real personal assistant/partner who took care of most of the business side of the company while I built the furniture. It was a good deal, and one I enjoyed much because it gave me more time to be at home with Bella.

"Are you done soon?" the woman in question asked from the doorway to my small office. "The bed is so empty without you there."

I looked up at her, and my eyes widened when I saw that she was only wearing one of my t-shirts, and she was most likely not wearing underwear because she never did to bed. It didn't matter that we'd been together for over six years. The sight of her still drove me crazy with want and need.

I trailed my eyes up her bare legs, and when I reached the hem of the shirt, a sigh escaped me. Then, as I continued up and met her eyes, I understood that she knew exactly what she was doing.

There was no way I could continue to stare at samples of wood after having looked into her dark, desire-filled eyes.

I immediately closed my laptop and stood up from my chair to walk up to her. "It looks like you have plans, baby," I told her, and my voice was husky with the desire I felt warming me up. "Am I included in them?"

She traced her hands over my chest. "Always," she replied in a whisper before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me down for a searing kiss that caused me to moan loudly.

Every time she touched me, no matter how small, she always made my pulse race, but now, as she pushed her tongue determinedly into my mouth and brought my hand down to her ass, it was a hundred times more intense. Every part of me sparked to life, and when she felt my erection grow, she didn't hesitate to unzip my jeans.

Neither of us had ever been particularly patient during sex, and it was often quick and fast, but that was us, so when she backed us back inside my office until she could sit on the edge of my desk, I was suddenly struck with the familiarity of the scene.

Our first time had been on my desk in my old carpentry. It had been passionate and was over embarrassingly quickly, and despite our lust, the situation had been tinged with our uncertainty.

No such thing existed between us now as Bella parted her legs for me.

"I can't wait for the bedroom," she moaned into my mouth. "Just take me here. Now." She locked her legs around me once she'd gotten my jeans off, and I didn't complain when she immediately directed me toward her hot and wet center, and as I entered her, she clenched around me tightly.

I cursed out loud. "How is it possible that every time with you just gets better and better?" I asked rhetorically as we rhythmically came together over and over.

"I don't know," she breathed out. "But for god's sake, don't stop!"

"Never," I was able to reply, but then words failed me and I focused on the signs her body gave me to tell me whether she was close or not because I was, and I wanted her to have hers first.

"Please," she whimpered, and that was my cue. I placed my hand between us and rubbed my fingers over her sensitive nerves until she started to spasm around me, and my name fell from her lips.

It was heady to hear it, and enough to bring me my own release.

Once both of us had come down from our high, we detached all of our limbs from each other, and she jumped back down from the desk.

"I have to say, I'm impressed you've retained that stamina of yours, old man," she teased as we made our way to our bedroom.

"I'm fifty-two. I'm at the peak of my life right now, you know," I replied and smacked her on the ass as she walked through the bedroom door in front of me.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," she said with a smile and then leaned over to grab a magazine that was on the dresser. "But this came in the mail today, so pharmaceutical companies are obviously interested in recruiting you early."

She threw the magazine to me, and I cast a glance at the cover in confusion. The headline caused me to glare at my girl.

"Very funny."

She giggled. "I thought so."

"Oh, I'll show you funny," I said and threw the magazine with the offensive Viagra ad against the wall before I stalked toward Bella, put my arms around her and pulled her down on our bed to show her how little I needed chemical assistance to satisfy her.

A/N:

That's it folks. No more of this couple.

It's a bit bittersweet, actually.

This has, by far, been one of the most difficult stories I've ever written because Edward's head was not easy to get into for me, but I hope I made it justice.

I might have this story looked through one day to delete any mistakes or omit any unnecessary details and stuff like that, but for now, this is the way the story is, unbeta'd with all its flaws.

It's always sad to let a certain set of characters go, but I am also very glad to let these ones rest.

I hope I'll see you guys in my next story!

Until then

Stay Awesome