“I don’t know Edward. I kind of liked running my fingers through your unruly mop. I may not be able to date you anymore. Maybe Carrot Top is single? Might be worth a shot.” I said as I giggled.
“Very funny Miss Swan.” Edward said with a grin.
We were talking on Skype, and Edward was showing off his World War II era military haircut. It was shorn close on the sides and back, but there was still enough left on top to be able to ‘run my fingers through’ when I see him in Aspen.
“Seriously though, Edward, you look tired. You’d better be taking care of yourself, I don’t want you to get sick.”
“I could say the same about you sweetheart. I can see the circles under your eyes, even on Skype.”
We both sighed.
“We’re a fine pair aren’t we?” I murmured. “Okay, I promise to take better care of myself, if you do the same. I just haven’t been sleeping well. I miss you.”
“I know how you feel. I got used to having you beside me. Those few nights were the best sleep of my entire life.”
“Wow, I sound like a security blanket.” I chuckled.
“Not exactly, I miss your warmth, your scent, your sleep talking, the sounds you make when you breathe.”
“Are you saying I snore Edward?”
“Well..” He laughed.
“I do not!” I said indignantly
“No, you don’t, but if you did, I’d miss that too.” He said quietly.
“I love you.” I answered his unspoken thought.
Edward rested his chin in his hand while looking into the screen. “I love you so much it hurts Isabella.”
We both chuckled at our sappiness.
“I have an idea.”
Edward looked at me questioningly.
“Why don’t we leave Skype on while we’re sleeping, it would be just like being next to each other again. Well, sort of.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He answered smiling. “Sixteen more days baby.”
----------------------V&V----------------------
“At this rate, I estimate that you’ll be down to one stalker by the time you leave for Aspen.” Rose said.
“Motherfuckers.” Emmett muttered.
We were seated in Rose and Emmett’s dining room, having dinner. The topic of discussion being the number of paps that had been shadowing my every move since Edward left nine days before. The number had decreased so that now there were about four of them.
“I told you that I lead a boring life, I knew they’d lose interest in me eventually.” I said.
I patted my brother’s hand. He became visibly angry every time this subject was discussed. Emmett hated every last one of those reporters. If Rose and I hadn’t begged, pleaded and sometimes thrown ourselves in front of the doors, Emmett would probably have been sitting in a jail cell by now. He wanted nothing more than to, in his words, “fuck up their shit”.
He was so hell-bent on going after them one time, that nothing short of a call from Chief Swan was able to calm him down.
I hated what this was doing to my happy-go-lucky brother. The sooner the paps lost interest in me, the better.
I decided to change the subject. “So Rose, did you accept the offer yet?”
“I’ve got my parents’ lawyer checking it over first. If everything goes well, my show will be on the air by September.” Rose stopped and took a deep breath. “It’s amazing that this is happening. I mean think about it Bells, this will be such a year to remember. I’m getting married, and getting my own television show. I’ve been waking up every morning and pinching myself to see if it’s all real.” Rose was so happy that she was actually glowing.
Emmett smiled at her adoringly, his bad mood of a few moments ago all but forgotten.
After we cleared away the dinner dishes, I sat with Rose in the living room looking through bridal magazines. It didn’t take long before I was completely overwhelmed.
“I think I’m out of my element here Rose. I’m seriously thinking of turning in my chick card, because I’m useless.” I said while shaking my head.
“Don’t worry about it Bells. I can’t make any other decisions until Emmett and I set a date. I’m hoping we can get married right after the Route 66 trip, but before my show starts. We may have to cut the honeymoon short, but I don’t think Emmett will mind.”
“Where were you thinking of going?” I asked.
Rose got a little starry eyed. “I’ve always wanted to go to Paris on my honeymoon.” She said in a low voice.
Oh that sounds so romantic. The Eiffel Tower. The Louvre. Notre Dame Cathedral. Walking along the Seine in the moonlight.
Then my eyes grew wide in horror.
“Rose.” I gasped. “Do you think France could survive Emmett?”
Rose shook her head in disgust. “I know. He’s like all four fucking Griswolds rolled into one.” She muttered.
I nodded in agreement.
----------------------V&V----------------------
“We’re driving out tomorrow and coming back on Sunday.” I said quietly.
“I wish I could go with you Bella. Are you going to be okay?” Edward asked, his voice full of concern.
“I think I’ll be fine Edward. Her birthday isn’t as hard to deal with as the anniversary of …you know.”
My Mom’s birthday was on Sunday and, as we did every year, we were driving to Forks to remember it.
“Besides, my family decided early on that her birthday was the day to celebrate Renee’s life, not mourn her death. We have dinner at her favorite restaurant in Port Angeles, and we have birthday cake for desert. After the first couple of years, it stopped being a sad day.” I smiled remembering.
“I still wish I could be there. I want to help you face these things from now on.“ He said sadly.
“I won’t be alone, but I have to admit that I wish you could be there too…maybe next year?”
“Definitely.” Edward nodded. “Only seven more days my love.”
----------------------V&V----------------------
On Saturday afternoon I found myself sitting in the back pew of Saint Anne’s Church in Forks, having a quiet conversation with Father Pat. With Edward’s permission, I had told Father everything.
Father Pat was quiet for a long while. “Well Isabella, that is quite a story. It has all the elements of a Greek tragedy.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the news reports about you and Edward are going to get worse for a while, but as long as you can both weather that, I believe you will get your happily ever after.”
“The question is, are you ready to allow yourself to be truly happy Isabella?”
I thought about that. Had I forgiven myself for my mother’s death?
“I think so Father. For a long time, I felt responsible for what happened that day. More recently though, as Edward and I have discussed it, I’ve come to accept the fact that that horrible man would have found a way to hurt us no matter what I could have done.”
“My mother would want me to be happy. If I don’t live my life, I may as well have died with her that day, and that would dishonor the sacrifice she made for me.”
“It sounds like you’ve got it all figured out Isabella. You really are quite a remarkable young woman, your mother would be very proud.”
----------------------V&V----------------------
It was Sunday afternoon and we were all gathered at my mother’s favorite restaurant in Port Angeles. After the meal, we always took turns toasting Renee, and each of us would share something about her. Sometimes it was a memory, sometimes we just talked about something that was on our mind.
“To Mom” Emmett said as he raised his glass. “It’s hard to believe that you would be forty-eight today. I wish you could be here to see Rosie and I get married, but I hope you can at least see it from where you are.” Emmett’s head bowed and his voice sank to a whisper. “I miss you every day Mom. I miss your smile, your hugs, but most of all I miss your laughter. You had the best laugh. I hope they appreciate you in heaven.” Rose patted Emmett’s hand.
“To Renee.” My father began. “You were and still are the love of my life. As the years have passed, and I’ve had time to think about it, I now realize that Forks was always too small to hold you. I should never have expected someone with a heart as big as yours to be content there. I hope you remember me fondly, and have forgiven me all my shortcomings.”
“Mom.” I started. “I was remembering the time that you planned a picnic, I guess I was about eight. We never got to enjoy it because in the first five minutes, I was attacked by a couple of angry yellow jackets. You took me home and tended to my stings and fixed me an oatmeal bath. When I came out of the bathroom, you had put on my favorite CD, and spread the picnic blanket across the living room floor. To this day, that remains the best picnic I’ve ever had. I miss you Mom.”
“To Renee.” Rose began. “I will always count myself fortunate to have known you, if only for a little while. One of the last things you said to me was that you had a feeling that Emmett and I would be together forever. I’d like to tell Renee and everyone else that ’forever’ starts on July 24th, we set the date!”
I squealed as I jumped up and hugged Rose and then my brother. Charlie was even in a hugging mood. “I’m so happy for you guys! Now you have to start planning Rose.” I was delighted that everything was coming together for them.
“It’s going to be quite a summer.” Emmett said with a smile.
-----------------------V&V----------------------
“So, I got a special delivery today.”
“Oh yeah?” Edward questioned.
“My dress and shoes for the wedding. Alice sent them, but I know that you paid for them Edward.”
“Bella, don’t give me a hard time about this. It’s only money, and believe me when I say that I have more than I could ever spend in my lifetime.”
Holy crap I find that hard to wrap my head around.
“I won’t give you a hard time, and thank you.” I smiled, resigned to my fate. “The dress is lovely.”
“You make anything you wear ‘lovely’ Miss Swan. Truth be told, I haven’t seen the dress, but I’m sure Alice is coordinating our outfits. She’s very thorough.” He chuckled.
“So.” I said
“So?”
“Have you had to kiss any girls during filming, Mr. Movie Star?” All of a sudden I was experiencing an irrational pang of jealousy.
“No, but even if I did there’s only one girl I’m interested in kissing.”
“Oh? And who would that be? Your girlfriend?”
“Why yes, as a matter of fact. You may know her, she lives in Seattle.” He smirked.
“What a coincidence. My boyfriend lives in L.A.” I smiled.
“Tell me about this boyfriend.”
“Well, he’s sweet and gentle, handsome, intelligent and sexy. His kisses are ‘to die for’.” I said as I faked a swoon. “He’s the best thing in my life.” I added sincerely.
“Tell me about your girlfriend.” I pressed.
“She’s witty and smart, absolutely gorgeous.”
I rolled my eyes. I would never get used to the way Edward regarded me. He has been in the company of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, and always insisted that I far outshone any of them.
“I think you may need glasses Mr. Movie Star.”
“Hey! Don’t knock my girlfriend.” He glared at me, I chuckled. “As I was saying, she’s absolutely gorgeous, with the most beautiful brown eyes, and when she smiles I think my heart might stop.” He said in a low voice, clutching his chest.
“She’s everything to me.” He added.
“Four more days baby.”
----------------------V&V----------------------
“Did you see the photos of Edward Masen with his new distraction? He must have gotten tired of cheating long distance, and decided to hunt closer to home.”
I was sitting, waiting for my last class of the day to start, while two skanks sitting nearby discussed the photos that were all over the net. They showed Edward having lunch with one of his female co-stars. I knew better than to jump to conclusions this time.
It was obvious that these two bimbos were trying to get a rise out of me, I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction.
“I never did understand what he saw in his Seattle hook-up. She’s definitely not up to his usual standards.” The bitches giggled while sneaking sidelong glances at me.
I blocked out their chatter, and decided to text Edward.
E-
Don’t worry, I don’t believe any of it. I love you.
-B
My phone chirped back a response almost instantly.
B-
Well thank God for that. Call me as soon as you’re out of class. Love you.
-E
The minute class was over I dialed Edward while walking to my car.
“I just can’t believe this shit. Rachel is a friend. She’s also married with two children. Her husband Sean was sitting at that table with us, but they conveniently cut him out of the photos.” He barked as soon as he answered the phone.
“Hello to you too Edward.” I said as I laughed.
“I’m sorry sweetheart, I’m just kind of angry at the moment.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell.” I said still laughing at him. “Look Edward, this stuff is probably going to get worse before it gets better. You said you’d give Tanya time to speak out, but even after she does so, we’ll never fully escape the rumors and gossip. We just have to learn to ignore it and live our lives.”
“Wow. Bella you’re amazing. You’re handling this so much better than I am. I just can’t stand anyone thinking poorly of you. If they only knew the truth…”
“They would still say terrible things Edward. Some of those people make a lot of money off of other people’s misery. I’m starting to develop a thick skin. I can take whatever they want to throw at me.” I stated.
“Have I told you today that I love you?” He asked.
“You just did Mr. Movie Star, now get back to work. Two more days babe.”
----------------------V&V-----------------------
It was finally Friday. I would see Edward tonight in Aspen. My bags were packed and ready to go. I went to my morning classes but was skipping the afternoon ones in order to make my flight.
Rose had taken the afternoon off to drive me to the airport.
I popped over to their apartment after returning from school.
I couldn’t believe what I saw. Emmett was eating lunch. That wasn’t the problem, but what he was eating was definitely the shocker. He was wolfing down all the food that Rosalie had banned from his diet. All the ‘gas-producing’ foods.
I’ve never seen that many kinds of beans.
“I know I’ll probably be sorry for asking this Emmett, but what the heck are you doing?”
“Look Bells, we’re down to only two of those assholes following you. But they are pretty determined. Every time you’ve gone anywhere, it’s been impossible to shake them. So I’ve devised a strategy.”
“I’m going outside to see our little friends.“ I raised my eyebrows in alarm. “Don’t worry Bells, I’m going to play nice. Then when they least expect it, I’m going to gas those motherfuckers, while you and Rose escape to the airport.“
“Emmett are you seriously planning to fart on the paparazzi?” I asked, stunned.
Emmett nodded.
My brother, the man with the plan.
“Yep. My only fear is that , if I overdo it I may pass more than just gas if you know what I mean.” He grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows
I gagged a little at the thought.
Rose chimed in then. “He’s been planning this all week Bells. If it works, it will be worth the stench I suppose.”
Emmett left to visit his new friends.
Rose and I took my luggage down to the parking deck, and waited in the hummer. Rose watched her phone screen intently. When it chirped with an incoming message she started the car. “It’s time.”
We pulled out of the deck to see Emmett standing on the sidewalk, a satisfied smile on his face. Both of the paps looked absolutely green. One was doubled over struggling to breathe, as if he were about to vomit. The other one was stumbling around with his head bobbing and his eyes crossed, looking like someone on a really bad acid trip.
Rose and I burst into hysterical laughter. As we passed, Emmett got a shit-eating grin on his face and gave us the double thumbs-up.
No way those guys were going to recover in time to follow us in their cars.
When Rose was finally able to speak again, she spluttered, “That shit’s better than pepper spray!”
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