I could not believe that he as good as told Charlie that Edward was inexperienced.
No way in hell was I going to say the ‘V’ word just now.
During his sermon, I noticed that Father Pat kept glancing at our family. Normally, we would all sit together in the same pew, close enough for our elbows to touch. Today, Charlie sat at the far end of one pew, basically alone. He needed space in order to process what he’d learned this morning.
Emmett sat in the same pew as Charlie, but you could have squeezed a family of four into the space between them.
Rose was pissed at Emmett, and wouldn’t sit in the same pew with him, so she sat in front of Charlie. I was pissed at Emmett, so I sat next to Rose. Edward, I’m pretty certain, just wanted to get the fuck out of Forks. He sat next to me.
**flashback**
Emmett stood there grinning at the scene he’d just caused. I was so angry that, without thinking, I stomped over to him and kicked him as hard as I could in the shin.
“Bella! What the fuck?” Emmett said as he rubbed his leg.
The pain that seared through my foot caused me to immediately double over. “Motherfucker!” I shouted.
That snapped Charlie out of his stupor. “Language Isabella Marie!”
“Great Dad, Emmett can curse but I can’t? Quite a double standard you‘ve got going there.” I sputtered out through my pain.
“I gave up on Emmett a long time ago, finding it best to ignore him. You, on the other hand, occasionally listen to me.” Charlie defended.
My attack on Emmett had not been well thought out. It was obvious that I’d hurt myself a lot more than I’d hurt him. Edward ran to the kitchen, returning with a bag of frozen peas as I sat on the floor cradling my poor foot.
“I’ll be alright” I said quietly as Edward handed me the peas. I then turned toward Emmett, unleashing my verbal tirade. “You have such a big mouth Emmett. I seriously thought about junk-punching you, but I want a niece or nephew some day.”
Emmett actually had the balls to smile at that.
“Bottom line is, Dad didn’t need to know that. It’s no one’s business but Edward’s.” I hissed.
By this time, Edward was rubbing my back, trying to calm me down.
“Look, I know Pops. He’ll go easier on you now that he knows the truth.” Emmett said quietly so Charlie wouldn’t hear.
“Just shut up Emmett.” Rose barked.
**end of flashback**
As I sat there stewing in church, I felt a warm hand on mine. I looked up to see Edward looking down at me. He gave me a little smile, and I could feel my anger start to melt away. I sighed and leaned into him as I listened to the rest of Father’s sermon.
“The problem is, now that Charlie knows your ‘status’.” I said, making little air quotes with my fingers. “He’s probably already decided that you must be gay, and that I’m your beard, just like all those other women that went before. By now, he’s most likely convinced himself that this can only end badly for me. He really cannot stand the thought of me being hurt Edward.”
“That makes two of us Bella.” He said in response.
We were in the Mercedes, on our way back to Charlie’s after church, as I explained my thoughts to Edward.
“So, why not tell him the whole story Bella?” He asked quietly.
“Edward, I can’t ask you to do that. My family needs to butt the hell out of this. They‘ve been too involved in our personal business already.”
He reached over and took my hand in his. “Bella, none of that matters to me, don’t you see? At this point, I don’t care who knows. You are my one and only concern.” He lifted my hand and gave me a gentle kiss. “Your relationship with Charlie is important. Therefore, my relationship with him is important. I don’t want him to have any reservations about me. Let me do this.”
I looked at him. His beautiful green eyes so sincere and hopeful. He was willing to do this for me. For us.
After we arrived back at the house, I changed into casual clothing and went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. When Charlie came downstairs, Edward quietly asked to speak with him in private. I watched as they disappeared onto the back porch.
I was dying of curiosity, but I behaved myself, and kept busy in the kitchen. After a few minutes Emmett appeared grinning from ear to ear as he dug into his Easter basket.
Yes, the Easter bunny still visit’s the Swan household.
“So Bellaboo have you cooled down yet?” He asked.
I sighed and looked at my brother. “Emmett, I love you more than you probably realize. It’s just that sometimes I want to pound you into the ground like a tent peg.” I snarled. “And my toe still hurts.” I added as an afterthought.
Emmett guffawed, his mouth full of chocolate. “Look Bells, I’m sorry I upset you. It really wasn’t premeditated, everything just kind of came out. I still believe it’s better for everyone if Pops knows.”
“Maybe.” I answered in a whisper. “Edward’s giving him the rest of the details now.”
Emmett’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wow.” He stroked his chin. “Well, if anyone understands Edward’s situation, it’s Pops” Then he laughed, “especially the abstinence.”
“Ew, Emmett. You are the uncrowned king of the ‘overshare‘.” That was something I’d tried never to think about. I’d always wondered if Dad maybe had a secret girlfriend over the years. Obviously not, Emmett would know, and probably blab it all over the Olympic Peninsula.
“It’s true Bells.” He was serious now. “Pops loved Mom. It destroyed him when she left. Sometimes I think if he hadn’t had me to take care of, he might have done something crazy.”
Poor Charlie.
“Needless to say, I don’t think he’ll ever be able to trust another woman. It’s a matter of self-preservation.” He added sadly.
Dad and Edward have a lot more in common than I realized.
“Oh! Cadbury crème eggs!” Emmett boomed as he unwrapped one. Nothing ever killed his good mood for long.
With Rose and Emmett’s help, the dinner was prepared in no time. As we were setting the dining room table, Charlie and Edward emerged from the porch, all smiles, and each drinking a Vitamin R.
Well that wasn‘t what I expected.
Edward seemed genuinely happy, borderline giddy, for the rest of the day. Charlie was, uncharacteristically, also in good spirits. It was puzzling.
I wonder if Edward will tell me what Charlie said?
I never had time to grill Edward as I would like to have. Father Pat arrived for dinner, and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, visiting with him.
At one point while Emmett was in the other room, Father Pat questioned our strange behavior in church. I admitted to him that Emmett had been in the doghouse with almost everyone in the family at that time.
Father laughed. “Isabella, I hope you don’t hold a grudge against Emmett for too long. He is a good person, and always means well. Sometimes he goes about things the wrong way, like trying to bribe the priest.” He said with an arched brow. “But he loves his family very much.”
“A person can count themselves as truly blessed if there exists at least one other that would lay down their life to save them. You, Isabella, are blessed several times over.” He said as he patted my hand.
Maybe I’d been too tough on my brother. Wasn’t it just last night that he beat the crap out of three people on my behalf?
After some thought, I decided that he was just being Emmett. As annoying as that may be from time to time, I wouldn’t want to change him for the world.
As soon as Father Pat left, we cleaned up the dining room and kitchen and packed our bags to head back to Seattle. Charlie walked us to our cars.
I hugged Rose and Emmett goodbye, so that my brother would know that I didn’t harbor any anger toward him. “I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me.“ He said as he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
Doofus.
Dad lingered for a moment when he said goodbye to me. “Bye Bells. If you get lonely while Edward’s in England, you know you can always come here for the weekend.”
“Thanks Dad, I’d like that.” I answered truthfully.
I could really use some quality time with my Dad. A weekend in Forks sounded like the perfect escape from a sad weekend alone in my apartment.
During the drive, I decided I’d broach the subject of Edward’s talk with Charlie. “So you and Charlie seemed in good spirits when you came in from the porch.”
Edward grinned. “Yes. We had a good talk.”
I waited for him to continue.
Nothing.
“Um, did you tell him everything?“ I asked, hoping he’d volunteer more information.
Edward sighed and smiled again. “Yes. Because he’s a cop, he was already familiar with Meghan’s case. He even knew things that the general public didn‘t, like the fact that her boyfriend had been arrested.” For the first time this afternoon, Edward lost his smile. “Of course he never knew my name. After learning about everything, he seemed to understand why I isolated myself. He didn’t even question my reasoning for inventing a false public persona with a very active social life.”
“It seems that your father has trust issues of his own.” He added in a quiet voice.
“Seems that way.” I agreed.
I’d never told Dad about the things Mom had said about him before she was killed. I didn’t know if it would help him or add to his pain, so I’d held back all these years.
Maybe I should consider sharing that with him.
We stopped at a quick mart in Port Angeles to get gas. While Edward filled the tank, I visited the ladies’ room. Safely hidden away in one of the stalls, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud when I overheard the conversation between a couple of teenage girls standing by the sinks.
“Did you see Edward Masen out there? I swear it’s him, and he’s pumping his own gas.” The first girl said excitedly.
“I saw him! Gah, he’s even more beautiful in person. I wonder if his girlfriend is with him. I didn’t see her, but you know she comes from Forks. She seems really sweet, I hope he doesn’t break her heart.” The second voice answered.
“Oh Susan, I don’t think that will happen. Have you seen the way he looks at her in the internet photos? Michael never looks at me like that.”
They both sighed and exited the bathroom.
Bella Swan, you lucky bitch.
I exited the bathroom and walked around the corner, headed toward the car. It was then that I saw Edward. He was leaning against my door, in what appeared to be a casual stance, with his arms folded across his chest, but his green eyes were blazing as they watched me approach.
Is he angry?
My heart started to beat faster as I tried to imagine what I’d done wrong. As soon as I was within arm’s length of him, he pulled me into a rough embrace.
“Oh my dear Miss Swan. I remember distinctly telling you that if certain photos ended up in the tabloids or on the internet that you would be made to pay.”
Oh shit.
Edward proceeded to kiss me passionately, right there in the quick mart parking lot, in full view of everyone. Instinctively, I laced my fingers through the hair at the back of his head as he pulled my body flush with his.
One of his hands traveled to my hip, holding me in place. The other hand was splayed across the top of my back between my shoulders. We both got lost in the kiss, as our tongues battled for dominance. He literally kissed me so hard I couldn’t breathe. Then, Edward gently bit my lip before pulling away, smiling down at me.
“Was that my punishment?“ I asked breathlessly.
“You don’t think it was enough?“ He asked with a grin.
I love playful Edward.
“I think that if you do that again, I’m going to pass the fuck out right here in the parking lot.“ I panted.
Edward laughed out loud as he turned to open my door for me. There, lying on the seat, were copies of the latest National Enquirer and Star magazines, both sporting cover photos of Edward, myself, and Waxward.
I slid into my seat, Edward’s kiss effectively taking away most of my ability to function or think.
After a while, when my ability to speak and form a full sentence returned, I turned to him. “You know that everyone in that parking lot probably took a photo of that kiss.”
Mmmm, that was some kiss.
Edward chuckled. “Hopefully the photos are good enough to knock those silly ones off the front page.” He continued to grin like a little boy.
“So the only reason you kissed me was to get our photo in the tabloids?” I asked.
“No my dear Isabella. I kissed you because I am head over heels in love with you. The possible tabloid cover is just a ‘fringe benefit’.”
I laughed, although it came out like a snort.
--V&V--
We were lying in my bed during our last night together before Edward would leave for England.
I was trying not to cry, but it was an uphill battle.
“I’m going to miss you so much, especially your sense of humor.” He gave me a sad smile, and kissed my forehead.
“And your laughter” he kissed my cheek. “Your scent” he kissed just under my right ear. “Your smile” he kissed my chin. “Your beautiful eyes” he kissed each eyelid. “And your lips” he then kissed me on my lips, slowly and passionately.
Edward continued placing small kisses on my face until I felt myself drifting off to sleep, content in his arms.
--V&V--
The day of Edward’s departure had arrived.
Where did all our time go?
We didn’t have to be at the airport until mid-afternoon, so Edward had planned a couple of things for us to do today.
First on the agenda was breakfast.
Evidently, we were both suffering from the delusion that we’d actually be able to eat. It was a nice thought. I was barely able to choke down a cup of tea.
“What are your plans for this evening?” Edward asked over his cup of coffee. We were sitting side by side in a booth at a diner.
“Before or after I mope around, missing my boyfriend?” I said sadly.
Edward put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. “The time will fly Bella, you’ll see.” He tried to comfort. “Just concentrate on your studies, because after your graduation I refuse to be separated from you again.” He said with conviction.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed his neck. “We have skype, and the phone, we survived before.” I said, trying to convince myself just as much as Edward.
“I’ll miss you the most at night.” He remarked quietly. “I sleep better when you’re beside me.”
“Me too.” I whispered.
I knew that I had a lot of schoolwork to attend to. Something I’d been quite neglectful of recently. At least that would help pass the time.
Since the art museum was closed on Mondays, we spent some time wandering, hand in hand, around the Olympic sculpture park. The more time I spent with Edward, the easier it was becoming to ignore the stares we attracted from those around us. Although, I admit I still had a difficult time ignoring the flirting.
Soon, too soon, it was time to go.
At SeaTac, we stood together, our arms wrapped around each other, near the security checkpoint. Edward was delaying our goodbye until the last possible moment.
Finally, when we couldn’t put if off any longer he whispered. “It’s time Bella.”
I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t make this difficult for him by breaking down. “I know.” I looked at him through bleary eyes. “Nothing’s going to be right until I’m with you again.”
“I know what you mean.” He murmured before pulling me into a goodbye kiss. It was sweet but sorrowful, and would have to be enough until we were together again. “Goodbye my love.”
He walked toward security, with one look back and a small wave before he rounded the corner. Then he was gone.
I stood there watching the last spot where I’d seen him, just staring, willing him to return.
After a few minutes, I felt someone standing beside me. I pulled myself out of my brooding for a moment to look up. Lou was standing beside me with a sympathetic smile.
“Come on Bella. Edward gave me strict instructions not to let you linger here.”
I nodded, sighed, and finally turned away, following Lou to the car. I knew Edward was probably sitting in the VIP lounge by now, waiting for his flight. I decided to send him a quick text.
Miss you already. I stole the t-shirt you slept in..sorry. Maybe it will help me sleep tonight because it smells like you.
Love you, B
His reply was prompt.
Not the first time you’ve stolen my shirt if I recall. Miss you too. I’ll try to sleep on the flight and pretend I’m with you.
Love you too, so much, E
--V&V--
When I arrived back at my apartment, I was tempted to crawl into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours. I fought that urge, and instead went to my bedroom, intending to get some work done on my laptop.
I was immediately distracted by a small pink gift bag sitting on my pillow. Knowing it had to be from Edward, I could feel my heart racing as I rushed to open it.
Inside I found a note and a small Tiffany’s box containing a pair of beautiful diamond earrings which matched the necklace he’d give me for Valentine’s Day.
My darling,
My only request is that you refrain from wearing them until we are together again. I intend to take you out on the town.
I love you more than I can say. You have given me back my life.
Edward
My fingers traced over the letters of his name as I wept. Some were tears of sorrow because I knew how much I would miss him. Some were tears of joy that we found each other in the first place. I was distracted by the ringing of my phone.
Edward.
“Hello Edward. Thank you for the earrings, they are exquisite.” Try as I might, I couldn’t hide the fact that I’d been crying.
“Baby don’t cry. I wanted to thank you for my gift too. It’s going on my nightstand as soon as I arrive.”
I’d framed a small photo of us dancing close together at the Carnation Plaza Gardens and hidden it in his carry-on. It certainly wasn’t much in comparison to his gift to me, but I knew it would mean a lot to him.
He breathed into the phone. “Are you really going to sleep with my shirt?” He murmured.
“Yes” I whispered.
“I wish I could be in it.” He carried on in a low voice.
“Me too.”
He let out a big breath. “They’re getting ready to close the airplane doors.”
“Doesn’t that mean you have to hang up now?”
“Yes” he said, but didn’t hang up.
I could hear him breathing. “I don’t want to go.”
At that moment I heard the voice of what I assumed to be a flight attendant.
“Mr. Masen, I’m sorry but you must stow all electronic devices at this time.”
“Yes, of course” He answered her politely. “Well, I guess I’ve got to hang up now. I love you Bella.”
“I love you too Edward. Stay safe.” I whispered.
“You too my darling, goodbye.”
And he was gone.
--V&V--
It proved to be a difficult night, but as soon as I forced myself to imagine Edward asleep in his first class cocoon, I was finally able to drift off.
Sometime during the night, Edward had sent a text letting me know he’d arrived in London. His plan for the day was to check into his hotel and, in his words, ‘gaze at my beautiful girl’s photo until I fall asleep’.
He had told me that any time he went to Europe, he would spend the first afternoon catching up on his sleep in order to conquer the jet lag.
During lunch with Tara and Joanna, my phone rang.
“Edward” I breathed. I noticed my friends trying to suppress their giggles.
“Hey baby, how’s your day?”
“Fine. Not much longer until Rose’s interview with Geri Chance.”
“Holy shit, during all the excitement of the last few days, I’d forgotten about that.”
“Rose reminded me this morning. She still hasn’t told me everything. Should be interesting.” I said quietly. “What are you doing?”
He chuckled. “Well, it’s evening here and I slept all afternoon, so I’m having a nightcap and speaking on the phone to a stunning brunette.“
“Stunning huh?“ I teased.
“Absolutely. She’s so beautiful that when we’re together, I can’t keep my eyes off of her.“
“Flattery will get you everywhere Mister Move Star.“ I smiled.
“I’m counting on that.“ I just knew he was smirking. “Well, I’ll let you go baby, I know you’ve got a class starting soon.“
I glanced at the wall clock. “Yeah, but this call was a very pleasant surprise. I miss you.“
“Me too. Love you Bella.“
“Love you too.” I breathed as I ended the call.
I’m of the firm belief that pushing the ‘end’ button to one of Edward’s calls actually causes me physical pain.
Joanna and Tara were staring at me, eyes wide with wonder.
“Bella, tell me you plan to go see him while he’s over there.” Joanna said.
“Oh, well, as a matter of fact, I plan to go over there at the end of the month if everything works out.”
“What do you have to work out?” Tara asked.
“First of all, I need to get ahead with my school work so that I can afford to leave for a couple of days. I was thinking of surprising him.”
“Oh that’s so romantic.” Tara said excitedly.
--V&V--
At Edward’s insistence, Lou was still driving me around. He reminded me that whoever had vandalized my car was still at large, so that meant I was in danger. I didn’t even argue with him because I’d rather he not worry while so far away.
I sent a text to Rose as soon as we pulled up in WIRI’s parking lot. She responded almost immediately.
B-
Emmett will come get you. We don’t want the painted bitch to catch a glimpse. See you in a bit.
-R
Whatever was about to go down would be a welcome distraction from missing Edward. Bring it on.
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