I don't own Twilight
She walked into the foreman's house which Jasper and Peter shared. "This will be your room." Peter led her to a little room with a twin bed. "I know it's not much I'm sorry."
Bella gave him a wane smile. "Don't be sorry." She shook her head. "You are taking me in and you didn't have to do that, I'm grateful. Jasper came in and gave her a smile putting her suitcase down.
"The rest of your things should be here in a few days." He assured her.
"Thank you." She nodded. She was exhausted her very nerves were on fray. "I think I'd just like to take a nap if that's okay."
"Of course." Jasper told her, me and my dad will be around the ranch if you need anything. If you can't find us just go to Esme or Rose they will help you."
"Okay." Bella smiled tensely. When they were gone Bella pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed. She fell into a restless sleep. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, what she did know was that she woke up screaming, covered in sweat. Her heart was racing and bile was raising in her throat. She got up stumbling out of the bed and out of the room. She felt like she was going to suffocate under the heat. She found her way into the Kitchen and got a glass of water.
She stood at the sink looking out the window, the cool glass clutched in her hand. She took a deep breath and downed the water. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to tame it before grabbing a hair band that was around her wrist and throwing it up in a ponytail. She decided fresh air might help after slipping on her shoes she went outside. She wasn't used to the hot sticky Texas air. She didn't see Jasper or Peter around anywhere so she started towards the big house where the Cullen's lived.
She knocked on the door which was quickly opened, "oh Bella come on in." Esme beamed at her.
"Thank you." Bella smiled, she walked into the spacious entry way looking around the big ranch house. "your house is lovely."
"Thank you dear, why don't you come into the kitchen I'm making some pies."
"Oh of course." Bella followed her, the kitchen was warm and smelled of spiced apples. "you and the men must come to dinner tonight, they can't cook so they usually eat here." Esme advised her. She smiled remembering the few dinners she'd shared with the Cullen's. The house had changed a bit since then though. Just then a blond woman who Bella vaguely remembered from the funeral walked into the kitchen.
"Esme I'm going to town do you need anything?"
"No Rose dear thank you though." Just then this Rose seemed to notice Bella.
"Oh Hello how rude of me, I briefly met you earlier but I'm Rosalie Cullen, Emmett's wife."
"Hello Rose." Bella gave a small smile.
"Would you like to come to town with me? I'm going to meet with Alice in town we're going to have coffee."
"oh um…" Bella trailed off. How was she supposed to tell this woman she didn't have any money to spend on coffee.
"Rose." Esme said gently.
"What?" Rose looked over at her mother in law. Then she looked at Bella. "I'm sorry if I offended you in some way." She said.
"Oh no it's not that." Bella fidgeted. "It's just I don't have any money for coffee."
"Oh is that all. I wasn't asking you and expecting you to buy your own of course I planned to cover you."
"Oh I can't do that." Bella shook her head.
"Bella dear, I think it would be a good thing if you went with Rose get out get your mind off things I'm sure Alice would love to get to know you."
Bella bit her lip. "Okay." She finally conceded.
"Great lets get going." Rose said turning towards the door. Bella felt slightly intimated by this woman.
"Uh okay… bye Esme." She gave a weak wave following Rosalie out of the house.
Jasper spotted Bella as she walked towards Rosalie's car. "Hey were are you going?"
"Rose is going to town and asked me to go with her she said she's meeting Alice for Coffee." Bella shrugged.
Bella noticed that Jasper paled just a little at the thought of his baby sister and girlfriend talking. "Oh Well in that case here." He fished out his wallet and tried to hand her some money.
"Nope." Rose said coming towards them and pushing the money back into Jasper's hand. "This is my treat so lets go Bella." She smiled and Bella just shrugged again getting into the passenger side of the car.
Jasper just shook his head as he went towards the barn to get more wire for the fence he was fixing.
"What took you so long?" Peter asked his son when Jasper came back.
"I ran into Bella and Rose, Rose was taking her to Town to have Coffee with Alice." At that Peter started to laugh.
"Oh man those three together you should be scared." Peter shook his head his shoulders moving with laughter.
"Yeah thanks for that." Jasper grumbled.
"Oh son." Peter shook his head slapping his son on the shoulder. "Okay lets get this fence finished then I heard Esme was making her famous fried chicken for dinner."
"Yes." Jasper pumped his fist he loved Esme's fried chicken.
As Jasper was being ribbed by his father Bella and Rosalie made their way into town. Rose watched the teenager from the corner of her eye. Her heart went out to the girl. Not that Bella would know this but Rose had went through something similar when she was about Bell's age. She wasn't ready to talk about it just yet but maybe one day.
"We're here." Rose said pulling in front of a grocery store. "I have to pick up a few things then we're going to meet Alice over there." She nodded towards what Bella would guess was a tiny coffee shop on the corner.
Bella followed Rose around the tiny store not really paying attention to what was going on around her. She just followed Rose and when Rose was done gathering her few purchases and paying they placed all the products in the car. Good thing they were all nonperishable. Bella thought to herself.
"There's Alice." Rose pointed across the street to where Alice was waving frantically. "That crazy pixie." Rose shook her head fondly.
Bella couldn't help the smirk that came over her face. "She seems to have a lot of energy."
"Oh you have no idea." Rose sighed. "Well lets get going before she runs across the street."
"Finally." Alice huffed when they made their way across the street. "Bella I'm so glad you could make it." She hugged her shocking Bella just a little bit.
"Yeah thanks." Bella said not sure what else to say in this situation.
"Alice let go of the girl." Rose advised.
"Oh right sorry about that I'm just so excited to meet you Jasper talks about you so much."
Bella didn't dare tell this woman that she barely knew her name before she showed up at the funeral. She talked to her brother every week and well he'd mentioned a girlfriend he didn't talk about her much, not that Bella was one to pry much. She internally shrugged. That just wasn't the relationship she and Jasper had.
"It's okay." Bella assured her.
"Okay girls lets go get some coffee I could sure use the caffeine." Rose said leading the way into the tiny coffee shop.
"Well this is no Starbucks." Bella muttered.
Alice snorted. "No city girl it's not, but let me tell you a little secret. "It's ten times better, you just wait and see."
All three ordered something iced, no way they were drinking hot coffee in this heat. Bella sat down at a table gratefully taking a sip of her drink. "Ah that hits the spot." She said placing her cup down on the table.
"So what do you think?" Alice asked.
"It's good, not sure if it's better then Starbucks but it's good."
"Girl we will convert you yet." Alice giggled.
"So, Alice tell me a little about yourself." Bella requested wanting to know this girl who was her brother's girlfriend a little better.
"Hmm well I'm twenty-four I teach high school history."
"Oh so does that mean you'll be one of my teachers?"
"Yes actually I will, don't worry I won't give you too much homework." Alice winked
"Did you always live here?" Bella asked looking around the little town. Though she'd came to the ranch sometimes as a child she had never ventured into the town.
"I grew up about half an hour away from here. I met Jasper at the university of Texas and well after I graduated I found out their was a job opening here so I thought It was perfect."
"More like she stalked Jasper here and wouldn't take no for an answer." Rose snorted.
"She didn't really, did she." Bella looked wide eyed between Rose and Alice.
"No, Alice glared at Rose, "I did not. We had been dating about six months before Jasper graduated and another whole year before I graduated, it just made sense for me to come here. I am close to my parents and Jasper it just works out."
Bella felt her throat close at the mention of Alice's parents. She tried to swallow, Rose noticed the distress on her face. "Oh Bella." She reached over and placed a hand on Bella's shoulder.
Alice looked horrified after she realized what she'd said. "I'm so sorry."
"No," Bella shook her head. "It's fine you didn't do anything wrong, you shouldn't have to tip toe around me just because of what happened." She gave a tight smile.
She took another sip of her drink and tried not to have a flash back. "I can't believe I was so thoughtless." Alice whispered to Rose. Alice Brandon had wanted to make a good impression on this young woman who she one day she hoped would be her sister in law, yet here she was always seeming to put her foot in her mouth.
"You didn't mean any harm." Rose assured her friend. "I don't think Bella will hold it against you."
"I hope not." Alice muttered. Rose looked down at her phone and the time glaring up at her.
"I think it times to head back to the ranch." She announced louder getting Bella's attention. "Esme will have dinner ready soon, and she hates it when we're late."
"Oh yes of course." Bella jumped up and tossed her now empty cup out.
"Alice I'll see you later." Rose hugged her friend. Bella bit her lip and nodded, at the black haired woman really not sure what to say. The awkward tension hung in the air.
"Right of course." Alice said hoping to break the tension. Bella and Rose left Alice at the coffee shop and headed back across the street to the car. As they headed back towards the ranch. Bella swallowed and turned to Rose.
"Thanks for inviting me out today."
"Oh of course. I had a great time." Rose assured her.
"I'm… I'm sorry if I was cold to Alice." Bella said quietly.
"Oh Bella." Rose said soothingly. "You are fine. Alice isn't going to hold it against you. She knows what a hard time you're going through. This is all a lot to adjust too. We're all here to make it as easy as we can on you."
Bella gave a small smile to Rose, she finally found herself relaxing. She wasn't as intimidated by her as she had been earlier. They pulled into the Blue Sky and got out heading towards the main house.
"Oh good you're both here, dinner will be on the table in a few moments." Esme said as they walked through the door.
"I'll just wash up can you point me to the bathroom?" Bella asked not remembering where it was from her last time here.
"Edward." Esme called out.
"Yes mom." Edward said coming around the corner.
"Show Bella where the bathroom is so she can wash up would you?"
"Of course, Bella come with me." He gave her a smile and she felt a light blush covering her cheeks. She hoped he didn't notice. She followed him down the hall until he stopped in front of a door. "Here you are." He pointed to the door.
"Thank you." She told him going into the room and closing the door behind her. She washed her hands and then stood their looking at herself in the mirror. Was she ready to be surrounded by so many people?" she knew she'd be the center of attention. "Well here goes nothing." She muttered to herself. She dried her hands and walked back towards the dinning room.
"Bella's here that means we can finally eat." A big robust man said. "Bella vaugly remembered him as the Cullen's eldest son Emmett, Emmett who was Rose's husband she reminded herself.
"Emmett," Esme hissed.
"What I'm a growing boy." Emmett whined.
"Right." Edward rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Sorry to hold you up." Bella said sliding into her seat.
"Oh nonsense ignore Emmett." Esme assured her. She looked around the table at all these people her new normal. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
A/N thank you so much for all the reviews and favs and follows. Next up the dinner, and well I'm not sure we'll see where the muse takes me. Reviews are greatly apricated so keep them coming please. To the people that were talking about the age difference in chapter one I made a mistake and it's now fixed so it says she was 10 and he was 21 the last time they met.