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Chapter 2: Family Time
BPOV:
After our escapades on the chair, we took a shower and had two more rounds of sex. We were now trying to get ready for dinner at his parents' house. Edward wasn't looking forward to it, but his family missed him. We all do when he's gone, and they deserved to see him too.
"Bella, why do I have to wear a damn tie?" he grumbled coming out of our huge closet.
"Because your mom wants everyone to dress up and look nice, now, come here and I'll tie it," I ordered. I tied his light blue silk tie that matched the dress I was going to wear.
"Thank you, Baby. Now, what are you wearing?" he asked. I was still in my lace bra and panties.
"Do you have objections to what I'm wearing?" I playfully pouted.
"Not at all, but if you wear that we won't be leaving this house," he said in a husky tone, pulling my backside against his front. I could feel his erection straining through his pants. He leaned down and nibbled on my ear.
"Edward, we're going to be late if you don't let me get dressed," I reminded him and tried to pull away.
"I don't mind," he chuckled.
"Edward, behave," I reprimanded and slapped his arm. He reluctantly let me go and get dressed. I put on the clingy blue dress that ended mid-thigh. It was a little slutty, but Alice and Rose decided we were going dancing after dinner, even though Edward and I didn't want to. I found a black cropped sweater and put it on. I also found my favorite pair of black pumps that drove my husband crazy. I walked out of our closet. My husband looked so damn sexy. He was wearing black slacks, a black button up, and the blue tie. He turned his eyes on me and whistled.
"Baby, you look so fucking sexy." He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his erection against my ass.
"You don't look too bad yourself; now let's go before we get distracted…" I giggled.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Baby," he said innocently.
"Yeah, yeah, let's go, Soldier." I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand. I led him downstairs and went out to the garage. Like always, I waited for him to open my door.
Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling into his parents' mile long driveway. Alice's Porsche and Emmett's Jeep were already there which meant everyone was waiting. As soon as we were parked, everyone came out of the house and surrounded my husband. I was so proud of him, but I knew that in less than two weeks I would be saying goodbye to him again. Tears welled up in my eyes and I hurried into the house. I went into the bathroom and looked the door behind me. I don't what I'd do with him and every time he left, my heart went with him.
EPOV:
My family surrounded me when I got out of the Camaro. Everyone was hugging me tightly and saying they were happy that I was home. I looked over to Bella for some help, but she wasn't there.
"Do you guys know where Bella is?" I asked them.
"She went in the house," Alice answered. I led everyone into the house and looked around for my wife. I noticed the bathroom door was closed, so I knocked.
"Bella…" I called. I thought I heard sobs.
"Yes, Edward?" She unlocked the door and pulled it open. Her eyes were red and puffy. I closed the door behind me.
"What's wrong, Baby?" I asked her and rubbed the side of her face and wiped her tears away.
"I was just thinking about when you leave again. I'm going to miss you so much," she admitted and let more tears fall.
"I'll miss you too, Baby, but we can do it. I only have six more months then I'm yours forever," I promised.
"Okay, let's get out there before Emmett starts with his teasing," she said pulling me out of the bathroom. I really hope he doesn't tease her when I'm gone.
"Does Emmett tease you while I'm gone?" I asked. If he did, I'm going to be pissed. That was just cruel. She went through enough.
"It's just his way of dealing with it, Edward."
"Baby, what does he tease you about?" I clenched my hand that Bella wasn't holding into a fist.
"Nothing," she replied dismissively.
"Bella, please tell me. If you do, I promise not to hurt him." I wanted to kill my brother for hurting my wife when I'm not there to protect her.
"He just teases me about how we always lock ourselves in the house when you're on leave and that we can't keep our hands to ourselves," she admitted.
"Okay, I'll talk to him about it."
"No, Edward. He'll just get worse, but it's his way of dealing with you being gone. Don't worry about me. I can handle your brother. Plus he does a lot for me when you're gone. I can't tell you how many times I've had to call him to come fix something and he does it as soon as he can," she explained. It killed me that she had to rely on my brother to take care of things I couldn't. Was going into the Army really worth all this pain? Was it worth it seeing Bella's lifeless eyes on Skype? Was it worth seeing her suffer and dwindle away? And the answer was no. God, I wish I would've gotten out earlier. I'm such a fucking asshole for putting her through this. I don't deserve her at all.
"I'm sorry, Baby," I apologized. I'm a horrible husband.
"Do not apologize, Edward Cullen. Don't regret everything you've sacrificed. You've always wanted to go into the military even before I met you. I knew that when I married you. Now, let's go eat. Your mother worked hard," she ordered and pulled me into the dining room. Emmett looked like he was going to tease us and I shot him a look that said shut the fuck up, and he did, real quick.
My dad said grace and then we dug in. My Mom made my favorite, pot roast. It was the best meal I've had in a year. We all talked and laughed, just enjoying each other's company.
"Hey, Bells, how's the new security system?" Emmett asked.
"It's fine," she answered quietly. Uh, what the hell were they talking about?
"What was wrong with the other security system?" I inquired. Bella glared at Emmett.
"Thanks, Em," she huffed and then turned to me. "I, uh, had a little incident last month." What the hell! Why am I just hearing about this now?
"What happened?" I questioned as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Someone tried to break in the back door while I was making dinner," she whispered.
"Are you okay? Did they get in? Did you call the cops?" I demanded. I cannot believe Bella didn't tell me!
"I'm fine. No, they didn't get in. Rose and Emmett had just walked in the door and I yelled for him and he came running. And yes, I called the cops. Emmett had the guy pinned on the ground when the cops got there." I was suddenly grateful for my brother. I also contemplated putting a gun in every room and making sure Bella knew where they were. What if Emmett hadn't been there? Fuck, Bella could've been killed!
"Why are you just telling me now?" I probed.
"Because there wasn't anything you could do halfway across the world. Em was there. I stayed with them until everything was fixed and the new system was installed. We can program your finger print and code when we get home."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you." God, I can fight for my country and protect our freedom, but I can't protect my own wife. I'm such an idiot for leaving so many times.
"It's fine, really. We only have six more months and then I get to keep you forever," she whispered quietly.
"It sounds like you keep saying that to convince yourself," I pointed out.
"I know," she said in a closed voice. I could tell she was trying not to cry again.
"Do you want to go home?" I asked her. We needed time to reconnect.
"Aww! Come on, Eddie! You can't keep yourselves locked up in your house 24/7. Your dick might fall off!" Emmett teased.
"Emmett!" my Mom chastised when Bella stood up and left.
"Fuck you, Em! Seriously, I understand you miss me, but you wake up and go to sleep next to your wife every single day. You don't leave wondering that if you die, will your wife get the note you carry in your pocket. You don't know how it feels to worry about if your wife is safe or not because you aren't there to protect her! You don't know what it feels like to see her through a computer screen with dark circles under her eyes and knowing it's your fault she hasn't sleep in God only knows how long because she has a hard time sleeping without you. None of you know that Bella barely sleeps two hours a night. She doesn't think I know that, but I do. I bet you also don't know that she barely eats. They only time she eats full meals is when you guys are around. You don't know how it feels to worry if your wife is slowly dying because you're not there. So, I'm so fucking sorry that we lock ourselves in our house while I'm on leave, but it's the only time she sleeps through the night and eats three meals a day!" I ranted. After I was done, I realized I was crying. My family just stared at me with shocked expressions. I left the room in a hurry worried about Bella. I found her on the front porch staring at the sky. I began to say something, but she spoke before I could.
"Do you ever look up at the stars and just let your mind wander?" she asked.
"All the time, Baby. I look up at the stars and think about you. Where you are and what you're doing," I answered and sat down behind her pulling her against my chest.
"I'm sorry I got up and left, it was just overwhelming. I understand he doesn't mean anything by it, but he just doesn't understand what we go through."
"I know he doesn't, Baby, but I kind of went off and I think they all have an idea now," I told her.
"I heard you yelling. I'm sorry about that."
"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault at all, Baby. Don't worry your pretty little head about it." I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arms around her. I couldn't force myself to let go. It was like she was my lifeline and if I let go, I'd sink. My family apologized when we went back in, but we told them we were going home. We needed time with each other before we could focus on other things.
During the rest of my leave, we spent as much time as we could together. My family didn't call or come over. Hopefully they were beginning to understand. As the days went by, my heart broke a little more. I knew I was going to have to leave Bella again. I just had to keep reminding myself it was only six more months; we could survive that, couldn't we?
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