AN: Sorry this is so late, I had serious muse issues this week. Hubby is working nonstop for the next 2 months, so he's not very much fun to live with when he's home. And the kids sense my weakness and move in for the kill. Anyway, it's been a long week...
This chapter is completely unedited- I usually do a read-through before I post but I'm tired. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow. Feel free to let me know if you see something that needs fixing. We can have a group effort beta job. Thanks!
Chapter 4
July
Charlie POV
I couldn't hold back a smile when I saw her coming toward me. She kept her eyes down, stepping carefully through the crowd as if she was worried she might trip over the air between us. Her pretty brown hair was down, hiding her face from me until she glanced up just a few feet away.
The smile she gave me and the way her eyes lit up was almost enough to make up for the past six months without her. She took a few quick steps forward, before pausing shyly and looking back down at the ground. Her voice was soft as a feather when spoke. "Hi, Daddy."
We both sighed when I pulled her close, and then she reached up to wrap her little arms around with more strength than her small size would suggest. Her giggles rang out like music when I twirled her around, reminding me why I gave her the name I did. "Hey, Bells."
I retrieved her small carryon from the flight attendant who was waiting nearby, then walked toward the baggage claim to get her suitcase. "Um, Daddy?" Bella asked softly. "Where are you going?"
I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, a bit surprised to see how much she had grown. "Baggage claim is over here, that's where we'll pick up your suitcase," I told her. She was staying a whole month with me this time, so I knew her mom must have packed more clothes than usual.
Her little face lit up with a blush as she chewed on her lip. "Um, I just have this bag. That's all I brought."
I fought a frown as I thought of Renee. I swear the woman is so scatter-brained sometimes. Well, I could take Bella shopping and get her enough things to last the month. Rachel and Rebecca probably had some things they could hand down to her as well.
Patting her shoulder, I turned toward the exit. "Okay, Bells, that's fine. You ready to go home?"
She relaxed slightly with my words and nodded, readily accepting the hand I held out to her to lead from the airport.
Bella was quiet on the ride to the house, and she fell asleep before we made it to Port Angeles. I knew the flights sometimes made her nervous, so I turned the radio down and let her get her rest. I couldn't stop my smile as I thought about the month ahead—I hadn't had more than two weeks at a time with her since she was two years old.
Renee had never been happy in Forks, with the cold and dreary weather. She craved the sunshine like I craved the peace and quiet. I'm not sure how we ever thought we could make things work between us.
I hadn't been dating Renee very long when we found out we were expecting Bella. She was the best surprise of my life, even if Renee wasn't too happy at the time. She didn't want to be tied down so young, but we got married and bought a house in preparation of our girl's arrival.
Even though she was a month early, Bella was healthy and a good size at nearly eight pounds. She captured my heart the first time she wrapped her little hand around my finger. Even if I had trouble expressing it sometimes, I loved that girl with everything I had.
As we drew closer to Forks, I knew I needed to think about how I was going to introduce Bella to Paul. I hadn't said anything to her in any of our phone calls, and of course I didn't mention it to Renee. I didn't need to give her any reason not to send Bella up here.
I hoped my baby girl wouldn't feel jealous, or that I was trying to replace her in some way, but she had never had to share either of her parents with another child before. As far as I knew, Renee never kept a steady boyfriend, and she certainly wouldn't date a man with a child of his own. It was all she could do to keep up with Bella, who was the definition of an easy-going child.
Between my child support and the house her mother left her, Renee had things pretty easy financially. Her job as a substitute teacher basically paid for the hobbies she took up to keep herself entrained. Bella had laughed when she called me last month to say that her attempt at yoga hadn't gone any easier than her ballet class last year. As beautiful as she was, my Bells was not exactly graceful.
Bella woke when I stopped in the driveway, and I carried her bag up to her room so she could unpack and get settled in. She turned with a huge smile when she saw the stack of library books that Mrs. Marshall had brought by. I knew she would probably go through those in a week or so, and then we'd head up to the library for new ones.
I walked over and picked up the book sitting on her nightstand and held it up for her approval. "I thought we could read this one together. What do you think?" The battered copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was one my mom read to me when I was about Bella's age. I loved the fact that the main character shared my name, and I wanted to share it with Bella while she was here with me.
"That sounds great, Daddy!" she answered, taking the book almost reverently and flipping to the first chapter. "We watched the movie last month at the end of school, but I didn't check the book out because it was almost summer."
She was still engrossed as I slipped out the door, leaving her to unpack and settle in before we had to leave for the bonfire. I still needed to figure out what to tell her about Paul, and I didn't know how much of his situation she needed to know.
Paul had been back and forth between his house with Tommy and my aunt and uncle's house as well. He stayed with Tommy for two or three weeks until he started drinking or finding a new dealer, and then Charles would go looking for him when he didn't show up to work.
Aunt Molly said she was making progress with Paul, and had very nearly earned his trust in some ways. He ate at the table with them, and he spent his nights on the small twin bed, though he'd managed to push it up against the wall all by himself.
All that changed just last month when Aunt Molly had a stroke. It hit me hard because that was how I'd lost my own father, and I hated seeing such a strong woman brought low like that. She was hanging in there, trying to keep everyone's spirits up, but she was extremely weak. Uncle Quil stayed glued to her side, trying to spend every minute with her that he could.
I still took Paul fishing, and he had even brought his friend Jared along a few times. Jared seemed like a good kid—quiet and easy going. He followed Paul for some reason, and I hoped that wouldn't get him into trouble later on.
I was watching Paul carefully, trying to make sure Tommy was taking his parenting role seriously. He was a bit more relaxed with Tonya gone, and I hadn't seen any new bruises on Paul, other than the ones little boys normally wore. I reminded him that he could tell me if he was being hurt like before, but I wasn't sure if he would actually be honest with me.
In the car, I decided to keep things simple with my daughter. "Bells?" I said, bringing her attention out of the book she was reading. "I want to introduce you to a new kid tonight. His name is Paul."
She frowned slightly, the freckles on her nose scrunching up in a tight little row. "Okay… Is he one of Jake's friends?"
I sighed and shook my head. "No, he and Jake don't really get along too well," I told her. "But I would appreciate it if you would be nice to him, like I know you will. He's had a rough time of it."
Bella nodded innocently, and I reached over to pat her leg in thanks. I was glad that my girl couldn't really understand the pain that Paul had been through in his short life, and I was grateful that she wasn't as prone to following others as some kids were. She and Jake were good friends, but she wouldn't hesitate to call him out if she didn't agree with his behavior. It should make for an interesting summer.
When we reached the beach, the sand was already packed with families and friends. Billy and Harry waved at me from the chairs they had set up around the fire, and I spotted big Quil wrestling out on the sand with the kids. Well, the boys anyway. Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca had all reached that age where they were too big to play like children.
We walked slowly toward the group, stopping to greet other friends along the way. Bella hid behind my leg, her shyness coming out once more. She let out a squeak as she was suddenly scooped up and lifted high in the air, a booming laugh the only clue to her captor's identity.
"Bells! It's good to see you, baby girl!" She giggled and squirmed as my cousin lifted her easily over his head, grinning up at her red face as he nudged me with his elbow. "I'm not sure this is my Bells, Charlie," Quil said in speculation. "She's much too tall to be our tiny Isabella."
Bells had always been a favorite of Quil's, and she was quite fond of him as well. She had a smile bigger than Jake's when he finally pulled her down for a hug, his massive arms making her look even smaller. "Hey Big Quil," she answered quietly.
The women had reached us by that point, and Quil dropped her almost reluctantly as Sue and Sarah reached out for their own hugs. Quil's wife, Joy, stood back a bit, offering her a smile before she went back to setting up the food table. Joy and Renee had never gotten along, and I felt bad that those feelings were passed along to my daughter.
Bella was soon swept up with boys, and I heard Jake and Quil talking ninety to nothing about everything she had missed in the past few months. I strained to hear if they would mention Paul, but my warnings seemed to have paid off as they never said a word.
I took the beer that Billy offered, grateful for the cold drink this close to the heat of the bonfire. I felt relaxed, and I sat quietly as I watched Bella play with her friends and cousin, noticing that she still seemed to prefer Embry's quiet conversations to Jake and Quil's louder posturing.
It wasn't until we headed to fix our plates that I finally saw Paul and Jared on the other side of the fire. I pulled Bella their way, a bit surprised when Embry tagged along. I thought it showed the boy's maturity that he was willing to be civil to Paul, even when his closest friends considered him to be enemy number one.
When we reached the group, I held my fist out for Paul to bump with his own. It was a ritual that had become our personal handshake of sorts, and it never failed to bring a grin to Paul's face. "Hey Charlie, how's it hanging?" he spoke with that cocky air that was years ahead of his time. I got a small glimpse of the charmer he would be as he got older.
"Paul, I want you to meet my daughter, Bella," I said as I pulled Bells up in front of me, putting my hands on her shoulders with pride. "Bells, this is Paul Lahote."
