CHAPTER SIX
Family Affairs
Bella was never so happy or relieved. She had just taken that long anticipated walk to get her diploma. She was finally done with school. She was finally free. No more classes, no more test, no more early mornings, and as of the last few months no more stares and whispers behind her back. Somehow and by somehow she meant Angela it had gotten out about her dating Jasper. It was as if everyone had something to say about it and today was no different when he showed up hand and hand with her. She didn't care anymore though. She was beyond caring who knew and in return what they thought.
"I keep having this little fantasy about the graduate and the school teacher who now that she is no longer his student lifts her up on the desk slowly running his hand up her leg to find that she is wearing nothing under her graduation gown," Jasper whispered to her when she walked over to him.
"Stop that," she whispered back at him. The image flashed through her mind and she felt herself turn red but that was only because she was thinking that his idea had some real merit. Too bad they had to return their graduation gowns.
"You like it and you know it," he informed her, giving her a kiss just as Angela, his biggest fan walked over.
"Bella…" she said in a pissed off tone. That was the only tone that she had with her anymore when she talked to her which was less and less.
"Can you believe that we are finally finished with school? I thought this day would never come," she said trying to keep the peace today.
"Listen there is going to be a party later tonight to celebrate and it would be really nice if you could come," Angela told her and wanted to say but don't bring him with you.
"Thanks for the offer but I already have plans with Jasper. Maybe next time," she told her.
"It's not like you don't spend enough time with him. You could for once come and hang out with me and people your own age," she shot at her.
"Angela that is not fair and you know it. It isn't like you have called me either. This has nothing to do with Jasper," she told her and thought that the last thing she wanted was to get into this with her there with everyone listening on.
"It has everything to do with him. You have changed since you started seeing him and not for the better. And the sad part of it all is that you can't see what everyone else sees and that this guy who is basically preying on you."
"That is enough. You might be my friend but that gives you no right to say whatever you want to me and especially Jasper. You don't know a thing about him," she hissed at her not believing that Angela was pulling this today of all days in front of all of these people.
"Someone has to tell you and when this whole thing falls apart don't come running to me because I'm over this. As far as I'm concerned as long as you are with him we are not friends and maybe even after that," Angela told her walking away leaving Bella in the middle of hundreds of eyes staring at her and Jasper. She could feel her whole body turn red from embarrassment. All she wanted to do was run and hide.
"Let's get out of here," he told her grabbing her hand and walking away. He had wanted to tell that girl what he thought of her and her opinions about him and Bella but he had held his tongue not wanting to call any more attention.
Bella was quiet the ride home and when they did get home she went into her room to change but it was nearly an hour later and she was still in there. He wanted to go see if she was alright but instead he let her have her space. He knew she was hurting.
Bella knew that she had to go face Jasper but she really didn't want to talk about what had happened earlier with Angela. She had made it pretty clear that she wanted nothing to do with her anymore. After all that they had been through she was shocked to think that her getting a boyfriend would be the end of their friendship. But at the same time she knew Angela was right about the fact that she had changed. She was no longer the girl she had been and Angela probably didn't know how to deal with her now. As much as it hurt to think that they were not going to be friends any more Bella knew that there was no way that she was going to give into Angela's demand. She was over having someone control her life.
Jasper was wondering if he should go talk to Bella. He knew that she was upset but at the same time this was not how he planned on spending the night. He threw himself on the couch and moved quickly when something poked him. He reached into the side of the couch only to pull out Bella's journal.
He knew that he should just stick it back in there and pretend that he hadn't found it but curiosity got the best of him. He opened the cover to the first page that was dated the day they ran into each other at Starbucks.
"Remember the guy I told you about from the other night that fixed my flat tire well I ran, literally ran into him today getting coffee. He spilled his coffee all over me and burnt me with his cigarette but in the end it was all worth it. He is going to come to school tomorrow to see me. Well at least he told me he was. Part of me believes that he might not show up. God I hope that he does. He is so amazing in so many ways. He has these eyes and a way of looking at me with them that makes me want to say yes to any question he asks me. Update tomorrow."
"He showed and we spent lunch together. He gave me a cell phone so we can talk freely to each other. Then he asked me if I wanted him to kiss me and you know what I said, no. What was I thinking? I really did want him to kiss me but I was scared. I sure hope he asks again."
"He asked to see me and I skipped school to spend the day with him. It was amazing. He asked to kiss me again and this time I said yes only for us to be interrupted. No kiss. I think we were not meant to share a kiss. Then he said all these things to me about us belonging together and freaked me out. He seems so sure as to where I am so unsure about everything. I don't know what is going to happen with us, if anything. I'm not sure that I'm ready for everything that he wants. I'm just not sure and shouldn't I be? If he really is the one shouldn't I be?"
"I met a boy tonight. I went to pick up Angela at a party because she had been drinking too much. My dad was at work which was why I was able to leave the house. Anyways she ended up getting a ride with someone else and left this boy, Edward there to tell me. He was so cute. Like the cutest boy I had ever seen. He had these eyes and this crooked smile that easily could have melted my heart. And there was this current between us too. It was amazing. He tried to get me to stay and there was part of me so tempted to but in the end I had one thought and that was this boy wasn't Jasper. Doubts about him started to fade. I'm still not 100% sure but I'm less scared."
To know she had been feeling something towards another guy made his blood boil. He read on to see if there was more mention of this guy or any other. If there was he wasn't sure how he was going to handle it.
"Today was the worst and best day of my life. The bad first. I ran away from home a few days ago. It wasn't something I planned but once again my dad and me got into a fight and I had enough and left. I planned on going back for the time being but something happened. Not something but someone, Jasper. Long story but I ended up at the club, he ended up there, and we ended up KISSING. I couldn't believe it and let me go on the record as saying that boy can kiss. Not that I can compare to anyone else since it was my first kiss but I think it and him were amazing."
He smiled at how cute she was and then his smile faded as he read on and the details of her attack laid out in front of him. When he couldn't take it anymore he turned the next page. The next few pages were full of recounts of her days. Mostly just accounts of what happened but then he turned the page and something changed.
"I love him. I know it is too soon but I love him. I haven't said that to him and he hasn't said that to me but I do love him whether he feels the same towards me or not. I think it happened that night at the club. I think it happened with that kiss. I knew it in the moment. Something magical happened when his lips touched mine. I know I sound like such an idiot but I can't change the way that I feel. I just hope that he might feel the same towards me someday."
How hadn't she known how he felt about her?
"He told me he loves me. I said I loved him. We made love. I haven't talked to him yet since it happened. He is still asleep and I'm sitting here not knowing how to feel. I feel different."
That was all she wrote about it. He remembered that she had been sitting on the couch writing in it that morning when he came looking for her. She hadn't continued her thought. He wished the she had. Sometime it felt like she was holding back as if she was scared to tell him what she was really feeling.
"Are you hungry?" Bella asked as she finally walked out of her room to find Jasper.
"A little. How about you? Want to go get something to eat?" he asked trying to put the book away without her knowing.
"Sure, I'm going to go get changed. I'll only be a few minutes," she told him, walking back down the hall and suddenly turned back to look at him, "Jasper…I want you to know that no matter what Angela said this afternoon, I would never give you up. You are all that matters to me and I am where I want to be and with whom I want to be with. I do love you," she quietly said and didn't wait for a reply before going into her room.
Emmett rang the doorbell at Jasper's house and when no one answered he used his key to get in. He threw his bag onto the floor and walked down the hall into the kitchen. He turned on the light and put his keys on the counter. Jasper must be at the club he thought. He should have called telling him that he was coming but then he would ask questions and the news that he had for him was something that he figured that he should tell him in person.
He went walking through the house to find the spare room that he planned on bunking in. The first door that he opened was a bedroom but from the clothes thrown over the bed he figured the room was taken but by whom he wasn't sure. He closed the door and opened the next to see it was Jasper's office. He closed the door and into the final bedroom that he figured was Jasper's.
He wondered who the hell was staying there with him. He didn't know anyone in Arizona. He went back to that first bedroom, opened it again, and walked in. He picked up the dress that was lying on the bed. He opened the closet and saw woman's clothes. Clearly there was a woman staying there but it wasn't adding up. If Jasper was seeing someone then why wouldn't her stuff be in the master bedroom? And if he wasn't dating this woman then why was she staying there? None of this made sense. This was not Jasper's style. He really didn't have girlfriends in the sense of the word. He had always been the one night stand kind of guy.
Bella had forgotten all about the drama of the afternoon as she sat smiling at Jasper. He had taken her to this sweet little café. It was so romantic and beautiful. They were back in this cozy corner away from everyone and it was like it was just the two of them. If it could only be the two of them forever then everything would be perfect.
"Are you having a good time?" Jasper asked taking her hand into his.
"This is incredible. How do you even know about this place?"
"One of the bartenders at work told me about it. Did I tell you yet how beautiful you look," he whispered only thinking about getting her alone.
"You are looking pretty damn cute yourself," she told him blushing under his compliment. She didn't think she would ever get over the blushing he caused.
"Come on, let's go so I can give you your graduation present in private," he smiled at her warming her all the way down to her toes. The idea of being somewhere private sounded damn good to her.
"Okay."
Jasper didn't get nervous but tonight he was. He felt his heart racing and prayed for what he couldn't imagine his life without.
"Why are we here?" Bella asked as they pulled up to the club.
"I forgot something here. Just come up with me for a second," Jasper told her, basically pulling her out of the car. Instead of going into the office he climbed the stairs to the roof. Bella stood there watching wondering what the heck he was up to and finally her curiosity got the better of her and she followed him up.
"Surprise," he said as her made her way up to the top of the roof and a remarkable sight. Hundreds of candles flickering in the dusk greeted her. The sweet smell of rose petals that lined the floor of the roof swirled around her.
"Jasper…" was all she could say, amazed.
"Come here," he said pulling her over to the pile of pillows waiting for them.
"What is all this?" she asked as she sat down into his arms.
"It is a surprise for you to celebrate you graduating."
"This looks like a lot more then a graduation celebration."
"It is also because I love you," he told her thinking she was way too perceptive. This was it he thought, "I understand that we have not known each other that long but I don't need years to know how I feel about you. You are this amazing light that has brightened every corner of my dark life. You are my angel, you are my life. What I am trying to say is…" he said, holding his breath as he got up on one knee, "Bella will you marry me?" he asked and watched tears instantly fall down her checks.
"Jasper…" she whispered trembling.
"Well will you?" he asked again slipping the ring onto her hand without her saying yes.
She just sat there staring at him, staring at the ring and he looked into her eyes and saw the fear but he saw something else too.
"I…"
"I know that this is maybe a little sudden but when you know it is right there is no reason to wait. I have loved you from the moment I saw you. You have been everything good and right in my life. You were what I have been searching for when I didn't even know it. I thought it was money and success but now I know everything I did, everything that happened was just one more step leading me to you. I love you more than I knew love could be. All I want is for you to be my wife, to be my friend, to be my lover and the mother of my children. Will you marry me?" he asked again.
She sat there stunned and he wondered for a moment if she was going to turn him down. He knew that she loved him, he saw it in her eyes but at the same time this was all new to her and she was young. Mostly she was scared of the unknown.
"Yes…" she finally said.
"Did you just say yes?" he questioned.
"Yes, yes, yes I will marry you. I love you too. I really truly do love you and want to be with you forever. You just took me by surprise," she smiled caught up in the moment that she had dreamed about since she was a little girl. Her prince charming, her happily ever after was real.
"I was worried for a moment," he laughed kissing her for the first time as the woman who would be his wife, his happily ever after that he didn't think existed.
"This ring is…the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not that I'm one of those girls that care about that stuff."
"Well the ring matters to me, a lot. This happens to be my grandmother's ring. She was suppose to give it to my mom when she got married but refused to because she hated my dad and thought that he was a no good loser. My grandmother was right of course and only gave it to my mother after her divorce. My mom gave it to me a few years ago and told me the story behind it and that I should only give it to the girl that I could not live without. I never thought that I would find that girl but when I met you I knew that one day that I would put that ring on your finger. Let's get out of here and go start planning our wedding," he told her, thinking that he couldn't wait until she was his wife. But for tonight he couldn't wait to get her home and make love to her so when she kissed him he knew he wouldn't be able to wait until they got home. They made love right on top of the club under the stars. It was the most amazing experience of his life.
"Mrs. Jasper Whitlock, Bella Whitlock, Mrs. Whitlock," Bella said out loud. She couldn't wait to be that person.
The smile that was on her face was the most beautiful sight in the world. He never remembered being this happy. Everything that he ever wanted was coming true. It was all because of her.
"So when do you want to get married? It isn't like either of us have a long guest list so planning this should be easy. Maybe we could just run away to Vegas," she told him as they pulled into the driveway.
"No…I don't want for us to get married there," he told her almost mad at her suggestion.
"It was just an idea."
"I know but it isn't somewhere that I want to go again. How about we fly somewhere tropical and get married on the beach, just the two of us."
"Perfect, when can we go?" she asked as she walked into and tripped over something.
Jasper grabbed her just in time to stop her from hitting the floor.
"Are you okay?" he asked and when she said yes he turned his attention to the bag.
"It's about time you finally got home," Emmett said appearing.
"Bro is that you man?" he asked smiling.
"Yeah, it's me. I let myself in when you were not home. I tried the club and you were not there either but now I know where you were. I take it that this is the girl that has her clothes in my room," he laughed as she finally made her way down the hall and into the light.
"Bella…" he said in disbelief.
"How…" she started to say, "Emmett?" she asked trying to pull up the last imagine she remembered of a brother she hadn't seen in almost seven years.
"I can't believe that it really is you. You look so grown up. I might not have known that it was even you if it was not for your eyes. They are still the same. Mom's eyes, you have mom's eyes," he said, sadly and then smiled, "How did you find her?" he asked Jasper.
"I didn't…" he said trying to take in everything that was happening really fast, "She came in to the club one night and I had no idea she was your sister," he said.
"I just assumed that you knew since she is staying here," he asked.
"I think we all need to sit down and sort this all out," he told them heading into the kitchen and grabbed the jack. He was going to need a drink to get through this.
Emmett walked into the living room and sat down. That in itself was a feat. He was way too keyed up to sit calmly down and wait to find out what the hell was going on. He watched as Bella waited for Jasper and walked in with him, sitting next to Jasper and not her own brother. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but when she grabbed his hand into hers, he knew.
"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" he demanded as his blood started to slowly boil.
"I was at the club. Bella came in. She had a flat tire and I helped her fix it. I asked her out. She told me no but a few days later we ran into we other again and this time she said yes," he told him the easy stuff and then moved on to the parts he wasn't going to want to hear, "She was having some problems with her dad and ended up camping out in the office one night and I found her there. You don't need all the details but something happened when she went home, her dad freaked out on her. He really did a number on her, mentally and physically. I wanted to call the cops but she stopped me wanting to just be done with him. I asked her to come and stay with me hence the clothes in the room. I didn't have a clue that she was the sister you told me about," he assured him wondering if that would have made a difference in what happened between them. He knew the answer to that though, no.
"Something serious is going on between the two of you, isn't it?" he demanded to know.
"We are in love," Bella answered him not believing that he was really there staring at them like some ominous creature of raging disapproval.
"How did you let that happen?" he screamed wanted to know from Jasper. This all seemed like some bad dream. After all this time of being away from home and not being able to have his sister be a part of his life to finally come home only to find her shacking up with his... half brother. It made him sick. Mostly it made him mad.
"It just happened kind of like it does. We can all talk more about this tomorrow. I think that we all just need a good nights sleep. Everything will look better in the morning," he said not wanting to get into the argument that was sure to come between him and Emmett. He knew him pretty damn well and he knew dating his sister was not going to fly too well with him.
"You go ahead and I'll be in there in a few minutes," Bella told him and Emmett had to sit there and grit his teeth not to say something.
"Alright," he smiled at her when what he wanted to do was kiss her. He knew that if he did that Emmett wouldn't still be sitting there so calmly.
She sat there not even looking at the brother that she had dreamed about seeing again. She already had seen disapproval in his face when it came to her and Jasper and if that was the case she just wished that he would once again disappear out of her life. She could only think how dare he magically appear after all this time to even think about for one-minute passing judgment on her.
"I don't really understand how all this came about. I talked a lot about you to Jasper. He should have realized at some point that you were my sister unless he did and that mattered none to him."
"No he would have said something to me about it. I don't think that he had any clue that we were brother and sister. Every time that I talked about you or he talked about you I don't think once we used your name. Besides we were busy with other things and neither of us was thinking you, sorry but true. After all these years I haven't missed you any less but I guess I stopped thinking about you less. As hard as it was for me I finally realized that you were not coming home and spending all my time thinking about you not being here was doing me no good. So I stopped thinking about you because it was just too hard. Why did you leave me?" she questioned with tears in her eyes and for that moment the subject of her and Jasper was put on the back burner.
"I never left you. I know that is how it seems but that was not how I planned it to be. I was eighteen just like you are now and I just got to the point where I couldn't be in that house with his anymore. All the years of control and mental abuse had taken its toll on me and I was just becoming this mean, resentful person. One night I came home five minutes late and he started at me once again and I said some pretty rotten things to him but nothing like he returned at me. Some things were said to me that couldn't be taken back and changed things. He made it so I had no choice. I packed my bags that night and left. I left you a note telling you that I had to go," he explained to her hoping that she would forgive him.
"I never got it."
"I'm sure he found it first. I'm sure that he also got to all the letters over the years that I sent to you. After a few years I stopped writing when I never heard from you. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I had to leave you there with him but there was nothing I could do at that moment other than save myself. I know I was just being selfish and only thinking about myself but I didn't know what else to do," he told her wishing that she understood.
"I understand why you had to leave the house but you didn't have to leave me."
"Yeah I did. He told me as I was walking out the door that I better never show my face around there again or he would have me arrested because…" he started to say but really didn't want to, "I was sexually abusing you. I nearly flipped when he said that to me. I told he there was no way he could prove that because it was lies and he said was I sure of that? After all he was a cop and had friends. Even if it didn't stick think about the months of investigation and what it would do to you. So I stayed away."
"I knew he was crazy I just had no idea," she told him remembering the day he had come after her with such hatred.
"Bella I have to tell you something about our family. You are right he was harder on you and it was from the start not just after I left," he said and took a deep breath, "I remember when you came home. I was almost seven at the time and once I looked at you I was in awe of you. You were the cutest thing with all this hair and these huge eyes that stared at you like you were really looking into your soul. At the same time I was so sad. Mom was gone and I had no idea why. Dad just said she died and I would never see her again. At seven I didn't understand. I also did not understand why he treated us and especially you so bad. He seemed to hate us. That night I left, he blew up at me and let me in on some family secrets. I know as it did to me this will come as a shock but in the end might be your saving grace as it was mine," he took another deep breath and started the real story, "They had been trying to have kids for many years after they got married. She never got pregnant. Sometimes things happen for a reason he told me. God knew that I never wanted any brats running around and made sure that I never had any was what he told me. Mom on the other hand longed for children and in the end to make her happy they adopted me. I was just a baby and it was a quiet, private adoption. Things were okay growing up those first few years thanks to mom. But I remember this one day that dad came home from work and they got into this huge fight. To find out mom was leaving him and taking me with him to go and be with the man that she had been seeing and had become pregnant by. But that day never came. My guess is dad had something to do with it. Probably made threats to her or towards the other man. I'm sure if mom would have even ended up leaving him but in the end it didn't matter. Mom died and he brought you home to live with us," Emmett explained to her.
Tears filled her eyes as pieces of her heart shattered as he told her the life she had know was just a lie. Nothing was as it seemed. She was not who she thought she was. She was this other person now.
"He's not my father and you are not my brother and I have a real father I never got to know," she half whimpered trying to control her tears.
"I'll always be your brother, blood or no blood. None of the other matters anymore. I know that I haven't been there for you but all that changes now. From this moment on we have each other and that is all we need. I won't let you down again," he told her getting up to hug her. She let it go on for a second before she broke away.
"I'm tired and I can't talk about any of this anymore tonight. I'm going to go to bed. I'll move my things out of your room in the morning. I don't know why they are even still in there considering I never slept in there," she informed him before walking away into the bedroom with Jasper.
Emmett sat there hating himself for leaving her and then showing back up in her life after all this time only to tear away everything she had known. But that wasn't even the worse part of it all. It was the things that he hadn't told her yet that he knew was really going to destroy her.
"Are you okay?" Jasper questioned as she pulled off her dress and crawled into bed next to him.
"No but that's okay, I know that I will be. I'm glad that I know the truth," she stopped, "Do you know the story?"
"Emmett told it to me once but I didn't know until now that it was your story too."
"I don't forgive him. I don't know if I ever will but at least now I do understand some of the things he did and said. It makes a lot more sense to me now. I finally understand why he never wanted me," she said turning to look at him kissing him. She needed him right now more than she needed air. She needed that feeling of being wanted and loved and belonging to another person.
"What else did Emmett tell you?" he asked between kisses.
"Can you please stop talking? I want to make love to the man I'm going to marry."
Emmett was crawling out of his skin the next morning when he got up. He had started the coffee and went to wake up Bella and Jasper so they could sort out the rest of the mess that was running around in his mind. He made it to the handle and stopped before knocking when he heard the sounds of them having sex. He almost threw up.
"What has gotten into you? Not that I'm complaining," Jasper told her, smiling trying to catch his breath. This was the third time that they had made love since last night. It was like she couldn't get enough of him.
"Nothing or maybe it is just me realizing how much I love you and want to be with you and start a life with you. I don't want to wait to get married. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Book the tickets. Let's just run away from everything and everyone where only the two of us exist."
"That is a nice thought but as much as I would love to run away with you I can't just yet. Emmett and I have business to take care of and then very soon we will be standing on the sandy beach with the turquoise water hitting the shore and I will say I Jasper Whitlock take thee Bella Swan as my wife. I promise to love her and care for her with every breath I have until the end of time," he smiled at her, wishing that day was today. Why did the rest of the world have to barge in to their perfect world? Would that dream really come true when she found out?
"Then I will say I Bella Swan take thee Jasper Whitlock as my husband. I promise to love him, be his best friend and lover until the end of time. And then they will say you may kiss the bride," and he did just that. It was going to be a late morning he thought to himself.