Authors note: Sorry for the long awaited update! The next chapter is already saved on my account so give me some reviews and I'll have it up soon! All my love!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters, only the plot!
When I woke up the next morning, the sun was peaking over the horizon and I could faintly remember being carried to my room by Jasper. I felt refreshed and absolutely famished.
After showering, I went downstairs and found my brothers and Paul relaxing on the couch and my dad coming up the stairs with his badge pinned onto his shirt.
My dad is a Texas Ranger and it was one of the reasons he left Washington. He was offered a position through a family friend who knew someone on the force.
"Well, Bella, now that you're acquainted with the farm and everyone, I'm going back to the force today." Dad informed me. I felt my lips turn down into a frown before replacing it with a smile. I love my dad but I hate how dangerous his work is.
"Come on, Bells! We've been waiting for you to get up so we can go eat!" Emmett practically pulled me outside and shoved me in his truck between him and the other two boys and I ended up having to sit on Jacob's lap so we could all fit. It's hard sometimes having basically three brothers who are the sizes of bears but I wouldn't trade them for the world.
I checked the clock on the dash and it read 9 AM. "You honestly woke up just in time for breakfast. We have church at 11 but Maria cooks a decent-sized, delicious breakfast on Sunday mornings and then we have church and when we get home, we eat a lot of food." Jacob explained.
"Maria cooks that much food?" I asked. "Oh no! She normally just cooks a side dish or two and provides drinks. Every family is supposed to bring a big side dish or two smaller ones to share with everyone. It depends on what Jay grills or fries. If he makes hamburgers and hotdogs, we normally have coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, potato chips, baked beans, and desserts. It's pretty great!" Emmett chimed in.
I laughed at how ravenous my brothers were acting before wringing my hands nervously. "Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? I didn't prepare anything." I mumbled. Jacob poked me in the sides and made me laugh again. "Oh little bell, we always provide deserts. We'd rather not burn dad's house down by attempting to cook so we just buy cookies and brownies and stuff." He reassured me.
As we pulled up to the large plantation home, I smiled at the sounds coming through the screens on the sliding doors. "Jasper! Company is here!" I heard Maria yell in some unknown direction inside the house. As we reached the doors, Jasper's smiling face moved into view.
"Welcome to Casa De Whitlock! For breakfast, mom made a Mexican potato dish that has been in her family for generations as well as scrambled eggs, a variety of cooked bell peppers, and bacon. Grab a spot at the table." He greeted us laughing.
"Hey Bella? Did you bring your phone?" He questioned. I nodded and pulled it out. He reached and took it from my hand before allowing me to unlock it and he entered a phone number and called it. Seconds later, the phone in his pocket started ringing. He hung up the phone and entered his information for his contact before taking a picture of himself and saving it.
"All done! Now go sit at the table and get ready for breakfast." He shuffled me towards the table. I sat quietly as everyone filed in and Jay blessed the food. As we ate, we shared mindless chatter before we were interrupted by Charlotte getting my attention.
"Bella! You should wear the mint dress you got yesterday and maybe the sandals. I can do your hair if you'd like, too!" She chirped from her seat at the other end of the table. I smiled and nodded, agreeing with her.
After eating my blueberry pancakes and bacon, I excused myself and opened the sliding back door and walked outside to make the long walk to the house. When I was about 300 feet from the house, i could hear the door open and close and then I heard his voice.
"Hey Bella! Wait up! I'll give you a ride." Jasper smiled in my direction. As I stopped walking, he drove up beside me on a John Deere Gator and patted the passenger seat.
"So, how do you like Noonday?" He asked nonchalantly, interested in my opinion. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about the quiet, quaint town I now call home.
"I like it here. It's so peaceful and I can actually see the stars! I wasn't able to see them very often in Washington because of the cloud coverage." I frowned, thinking about my time in Washington and how I was only allowed out of the house when Sam thought was necessary.
"Well Darlin', I'm glad you like it here. It's my favorite place on earth. I want to spend the rest of my life here on this farm so I decided that I might as well like the town." He joked. I noticed the dimples in his cheeks and the way his eyes lit up while he talked about the plan he has for his future.
As we pulled up to my house, we made our way up the porch and he held the door as we entered the house. I made my way upstairs to my bedroom and quickly gathered my things I would need for church before returning to the living room.
We made small talk on the way back up to his house and once we arrived, we parted ways and I was quickly whisked away upstairs to get dressed and ready for church.
When we arrived outside Noonday Baptist Church, we were ushered out of the cars and into the building. Jasper was behind me and I was behind Emmett. As I followed Emmett, Jasper came up beside me and placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me towards the pews where our families sat.
As the service began, we gave offering and prayed and listened to the sermon. As it ended, we stood up to sing a hymn and I couldn't believe the sound that came out of the southern man standing beside me.
Jasper had the voice of an angel and I was surprised to find I enjoyed listening to him sing. He seemed so at peace when singing and it was like the world was at ease.
After we returned back to the ranch, we headed our separate ways to get ready for lunch. Once I was dressed, I turned my old phone on and had more missed calls and text messages from Sam. Most of them were just empty threats that I decided to ignore. I continued getting ready before returning to the main house.
As Emmett, Jake, Paul and I were pulling back up to the house, I could see dark clouds peaking over the trees in the distance. As I was exiting the car, a short, black haired woman approached me and helped me carry the pans of homemade brownies I baked the night before over to the dessert table.
"I'm Alice and I guess it's safe to assume you're Bella! It's so nice to finally put a face to a name. Charlie and the guys have ranted and raved about you!" She introduced herself. I noticed the tables overflowing with food and felt my mouth start watering.
Alice seemed nice. She walked me around and introduced me to her parents and to other people I didn't know. Andrew and Rosemary greeted me with open arms and I could easily see their resemblance in Alice's face.
Next, she introduced me to Her older brother Carlisle. He's four years older than she is and he's clearly enamored with his little sister. He greeted her with a kiss to her temple and a side hug before greeting me with a gentle handshake.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Bella. It'll be great to have someone new around!" He smiled. He seemed genuine with his greeting. After some small talk about their past, Alice then introduced me to Carlisle's fiancé Esme.
I quickly found out Charlotte was Esme's little sister and they shared many of the same hobbies and their parents passed away a few years prior and Esme became Charlotte's caregiver for all intents and purposes.
Alice then brought me to a man and woman by the names of Colleen and Bryce Masen. Colleen was tall and very polite and Bryce was even taller. They greeted her warmly as the woman hugged her.
"Welcome to the family, Bella! Ali here has been so excited to meet you. We hope you fall in love with our little town as much as we have." They politely excused themselves to the lunch table.
"I have one more person for you to meet." Alice told me. She was scanning the crowd of people for someone specific and when her eyes found him, they lit up like the Fourth of July. She pulled my arm and led me to a tall, blonde haired man and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"This is my boyfriend. Edward, this is the famous Bella we've heard all about!" She smiled up at him, her love for him shining in her eyes. He glanced down at her before extending his hand for me to shake.
"Alice, you're going to scare the poor girl with all of us!" He laughed and squeezed her to his side. "It's nice to meet you though, Bella. I think you're going to fit in nicely!" He smiled.
We migrated to the table and I was placed between Alice and Paul and across from Jasper. He glanced up at me and gave me a wink and a smile. After Jay blessed the food, we all dug in.
By the time we finished, I was sure I was going into a food coma and I almost couldn't stop myself from ogling Jasper sitting across the table from me. He had his arm on the back of the chair next to him and he was animatedly talking to Edward and Lyla.
Suddenly, Jay's phone started ringing and he pulled it from the clip on his belt and held it up to his ear. He shared a look with some of the occupants of the table before ending the call and returning it to his holster.
"Well folks, there's a bad storm rolling in so let's get the leftovers down to the weekend help and get inside. Everyone got up and started moving.
