I own nothing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Truth
"Morning," Jasper said to him as he walked out into the kitchen. He knew that it wasn't going to be a good one though by the expression all across Emmett's face. He looked ready to rip my head off and eat it.
"Afternoon is more like it. Where is Bella?" he questioned as he thought about what the two of them had been doing. It was taking all his strength not to kill him. He had lived twenty some years without even knowing her had a brother so would he really miss him?
"Oh she didn't get a lot of sleep last night and she is still in bed. Listen…" he started to say just wanting to get all the cards out on the table. He already knew that Emmett was having a problem with him dating his little sister but the thing that he didn't know was that she was not the little sister that he left behind. Bella was now an amazing woman that he didn't just want but needed.
"No you listen. I don't know how or why you ended up with my sister but I'll let you know now that I don't like it even a little. I want you to stop seeing her," he demanded.
"That is not going to happen. I know that you want to be her big brother now but you are too late for that. She has grown up and doesn't need you there to protect her. Anything she needs, anything she wants that is my job now. My only purpose in life now is to take care of her," he told him and hoped that would be enough for him. He doubted that.
"She is only eighteen years old. She is not ready for you or any guy for that matter," he told him and maybe part of it was that he still saw her as that little eleven years old girl and not the woman who he saw and unfortunately heard.
"Well that is up to her and she want to be with me and I need to be with her. We are in love and I asked her to marry me and she said yes. We are going to be together whether you like it or not," Jasper informed him taking a very clear stand on what was going to happen. Yeah he wanted his support and backing but not having it was not going to change his relationship with Bella.
"Oh really? Well I wonder what Alice would have to say about that," he let out and watched Jasper's eyes narrow. He hadn't meant to bring her up to him like this but he also hadn't expected to come there and find his sister engaged to his half brother.
"She has nothing to do with this or me. As far as I'm concerned that girl doesn't exist to me any longer," he said trying to shake the image of her from his brain.
"Well she better start because that was the bad news that I had for you. She is fighting the annulment. In the eyes of the court and the world you are still married to her. I guess you forgot to tell my sister that."
Her brother was waiting for her a few hours later when she finally exited the bedroom. She smiled at him but asked, "Where is Jasper?"
"He had some stuff he had to take care of. He said he would see you later. Do you want to go and get some lunch or something?"
"Thanks but I have some errands to run. Maybe another time. I'll be back later and don't worry I haven't forgotten about cleaning out the closet. I'll do it when I get home. See you later," she told him and was gone before he could stop her.
Since the day he had left the guilt of abandoning his little sister had ate at him. Everything he had done was to be able to come back and get her away from that man. In the end he was too late and someone else had saved her. Maybe that was part of the reason she looked at Jasper like he could do no wrong and her own brother like an unwelcome stranger.
The aroma of spices and food drifted through the air to meet him as he finally made his way home feeling broken and tormented by his past mistakes. All he could think about was he didn't deserve this. Even with all the wrongs he had done in his life this was far too much punishment.
"It's about time that you got home," Bella told him cooking in the kitchen, apron and all.
"I had some stuff to deal with. What is this all about?" he asked his heart hurting in a way he knew hers would if she ever found out. The problem was she had to find out. She had to find out about it all.
"I thought that it would be nice if I made you dinner. I'm going to be your wife you know, that is my job."
"That doesn't mean I expect you to cook for me. I'm not even that hungry."
"You are getting way too skinny. You need some meat on those bones. You do realize that cigarettes and Starbucks is not a balance meal. Jack Daniels isn't either. I worry about you. You have to take better care of yourself. I couldn't imagine losing you."
"I know and I will. What is all this?" he questioned of the pile of magazines and papers.
"Oh that…I picked up a few bridal magazines and I stopped by the travel agent and got like a hundred filers for every tropical island known to man," she giggled and he wished that he could freeze this moment in time and that nothing would ever change that look in her eyes and that smile on her face. She wasn't even that type of girl who cared about wedding dresses and all that but now with him she wanted all that.
"You sure have been a busy girl. But you know I had in the back of my mind that I might open another club. I have to come up with a solid idea and there is a lot of work that goes into that. I was even thinking about buying Emmett's half of Toxic and letting him go do his own thing. I would kind of like to stand on my own now without him or anyone. And maybe you would like to redo the house so that it is more to your taste and what about college? You do plan on going right? And that means getting ready for that," he told her and she just stared at him confused.
"First of all I'm not sure on this whole college thing. I might just put it off for a year and focus on other things for a change. Second as far as buying the club from Emmett and opening a new one and standing on your own feet and all that well I know that you can do anything you want but you will always have someone standing there not behind you but beside you working hard for everything that you want to achieve. I am always going to be your biggest fan as I hope you will be mine. The house is fine as is. I love this house. It feels like home to me, my first real place to call home. Whatever comes up we will deal with it, handle it, and move ahead once we are married. I know that I shouldn't show you but I am way to excited to keep it from you. I picked something else up today," she told him smiling, handing him a small box with a jeweler's logo on top. "It is your wedding band. I know it is kind of soon but the thought hit me and I had to get it," she smiled again and waited for him to open it.
The little box felt like it weighted a million pounds. His heart was racing. This should be a special moment but he couldn't enjoy it. It was torture.
"Open it already."
He looked up at her and saw pure joy on her face and he thought no matter what he had to do whatever it took to make this dream a reality. Slowly he opened it to reveal a plain platinum band. It was simple and perfect, just like her.
"I hope that it is the right size because it's already engraved," she told him and he dared take it out and look inside, "Forever Yours, Forever Mine."
"Do you like it?" she asked when he still didn't speak.
"It is perfect," was about all he could get out. Tears were dangerously close to spilling out.
"I'm so happy. Let's see if it fits," she told him taking the ring out of his hand and smiled with love, "With this ring I marry this man. I make him mine forever," and then the ring slid on, a perfect fit.
"Bella…I need to talk to you about something important," he started to say. He had to tell her the truth. He had to be honest with her. She would forgive him, he hoped.
"Oh dinner is going to burn," she said breaking the moment.
"Where is Emmett?" he asked. This was not the time to spill his guts. Or maybe it was just that he was yet to get the courage up.
"I don't know. I left earlier and he was here but I came home and he wasn't. Just to let you know I put my stuff in your closet and bathroom to clean out the spare bedroom for him. Do you know that you have a lot of clothes?" she told him singing a song softly.
"I'm going to go shower before dinner," he said and wished that the water could wash away all his sins.
Bella was still singing that song when Emmett came home. He wanted to talk to her but he felt like when she looked at him she just saw a stranger not her brother.
"What is all this?"
"Dinner. I cleaned out your room and Jasper is on the computer. I think that he wants to talk to you. He wants to buy your half of the club and I think that you should sell it. You know right now might be a good time for you to do your own thing, buy your own house and your own club or whatever you might want to do. I think that now that me and Jasper are getting married and starting this new life together that you might want to think about settling down too," she told him in a matter of fact way that told him that she wanted him out of her life. Or at least out of her business. Jasper had been right when he said she was no longer a little girl any more. She had grown up with or without him. It was hard to see. In his memory she was still a sweet, innocent girl.
"I'll go talk to him," he said and wondered if things between him and his sister would be different if it wasn't for Jasper. Something told him maybe not. He had a feeling he had been gone too long.
He sat staring at the ring that was still firmly placed on his hand. Another girl had put a ring on his finger before but it had meant nothing. This one meant everything. The other had come off before the end of his wedding night. This one he couldn't bring himself to take off.
"I heard from Bella that you want to buy my half of the club. Are you wanting to get rid of me too?" he questioned of him.
"It's not that. I was just thinking that it might be time that we stood alone and see if we can make it on our own. You always talked about opening your own club and I would like to do the same."
"I think that this is more about trying to get me out of town and stop me from talking to my sister about you. You are not going to get away from me that easy. I'm not just going to forget about Alice and that mess. I won't let you hurt her," he told him thinking that what he should be doing was telling Bella the real truth about Jasper. He just didn't want to be the one telling her the news that was going to break her heart.
"I'm not trying to get rid of you and you know it but you are right when I tell you that I do want you to keep your mouth shut about Alice. I should have listened to you when it came to that girl but I was trying to do the right thing," he said thinking that he had been such an idiot. How he had ever fallen for her line of shit was beyond him.
"Did you talk to her?"
"Called her today from the club. She doesn't want to be stuck with me any more than I want to be her but she got wind of the club selling and that we made a killing on it and now the greedy bitch thinks that she can hold my freedom over my head to get some money out of me," he gritted his teeth just at the thought of her sweet purring voice on the phone until he told her to go to hell.
"And will she?"
"I told her that it was never going to happen after what she did to me. She said that I better be prepared for a long fight. It is like she knows how much I want this and knew that I would give into her. I offered a lot of money to get her to sign those papers. She said that she would let me know. I think that she is going to counter me with a larger figure. And you know what I will pay that greedy bitch what ever she wants to get her to sign those annulment papers," Jasper said and heard the gasp.
He flew past Emmett out into the hall to see Bella standing there. By the look on her face he knew that she had been standing there for too long and heard too much.
"Bella…you have to let me explain," he told her walking towards her only to have her back away from him.
"I heard…you are married. You asked me to marry you and you are already married. You have a wife. I've been sleeping with a married man. I really am a whore," she whispered and she was sickened by herself. If she could have crawled out of her own skin she would have.
"Just let me explain…" he begged.
"I never want to hear another word you ever have to say," she screamed at him and took off the ring that had meant so much to her, the symbol of her future and the life she had dreamed about sharing with him and threw it at him. It missed him and hit the wall falling in a ping to the floor.
"Don't do that," he said picking up the ring, "Please don't walk away from me. I can't lose you," he pleaded.
"It's too late. You already did," she somehow calmly told him and grabbed her keys and ran away.
"Fuck…" he yelled and punched the wall next to him, leaving a huge hole like the one now in his heart.
Bella drove until the tears were too much for her and then she pulled over and sat in her car and cried some more. Her heart was broken, her dreams destroyed. She had nothing left.
She couldn't believe that Jasper was married to someone else. All the things that he had said to her and promised her. She thought that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him and now she was alone.
How had she been so stupid? To trust him with not only her heart but her future. She had blindly believed all that he had fed her. What was she going to do now?
"I really fucked this one up. How could I have been such an idiot? I should have been honest with her from day one and explained to her my situation. Bella is the sweetest, most forgiving person I have ever meet and I know if I had just explained things to her that she would have understood. Now I have lost her. Where do you think that she went? I hope that she is okay. She was so upset and she shouldn't have been driving," he said pacing the floor trying to think how he was going to fix this.
"I know that you didn't mean to hurt her," Emmett told him thinking that this whole situation was one fucked up mess. The moment he had met Alice he knew that she was nothing but trouble. He just never knew how much.
"I swear I never wanted to hurt her. I honestly fell for her the moment I met her and everything else just faded away. I thought that the crap with Alice was over. I just assumed that she signed the papers and it was done. I should have told her," he said still pacing around.
"She just had a lot of big shocks to her system in the last few days and maybe once she let's them all filter in than she'll be able to talk to you and you will get a chance to explain everything to her," Emmett told him and as much as he hated the idea of Jasper with his sister he could clearly see that he loved her. Maybe that was all he could ask for.
"Thanks for giving me some hope when we both know that there is none."
"If it is meant to happen than it will. I am going to go to bed. She'll be back when she is ready so try to get some sleep," he told him patting him on the back.
It was late when she finally walked into the house. Everything was as she left it, the dinner, the magazines, and Jasper waiting there for her. One look at him and she almost lost it again. It took all her control not to start crying. Years of hiding her feelings were her saving grace.
"Are you okay? I was so worry about you. I'm just glad that you are home safe," he told her but didn't get into anything else with her when he saw the look in her eyes. He saw hate and disbelief. He saw that she was never going to forgive him.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go at the moment and we both know it so as long as it is okay with you I want to stay here until I figure out my life. I'll sleep on the couch and hopefully we can both be adults," she told him having in the time that she was gone closed all her feelings and emotions tightly away like she had her whole life. Show nothing she had learned at a young age. Emotions they will use against you. Feelings are weakness she had found out. She just never thought that she would be using those tricks against him. The only person that she had ever opened herself up to completely.
"Bella…" he started to say, "Please just let me explain."
"I'm tired and all I want right now is to go to sleep. Besides nothing you could say to me will change the fact that you are married," she said slipping into his room to grab some clothes. She grabbed a blanket and a pillow and camped out on the couch as Jasper took his turn to slip out of the house.
Emmett heard the door slam and figured that it was Bella coming back home and thought that it might be a good idea for him to play referee. He found her curled up on the couch with a blank express.
"Where is Jasper?" he questioned sitting down next to her.
"I don't know. He left is about all I know."
"Are you okay? I mean I know that you really are not but…"
"I am numb. I want to close my eyes and open them and hope it was all a dream but we all know that what I was living was the real dream. I let myself fall for him without looking to see if it was safe. Everything that I am is tied up in him. I just don't know where to go from here without him," she said trying not to look at her brother. She just knew she would see some smug look on his face as if to say I told you so.
"I know that you are hurting and that he lied to you but you don't know the whole story. I know that he didn't set out to hide this from you. I was waiting around to get the papers from her but she is fighting the annulment because she wants money."
"Tell me the story," she asked needing to know but she couldn't handle hearing it from Jasper. The thought that he had married another girl, speaking those vows to her made her sick.
"Alice was a random girl that we met one night at the club. She was with some friends that we knew and she started talking to Jasper and they started seeing each other here and there but nothing serious. I never really cared for her. I thought that she was no good for him but he assured me that he knew that and it was just a girl to hang out with. It wasn't too long after that he saw her the way I saw her and cut it off. Then one day she came to him and told him that she was pregnant and it was his. Jasper did the right thing and asked her to marry him even though he didn't love her and she didn't love him. They got married in Vegas, some cheesy chapel on the strip. Before the ink was even dry on the paper, she informed him that she really was not pregnant and only told him that because she was looking for someone to take care of her. She told him that she never loved him and she had been playing him from day one because she knew that he had money. The joke was on her. At the time all Jasper's money was tied up in the club. Once she figured that out she was more than happy to agree to an annulment. She was suppose to bring the papers to him but kept putting it off until he had to come here to get the club going and since I had to deal with business still there I told him that I would get the papers for him. Well she found out that the club had been sold and for a good price so now she refuses to sign the papers and is basically blackmailing him to get as much money out of him as she can. He told me that he didn't tell you because he thought that she was gone out of his life and didn't want to think about her for another second. He never meant to hurt you. I have never seen him like this. As harsh as it sounds girls for him have always just been like disposable objects to be used and thrown away when done with. His career and making money was his main goal. He has been driving himself for a long time hoping to one day quiet the voices in his head that tell him that he never will be enough, never get it right. He hadn't found a song to tame those demons until he heard your voice. You are my sister, I want only the best for you, and that may or may not be Jasper. That is for you to figure out. I'm just letting you know that at first glance due to his history I wanted him a hundred million miles away from you but I have come to see that he is a changed man because of you and that he loves you. I also saw that you loved him too and might need him as much as he needs you," he told her and thought the last thing that he wanted to do was give her another blow but she had to know, "Listen I have to tell you something. You are aware that me and Jasper are business partners but we are actually a lot more than that."
She just stared at him with this utterly strange look on her face like she was caught up in another world that made no sense, "You are not trying to tell me that you are gay are you?"
He laughed because it was funny. Wait until Jasper heard about this one.
"No that is not what I am trying to say. After I found out I was adopted I went looking for my birth parents. I found my mother in Texas. She was very nice. Happy to find me. She had been young and unmarried. The guy took off and she had done what she thought was best for me. She had met someone had married. She had another son. Jasper is my brother," he told her.
"I kind of figured that one out."
"We are only half. We have the same mother different dads. From what I hear his was no better than mine. Only difference was his stuck around to fuck him up and mine left. We bonded pretty quickly. We have a lot in common. So when I decided to leave and go to Las Vegas he decided to come with me. We have been inseparable since. He even decided to relocate with me when I decided to come back here. I offered to give him the club in Vegas but he still choice to come here."
"This is all too much for me," she said knowing in her head that Emmett was not really her brother but he was her brother in any way that matter so in a way she was dating her brother's brother. Gross.
"Alright then, enough talking from me. I'm going to bed. I love you little sis," he said planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Thank-you," was all she said and he was left to wonder for what because from where he sat all he had done was come home and ruin her life.
The next morning when she woke up she found that she was alone in the house. Emmett had left her a note telling her that he was going to be gone most of the day dealing with business. She walked down towards Jasper's room and saw that it didn't look like he had come home last night. His bed was un-slept in. She wondered where and with whom he had spent the night. She shouldn't care but she did which meant that she had to find a way to get away from him as soon as possible.
She showered, dressed, and headed out to look for an apartment. She stopped for coffee and the paper digging into ads. An hour later she was still staring at the second listing. There was no escape from thoughts of Jasper. Why hadn't he told her the truth from the beginning? She had been totally honest with him about her life, horror stories and all. Did he really think that she wouldn't have understood? Would she have understood she asked herself? It would have been hard but she would have. She would have not liked the idea but knowing the reasons behind it she would have stood behind him one hundred percent.
She didn't know what was breaking her heart more, the fact that Jasper had been married, was still married, or that he had not been able to tell her. She didn't think there was anything that she could not share with him and to think the same did not apply to her made her question their whole relationship.
Not to mention the strange thing about him being Emmett's brother…oh half brother. Like that made any difference. I mean if she forgave him and they moved forward with the relationship wouldn't that make things way too weird.
But that only if she could get pass this and forgive him? Right now it didn't feel like it. Maybe in time she would be able to but the way she was feeling right now the answer was no. That was what her brain said but her heart was screaming if I get a vote the answer is yes. Forgive him her heart slammed against over and over against her chest. If she loved him like she claimed that she did she would be able to find it in her heart to forgive him. He had just made a mistake. He hadn't really had a marriage to start with. It was just a piece of paper, right? A piece of paper that she had been dying to sign making her Mrs. Jasper Whitlock. But that title was already taken.
"Bella, right?" a voice that she thought she knew asked bringing her out of her own thoughts. It was no place she should be right now anyways.
She looked up and it took a second but she recognized the face. It was that guy that she had met briefly at that party she had gone to pick Angela up at. That thought only made her think about Angela which she didn't want to.
"Don't tell me…," she said searching her brain for his name, "Edward, right?" she said to him with a smile.
"Right, so how are you?"
"I'm okay. Want to sit?" she asked even though she knew that she shouldn't but she could use the distraction.
"I'd love to," he told her taking his seat that seemed kind of close to her, "I have thought about you a lot actually since that night. I even asked my friend to ask your friend for your number but I got she has a boyfriend speech," he informed her amazed that he had run into again after all this time. He was not lying when he said he had thought about her a lot since that night. She was the girl that he had let get away. Smiling he thought if you get a second chance with a girl like her you don't let her get away twice.
"I did. We just broke up," she told him without going more into it. She did not want to talk or think about any of that. That was the purpose of him sitting there right now… distraction.
"I'm sorry but not that sorry," he smiled; "Now at least I have a fighting chance."
"I don't think that I will be dating anyone anytime soon. But if you have an apartment then I'll take that," she laughed, throwing that paper down on the table.
"Looking for an apartment?"
"Yeah. Ex boyfriend, living together they don't work that well together," she explained to him trying to make light of her situation.
"Oh," was all he said.
"Time to grow up. I just graduated high school and I have to figure out what is next."
"I know how that feels. I just graduated from college and hello real world. My dad wants me to go to medical school. He is a doctor and wants me to follow in his steps. I always thought that was what I wanted but now I'm not so sure."
"I know the feeling. I am not sure about anything right now other then I need to be on my own."
"I could talk to my dad. He knows about everyone. He might be able to find something. You give me your number and I'll see what I can do," he told her handing her his cell phone to add her number to. When she was done he smiled that amazing smile that she remembered, "I knew one way or another I would get you number. I better be going but I'll look into that and I'll give you a call when I know anything. It was really nice running into you."
As he walked away for a moment she let herself think about her life now that Jasper was not going to be a part of it. As cute and nice as Edward was she didn't like what she saw. She didn't want to be a single girl going on dates, searching every frog for a prince that she had already found. Her happily ever after had come and in a blink disappeared as if a wicked witch cast a spell on her. But she was the one to blame for having let herself live in a fantasy. Happily ever after did not exist.
