Chapter Seven
BPOV – Peter
The night was a long one. Peter stayed with me and we discussed so many things, even though we were both exhausted. It was as if the honesty about such difficult subjects had given us a sense of closeness that reinforced why we believed we should be together. Some of the things we talked about were uncomfortable; Charlotte being a perfect case in point but the fact that we could share them meant that some of our guilt could be alleviated and we were starting our marriage with a clean slate.
The topic of Edward was even harder because as Peter had stated earlier Edward was the here and now. Peter told me that Edward had offered to leave New York and return to Paris immediately if it would make things easier for us but Peter had told him that it would not be needed. The reasoning behind Peter's decision was sound so I couldn't disagree with him, even if I wanted to, which I realized I didn't. Peter felt that Jasper needed his brother right now and that the Cullen family had enough to deal with without having to wonder why Edward had suddenly given himself a self imposed exile.
"Besides," Peter had said to me. "Edward is a friend and I know he is a good person regardless of his feelings towards you. I trust him to do the right thing. I just feel sorry that he is the one hurt in all of this."
That worried me too but it wasn't something I voiced. No matter how much I believed I belonged with the man I had been with for so many years, there was still a small part of me that wondered if I was doing both Peter and Edward a disservice and it greatly concerned me that Edward was the one being hurt. I still didn't believe Peter's assertions that Edward was in love with me; I just knew that he was at least attracted to me and I hoped with everything I had that he would find what he truly wanted in the immediate future. He was a good person and deserved that.
Peter refused to let go of me throughout the night. He had been so considerate and understanding about everything going on but he was feeling the pinch and I could tell he was still concerned that I was going to change my mind and leave him. Regardless of the strength he was portraying I knew him well enough to know that he was hurting and I gave him every bit of confirmation that I could that we would do this together; that I wasn't going anywhere. We finally fell into a snooze in the early hours of the morning, still entrenched on the sofa where we had been all night.
"Rise and shine sleeping beauties." Alice's excitable voice pulled me out of the light sleep I was in and I felt Peter's arms instinctively tighten around me as I began to move. " It's the morning of your bucks and hens nights and there are things to do."
"Alice," I groaned "Do you have any idea how tired I am right now?"
"Have a pretty good idea since Jasper wouldn't let me come home last night so that you two lovebirds could discuss the whole James situation. From the looks of things that discussion went well but why are you on the sofa when there is a particularly comfortable bed a few metres down the hall. Oh well don't answer that. Bella I can't believe you hadn't told Rosalie or me about that scumbag. I could have hurt him badly for you, you know."
Peter rubbed his eyes and smirked at me as I rolled my eyes at him. Alice at any time was exhausting but early in the morning her excitability and tendency to speak around and around different subjects was a hard pill to swallow.
"Please Alice, Peter and I have sorted that out and I don't want to go over it again. I am just glad that James now has the message to leave me alone."
"Hmmm – apparently from more than just Peter as Jasper relates it," Peter tensed up a bit and I quickly squeezed his hand. Alice didn't notice and continued. "Our baby brother has some good uses then. I can totally see him pressing James up against the wall. I wish I had been there to see that. Good on him. He only did what Rosalie or I would have done if we knew what he had been up to and thank god Emmett wasn't involved because otherwise we would have been picking up the pieces of James for days to come and that can kind of ruin the lead up to the perfect wedding wouldn't you say?"
Did she ever take a breath? I nodded dumbly and started to maneuver my way out of Peter's embrace. I was just happy that she was not aware of what had happened between Peter, Edward and I. Revisiting it yet again today, for her benefit, was not what I wanted at all.
"So it is time for us all to get on with the celebrations," Alice was clapping her hands in gleeful anticipation and I laughed at her enthusiasm even though I wasn't in the mood for her administrations.
Peter coughed and we both turned to him. "Actually Alice. I was kind of hoping to have Bella to myself this morning. We haven't had much alone time since everyone turned up and with all the wedding preparations. I want to take her out; do something nice for her. Help her relax totally before her big night out with the girls."
"Awww that's so sweet Peter but I have things planned for the afternoon and she needs to get ready and….."
"You need her at three o'clock and I will make sure she is back in time to get ready but this morning is all ours Alice. Not taking no for an answer unless of course Bella is the one saying it. Bella? Would you like to go on a date with me this morning?"
He was grinning at me and I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than spend time with him and reinforce everything we'd said last night. "Of course. That sounds lovely." My answer made him smile. I loved making him smile.
"Ok, ok. You two win but I promise if you aren't back here in time to get ready Bella I will send a search party out and I will drag you back here by your beautiful tresses. The things I have planned for you today will be awesome and I don't want you missing even a small part of any of it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly," I was tempted to salute her but thought better of it when I saw her face and realized that she was entirely serious about me not ruining her plans. I had no intention of doing so. My bridesmaids had done way to much hard work for me to let them down.
"Great, that is sorted," Peter swooped me into his arm and landed a quick kiss on my lips. "I will be back in an hour so be ready. I have to get some things I need and then we will be on our way. Is that ok?"
"Sure but what are we doing?"
"It's a surprise," He answered and the quickly let himself out before I could grill him some more. I turned to Alice who had a huge grin on her face.
"No wonder you're marrying him. He is the absolute best.
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The morning flew by way too quickly once Peter came back to the apartment to pick me up. He had taken me into his arms as soon as I had opened the door and kissed me soundly before whispering into my ear. "This morning is all about us Bella. Not Edward, not Charlotte, not James, not your sisters or my friends; just us, as in you and me."
I readily agreed because it had felt like forever since it had been that way. Peter was a very social person and his family were too, so many of our dates and interactions were based around friends and family. They were important to me too so I didn't worry too much about it but it was nice to know that he wanted this time just for the two of us, doing something we enjoyed.
When Peter returned me to my apartment, and a waiting Alice, he did so after a wonderful morning of quality time together; picnicking, people watching and laughing about funny memories we had of one another over the years. As per his instruction it had been entirely about the two of us only and as I sat in the Botanical gardens, eating the picnic brunch he had organised and facing the man I would marry in the very near future I was comforted in knowing how much we knew one another; how much our lives had always been intertwined. Peter took me as I was and I returned the favour. Partnership was meant to be like this; it wasn't all about the sparks and over the top reactions of your body to the other person. Leaving the park I had a stronger sense that what I was doing was the right thing and I shouldn't be second guessing myself over a few day old attraction when I had my unbelievably good fiancé willing to offer me everything I needed. Years of knowledge had to beat a few day old connection.
Alice was bouncing by the time we walked through the door. Peter had timed it so that I would not have a prolonged period of 'getting ready' time with Alice as my master. He was all too aware how much I detested the whole process of being primped and preened to look a certain way but also knew that when it came to Alice and Rosalie I found it hard to say no.
"Great. You're home. Let's get going," Alice shoved an overnight bag at me. "Everything else is ready in the car and Rose and Angela are meeting us at Grace's house. Come on. We don't want to be late."
My startled reaction to suddenly being off the hook as far as being dressed and trussed must have been hilarious because Peter was laughing at me.
"What?" Alice questioned as he eventually took a hold of himself and stopped.
"I think Bella was expecting you to tie her up and give her a complete make over. I just enjoyed the dawning of understanding that she might escape your clutches."
"Haha Peter. For your information I have everything setup at your mum's and Bella is going to look absolutely amazing when I have finished with her; not to mention very appreciative of what is about to go down. Now say your goodbyes so we can go."
Peter pulled me aside and kissed me several times. "Bella have a great time tonight. Try and relax and enjoy anything they have planned," I groaned and he smirked at me again. "Babe, I want you to remember that no matter what, I love you. The past twenty four hours have been hard but they are just a small bump in the road. I can't envision being with anyone but you. I love you so much."
"I love you too Peter. Have fun with the boys tonight and think only good things. You and I, we're alright." Our words were soft so Alice could not hear but I think she realized that we were having a moment because she politely removed herself from our sides for a couple of minutes.
"Ok, ok enough of all that. Anyone would think you weren't going to see each other tomorrow. We need to go. Peter please look after Jasper for me tonight." She cast Peter a meaningful glance and he immediately drew her in for an encouraging hug. We all knew that tonight could be difficult for Jasper after his little relapse two nights previously and Alice was obviously nervous about what could happen while she wasn't there.
"Jasper and I always look out for one another, Alice. You have nothing to be worried about. Just make sure my girl here has a great night." He gave us both a chaste kiss on the forehead and then walked to his car, leaving us to get into Alice's convertible. I took a last look in Peter's direction and he gave me a small wave; mouthing "I love you" as he moved to start the car.
"Ok then," Alice put her sunglasses on and checked her rear view mirror. "Let's get this party started." and a devilish grin lit up her face.
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When my sister does anything she doesn't do it by halves. Upon entering the Woods residence we were immediately bombarded with an array of female friends and family who were helping me celebrate my upcoming nuptials. Rosalie passed me a flute of champagne and before I knew what was happening I found myself ushered into the large living area where comfortable chairs had been set up and about five women I had never met stood waiting to pamper myself and my guests. Only Alice could pull off having beauticians making house calls and giving us an afternoon of relaxation and a whole lot of great company and laughter. Massages, pedicures and manicures were up for offered for anyone who wanted them and it appeared I was getting the complete works. No wonder Alice wasn't concerned with what I was wearing. I was out of my clothes within minutes of getting there and a comfortable robe was being shoved at me. I relaxed into the celebratory mood and allowed my bridesmaids to spoil me with their plans. It wasn't hard to do when everyone around us was in a wonderful mood; excitement pervaded the room and I let myself run with it.
As we all took our turns having the beauticians attend to us we laughed and joked about all kinds of girly things. I was actually really enjoying the time we had with just the girls who were important to me and also having a break from my concerns around Edward and Peter. Every now and again they broke into my thoughts but I deliberately set them back into my subconscious because today was all about the girls. The one and only time I talked about Edward, it was when Rosalie questioned me about Peter knowing and I had asked her to leave it be for the night; that I wanted to concentrate on my girlfriends and not think about Peter or Edward's hurt. She had agreed with me once she knew that I had been honest with Peter and that we had sorted things out. I was relieved that she let it go so easily.
Every now and again I noticed Alice looking at her watch and wondered briefly what she was up to. I was absolutely certain that Alice, Rosalie and Angela weren't going to stop this hen's evening with just a pampering afternoon. They were in for a long night and even though it wasn't my normal thing I was looking forward to it.
"What are you up to Ali," I snuck up behind her and nearly scared her out of her wits. She glanced back at all our friends who were busy chatting, eating and drinking.
"What do you mean?"
"You keep checking your watch." I noted.
"Oh that. Well you know I am always up to something but in this case I am just worrying. Jasper got an emergency counseling session this afternoon from the man that it was suggested he see whilst he's in New York. I guess I was kind of wondering how it was going and if it would be alright for me to ring him to see how he handled it all. He wasn't looking forward to it and it was kind of bad timing since tonight is Peter's night but I don't think he felt he could turn the offer down."
"Alice that is great news. I am so happy he got in so quickly. It's a great step forward. Good on him." My enthusiasm was not fake at all. This was something he really needed to do and the fact that he had got onto it so quickly meant he was serious about helping himself. I felt a surge of pride and then giggled to myself. What was it about these Cullen boys that had me react so strongly to their welfare after only a short time of knowing them?
Alice's face lit up. "Yes it is great. He is really serious about getting help and he said he never again wants to put me into the situation he did the other night. I just want him to stop hurting so much. He doesn't deserve to live like that."
"No he doesn't and I think he is very lucky that he found you Alice," I gave her a hug to reinforce my words and she tightened her grip on me as she gave me her thanks for thinking so.
"Alrighty. That's enough of the serious stuff. This afternoon and this evening are all about fun and frivolous activities," The door bell rang and her face brightened up even further. "and in keeping with the theme, here is our next form of entertainment. You are going to die when you see what we've got organised for you young lady."
"You promised me no strippers, Alice," I stated with concern as she headed to answer the door. I would die of mortification if she had done that to me. I most certainly didn't need any strange man wiping his body parts against me and embarrassing me in front of my mother and my mother in law to be.
"And I kept that promise," Alice smirked over her shoulder at me. "Why don't you go back with the others and I will be there with your surprise very soon."
I followed her instruction but with a whole lot of butterflies in my stomach. I was ridiculously nervous about what was in store and when I told Angela and Rosalie that Alice was letting in the next form of entertainment, their squeals of delight only aggravated the nerves tenfold. They left the room and I concentrated on talking to a couple of my friends from uni so that I could ignore the feeling that I was about to come under attack.
When the girls returned they were carrying some boxes and a man a little older than myself walked in with them. Rosalie asked everyone to take a seat on one of the chairs that had been brought in after our pampering session. She told me where to sit and I noticed that there were three spare seats near me. I realized that they were for my bridesmaids and when they sat down my thoughts were confirmed.
"So ladies. My name is Garrett and Alice, Rosalie and Angela invited me here today to help you celebrate Bella's upcoming marriage," He smiled at me and his smile was so warm and sincere that I had to smile back. "I believe they thought this could be a little bit different and the point is for all of you to enjoy yourselves so relax and do so."
My confused look was mirrored on many of the other ladies faces. Besides the three girls next to me, who were grinning like mad banshees, no one had any idea what was going on. The confusion only strengthened when Garrett began to hand out art pads and pencils.
"So we are having an art lesson today," Garrett drawled as he handed the last few pencils and crayons out to the group. "This is your opportunity to let out your creative side. Don't be shy and just explore using the tools I have given you. There is no reason to be concerned that you can't draw because we are all friends here and no one is going to put down your attempts."
Art. My sisters had organised an art lesson for my hens. What was going on?
And then it became quite apparent what was going on when Garrett left momentarily and came back in wearing a short robe. A few of the ladies around me gasped and I couldn't blame them. Garrett was a well built man. He ignored them and proceeded to disrobe as he explained that he would be our muse, so to speak. He would pose for us and we could draw what we saw. I felt the inevitable blush rise in my face and saw the different expressions on everyone's face as they watched this male sit comfortably in front of us, completely nude and giving us instructions on the best way to start our drawings.
After the twitterings and small giggles lapsed it appeared that everyone was taking their drawings very seriously. That was of course until people began to finish and were showing each other their final drawings. It was so much more fun than I could ever have thought and we all spent the early evening laughing at our attempts to express the human body. It wasn't tacky as I first thought it would be and Garrett was such a lovely man who was clearly comfortable in his own skin that we enjoyed his observations and advice as if we had known him forever. It was an unusual way to celebrate but everyone seemed to enjoy it and they would certainly walk away from my hens night with a different kind of memory than what they could ever have expected.
Once the art lesson had finished and Garrett had packed up his things and left, Alice, Angela and Rosalie took me up to a spare room to begin getting me ready for our night out. Apparently many of us would be continuing out to some of the famous night clubs of New York. Grace, Esme and Renee had already conceded that their night would be spent at home, rather than trying to mingle with us young ones but were extremely happy to have spent the afternoon with us in such a fun way. Hmmmmm. Many of my friends headed back home to get changed into clothes appropriate for clubbing and were meeting us at nine o clock at Alice's choice of club. I knew this was where my torture started as Alice and Rosalie began their 'transforming Bella' routine.
The four of us were laughing at the different things that had happened this afternoon, including different people's reactions to the girl's little surprise.
"Did you see Kate's face. It was hilarious. She didn't know which way to look and every time she got the guts to try and draw all she could do was stare at his….. well… his you know what." Angela was in hysterics and we were all laughing alongside of her.
"Well, It was a bit hard to miss," Rosalie wiped at her eyes. "It was all a bit of fun though. I hoped you enjoyed yourself Bella."
I had to admit that I had enjoyed the afternoon. "I was surprised that Esme allowed Camille to stay though. I thought she might think she was a bit young."
"Oh I knew she would be ok with it because I told Jasper what we had planned because I was concerned that Camille would be here as well." Alice stated flippantly as she put another hot roller in my hair. "Esme said exactly what Jasper said she would. ' It's all in the name of art. The human body is a beautiful thing.'"
We all giggled as Alice mimicked the way Esme had spoken. She had her voice down to a tee and it was funny to see that Alice already knew Esme well enough to do so.
Our conversation continued to be light hearted as we got ourselves ready for the next part of the night. Angela put some music on in the background and we were bopping around having a ball. This felt good; being with my sisters and Angela. The four of us always had so much fun together and I thanked my lucky stars that it would always be like that; we would always be there for one another.
The beautiful dress that Alice had chosen for me was finally on and she was touching up my lip gloss when a commotion from outside the room made us frown at one another. Someone seemed to be screaming and we quickly barged out of the room and entered the hallway. My ashen faced father was standing there holding a sobbing Grace and Esme and Renee were standing helplessly beside her with tears streaming down their own faces. Something fell into the pit of my stomach and I reflexively felt like I was going to be sick. I froze in mid step, but Alice, Angela and Rosalie kept moving and were almost to the huddled group.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Alice questioned and Renee reached for her as if in comfort.
"Oh god my baby. Not my baby." Grace was groaning into Charlie's chest and Esme went over to her to pull her into her own arms. Grace collapsed and only Esme's arms held her up. I began to see white spots in front of my eyes and realized that I had stopped breathing. I didn't want to hear what they had to say; I already knew something terrible had happened. I didn't need their words.
Charlie's red rimmed eyes looked right at me and I started to shake my head. "I am so sorry Bella. There's been an accident. They did what they could but Peter….he's…"
I put my hands over my ears so that I could drown out his words. This was not happening. I was not listening to such garbage.
"Don't say it," I yelled at my father and he flinched. "Don't say it," I repeated again and then I turned and ran towards the bathroom where I promptly emptied the contents of my stomach. Someone was knocking on the door and I vaguely recognised Angela's voice pleading for me to let her in. I ignored the tapping knowing that for a few moments I was alone. The door was locked as if the very motion could lock away all the bad things that waited for me on the other side. I climbed into the bath and pulled my knees up to hug my body, allowing my head to rest against the coolness of the tiles. This could not be happening. Peter could not be gone. It had to be a mistake. Only hours ago Peter had told me he loved me and that he always would. He wouldn't go back on that. We were a team. He wouldn't leave me. It was just not possible.
But then reality set in. I could still hear the gut wrenching wails from peter's mother as she cried for her only son. I could still see the haunted eyes of my father as he had to inform us of what had happened and suddenly I knew without a doubt that my best friend was gone and nothing could change it. I had no idea how or why…..I just knew that I was now living a nightmare. Peter had left me in the most permanent way possible.
I was being punished!
And Peter had been the one to pay the price.
