Chapter Seven: How Far We've Come


Bella POV

It had been a year since I broke up with Edward. And I knew it was the best thing I could have done. It gave me more time to be with the Cullen's. Emmett continued to mature the right way and hadn't snuck around with Rosalie anymore and Alice was still struggling with her mother's death, but she was recovering. And Carlisle and I were closer than we ever had been. He still didn't feel right sleeping in his room that he had shared with his wife, so he continued sleeping on the couch, and I kept him company every night. And my paper had been turned in and passed and today, I was getting my doctorate.

"Bells? You ready?" Carlisle asked at my doorway as I looked in the mirror.

"Yeah, I can't believe this is the last time I'm going to graduate." I joked, turning around and seeing he had a tub of ice cream in his hands. "Ice cream? We aren't upset about anything." I laughed, taking the one spoon from his hands as he opened the carton.

"Nope, let's use ice cream to celebrate something instead." He said, dipping his spoon into the ice cream. Once there was only one bite left, we 'fought' for it as we always did, but he won like he usually did. He began to take the bite but closed his mouth and put in front of my lips. I laughed and took the bite and our faces soon became very close together. He starred at me, and my heart rate picked up from looking into his ocean blue eyes for so long.

"You...you ah...have some ice cream on your cheek." He whispered, grabbing a napkin and wiping my cheek. He folded the napkin up and threw it into my waste can before turning back to me.

"Thanks..." I whispered as we both began moving into each other. Our lips had almost touched when a shout shrieked through the house.

"HEY!" I heard Alice yell, Emmett was probably being a jerk. I sighed as we stood up and turned off my lamp before leaving the room. "YOU BROKE THE FRAME YOU ASS HOLE!" She yelled as we entered the living room. Both looked to be fuming.

"YOU PUSHED ME YOU TWIRP!" Emmett yelled back, picking up the broken picture frame.

"Enough!" Carlisle yelled, not letting them continue there argue match. "It's a frame. The picture wasn't harmed. We have other frames. Grow up. Both of you." He said sternly.

"But Dad!" Alice protested.

"No, Ali. This is Bella's day. Handle this like the adults you are both becoming. Emmett, get a broom, please. And Alice, give me the old frame. I'll take the picture out and put it into a new frame." He ordered and they both did as they were told. "Sorry."

"No big deal." I said, helping him pick up the mess.

"But it is. This is a day for you..."

"They're teenagers Carlisle. They'd be acting like this if it were graduation day...but we really have to go now." I said, pointing to the clock. He cleaned the rest up quickly and dragged both of them to the car. They sat in the back seat of the car, starring out the window, both cross armed. I shook my head, Emmett was sixteen and Alice was fourteen...they were acting like a six and four year old.

"Guys, come on. Perk up for Bella. It was just a picture frame." Carlisle said as we pulled into the parking lot.

"Mom gave me that picture frame!" Alice yelled and I finally understood why she was so upset. I turned around and forced her to look at me.

"Alice, it was only a picture frame. I understand why it's special to you...but you still have her memory. Picture frames, necklaces, they aren't your mother. Your mother will always be with you as long as you feel her presence." I said and she crooked a smile.

"Thanks...sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your day."

"Are you kidding? It hasn't been ruined. Now, you and your brother make up and when I get back...you'd better be fighting about something else." I joked before getting out of the car.

"Bella!" I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned around and saw my best friend, Angela, running towards me.

"Ang!" I yelled as she threw her arms around my neck. "So excited! Finally! I'm done with school!" I exclaimed as we began walking again.

"I know...are you going to be okay?" She asked, suddenly becoming serious.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Edward..."

"Who?" I asked, but I couldn't lie...it still hurt to hear his name.

"Right...non-exsistent. Let's go." She said, locking arms with me. The ceremony was short and sweet and I was back with Carlisle and the kids in no time. I walked towards them and they clapped when I held up my diploma. I walked to Alice and Emmett first, hugging them. But once I had let them go, Carlisle scooped me into his arms and held me tight, I loved the closeness.

"Congrats, Bells. I really am proud of you." He said, releasing me from his grip.

"Thanks." I whispered as he opened the car door for me. We drove back to the house in peaceful silence and I was surprised to see a handful of cars parked in front of the house. I looked in confussion but he shrugged his shoulders as he turned the car off and opened the door. We were just about to open the front door before a pair of hands forcefully covered my eyes.

"Emmett!" I yelled but he kept his hands in place. I heard the door being unlocked and opened and Emmett guided me inside. He led me into the middle of the room(knocking me into the couch) before he removed his hands.

"SURPRISE!" The crowd filled with my family and friends yelled.

"Oh...my god!" I gasped as I took it all in. The whole house was covered with reds and whites. I was still taking it all in when a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. I turned around and my dad was standing there, beaming at me. "Daddy!" I yelled, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come to the ceremony...I wouldn't have gotten there in time. But about a month ago, I got a call from a very chipper girl asking me to come to a graduation party she was planning and I couldn't refuse." He explained and I looked at Alice. She was still warming up to me, and I was beyond thrilled to know it was her who planned this for me. I walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you...so much." I said once we had let go of the hug.

"It really isn't a big deal...I just stole your phone." She laughed. A tap on my shoulder took my attention away from Alice as I turned to see who it was.

"JASPER!" I yelled, hugging my step-brother tightly. "Oh my god! Don't you have school today?" I asked my fifteen year old cousin.

"Yeah...Mom and Charlie said I could get out of it...for you." He said as Sue, my step-mother walked over to us.

"Congrats, kid." She said before I saw Jasper starring into the distance. I turned around and saw him starring at Alice, who was starring back at him. Once she caught me watching, she quickly turned her attention away and I giggled, she was so smitten.

"Carlisle, come here!" I called over. He excused himself from the conversation with my uncle and walked over. "This is my Dad, Charlie, my step-mom, Sue, and Jasper, my step-brother." I introduced. "Dad, this is my...employer..." I laughed, Carlisle had become so much more to me over the last year and a half.

"It's nice to meet you." Carlisle said, shaking my father's hand. My father had this look of hatred in his eyes and I couldn't imagine why...they had just met for goodness sake. Charlie turned away to a friend of the family and Sue went with him.

"How old is Alice?" Jasper asked, starring at her again.

"Fourteen, Jas." I answered and Carlisle shot a look at me. "Jasper, why don't you go with your Mom and Charlie." I said, shooing him away. "What?" I asked Carlisle.

"No..."

"No what?"

"No he isn't going after my daughter."

"Carlisle, come on. He's fifteen, he isn't that much older...and he won't. They live too far away." I said and he eased up a little. The party was a complete blast, but I was happy when it was over. I just wanted to be alone with Carlisle, Emmett, and Alice.

"Here you go." Carlisle said, handing me a small gift bag.

"Carlisle..." I said, not wanting him to spend any money on me.

"Oh hush and just open it." He said, forcing it into my hands again. I carefully removed the tissue from the bag and saw a long black box sticking out. I opened it and it was a charm bracelet with a single charm on it; a graduation cap.

"Thank you." I said, putting it around my wrist.

"Here, let me." Carlisle said, taking the clasp from my hand. I held out my wrist as he clasped it around my wrist and looked up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his eyes. We both leaned into each other but again Alice interrupted us.

"Dad!" He sighed and stood up.

"What, sweetie?" He called up the steps.

"Come here!" She called. He rolled his eyes and turned towards me.

"I'll be right back." He said, running upstairs. I watched him go and fell into the chair under me. I was falling hard for him...and nothing would happen.


"Bells?" Emmett asked a few weeks after graduation as I was searching the internet for potential teaching jobs in the Washington area.

"What Emmett?" I asked, only half listening.

"Can we have your famous pork chops tonight?" He asked, almost jumping up and down.

"You have practice."

"Early though. I'd be home in time for dinner." He said and I closed my laptop, frusterated. No school was hiring new teachers. I grabbed my purse off the chair.

"Sure. Pork chops." I said and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door on my way out. I got into my truck and let out a scream. Life sucked. Edward was no longer in my life. My parents were on the other side of the country. I worked forever to get my doctorate and had no job to prove anything, and mine and Carlisle's relationship remained the same. I parked in the parking spot furthest away from the store and huffed inside.

"Four of your best pork chops please." I said once at the butchers station. It seemed forever for him to get them cut and packaged and I almost ran away once he had handed them to me. I was in the bread aisle, not paying any attention to where I was going when I rammed into someone, throwing both baskets to the ground. I groaned and leaned down to begin picking the stuff up.

"I think this is yours." The all to familiar voice said, handing me back the can of corn that had fallen out. I looked up and was face to face with Edward, someone I had swore if I ever saw again, I'd punch in the face.

"Thanks." I said, grabbing it. I took it from his hand, but didn't let go when I saw the simple gold band around his left ring finger. My breathing became heavy as I forced tears back. "You're...you're married?" I choked up as we stood up.

"Yeah, two months ago." He said, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"To Jess?" I asked, still bewildered at the ring on his finger.

"Yeah."

"Well...you didn't have a hard time moving on...I thought you two were just having sex?"

"We...were...before we..."

"Got caught." I finished and he nodded.

"We started actually going out after we broke up...one thing led to another and..."

"You're married now. Wow." I puffed.

"We didn't plan to get married so soon but she's sort of...six months pregnant." He said, not looking at me.

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah...we were careless one night, drunk actually, and didn't use a condom." He explained and I nodded. "I'm really..." He started before I put my hand in his face.

"Don't. Don't lie."

"Lie?"

"You aren't sorry. If you were sorry...you wouldn't have done it in the first place." I said before walking away, trying to hold back tears. I drove back to the house, trying my hardest to concentrate on the road. But I couldn't get the picture of the ring on his finger out of my head.

"We started actually going out after we broke up...one thing led to another and..."

"You're married now. Wow." I puffed.

"We didn't plan to get married so soon but she's sort of...six months pregnant." He said, not looking at me.

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah...we were careless one night, drunk actually, and didn't use a condom."

Rang in my ears the whole way home. I unlocked the front door and ran upstairs. Carlisle was sitting at his desk in his office, working on the computer. He looked up, smiling at me, but the smile quickly vanished and he pulled me into his chest.

"What happened?" He whispered in my ear after my sobs were under control.

"Edward...Edward and Jessica are married and having a baby together." I sobbed and he gripped me tighter. We stood there for what seemed like hours before Emmett called upstairs. "shit...I left the stuff at the store." I said, wiping my face.

"We'll order pizza." Carlisle said simply.

"Emmett wanted pork chops..."

"Emmett can deal with Pizza. Besides, he's probably going out soon." He said, as we walked down the stairs. Emmett almost threw a temper tantrum because he wasn't getting what he wanted but delt with the pizza and was out with Jacob right after he was done. Alice hadn't been home at all yet, leaving just Carlisle and I. He laid out the usual junk food and covered us with a blanket as we watched PS I Love You. We had made it halfway through the movie when I got up and went to the liquor cabinet. I walked back and Carlisle eyed me, raising his eye brows.

"What do you want? Beer, Vodka, or Tequila?" I asked, putting the bottles down on the table.

"Just a shot of Tequila." He said, laughing.

"Just ONE shot?" I asked, I really just wanted to get drunk, but didn't want to do it by myself.

"Yes...just ONE shot." He answered and I rolled my eyes...I wasn't getting drunk tonight. I sighed and poured the shot glass half full and handed it to him before pouring a shot of vodka for myself.

"Want to watch another movie?" He asked once the credits were rolling.

"Sure...but I want to watch people blow things up." I said and he laughed. He went to the ONDemand menu and searched.

"Dark Knight?" He asked and I nodded. He pressed play and I snuggled my head onto his shoulder. I felt a small kiss on my head as the movie began. Halfway through the movie, he stood up and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" I asked, suddenly feeling abandoned.

"I think I have something that will help you." He said, running upstairs. Why Edward being married upset me so much, I had no idea. But all I knew was I felt like I had been punched in the took forever to come back down, and I was just about to go look for him when he came storming downstairs, fuming with anger.

"Hey...what..." I started to asked before he grabbed the almost full bottle of Tequila and poured himself another glass. He then grabbed the Vodka, pouring a glass for me, shoving it into my hands.

"Who said alcohol couldn't solve anything?" He asked before taking the shot. I starred at him, wandering what happened while he was upstairs but along with him anyway...I was about to get really waisted...with Carlisle.