Chapter 7: Try

It was late in the day when I finally decided to venture out from the solitude of my room. Charlie had left for work hours ago. I was still in my pajamas but I didn't care. Edward wasn't going to see me and I knew Alice would understand my unkempt appearance. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go over to the Cullens' to work on wedding plans when it seemed that we weren't even going to make it to the altar.

I walked down the stairs to the kitchen where I picked up the phone and called Alice's cell. "Hello?" her cheery voice said into my ear. "Hi Alice. It's Bella. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming over here to work on wedding plans." There was a pause and I knew she was thinking about what had happened last night. "Sure, I'll be right there." The line clicked dead. I hung up and went to the living room to wait for Alice to arrive.

What seemed like minutes later, she was walking through the front door and planting herself next to me on the couch. No words were exchanged. She wrapped her tiny arms around my huddled frame and just rocked me gently. "It's going to be alright Bella," she cooed. "He's coming back. I saw it. He just needs a little time." I moved my head in the slightest nod. I was afraid that if I tried to speak I would end up unleashing the torrent of tears I was holding back. "I asked Jasper to come over and help us with some of the planning. He should be here in a few minutes."

"Okay," I said quietly. I slowly sat up and pulled myself together. "Let's get to work."

Alice and I started going over dress selections, fabric colors, and seating arrangements. Jasper showed up halfway through our work. I could tell he was trying to keep me feeling calm and optimistic. I didn't fight it; I wanted to think that Edward was going to come in the door any minute. Eventually Alice needed to leave but I didn't want to be alone so Jasper said he would stay with me until Charlie got home.

We relocated to my bedroom and just sat on the bed trying to think of what to say. I took a deep breath and asked what I had been wondering for a while. "What was Edward thinking running off and leaving me here? He said he would never leave me again." Jasper looked at me quizzically for a moment but answered as soon as he realized it wasn't a rhetorical question. "He never wanted to hurt you again and he feels that he's gone and done it again. He only left because he needed to clear his head and accept that you still love him despite him changing you. He will come back soon," he said with a wink. "Just make sure that you can show him that you aren't bothered by it."

"I was trying to when he ran out on me. With the wedding coming up so soon I'm afraid that he won't be back in time." He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "Bella, he would never do that to you. Marrying you means everything to him and he will be there." As he finished, the sounds of Charlie pulling up drifted up to the sensitive ears of Jasper. "I've got to go but remember to not give up on him and he will be back in time." With that he disappeared in a flash.

I feigned exhaustion so that I could avoid contact with Charlie. I lay back in bed thinking about if I was really going to be able to live with what Edward had done. I found I was unable to answer the question. My throat burned ever so slightly and I knew I would have to go see Carlisle tomorrow. So I calmly waited for dawn to come.

A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter! This week has been busy and I wanted to try and get something up for you to read and ponder. Thank you for the reviews and reads. Keep it up! I promise to have a longer update as soon as possible.