Bella was three-quarters the way through with her run when she knew she had made up her mind. With the small epiphany that she had while digesting what Ethan had said, and what her subconscious had tried to beat into her while she slept, Bella don't know what took her so long to choose. For a change, Bella was going to do something for her; screw what people thought. For once, she was going to reach for the dreams she once had for her life, and to do that she had to have Jasper.
She had to admit, that she felt like she was losing control of her destiny without Jasper. It felt like she was falling, but in reality, it was a huge leap of faith and Bella just had to hope that Jasper would be there to catch her. Bella was going to be completely out of her comfort zone, but she was going to let go of everything and believe that Jasper would not lead her in the wrong direction.
Just because she was willing to give Jasper another chance, did not mean they still didn't have things they needed to work out. They still had a lot to discuss; trust and honesty just to name a few. He had to know that just because Bella loved him, that she did not trust him. She did not trust him not to leave her again if things got too hard or something came up back in Denmark. He also needed to know that the only way they could ever dream to work together was that he needed to be completely honest with her. He could not keep things from her anymore, it just wouldn't work.
As Bella finished her run, she could feel the weight that she had carried for years just melt away. She felt like she had finally found the silver lining to the dark clouds that had hung over herself for so long; more to the point that she was starting to see the sun that was behind those clouds, Bella was starting to see the light. It would be up to Jasper if she would see more of the blue sky behind those clouds. Her love for Jasper was here to stay, he was her forever love; it was up to him if he could handle everything that came next.
She quickly shut off the treadmill and started to pack her things, suddenly she was excited and eager to see Jasper again. Bella all but skipped out of the gym in her haste to get back to her room, but as she wrenched open the door she ran straight into Seth blocking the door.
"Shit," she said quickly as she staggered back from the impact. Bella expected her ass to meet the floor as she tripped over her feet, but it never happened.
"Whoa there," said Seth spinning around and his hands shooting out to catch her. "Are you alright," he asked as he steadied her.
"Yeah," she said as she caught her breath. "I wasn't expecting you to be standing right there. With you blocking the door no one can come or go."
"I would have moved if someone really wanted to come into the gym," said Seth with a soft smile. "Did you have a nice run, My Lady," he asked changing the subject.
"I did," she smiled as they started down the hall. "It was really productive."
"That's good to hear," Seth said with a nod. "I am to take you directly back to your room to await Ethan."
"Fine," she said with a shrug. "I need to get ready for my lunch plans with Jasper and Rosalie."
"It is nice to see that Prince Jasper and Princess Rosalie are getting out of the hotel. I thought they were going to be shut in here until they accomplished the reason they came here."
"Do you know the reason why they came," she asked. For some reason, Bella felt she needed to know how much the people around Jasper knew what was going on with the two of them.
"I am sorry I do not, My Lady," Seth replied as he allowed her to step into the elevator first. "I am not privy to that information. I know that it is something personal for Prince Jasper, but that is about it. I am sure the Ethan would know more since he is higher ranking than I am, he would be given more information."
"Would Felix be given that information?" There was still something odd about the way Felix had reacted to her, it was if he had prior knowledge of their past together. It was time to test her theory.. "After all," she said as calmly as she could, "he was Jasper's personal guard for a while."
"I do not think he knew all of the details no," Seth shook his head slightly. "He might know some, but I don't think he knows the complete reason. You know that he is being sent home, right?"
Bella couldn't help the snort as the elevator door opened revealing her floor, "Oh, I am well aware of that," she said rubbing her wrist lightly. "Have you heard from Ethan? Is he finished with his running for Jasper," she asked as she dug her key-card out of her back pocket as they neared her door.
"I am pretty sure he is going to be waiting in your room," Seth replied swiping the key from her hands.
"What the Hell," she asked trying to reach for her key back. "I understand it is your job to walk me to my room, but I think I can unlock my own door."
"My Lady, I need to make sure that there is no one is waiting inside that is not supposed to be," Seth responded before blocking her from the door.
"Whatever," she muttered as Seth opened the door and stepped inside.
"It's just me, Seth," said Ethan from somewhere inside her rooms. "Go ahead and let Miss Swan inside, then you can take position outside in the hall.
"Very well, Sir," Seth responded before reaching his arm behind him for her and pushed her gently inside. As soon as she was safely inside Seth handed her back the key, took a step back out into the hall and shut the door after him.
"Would you like to tell me why I even have a key to my own room if I am not even allowed to use it," Bella snapped as she walked further into the room.
"Well," she heard Ethan chuckle as she walked near him, "I see that your run has improved your mood."
"Trust me, it could be so much worse," she replied. "Did you know that guy," Bella pointed behind her at the closed door, "is built like a wall, right," she asked as she rounded the corner to see Ethan standing near the couch.
"He is sturdy, I'll give you that," Ethan replied, his confusion clear by the tilt of the head and raised an eyebrow. "Why would that matter, My Lady?"
"No reason other then I slammed into him and almost met the floor," she said with a shrug.
"What," he asked as he took large quick steps to get in front of her. "What happened? Are you okay," he asked as his hands started to slide up and down her arms looking for injuries.
"I'm fine," she said knocking his hands away. "I came out of the gym faster than I should have and did not expect Seth to be blocking the door. I wasn't paying attention, so I didn't see him, so I slammed right into his back and bounced off; he caught me before I fell. For someone that large, he sure is fast; I thought for sure I was going to land on my ass."
"You're sure that you are okay," Ethan asked finally taking a step back from her, his eyes still scanning for bruises.
"I'm fine," Bella reassured him again. "I have had worse things happen to me, so there is nothing to worry about; anyway Seth caught me before I fell."
"He shouldn't have had to catch you in the first place," Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the door. "He should have been paying attention to what was going on."
"You need to simmer down," she said a hand going to her hip as she started to get upset, she was not going to let Seth get into trouble for my random klutzy moments. "Seth was blocking the only entrance and exit to the gym so I was safe and secure inside. He was paying attention to the area that needed his attention, and that was in front of him. I don't expect him to predict when I am going to do something stupid and cause myself an injury. Seth caught me before I fell, end of story and end of discussion."
"He should have," Ethan started again, but Bella wasn't having any of it anymore.
"I said end of story and end of discussion. He did his job, leave him be. If you want someone to yell at, then feel free to rant away to the one responsible," she said sweeping her hands in front of her. "I should have known better than to go flying out of the gym, but I did it anyway." She just stood there and waited, she was not going to go down without a fight on this. When Ethan said nothing Bella moved to change the subject. "Did you get all your errands finished?"
"I have," Ethan nodded as he moved to the dining table, "I also have checked in with His Highness. He sends his love along with four more flowers, I went ahead and placed them in the vase with the others."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I am starting to think that it is a tradition now for him to leave me flowers when I leave this room."
"As you said before, His Highness just wants to make you smile and he knows the flowers do that."
"You know," she said heading for the kitchen to get a drink, "I am sure you can just call him Jasper, I doubt the world will come crashing down."
"That's not it," Ethan said following her, "it is a respect thing. When home and around Court or the Family I have to call Jasper 'His Highness', or something similar depending on the situation. When it is just us, I can call him by his given name. I find it hard to do so when others, such as yourself, are present."
"Oh," she said before taking a sip from her bottle of water. "So were there any messages from Jasper that I need to be aware of?"
"Just that he cannot wait for lunch," Ethan said with a smile. "He did want to know if you would want him to come to your door or if you wanted to meet in the lobby? Princess Rosalie is going to meet you two at the restaurant."
"It really does not matter," she said with a sigh. "I would like to speak with him in private, and I think that should be done before we go any further really."
"It is your choice, My Lady," Ethan replied easily. "You can choose to speak here in private or speak in the car also in private. It depends on what you want to say, and what reaction you might get that might regulate where you want to talk."
Bella stood leaning against the counter for a few seconds and thought. She could tell Jasper what she had decided here, but seeing as she could not seem to control herself when he near she could see the situation getting out of hand rather quickly. Or She could tell him in the car and, while Jasper would still be near, the chances of them getting too carried away was slimmer. "I think talking in the car will do just fine," she said calmly. "If you would tell Jasper that I will meet him in the lobby that would be great."
"I can do that," Ethan said with a large smile. "Now, don't shoot the messenger, but..."
"You know, when people start things off with that whatever follows it cannot be good," she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes well," he looked down to the ground, "just remember that this is from Jasper alright," he asked, Bella just nodded for him to continue. "Well, His Highness is aware that you do not know where he is taking you for lunch and as such are unaware of what the dress code should be for the restaurant. If he would tell you what to wear you might guess where you are going and that would be wrong."
"He could just tell me where we were going, that would clear things up," she said crossing her arms in front of her.
"That would ruin all of Jasper's fun," Ethan said with a smirk.
"God forbid that happen," she muttered.
"As I was saying," Ethan said, his smirk growing, "since you are unaware of what to wear, Jasper has taken care of that for you."
"He did what now?" she couldn't help but ask as she gave him the strongest glare she could, because honestly, it sounded like Ethan said Jasper had bought her something to wear to lunch.
"Well...umm," Ethan started to stammer as he took one step back. Bella had to admit that there was something satisfying with the fact that a man who fought in a war and now was in charge of guarding a Prince, was slightly terrified of her. "His Highness thought it would make it easier on you if he went ahead and picked something up for you to wear. I put it in the closet of your bedroom. He was trying to be sweet," Ethan said, his head snapping up to look at her, "remember you like that about him."
"Yes, " she nodded, "I like sweet, not overbearing," she said with a sigh. "Now, I suppose there is nothing I can say or do about it now; so I will just deal with it later."
"That's a smart idea," Ethan nodded quickly, happy to see that she was not going to take her anger out on him. Not wanting to take any chances that she would change her mind, Ethan changed the subject. "Now are you going to be able to take your wrap off your wrist by yourself, or do you need me to remove it for you?"
"No, I think I can handle that," she said with a shrug.
"Well then, I will take my leave while you get ready, I will bring a fresh wrap to replace that one," he lightly touched her injured arm.
"Good," she said with a smile as she grabbed her phone from her back pocket. Glancing at the time, she realized that she didn't have that much time to get ready. "Do you remember what time I am to meet with Jasper down in the lobby," she asked trying to gauge how long she really had to get ready, it was already quarter to eleven.
"I believe His Highness would like to leave by one o'clock if that is feasible," Ethan said lightly as he headed for the door.
"It will be if you let me get a shower," Bella said teasingly. "There is a good chance that I will be done by a quarter to, since you know I don't have to pick out something to wear."
"Very good, My Lady," Ethan nodded, his hand on the doorknob as he turned back at her. "Seth will be out in the hall if you need anything, anything at all."
"I'll be fine, Ethan," she said as she walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "You're sweet for worrying."
"And you have my number if you need me?"
"Yes, you put it in there earlier remember," she shook her head lightly. "I am only taking a shower, Ethan; I have done that injury free for years now. With Seth watching the main door and no one stupid enough to climb up this high to come in from the balcony I am as safe as I can be, nothing will happen."
"You will yell if you need something," Ethan asked one last time as he opened the door to the hall.
"Yes mother, now go and assure Prince Jasper that I am still coming to lunch," she said giving him a light push out the door.
"I'll come to get you for lunch, okay," Ethan asked now standing out in the hall next to Seth.
"That's fine," she said with a smile. "I'll be here," she said before shutting the door before Ethan could think of a reason to stay longer. With a shake of her head, Bella went to get ready to take a shower, to wash away the sweat from her run.
Bella took a nice long, hot shower; taking care to take her time and not slip or anything. It was a good shower. For the first time in a long time she felt at peace with herself; no lingering sadness, no loneliness. It felt like she was washing away all the struggles that had plagued her for years.
As soon as she finished the shower she stepped out and wrapped herself in her robe and headed to the bedroom to see what type of dress Jasper had picked out. She walked over to the closet, throwing open the door to see a garment bag with a shoebox underneath.
"Oh, he is so going to get it," Bella muttered to herself as grabbed both items and tossing them on the bed. With a quick peek at her phone for the time, she saw that she only had a half hour left before Ethan came knocking on her door. She quickly went to the garment bag to see what she was going to be wearing, what she needed for underneath. There hanging in the bag was the beautiful midnight blue sleeveless shirt dress with a large rounded collar, the flowy skirt looked like it would stop just at her knee. The belt that sat at the waist was a soft metallic silver, as were the buttons down the front. Her hands flew to the shoebox, there in the tissue were a pair of silver peep-toe shoes. Both items were beautiful, in other words, Jasper was safe from her wrath; at least this time. She would still let him know she was slightly upset about this, but she was not going to make a huge thing about it today.
Bella quickly grabbed a bra and panty set that would look good with the dress, along with her makeup bag and went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. Once she was buffed, powdered, and tweezed to perfection she slipped into her underthings then started on her makeup. She didn't need a lot of makeup, she didn't think there was a need. Jasper had already seen her at her worst, there was no need to hide behind large amounts of make-up. She just put some foundation, a hint of blush on her cheeks, and just enough of eyeshadow and mascara to highlight her eyes. She swiftly threw everything back into the bag and started on her hair.
She wanted something simple, not that there was much she could do with her injured wrist that still hurt when she rotated it just the right way. She unwrapped her hair from the towel, that she twisted her hair into after getting out of the shower, and carefully started to comb through it. When she finally got the comb through the hair she switched to a round brush and blow-dryer. It took her a while, being careful of her wrist still, but eventually, she blew-dry her hair straight and smooth. She scanned the hair accessories that she had scattered on the vanity in the bathroom and easily chose the few things that she would need for the hairstyle that she was going for.
With everything set up for her hair, she went back into the bedroom to actually get dressed. As the fabric of the dress slipped over her body, she loved for the dress grew more and more. Not only was this one of the softest fabric that she had worn in a long time, but the cut of the cloth hugged her curves enhancing every one of them; even the belt rested in the perfect spot giving her an actual waist. Her estimation of the length was correct, the hem of the skirt stopped just at her knees; something that she was grateful for.
When she had the dress smoothed and adjusted to perfection she headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. It was clear to her, as she started to put her hair in a messy French twist, that she needed a haircut. Even with a lot of hair taken up in the twist, she still had hair that spilled out of the top. She quickly curled the ends, which even in curls, ended hitting the back of her neck. With a quick spritz of hairspray, not enough to make her hair crunchy just enough to hold the hair in place; she was now ready to go. Bella gave one last look in the mirror she realized that she was missing something, she needed something shiny to frame her face. With quick steps back into the bedroom she moved to where she kept the little jewelry that she brought with her. She knew what she needed and went straight for them, with ease she put in a pair of silver small teardrop earrings. Now she was ready to go, and she was done before Ethan returned.
As she passed her bed she grabbed the shoes from the box that was resting there and headed out of the room. She dropped them near the entry table so that they were ready to put on when Ethan returned, she didn't like wearing shoes inside unless she absolutely needed to. With her few minutes of free time, she went into the office and started to answer some emails that she had been putting off answering since Jasper came back into her life.
"My Lady," called Ethan as he used his key-card to enter her rooms after knocking a few times.
"In the office," Bella called as she continued to type away answering her email. It seemed that the game developer, one that she was already working on fixing a bug for, had an independent contractor that found another issue that they wanted her to look at; not that she minded really. Time equaled money.
"Are you ready to go," Ethan asked stepping into the room.
"I am, just give me a moment to finish rereading this email and I will be right with you," she said scanning her reply before hitting send. "There," she said shutting the lid to her laptop and standing, "all finished and now am all yours."
"I honestly didn't think you would be ready yet," Ethan said leading her out of the office. When he stopped in front of the entry table she saw that there were three new items sitting there. One was clearly a brace for her wrist, the others were boxes; one box was long and thin, the other looked a hell of a lot like a jewelry box.
"I am not your normal girl," she said with a small smile. "I don't spend a lot of time in unneeded makeup, so I can use my other time wisely. Now," she crossed her arms carefully over her chest, "that you have tried to change the subject, would you like to explain what is sitting on my table?"
"Well that," he pointed to the brace, "was my idea for you to use instead of the wrap. I thought maybe the brace may give you more range of motion so that you could play your instrument; that is depending on what hand works the strings and which one holds the bow."
"Okay, that one was a given," she snorted. "Although, I really don't see the need to continue to wear a wrap or brace. Is there any way I get to get out of wearing that?"
"No, absolutely none," Ethan said calmly. "Now this box," he said as he picked up the long and thin box, " was something that should have came with the dress, but had not shown up when I delivered the dress to you."
"Okay."
"I thought that maybe you might be self-conscious about the brace, so I took the liberty of ordering something that might help you feel more comfortable," he smiled as he slowly opened the box. There wrapped in tissue were two beautiful dark blue with a silver thread running through medium length fingerless gloves. Bella's hands shook as she ran her hands over the material of the gloves before taking them out of the box to look closer at them.
"These are beautiful," she said in awe. "I know they are machine knit, but they look done by hand. I might have to see if I can duplicate these at a later time."
"Yes, well now is not the time for that," Ethan said with a chuckle as he took the gloves from her and put them back on the table. "How is your wrist?'
"Fine," she said easily as she rolled her eyes and offered him my wrist to examine.
"It seems a little more swollen then it was this morning," Ethan said softly as his fingers ghosted over her wrist.
"Could turning a round brush while blow drying my hair for roughly five or more minutes cause the swelling," she asked.
"Possibly," Ethan nodded, "more than likely. I want you to take it easy on the wrist for the rest of the evening. If at the end of the evening the swelling has not gone down, you and I will be making a trip to the nearest emergency room; with or without your consent. Do I make myself understood?"
"Yes Sir," she said giving him a quick flippant two finger salute with the hand that he wasn't holding.
"Smart ass," he said shaking his head as he carefully adjusted the brace around her wrist. "I meant what I said, My Lady. If there is no improvement by the time you are ready to turn in for the evening tonight, you are going to see a doctor."
"Whatever," Bella grumbled, there was no mystery that she had a strong hatred for doctors. Ethan knew this, or at least sensed it, but would make her go anyway; that much was evident. With a raised eyebrow in her direction clearly understanding that she was questioning his parentage in her head, Ethan assisted her in slipping the gloves on and then offered his arm to hold onto as she slipped on her shoes. "Are we ready to go now," she asked heading for the door.
"Almost," Ethan said calmly as he gently hooked her arm and halting her escape out of the room, "there is one more thing I need to give you," he gestured to the last box on the table. "This one is a gift from His Highness. He said something about adding to your collection."
"I don't collect jewelry," she said taking a guess at what was in the box the Ethan was now holding. "I don't appreciate him buying me expensive gifts as if he was trying to sway my decision."
"I thought you had already made your decision," Ethan asked calmly.
"I have, but," she started to say, but Ethan cut me off.
"Then, it is not swaying anything to accepting a present," Ethan said taking a hold of her shoulder and turning her to face the mirror in the hall, then stood behind her as he opened the box.
"Yes, but..."
"No 'but's' about it," said Ethan as he draped a necklace around her neck and fastening it. "His Highness wanted to do something nice for you, so take it as it is." Bella's retort was silenced as Ethan adjusted the necklace so that it rested in the center of her chest and just above her breasts, the collar of her dress framing the pendant beautifully. The first thing that caught her attention was the crystal metallic blue ribbon that intertwined the silver chain, it looked like the ribbon was laced in between the links. There hanging from the middle of the chain was a sterling silver snowflake about the size of a half-dollar. In the middle of the eight-legged snowflake was a diamond and nestled in between the stalks of the snowflake shaped as hearts were deep blue sapphires. She had to admit that Jasper truly great taste in everything; jewelry and clothing were just the first few examples of this.
"It's beautiful," she said in a whisper as she reached up to touch it and watched as the snowflake sparkled in the light.
"And you can tell His Highness that yourself when we get downstairs," Ethan said as he turned her to the door before he went to open it and sticking his head out. She was going to question what he was doing, but his own words stopped her, "Seth, are you ready to move?"
"Yes Sir," came the answer from the hall. "There has been no activity and the hall is clear to move."
"Good," Ethan nodded before opening the door wider allowing her to walk through to the hall. "Are you ready," he asked turning to her.
"Yes," Bella said standing straighter, her head held high and walked through the door, but stopped and waited for Ethan to shut and lock her door.
"Then, " Ethan said offering her his arm, which she threaded her arm around, "let's go," he said with a smile. With a nod to Seth to walk in front, they started on their way.
"I must say," Seth started as they neared the elevators, "that you clean up very nicely and look very pretty." She couldn't help but hide a laugh with a cough as Ethan chuckled quietly. "Not that you weren't pretty before, you were. Umm," now he started to splutter and stutter, "not that I was looking, cause that would be wrong; especially since Prince Jasper seems to like you."
"Should I put him out of his misery or should I just let him continue to dig his own grave," she asked in a stage whisper to Ethan.
"He is digging the hole pretty deep, isn't he," Ethan said, his volume the same as hers as she started to laugh. Seth just stared at both of them as she and Ethan laughed at him.
"I'm sorry," Bella said trying to get herself under control as they stepped into the elevator. "I am going to take what you said as a compliment and not an insult, which some might have taken the other way."
"I didn't mean to insult you, My Lady," Seth said a little stiffly, probably insulted that they laughed.
"I know you didn't," she said softly as she reached out and patted his arm a couple of times. "You just worded things the wrong way and it could have been taken the wrong way."
"Sometimes it is best to just say 'you look nice' and leave it at that," Ethan chuckled good-naturedly.
"It's not nice to laugh at people," Seth muttered quietly.
"We are not laughing at you," Bella started.
"We're laughing with you," Ethan finished as the elevator doors opened revealing the first floor.
"Whatever," Seth muttered as he exited the elevator and started for the main lobby.
"I didn't mean to offend him," Bella actually whispered to Ethan.
"You didn't," Ethan said with a shrug. "You taught him a lesson on how to speak to a young lady. If you were someone else you would have been insulted and acted in kind. You told him kindly that he needed to start thinking about what he says," he said patting her hand that was resting on his arm. "Now, before I get you to His Highness there is something I need to run by you."
"Okay," she said a little bewildered, she was a little unsure of what he was talking about.
"When we leave the hotel," Ethan started as he pulled her to a stop just before the main entrance of lobby; his hand gripping the one still resting on his arm, "you are going to be with His Highness and his security."
"Wait a minute," she said trying to pull away from him. Bella had issues with men, she would admit that. Some of it stemmed from Jasper and his leaving, but the rest was from other men; well boys really. Her school life after Jasper was not nice, not at all. There was one day that she was surrounded by most of the football team who decided it would be fun to heckle, tease, spit and hit on her. Needless to say after a two-day stay in the hospital, she had an unhealthy fear of men; it took her a long time to trust men. She wasn't fond of them in groups either.
"Wait a minute," Bella said again, her voice raised in panic as she continued to try to pull her hand from his arm. "No one said anything about more security."
"Shhh," Ethan said calmly as his hold on her hand stayed solid. "It is only Jasper's main security, you really are not going to have any interaction with them. They will ride behind you and Jasper in their own car, they then will walk with you into the restaurant and stay near the table."
"That's not necessary," she said continuing to panic.
"It is," Ethan said in his soothing voice trying to keep her panic attack at bay, "and you know that."
"Because Jasper is a Prince, and he needs protection," She said with a nod. "I understand that I truly do. I'm just not sure how comfortable I am going to be around them," she finished in a whisper.
"It is fine," Ethan patted her hand, "I will be with you the entire time. If you feel you need a breather for any reason, you get my attention and I will get you out of there. Okay?"
"Promise?" Ethan just calmly nodded, Bella took a deep breath. "Alright," she said with a sigh. "They get too close, and I reserve the right to freak out."
"Duly noted," Ethan chuckled as he lead her into the lobby finally. "You will be fine, Jasper and I will make sure of it."
Together they walked around the wall that was blocking them from the lobby. Bella's eyes scanned the room for Jasper afraid that he wouldn't be there, even though Ethan's presence signified that Jasper would be there. The first thing that registered in her mind was the large men that were scattered around the room. Even with their eyes covered with dark sunglasses, she could tell that their eyes were watching every move that was made in the room; hers included. She could not help the fear that ran through her as she took in their stance, the 'don't mess with me' or 'I could beat you to a bloody pulp and no one could stop me' ways the men held themselves, made her think of the football players that had tortured her. Ethan upon hearing her breath catch and feeling her body tense gave her hand a gentle squeeze then tilted his head to the side of the room. Her eyes followed his action and were rewarded with the image of Jasper sitting on one of the couches peacefully reading a newspaper.
"I will always be close by," Ethan whispered in her ear. As they neared one of the large guards Ethan's hand tightened on hers as he locked eyes with the man, then tilted his head to the side; the other man gave a quick nod before stepping to the side and further away from the sitting Jasper.
"I am never going to understand men and their silent communication," Bella said softly hoping that her attempt at humor would help to calm her.
"And I will never understand how women can size each other up with just one look and then threaten each other while sounding like they are being nice to one another," Ethan replied with a shrug and a chuckle. Jasper, who must have heard Ethan's chuckle gave a quick look over his shoulder at them, then started to fold his paper and stand. "I guess there will always be things the both of us will never understand."
"I suppose," she said giving Jasper a smile now that she was only a few feet from him. Ethan took hold of the hand that was still resting on his arm, gave it a gentle squeeze before unwinding her from his arm then placed her hand in Jasper's extended hand before taking a few steps back from up. As soon as her skin touched Jasper's it seemed as if the world had slipped away, including his scary looking security; they were in their own little bubble.
"You look absolutely beautiful," Jasper said softly as he pulled her closer to him. He bent down and whispered in her ear, "Though you look beautiful in nothing," before kissing her gently on the cheek and wrapping his arms around her and crushing her into a hug.
"Thanks, Jasper," she said burying her face into his chest to hide her blush. When her face color was back to normal she took a step back. Jasper allowed her to pull away, but not out of his arms; they stayed locked behind her back. "I must say that you also look very nice," she said as she gave him a once over. Jasper had gone with a pair of black pressed dress pants and a collared button-down blue dress shirt that 'mysteriously' matched her dress color.
"You can thank my sister for that," Jasper said with a chuckle. "If it was up to me I would be in jeans a tee-shirt of some kind."
"Must I also thank Rosalie for the dress? I just don't see you with knowledge of women's fashion, unless there is something you need to tell me," she asked with a smirk.
"For your information, Miss Swan," he reached up and tapped her nose with a finger and smiled as he rested the hand on her shoulder, "I described to my sister what I was looking for; she just knew where to purchase it from. Though you are right, my talents rest in other things," he said as his hand slid down her chest along the chain of the necklace that was resting there. "I must say that this looks better on you then I thought it would," he said as he fingered the snowflake.
"I cannot believe that you remembered two things that are small and insignificant in the big scheme of things," she said reaching up and taking the hand that was still playing with the snowflake.
"I remember everything about you," Jasper said, his eyes locking with hers, the walls of their bubble growing stronger with each passing second. Bella could live in their bubble forever, but a cough from behind broke the spell that she and Jasper were under.
"I am sorry to interrupt," Ethan said stepping forward, "but if we are to meet the Princess for lunch then we need to get going."
"Of course," Jasper said turning back to the couch and picked something up when he turned back to face her, she saw that it was a coat.
Her face paled slightly. "Why didn't I think of the weather," she muttered to herself, then turned to Ethan quickly. "I need to go back to my room and get a jacket," she said trying to pull out of Jasper's arm that was still wrapped around her waist. "I don't know why I didn't think of that, but I should be right back and..."
"Relax Bella," Jasper said grabbing her chin and making her look up at him, still out of the corner of her eye she saw Ethan step closer to her and Jasper. "Rose did not think you would have a jacket or wrap to go with the dress so," Jasper reached down and took something from under his paper, "she got you a wrap that would go with your outfit," he said wrapping the wrap around her shoulder.
"God," she said with a sigh, "I feel stupid. I don't know what is going on with me right now, but my emotions are all over the place and I start having panic attacks over the smallest of things. I blame you," she jabbed Jasper in the chest, "by the way."
"How am I to blame in that," Jasper chuckled as he offered his arm.
"Well," she said linking her arm around his, "I was emotionally stable, for the most part, before you came along. Now, you pop back into my life and I am back to the teenager with self-esteem and emotional issues."
Jasper leaned down and spoke in her ear, "I would apologize, but I'm not sorry for coming back for you."
"I wouldn't want you to," she said with a smile.
"Are you ready to go for lunch," Jasper asked with a soft smile.
"Yes, I think I am," she said with a nod.
"Good," replied Jasper as he started to head to the door, but they were quickly stopped.
"Excuse me, Your Highness," Ethan said with a small cough.
"Yes Ethan," Jasper asked as he turned to look at Ethan.
"May I speak with you for a moment?"
"Of course," Jasper replied with a shrug.
"Ummm," Ethan's eyes flicked to her then back to Jasper, it was clear that he wanted to speak to Jasper alone.
Bella quickly disengaged herself from Jasper and stepped to the couch, "Why don't I go and put this paper," she said picking up the newspaper that Jasper had left on the couch, "on the front desk for someone else to read while you two have your little pow-wow."
Without another word, she turned and walked away. If Ethan thought there was something that he needed to discuss with Jasper without her, she would not make it hard for him to do so. That didn't mean that she wasn't hurt by the action, but she would not do or say anything about it. It really wasn't her place to question what an employee wanted to say to his boss after all, and that was something that she would have to keep in mind when it came to Ethan; he was Jasper's employee and reported to him.
When she turned back to them, she saw that they were both staring at her; both with a look of concern on their faces. They were still speaking, but it was evident that she was the subject of their conversation; which was either a good thing or a bad thing considering all that Ethan has been privy to since she met him. Bella slowed her steps and made a show to fidget with the hem of her dress and the lay of the wrap around her shoulders to give them time to finish.
All too soon, in her opinion, she was again at Jasper's side. "Are we ready to go now," she said not looking at anyone in particular. "If not, I can always wait somewhere else or get a cab to where ever we are eating and you two can ride together."
"That won't be necessary," Jasper said softly. "We are ready to go," he said wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling snuggly into his side as he started for the door. "After all, what type of Prince would I be if I let the love of my life take a cab to an unknown destination by herself?"
"And what type of gentleman would I be if I allowed a beautiful woman to leave alone when she was invited somewhere," Ethan asked giving her a sad smile that did little to comfort her as his others had. Bella did nothing to answer either one of them, not sure if she could without showing how hurt she was that they were talking behind her back or straight out asking what they were speaking about.
As they neared the doors leading outside Jasper's men closed ranks and surrounded the two of them. Her body, on its own, tensed at their nearness and Jasper must have felt it because he hugged her close to him; as if he was shielding her from them. Bella would bet her next paycheck that Ethan filled Jasper in on her little freak out about his security team. She would have eventually told Jasper about what happened if he didn't already know, but now she would have to do it sooner.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan watching her with a worried smile, when he saw that she was looking at him he gave her a quick nod. In a way, it was him showing her that he was keeping his end of the bargain; that Jasper was going to keep her safe and that he, Ethan, would always be near her. She couldn't be mad at him, he was only doing his job in informing Jasper; she just wished he would have asked her first.
Their group, consisting of 6 guard members, Ethan, Jasper and herself, made its way out the doors and through the small throng of people coming and going to the hotel. When finally they were at the curb of the 'car pick-up area' she was met with a large black limo with two Denmark national flags flapping in the wind on the front and another large black SUV, also sporting the flags on the front, waiting and running behind the limo. It seemed that they were going to running in style to lunch.
Bella couldn't help herself in asking, "Is it possible to lose the flags?"
"Nope," Jasper said looking down at her as the driver came and opened the back door for them, giving Jasper a deep bow as they passed him. "The flags let us park wherever we want to. I have grown lazy and like being dropped off and picked up at the door," replied Jasper with a large grin and a chuckle.
"You're really going downhill there Jasper," Bella said with a light laugh as he helped her into the limo before sliding in next to her.
"Soon, Mouse, very soon," Jasper said as the driver shut the side door then passing Ethan, who was getting into the front passenger seat, on his way to the driver's side, "I am hoping to show you how wrong that statement is." Jasper always knew how to set off her blush, and now was no different. As he chuckled at her expense he asked, "So how was your morning?"
Bella knew what he was asking, but she was not ready to tell him just yet; after all, he just was teasing her, he could squirm a little bit. "Are you going to tell me where we are going for lunch," she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I am not. It is a surprise and if I tell you now it would ruin my fun," Jasper said with a shrug. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"Possibly," she said giving him an innocent wide-eyed look. "You do realize the car is not moving, right," she asked when she noticed that they had yet to move away from the curb.
"Oops," Jasper said fumbling for a button, "you were distracting me." When he finally found the button he was looking for the partition, that separated the back passengers from the driver, slide down halfway revealing the driver and Ethan in the front. "Silas, er vi klar til at gå, når du er."
"Selvfølgelig, Deres Højhed, lige med det samme," came the response from the driver, Jasper gave a quick nod and then the partition came back up; blocking them from their view.
"Now," Jasper said turning back to her, "where were we," he asked taking her hand in both of his and started to rub patterns with a thumb in the back of her hand.
"I was just going to tell you how I am slightly put out with you for buying me not only a dress but shoes, gloves, and a wrap to go with it; not to mention the necklace," she replied turning in her seat to look at him.
He did not seem that worried when he asked, "Do you like them?" When Bella nodded in answer he continued, "Then I don't care how 'put out' you are. I wanted you to have something special to wear while looking beautiful in the process. I achieved that, so I don't care," he said with a shrug. "Please," he took one hand off her to take her chin and lift her face so he could look straight into her eyes, "please, tell me how your morning went."
Bella's eyes stayed locked with his as she replied, "You really don't want to know about my morning, Jasper. You want me to tell you whether or not I have made up my mind to give you another chance or not. Tell me something first."
"Anything," Jasper said solemnly as he dropped his hand back to hers.
"How long is this ride to the restaurant going to take? I would rather get everything out at once, then have to stop and start again."
"It will be long enough," Jasper said. "Just because the car stops does not mean we need to get out, we can stay in here as long as we need to."
"Good," she said giving a little nod. "I want you to know that this was probably the hardest and easiest conundrum I have ever had."
"I don't understand," said Jasper.
"It was hard for me at first Jasper, because you leaving those years ago not only left me emotionally scarred, but caused other issues. I am sure that Ethan has informed you of panic attack that I had this morning and the mild freak out that I had right before joining you in the lobby earlier. I might seem to be this put together woman, but in reality, I'm far from it. I am not saying that everything bad that happened in my life is your fault, it's not, but there are things that still eat at me.
"Without so many words, I am not as strong as I pretend to be. That being said, if I did choose you and you left me again, there is no way that I would survive." Jasper went to interrupt, but she stopped him. "Remember that day we were playing your screwed up version of twenty questions in my kitchen?" Jasper nodded. "I asked you if you were planning on leaving me, I know you thought I meant right then and you told me no. I knew you didn't understand what I meant and I should have pushed you further on the subject, but I know you would have answered me the same way; you still would have said no.
"You can give me the answer I want to hear but like last time, something might come up and you will leave with no notice. You will delude yourself into believing it is the right thing to do again. Unlike last time it will literally kill me, unlike last time I do not have the support system that held me together. I honestly do not know if I can put myself through that again."
"I know there is nothing that I can say that will prove to you that I will not leave you again," Jasper said softly as she continued to look into his eyes, where she could see tears starting to well up. "It is going to take time for you to trust me again, but it looks like you have made up your mind and I am not going to get that chance."
"I did not say that," she said shaking her head. "I was trying to make you understand what made this answer so hard, what was weighing against you in my head."
"Okay," Jasper said slightly more hopeful than before. "So there is something that is weighing for my favor in your head?"
"Do you remember asking me what my one true deepest wish would be?" Jasper nodded. "Do you remember my answer?" Again, Jasper nodded. "Do you remember the last thing you asked me before...ummm... before you showed me how you would distract me if we were on a plane together? Do you remember my answer?"
"Of course I do," Jasper said with a small smile. "I told you, I remember everything from that time. What I don't see is how that helped make your decision now, things have changed from then; we have changed from then."
"Some things haven't changed all that much," she replied softly.
"Please, put me out of my misery. Please, tell me if I have been granted the greatest gift ever and have been rewarded with your love and a second chance. Do you still Love me?'
Translations of DANISH from Google.
1. Silas, er vi klar til at gå, når du er. Silas, we are ready to go when you are.
2. Selvfølgelig, Deres Højhed, lige med det samme Of course, Your Highness, right away.