A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing; just like to tease S.M.'s characters a bit.
Thank all of you that are reading, favoriting, or alerting on my story! I especially love the reviews – you are so kind! Hugs!
Chapter 10
Saturday flew by quickly. Edward survived Rosie's questions, just giving her enough information to satisfy her curiosity, while keeping the details to himself. He knew she just wanted to make sure that Jasper treated him well, so the walk to the door at the end of the evening pleased her. They rushed through finishing their biology project Saturday afternoon in order to enjoy dinner all together. Ms. Whitlock ("Call me, Ellie, dear") brought chocolate cake with raspberry filling when she came over for dinner, and both families adjourned outside to enjoy grilling and eating on the patio. Carlisle and Emmett made sure everyone had their choice of meat, and Esme and Rosie had made several side dishes, so the late fall picnic was quite the success. After all the typical newcomer chit-chat was over, Carlisle gently started prying. Edward would have been even more embarrassed than he was, but Jasper leaned over and reassured him that everything was fine. "Your dad is just taking care of you, and if that includes finding out more about me and Mama, we'll deal with it. Besides, Mama could really use some friends. She hasn't had anyone to talk to since we moved here except me, and there are just some things she won't bring up. I know she's worried about something, but she won't tell me what's wrong. Maybe she'll talk to your mom and dad about it."
The teens moved away from the adults, grabbing their sodas and moving out towards the volleyball net in the backyard. Emmett and Rosie challenged Jasper and Edward to a game, knowing that with the air quickly cooling, the time for outdoor sports was almost over. Soon, Carlisle would pack up the outdoor equipment for the season. The adults grabbed wine glasses and moved into chairs to cheer on the kids as they played, continuing their conversation. After several hotly contested points had passed without any input from his parents, Edward looked over to see the three adults looking very serious and Ellie choking back tears. He elbowed Jasper and pointed his attention in her direction. "Hey, is your mom okay?"
Jasper turned, and seeing her face, walked away from the game. "Just let me check on her, alright?" he called back over his shoulder. "I should be right back." He crouched down next to her chair and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Mama, what's wrong?" His worried expression mirrored the look in her eyes as she turned to him.
"I'm sorry, baby, I wasn't trying to spoil your evening. It's just... I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone about... life before... and your father..." Her sobs continued as Jasper tried to comfort her as best he could. Esme stood up and grabbed Ellie's hand, pulling her inside as she told the men that they would be back in a little while.
"Just give her a chance to let it all out and freshen up, and then we will all be ready for dessert," Esme added. "I'll take care of her, Jasper," she said to him and smiled. He thanked her with his eyes, knowing his mother needed a female friend and so glad that his boyfriend's mom was willing to be the one. He and Carlisle watched the women make their way inside and then turned toward each other. Even though the volleyball game continued on in the background (Rosie had decided to referee a one-on-one game between the brothers), both men were more focused on the story Ellie had finally shared.
"I understand why you didn't feel you could share the details of your life in Texas before, son," Carlisle began. "Does Edward know yet?"
"No, sir, I haven't felt that it was really my story to share with anyone. I wasn't sure how comfortable Mama would be with other people knowing about the abuse, and I really don't like to talk about it much. It makes me really angry to think about all that happened to her!"
"You know, it happened to you, too. She wasn't the only one suffering abuse in your home. Have you two considered seeing a counselor? Getting away from him was a great first step, but there are a lot of emotional wounds to heal, as you could see from how your mother reacted tonight to talking about it." Carlisle's concern clearly shone through his words.
"Thank you, sir, I appreciate the thought. I guess I should talk to Mama about it, but I don't know if her insurance covers anything like that. Plus, she is working crazy long hours right now." By this time, Jasper could see that the other Cullens were done with the volleyball game and he saw Edward dithering about joining the conversation. He held his hand out for Edward to take, and then pulled him in close to his side. "Did you win, babe?" he asked, glad for an excuse to change the subject. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Carlisle's head shake, and knew that they weren't truly done with the topic yet. He hoped that these new revelations wouldn't make Edward's family look down on him, or even worse, have them decide he was too risky to be with their boy.
Edward shook his head no. "Of course not. Emmett kicks my butt every time. He's definitely the athletic one in the family; I'm just the brains."
Jasper nuzzled his ear and whispered, "There's no just about it, babe. Those are definitely some sexy brains of yours." He loved watching Edward blush when he complimented or teased him.
"Are you and your mom okay?" Edward asked. "It looked like the conversations over here were pretty serious."
"Yeah, I guess we're okay. Mama just told your parents about why we moved here. Let's go find a quiet place to sit so I can tell you about it now." Jasper pulled Edward over to a bench under one of the big trees on the property. The leaves were lovely fall colors and for a few minutes they sat quietly enjoying the view, snuggling together while Jasper tried to put his thoughts in order. Edward knew something was wrong from all the little things Jasper had already said, but he could see that the full story was going to be difficult to hear. He waited patiently, not knowing anything he could do to help, but he held Jasper's hand and ran his thumb in comforting circles on it as he waited.
"My father is an alcoholic bastard and used to hit Mama all the time." The blunt statement shocked Edward. He had no idea that his boyfriend had come from such an unstable home. "The last time I saw him, he hurt her so badly before he passed out from drinking that I had to take her to the emergency room for eighty stitches in her head. For years, we did everything we could not to set him off, but he kept hurting her all the time. She finally had enough so we waited until he was at the local bar, packed lightly and ran. He has no idea where we ended up, and I hope he never finds us again." Jasper gave Edward a few moments while his words sank in and enjoyed running his fingers through Edward's unruly hair.
Edward sighed. "I'm so sorry your dad was like that. Did he hit you, too?"
"No, he always blamed Mama for everything I did, so any time I acted out or did something he didn't like he would yell at me but hit her. It just made me avoid him and do everything I could to keep from setting him off. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of sneaking around and even becoming a good liar." Jasper looked down and away, ashamed of his past.
Edward reached for Jasper's hand and tugged him closer. "NOT your fault!" He was adamant in making his point. "What else could you have done? You did your best to protect your mother by not angering him. Do not blame yourself for his sins." He sealed his demands with a kiss that started off sweet and comforting, but quickly evolved into needy and deep as mouths opened and tongues demanded, twirling around each other until they broke off the kiss, panting. "We had better move inside before this goes farther than it should in my parents' backyard."
Jasper stood and pulled Edward up, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in the crook of Edward's neck. "Thank you," he simply stated.
"For what, babe? Telling you the truth? Did you really expect me to turn and run because you came from a less than perfect home?"
"I don't know what I expected. I haven't told anyone about my father before. He's always been our dirty little secret."
Edward's arms squeezed tightly around Jasper's middle, as if by sheer will power he could cleanse the awful memories from his mind. He would do anything to make Jasper feel better, but right that moment the only things he could offer were the closeness of their bodies – and a change of subject. "C'mon, let's join the others inside for dessert. I could use some more calories to compensate for the ones Emmett ran off me in that volleyball game."
Jasper appreciated the delicate way Edward treated the subject. He really did not think he could handle talking about his father any more that evening; he did not even want to think about him more that day. However, his mind was not cooperating with his will and now that the dam around his memories had been breached, they seemed to be flooding back into his conscious thoughts. Edward noticed that Jasper was beginning to tremble and pulled him down to the wide, wooden steps leading up to the patio. Rather than questioning him, Edward just held him and rubbed his back, waiting until Jasper decided what to share. The quaking continued until the tears that had been held back for so long finally began to slide free. Burying his face, Jasper silently cried for a few minutes, then with a final sniffle, sat up straight and wiped his face. Edward could see the armor returning, and realized that for the first time he had seen behind the southern charm and got-it-all-together attitude to the hurting boy on the inside. He had a feeling that no one else ever saw Jasper's pain, and although he hurt for his boyfriend, he also felt privileged to be the one whose shoulder Jasper could cry on.
The boys made their way inside and rejoined the others, helping themselves to the delicious dessert provided by Ellie. As the group began to break into different directions, Jasper's mother excused herself, thanking Esme for the invitation to dinner and promising a return invite once things were more settled in her job. As Jasper and Edward walked her out, she reminded Jasper to be home by one and complimented Edward on his home and family. She whispered into Jasper's ear and he ducked his head slightly, then hugged her tightly before walking her the rest of the way to her car. "Drive safe, Mama," he said before allowing her to pull away. Then turning to Edward, he asked, "Will you play for me? I'd like to just sit and listen for a while, if you don't mind an audience."
Edward pulled back, blushing. "I guess... I mean, of course, I will." He didn't often play for other people, just for himself because he enjoyed it, but he could sense Jasper's need for something to think about other than his parents' past difficulties. As Jasper moved toward the chair in the corner of the music room, Edward stopped him. "Come sit with me on the bench." Pressed together from hips down, Edward enjoyed the closeness as he began playing whatever popped into his head. He could feel Jasper relaxing beside him, but then a different sort of tenseness began to fill his lanky frame. Jasper's arms snuck around Edward's middle and kisses began falling upon the nape of his neck. He tried to continue playing, but felt himself falter as he became more and more distracted by the soft lips gently kissing up and down his neck. "If you want me to keep playing, you should probably stop that..." he muttered.
"Mmm..." Jasper hummed against his skin. "But what if I don't want to stop? Perhaps I like distracting you. It isn't very hard, is it?"
Thinking that two can play at this game, Edward reached his hand into Jasper's lap and replied, "Something is very hard." He caressed Jasper's erection, enjoying the way it twitched under his hand and pleased that he could create such a reaction. Jasper moaned softly which only encouraged Edward's actions. Spurred on by the soft noises Jasper made, Edward continued to rub against his crotch.
By this point neither boy remembered that they had entered the room to listen to the piano, or even that Edward's family could walk in on them at any time. They were consumed with exploring the other's form, touching and kissing and holding. Once again, mouths crashed together, consuming breath and firing synapses nearly to the point of no return.
Laughter brought them to their senses, and they jumped apart guiltily. Although they had not technically yet crossed any lines their families could object to, both knew that they were close to displaying more affection than publicly acceptable. "Perhaps I should think about leaving," Jasper began. "I think we need to cool off before we get caught. But next time I get you alone..." Leaving that thought dangling, he also told Edward that he needed to catch up on more schoolwork the next day. "I guess that means that I won't see you until Monday morning, but I'll meet you at your locker again."
"Oh, that reminds me, I volunteered to become one of the senior tutors for the rest of the year. After helping Emmett and his friends at the diner the other afternoon, I decided to make it official." Edward shrugged. "At least this way I can put it on my college applications. So, I'll be staying after school most days as well. Perhaps they'll assign me as your tutor."
Jasper grinned, "I'm not sure if that would be good or bad for my grades. I'll call you when I get home," he leaned in to whisper suggestively in Edward's ear, "so why don't you go get ready for bed and wait for me. I want to tell you all the things I want to do to you, and then I want to hear you come for me, baby. Maybe that will hold me over until the next time you come home with me." Edward shivered with lust, nodded, and kissed him goodbye once more, then turned to see that they had an audience at the door. Feeling his face burning with embarrassment and glad that no one else had heard Jasper's words, he joined the rest of his family in telling Jasper goodnight, then watched until his taillights disappeared around the block.
A/N: Well, what do y'all think? It was time to learn a little more about Jasper – and now Edward's parents have a clue about why Jasper is home alone so much. Thanks for the reviews (*hint, hint *)!