Bella's POV
Next day
For the first time since I had moved in with Charlie, it was sunny and warm. Not one cloud was in the sky.
Remembering everything that Carlisle had told me yesterday, I knew that his children wouldn't be in school. Likewise, Carlisle was not going to go to work. They would end up in a lot of trouble if someone saw their skins sparkling. I didn't want anybody to found out that they weren't human.
I felt disappointed as I went to take a shower. I was going to miss them so much today. It would be the first time that I wouldn't see them at school. However, I knew that it wouldn't be the last.
After getting dressed, I headed downstairs to cook breakfast. Charlie was already in the kitchen drinking black coffee. He was also eating waffles.
I smiled at him tiredly. "Hi Dad," I announced.
He grinned back. "Morning, Bells. Isn't it a nice day outside?" he questioned, nodding to the window.
"Yes, it is. Are there anymore waffles left?"
"In the skillet. I figured that you would like a break from cooking."
I was taken aback from this act of kindness. "Oh. Well, thank you."
"No problem, sweetie."
When I had eaten my breakfast, I said good-bye to Charlie and headed to school. I got out of my truck after parking it and went inside.
Carlisle's POV
When Alice told me that it was going to be sunny today, I knew that I would be having another day off from work. I called my supervisor to let him know that I would not be in.
He was used to this type of call on days like this. I had told him and a few other staff members at the hospital that I had "suffered an illness" that had resulted in my skin becoming very sensitive. Therefore, I could not go outside during the day when it was not cloudy or rainy.
My children would not be attending school today either, of course. All of them supposedly had the same "medical condition" that I had been "stricken" with.
Since there was not many things to do at home, I asked my children if they would like to go on an all-day hunting trip a little while before dawn. They agreed to right away.
"That would be fun, Pops! Let's do it!" Emmett proclaimed.
"Yeah!" Jasper added.
"We should go now," Edward suggested.
Alice and Rose did not say anything, but they nodded to indicate that they felt the same way as they did.
I smiled and inclined my head. "Certainly. I will just change into some more comfortable clothes, and then we can go."
Once I had changed into a loose-fitting outfit, my children and I left the house. My sons whooped in excitement as we ghosted into the woods.
Bella's POV
My classes were dull without Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, and Emmett being there to attend them with me. I did my assignments my only half my mind. It was as if I just...existed. I didn't know how I was going to survive through the rest of the day.
Jessica Stanley must have noticed how lonely and depressed I was. Plus, I already knew that she saw that the Cullens were not there. She asked me if I would take up her offer to sit with her and her friends at lunch. I told her that I would.
I met her at her table at lunch period after I had gotten my food. She was talking to Lauren Mallory, but smiled at me as I approached. I looked around the table to see Mike Newton, Ben Cheney, Eric Yorkie, Katie Marshall, Tyler Crowley, Austin Marks, and Conner Jones sitting with them.
"Hey, Bella. You can sit down. There is an empty chair next to Angela," she remarked.
"Thanks."
Angela grinned shyly at me as I made myself comfortable. "Hi Bella. How are you? How did your weekend go?" she inquired.
Shrugging, I responded, "I'm fine, and it went okay. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday with the Cullens. What about you?"
"I'm alright. I stayed home with my family. We had a lot of fun."
"That's good."
Jessica took a sip of her drink. "We've noticed that you hang out with the Cullens often. You must like them a lot."
I inclined my head. "I do. They are all very nice and friendly."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that's cool. I wouldn't have known about that. None of them seem to want to talk to us."
Unable to think of what to say to that, I just pursed my lips.
Lauren smirked at me. "So Bella...do you have a crush on any of them? I'm sure that you know that Edward is single by now."
I felt weirded out and uncomfortable. It never occurred to me to think of him as more than a friend. "Yes, I know that he is. But I don't like Edward in that way. He's not my type. Don't get me wrong, though. He's a very kind person, and he's good-looking. But no...he isn't for me," I stated truthfully.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Angela relaxed. Besides that, a slightly jealous expression was disappearing from her face. However, these actions were so subtle that I almost didn't see them.
"Mmm," Lauren whispered, distracting me. "Well, everyone's not for everybody."
"No," I agreed.
Jessica cocked her head to the side. "What about Dr. Cullen, then? I bet that out of all of them, you must have a crush on him. Nearly every woman in town does, even the ones who are married. He is way too handsome!"
I was sure that I would have blushed if I hadn't felt envious all of a sudden. I also had to prevent myself from frowning. What was up with me? Why did that keep happening?
Well, it might have been that because I was dating him, and didn't like other woman to talk about him. I hated it when women even looked at him in a particular way also, like the hostess in La Bella Italia did. But those were the only reasons that I could come up with.
"No, I don't have a crush on him either," I lied with-miraculously-a straight face. "He's quite a bit older than me."
"That's true. I heard that he is thirty. He doesn't look like he is, though. I would think that he was in his low 20s if I didn't know him," Angela said.
If only she knew how right she was. "I guess that I can't argue with that. Dr. Cullen does look very young."
Everybody grew quiet then to eat some more of their food. A minute passed before Jessica spoke again.
"So, Bella. Tell us what it's like in Arizona. Is it as hot and sunny as people say it is?"
"Yep, and it hardly ever rains there. It only does a few days in a year. But in the winter, it can get chilly at night. In the daytime, the temperature can be as high as 70 degrees," I stated.
"Wow. That's pretty cool. I would love to live there! I can see why your mom decided to leave Forks. I know that you two must miss each other."
I almost snorted. That bitch and I missing each other was the last thing that would ever happen. In fact, it was something that never would.
However, I knew that she would think it was odd if I told her that, so I just grunted.
Jessica probably sensed that she was bringing up an unwanted topic, for she didn't say anything about my egg donor. I was relieved. I didn't want to talk about her, or even think about her. Just doing that made my blood boil. I hated her so much.
Angela stared at me with concern. "Are you all right, Bella? You look upset. What's the matter?" she queried.
"Nothing. My stomach just cramped up for a second. That's all," I lied.
She could clearly tell that I was being untruthful, but she thankfully chose to let it drop. At least, for the moment. It wasn't until after lunch when she confronted me. However, she did it in a very polite way.
We were walking to our next class together-she had offered to join me, and I gladly allowed her to-when she gently laid her hand on my shoulder.
"Bella, could you come to the bathroom with me? I want to ask you something," she declared.
"Uh...sure," I responded. I followed her to nearest one, which happened to be empty.
Angela turned to face me after we were standing by the sinks. "I'm going to keep this short because I don't want us to be late. But are you sure that you're okay? You seemed angry when Jessica brought up your mom."
Why did everyone have to notice that I became upset when my egg donor was mentioned?
"Yes, I'm sure. I just hate talking about my personal business with people who I don't really know," I stated truthfully.
She nodded pensively. "I understand, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. I don't like to talk to someone I don't know or trust about my private life either. But listen," she murmured, laying a hand on my shoulder. "If you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here. I promise to keep whatever you tell me a secret. You won't have to worry about me breaking my promises because I never do, unless the secret is one that has to be told because it is something that could endanger you in any way. I know that you don't know and trust me well enough to do that right now, but I mean everything that I said. I really do."
I felt touched; I could tell that Angela was being honest and sincere. Her kindness showed in her eyes. "Well...thanks. I'll take up your offer if I ever need to."
"Okay. Oh, the bell's ringing. We better get going."
We rushed out of the bathroom and down the hall. Luckily, we made it to the classroom before the second bell rang.
Perhaps I should not have mentioned that I didn't have a crush on Edward or Carlisle at lunch. It only gave Mike the idea that it was all right to keep flirting with me. If Edward or Jasper or Emmett was here, they would have made him leave me alone. Now, I had to get him away from me all by myself.
It was not easy to at first. No matter how much I pleaded for Mike to quit bothering me, he wouldn't listen. I had to threaten that I would tell the principal that he was harassing me to make him stop.
Finally, it was time to leave. I was happy about this because I wanted to visit the Cullens. I missed them so much.
I said good-bye to Angela outside of the school.
"See you tomorrow," I added.
"Okay. Would you like my number in case you need anything?" she inquired.
I nodded. "Sure. I would like that."
After we exchanged numbers, she surprised me by giving me a hug. No one except Charlie, Carlisle and his children had ever done that.
It took a minute for the shock to wear off before I returned the embrace. At that moment, I felt that odd draw pulling me to her. The same kind that I felt pulling me to Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward. I could not explain or understand why, but I did. I allowed myself to bask in the friendly warmth that surrounded me.
A minute later, we let each other go.
She grinned bashfully. "I hope that I didn't offend you by doing that, but I apologize if I did. You just looked like you needed a hug, that's all," she stated.
I returned the smile. "There was no offense taken. I didn't mind it. I hugged you back, after all," I pointed out.
"That's true. Good-bye, Bella."
"Bye, Angela."
Carlisle's POV
I was draining a mountain lion when I noticed that Alice wasn't feeding. She was standing at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused.
Knowing that she was having a vision, I chose not speak to her until it was over. It was in less than five seconds.
"Is there something wrong, Alice?" I queried.
She turned to me and shook her head. "No. I just saw that Bella was going to text me in a couple of minutes. She wants to see us, but since we're not home, I will have to tell her not to. That will make her feel a little sad because she missed us," she replied.
I exhaled deeply. "Oh, all right. Can you tell her that I will visit her later for me, a little after sunset?"
During the hunting trip, I had thought about Isabella constantly. I couldn't wait to see her. All I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and bury my face in her sweet-smelling hair. I knew that she had to have been feeling lonely. Every time I recalled the fact that Isabella never had a friend before she met me and my children, I wanted to be with her even more.
Alice nodded. "Sure. I'll explain everything to her in a moment."
"Thank you."
Bella's POV
I headed to my truck and climbed inside. Then I began to text Alice to let her know that I was on my way to her house. However, a message appeared on the screen while I was halfway finished mine.
Don't come over, Bella. We are hunting right now and won't be back until after sunset. If we don't see you tonight, we definitely will tomorrow. It will be cloudy. Carlisle told me to let you know that he will see you after we come home, though. Okay?-Alice
My face fell, but I knew that there was nothing I could do about the situation. My spirits lifted when I saw that Carlisle would pay me a visit, however. I will be so glad to see him.
All right. I'll see you later, then-B
Yeah. Bye-A
Bye-B
I started the truck with a sigh and went home. Charlie wasn't there; he would still be working for another two and a half hours.
To pass the time until I had to make dinner, I started on my homework. I was more than halfway done by 5:15, when I went downstairs to cook the food.
Charlie arrived at six ten. The meal was already prepared by that time.
We said hello to each other, then I fixed both of our plates.
"How was school today?" he queried as we began to eat.
"Not bad. How was work?" I returned.
He speared his fork into his cabbage. "It was actually slow today. The weather probably has something to do with it. When it's sunny, everybody can't help but feel happy."
I laughed. "Yeah, that's true. I miss the sun shining everyday."
Charlie smiled. "I bet you do. I like it a bit, but I'm too used to it here to care for the sun and the heat too much."
Of course. That was why he didn't move to Phoenix with my egg donor when she asked him to. That was another reason why they had divorced.
After dinner, Charlie went to look at a game on TV, as usual. I washed the dishes and headed to my room to complete the rest of my homework.
I began to feel excited when I noticed that the sky was growing dark. It meant that Carlisle would be here soon. I couldn't wait to see him. Like his children, I had missed him quite a bit.
My homework was done before night had completely fallen. Carlisle hadn't showed up yet, so I decided to read a book until he did. It was hard for me to pay attention to it, though. I kept glancing at the open window every five seconds.
This did not continue for very long. But it seemed like it did because of how impatient I was. I started to wonder if he was going to come at all when I heard tapping. I looked up eagerly.
Carlisle was peeking into the room. He beamed at me and waved, seeing that he had caught my attention. I felt relieved. I thought that perhaps he would decide not to visit me because I was not as interesting or as great as he believed me to be.
Returning his smile, I stood up. "Hello, Carlisle. You may come inside," I whispered. The last thing I needed was for Charlie to hear us.
"Thank you," Carlisle murmured, entering the room quietly. He strolled over to me and opened his arms. I walked into them, and we shared a warm embrace.
"It is good to see you again, Isabella."
"You too. I'm happy that you came."
"And I am pleased that you are."
He tilted my head and pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back longingly. He ran his cool fingers through my hair.
After a moment, he backed away so that I could breathe. I gestured to the bed when I had enough air in my lungs.
"Would you like to sit down? You may take your shoes off and put your feet up, if you like," I offered politely.
Carlisle nodded. "Sure. That would be fine. I missed you today," he added, pecking my cheek and walking around to the other side of the bed.
My face reddened in pleasure. "I...I missed you too, Carlisle. And I miss your kids. I was sad because they couldn't be at school. I understood why, though," I remarked. I leaned against the headboard and crossed my legs on the bed.
He pulled his shoes off before doing the same. I noticed that he was wearing black socks. "Yes. I always take them for hunting trips on sunny days. I never go to work when it isn't cloudy. It is too risky for me to do so. But enough about that. How are you?"
"I'll admit that I feel better now that you're here, but I was fine to begin with," I replied with another blush. "How are you?"
"Well, I am also better because I am here with you. Plus, I had a splendid day with my children. We enjoyed ourselves hugely."
I nodded. "That's wonderful. I'm glad that you had fun with them."
After I said this, we grew quiet. Judging by the thickness of the silence, I knew that we were both gathering our thoughts.
Carlisle finally spoke a few minutes later.
"Was everything all right at school today? I know that it must have been lonely without my children being there with you," he pointed out.
"Yes, it was. But a classmate of mine named Jessica Stanley invited me to sit with her and her friends at lunch. You probably know her. She had asked me to once before, but I politely said no. I decided to take her up on her offer since I would have had nobody to sit with otherwise," I remarked.
He grinned. "I do know Jessica Stanley. It was very nice of her to ask you to join her. Did she and her friends treat you kindly?"
"Mmm-hmm, especially her friend Angela Weber. I could see us becoming good friends. I like her a lot. She is a very nice, friendly person."
"That is certainly true. I also think that she is a nice young lady. She has a gentle, sympathetic personality."
I bobbed my head in complete agreement. Gentle and sympathetic were definitely two words that described Angela perfectly. Loyal would most likely factor in as a good one too.
My thoughts were interrupted as Carlisle played with my hair. "Did anything else happen in school? Are you having trouble with your schoolwork or with any of the students?" he queried.
Pursing my lips, I said, "No, I'm not having problems with my work. Calculus is kind of difficult, but your children help me out with that when we do homework together, so I am understanding it more. No one really bothers me at school except this boy in my grade named Mike Newton. He keeps trying to flirt with me. When I asked him to leave me alone, he wouldn't listen to me until I told him that I would get him in trouble for harassment."
Carlisle's POV
A growl rumbled in my chest as soon as those words left Isabella's mouth. Waves of fury swept over me, and I balled my hands in fists. The venom in my veins boiled.
How dare that...that little asshole try to make a move on my soul mate?! She was MINE, not his!
I turned to her with a scowl on my face. "Be sure to do that if he bothers you again. He has no right to do that to you," I declared in a tight voice.
She was taken aback by my sudden anger. "Um...okay. But there's no need for you to be upset. It's not like he hurt me or anything," she remarked.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I am sorry, Isabella. It is just that situations like these can get worse. That is something that I really would not want to happen. You may not know this, but I worry about you even when I am not with you. I don't want you to get hurt in any way."
"It's all right, Carlisle. But you really don't have to worry about me too much, you know. I can look after myself. I appreciate your concern, though. I really do. Thanks."
"You are welcome, sweetheart. I am afraid that it will be hard not to worry about you a great deal, however."
Isabella was touched. "Do you really care for me that much?"
Nodding, I replied, "Yes, I do. It's true that I still do not know very much about you, but I mean it. I do care about you and your well-being."
Her face reddened as she bowed her head. "Thanks again...I guess."
"There is no need to thank me. It is no trouble at all."
I decided to change the topic then. Being upset would not do either of us any good.
I took a quick glance around the bedroom. On the desk was Isabella's laptop, the perfumes that Alice gave her, There were other supplies too; pens, pencils, a notepad, and a calculator. A bookshelf held about twenty novels, including the one that Edward had bought for her. The bouquet of roses that I had presented her with was in a vase that stood on the other window. There was a dresser for her clothes, plus two side-table drawers. She was holding her teddy bear in her arms. Other than that, her room looked quite bare.
Frowning a little, I asked her, "Did you leave most of your belongings at your old home? Your room looks empty even with all of you things here."
A strange expression darkened Isabella's face. I didn't have time to catch it as she shrugged. "Yes, I did. Most of it were things that I didn't need, or clothes that I had outgrown. My other stuff couldn't fit in my suitcases. So, I just decided to leave them there. I'm sure that...that Mom will find someone who will have use for my old things," she whispered in a blank voice, her eyes not quite meeting mine.
I had a feeling that she was not telling the truth. However, I let it drop since I had no proof. Questioning her more would more than likely cause her to become angry with me.
"Oh. Well, I am certain that you will buy more things over time," I stated quietly.
"Yeah."
Bella's POV
I felt guilty about lying to Carlisle about why I didn't bring most of my stuff with me. However, I would have to include the story about what my egg donor did to me if I did. And I was not in the mood to do that.
It seemed as if everyone was hell-bent on mentioning my egg donor in any way that they could. Either that, or I was forced to talk about her, which was worse in my opinion. Personally, I wondered if they brought her up because I rarely did at all. I also had to wonder if they did because they could see I hated it when she was mentioned.
Why couldn't I just be allowed to forget about that evil, sadistic woman? That was all I wanted; to erase her existence from my mind. She was nothing and no one to me.
Rubbing my temples wearily, I decided to think about this at another time. There were other things that I would rather concern myself about. Like how Carlisle and I would spend the evening together, for example.
I turned to him with a small grin. "So, what did you want to do tonight? Did you have anything in particular in mind?" I questioned.
He smiled back. "Well, I thought that we could go on that adventure that I told you about since the weather is nice for a change. Not a long one, but I could take you out for a half hour or so. Perhaps we can find a secret place for us to spend alone time together whenever we want. But we will leave after Charlie is asleep. If he sees that you are gone, he will be frightened out of his mind," he replied.
"Yeah," I agreed. "That's fine, then. I know that we'll have fun. What would you like to do until we go? I'm afraid that there isn't much to do here."
"Right now, I just want to hold you in my arms. I feel as if I haven't seen you in weeks."
"Sometimes I can't believe that you like to be around me this much. It's going to take time for me to get use to it."
Carlisle motioned for me to come closer to him. "I understand what you mean. I suppose that if you never had friends, you do not know how it feels for someone to like spending time with you. I hope that I didn't offend you by saying this. I had no intention to."
I shook my head while I sat next to him. He wrapped his arms around me. "No, you didn't offend me at all. What you said is completely true."
He kissed the back of my head. "For the record, I do not see how I, or anyone else for that matter, could not like to spend time with you. You have such a unique personality that it makes me sad to know that you had never had friends until just recently."
"Mmm. Well, I'm glad that you like spending time with me. I would feel terrible if you thought that I was boring. Or if I repulsed you."
"You could never bore or repulse me, Isabella."
I grinned and leaned into him. "Good...because I like to be with you too."
He rubbed my back. "Thank you."
We were quiet for a while before Carlisle spoke again.
"Isabella, I have noticed that you have barely told me anything about yourself. You know everything about me, but I still do not know very much about you. All I know is that you are from here, but you lived in Phoenix with your mother for a greater part of your life. You do not spend a lot of time with Charlie because of his job, and because you have only visited him for a few weeks over the past 17 years. You get along with him more than your mother. You are better at English than any other subject. You never had friends or a boyfriend until now.
"What do you like to do in your spare time? What type of music do you love? What is your favorite color, or your favorite colors?" he asked.
I thought it over before shrugging. "I really don't do much. I usually read when I'm not busy. If I am not reading, then I'm on my laptop playing games or researching and whatnot. I also love planting. I find it very calming and relaxing," I responded.
Indeed, planting was very therapeutic for me. It made me feel better whenever I had finished being yelled at or hit by my egg donor. For just a little while, my mind was focused on something else.
After a moment, I continued. "I enjoy listening to rock and pop, but I listen to classical music sometimes too. My favorite color is indigo."
"That is interesting. I also love to read books. What genre do you like the most?"
"Just about all of them, but you'll usually see me reading the Classics."
His expression brightened. "That is often what I read when I'm not looking over medical journals. I cannot help but love them."
I nodded pensively. "That's pretty cool."
"What type of food do you like?"
"Mostly Italian. What type of food do you like?" I joked.
Carlisle rolled his eyes playfully. Nevertheless, he did give me an answer.
"Let's see. I like animal blood...and animal blood...and animal blood. What else? Oh yes, there is also animal blood," he said in mock thoughtfulness, tapping his chin.
I chuckled, and he joined in. I really liked his laugh. It sounded rich, warm, and hearty, as if it came from deep within him.
"You're silly," I whispered. My statement caused him to laugh again.
We had to wait about two hours for Charlie to go to bed. During that time, I gave him the lowdown on my other favorite things, and all of the other stuff that I loved to do, and what I disliked/hated.
Likewise, Carlisle told me about the things that he liked, and what he enjoyed doing. He didn't need to explain why he loved being a doctor, however. He had done that on Sunday. He also told me about what he did not like and hated.
He really took great pleasure in spending time with his kids. The only problem was that he feared that he didn't spend enough time with them. Because it was often busy at the hospital, there were days when he had to work overtime. Either that, or he was called in for emergencies.
Carlisle also explained that he liked to travel to different parts of the world. Besides England, France, and Italy, he had been to many others. He also enjoyed hunting, painting, going to museums, and relaxing on his office balcony.
We were just snuggling each other when we heard Charlie walking up the stairs. We held our breath as he approached my door and knocked on it.
"Good night, honey. I'm going to bed," he called to me.
"Night, Dad. I love you," I returned.
"Love you too."
Then he crept to his room and closed the door.
A while later, Carlisle tapped me. "Your father is in a deep sleep. We can go on our adventure now."
I inclined my head. "Okay. Let me put on my jacket first."
"Certainly."
Once I had donned it, I turned off my lamp. He asked me to get on his back. I held onto him tightly with my arms and legs.
He kissed my hand. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go!" I declared, beginning to feel excited.
Before I knew it, we were out of the house and zooming into the trees. The warm air rushed past us.
"I am about to jump now, Isabella. Do not let go of me," he admonished.
I redoubled my grip on him. Carlisle ran faster, his body tensing as he leapt into the air. He climbed up a tree the way I saw Spider-Man climbing a building in the movie. The moon appeared seconds later.
Suddenly, he let go of the tree and sprang onto another one yards away. After that, he dove onto another one. And another one.
It was not long-only a minute or so-before we were at the top of another tree. In front of us was a valley composed of a wide, moonlit river that was surrounded by cliffs.
"Wow," I murmured in awe. "I don't think that I have ever seen a view as spectacular as this one."
Carlisle laughed gently. "I have many times over the years, and some look even better than this one. Perhaps I may show them to you sometime in the future."
I smiled. "That would be nice...if we were still together then. You wouldn't want to if we broke up."
"Don't worry about that. I am fairly certainly that we will be together for quite some time, my dear. Now, let's see if we can find a secret trysting area of us," he stated.
Rolling my eyes at his playfulness, I nodded. "Okay."
I scanned the river carefully and spotted a place to my right where the river was more narrow. It was surrounded by a rocky shore full of huge boulders and fallen tree branches.
I tapped his arm and pointed to the aforementioned location. "What about over there? It looks like it's beautiful," I queried.
He looked in the direction of my finger. "That true, it does. Let's check it out. Hold on."
We were on the river's shore in less than a second. After Carlisle put me down, we took in our bearings.
"You are right, Isabella. This is a very beautiful spot," he commented, strolling along the boulders.
"Mmm," I agreed as I fell in step alongside him. I turned to stare at the river, which gleamed brightly as it trickled by.
He must have been noticed that I was gazing at it because he remarked, "You must love the water."
I chuckled. "Yes, I really do, especially when the sun or moon is shining on it. When I lived in Phoenix, I liked to go down to the Alvord and Cortez Lakes. There is also a lake in Encanto Park that I love."
"That's very interesting. And I can't say that I blame you for liking it when the sun and moon shines on water. I do too."
After Carlisle and I walked a short distance, he gestured to a large, flat, dark-gray stone. "Would you like to sit down for a little while?"
"Sure."
Carlisle picked me up bridle-style and lifted me onto it. Then he perched on the spot next to me. I reached for his hand, wanting to hold it very badly, but then I changed my mind. He probably wouldn't like it if I made the move if he didn't even want to hold my hand.
Apparently, I thought wrong because he took it right away. "You do not have to be afraid to hold my hand. I don't mind if you do. Do you believe that I would hold yours at all if I had no desire to? Or if I did not like to hold it?"
I shook my head. "No, I guess not. Why don't you tell me more about the hunting trip? How did it go?"
He kissed my forehead, then went into a lengthy description of everything that happened. I listened with high interest as he told me about how many animals that he and children had fed on. About a contest that Emmett had decided to have midway through the hunt. That Jasper won it because he had preyed on more game than anyone else.
I was having such a good time that I felt sad when the story was over.
Carlisle glanced at his watch. "It is after ten thirty. You need to be getting home soon so that you can get plenty of rest tonight. You don't want to be falling asleep in class. But before I take you back there, I want to show you a place in the forest that I happened to come across some time ago. It could be another secret place that we can go to if it is raining. Would you like to see it?"
"Yes. But you have to take me straight home afterwards."
"No problem."
We took one more look around the valley before leaving. Only several seconds had passed when Carlisle stopped running.
This time we were in the woods, standing in a clearing. A giant gazebo was before us. The white paint and structure looked relatively new. It was as if someone had chosen to refurbish it.
"Has it been repainted or something?" I asked in curiosity.
Carlisle bobbed his head. "Yes. I had fixed it up by myself about six months ago, after Esme and I had divorced. Neither she nor my children know about this gazebo. It was weather-beaten. The wood was rotten and had moss and mold growing on it. The paint had large chunks missing from it. So, when I had the time, I decided to refurbish it. I replaced the old wood on the floors and stairs with new wood. I had to get rid of the mold on the supports and replace the wood on them too. I also put new seats in the gazebo. Then I painted the whole thing. Because it rains nearly every day, I repaint every two months," he explained.
I peered at the gazebo closely. "Well, you did a terrific job. I don't think that I would have recognized it if I had seen it before you had fixed it up," I said in admiration. "May I see what the inside of it looks like?"
"Of course you may. You are the only one who I will show it to."
He led me into it while holding my hand. It was very dark since the roof was hiding the moon, so Carlisle pulled out a tiny flashlight.
As the beams flashed over the interior, I noticed that their were seats on every edge of the gazebo. There was also a bench in the very center of it. Unlike the bench, the seats on the edge of the gazebo were still wet from all of the rain that we have had.
"Is the bench always dry?" I questioned as I ran my fingers over it.
"Yes. The low roof protects it even if the rain is slanting. The other seats are not so lucky, however."
We spent a few more minutes in the gazebo before Carlisle reminded me that it was getting late. He put me on his back and took me home.
When we had arrived at my house, Carlisle entered my room through my open window silently.
We made sure that Charlie did not wake up and realize that I was gone. Then we said good-bye to each other.
"See you, Carlisle. I hope that you visit me soon. Thanks for taking me out. I had a very good time," I whispered, hugging him tentatively.
Carlisle returned the embrace full-force. "You are welcome, Isabella. I am pleased that you had enjoyed yourself. And you may hug me if you wish to. I won't be upset if you do. Remember...I like to be close to you."
I nodded. "Okay. It's just that you usually initiate the hugs and kisses and whatnot. I feel as you might not be in the mood to be kissed or hugged if I made a move. So when you show your affections, I...I just figured that you do it because you want to at the time."
He backed away to look at me. "That is untrue. I have no problem with you showing me your affections. I am always in the mood to accept them. You do not have to worry about upsetting or offending me because that will never happen. The reasons why I show my affections to you is not only because I want to. It is also because I have feelings for you. If I didn't, then I simply wouldn't do it," he pointed out.
Then he pulled me into him again. "I am happy that you want to show me your affections, in any case. I'd be worried if you didn't. It proves that you feel something for me too."
"I don't understand how I couldn't. You...You are a very good person."
"I would never want to be anything else."
After a moment, Carlisle and I shared a passionate kiss. He took my face in his hand when he moved away so that I could breathe.
"You know, I can never help but think that you really are as gorgeous as your name. You know that "Bella" means "Beautiful" in Italian, don't you?" he asked.
I reddened. "Yes, I know. Dad told me so, once," I responded.
He smiled gently. "Well, your name suits you perfectly."
Bowing my head, I murmured, "Thank you."
"You are welcome. I think I had better leave so that you can get some sleep now. I will visit you tomorrow, if I can."
"All right. I will be glad to see you. Good night, Carlisle."
"Good night, Isabella."
He kissed me one last time, then waved before disappearing through the window.