All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer; I just like to play with her characters.
No copyright infringement is intended.
HUGE thanks to my wonderful betas and prereader – darcysmom, twimom817 and EdwardsMyObsession1971 – without these ladies, this would be complete crap.
Never Let Go
Chapter Ten
"Five, four, three, two, one … Happy New Year!" Everyone cheered.
Edward and I were curled up in his basement watching the ball drop in Times Square. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were with us. We'd spent the evening playing video games and air hockey before we settled down to watch a movie and then New Year's Rockin' Eve.
As the ball dropped, and everyone counted down, Edward softly echoed their words in my ear.
"Happy New Year, Boo."
He kissed me softly on the corner of my mouth.
"Happy New Year, Edward."
I snuggled back into his chest as he hit play on the movie again.
A few hours later, I was nudged awake by Esme.
"Bella, sweetheart, if you want – you can go on up to Edward's room to sleep. Charlie had a few too many beers and we made him stay here. He's asleep upstairs in the guest room."
"Where is everyone else?" I asked softly.
I didn't want to wake Edward. I had fallen asleep with my head on his chest but he was sleeping so peacefully, I didn't have the heart to wake him up.
"They've all gone home. They didn't want to wake you."
"Esme, I can't leave Edward here."
"It's all right, Bella. I was going to wake him up and send him up to the living room to sleep. It'll get too cold down here."
I didn't want to leave Edward at all. We'd had such a good time all evening, laughing and playing with our friends. Then it was like he flipped a switch and went from fun and playful to sweet and needy. When we sat down to watch the movie – it was as if he couldn't get close enough. Knowing that he wanted to be that close to me had me on cloud nine, and I was only too happy to oblige.
"Esme … can I stay with Edward? Please?"
She sighed but nodded her head.
"All right, Bella. I'll go get some blankets and pillows and leave them by the fireplace in the living room. Wake up my son before you both freeze."
I nudged Edward until his green eyes found mine.
"What?" He asked sleepily as he stretched and rubbed his eyes.
"Your mom wants us to go upstairs and sleep in the living room." I explained softly.
"Yeah …" He yawned. "It gets cold down here."
We stood up and made our way upstairs to the living room. Esme was putting heavy blankets down on the floor for us on top of a feather bed. There was a fire blazing in the fireplace.
"I know it'll be sort of bright for sleeping, but it will keep you warm."
"Thanks, Esme." I smiled.
Edward flopped down onto the makeshift bed and snuggled down into the pillow. I fidgeted for a moment as Esme looked back and forth between me and Edward.
"Umm … I'm going to go use the bathroom."
"Bella … some of your things are in Edward's bathroom. Your toothbrush and I think there are pajamas in there too."
Thank goodness I'd left a set of pajamas here last summer.
When I came out of the bathroom in my tank top and pajama pants I found Edward sitting on his bed.
"Hey .."
He smiled up at me sleepily.
"Do you want a sweatshirt or something, Boo?"
"Umm, yeah, if you don't mind."
"You know I don't mind … they're in the closet. Pick whichever one you want."
I found my favorite sweatshirt of his and slipped it over my head before retreating back downstairs. I passed Esme in the hall and wished her goodnight. There were no lights on in the living room – the only light was coming from the fireplace. The warmth on my skin felt so good and it made me instantly sleepy. I lay down and pulled the blankets over me. I was out cold before Edward made it downstairs.
The next few days passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for me to go back to Phoenix. As the time drew closer, Edward became more and more melancholy.
"Edward …" I sighed. "Don't act like we won't see each other again. You're like this every time I leave, and I hate it. Leaving sucks for me too, so please don't be like this."
"I know, Boo. I can't help it. I miss you so much when you're gone."
"I miss you too, Eddo." I bumped his shoulder trying to lighten the air around us.
"Bella …"
He tried to growl at me but it came across as a grin.
"That's what I wanted out of you." I grinned back.
"So can I ride to the airport with you?"
"You can if you want to, but I hate saying goodbye to you at the airport, I'd rather do it here."
Edward ran his hands through his hair and sighed again.
"You'll come back soon?"
"As soon as I can, Edward, but I can't promise anything."
"'Kay."
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly.
A few hours later, I found myself on a plane and on my way back to a very lonely desert. The only thing keeping my head above water was the fact that as soon as school started again I'd be preparing to go to Honor Choir.
"Hi, sweetie!" Mom squealed as I made my way to baggage claim.
"Hi, Mom."
"How was your trip?"
"It was good."
"How was Edward?"
"He's good. Completely surprised to see me and it was nice to spend some time with him."
"Good, sweetie. I'm glad you had a good time."
As soon as I got back home, I easily fell into my routine. School, choir practice, and dance rehearsal - my days were an endless loop of those three things. Without volleyball, I had plenty of time to write Edward, but as the weeks went by, I got busier and busier. After our performance for County Honor Choir, I received my audition song for State Honor Choir.
State Honor Choir was a huge deal. My Choir teacher warned us that he usually encourages only juniors and seniors to try out because they usually take juniors and seniors over sophomores and freshmen.
"Bella … I think you really need to try out." My teacher encouraged.
"I don't want to put the time into learning the music and trying out only to be disappointed."
"Bella … you're very talented. If I didn't think that you had even the slightest chance of making it, I wouldn't be pushing it so hard."
I looked at Mr. Harris, my choir teacher.
"Can I think about it?"
"Sure, Bella. But I need to know soon. I need to make time to work with you on your audition song."
I nodded and made my way out of the classroom. I needed to call Edward and talk to him. I needed to hear his velvety soft voice that always comforted me when I wasn't sure about something – most of all I needed him to tell me that I could do this.
I looked at my watch as I walked through the door of our apartment. It was too early to call Edward. He'd be at baseball practice until five at least and it was only four. Thankfully, I had some homework I could work on to take my mind off the whole honor choir thing.
My Honors English homework was what I decided to tackle first. I needed to read a few chapters of The Outsiders and complete a worksheet. I'd read the book before because it was one of my Mom's favorites but it had been a while so I decided to read it again.
I don't remember falling asleep, but I woke up to the shrill ringing of the phone beside me.
"Hello?"
"Bella? Did I wake you up?" Edward asked softly.
"Uhh … yeah, I guess you did. I must have fallen asleep reading." I murmured, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"I can call you back later …"
"No! I mean … you're fine. I wanted to call you when I got home from school but I knew you wouldn't be home from practice yet."
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine. I just needed to talk to you about something."
There was worry in Edward's voice when he asked if everything was okay. I knew I had to put his worries to rest before I could talk to him about my own.
"Promise you're okay?"
I giggled.
"I promise. I needed to talk to you about something involving choir …."
I told Edward all about how my teacher, Mr. Harris wanted me to try out for State Honor Choir and how unusual it was for a freshman to actually be chosen to sing in it.
"This is a huge deal, Bella."
"I know! I'm so nervous about making the wrong decision here."
"Bella …" Edward chastised. "You'll only be disappointed if you don't try. You have a beautiful voice – you can do this."
"Do you really think so?"
"I know so, Boo."
"How do I know you're not just saying that?"
"Because, I'd never lie to you, Bella. You are so talented but you don't see yourself the way everyone else does."
"I want to do this," I whispered.
"Then do it. Learn the song and go in there with your chin held high and knock their fucking socks off, Boo. You've got this."
Edward's curse made me laugh and melted away my worries for the moment. It was everything I needed to hear.
"Thank you."
"For what, Bella?"
"Being the best friend a girl could ask for. Somehow you always know exactly what I need to hear."
"That's my job." Edward chuckled. "Why do I have to keep telling you that?"
"Apparently, I need to be reminded every once in a while just how good I have it."
I chatted with Edward for a bit longer. It felt so good to talk to him. It made me miss him that much more, but that I could deal with. He made me promise him I'd keep him posted on my progress with the song I was learning and I'd let him know when my audition was.
Mr. Harris was ecstatic that I agreed to audition. We made plans to work every day after school on my song. I fit rehearsals in between dance classes and book club. For three weeks I worked day after day on my audition song for State Honor Choir. It was in Italian and it was a beautiful song. I worked on it until I was blue in the face. I ate and breathed it.
"Bella … you've got it down. Your pitch is perfect, your timing is spot on – there is nothing else for you to work on. You will have an accompanist – just give them the key you want and knock their socks off."
I chuckled to myself knowing that was the same thing Edward had told me.
"Thanks, Mr. Harris."
"You're welcome, Bella. Now, I want you to rest your voice as much as possible between now and Saturday. Drink tea with lemon and honey to soothe your throat and no yelling or screaming, okay?"
I nodded.
The following Saturday, I met my other classmates who were trying out as well as Mr. Harris and together we drove to Tucson for the auditions. I quickly called Edward before leaving that morning, needing once again to hear his reassuring voice and words of encouragement. I promised to call him as soon as I arrived home.
When we arrived in Tucson, we walked into the concert hall and signed in at registration. We were given numbers and asked to sit in the audience until our number was called. I reluctantly handed my sheet music over to the registrar and took my number. Mr. Harris smiled at me and corralled us into the hall.
"Number twenty-seven please."
I realized that my number had been called. Why they weren't taking numbers in order I had no idea but it definitely wasn't helping my nerves. I made my way up the stairs and onto the stage and smiled briefly at the pianist who quietly asked what key I wanted to sing in.
"G, please." I replied quietly.
I could feel my legs quaking beneath me as the first few notes started. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, picturing Edward's sweet smile before I began to sing.
"Caro mio ben … credimi almen … scenza di te … languisce il cor …"
I took another breath as the music enveloped me.
"Caro mio ben … credimi almen … scenza di te languisce il cor … Il tuo fedel so spira ognor … Cessa crudel tanto rigor!"
When the second line came to a crescendo and I moved up the scale, I felt myself relax knowing that I had hit the correct notes and everything was icing on the cake from there. The judges then asked me to sing ascending and descending scales in the same key as my audition song. As soon as the judges said thank you, I took another deep breath and scurried off the stage.
"Bella … you were brilliant!" Mr. Harris whispered when I returned to my seat next to him.
I smiled shyly and pointed to the stage where one of my classmates was talking to the pianist.
We sat and listened through several more auditions. I was glad that mine was one of the first few and that I didn't have to sit through the entire thing until the end feeling anxious. When everyone was done, one of the judges stood up and explained that it would be another hour before the results were announced. He suggested that we all go and get a bite to eat and then come back.
We went to a little café nearby and I ordered a sandwich but I was so nervous that I wasn't able to eat all that much. Although my audition was over, I was still worried that I wouldn't be chosen.
"Bella … stop worrying. You'll be selected. Not only was your song perfect but your scales were perfect too. You didn't miss a note."
Heidi was one of the upperclassmen that tried out from my school and she was the only one that was particularly friendly with me. She was graduating in June and I'd miss her. She was nice and always offered a friendly smile and a kind word. Her quiet reassurance made me feel better, and I was able to eat a little before we went back to the concert hall.
"Isabella Swan – All State Women's Choir and Arizona State Honor Choir."
I sat in shock as I listened to them call out my name for two choirs. Mr. Harris was beaming at me, I did it.
"Congratulations, Bella!"
Heidi was the only other person from our school to be chosen and even then, she only made the Women's Choir.
The two hour drive back to Phoenix was quiet. I preferred to spend the time lost in my thoughts and writing in my journal. I couldn't wait to get home and tell my Mom and Phil. I wanted to call my Dad and Edward – I knew how proud they'd be.
"I knew you'd make it, Boo. I'm so fucking proud of you. When is the concert?" Edward asked.
"Umm … I think it's the first weekend in May but I'll have to double check."
"Yeah, definitely let me know. Charlie and I want to come down but I have to make sure it doesn't conflict with my baseball schedule."
"Speaking of baseball, how's that going?"
"It's going good. So far we've won both of our scrimmage games. Our first real game is Tuesday."
"I wish I could be there." I said sadly.
I wanted to be there so badly. I knew that Esme, Carlisle and maybe even my Dad would be there to support him but it wasn't the same as having your best friend there. It was Edward's High School baseball debut and it was a big deal for him.
"I wish you could be there too, Boo."
Edward and I talked for a while longer until he had to go to dinner with his parents.
"Tell your mom and dad I said hi and that I miss them."
"I will, Bella. They miss you too, you know."
For the next month and a half, I spent a good deal of my free time learning all my music for honor choir. Thankfully, we only had to drive to Tucson a couple times. The actual performance would be held in Phoenix. I had six songs to learn for the Women's Choir and seven to learn for State. The conductors didn't make it easy on us – one song was in Japanese, another in Russian; French, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Hebrew and German. Yeah, they pretty much covered them all. My least favorites being Russian and German – they just didn't roll off of the tongue like French and Italian.
The more time I spent working on learning music the better I was becoming at picking out melodies on the piano. Mr. Harris had suggested that I invest in a keyboard to help me practice at home. Mom politely told me that she would buy me one if I took lessons. The next night, we went to Phil's for dinner and he pulled me into the living room where I found a shiny black upright piano with a giant lavender bow on it.
"That's for you, Bella." Phil smiled.
"Really?"
"Really. You can come over here any time you want and practice on it. I'll give you a key to the house – just let your mom and I know where you are, okay?"
I nodded.
"But why here? Why not at the apartment?"
"Well, there really isn't room at the apartment. We looked at keyboards and decided that in the long run, a piano was a better investment. If you still want a keyboard to keep in your room, we're more than happy to get you one, Bella."
"No, no … this is perfect. How will I get to lessons?"
My mom smiled at me from the doorway.
"Phil's going to make sure you get to and from your piano lessons. His sister will be your teacher."
"Sam?" I asked
Phil nodded.
"She's excited to get started with your lessons."
That night over dinner, Phil, Mom and I worked out a schedule where I could do piano lessons, choir, book club, dance and volleyball in the fall. Yeah, it was a lot, but I'd make it work somehow. I called my Dad and told him about the piano. He wasn't too happy that mom didn't talk to him about it because he gladly would have paid for it and he was worried about me burning out, but I promised him that wouldn't be the case.
"If I feel like it's too much, Dad, I'll give something up. I'm really excited about the piano lessons. Maybe one day, if I practice hard enough, I'll be as good as Edward."
Dad chuckled.
"Yeah, maybe one day, kiddo."
I confirmed the day of our performance with Edward. He promised that he'd be there along with Charlie. They were going to fly in on the red-eye Friday morning and fly back to Seattle late Sunday evening.
Mom allowed me to stay home from school on Friday. We picked Dad and Edward up at the airport and then went for a bit of breakfast before Mom had to be at work. Dad, Edward, and I spent our day at the apartment. Edward and I put on our swim gear and took off for the pool leaving my dad to nap.
Edward and I made lasagna with salad and garlic bread for dinner. We worked side by side while chatting with Dad, who sat at the table asking a hundred questions about the past couple of months. He couldn't wait to hear how my piano lessons were coming along and neither could Edward for that matter. I, of course was hesitant to play for them – worrying that I wasn't progressing in my lessons the way I should.
"Bella … you've only been taking lessons for a couple months and you're already on your third book? That's really good!" Edward smiled.
"Really?"
"Yes, Bella, really. It usually takes people that long to get through one book let alone three."
Phil's sister, Sam had told me that I had a raw talent when it came to singing and to the piano but I tended to not believe her. Sometimes I had a hard time connecting the bass line with the treble line, but Sam was patient with me and let me work through it until I got it. I was getting immensely better at sight reading and sight singing. Nine times out of ten – my pitch was perfect.
"Maybe on Sunday, I'll play for you a little but you can't laugh because I'm not nearly as good as you are, Edward."
"I couldn't laugh at you, Bella. You've only been playing for a couple of months, I've been playing since I was five."
It felt so good to have them here with me – they gave me something to think about other than my concert the following evening and their love and support meant everything to me.
Mom joined us for dinner but didn't linger afterward. I checked in on her while Dad and Edward cleaned up the dishes.
"Sorry, sweetie, I had a long day at work and Phil and I had a little fight."
"Is everything okay?"
Mom pulled me into a hug and held me tight.
"Everything's fine, sweetie. It was just a disagreement, that's all. Now you go back out there and enjoy your time with your Dad and Edward."
I nodded and went back to the living room with Dad and Edward. We put in a movie and relaxed on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn.
When I could no longer stifle my yawns, Dad suggested that we head to bed. He insisted that I needed to rest for my performance the next day.
The morning of our concert, we had a final run through of our program, so Mom got up early and drove me to the concert hall.
"I'm going to have breakfast with Phil while you're rehearsing, sweetie. I'll be back at eleven to get you."
"Phil's coming tonight, right?"
"I don't know, sweetie. We'll see."
I didn't know what was going on with my Mom and Phil, and maybe I didn't want to, but it couldn't be good if she wasn't sure if he was coming to my concert.
Practice went smoothly, but I found myself daydreaming about spending time with Dad and Edward. In my dreams, Phil had invited us over to swim in his pool and while Edward and I swam, Dad and Phil stood next to the grill – laughing over a beer.
"Bella … are you ready?" Heidi asked.
"Oh yeah, sorry." I answered, shaking my head in an attempt to shake away the daydream.
Heidi giggled.
"I guess that faraway look in your eyes means Edward is here and you can't wait to get back to him?"
I nodded with a giggle.
Mom and I stopped to get sandwiches on our way back to our apartment. When we walked in, Dad was sitting on the sofa watching a baseball game, and Edward was bent over the coffee table working on his homework.
I plopped down on the floor next to him and pulled out our sandwiches.
"How's it going?" I asked.
"I'm almost done, Boo. I have to get this done before I go home, and I want to spend time with you."
"It's okay, Edward," I giggled. "I have a little bit of homework myself to finish before I have to get ready."
Edward closed his book and pushed his homework aside long enough to eat his lunch. We ate quickly wanting to get our homework finished. We retreated to my room to finish up the rest of our homework – I couldn't work with the baseball game on in the background. We finished in plenty of time for me to get ready for the concert.
I dressed carefully, being sure that my long black skirt was straight and the tie to my white wrap around blouse was in a neat bow. I studied myself in the mirror, thinking that I looked pretty and feminine, even if I felt like a little girl playing dress up.
Mom came in and helped me curl my hair into flowing waves. We left it long down my back, pulling the sides back with glitzy barrettes.
"You look so grown up, sweetie." Mom smiled, teary eyed.
"Mom … it's just a concert."
"For a very prestigious choir which my baby girl sang her heart out to get into. It's a big deal, Bella."
"Please don't make me any more nervous about tonight than I already am, Mom."
"You'll be fine, sweetie."
I walked out into the living room where Dad and Edward were sitting on the sofa.
"Bella …" Edward breathed. "You look … so beautiful."
"I have to agree with you there, son." My Dad chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"All right, I'm nervous enough. Let's go."
Mom drove us to the concert hall in downtown Phoenix. Edward walked me to the back of the building where I was supposed to go in.
"Bella … don't be nervous. I know you'll be fantastic."
"Thanks, your faith in me is unwavering." I grinned cheekily.
"It is, Bella. Always." He said softly.
Edward carried my binder from the car and handed it to me before kissing me gently on the cheek.
"Break a leg, Boo." Edward whispered.
I watched as he walked away and I heard a giggle from beside me.
"Yeah, I totally get why you were spacing out earlier."
I linked my arm with Heidi's and we made our way into the back of the auditorium.
The evening began with the Women's Choir singing an adaptation of Rainer Maria Rilke's Les Chansons des Roses: Dirait-on. It was a beautiful song, and once I'd gotten the lyrics down, it quickly became one of my favorites. When I told Edward we were singing a song in French, he teased me saying it would be sexy if I was fluent. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
We ended with a piece by Mozart called Luci Care – a sweet song in Italian that reminded me of words Edward had spoken to me in a hammock on a lazy summer afternoon.
The Men's Choir filed onto the stage as we filed off and we were allowed to sit in the audience and listen until we were needed to line up for the State Honor Choir Performance.
I glanced back to see Phil sitting next to my mom; Dad and Edward were sitting on her other side. Edward caught my eye and smiled widely, winking at me. I grinned and turned my attention back to the stage.
I was much more at ease when I stepped onto the stage to perform with the State Honor Choir. Our songs were lighter than the ones for the Women's Choir. We began with the Hallelujah Chorus from Christ on the Mount of Olives. We also performed a piece called Bullerengue. Written in Spanish, the Columbian dialect was interesting to learn. My favorite piece that we performed was titled Domaredansen. It reminded me of the song Linus and Lucy from Peanuts and the entire time I was envisioning Snoopy dancing with his little ears in the air.
"Domaredansen is through … hey!"
As the last of the music floated through the air, the audience began to stand and applaud. We took a bow, our conductor bowed, and then he asked us to bow again as the applause went on. Finally, we were asked to exit the stage and I was never so glad to be able to move freely. Heidi and I picked up our notebooks and exited out of the door we'd come in through. Together we walked to the front of the concert hall where our families were filtering outside.
Edward and my Dad were waiting for me; Edward with a large bouquet of purple irises in his hand and a huge grin on his face.
"Did you enjoy the concert?" I asked.
"It was wonderful, sweetie!" My mom piped up as she ran over to plant a kiss on my cheek.
"Thanks, Mom."
"It was great, Bella, really." Edward assured me.
Phil treated us all to a late dinner after my concert. He didn't have to, but he did. I was so happy that he came to my concert. He deserved to be there – he'd been there for me to take me to rehearsals just as much as Mom did. He was so supportive when it came to my music. Phil allowed me to have my lessons at his house with his sister, Sam, even if he wasn't home. He'd given me a key to let myself in after school and he'd usually come home just as we were wrapping up a lesson and he'd take me home afterward or we'd make dinner together and my mom would come over after work.
"I want to barbeque tomorrow," Phil said.
"Can we swim in the pool?" I asked.
"Sure, sweetheart," Phil chuckled. "Come over in the afternoon and you can swim all you want."
I looked at my dad to see if he was okay with it. He nodded and I looked over at Edward who had a big grin on his face. I knew he wouldn't be against swimming.
Much later that night, Edward and I spread out our blankets on the living room floor. I collapsed onto my pillow in an unceremonious heap, exhausted from the events of the day – all my adrenaline from earlier completely gone.
"I'm proud of you, Bella." Edward whispered as he settled down into his blankets.
"Thanks, Eddo. That means a lot to me," I said sleepily.
I felt a gentle kiss to my temple and I was gone to the world.
The next day was like a scene from my dream. Edward and I splashed in the pool while Phil and my Dad stood next to the grill chatting with their beers in hand. My mom was in the kitchen putting the salads I'd spent most of the morning making out on the counter.
"Come on guys, dinner's on," Phil grinned.
We hopped out of the pool and wrapped our towels around us before taking our seats at the table on the deck. Dad and Phil had grilled steaks, chicken and vegetables and everything was so good. The macaroni and fruit salads I had made perfectly completed the meal. When everyone finished, Phil ducked into the house and brought out two bottles of the sweet wine I knew was Mom's favorite and poured everyone including Edward and me a glass.
"I have an announcement to make," Phil grinned.
My eyes flew to my mom as she tugged at his shirt and asked him to sit down and save it for later.
"No, Nee … I've waited long enough. I've asked Renee to marry me and she said yes."
I gasped and Edward placed his hand on my leg, swirling his thumb soothingly.
"Mom?" I asked, the tears threatening to fall from my eyes.
She looked down, not meeting my eyes.
"It's true, sweetie. Phil asked me while you were in Forks over New Year's and I wanted to wait until the time was right to tell you, but it got away from me."
"Bella, we thought you'd want to hear it when everyone was here," Phil explained. "You get the support you need from your dad and Edward and we thought it best to tell you when they were here."
I wasn't angry they were getting married, but I was a little upset at the fact that they thought I couldn't handle it without Dad and Edward there. I was happy for my mom - she'd finally found the love she'd been searching for in Phil. I was sad that my dad had been left behind. I couldn't begin to imagine how he felt hearing that and even worse – being there to witness their happiness.
I wiped the traitorous tears from my eyes and looked up to see my Dad looking at me with nothing but love and concern. He nodded and I turned to look at my Mom and Phil who were watching me curiously.
"Congratulations, guys. I'm happy for you." I smiled weakly.
"Are you really, baby? You don't have to pretend for our sakes."
"I'm not pretending, Mom," I sniffled.
I leaned over and hugged my dad, hoping to convey to him that it was him I was worried about. He kissed the top of my head and whispered in my ear.
"I'm okay, baby girl. Don't you worry about me. Be happy for your Mom, she deserves it."
I nodded.
Edward and I cleared the table and worked side by side in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes while Dad cleaned up the grill. Mom and Phil had disappeared for a few minutes of alone time.
"Are you okay, Bella?"
"Yeah. I feel bad that they felt I needed you and Dad here for support and I worry about Dad. It broke my heart a little that he had to be here for that."
"I understand that, I guess. So your worry for your dad overshadows your happiness for your Mom?"
I shrugged.
"I feel bad that he's been left behind. She's obviously moved on and I'm here with her and he's alone. How else could I feel?"
Edward nodded and reached out to squeeze my hand in understanding.
Dad walked in from the deck just as Edward and I were finishing up the kitchen.
"Baby girl … why don't you show Edward and me what you can do with those piano lessons you've been taking?"
I was hesitant to play for them of course, but I led them into the living room and timidly pulled out my piano bench. I sat down and took a deep breath to center myself and placed my fingers on the keys. I began to play with shaky hands and when I stumbled on the notes and played the wrong keys, I dropped my hands to my lap and hung my head.
Edward was by my side instantly.
"Take another deep breath, Boo. You're doing great, you just got a little flustered."
My eyes met warm green ones and a sort of calm washed over me. I took a deep breath and started again. I didn't need to stop a second time – my fingers never faltered.
When I finished, Dad and Edward stood on their feet and clapped. With huge smiles and pride all over their faces, I beamed back at them – a little proud of myself.
"So, so good, Bella." Edward grinned.
"Really?"
"Yes, really. You've only been playing for a couple of months and that was amazing."
Edward's face reflected nothing but sincerity. My Dad looked like he could burst with pride and he pulled me into a hug.
"So proud of you, baby girl."
"Thanks, Dad."
I looked over to see Mom and Phil watching us from the doorway with smiles on their faces.
"See, Bella … we told you," Mom grinned.
Once again, I was sad to see Dad and Edward leave that evening, but I knew I'd be seeing them over the summer so it eased my conscience knowing that it wouldn't be long before I'd see them again. I rode with Mom as she drove them to the airport and I hugged them tight as they gathered their luggage and made their way to the ticketing counter.
"See you soon, Bella," Edward murmured.
"Definitely," I whispered, rising up on my toes to place a kiss on his cheek.
A/N:
Caro Mio Ben – Giuseppe Giordani
Dirait-On - written by Morten Lauridsen
Bullerengue – written by Jose Antonio Rincon
Domaredansen - arranged by Bengt Hallberg
Christ on the Mount of Olives – written by Ludwig van Beethoven
I know for a fact that four of these songs are available on iTunes – if you like Classical Music – check them out. Domaredansen is especially fun =)
I am SO sorry – RL completely threw me off track last week and I forgot to post! =/ In the midst of working, shuttling my kiddo to dance, piano, scouts, swimming and school – going to school myself - life is busy! (Don't worry – this story is already written up to Chapter 27 so as long as I don't forget again, we're good to go! LOL) Because I'm a posting fail – I'll be posting chapter 11 shortly. ;)
Thoughts?