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Previously:
"My little brother's growing up." I finally released him and he tried to fix his hair, his face red in embarrassment. Rosalie reached up to help brush his hair back into place, and I looked around at everyone. My heart felt full. "Man is it good to be home."
The third day home, Emmett and I went out to spend some time together. Even though we were eight years apart, we'd always been close growing up, and I missed him. We spent a few hours at the park, playing football with some of the guys we hadn't seen in a while. I smiled as I imagined Bella here. She wasn't cheering me on in the scenario though; she was right next me, a part of the action. She said she loved football, both watching and playing it. I wouldn't want her to play with this group though. They were pretty rough, and I wouldn't want her to get hurt.
Once everyone had gone, Emmett and I took a seat on the ground to rest for a moment before heading home.
"Do you ever think about coming back?" Emmett's voice was quiet, contemplative.
"To Chesapeake?" I clarified. He nodded then leaned back on his arms, waiting for my answer as I pondered it for a moment.
"I didn't used to. It was different for me growing up here. Everyone expected me to follow in Dad's footsteps, become a doctor, settle down." I shook my head at the thought. "That definitely wasn't me. I lived in that shadow for years and couldn't get out of here fast enough." Everything I said was true. But things were different now. I was different now. "Lately though, I've thought about it. I understand this is a great little community, a great place to raise a family." I sighed. "Maybe one day I'll come back. It'd be nice to be close to you guys again. You're not too far away."
"Dude, it takes me 12 hours to get here." He laughed, but I just looked at him.
"Right now, I'm half a world away." He sobered at the reminder and slowly nodded. "Come on; let's get home. Mom won't be happy if we spend all our time away." We stood and headed back to his truck.
"Rosie and I have talked about coming here once we're done with school." I couldn't contain the smile. "Her family…she doesn't have such a great relationship with them. They've never really been close, and she wants that. Her and Mom have hit it off, and like you said, this is a great place to raise a family. I think it'll be a smart choice for us." I reached over and punched his arm. "Shit, man. Why do you do that?" He rubbed his arm as I chuckled. "It's like you forget your own strength. Stop it."
"It's just weird to see my baby brother growing up." I waited for him to unlock the doors before climbing inside. "I'm happy for ya, man."
From there, we went straight home. Emmett told me more about Rosalie, about their plans for after college. Apparently, the idea of moving back was more than just a thought. They'd already been looking at houses and jobs in the area. Emmett had a job lined up if he wanted it with Oceaneering. He'd gone to undergrad at MIT with someone that was working there now. With his PhD, the friend said he'd be a shoe-in. All I could do was shake my head at how much his life was moving forward.
It was nearing lunchtime when we arrived back home. Dad was in the living room with patient charts stacked on the table in front of him. Mom was in the kitchen putting something together, and Rosalie was with her. She was watching intently, taking notes in a spiral on the kitchen island. Emmett walked over and kissed her temple. She pushed him away lightly.
"Don't interrupt us," Rosalie admonished, but it was half-hearted. "I'm learning how to make your mom's chicken salad."
"Emmett," Mom said distractedly, "go set the table. Edward, get drinks poured for everyone. Carlisle, wrap up your work. We're eating in a few minutes." A chorus of "Yes, Dear" and "Yes, Mom"s rang out making Rosalie giggle. Not too long after, we were all sitting around the table enjoying the meal.
"Now, tell me – you got a girl over there?" Emmett asked after I'd refilled my plate with a second helping. "I mean I know you're like, in the middle of the desert, but there have got to be a few women in camp."
"There are a few women." I glanced around to see Mom side-eyeing me slyly.
"And? Any caught your eye?"
"There may be someone." Mom squealed and clapped her hands.
"I knew it!" She turned to Dad. "Didn't I tell you there was a girl? You owe me $50." I shook my hands and head.
"Wait, wait, wait. You bet on me?" Rosalie giggled as she looked at Mom with a hand over her mouth.
"Of course not." Mom smirked. "We bet on your love life, to be precise. Now, tell me all about her." I shook my head and sighed. I didn't know how to respond to my mother sometimes. "Come on, come on. Tell me, tell me, tell me. My eldest has someone special for the first time in…I don't even know how long. I want to know about her. What's her name? Is she pretty? Does she make you happy?" I couldn't stop the wide smile from spreading across my face.
"Her name's Bella. She's beautiful, and she makes me crazy happy." Mom crossed her arms over her chest and sighed sappily as she leaned her head against Dad's shoulder.
"Bella? Why does that sound familiar?" Dad asked.
"She's the doctor that treated me." Recognition lit his face quickly followed by a look of apology.
"Dr. Isabella Swan." I nodded.
"She's brilliant. Dad, you're the one that told me that. But you should see her. She's wicked smart, but she's down to earth too. She likes football, playing card games, and cooking when she has time. Then I find her curled up in a chair reading medical journals and text books of all things. She gets so animated about her job, about the surgeries she gets to perform, about the adrenaline rush when an emergency is brought in. Plus, she loves to hear about you guys. She's probably itching to hear all about you, Rose. She was so excited to hear Emmett found someone." I could only smile thinking about her.
"My baby's in love," Mom said dreamily. My ears grew warm, but the smile stayed on my face.
"I am." I looked around to find everyone smiling at me. "You'll love her too."
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I shuffled into the kitchen hoping to find some cookies, brownies, anything sweet. Nothing sat on the counter, so I opened the fridge and hit the jackpot. There on the bottom shelf behind some to-go containers, where Mom thought it was hidden, was an untouched banana pudding. I pulled it from the fridge and opened the drawer to get a fork.
"Grab two," I heard my dad say from behind me. We spent the next few minutes eating straight out of the dish. Mom would be upset, but I'd blame Emmett. "Sometimes I forget you've grown up." I looked at Dad like he had a second head. "I mean, I know you're older, but I still see you as my little boy the first time you broke your arm after falling out Aunt Carmen's tree." We both laughed at the memory.
"The first of many," I reminded him. He nodded and fell back silent.
"Even then, it was hard to trust someone else to care for you." I nodded already knowing that. He never was good at letting someone else take the reigns when it came to me or Emmett's health. "I don't want you to think I doubt Dr. Swan…Bella. I believe she's good." I looked over at him.
"She's more than good, Dad."
"I know. I know." He looked at me with an apologetic smile. "But you're my son. No one's good enough." I understood what he was saying. It had nothing to do with Bella; he would have felt that way about any doctor trying to take care of me.
"Just wait until you meet her." I laid my fork in the sink and started heading back to bed. "You'll see."
"I have no doubt I will."
A/N 05/13/18: Good morning my friends! I hope you enjoyed seeing some brother bonding, and some future planning. I also hope this helps clear up some doubts about Carlisle that a few readers expressed. He's a dad AND a doctor. He's a bit protective over his children. He doesn't necessarily doubt Let me know what you think about this chapter.