Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story.
A/N: We're back again and happy summer! I've been away on vacay this week, but my beta and I still managed to get this done for a weekly update, 2 days early, woohoo! You will get some B POV with this chapter, then jump back into E's head. Much love to myonlyheroin for getting this chapter back to me earlier than expected during a very busy month for her!
Daddy Dearest
Chapter 14
*...Bella...*
I'd barely slept last night.
My eyes watched the obscenely frustrating bright red numbers on my alarm clock go from two-thirty to eight-fifteen a.m. from the moment my head hit the pillow.
I'd forced them to take a break by clenching my lids shut for a few minutes here and there, but actual sleep had been out of the question. Every time darkness surrounded me, I'd begun to replay the memory of what it had been like to finally give all of myself to Edward Cullen in the warm Atlantic Ocean.
I could still feel his lips on my tingling skin, and smell him in my hair.
This, of course, meant I would not be showering at all today.
I didn't ever want the smell of him to go away.
After getting us home, Edward and I, had, in fact, spent another thirty-five minutes sitting in his car, making out like two coming of age, horny teenagers, fogging up his windows and then tracing little hearts with our initials in them across the glass.
Yes, we were that ridiculous, but I'd loved every solitary second of it until we'd parted ways outside of my apartment door.
That's where our night had ended, and I'd been feeling like a bipolar mess ever since.
A part of me couldn't stop wondering why he'd turned me down when I'd suggested he come inside, but I was determined to not overthink that part too much.
I knew I'd only drive myself mad.
I'd have to start drinking well before noon if the idea that I'd actually gotten played by the neighbor boy entered my head one more time.
No, there was no time for that.
My family would be here in less than ten minutes, and my brothers would more than likely be nursing hangovers.
The best part about this?
I'd be able to tease them about their hangovers.
That part, I was actually looking forward to.
Nothing annoyed James more than someone calling him out on his inability to run with the big dogs after a night of heavy drinking. Thankfully, I'd behaved myself… at least in the indulgence of booze sense. I'd done this on purpose last night, knowing I'd need to keep my head clear or I wouldn't have been able to trust myself around Edward as the evening had progressed.
I had not left my apartment with the intent to have sex in the ocean.
I'd also not expected to treat the ocean like a rodeo ring, and Edward's masterful cock as a bull that needed to be tamed, but by the time he and I had walked out of the bar I'd realized I was ready for anything. Just so long as that anything involved him.
All I'd needed was the right and perfect sign.
Something solid to give me that last little push.
When that little push finally came, at the sight of Edward's shirtless body standing under the midnight sky in his boxer briefs with the low waves washing over his feet in the sand and a devilish grin on his beautiful face... my God, it exceeded all of my wildest expectations.
Never in my life had I ever experienced anything like what Edward and I had done together in that water.
I didn't even think it was possible to feel the things I'd felt when he'd been inside of me with his mouth on my body, and his hands exploring my naked skin. It was as if we were the only two people left in the world, and nothing else had mattered but the two of us, there in that moment.
He was gifted beyond belief, and truth be told, it had both scared the hell out of me and also made me crave even more of him, from start to finish… and into the early hours of the morning until the sun had come in through my window.
My phone buzzed beside my bed.
Before I could take in another breath it was in my hand, and I was silently praying it would be Edward letting me know I'd been the first thing he'd thought about when he'd opened his eyes.
When I saw that it was my best friend, I felt my bottom lip plump itself into a pout and fell backward onto my bed before bringing the screen up to my face.
(A)
.Alice.
-Hey, homeslice! Where's breakfast? I'll have Jazz drop me off. -8:22 AM
-I think we decided on the diner up the street. Is Jasper joining? -8:22 AM
-No, he's gotta get to work. You hung over? -8:23 AM
-Nope. I know you are though. -8:23 AM
-Nothing a little early morning mounting couldn't cure. -8:23 AM
-That is your life motto :P -8:24 AM
BTW… speaking of... Do you happen to have a "morning PEZ" lying around here that I can borrow?
...And by borrow, I mean have. -8:24 AM
-BELLA SWAN WHAT DID YOU DO?! -8:24 AM
My phone was ringing in my hand two seconds later.
"Oh my God, tell me everything, woman!"
I laughed into the receiver over the urgency in her voice and shook my head, feeling my face flush while I carefully thought over my response.
"Bella!"
"Can't we talk about it later? I'm trying to calm myself down, not get myself all hot and bothered again. My father will be here any minute to pick me up."
"No, we cannot talk about this later. Not if you don't want me looking at you like I'm anticipating the second coming of Christ throughout our entire breakfast with said father." Alice loudly declared with an exasperated huff also penetrating my ears. I knew she'd meant what she'd said. There was no way she'd be able to sit through an entire meal without already having all of the details within her database.
Alice had many talents, but acting was not one of them.
Unless, of course, we were talking about her ability to fake an orgasm.
That she had mastered.
"Where's Jasper?"
"He's lying here beside me, sweetie. Waiting for all of your naughty details as well."
"Alice!"
"I'm kidding! He went to get us coffee."
I began anxiously lining up all of the smooth decorative pieces of sea glass from the wooden bowl on our countertop, then let out a flustered sigh, feeling much more relieved knowing Edward's best friend wasn't actually eavesdropping on our conversation.
"It happened right after we left the bar."
"At our place?"
"No… like… right after."
My best friend was now giggling into my ear, "So, you guys had sex in his car?"
"Nope… not in a car. We um… walked down to the beach when we left the bar and—,"
"Wait… You had sex in public?! Are you telling me you had sex in public, Isabella Marie Swan, on the beach?!
"In the water." I murmured, hiding my face behind my hand after I'd pulled the phone away from my ear in anticipation of her screams.
"SHUT UP RIGHT NOW! HOLY HELL! TELL ME EVERYTHING! Leave out NOTHING!"
I heard a few other expletives come rushing out, but they all began to run together and quickly stopped making sense. When she finally did quiet down, I asked her if she was done, but that of course only triggered another run on sentence all about my x-rated impulsive transgressions with the neighbor boy who had found his way into my world and then between my legs.
When she quieted down, she let out a soft sigh, then uttered a low hum.
"And… Are you okay?"
I'd expected her to ask me that, but it still seemed like a question she'd already know the answer to so it annoyed me.
"Yes. I'm fine." I promised her as I pushed myself away from the back of the counter to go belly flop onto the couch. "It was… amazing."
The sound that had just left my lips after my last word was slightly mortifying, but I didn't even care.
It had been amazing, and trying to put it into more descriptive words would be an impossible task because there were no actual words that would ever come close to accurately describing the moment Edward and I had shared.
Especially if I tried including every actual emotion he'd forced onto me when we'd made love under the stars for the very first time.
"Oh, honey! I can't believe you really did it… you really severed the anchor… quite literally… in the water… with our new neighbor, whom you just met only two weeks ago, but have actual feelings for!"
"It's been more than two weeks." I snickered with a roll of my eyes. "And who are you to talk?! You can't deny you're starting to let your guard down with Jasper at this point. About that PEZ though..."
"There should be one in my underwear drawer under my period panties, and shush about Jasper. We're having fun. My rules are still well intact." She finally answered me. I got up onto my feet and walked into her bedroom and began digging through her drawers. After finding the Morning After pill I'd been in search of, I went back into the kitchen and swallowed it down while Alice continued to throw more questions at me with rapid speed.
"Was it just the one time, or did he spend the night?"
"Just the one time. We made-out in his car for awhile downstairs before going our separate ways. I haven't heard from him since he texted me he was going to bed around three this morning."
"You haven't slept at all, have you?" Alice must have become clued into that fact thanks to the raspiness and exhaustion in my voice.
"No more than ten minutes at a time since he left me at our front door. It's bad, Alice. All I can think about is seeing him again, but then when I do finally slow down long enough to think about everything there is to think about… I… I feel so much guilt."
"I knew you weren't okay."
I frowned and bit down on my lip before slowly letting it slide forward between my teeth with a rushed breath from my lungs. I hated it when she'd call me out. "Not once did I think about Jake all night. Not even when my brothers were around, but then once I got home and I was alone with my thoughts and the smell of Edward still on me… I almost called him three times, A. I don't know what to do."
"Bella, you guys agreed it was okay to see other people."
"We'd agreed to not sleep with anyone else though, not until we'd made up our minds that we were really done."
My best friend remained silent once I'd reminded her about the finer details in the arrangement Jake and I had agreed upon. Her deafening silence conjured up even more instant guilt for me because it meant she knew there was nothing she could actually say that would make me feel any better about the situation I was now in.
Jake and I had a torrid relationship a lot of the time, but the one thing we'd always been able to do was respect each other enough to follow certain rules when we'd be on one of our breaks.
Sometimes, the rules were different, but this time... he'd made it a point to request we keep things within certain limits, and for the first time ever, I'd failed to comply and stay within those limits.
That was going to hurt him, and I didn't want to be the person to hurt him.
No matter how many times he'd been the person to hurt me.
"Well, there's nothing you can do about it now. Honestly, B, if you let it happen, you had a good reason. You're not the type to just spread your legs for anyone with a cock that makes an effort, and as much as he'd like to think otherwise, Jacob Black does not own your vagina."
Alice had managed to make me smile for a second, but that second didn't last nearly long enough.
"Do I wait and tell him in person when he comes down to visit, or do I call him and tell him over the phone?" I needed her to tell me what to do because I felt like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown trying to figure it all out on my own, on top of wondering if Edward would even call me today.
"Oh sweetie, that's a tough one. As much as I hate him, you two have been through so much together… if it were the other way around, what would you want?"
I thought her question over and began tugging at my hair from the top of my head several times before plopping myself back down onto the couch.
"I think I wouldn't want to prolong the inevitable. I think if it were me, I'd want to know. He's not going to want to be with me when I tell him what happened. I made his choice for him when I did what I did with Edward, and that's going to make him mad."
"If you'd want to know, then you should call him and tell him. Me, personally, I wouldn't want to drive four hours and spend a hundred bucks on gas just to find out my girlfriend had already started fucking someone else."
"It was more than just fucking, Alice."
She sighed, then let out a quiet laugh, "You know what I mean, sweetie. That's all Jake will hear. We both know in the grand scheme of things, it won't matter what else you say, or how you try to sugarcoat it for him to soften the blow."
As much as I didn't want her to be right, I knew it would be pathetic for me to believe she could possibly be wrong.
Jake was about as predictable as they came… that was why it had shocked me so much when he'd eventually shared he would be moving to Florida to get his Master Degree without so much as a hint that he'd even applied to an out of state college.
"I'll wait until tonight. I don't need him calling James in the middle of breakfast to tattle on me."
"Good plan. Would you kill me if I skipped the family sit down? I'm not sure I'd be able to contain myself, and I know your dad would be able to read me like an open book before I'd even sat down. The man is a damn human lie detector machine."
I laughed and sat up straight after hearing someone knock at the front door.
"They're here, I have to go. Don't worry about breakfast. I'm not sure what we're doing after, but I'll let you know when we figure it out. Are you sleeping at home tonight?"
"Um, yes! We need a girls night so you can give me all the smutty details paired up with at least two bottles of wine shared between us, honey! I have the afternoon shift, but I'll be home by nine."
I'd hoped she'd say that.
"Alright, sounds good. Talk more later."
"Love you, B!"
"You too my, A." I hung up the phone, then slipped my feet into my sandals and quickly shuffled my way down the hall towards my front door.
It was time to face the people who knew me best, and hope I'd be able to keep some of my secrets from them for just a little while longer. Edward had done a phenomenal job at winning my brothers over last night, but he'd also had the upper hand once they'd shared a couple of beers between them.
There was no telling how they'd be feeling this morning, now that they'd sobered up.
.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.
.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.
...*Edward*...
I'd spent almost the entire day with my damn laptop in front of me and headphones over my ears.
After having not slept much last night, just laying in my bed thinking about what it had been like to be with Bella, and then spending almost ten hours chatting with faceless women who'd wanted to use the same damn scripted fantasies over and over again... I was fucking tired.
I'd waited to text Bella until well after lunchtime.
I hadn't wanted to seem too eager.
It had taken her almost an hour to respond, and during that hour, I'd barely been able to breathe without feeling like someone had been sitting on my chest with a fifty-pound weight in their lap.
I was so damn worried she'd retreat now. Worried that we'd crossed the line too soon, and she'd woken up this morning regretting everything that had happened while hating me in the process.
When she did finally respond, she'd politely apologized for taking as long as she had, and explained her phone had been turned off while they'd been in a movie.
She'd seemed a little disconnected, but then that could have also been me over analyzing things while looking for any warning signs that she'd been feeling remorseful over where we'd found ourselves when we'd walked away from each other last night.
Once she'd asked me if I'd like to join them for dinner, that was when I'd truly been able to breathe again without taking in short shallow breaths, waiting for the moment where she'd ask to see me again.
Throughout most of our meal, Charlie had been almost frighteningly silent. This had, of course, made me nervous, but her brothers had helped alleviate some of that by treating me like an actual human being, initiating several conversations that had required actual reciprocal interaction.
Almost every time I'd steal a glance Charlie's way, I'd catch him looking at me as if he wanted to kill me and chop up my body to toss into the ocean.
Needless to say, it had not been an enjoyable evening for me. No matter how hard Bella tried to push him and me together, it only pulled us further apart.
He was oil, and I was water.
Nothing was ever going to make him like me.
Hopefully, in time Bella would find a way to be okay with that.
When we finally did get back to our apartment building, I considered excusing myself by saying goodnight with a plotted story ready of needing to up early for work, but I could tell Bella wouldn't have it. She'd barely let go of my arm throughout most of the evening, and while I hadn't minded that one bit, Charlie, on the other hand, had clearly been bothered by it.
This too had not helped me win any points.
"Boys, why don't you take the rental car and I'll go upstairs to spend some, one on two, time with Bella and Edward. I can get an Uber when I'm done here."
The four of us all looked at each other with shock being shared from our faces. Bella's eyes studied her father in the shadows of our parking lot, but he said nothing else and tossed James the car keys.
"Everything okay, pop?"
"Yup. Absolutely. You two go out and find some fun, we've got an early flight in the morning."
"I-I thought you guys weren't leaving until Wednesday."
Bella looked so confused.
She also looked a little more than hurt.
This angered me.
"Something's come up, and we have to head back a little earlier than I'd planned."
Something had definitely come up, but I was pretty sure Charlie had total control of it, meaning he was the one who had decided to cut their visit short.
What the hell is this about?
I looked over at Sam, but he offered me nothing more than a shrug from his shoulders.
Not helpful, Sam.
"Alright, then... I guess we'll see you when we see you. Call us if you need us, dad." James got out, then bumped his brother's arm with his fist to get him moving again. Bella hugged her brothers for a long time, and I watched Sam whisper something into her ear that caused her to nod and take in a deep breath before closing her eyes for a brief moment to collect herself.
She'd barely looked at me, and that was actually killing me the most right now.
I felt like we were walking up to face a firing squad, and she'd hardly acknowledged that I was still standing there with her ready to face whatever it was Charlie had apparently been plotting since our evening had begun.
When her dad started to walk away, Bella turned to follow him, but before I could go after them Sam grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. "I don't know what this is about, but he's been acting weird all day. Remember what I said yesterday. My dad always knows every answer. He doesn't make accusations he can't back up."
I narrowed my eyes, processing his warning, then slowly nodded my head, "Thanks, man. I really do appreciate you being decent to me. I promise I won't make you regret it."
He forced a smile that told me my words had carried very little weight, but he also hadn't told me to fuck off, so I'd take it as a win.
When I got up to the elevator, Bella and Charlie were waiting for me inside. He was holding its door opened with an extended arm and narrowed stare that went right through me. By the looks on their faces, neither one of them had said another word to each other.
She actually looked a little pissed now, and that surprised me.
It also made me nervous.
I didn't hesitate.
I refused to.
Bella and I were adults, and she'd made a choice. A choice that we'd celebrated together while swimming in the Atlantic Ocean last night. He could not take that away from us, and I wouldn't let him think he could intimidate me when it came to the feelings I had for his daughter.
I took her hand into mine and squeezed it, then leaned over to place a gentle kiss at her temple.
The entire walk towards her apartment, she'd held onto my hand as if she were afraid to let go of it, but she didn't say a single word until we were inside, and she'd turned the lights on.
"Okay, let's get this over with."
Charlie rubbed at his mustache and gestured with a nod from his head that we should go take a seat together on the sofa in the middle of the quiet room we were now sharing.
"No. I'm not sitting down so you can stand over me and berate me like a child. I know what this is. Edward, my father does not think you are good enough for me, and he wants me to stop seeing you."
My eyes went wide, and I swallowed back a heavy breath. I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to say when Charlie said nothing.
"What I'd like to hear is why. What has Edward done, that in two days time, you've decided he's not worthy enough for me, your precious little girl?" The venom in Bella's tone was bone chilling. She was beyond livid, and she wasn't about to tiptoe I'd around this.
I was slightly aroused.
I'd also never felt more blindsided or confused in my entire life.
"Maybe I should go, Bella?"
"No!" Charlie instantly boomed, then pointed to the sofa again. "Sit down."
That time I saw Bella flinch.
She looked over at me, with clear and present anger still in her eyes, but her gaze softened when I took a step towards her to take her hand back into mine.
"Come on, I already told you, no one is going to scare me away," I whispered, knowing full well that Charlie would be able to hear me.
He scoffed at my promise to her, then turned to walk himself further into the living room to sit down and wait for us to join him. I watched him take his phone out from his pocket and he began to flip through it while grumbling about something only he could hear from under his breath.
I gave Bella's arm a light tug and began walking us towards him, then sent her a soft wink from my eye, hoping it might help settle her down a little. After seeing her shoulders relax, I smiled and winked again which allowed her entire body to relax even further. Her lips released a gentle rush of air from deep within her lungs and she finally smiled.
I breathed.
"James and Sam had a good time last night hanging out with you and your friends, Edward."
I carefully lowered myself down onto the couch, and Bella positioned her body beside mine, then quickly took my hand back into hers to lace our fingers tightly together.
"Good. I'm glad. I think we all had a fun evening, once the um, pressure was taken away." There wasn't really much more to say about that because I could tell he already had his next rehearsed line ready to go.
"Bella, I wonder. How well do you think you actually know this boy?"
"I know enough, daddy." She affirmed, after looking over at me to soften her smile. "Most importantly though, I know I want to get to know him even more. He makes me happy, and he treats me like I'm the only thing that matters when we're together, which is more than anyone else has ever done in my life."
"Does he now? Is that so? When you're together? That's very interesting you should say that." Charlie pulled up something on his phone and I watched him slowly hand it over towards Bella.
The moment I looked down to see what was on the screen, I felt as if he'd actually punched me directly in the gut with a sledgehammer.
It was a goddamned video of the back alley behind Joe's bar, and I knew exactly what it would show if Bella hit the damned play button.
Thankfully, I'd already come clean and told her what had happened between Kate and I, but what kind of twisted fuck would do this to their own daughter?
"Are you serious? Bella, don't play that video." I gently warned, trying my best to keep my own building rage under control.
"What- what is this?" she stuttered, looking back and forth between her dad and me, then back down at the phone again.
"It's something you don't need to see." I sternly replied, then redirected my attention back onto her father, "That was an ex of mine, you apparently saw me with, and I stopped it and told Bella all about what happened. She already knows everything, sir."
Charlie scoffed at my words and snickered something under his breath before releasing a sarcastic laugh paired with several brief shakes from his head.
Bella's eyes went wide, and she dropped the phone from her hands where it fell with a thud onto the floor beside our feet.
"You… Were you spying on him? Did you actually sit back somewhere and video while he… while they-"
"While he went behind your back, and made a complete fool of you, with you sitting right there on the other side of the wall. That's the kind of man he is."
Bella looked like she'd just been told her entire life was a lie.
Her silence and statue-like state were eerily frightening.
I could see her anger beginning to take complete control of her right before our eyes. This was not going to end well with her father, but Christ was I damn thrilled I'd been honest with her when she'd asked me about Kate last night.
See, Cullen, honesty is the best policy. Lesson learned! Proceed with caution.
"Edward and I are NOT exclusive! Need I remind you I am still also dating Jake!? What he did with Kate… Jesus Christ, Dad! I can't even believe you would go and do something like this! What is WRONG with you?!"
Then something changed.
Bella went dead silent. Her eyes began to move about Charlie's face almost as if she were in search of something. I watched her enraged stare go absolutely blank while her thoughts quickly began to rev up in rapid speed and her jaw tightened before she finally opened her mouth to speak again.
"If you were there… and then he… we-we left the bar right after that… and we… we walked… did you… oh my GOD! Did you follow us to the beach?! Did you actually spy on us, too?!"
Charlie said nothing.
He didn't even look away in embarrassment.
We had our answer.
This guy had apparently watched his daughter ride my cock in the Atlantic, where I'd made her moan and scream out in ecstasy up towards the heavens, and he hadn't already killed me. We'd actually shared an entire meal together. That, in itself, was a miracle, but how was this even my reality right now?
Bella suddenly leaped up from beside me and smacked her dad hard in the shoulders with her opened hands, "Get out!" She ordered, looking down at him with both disgust and fury burning in her eyes.
I could barely breathe at this point. Shock had taken over, and my body was frozen solid while I processed everything that was happening, and what it all potentially meant.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She screamed louder, hitting him again several times.
My ears were ringing, and my own fists had clenched firmly at my sides in reaction to her wrath, and my acceptance that this man was not someone who could be trusted, let alone ever respected.
While his approval no longer mattered to me, he was still Bella's father. It was better I not react.
"Bella, honey, you're making a huge mistake. Guys like him-"
"I said, LEAVE!"
That time he stood up to take a step towards her, but she only shoved him again with tears starting to appear in her eyes.
"That's the last time! The last time you violate my trust, and my privacy! Which is hilarious being that you're the man who doesn't give out second chances, and I've lost count of how many times you've let me down, but I've always forgiven you, and I've always loved you unconditionally no matter how many times you've successfully poisoned my life!"
Now Charlie was starting to look mad, but he said nothing to combat her words.
"You're no father! You became my paid keeper the day you finally sobered up under Billy Blacks watchful eyes and steady hand! Spying on your own daughter at the usual Swan P.I. hourly rate just to line your pockets, and keep your blessed position as the Black family's right-hand man, and confidant!"
"The Blacks did not pay me! I was there last night on my own accord because I knew this dipshit shouldn't be trusted with your heart!"
Bella's nostrils were flaring, and she was back to forcefully shoving Charlie towards the front door.
"For the record, it was Jake who broke my heart. Multiple times over the last five years, and you never blinked once during any of those times. Instead, you were the one to always push me back towards him, just for it to happen all over again."
"That's not fair, Bells."
"You're right it wasn't fair! My life has never been fair, or about what I wanted! Why the hell do you think I left town?!"
I remained seated on the couch listening but no longer watching.
As I began to realize just how damaged Bella's father had made her over the years, it was becoming increasingly challenging to not charge at the mother fucker myself.
"If I leave here and you keep this up… with him… don't you dare come to me for money. You're cutting yourself off completely. From me and your brothers. I won't enable you to continue down this path."
"I wouldn't take your money anyways. Not while knowing where it came from. Goodbye, dad. Thanks for reminding me why I left in the first place. Not that a reminder was ever needed."
I heard her open the door and looked up to watch Charlie go, but not before we locked eyes one more time so he could send me one last silent warning, cemented by his hate-fueled vengeful stare into my long-term memory.
"You could have such an easy life Bella if you'd just-"
"GO! NOW!"
Charlie straightened his stance and squared his shoulders once he was in the opened doorway. He turned to take in one last sorrowful look at Bella. "You are your mother's daughter if nothing else."
She gave him one final shove from her clenched fists, then slammed the door shut in his face and locked it with enraged speed. She didn't turn around right away. Instead, she leaned against the door with her hands pressed against the painted wood frame, and I watched silently as her shoulders began to shake once her crying finally took control.
I was on my feet seconds later, taking her trembling body into my arms.
"I'm so sorry, Bella," I whispered, not knowing what else to say. I had a feeling no matter what I said, nothing would help the situation.
"It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong." She managed to eventually get out after wrapping her arms around me to pull her body more deeply up against my chest.
"I don't want to come between you and your family, but I don't want to already lose you either," I confessed, feeling as though it needed to be said out loud.
She stayed quiet, aside from her soft sobs coming from below my chin where she'd pressed her head into my shirt, and increased her grasp around me.
"I'm doing this for me." She whispered, then took in a long deep breath and slowly exhaled, "My happiness means more to me than his approval. You make me happy. He can either find a way to accept that, or he can stay out of my life. I'm done walking on eggshells with him. I'm done living my life for Billy Black, and the future he's envisioned for his one and only son."
We were still standing by the front door when the sound of a key being inserted into the lock alerted us both to look over. Seconds later, Alice's head appeared and she looked as though she were expecting to find something entirely different than Bella crying in my arms.
"Oh honey! What happened!? I just saw Charlie, but he barely said three words to me. I could tell he was in one of his moods. I got up here as fast as I could."
She took Bella from me and instantly began smoothing her hair back at the top of her head before wiping her eyes with her hands. Alice walked them into the living room, with Bella leaning into her shoulder still not saying a word. I wasn't sure if I should follow them, or sneak out the front door and let them have their time together without me standing in the shadows wondering what to do next.
"E, why don't you give us a couple of minutes. Bella will call you in a little while once we've talked."
I hesitated to leave, but when Bella looked up to connect with my eyes again, I could see it on her face that Alice was who she needed the most right now.
"Alright. I'll be next door if you need me."
She nodded, and blew me a kiss from her hand, but still didn't say a single word.
That made it even harder to walk away from her.
I continued to watch for a few seconds longer as they got settled in on the couch until Alice turned to give me a look, letting me know she'd make sure Bella would be okay, and that I really should go.
Once outside, I was surprised to see Jasper standing against the wall beside my apartment door.
"Rough night?"
"Oh, it was great, and then it got even better about seven minutes ago when all hell finally broke loose." I sarcastically shared with a shake from my head as I unlocked my door.
It was a huge relief to find the apartment dark meaning Tanya was not home.
"What happened?"
"Her father happened."
"Well, obviously, but I mean WHAT happened? He looked like he was going to go kill someone when we bumped into him on our way up."
I shook my head again and ran my hand through my hair, then began looking all around the room for something I could send my fist into.
"He doesn't want her to be with me."
"Who cares what he wants. He's not the one fucking you."
I turned to glare at my friend. He quickly threw his hands up in defense. "Sorry, are we referring to x-rated romps in the ocean as lovemaking sessions these days? I must have missed that memo."
"It was more than fucking, asshole," I mumbled back, opening my fridge to grab us both a beer.
"Oh, I bet it was. You put in a hell of a lot of work to earn that pussy my friend!"
I continued to glare in his direction, but popped opened our bottles, then handed one over to my best friend. All I wanted to do was numb my head right now, so I was impulsively eyeing the liquor shelf. I knew better than to let that happen though, because Bella might soon need me again, and I needed to have a clear head if that happened.
"Her dad saw us, Jazz."
"Saw you what?"
"Last night. He followed us after we left."
"After you left the bar? Shut the hell up! Are you saying he actually watched you fuck his baby girl in the goddamn waves of Miami Beach?! You. Are. Lying!"
"Please stop calling it that!"
Jasper was trying his best to hold in his laughter.
He was failing and didn't even care.
"What kind of twisted, homegrown relationship do these mountain people have?!"
I shook my head, still feeling the disbelief myself, and stared down at the bottle in my hand while I continued to recount everything that had transpired over the last forty-eight hours.
"He also saw me kiss and almost get my dick sucked by Kate in the damn alley behind Joe's right before I took B down to the beach."
Now Jasper was laughing hard, and also holding onto the wall to keep him upright, "WHAT?! You are a man of many surprises, my friend. Though, should I really be surprised about Kate? This is honestly why I love you. Christ, have I missed having the real, Edward Masen Cullen around!
"Shut up. I'd really rather not relive any of the Kate stuff, but Charlie has it all on video. He might be willing to share it with you if you ask him nicely."
"Hol-E Shit! On video?! Did he show it to, B?"
I honestly couldn't even believe everything I was saying, even though I'd heard it all with my own two ears, and experienced it right before my eyes.
Granted, I'd had to deal with my fair share of pissed off dad's in my life, but never had I come across someone as brazen and selfish as Charlie Swan.
"He tried to, but I'd already come clean and told her what happened."
Jasper shook his head in atoned bewilderment, "That's seriously messed up, man. Who does that to their own daughter?"
"Apparently, Charlie Swan does that."
My best friend took me by the shoulders and gave me a sorrowful look that made me want to punch him in the face.
To distract myself from doing that, I took my phone from my pocket to check it for any new messages.
I let out a frustrated growl.
Nothing.
All I wanted was to have her back in my arms, so I could tell her everything would be okay, and we'd figure this out together. I wanted her to know I wouldn't judge her for any choice she decided to make that might affect us, and the relationship we'd begun to explore together when no one else had been around to get in our way.
Most importantly, I wanted her to know I still wasn't going anywhere unless she told me to.
"What are you going to do?"
"Whatever Bella wants me to do," I admitted, without even giving it a second thought. I pulled at the back of my neck with my expression guarded while doing my best to avoid my best friends silent judgment.
"Well, according to Alice, you're who she wants between her legs, and she'd planned on calling her boyfriend tonight to give him the news."
Now I was looking at him.
"What did you just say?"
"Yup, she told Alice she was going to tell him all about you, and what happened. I hope you're ready to kick Kate back into the dugout for good because it sounds like B is ready to take things into the next inning without keeping a pinch hitter on deck. If you know what I mean."
Bella hadn't hinted at all that she was ready to take that step with me, and make us more official. Although, we'd also barely talked today since her family had kept us from getting any real one on one time from the moment I'd met them downstairs to go out to dinner.
"I made it clear to Kate last night that we were never going to happen again."
"Huh… That must be why she went home with Riley."
Typical.
Sadly, my cousin picking up my leftovers was to be expected.
What wasn't good enough for me, would always be good enough for him.
We still needed to have a talk, him and I, but for now, that could wait.
I finished off my beer, and contemplated grabbing myself another, but just as I'd reached in for it my phone began to buzz on the countertop where Jasper was sitting.
"B's calling."
I rushed towards him and quickly snatched my phone from his hand before he could taunt me by pulling it away to make me beg him for it.
"Hey, are you okay?" I softly questioned after turning my back towards my best friend. I started walking into my bedroom for some privacy and heard her take in a deep breath, then slowly let it all out. I pictured her sad eyes nodding with her head on the other end, and felt my confused anger beginning to build up all over again.
"I'm fine. Alice is opening us a bottle of wine. Would you and Jasper like to come over to watch a movie or something? I'd really like to have a normal night, and forget about everything else for a few hours. We were supposed to have a girls evening in, but I told her I want you here. That I need you here. She's pouting, but I'm sure Jazz will help her find something else to do with her mouth once he's the one sharing a couch with her."
"We'll be over in five minutes, and Bella?"
"Yeah?"
"Nothing depressing. Something funny. Adam Sandler is not funny. Don't argue."
"Oh we will argue, buddy! See you in five."
"Make that three, beautiful."
I heard her let out a soft laugh, then dropped my phone back into my pocket before going out into the living room to fill my best friend in with our change of plans.
She'd sounded so sad on the phone.
So broken and unsure of things.
I was determined to help her find a reason to smile again, and I wouldn't stop until that smile told me she'd only been bruised and not fractured. Bent, but not broken.
I'd show her that letting me in was worth it, and together, if she'd allow me further in, I'd prove her father wrong.
A/N: How about that Charlie Swan? He seems to have crossed a line himself, but what will this mean for Bella, now that she's cut all of her safety lines?
Next chapter Edward will have his sit down with Riley and then make his attempt to break free from the chains Aro has so subtly wrapped around his neck.
***Reviews make me smile!***
**Make me smile and I'll share an outtake with you from BPOV while she's talking with Alice after her dad's left her in tears at their apartment.**