Chapter 14
"Have you ever thought about getting back together?"
It was later the same evening. Bella and I were snuggled under the covers in my king sized bed. The same bed which had been filled from corner to corner with giggles just twelve hours ago. The darkness gave my astonishment some cover.
I wrapped my arm around Bella's middle, relishing in the way her hair tickled my nose. "No, I don't think about that."
"No?" she sounded a little too incredulous for my taste.
"Are you kidding me?" I reached over to turn on my bedside lamp. "What brings this up?"
If looks could kill. "Are you kidding me? You rearranged your entire holiday for this woman. It was different when I thought she was going to be a major bitch, but she's been civil. She's obviously a good person.
"And you have a daughter with her…" Bella's bottom lip trembled, and she pulled the comforter around her body.
I knew I had to nip this in the bud.
"I know this is weird for you. It's weird for me, too. I just… The thing you have to understand about the break up—at least from my side—is that it was fairly amicable. Until Lauren involved Rosalie. I just wasn't happy anymore, but that doesn't mean I hate Lauren. Quite the opposite. But do I want to share the rest of my life with her? Absolutely not."
Bella's shoulders stopped their shaking. Her head tilted up and her eyes met mine.
"I want to share everything I have with you," I said, rather gently. "I'm sorry that right now that means my family baggage. I just don't know what else to do. But that doesn't mean I secretly want to get back with Lauren. I don't, unequivocally."
"I believe you," she said.
Our lips met in a soft kiss that wasn't meant to escalate. It was soft and gentle, just a rubbing of the lips. But I think it felt like a promise. I meant to hold up my end of the deal.