Bella and the Bum
By SDFreeze…Sandi
Chapter 21
Edward lives life on his own terms and meets a woman who needs to learn what life is really all about. They make a deal to spend a day in each other's world. Someone will have to change if they want a relationship, but each one is certain their way is best. Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Characters.
This story will deal with some mature themes with regard to abuse. If this is a trigger for you, you may want to read THE CUBE instead.
21
Bella was kept on the stand most of the morning and when she was finally released I walked out the door behind her. She turned to me and I was ready to beg on my knees to get her to talk to me. Luckily, she whipped around and fell into my arms. I inhaled deeply and held her as tightly as possible. I knew we weren't fixed, but at the moment everything felt right.
"What are you doing here?" she asked without letting go of me.
"Rose said I could only help one person, I wanted it to be you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, are you okay?" she asked in return.
"No," I admitted. "I'm not okay. I'm far from okay. I'm stupid and blind and hurting."
"Welcome to the human race," she said, and her chuckle filled me with desire.
I wasn't sure if she would let me kiss her or not, but I tried anyway. I began softly but my emotions grew quickly and soon we were kissing passionately in the middle of the courthouse. When we came to our senses she took my hand and led me to her car.
"I have a rental," I said.
"So do I," she said with a laugh. "Follow me to my hotel."
I followed behind and couldn't help the smile plastered on my face. I marveled at Bella's strength to be so carefree after talking about such painful events. I could also clearly see how far she had come from the person James knew; maybe I could grow stronger over time, too.
We didn't head right to her room; we stopped off in the café for lunch. Bella ordered a drink, but I got lemonade. I had damaged my liver enough over the past few days. As soon as we sat she went right for my juggler with, "You missed Jasper's funeral."
My eyes fell in shame and I nodded. "Yeah, I was….drunk."
"I wish you could have been there to hear Alice's remarks. She didn't mind that you missed it, because she said you gave Jasper so much joy by adding value to his opinions and experiences. He loved you very much, and the pain you were feeling showed how much you loved him."
"She gave me too much credit," I mumbled, and felt my eyes begin to water.
"There's nothing wrong with hurting when someone you love dies," Bella said, as she placed her hand on top of mine. "But blaming yourself is wrong, Edward."
I decided to purge my soul to the one person who mattered. I admitted things I hadn't faced for years. I had been a lonely kid and blamed my parent's money on their lack of attention. As an adult I could see why my mother was so driven to be successful, but it didn't satisfy the child in me. I was attached to Carmen because she was the only constant in my life as I pushed everyone else away. I never expected anything from the people I met on the streets, so I couldn't be disappointed in them. I had opened myself up to Bella and when circumstances threatened us I pushed her away to spare myself more pain.
She gave me the same gift I had offered her on her birthday. She listened to me. She let me talk until everything was out into the open. I finally took a long drink from my water glass and she put her foot on mine to stop it from bouncing nervously.
"Do you feel better?" she asked.
"Yeah," I sighed, "I do."
"Okay, now about us," she began, and I tensed. "I expected everything that happened. I knew it was a lot to take on and I knew you would have a breaking point. I work with these situations every day. It didn't hit me all at once; it was an experience I lived for several years so I'm equipped to face it. You're not."
"Is that why you wanted me to stay at home with the kids?" I said with a laugh.
She smiled and continued on. "I don't understand your desire to sing in front of strangers. I could never do that. I tried to imagine my coworkers telling me they saw my husband sitting on a corner singing for money. The thought used to mortify me. I thought it would get easier when they knew I was married to Edward Cullen. They would assume he could afford to be eccentric. But now I really don't care what people think. When Jasper died all the pretense went with him. I love you, and if you're a bum, so what?"
I laughed loudly and shook my head. "I'm not a bum," I pointed out. She got her phone and pulled up the definition online and handed it to me to read. The fourth definition said; One who is devoted to a particular activity or milie. Okay, I was a music bum.
She looked at my empty plate and then smiled seductively. "Are you ready to go upstairs?"
"Do you promise to be gentle?" I asked with a smirk. She had pretty much reduced me to a ball-less eunuch anyway.
"Absolutely not," she said, and waved the waiter over for the bill.
I had more money than I knew what to do with, but Bella paid the bill. I grinned like a fool the entire time. Our life together would be anything but traditional.
We walked slowly, arm in arm to the elevator and once inside I pulled her against my chest. "I love you," I said securely.
"You better, I don't want anyone but you," she said, as I continued to kiss her as she spoke.
We made it to her room and I laughed when I saw clothes thrown all over the floor. Her charade was for the witness stand and she was free to be herself in the room. She moved to pick something up and I grabbed her around the waist and tossed her onto the bed.
"Impatient much?" she asked with a giggle.
"Yes, I'm such a child," I agreed and began to kiss her with a purpose. As usual I got lost in my passion for Bella. Everything in the world fell into the background and all I could concentrate on was the feeling of her body and mine, moving together to a rhythm all our own.
We were half asleep as we murmured confirmations of love to each other. I said, "Let's get a house for us. The other places seem…tainted."
"Well," she mumbled. "My place is too sterile, your penthouse is too pretentious, and the basement place is just gross, so a house sounds good."
"Okay, we'll buy a house," I said and drifted off. I wasn't so naïve anymore to believe it would all happen so easily.
We stayed in the bed for the remainder of the day and night. The next morning we prepared to leave Phoenix and see if things could work for us in Seattle. Bella asked me to ride in her car and I explained I had to return the rental car.
"I know, just come with me somewhere first," she demanded, without explanation.
I got in the car and she drove to an older neighborhood in Glendale. She pulled up to a small house covered in odd wind sculptures and wind chimes. She looked at the house and then said with concern. "I want you to meet my mother."
"Oh," I replied stupidly. "Yeah, okay."
We walked to the front door and Bella knocked loudly instead of ringing the doorbell. We could hear movement inside the house and the door finally opened to expose a woman dressed in mismatched clothes, who looked a lot like Bella. She screamed and pulled Bella into the house and then jumped up and down as she hugged her.
"Mom, calm down," Bella instructed.
"Phil, come meet my baby," the woman yelled down the hallway.
Bella glanced at me and rolled her eyes at the mention of a man being in the house. It was obviously someone new whom Bella hadn't met yet. A younger man came from the hallway, dressed in only lounge pants to meet us.
"Philly, this is my little Bells," she said, and I laughed causing Bella to elbow me.
"Hello, I'm Isabella," she said and extended her hand. "This is my fiancé, Edward."
"You're engaged?" her mother screamed and then grabbed her hand to look for a ring. Finding it empty she turned to glare at me.
"Her ring is being designed," I covered, since I didn't want to use my grandmother's ring anymore. It had bad memories attached to it.
"I'm Renee, but you can call me mom," she said to me.
"He has a mother," Bella said dryly, but actually Carmen was more like a mother to me.
"How long can you stay?" Renee asked, and I was certain she would give Bella hell for just now stopping by.
"An hour," Bella replied.
"Really, that long?" Renee asked, as if an hour was really putting her out.
We all sat in the living room and the conversation was sparse and general, until Renee began running her hands all over Phil and Bella announced we had to be going. We got back into the car and I laughed loudly, "Oh my hell."
"Yeah, at least you get millions from your psycho parents," Bella pointed out.
"What's your father like?" I pressed.
"Think of Dick Cheney with a happy trigger finger," she said, and I decided I never wanted to meet her father. I also realized how she ended up with James; she didn't have a strong support system like I had with Carmen.
"So," Bella said hesitantly, "Are we really engaged or just playing with my mother?"
I smiled at her eagerness and she reached over and pushed my shoulder. I truly loved her and I no longer needed the big romantic proposal. "If you want me, we're engaged," I said.
We drove in silence for a few blocks and then she said, "Yeah, I want you."
It was that simple, or that lame, I wasn't sure which, but Bella and I were engaged. Now so many other issues came to light. "Do you want a big wedding?" I asked.
She really shocked the hell out of me when she responded with, "Mercy Park will do." I thought she was teasing me. Why would she fight so hard to be respectable and then marry in a park for homeless people? I leaned over to look directly at her face and she smiled.
"You realize my mother will try to make you marry at Cullen Manor. She always wanted a bride to walk down the big staircase," I said, hoping the image didn't make her change her mind.
Her face grew sad and she said softly, "No, Jasper's funeral was there. I don't want to marry there."
I turned and looked out the window, feeling empty with the mention of my friend and guilty for missing his funeral. Bella reached over and took hold of my hand, "Only happy thoughts," she said.
She dropped me off to get my car and I followed her to the airport. We arrived back in Seattle at dusk and drove to her place. She made dinner while I looked at rings online. I wanted to surprise her, but I couldn't figure out what she would want. I picked my two favorite and printed them out to show her.
"Do you like either one of these?" I asked, and handed her the papers.
She glanced at them quickly and then handed them right back. "No, I don't like either of them. I want a simple band, that's it."
"I may look, and act, like a bum, but I have money," I reminded her.
"I know, but neither of those rings are you. I want a ring that is a reflection of you, so a simple band would be perfect," she said, falling into my arms and kissing me like she meant it.
I don't know how I got so lucky. I got a smart woman to fall in love with me, and also understand my way of life. My hands ran down her back and onto her ass where I pulled her tightly against me. We didn't eat a warm dinner that night. It grew colder as we grew hotter, but it was the best meal I ever had.