A/N: I don't have alot to say this time but if anyone donated to this: ( http://mskathyff (.) blogspot (.) com/search/label/charity ) that MsKathy set up, I did enter the first chapter of my next story I plan to write when this one is done. I am expecting to be done with this one by March and we were asked not to post our contributions until after March 1st so if anyone donated to it then look for mine :-). If not then I'll start my next story after March 1st.
Thanks for all the reviews everyone, I appreciate all the feedback.
Thanks bzeemomof4 and Redlulu for being so great with your help and suggestions. You both make this story so much better.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters
My Wish: Rascal Flatts
I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big
BPOV
When we arrived back in Forks and pulled into the driveway at Edward's house, I could tell both Seth and Leah were excited. Unfortunately, I was nervous. I wasn't sure if she would allow us to stay once again. Edward sort of volunteered his house for us to stay while we hide out and hadn't really discussed it with either of his parent's. I wasn't sure if Emmett was still staying here, but if he was that meant Rose was as well. Which meant the house was going to be very full and I didn't know how Esme would feel about that.
Edward jumped out of the car first and Esme came running down the steps, bringing Edward into her arms. I stepped out hesitantly watching and waiting to see what Esme would think of us being back. Seth and Leah got out behind me and I held them back giving Edward and Esme a minute. I could feel the anticipation of being back in Esme's arms as well in Seth and Leah. They were itching to be released from me, so they could run to her.
Once Edward stepped to the side and she saw us standing there, I held my breath. I watched as tears began falling down her cheeks and she stepped the few feet closer to us bringing us all in for a hug. It was awkward with her trying to hug us all at the same time, but it was so nice to know that she accepted us back so easily.
"Mom, we need to hide out here for a while," Edward informed her. She pulled away from us and saw Aunt Kate and Garrett standing behind us.
"Your brother hasn't said anything. What's going on?" She asked turning back to Edward.
"James tried to follow me to Florida," he said. Esme gasped and raised her hand to her mouth. "He won't suspect that we would have come back here, so we need to hide out until he's caught. The Florida police are on the case and hopefully if all goes well they can obtain him. But we have to stay here and no one can know we're here. Is that okay?"
"Of course it is, son. I'll do whatever I have to, so that you are all safe," She agreed.
"Thanks, mom. We should get inside before anyone sees us," Edward suggested. He walked over to me, taking my hand in his and led us all inside.
"I've got to go check in at the station," Garrett said. "I'll be back later to check on everyone." I noticed he reached out to Kate's hand and squeezed it lightly before he left. I was getting the sense that things were getting better between them.
"Well, come in and sit down. Is anyone hungry or need anything to drink?" Esme asked, as we stepped inside.
We all shook our heads and went to sit in the living room.
"Thank you so much for letting us stay," Kate said.
"It's our pleasure. I've missed all of you tremendously. You're all welcome to stay as long as you like."
I sat down on the couch next to Edward leaning my head on his shoulder and his arm came up around my shoulders holding me to him protectively.
I kept telling myself that this whole ordeal was almost over. We would almost be free and not have to hide or run anymore. From what I was overhearing from Garrett and Felix's conversation with Edward this morning, they were closing in on James and it was only a matter of time before they found him. But with that thought brought another. What would happen after he was found? Would we have to go back to Florida? Would Edward come with me if we did? Or would I choose to stay here with him?
After a while, Seth busied himself with toys that were left behind and Leah went up to her old room to read for a while. Kate and Esme spent many hours chatting about random things and seemed to get along really well.
I glanced up at Edward who was leaning back on the couch almost asleep. I shifted to get up and his head shot up pulling me closer to him. "Where are you going?" He asked in a panicked tone.
"I was just going to make some coffee for everyone," I replied.
"Oh," he said letting out a long sigh and releasing his hold on me. "I'll come help you."
We got up and I noticed both Kate and Esme were giving us curious looks. I was sure they probably heard Edward's panic. I smiled at them both sheepishly. "I was going to make some coffee. Would either of you like some?"
"That would be lovely dear," Esme smiled.
"Thank you, Bella, I would love some," Kate added.
I nodded my head and walked towards the kitchen. Edward was right behind me with his hand on my back.
I started filling up the coffee pot with water and I asked Edward to get the coffee out of the cupboard. He brought it over to me and as I started to pour the scoops into the filter he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I smiled and leaned back against him. He leaned down and kissed the back of my neck.
"It's almost over, Bella. You'll be free soon," he whispered.
"We'll all be free," I added. I turned around in his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss his lips. We kissed fully and after a few seconds I felt Edward lift me off the ground and place me on the counter. He lifted my shirt just enough to slide his hand in across my stomach. "Edward," I warned, pushing his hands away. "Your mother and my aunt are in the next room." He smiled sheepishly and took a couple steps back.
"Sorry," he said. "I've missed you though. I need you."
"Not now," I whispered. He huffed. I hoped he wasn't serious. There was no way that was going to happen anytime soon. Not with so many people in the house.
"We'll find a way," he assured with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but I couldn't help but smile.
I hopped off the counter and started pulling coffee cups from the cupboard when I saw a car pull into the driveway. I looked out the window to get a better look at the red car pulling in.
"Oh great," I heard Edward grumble from behind me.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"That would be Rosalie," he answered. I smiled when I heard it was her. I had gotten to know her quite well over the phone the last couple months and I was excited to see her. Emmett's jeep pulled in a few seconds later and I saw both Emmett and Garrett get out. Edward took off out the front door. I assumed to be sure Garrett had filled them in on the arrangement and they knew not to tell anyone. I knew Edward had his suspicions about Rose, but I felt like I could trust her.
I filled the cups with coffee and put them on the tray with the cream and sugar, then brought the tray out to the living room. Esme and Kate both grabbed a cup and thanked me for it just as everyone else stepped through the front door. Everyone started greeting each other.
I looked up and saw Rose smile. Seth came running into the living room and ran to Emmett and Rosalie came and gave me a hug.
"Welcome home, Bella," she said. "It's good to see you again, even if my future brother-in-law is an idiot for going to get you when a psycho killer is after him."
"Brother-in-law… you and Emmett are getting married?" I asked.
"Not yet, he hasn't asked, but we've talked about it a little," she clarified. "I'm hoping he will soon. I think once this case is over, maybe he will."
"That's great. I'm happy for you," I offered.
"What are you two talking about over here?" Emmett asked, coming up behind Rose and wrapping his arms around her.
"We were just discussing the future," Rosalie replied, patting his cheek with her hand. I smiled at them, then caught Edward's eye who was watching me intently from across the room.
"It's nice to have you back, Bella," Emmett said. "Maybe now my brother won't mope around the house anymore." I gave him a weak smile and noticed Edward was starting to walk towards us. He leaned down to my ear.
"Are you okay?" he whispered. I nodded my head and patted him on the shoulder. I was fine, but bringing up the fact that Edward was moping while I was gone made me feel extremely guilty. I caused that pain in him and I didn't like that.
"Well, I think we should figure out something for dinner tonight and also sleeping arrangements for everyone," Esme announced.
"I'll help with dinner, Esme," I offered. She nodded her head and we headed towards the kitchen. Leah came downstairs shortly after and came into the kitchen to help as well. Esme decided to make up everything we would need for tacos. It was something everyone would enjoy and also something rather quick and simple with so many people helping to prepare it.
Carlisle pulled into the driveway shortly before dinner was ready. He was rather shocked when he walked in to a full house of people. He was happy to see all of us and made sure we were all aware that we were welcome to stay as long as we liked.
Once we all sat down to eat, people started conversing casually with each other. I was so extremely happy to be back here among all the people I truly cared about. This is where I felt safe and loved. It's not that I didn't think Aunt Kate didn't care about us, but to me, this was home.
"It's nice to see everyone so happy," Rosalie observed. "The last few days Esme and Carlisle have been a wreck. I felt so bad for them stressing the way they were."
Edward scoffed at her words. "Yeah two days compared to two months is such a tragedy."
"Well, Edward, you could have saved everyone a lot of stress if you would have told us what you were up to," Rosalie scolded.
"And why exactly would I tell anyone at this table what I was doing?" he asked, staring straight at Rosalie. I put my hand on his knee and whispered his name, begging him to not start anything. "So someone can run off and tell James what the plan is and where they are."
"You think someone here is tipping James off?" Emmett asked. Edward and Rosalie stared each other down and I was pretty sure everyone could feel the tension.
"Are you trying to insinuate something?" Rosalie asked.
"Are you trying to own up to something?" Edward retorted, glaring at her now.
"Edward, knock it off," Emmett demanded.
"What's going on?" Carlisle asked.
"Edward, please don't do this," I begged, louder.
"I can't believe you, Edward. I might not be the easiest person to get along with. But I never…" Rosalie stopped. I could see tears filling her eyes. She sighed and looked towards me. "Bella, I wouldn't do that to you." I gaped at her. I hadn't known her very long and most of what I did know about her was through phone conversations, but I never imagined she would get this upset about Edward making accusations against her that had to do with me. She jumped up from her chair and ran towards the back door.
"Edward, what the hell…" Emmett shouted.
"Why did you do that?" I shouted as well.
"I don't trust her," he said, staring down at his plate. Everyone at the table was looking back and forth between the three of us.
Garrett placed his hand on Edwards back and he flinched away. "Just calm down, Edward, everything will be fine."
I heard him huff and shake his head slightly. I got out of my chair and Edward grabbed my arm. "Where are you going?"
I'm going to check on Rosalie," I said, angrily. "I know you think she's a traitor, but I don't." He let go of my arm and I walked out towards the back door. Rosalie was sitting on the edge of the deck with her head in her hands. She heard me coming up behind her and turned around brushing at her tears. I went and sat down next to her.
"Bella, you have to believe me. I would never do that to you or Edward. I love Emmett and I could never cause him or his family pain like that."
"I know Rosalie." I said. "I never suspected you."
"I know I might not be the easiest person to get along with, but I do care about everyone in this family and that includes you and your brother and sister." She clarified. "Why would he even think something like that?"
"Rosalie, it's not just you. He's paranoid right now and doesn't trust anyone. I think he even suspects his own family. He's only trying to protect us. We've been apart for two months and he doesn't want there to ever be a reason for us to be apart again."
"You really do love him, don't you?" She asked, smirking at me. I nodded my head. "Emmett does the same thing. When I say or do something stupid he is always there trying to defend me or justify it somehow. You do the same thing for Edward." I smiled sheepishly.
"You know before he started talking to me, I thought he was arrogant and I didn't want anything to do with him. Granted, I was extremely attracted to him, but I didn't think he was that great of a guy because he portrayed this untouchable, I'm better than everyone, image. I was so sure that he'd end up breaking my heart or using me, so it took me a long time to see him for who he really is. I think the same thing goes for you. You portray something you're not, but once you let someone get to know you, like Emmett and I have, you aren't that type of person. I think, once you and Edward get to know each other better, you'll realize you're both very similar." She smiled and nodded her head.
"You are probably the only friend I have that's a girl. Everyone that I'm surrounded by on a daily basis, are men, and you're right I do put on an image, so I appear to be stronger and self reliant, so I don't get stepped on, but I should be nicer to the people I care about."
"Just give Edward a chance, please?" I pleaded. "I'll talk to him about not jumping to conclusions too."
She nodded her head and reached out to give me a hug. We stood up to head back in the house and stopped when we saw Edward standing in the window watching us intently. We both started laughing.
"See, I told you, he's paranoid," I said.
She placed her arm around my shoulders and we started walking to the door once again. "I don't know how you deal with that," she whispered. I smiled to myself because honestly, I liked that he was so protective of me. I knew, no matter what, he would never give up on me and I wouldn't on him.
Once we were back in the house, Edward pulled me to his side and put his arm around my waist possessively. "I'm sorry Rosalie," he slurred. She rolled her eyes at him and headed into the kitchen where Esme was.
"Edward, please stop," I begged. "I know you're worried, but you can't go around accusing people of stuff when you have no proof. Just because you don't like her doesn't mean she's giving James information. Just let it go for now. I don't want Seth or Leah to be scared of anyone in this house."
He sighed heavily, looking down at me. He placed his hands on my arms. "Why are you so sure she's trustworthy?"
"I'm not, but you don't know her like I do. I don't think she would do something that horrible when she loves your brother as much as she does. She wouldn't risk that," I explained. "Edward, you don't even know if there is someone who's tipping him off and honestly I don't think anyone is. James is smart, he knows what people are thinking and he has connections everywhere. Why do you think I was so afraid to leave? When we left with my mom, he found us so quickly and my mom was so sure she had covered our tracks, so he wouldn't find us, but he did. I know him better than anyone in this house and I don't think he's working with anyone else. Just please leave Rosalie alone."
"Fine, if it's what you want, I'll leave her alone. But that doesn't mean I trust her completely."
"I never asked you to trust her," I agreed. "I only ask that you stop making accusations until they're warranted." He nodded his head, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth.
"Thank you." I reached up and kissed him gently on the lips before heading into the kitchen to help clean up the dinner dishes with Esme and Rosalie.
For three days we hid out at the house. Everyone was allowed to leave and do their own things every day except for me, Seth, Leah, Kate, and Edward. Even though Felix was told he could come and go as he pleased considering no one would recognize him or question his involvement with us, he stayed close to the house. His job was to protect us and he took his job seriously.
For the most part we didn't do much of anything. We watched TV, played games, Edward played around with the piano or his guitar quite a bit, most of the time we didn't even get out of pajamas.
Since it was spring break, Esme was home most of the time as well and she and Kate spent many days chatting. They both had a passion for interior design and they talked a lot about decorating ideas. Rose joined them on occasion, but she was gone a lot for her job.
I liked that Rosalie was here to talk to though. I liked spending time with her, even if Edward didn't trust her. She was always nice to me, for the most part anyway. She still made snide remarks once in a while, but they didn't bother me the way they bothered Edward. It was just her and I know she didn't mean anything hurtful by the things she said.
On Saturday afternoon, Edward and I were sitting on the couch watching TV, still in our pajamas, when we heard Emmett and Garrett in the kitchen talking. It sounded serious and I could instantly tell Edward was curious.
"I'll be right back," he said standing from the couch. He headed into the kitchen and as hard as I tried, I couldn't hear what was going on. When I heard Edward laughing loudly my curiosity got the better of me, so I hopped up and walked towards the kitchen slowly. I didn't want to intrude if it was something private.
As soon as I peaked around the corner I saw Edward with his back to me laughing so joyously, I was sort of shocked. He sounded so happy and excited. Garrett noticed me and nodded towards me with a smile. All three of them seemed happy. My eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Edward turned when he noticed Garrett nod towards me.
"Bella," he said excitedly. He dashed across the kitchen and scooped me up into his arms. "It's over."
"What's over?" I asked.
He put me down and placed his hands on my cheeks leaning in to kiss me quickly on the lips. "They caught him. He was at the airport asking questions and an undercover cop was alerted of it. He's in jail baby. You're free. We're all free." He laughed excitedly.
"They arrested him?" I asked in surprise. He nodded his head. I glanced towards Garrett and Emmett and they both nodded their heads as well.
A huge smile spread across my face before wrapping my arms around Edward's neck. I was practically squealing with excitement.
We stood there for so long just holding each other and letting the happiness sweep over us.
"What's going on?" Carlisle asked, coming into the kitchen.
"They found James," Emmett replied. "He was arrested in Florida, they'll be extraditing him back to Washington in just a few days and the state will take over to build a case against him for murder. He may face charges for the murder of Victoria in Arizona as well. It looks like James is going to be put away for a very long time."
Edward pulled away from me to glance over at his dad. Carlisle patted Edward on the back. "That's great news. Now maybe we can all get back to our normal lives. Bella, I'm so glad that you trusted us enough to help you." I nodded and smiled at him politely. But my thoughts were on what he said before.
Our normal lives? What did that mean? I was sure Kate would want to go back to Florida, to her home and her job. She'd take Seth and Leah with her. I'd have to go with them. Would Edward come with me?
"Come on," Edward said, grabbing my hand.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
He smiled crookedly. "It's a surprise." He began pulling me towards the front door. I pulled back on his hand to stop him.
"Can I at least get dressed first?" I asked. He looked down and noticed we were both still in pajamas.
"Oh, right. I guess we should both get dressed," he laughed.
He let go of my hand and I headed up stairs to get dressed. Leah stopped me at the top of the stairs and she must have noticed the smile on my face since she was eying me warily.
"They caught him, Leah," I said, once I was at the top of the stairs with her. "He's in jail and he can't hurt us anymore." She began crying and fell into my arms.
"Are you sure, he's really gone for good?" She asked, through her sobs.
"Yes, Leah, he's not coming back."
"Can I tell Seth?" She asked.
"You can tell anyone you want," I replied. "We don't have to hide anymore." She hugged me again tightly before running down the hall to tell Seth.
I got dressed quickly, in casual clothes, I wasn't sure what Edward was up to, but I assumed it wasn't going to be anything too fancy since he seemed to be in such a hurry earlier.
I headed back down stairs when I was finished and noticed almost everyone in the living room laughing and talking joyously. By now everyone had heard the news about James being arrested.
I walked in and went straight to Edward's side who was talking to Emmett. He wrapped an arm around my waist instinctively and pulled me close to him. He didn't even need to look to see if it was me. He just knew that I was there somehow.
"We're all heading out soon to celebrate the good news at the diner," Esme chimed in. "Would all of you like to come?"
"Rose and I will come, mom," Emmett replied.
"Great," she said. "What about you Edward? Are you and Bella going to join us?"
"Bella and I have somewhere to go first," he was smiling so big. "But we'll meet you there in about an hour." I don't know if I've ever seen him this happy since I've known him.
'Alright," she said hesitantly. "You kids have fun and don't be too late," she said with a soft smile. Edward leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Don't worry mom," I could hear him whisper. She patted him on the cheek before walking towards the rest of the group.
"It's going to take mom some time to adjust to this freedom again. She's still going to worry for a while," Emmett observed, watching his mom walk across the room.
"I know Emmett," Edward said. "We won't be gone for very long and we aren't going far. We'll see you at the diner in a little while." Edward reached down, lacing our fingers together and lead us outside. I waved to everyone as we left. It was nice to finally be outside again.
He opened the car door for me and I slid into the seat. It had been so long since I've been in this car. He jumped into his seat and I could tell he was excited about something. He started backing out of the driveway and headed out on the road.
"So, where are we going," I attempted to ask again. He smirked and shook his head. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest in protest, but he didn't like that. So he reached over and loosened my grip lacing his fingers with mine and bringing my hand up to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand gently many times before resting our intertwined fingers on his leg. There was a permanent smile plastered on his face. I loved seeing that smile.
We drove only a short distance before pulling into a driveway in front of a large house. It was bigger than the Cullen's home. "Where are we?" I asked.
"You'll see," he smirked.
He walked around and opened my door for me taking my hand once again to lead me up the path. I looked around trying to understand where we were. There were no signs anywhere suggesting it was a restaurant or museum. It looked like a place that someone rich lived.
We walked up to the front door and Edward rang the doorbell. I kept glancing at him trying to get some sort of clue to what this was about, but he was hiding whatever it was.
After only a few seconds I heard someone start unlocking the door and swing it open. I was surprised by the person who was on the other side of the door. I smiled instantly and Alice squealed launching herself at me. I could hear Edward chuckle beside us.
"Bella, you're home," Alice shrieked. "Why are you here? The last I heard, Edward was on his way to Florida to see you. Now you're both back? What happened?"
"Well…" I began.
"Wait," Alice interrupted. "Come in and sit down first. Then I want to hear everything."
She stepped to the side and let us in. We sat down on the couch just as Jasper came around the corner. He gaped at us for a minute. "What's going on?" He added.
Edward and I explained everything to them and they were both awestruck with what happened.
"So, what happens now?" Alice asked.
"He'll be sent back here and the case will be built against him for murder and hopefully he'll be put in jail for a very long time," Edward explained.
"Wow," Alice expressed. "So does that mean you're back for good and you'll start coming to school again?" I ducked my head and sighed.
"Yeah, we're back, Alice," Edward answered, with a smile, pulling me closer to his side. Alice noticed my hesitation and instantly asked me to come upstairs so she could show me her prom dress as an excuse.
When we were in her room she shut the door and turned on me. "What's going on? I would think you would be happy that James was caught and you don't have to run or hide anymore."
"I am happy Alice. You have no idea how happy I am," I replied.
"Then what's wrong?"
I sighed and sat down in a chair. "Alice, I don't know what to do. My aunt is going to want to go back to Florida soon and she'll take Seth and Leah with her. I can't let them go alone. They don't want to be there in the first place and if I abandon them they'll hate me for it. But I can't leave Edward again."
"Is he pressuring you to stay here?" Alice questioned.
"No not at all. Actually, he told me when we were in Florida that he would stay there to be with me," I answered.
"Then what's the problem? If Edward is willing to follow you to Florida then let him. He was a mess when you were gone and I know you weren't that great either, even though you tried to hide it. You both need to be together. I don't know what I'd do if I was separated from Jasper," Alice thought aloud.
"But is it fair of me to ask him to follow me? I can't give up my family, why should I expect him to? I don't want his family to resent me for making him move away from them. And what if Edward begins to resent me for taking him away from his family and friends?"
"Bella," she said, coming to sit next to me on the chair. "Edward loves you. If he wants to follow you then that's his choice. Let him decide what he wants. I don't think he would resent you if he made the choice to go." She put an arm around my shoulders and rubbed my arm. I smiled weakly at her and nodded my head, letting her know I understood what she was saying.
There was a light knock on the door and Edward stepped in. "Bella, are you ready to go?" He asked. I nodded my head and stood up. We headed back downstairs and I gave Alice a huge hug before we left. She whispered in my ear that everything will be okay, but I was still worried.
When we were back out by Edward's car I stopped him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."
"For what," he chuckled.
"For bringing me to see Alice, I've missed her a lot and it was nice to be able to see her." He pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head.
"I thought this would be the first place you would want to go. I had been trying to figure out some way to get her and Jasper over to the house so you could visit with her, but someone was always around. They wouldn't have let them come in."
"Well, now I can visit her any time I want," I declared.
"He pulled me into his arms again kissing me briefly on the lips. "That's absolutely right. You don't have to be afraid anymore."
I wrapped my fingers around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine, kissing him hard. "I love you, Edward."
"Love you too," He stated. "Now let's get to the diner before everyone starts wondering where we are."
We got in the car and drove the short distance to the diner. When we walked in everyone was in the back banquet room. They were joined by a few other locals who had heard the news of James' arrest. Everyone was in high spirits, laughing and talking loudly. We were bombarded by hugs and friendly faces. It was nice to see so many people that cared once again. We sat down with the group and ordered from the menu.
"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Edward asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I really couldn't say. I don't care what we do as long as we're together."
"I was thinking maybe we could spend the day in Seattle. Maybe take Seth and Leah with us. None of us have had a very fun spring break, so we should go do something fun before it's over."
"That's sounds like a good idea. What will we do in Seattle?"
"I was thinking maybe going to the zoo. I know how much Leah likes animals and I think Seth would have a lot of fun. It's supposed to be a nice day too," he added.
"That's sounds great," I accepted.
"Seth," Edward shouted. He came running over to us. "How would you like to go to the zoo tomorrow with me and Bella?"
"Really…?" He asked excitedly. Edward nodded his head.
Go ask your aunt Kate if it's okay and see if Leah wants to come as well," Edward demanded. He ran off to talk to Kate and after a couple seconds we saw Kate glance over at us nodding her head with a smile. Seth started jumping up and down as he told Leah about it and her face brightened with excitement. I smiled at them and glanced down at my plate that had barely been touched.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked, reaching across the table to take my hand.
"I'm fine," I replied, my voice almost squeaking. He nodded his head slowly.
"Is there a reason why you're lying to me?" He questioned. My head shot up to meet his eyes.
"What makes you think I'm lying?"
"I know you pretty well Bella. It's not hard to notice. Just tell me what's wrong?"
I ducked my head. "What do you plan to do?" I blurted.
"About what…?"
"When we have to go back to Florida," I answered, meeting his eyes.
"Bella, you're not going back to Florida. You're staying here with me."
"Edward, I can't. My brother and sister need me and I think my aunt needs me too. I want to be with you Edward, but I don't think I can stay here."
His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at me warily. "Bella, didn't your aunt tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"She's planning to move back here," he clarified. I glanced over at Kate with questioning eyes. She was sitting next to Garrett and he had his arm draped across her shoulders as they talked animatedly with Emmett and Rose.
"I can't believe that. She loves Florida. She'd be leaving her job and her home. There's no possible way she would do that," I expressed.
"Ask her yourself. I believe she may have even talked with my mom about helping to find a house in the area to buy," he added. "And I'm pretty sure your aunt loves you, Seth, and Leah a little more than her job and her house." I smiled sheepishly. "Go ask her. I need to go talk to my parent's about tomorrow anyway." We got up from the table we were sitting at and headed in different directions across the room.
"Aunt Kate, can I talk to you?" I asked coming up to the table.
"Sure Bella," she said, standing from the table to follow me to a secluded area of the room.
"Edward told me you were thinking of moving back here?" I questioned cautiously.
She smiled sweetly. "Actually, I have been thinking about it. I was planning to discuss it with all three of you, but there just hasn't seemed to be a good time."
"What about your job and your house?" I asked. "Your whole life is in Florida."
"I can buy another house. My company has been pushing me to move to the Seattle branch for years and I've always turned them down. Now I think it's time for me to finally accept the offer and move back."
"Does that mean we'll be moving to Seattle?" I asked. Seattle would be better than Florida. At least Edward and I wouldn't be too far away.
"I was actually thinking it would be best to move here. Most of my work can be done at home and I can travel into Seattle a few times each week for meetings or presentations. I've already contacted a real estate agent who's going to help us find a house in the area."
I was so sure she would want to go back to Florida. All of the information from today was so overwhelming. First James was caught and now I wasn't going to have to leave Edward or my family. Everything seemed so perfect all of a sudden. "Does this have to do with Garrett?"
"No, this has to do with my nieces and my nephew. I should have never ripped all of you from the only home you ever knew when you had so many other things going on. All of this is too much for anyone to handle. Let alone a child. Garrett kept telling me for months that it was best for all of you to stay in Florida even though I tried to argue with him about it. I could see how unhappy all of you were. I know you missed Edward. I knew better than anyone what you were feeling, especially when he started to pull away from you."
"I could see how much Leah was hurting. She's lived a scary life. She's witnessed it all since birth and when she finally found a place that was safe and someone she felt loved her, I came in and took that away. I did the same thing to Seth. I never should have done that to any of you. I know now why Garrett wanted all of you to stay with me in Florida, but now that James is caught, you're free to do what you want."
"You have been a mother figure to Seth and Leah for a very long time. I want you to decide what is best for all three of you. If you want to stay here, then that's fine. I'm hoping you will still allow me to be a part of your life and we can try to build a family here. But if you would rather live with the Cullen's or on your own maybe, then that's fine too. I've already talked to Esme and she would be happy to let all of you stay with them as long as you like if that's what you want."
She watched me, waiting for me to make a decision. But I had promised Leah we would make decisions together. I had to talk to her and Seth to find out what they wanted. "Aunt Kate, thank you so much for taking into consideration what we need and wanting me to be the one to make that decision, but I need to talk to Seth and Leah and find out what they want."
"I thought you might say that. That's why I gave permission for all of you to go to the zoo tomorrow with Edward. Plus, I think it would be good for all of you to get out for the day," she added.
I nodded my head and she reached out giving me a hug.
"By the way, I really like Edward. I can tell he cares about you a lot and he seems like a really good kid. You chose a good guy to fall in love with."
"I didn't choose him, he chose me," I said regrettably. I couldn't give up anything for him, but he was willing to give up everything for me. He gave up his freedom, his safety, quite possibly even his life, if it came to that. And then when I had to leave he was willing to give up school, football, his family, his future, all of it just to be with me.
She reached out to my hand and patted it sweetly. "He loves you Bella, he doesn't expect anything except for you to love him in return." I sighed to myself. I did love him. More than anything, but I needed to give him more. I needed to support him and give to him for a change.
Later that night, when Edward and I were cuddled up on the couch, I told him he was right. He was quick to tell me 'told you so', but he was happy. I had yet to talk to Seth and Leah though. I knew Kate was going to want an answer soon, but I had no idea what to choose.
All that night I was restless, I knew if it were up to Leah, she'd stay with Esme and Carlisle. Seth would want to stay where there was a male figure which would be with the Cullen's. Edward, I assumed would want me to stay wherever he was. But Kate would be all alone. I didn't want to abandon her when she was doing so much for all of us. She was essentially giving up the only life she's known for the past fourteen years just so we didn't have to give up ours.
The next morning, we left quite early. Edward wanted to beat the crowd since it was in fact the last day of summer vacation and it was suppose to be a beautiful day.
Once we got off the ferry, we stopped for breakfast then headed on our way to the Zoo. We walked through the zoo and looked at all the exhibits. Seth was in awe and Leah was trying to take everything in. She had such a love for animals and it showed so much when she looked at each of the animals. Edward and I followed behind them hand in hand. It was strange, being able to be with him without a chaperone of some sorts. We weren't technically alone since Seth and Leah were still with us but in a way were all alone. We were free and didn't have to look behind our backs constantly wondering if James was following us.
"Bella, what's wrong now?" Edward asked, suddenly as we walked to the next exhibit.
I sighed heavily, knowing there was no point in trying to hide what I was thinking. "Kate asked me to decide where we should live. She said that we could stay with Esme or with her. I know Seth and Leah are going to want to stay with Esme and Carlisle and you will want me to stay with you also, but I feel guilty abandoning Kate. She is our aunt and she's giving up so much to stay here with us. I don't know what to do Edward," I whined.
He stopped me and turned me towards him. "Bella, what do you want?"
"I want everyone to be happy," I replied.
"Okay, then let me ask you this," he began. "If you live with your aunt, are we still going to be together? Will we still be happy?"
"Of course we will," I said quickly. "As long as you want to be I mean." He smirked and pulled me into his arms.
"Are Seth and Leah going to still have a relationship with my family if they live a few miles away from them?" I nodded my head. "And if you chose to live with us would you still be able to have a relationship with your aunt?" I nodded my head again. "Then stop worrying about everyone's happiness. Do what you think is best for all of you."
He was right, I needed to stop stressing about it and just make a decision. I decided I needed to finally talk to Seth and Leah and find out what they wanted to do. I asked them to sit down on a bench to explain the whole thing to them. Edward took a walk, giving us some privacy.
I was surprised when Leah told me to make the decision. Normally she always wanted to have a say.
"Bella, as long as we get to stay here and we don't have to go back to Florida, then I don't care who we live with."
"Me either," Seth added. "As long as I can still spend time with Edward and Emmett, then I don't care."
"Then I think it would good for us to live with Kate. I think she deserves for us to give her a chance. She's done so much for us and it would only be fair. We can still visit with the Cullen's and spend time with all of them," I offered. They both nodded their heads in agreement and I took a sigh of relief. This was a lot easier than I thought it would be.
We caught up to Edward and finished our way through the zoo. When we returned home, I told Kate what we decided and she was so extremely happy. She wanted to go house hunting with all of us as soon as possible.
The following day, Felix left. Since James was in jail there was no purpose to have a bodyguard anymore. He left in a taxi and we were all sad to see him go. But he had someone else to protect now and he took his job seriously.
Kate planned to leave at the end of the week to go back to Florida and get everything packed up and work out the arrangements with her job. But first she wanted us to get back into school and she wanted to do some house searching.
On Monday, Edward and I headed towards Forks high school, like we used to. I was nervous, like always, but I was so happy to be back.
We walked in hand in hand and every single person stared at us with open mouths and wide eyes. Edward smirked the entire time. I think he got pleasure in shocking people and making them all stare at him.
We walked towards Alice and Jasper and when Alice spotted us, she ran down the hall and wrapped her arms around me in excitement.
"I'm so glad you're back. I've missed you so much," she expressed.
"I'm glad we're back too," I added.
"You have to come over some time now. We have so much to catch up on."
"I'd like that Alice."
As the day went by and I had teachers and classmates tell me how happy they were to see me back, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from me. Everyone was happy, everyone was free. I could finally be free.
Every day that week, Kate took us to a new house to look at. She wanted us to be a part of the search. Every house we looked at would have been fine. But the problem was that Kate was very picky. She found something wrong with all of them. I had a feeling we were never going to find a house.
As Edward and I drove towards yet another house to look at with Kate, after school on Friday, I noticed an old truck parked on the side of the road. I knew exactly what truck that was.
"Edward, stop," I shouted. He jerked his head towards me in shock.
"What's wrong?" He asked, in a panicked tone.
"Just stop, please." He pulled over on the side of the road and I walked over to the truck. I was overjoyed when I noticed it had a 'for sale' sign in the window. I walked around it and touched it, remembering all the times I road in this old truck.
"Bella, what's going on?" Edward asked.
"Can I help you kids?" A man asked, stepping out of his garage.
"How much do you want for this?" I asked. I noticed Edward eying me suspiciously.
"Oh, not much," he said. It doesn't run and I'm not so sure it can be saved. It would be better used for parts."
"I'll give you $500 for it," I offered.
"Deal," he accepted. "I've been trying to get rid of this thing for months. But like I said it doesn't run so you'll need a tow truck to get it out of here."
"Great," I said with a huge smile. "I can bring the money by tomorrow and I think I know someone who has a tow truck."
"That'll be fine. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." I shook his hand then headed back to the car with Edward.
"What was that about?" Edward asked, once we were both inside his car.
"Rosalie will help me get it tomorrow and maybe she can even get it running again," I said, ignoring his question.
"You don't even know how to drive Bella. What are you going to do with an old truck that can't run?" He asked.
"I can learn to drive. You could teach me even. If you're willing to," I suggested.
"Well of course I can teach you if you really want to learn, but what is with this sudden purchase of an old truck?" He wondered.
"You made me promise you months ago that I would buy myself something I wanted. I just fulfilled that promise," I clarified.
"But why an old truck, that doesn't run? You could have bought something a little newer. I would have bought you a car even. Why did you want that truck?" He asked.
"It was my moms," I answered, quietly.
"Your moms," he repeated.
"James made her get rid of it when they got married. I want it back." He didn't question me any more after that.
We drove the rest of the way to the house and met Kate there with Seth and Leah. The real estate agent showed us around and finally, I think Kate was happy with what she saw.
When we left, Kate told the real estate agent we would have to think about it and get back to her in a few days. I knew Kate was planning to go back to Florida tomorrow so I'm sure she wanted to get all of that worked out before she did anything major here.
I told her about the truck and I couldn't believe how excited she was. I wondered if maybe she was more excited than me. She offered to pay for any repairs that it needed and once we left, she drove directly to the DMV and picked up the book so I could study the driving test. She said that she would be happy to teach me to drive. I was so ecstatic, everything was falling into place. Everything was perfect.
The next morning Kate left for Florida and we stayed with the Cullen's. It was like old times. We were all back in our old rooms and our routines were back to what they were before.
Emmett had moved back to his apartment so I had to call Rose and ask if she could help me out later with getting the truck. She was happy to help and was actually very excited that I wanted her to work on it so it would hopefully run again. As soon as we got it in the driveway, she started inspecting the engine, making mental notes of what it needed and things she could do to fix it up. Emmett was helping her and making suggestions. I sort of got the impression Rosalie was more irritated with his help, but she loved him so she accepted it.
Since they were busy working on the car, Edward decided that I needed my first driving lesson. I shook my head profusely at him at first. "I don't have a permit Edward. I can't drive yet."
"My brother's a cop, he won't say anything," he said. "Besides, we're just going to an empty parking lot. You won't hurt anything." I sighed heavily, giving in.
We drove to an abandoned building at the far edge of town. He parked the car in the parking lot and got out. We traded places and I sat behind the wheel. I was shaking so bad. My heart was beating so fast and my breathing was accelerated.
Edward reached out and placed a hand on mine. "Baby, relax," he whispered. "It's not that hard." I took a deep breath trying to calm myself. "Now, start the car." I did as he said and started it up. "Put it in drive and release your foot from the brake then slowly press on the gas." I did exactly as he instructed and slowly the car started moving forward. "See, you're driving." I felt euphoric in that moment. It was such an awesome feeling to be able to do something so normal and freeing. I couldn't help but smile and I could feel the tears of joy stinging my eyes.
I circled around that parking lot for hours. He had me learn how to reverse and how to park. I listened very carefully to every instruction he gave me and tried to do my best. I messed up a lot, but he never got upset or told me I was doing it wrong. He would just say 'let's try it again'. After three hours of practicing, I parked the car and Edward took over. He didn't drive though. He just sat there and stared at the steering wheel. He looked sad.
"What's wrong, Edward."
"I got letters from a couple colleges this week," he replied.
"Did you get in?" I asked. He nodded his head. "Then why do you seem upset about it?"
"I got accepted to Harvard and Dartmouth," he clarified. "They want me for my academics, not for football. I can still play football there, but I wanted to play for a good school."
"Edward, it's still early. You could get into other schools. Those aren't the only ones to choose from."
"What about my parents though?" He questioned. "They're both so excited for me. They want me to go to an Ivy League school so bad. My dad went to Harvard and it's his dream for me to follow in his footsteps. They both want me to be a doctor."
"What do you want Edward?" I asked. He turned his head to look at me with questioning eyes. "You always ask me what I want. Now I'm asking you. What do you want for your life?"
"I want to be something my parents can be proud of, but I want to play football also. I don't want school to be my only focus. Wherever I go, I want to know that you'll be able to go with me. I want to be with you, more than anything."
My heart swelled at his words. He wanted me to go with him. I had never thought about going with him to college, but now I couldn't imagine being anywhere else but with him. It was always about my family before. Keeping them safe, making sure they were happy and protected. But now that I knew they would be and that they would be happy here with Kate, Garrett and the Cullen's, I needed to start thinking more about my future and what I wanted. Edward was my future and I needed to make sacrifices for him like he always had for me. "Wherever you go, if you want me to come, I'll follow."
"But I want you to go to college too, I want us to go to the same school," he said.
"I don't think I'll be able to get into either of those schools. Plus, I think it's too late to apply. But I'll go either way. I can get a job and work real hard at a community college or something and apply next year."
He smiled at me and pulled me into his arms. "I love you Bella, so much."
"I love you too." He leaned down and began kissing me deeply. It had been so long since we had been able to be this passionate with each other. There was always someone around. He began pulling my shirt up rubbing his hand up and down on the skin of my back. I was pulling myself closer to him across the console in between the seats. I wanted to feel him close to me.
He broke the kiss briefly to reach down and push his seat back as far as it would go. Then he guided me over the console to sit on his lap.
He began rubbing my thighs with his hands and I was suddenly thankful I chose to wear a skirt today. I didn't know why I did, I never wore skirts unless forced to, but for some reason today I did.
I tangled my fingers in his hair pulling him closer to me. Our lips consumed each other fully. We both needed this so badly. I didn't care if we were in a car in an empty parking lot. All I knew is I needed him. He began massaging my clothed breasts just as I began to suck on the skin of his neck. I reached down, removing his shirt from his pants and pulling it off of him. My fingers raked across his bare chest and I sat back slightly to take in the sight of his beautiful body that I had missed so much since I had been gone.
He looked deep into my eyes, breathing heavily. He placed his hands on each side of my face and pulled my lips back to his. His tongue grazed against my lips, asking for permission to enter. I opened my mouth allowing him in. His tongue gently massaged mine consuming every part of my mouth.
I reached down and started undoing his belt and unzipping his pants. He arched slightly as I did this, freeing himself from the confines of his pants.
I pulled off of him slightly to remove my panties. He watched me intently as I did this. I smiled at him confidently before sitting back down on his lap. We started kissing again and he started trailing kisses down my neck and shoulder. He unbuttoned the top three buttons of my blouse and sufficiently unhooked my bra giving him better access to my breasts. He pulled and tugged on them with his mouth. My head fell back in the sensation of it.
I arched my hips closer to him, wanting him inside of me. We began kissing again. I rubbed against him a few times, allowing him entrance if he wanted it.
"Bella," he said through kisses. "We can't." I sat back slightly, looking at him with a confused look. He was telling me no? I know he wanted this. Why was he saying no? What did I do wrong? "I don't have a condom."
I smiled, feeling a sense of relief. I leaned down to him and kissed him briefly on the lips. "It's okay Edward. I'm on birth control, remember?"
"It's still good? Everything is fine?" He questioned. I nodded my head, knowing that his worries were unwarranted. "I've never done this without a condom."
I leaned in kissing him once again. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "Neither have I," I whispered.
He let out a soft moan and arched his hips, filling me completely. I cried out in pleasure and started rocking back and forth. We moaned and sighed together as the pleasure of being connected once again consumed us. "I love you so much Bella. I don't ever want to be apart from you," Edward breathed, making me rock and thrust my hips harder. "Promise me you'll never leave me again."
"I promise, Edward. We'll always be together," I said, breathlessly. With that we both came together in intense pleasure. It was overwhelming and we sat there still wrapped around each other, trying to catch our breaths.
"Are you alright?" He asked, brushing the hair out of my face. I nodded my head and started to climb off of him. He was trying to help me but I ended up getting my foot caught and I fell sideways, hitting my head on the dashboard.
"Owe," I winced, rubbing my head.
"Baby," Edward shrieked. "Are you okay?" He reached over and started rubbing my head too.
"Yeah, I'm fine. My foot got caught," I explained.
"Let me look," I leaned my head over towards him and he inspected my head. "Well there's no blood, so that's good. But you do have quite the bump. I should probably get you home so my dad can look at it."
"Edward, I'm fine, really. It's just a bump," I argued.
"Will you please just let my dad look at it? I don't want to find out later that it's something serious."
"If you think I should, then I will. But what exactly are you planning to tell him about how it happened?" We both began laughing.
"Good point," he said. "I'm sure we can think of something. I really want him to look at it." He kissed the tip of my nose and I sighed giving in to his plea.
He drove home and every time I reached up to rub my head, I could see him cringe. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have let you climb across the car like that. I should have known it would be uncomfortable for you."
"Edward, stop. It's not a big deal. It's just a bump. It's not your fault." I leaned over and laid my head on his shoulder as he drove the rest of the way home.
Everyone was worried about me when we walked in. Edward practically carried me in and laid me on the couch. Carlisle came in and checked out the bump and checked my vitals. He said that it didn't look that serious and I should probably just put an ice pack on it and rest. He said I shouldn't go to sleep for a couple hours just to be sure, so Edward suggested we watch a movie in my room. Carlisle thought that was an excellent idea. No one ever did ask how I hit my head, which I was thankful for, since I probably would have turned bright red if they had.
Edward rushed to the kitchen to get an ice pack and ushered me up to my room. He laid me down on the pillow and pulled the covers up around me. "Can I put some pajamas on?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, right." He crossed the room to the dresser and pulled some pajamas out of my drawer. "I can help you get dressed if you need me to," he suggested, handing me the clothes. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Give me a break, Edward, I think I can dress myself," I said in irritation.
"I'm just worried about you, baby," he said, sitting down on the bed next to me. "I should have been more careful, I knew there wasn't enough room."
"Edward, I promise you, I'm fine. You don't have to be so worried all the time."
"I also thought it might be kind of fun to help you get dressed," he said, with a grin on his face.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at him. He laughed, leaning in to kiss me quickly on the lips.
"I'm going to go down and get you something to eat. When I get back we can watch the movie." I nodded my head. He left the room closing the door behind him. I dressed in my pajamas and laid my head down on the pillow. Within a few minutes I could feel my eyes getting heavy.
After what seemed like just a few short moments, I felt Edward brush his lips across my cheek. "Are you hungry," he whispered. I took a deep breath and began to sit up. I was actually starving. I leaned against the headboard as Edward handed me a sandwich then went across the room to start the movie. He came back to the bed and sat next to me. I ate the sandwich and watched the movie but I could feel Edward watching me attentively. It made me uncomfortable.
"Edward," I shouted. "I'm fine."
"I know," he agreed.
"Then why are you staring at me like I'm going to need to be rushed to the hospital or something?" I asked.
"Am I?" He questioned. "I'm sorry, I just feel guilty."
I leaned over and pulled him to me, kissing his lips. "It was well worth it," I whispered. He smiled that crooked smile, leaning in to kiss me again.
We watched the rest of the movie wrapped in each other's arms. Of course Edward chose the longest movie possible to watch. I could feel him adjust every few minutes to make sure I was still awake. I tried to ignore it since I knew it was just him. He was always going to worry about my well being before anything else. He got that trait from him mom for sure.
"You should get some sleep," he recommended, when the movie was finally over. "I think it would be okay now." I nodded my head and began laying back. He pulled himself down closer to me and wrapped me up in his arms.
"Alice called while I was downstairs," he informed, as he played with a strand of my hair.
"She did? What did she want?" I asked, lazily.
"She just wanted to talk to you, but I told her what happened and that you would call her back tomorrow."
"Okay," I said.
"I think she wanted to go shopping or something," he continued.
"She always wants to go shopping," I laughed.
"I think there was something important she wanted to go shopping for," he added.
"Oh," I said, oblivious to what it was. I heard him sigh heavily, almost like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.
I waited a few minutes wondering if he was going to say anything more, but he didn't.
"Thank you for today," I said, laying my head on his chest.
"What part," he chuckled.
"All of it. Today was amazing. I like being able to drive. I like being with you." He pulled me closer to him and began rubbing my arm.
"Well I'm glad you like being with me, because I absolutely enjoy, every second I get to spend with you," he admitted. I smiled to myself and pulled myself even closer to him so I could go to sleep. I wanted him to stay all night and I knew if I was wrapped around him enough, if he moved I would know so I could wake up and pull him back.
I was just about to fall asleep when I heard him whisper my name. "Bella…" I hummed in response. "Will you go to prom with me?"
Okay so James is caught. Life is perfect for everyone, right? Don't be so sure, there is still so much more that they have to get through. I have 7 chapters left plus epi planned, but I might end up combining some of those chapters, it depends on what I come up with and how long they end up being. I don't want to drag anything out too long. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up in a few days but life with 4 busy little boys doesn't leave me alot of time to write.