Chapter 29: Ten Years Later
Jasper never wrote back to me.
I thought for sure he would come get me sooner or later, but no.
I finished the four basic years of college, as did Edward and Chase.
We decided to move to Alaska.
No, we weren't living with the Denali coven, and we weren't close either.
We were on the borderline between Washington and the state we now occupy.
Right after we all graduated, Edward proposed to me.
I was speechless and in shock, but accepted.
We loved each other, and there was no chance of Jasper ever wanting me back.
We didn't have a huge wedding, just some friends from school, and it was in a small church in New Hampshire.
I loved it because it was simple.
Vanessa finally contacted Chase and apologized. They were together now and married the week after us.
She had become a very close friend, but nowhere near as close as Alice, before she stabbed me in the back anyway.
We all got a huge house together, a little bigger than the Cullen home.
We've been living here for six years, but Chase and I have to leave town to get groceries for ourselves.
Which is where we were now.
The Juneau Supermarket.
As soon as we walked in, I noticed Esme, and she noticed me.
"Isabella!" she whisper-yelled, and I smiled. "I missed you, Bella. Where's Edward? Who's your new friend? How was college? Did you miss Forks? Did you miss us?"
"So many questions," I laughed. "Well, first off, I missed you too. Edward is at home, not wanting to really shop today. Vanessa stayed with him. This is Chase, and Vanessa is his wife. College was amazing! Chase and I both graduated top of our class. Forks…I missed Forks terribly, as well as your family."
Her face scrunched in confusion. "Then, why didn't you write Jasper back?"
Now, my face mimicked hers. "I did. I waited for months for him to write back. I gave Edward the…letter…"
Realization dawned on me.
Edward never sent it.
"NO!" I yelled to mostly myself. "Edward wouldn't do that!"
Esme hugged me close and sobbed, "Come over in three hours. We can have a family meeting."
"But none of us are in your family."
"Only Alice and Rosalie thought that. The rest of us never wanted you to leave for good, just a break. We thought you'd only be gone for a month tops, not ten years."
I smiled and whispered, "Then, we'll be there."
Chase nodded and grabbed some food, handing the items to the cashier to ring up.
We left, both of us knowing that this would be a pretty screwed up family meeting.
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Three hours later, Edward and I walked into the new Cullen household in Juneau, surprisingly not far from us.
Chase and Vanessa decided to stay home; this was not their battle to fight.
I grabbed Edward's hand and smiled.
He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Jasper says he wants to talk to you alone after the meeting. I'll leave and give you your privacy."
My smile widened, and I nodded.
We went into the dining room, and Emmett ran to me.
He hugged me tightly and sighed, "It's been too long, little sis."
He let go, but before I could balance myself, Drew was embracing me as well.
"I agree," he whispered.
I gave Carlisle and Esme hugs, then looked at Jasper.
He smiled and mouthed, "Missed you. Talk later."
I grinned and nodded.
Alice and Rosalie just glared.
I walked to stand in between them and leaned down.
"So I heard you hid my letter from Jasper. I didn't know you two bitches were cruel enough to watch your brother and ex-lover suffer like that. You see, Al, I thought we were friends, sisters. I'm sorry I broke your trust, but it's been ten years. Get over yourself. And Rose. Oh, Rosie, Rose, Rose. I never did have faith that we'd be friends. I mean I had a little hope the day I went to live with the pack, but I knew you were a conceited cunt at heart."
They just stared in shock, as did everyone else, and I said, "Let's get this family meeting going."
We all took our seats, and Carlisle began, saying, "Welcome home, Edward and Isabella. We would be most delighted with you coming to live with us again."
Edward shook his head. "We won't be staying here. We have a house about fifteen miles away."
"That's close. It's a shame we didn't run into each other before. Well, we did just move here last year," Carlisle said with sincerity.
No lie.
"We moved here six years ago. We're so central to everything, we go to a different town every two years for supplies," Edward replied.
Esme looked at my hand and gasped.
Edward's mother's ring was on my left hand.
I moved my hand quickly under the table.
"What's wrong, Esme?" Carlisle asked.
"Bella and Edward have some news."
Edward and I exchanged glances.
I sighed and said, "Yes. We got married six years ago in New Hampshire."
Everyone congratulated us half-heartedly, and I heard Rosalie whisper to Alice, "I'm surprised the whore settled down."
I looked at her and replied, "I don't know why. I mean, you did, right?"
"Ladies! I will not tolerate this behavior in my house!" Esme exclaimed.
"Yes, ma'am," we all said in unison.
"Well, I understand that you have a house not far from here, but you will have to relocate soon. We will go, too," Carlisle continued from where he left off.
"Thank you, Carlisle. We are very grateful for everything," I told him.
He nodded. "That concludes our family meeting."
Everyone got up, and I apologized to Carlisle, Esme, Drew, and Emmett for my behavior.
Esme and Carlisle forgave me, and Emmett and Drew told me that they wanted to say that, but were afraid.
We all laughed, and Edward began to leave.
"Bye, love. I'll see you at home."
He kissed me softly and left.
I walked up to Jasper's new study.
"I missed it here with everyone."
He looked up and smiled sadly, saying, "I missed you."
Then, in unison, we said, "I never got your letter."
"I sent you a letter, only one. You never wrote back," Jasper whispered.
I shook my head, whispering back, "I wrote back and gave it to Edward. He said he went to drop it off, but I don't think so anymore."
"Bella, I love you so much."
He hugged me close to him, and I murmured, "I love you, too. I'm sorry."
"I forgive you, but I see you have a husband now."
I nodded and looked down, pulling away.
"I never would've married him had I known. I thought you gave up and moved on. I never thought Edward would do such a selfish thing. I'll ask him about it later."
Then, out of nowhere, Jasper kissed me with more passion than anyone had ever before.
I tangled my hand in his wavy blonde locks and pulled him closer.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and did the same with our lower halves.
I removed my mouth from his and said, "Will you wait for me? I want to be with you, always. Please say you'll wait."
"I have been waiting for ten years and nine months. I think I can hold out a little longer. Just come back to me this time. Please."
"I would've come back after graduating, but I gave up hope and accepted Edward's proposal. I just wish I figured it out sooner," I whispered.
"I love you, Izzy…"
"I love you too, Jazzy. I always have."
Then, we kissed again with even more love than before, if that was possible.
We ran our hand over each others' bodies, memorizing every detail available through our clothes.
An hour later, I reluctantly pulled away, sighing. "I'll be back tomorrow. I promise. And I'll bring news about what's going on. I love you, Jasper Whitlock-Hale."
"I love you more, Isabella Marie Swan," he smiled.
We walked down the stairs, and before I walked out the door, I grinned and replied, "Impossible."
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I got home quickly and walked in.
I heard Chase, Vanessa, and Edward watching a movie in the living room.
I took off my unneeded jacket and laid it on a barstool.
I began to walk into the next room over, but I caught something out of the corner of my eye.
It was a stack of papers in a folder on the counter.
Tears blurred my vision as I grabbed the pile and ran into the room where my friends and husband were located.
I stood in the doorway and cried, "You want to divorce me?"
A/N: It's coming together. And for some reviewers: Yes, I do believe in happy endings. But life and stories can't always have one. Someone is always going to get hurt.
