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Bridges had been nominated for three Sunflower Awards, best Edward, Bella and Carlisle. Nominations run through April 30th and voting begins May 4th running until May 25th. Thank you so much to JLS0823 and anyone else who may have nominated my story. Please be sure to check it out at the link following, : /thesunflowerawards . blogspot . com/p/nominations_21 . html.
To Catie126 so glad I didn't disappoint with the mentioning of Cheerwine and I apologize for not responding to your wonderful review but I wasn't able to.
This chapter moves us forward another five years.
You may want to grab some tissue before reading, just a fair warning.
Chapter Thirty Four
"Edward, I'd like you to meet my dad Charlie and my mom Renee." Bella says with her ever beautiful smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both." I say as I extend my hand to shake theirs. "Bella has told me so much about the two of you I feel like I have known you my whole life."
"I could say the same thing." Charlie says with a smile as he pats my back and leads me over to the kitchen table and offers me a seat before he takes his own.
"You have an amazing family together Edward."
"Thank you sir, they are my life." I say as I look over at Bella who is standing beside Renee, her arm wrapped around her waist.
"I'm so proud of my baby girl and I can see every day the love that she has for you and the love that you have for her. It makes it easier for me to know that you are there to take care of her and my grandbabies."
Charlie pauses for a moment before he speaks again. "I just…I just wish I could hold them."
"I wish you could too sir." I say as I look up at Charlie and see tears starting to fall down his cheeks.
I reach out to put my hand on his shoulder but when I do he begins to fade away and my hand falls to the table with a loud thump which causes me to wake with a start.
It was the same dream I had been having for the past week. Each one seeming to get a little further along, Bella introducing me to her parents, her dad telling me he was proud of Bella and now the regret of not being able to hold his grandchildren. That was a new development and it left me feeling a little broken hearted for all of our parents knowing they would never be able to hold their grandchildren.
I suspect the dreams have started because of the trip we have planned in two days.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department had built a new memorial for police who had served on the force and had passed away. Most of the officers had died while in the line of duty, but there were those who had passed away at other times and they were being honored as well which meant Charles Swan was being honored.
Charlie's best friend Jerry who was also an officer contacted Emmett and told him about the ceremony and asked that he and Bella attend. Of course they both said yes and we were making a family trip out of it. And when I say family I mean our whole family. Esme, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper along with their kids were coming too. After talking to Bella and Carlisle we also decided to go to Greenville as well so our children could learn more about all of their grandparents.
I know it isn't the ideal summer vacation but it was one that was very important to our family and it was one that the whole family decided on together.
We were going to spend a few days in Charlotte, seeing the city and showing our kids where Bella and Emmett grew up, then we were spending a few days in Greenville doing the same finally ending up on Orcacoke Island to see the wild horses and just unwind from what would more than likely be an emotional trip.
Even though the trip would be emotional we knew it was something that we needed to do as a family. Why it took us fifteen years to do it I'm not entirely sure.
I guess we could argue that we wanted the kids to be a bit older so they could fully understand what the trip was really about. With Rory at thirteen, Marley at nine and Georgia at seven we both knew they were old enough to get the meaning of the trip.
They all knew about their grandparents. We had pictures of them all over the house and we talked about them with the kids, but we had never taken them to the places where we grew up and shared with our parents.
In a way this was going to be their first time really meeting their grandparents.
Charlotte
We arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina on a rainy Friday afternoon. The memorial ceremony was scheduled for the next day and luckily the weather report called for clear Carolina blue skies since it was being held outdoors.
Rory, Alex and Marley all rode with Bella and me and watched movies the whole time. Addy rode with her parents, Georgia and Jayden rode with Carlisle and Esme leaving Alice and Jasper to themselves.
Charlie and Jessica, who had been dating since they turned sixteen were meeting us in Charlotte. They had both just finished up their second year of college at North Carolina and Duke respectively and were coming to join us on this trip.
We all joked with Charlie about him dating a Duke woman but he would always just smile and say he was proud of Jessica for getting into school there. They went to rival schools and basketball season was a trip to watch the two of them together, but I think the fact the schools were only seven miles apart from each other made everything all right.
No doubt we were a motley looking crew walking into the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in uptown Charlotte. We all decided to splurge a little and stay at a nice hotel saying we did it for the kids but truth be told I think we did it for ourselves. I mean really how often do you get to stay at a place as nice as a Ritz Carlton?
We all agreed to get a little bit of rest before meeting later on that evening for dinner.
The kids of course fell in love with the mini bar at first glance but luckily Bella thought ahead and made sure to have all kinds of snacks and goodies available to keep the temptation away from sticky fingers.
As I walked out of the bathroom into the living room area of the suite that we booked I found my beautiful wife looking out the window into uptown Charlotte. I knew this had to be emotional for her. She had not been back to Charlotte in almost twenty years.
"How are you holding up my love?" I ask as I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist pulling her into my chest.
"Ok I guess. This area has changed so much since the last time I was here. Mama and daddy use to bring Emmett and me here when were younger and of course it was nothing like it is now. This whole Uptown area is so much more trendy and upscale then it was when I left."
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
"A little I guess. I know it's just a reading of his name along with others who have passed away but it will be a little emotional to be around his old friends again. I guess I'm also a little nervous about going back to our house and the park and those other places that were so much a part of my life before they died. What if it has changed so much that my memories completely fade or worse what if my memories have romanticized those places more than I should have. I mean what if I'm really disappointed?" Bella says as she sighs and leans into me a little more.
"I understand what you mean sweetie. I have been feeling the same way about going back to Greenville. I haven't been there since I was twelve, haven't been back to their graves since the stones were put up." I sigh as well really feeling like a very bad son at that moment for admitting out loud I haven't been back to my parents graves in twenty seven years.
Just like she always has, Bella knows what I am thinking and feeling and turns around so we are face to face. She takes mine in her hands, making me look at her.
"Edward you are not a bad son for not going back there. That is not where they are. They are here…" Bella says as she takes one of her hands off of my cheek and places it on my heart. "…and they are in there…" she says as she nods her head in the direction of where we hear our children talking about what to watch on TV. "Your mom and dad are all around us Edward. You talk to them; you show them every day that you love them by being the best husband and father in the world. That is how you honor their memory my love."
"I love you so, so much Bella." I say as I pull her closer to me and kiss her with great passion.
"With all that I am." She murmurs against my lips as she returns my love.
And just like that my amazing angel makes everything better.
"My goodness Bella you are more beautiful than your mother and I swear she was the prettiest lady I ever laid eyes on." Charlie's best friend Jerry says as he pulls Bella into a bone crushing hug.
"Hey Jerry." Bella mumbles into his chest.
Jerry pulls back from his hug and puts his hands on Bella's shoulders and looks into her face again.
"My sweet little one is all grown up now." Jerry says as he looks at Bella with the love of a father.
Bella had told me that Jerry and his first wife we never able to have children and that Jerry always looked at Emmett and Bella as if they were his own. After they divorced Jerry never remarried and never had kids of his own.
"I shouldn't have stayed away for so long." Jerry says.
"Neither should I." Bella returns. They hug again before Bella turns to me and the kids who have been standing there patiently watching their exchange.
"Jerry I'd like you to meet my husband Edward Cullen and our children Rory, Marley and Georgia."
I hear Jerry sigh Rory's name under his breath before he holds out his hand to shake mine.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Edward. And would you look at these beautiful children. I still cannot believe you are a mama Bella. I still think of you as the little girl making mud pies in my back yard while your dad and I grilled out."
"Now my mom makes real pies and I help her." Georgia says with pride in her voice.
"Really good pies." Rory adds.
"And cakes and cookies too." Marley says as well.
"You all sound so proud of your mama." Jerry says with a chuckle.
"We are." They all answer at once.
"As am I." Jerry says with a smile.
"Is this old guy harassing you?" Emmett says as he walks over and gently pushes Jerry's shoulder.
"Who are you calling old buddy! I can still whoop your behind!" Jerry says as he pulls Emmett into a hug.
As I watch Emmett and Jerry joke around with each other before he introduces him to Charlie, Jessica and Addy I notice from the corner of my eye, Bella wiping tears from hers. I move to go to her, but stop when I see Rory, who is now almost a foot taller than Bella put his arm around her.
"Mom are you ok?"
"I am buddy. I just miss them."
Rory pulls Bella into his arms and gives her a hug of comfort.
"I love you mama."
"I love you too baby boy." Bella says as she lets him take away some of her sorrow.
We are called to take our seats so the ceremony can begin. Emmett and Bella sit beside each other, holding hands. I sit to the other side of Bella, taking her other hand in mine.
The Chief of Police begins with a prayer to St. Michael, the patron saint of police men and women. He next talks about the memorial that has been constructed and about the lives of the men and women who work so hard every day to protect the citizens of the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.
After he speaks for about twenty minutes the memorial is unveiled and he begins to read off the names of those officers who have passed away.
As he gets closer to Charlie's name I feel Bella's grip tighten in my hand and I pull her closer to me, putting my arm around her so she can rest her head on my shoulder.
"Charles Keith Swan." The chief says.
As he calls his name I can feel Bella's tears hitting my dress shirt. I lean down and kiss her head, resting my own gently on top of hers. I glance over to see how Emmett is doing and see that he too is resting his head on Rose's shoulder who is trying to sooth him as well.
After all of the names have been read, the families are invited to come up and look for the engraved names of their loved ones. We all stand back, letting Bella and Emmett go up there together. I watch as they trace over his name with joined hands before they put their arms around the other and stand there exchanging what I can only assume are memories of their father and words of love for each other.
After standing there together for a bit, they turn to the rest of us and we join them. Together as a family we stand there hand in hand looking at the name of the dearly missed father of my angel.
After the ceremony we have lunch with Jerry and a few of Charlie's other friends. This time the tears shed are those from laughter at the stories of Charlie, Emmett and Bella. It seems the best way to end the afternoon.
Each family decides to stay in that evening, ordering room service and just hanging out with the other. The kids watch movies in one room while the adults sit and talk in the other wrapping Bella and Emmett up in a cocoon of much needed support and love.
The next morning we go to the Discovery Zone to give the kids a chance to play and have a little fun before we go out and explore the city. Emmett has rented a large van for the day that will hold us all and he plays tour guide as he drives around Uptown Charlotte showing us Panthers Stadium and Bobcats arena. Once we leave Uptown we head over to Myers Park which is the area of Charlotte that Bella and he grew up. He takes us by the high school they both went too before stopping in front of the house they lived in.
"Mom's magnolia tree is still there." Bella says with a smile as she looks out the window at the two story brick house.
"It still looks the same." Emmett says.
Bella who is sitting behind Emmett places her hand on his shoulder and he holds it with his free hand.
"They added a fence to the back yard and rose bushes up front." Bella says.
"That would make mama happy, she always wanted them but poor thing couldn't keep them alive for anything." Emmett says with a little chuckle.
We sit there as they point out what the different windows of the house are and answer the questions that the kids have for them. I can tell from Bella's contented sigh as we pull away that she is pleased her memories have all been correct and not romanticized in her mind.
We reach the park they use to have picnics at and make our way over the tree Bella told me they spread their parent's ashes at. We lay three blankets down beside it and begin our own picnic and listen with great attention as Bella and Emmett share stories of their parent's with each of us.
After lunch the kids go and play while the adults continue to listen to Bella and Emmett's stories. Most of them we have heard before, but not like this, not in the place where they happened, not in the place where they were closest to their parents.
That night as the dream I have been having reaches the point where Charlie begins to fade away he tells me thank you for bringing her here. I don't wake with a start but with a smile on my face, knowing that Charlie and Renee Swan are at peace with our lives.
We take the kids to Carowinds the next day figuring they could use a day of fun. Emmett of course is the biggest kid of them all riding all of the roller coasters and other rides he can fit onto and screaming louder than anyone else.
When the day is over we are all soaked from water slides and water flumes, each of us a little pinker in color from sun exposure and exhausted beyond all belief.
It was a great day!
The next day we begin our journey to Greenville, North Carolina.
Greenville
We pulled into the parking lot of the Candlewood Suites in Greenville around four in the afternoon. I think the adults were still a bit worn out from our previous day's amusement park adventure and the long drive from Charlotte to Greenville. We were lucky enough to get two of the five rooms we booked as adjoining rooms and Esme and Carlisle insisted that they have one and the kids have the other which would give the rest of us rooms to ourselves. We all tried to protest, but they would not hear of it. We knew they wanted some grandchildren time and who were we to argue with them.
After settling into our rooms Bella and I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep in each other's arms. The pounding on our door a few hours woke us up and Bella opened it to find a very excited Emmett standing there.
"Come on sleepy heads I'm starving and Esme won't let us go and eat until we are all there." He says with a little pout.
"Poor baby, it's been like what an hour since you last ate?" Bella says with a mock pout.
"Three hours." Emmett says holding three fingers up.
I cannot help the laughter that escapes me at that point. I swear for a man in his forties, Emmett Swan is the biggest kid around.
"How are you still standing?" Bella asks.
"Sheer will and determination baby girl!" Emmett replies with a smirk.
"Give us about twenty minutes Emmie and then we will meet you at Esme and Carlisle's room."
"Twenty minutes?" Emmett whines.
"Keep it up and I'll tell Rose."
"Fine!" He says with a huff before stomping, I kid you not, stomping off down the hall.
Nineteen minutes later we join the rest of our family and head over to Cracker Barrel for dinner.
Needless to say we kind of took it over and I think it will be awhile before our waitress is able to handle a party like ours again. I also think Emmett spent about a hundred dollars in the country store buying candy. He swears it is for the kids but we all know better.
The next day I take everyone over the Eastern Carolina Campus and show them around. School is out for the semester and summer sessions have not started yet, but there are a few people milling around campus and so we are able to explore without any problems.
I show them where my dad's office was and the student center where I use to hang out sometimes while my dad was in meeting with students. It felt amazing to be back here and I could feel my dad with me as I pointed out different things.
After the campus trip I took them into town and showed them the theater my mom and I went to watch movies at the café we would go to afterwards. Unfortunately now the café was a consignment shop but in my mind I could still see the tables that sat out front on the sidewalk that we would sit at and discuss the movie we had just watched together.
We then went by our old house and Carlisle, Esme and I told the others stories of my growing up there and Carlisle and Esme coming for visits. Alice even had a few of her own that she shared with the group.
We were only staying in Greenville for one full day because there wasn't as much to do here as there was in Charlotte. Plus I think everyone was really excited about spending time on Orcacoke Island. We had never done the family vacation thing and we were all really excited about.
Before leaving the city the next day we stopped by the graveyard that my parents were buried at. Bella encouraged Esme, Carlisle and I to go first and have a few moments there together before the others came over to join us.
Esme held my hand as we walked over to the little area were they lay. The stone that marked their graves looked the same as it did the day it was put up. I looked over at Carlisle to question how it looked so new.
"I pay a small fee each year to make sure the groundskeepers here take care of the stone and keep their graves clean and well maintained."
"Why?"
"I always knew it would be hard for you to come back here Edward but I wanted to make sure that when you were ready that it would be perfect for you when you did."
"Do you think badly of me because it has taken me so long to come back?" I ask as I hang my head down.
"Absolutely not Edward." Carlisle says as he puts his hand under my chin and pulls it up to look him in the eyes. "It's hard for me too son, always has been. This is not how I want to remember my brother. I want to remember him and Liz both as I loved them, alive and full of grace, not as just a stone. They are not here Edward; they haven't been since we laid them to rest. Their souls are all around us; their memories are in our hearts and minds. That's what we need to remember, that's how we honor them my sweet boy." He says as he pulls me into a hug. I can feel Esme's arms wrap around me from behind.
"That's what Bella told me." I say as I feel tears running down my face.
"I always knew our girl was smart." Esme says with a giggle.
We all share a little laughter at Esme's words as we pull away from our hug. Esme leans down to the stone that reads Edward Anthony Cullen Sr. and Elizabeth Platt Cullen loving parents of Edward Anthony Cullen Jr. kissing each of their names with her hand.
"I love you guys and miss you more each day. I know you are watching over Edward and are as proud of him as we are. Thank you for trusting us to love him as our own and for sharing him as our son. It has truly been a gift." She says before standing again, turning to me and kissing my cheek before taking Carlisle's hand and walking back over to the others.
A moment later I feel Bella's soft hand take mine. We don't speak, just stand there hand in hand staring at the stone in front of us. I can feel my parents all around me but it is no different than any other time or place. They are here with me now because I am here just as they are with me wherever I may roam.
"Thank you for your wonderful son." Bella whispers, her hand grasping mine tighter.
"Thank you for loving me." I say both to Bella and my parents.
Orcacoke Island
The ferry ride onto the island took about an hour once we were all settled. Unlike Bald Head Island, cars are aloud but the only way onto the island is by ferry. We were renting a large house on the beach and I could tell after the past couple of days we all needed a chance to unwind and just enjoy. None of us had ever been to the island before and we were all looking forward to exploring this part of North Carolina history. The kids were really excited about seeing the horses and the lighthouse on the island which was one of the few still active ones in the area.
After getting settled in the house, Bella, Esme, Rose and Alice all went to the store to get groceries for the next few days. Charlie, Jessica and Addy took off on bikes to explore the area, Jasper, Emmett and I took Rory, Marley and Alex down to the beach while Carlisle, Jayden and Georgia went to look for the horses.
A few hours later everyone had returned back to the house and we all exchanged stories of what we had discovered so far while Bella and Esme cooked dinner. Rose and Alice were taking the next night with the guys taking turns grilling the remaining two nights we were here. Breakfast and lunches would be simple things that we could grab on the go.
Dinner was amazing as I knew it would be and the house was filled with nothing but laughter.
We spent the next few days exploring the island. We all go to the lighthouse and to the place where the horses run wild. Georgia and Jayden give us the history of how the horses are believed to have been left on the island by Spanish Explores and have been here ever since. We also learned the history of how a local boy scout troop tends to the horses twice a day and is considered one of the only horse mounted troops in the country.
We go to Springer's Point Nature Preserve and explore the trails, look out for wildlife among the hundred year old trees and listen as a ranger tells stories of the area of beach that Blackbeard and his crew would sit and wait for unsuspecting ships to plunder.
Bella of course takes hundreds of pictures of not only the island and all of its sights but of our family as well.
The night before we are set to leave it is my turn to grill and as I head out to the lower porch where the grill is located I hear Charlie and Rory's voices.
"Do you think they are ok now?" I hear Rory ask.
"I think so. I know it had to be hard on all of them, but I think having the rest of us here really helped." Charlie answers. I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping on their conversation but I cannot help but wonder what they are talking about.
"Do you ever think about it, about losing them I mean?" Rory asks.
"All the time buddy." Charlie pauses for a minute before continuing. "I measure milestones by matching my age with theirs. Once I passed one of them I felt a little better. Edward was eleven when his parents were killed so when I turned twelve I began to feel a little better. Bella was sixteen when Grandpops Charlie and Grandma Renee died so when I turned seventeen I felt even better and well now…"
"You only have one more hurdle to cross." Rory finishes for him.
"Yep once I turn twenty five I will be golden." Charlie says with an air of victory in his voice.
"I know that something could happen to anyone of them after that point but it helps me with the fear that grips me sometimes. It's a hard thing to think about; losing your parents or any loved one for that matter. I still remember to this day the way dad cried when he got the call about Bella being in a car crash. Even though I was only four I can remember as if it was yesterday the pain in my dad's eyes, the fear that was in his voice as he tried to tell mom about what happened. I even remember the look in your dad's eyes. He was so in love with your mom then and I could see that even though he tried to be brave he was scared to death." Charlie pauses again for a moment looking over at Rory.
"I'm glad I wasn't born yet when that happened. I don't know that I could have handled something happening to my mom."
Charlie pats Rory on the shoulder before speaking again.
"I know it may sound a little crazy but I think I feel in love with your dad that day. Not in a love love kind of way obviously but in a family kind of way. I figured anyone who loved my Bella the way he did had to be worthy of love himself and I knew then your dad was going to be really special in my life and he always has been."
I can feel myself choking up at Charlie's words. I knew I loved him from the get go, how could I not, but to hear him talk about when he realized I was worthy of his love was overwhelming.
"Yeah it's kind of gross watching them together sometimes." I have to bite my tongue not to laugh and give myself away.
"Parents are like that." Charlie answers him with a laugh.
"So I guess I have passed one of those milestones already haven't I."
"You have buddy, just two more to go."
"I wish I could have known them." Rory says as he looks back out to the water.
"Me too buddy, but I'm grateful for Carlisle and Esme."
"They really are the best grandparents aren't they?" Rory says with a smile in his voice.
"Yeah they are. Come on buddy let's go see if we can find Jes and Addy." Charlie says as they stand up from their chairs and head towards the beach.
As I watch their retreating forms I thank the heavens above for Charlie and what he can give to Rory that he might not want to talk to me about. I guess I never realized until that moment what the death of our parents would mean to our kids but at least I knew that they had each other to help deal with those things.
Home
The trip home was long and I could tell we were all ready to be back home and in one place. The trip had been wonderful and had brought us all even closer together as a family but now we needed home.
As the wheels of our car met my beacon bridge I realized that while we had just come back from the cities that we grew up in, Charleston was our home.
A/N:
Just one more chapter to go and I have to say that it overwhelms me that my lovely readers are sad about seeing this end. It has been a truly amazing experience for me to write and I have loved every moment of it.
I also want to say thank you to each and every one of you who has taken the time to review. The last chapter took me over 400 reviews which is more than double what I received for my first story.
I posted the first chapter of my new story Sometimes Salvation in the Eye of the Storm yesterday. I was going to wait until I was finished with this one but it was just begging my brain to get out there so I went ahead and bit the bullet so to speak. It is a mystery/drama story and really very different from this one. It is a Bella/Edward story but there are a lot of other factors that come into the story and it is told from a third person POV because that is the best way to tell this story. I hope you all give it a chance and thank you so much for those who already have.
I have another one that I am going to begin soon called Stations. It will be more light hearted and another Bella/Edward romance. It will only be from her POV though because a lot of it will be from her internal musings. I should be posting both stories at the same time now that school is almost over and I will have more free time.
As I was dipping Easter shaped sugar cookies in chocolate over the weekend I realized a quirky thing I have done with all of the kids in this story. I wonder if any of you have noticed it or not. Think about it and let me know. Just one of the crazy ways my mind works when I am working in sugar, flour and chocolate. Some of my best writing comes about from those moments.
Let me know what you think and much love to you all!