Sorry this took so long...I'm cleaning up from the floods we had last week.
My hands smell like clorox...
Yuck...
Dad patted me on the back with a sigh and walked inside.
Somehow my Mom managed to convince Bella that it would be best for them to spend the rest of the night with us.
I could have kissed her for that.
Emmett was already in my bed so Bella decided to just sleep in there with him.
In my bed.
Bella…
Was sleeping…
In my bed.
But I was sleeping on the couch.
Not fair.
I was almost asleep when I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
I opened my eyes and in the dim light that was coming from the kitchen I saw…
Bella.
Still dressed in my clothes but now her hair was rumpled from sleep.
And she was crying.
I could not help myself.
I got up off the couch and walked over to her.
She saw me coming…
But did nothing to stop me.
She did not stop me when I pulled her into my arms.
She did not stop me when I cradled her head against my chest.
She did not stop the tears that soaked the front of my shirt.
"He could have died. I could have killed my brother."
"No."
"Yes Edward…yes. I just…the thought of him going into foster care…even for a few months…it killed me. You know how sweet and sensitive he is. He would not make it. And I…I thought I could do it."
Now that her walls were down…everything was spilling out and there was no way I was going to stop her.
"When I went to the lawyer's office after the funerals…I had no idea they owed so much. And then the house was sold out from under us and we had no other family and it all just snowballed."
Her hands were tangled in the back of my shirt as if trying to make sure I was not going anywhere.
Where else did I have to go?