For those of you who read the Get Your Southern On contest entries, this is my contribution. I am tickled at the results … first place in public vote and third place for the judge's choice. I've decided to break this up into smaller, drabblish chapters and it will be continued. The contest contribution is the first six or so chapters, roughly. I don't know how long it will be, but I do have it planned. Thank you to Bridget for betaing this for me and for Clo, who created the banner.
Thank you for those of you who have read this! I hope you continue to do so! Without further ado …
Bella woke up shortly after seven at the insistent knocking at the door. Edward was snoring quietly. She kissed his lips, getting out of bed and saw Liam standing outside. His hair was sticking up every which direction and he was yawning. "What's up, Liam?" Bella asked. "You okay?"
"I'm hungry," he said. "I can't reach the cereal."
"You're a growing boy. You need something better than cereal," Bella snickered. She closed the door and held out her hand to Liam. "Let's go foraging."
"What's that?" Liam asked.
"Searching for food," Bella said. "Go to the fridge and look for eggs, bacon and cheese."
"Milk and orange juice, too?" Liam asked.
"Good idea," Bella beamed. She went to the pantry and grabbed some Bisquick and mixing bowls from the cabinets. While she was looking for the bowls, she found the griddle pan. Liam put the items she asked for on the kitchen counter. "Good man. You got everything we need."
"What are we making, Miss Bella?" Liam asked, nodding.
"Pancakes. Did you see blueberries in there, Liam?"
"I don't think so. We have strawberries and bananas," Liam replied, pointing to the basket of bananas. "Oooh, and chocolate chips."
"Too sweet for breakfast," Bella said, wrinkling her nose. "Why don't you go see if your sister wants to help make breakfast?" Liam nodded, skipping out of kitchen. Bella quickly made the batter. As she did, the front door of Edward's house opened. "Hello?"
Carlisle walked in, looking stern and not too welcoming. "You spent the night." His eyes swept over her sleepwear of a pair of shorts and tank top disapprovingly.
"Edward invited me. We got back from the park late and …"
"Papa!" squealed the twins. They ran to him and hugged his legs.
"Hello, little ones," he said, ruffling Liam's bed head. "Why don't you guys go back to your room while I speak to this lady?"
"That's Miss Bella. She's not some lady," Lucy argued, scowling at her grandfather. "She read me a story and tucked me in."
"Lucy, go," Carlisle said, arching a brow. Lucy huffed, stomping back to her room with Liam on her heels. "My son, while book smart, is quite stupid."
"Excuse me?" Bella squeaked, her face flushing angrily.
"I can't believe he had you spend the night. It's not right. You're not the children's mother and unless you want to step into that role, you should not be here," Carlisle said coldly. "I like your father and he's a good man, but his daughter makes some questionable decisions."
"It wasn't her decision," Edward growled, tugging on a shirt and his glasses. He stood in front of Bella, taking her hand. "It was mine. What are you doing here? This is still my home."
"I was going to see if you wanted to go to church with your mother and me with the twins," Carlisle said. "Obviously, you need your faith if you're …"
"Dad!" Edward snapped. "Enough!" He pinched his nose and blew out a breath. "I appreciate your help with the twins, but Bella is the woman that I love and I do not appreciate how you're treating her right now."
"I'm treating her how I see it," Carlisle sneered. "Don't be surprised if she says she's pregnant, begging for money in a few months." Bella gasped, slipping out from behind Edward and running to the bedroom, slamming the door.
"Dad, you better fucking leave my house or you will be thrown out. Through the windows," Edward snarled.
"I'm just looking out for you," Carlisle muttered.
"I'm looking out for your face," Edward said, stomping and opening the door. "And I will be moving out as soon as it's feasible. If I have my way, you'll not see my children, either."
Walking out of the house, she heard yelling. Esme stepped onto the patio and peering into Edward's home. "Carlisle?" called Esme. She saw Edward standing in his doorway, looking like he was about to lose his cool. "Edward, is your father with you?"
"He is and he had some choice words for Bella, making her feel like …" Edward trailed off, acid burning his throat. He leaned over and whispered in his mother's ear, telling her what his father implied. "Get him out of my house and as soon as I'm able, I'm out of here."
"Edward, don't leave," Esme frowned.
"No. It's time for me to go. This unwelcome intrusion and those hurtful words toward my girlfriend solidifies my decision," Edward said. "I love you, Mom. Thank you for your help with the twins. I'll find alternative childcare until Carlisle can pull his head out of his ass. I don't want him to share his opinions about Bella to my impressionable children."
"Oh, he won't," Esme said, narrowing her eyes at her husband. He had the decency to look ashamed. "I'll still take care of the twins and I'll make sure that your father doesn't continue to act like this." She sighed. "I'll call my real estate agent and get some options for you."
"No. I'll do it myself," Edward said. "I have schedule it around my life. I wanted Bella to be a part of that since she's moving here, but now? I'm not so sure if she still wants to be a part of my life. I hope you're fucking satisfied, Dad. The first time in almost seven years, I'm happy and you have to fucking ruin it. Get out of my house and don't talk to me unless it's to apologize. Sincerely apologize."
"Do you want me to take the kids?" Esme asked.
"I'll talk to them and then I'll talk to Bella. Thank you, but no," Edward said, his heart clenching. Blinking over at his unmoving father, he huffed. "Did I speak in a foreign language? Leave, Carlisle!" His father didn't say anything. He pushed past Edward and past his wife, going directly to his car, backing out and peeling out of the driveway. With a frown, Edward closed the door and went to Lucy's room. The door was closed and inside, both were playing a game. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, Daddy," Lucy said, her voice subdued. "Is Miss Bella okay?"
"I don't know. Papa said some mean things to her," Edward gulped, sitting down and looking at his children. "I love you both very much, but I think we're going to be moving sooner rather than later."
"Will Miss Bella come with us? We went foraging in the kitchen," Liam said. "She was going to make us breakfast, Dad."
Edward chuckled, but he wasn't sure. "We'll see. Miss Bella did say she was moving back to Tampa, but it's all up in the air. I'm going to check on her and then, if she's feeling up to it, we'll finish breakfast. It looked really good." He hugged his kids and went back into his bedroom.
What he saw broke his heart.
Bella was dressed and her face was covered with tears. "I called a cab. I'll just go," she said.
"I don't feel the same way as my dad, Bella. Never," Edward said. "Don't leave."
"I think it's best that I do," she muttered, tossing her sex-ravaged hair into a messy ponytail. "I just need some time. It's not every day that I get called a whore. A gold-digging whore, if I'm not correct."
"God damn it," Edward snarled. He wrapped his hands around Bella's arms and stopped her frenetic packing. "You're not. He was wrong. Soooooo wrong. You're everything that's good in the world. You make me so happy." She wouldn't meet his eyes and he cupped her chin, gently forcing her to look at him in the eyes. "I love you."
"I love you, too, but I need to get out of here. I didn't want you to see me cry," she said, tears tracking down her cheeks. She hastily wiped her cheeks, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder.
"Don't give up on us, Bella," he said, his own eyes filling with tears.
"I'm not. I just … please? I just want to fall apart without an audience. Tell Liam and Lucy that I'll see them later," she sniffled. She wriggled out and kissed his cheek, leaving him in the bedroom. Edward choked out a sob as the front door closed. Tugging at his hair, he went back to the twins' room and tried to put on a strong face for them. They asked where Bella went, but he said that Papa had hurt her feelings with his cruel words, but she'd see them later.
In the afternoon, Edward was sitting on the couch while the kids watched a movie when Esme came in. After calling and knocking first.
"Is Dad home?" Edward asked, his stomach churning.
"I told him that it would be in his best interest to stay away for the time being," Esme replied. "He came and picked up a suitcase. He's staying at a hotel near the hospital until he can realize that he fucked up."
"Language, Nana," Liam chided, but he sounded so lost.
"Sorry, sweet pea," she chuckled, sitting down next to her grandson. He moved to snuggle next to her, as did Lucy. "I'm here to watch over the twins so you can make things right with Bella. I remember how tough it was for her in high school and your father's words certainly did not help."
"That's if her dad lets me near her," Edward snorted derisively.
"You weren't the one who acted like an A-S-S," Esme spelled out, covering the twins' ears. "Go!"
"Thanks, Ma," Edward said, kissing his mother's cheek. Putting on a hat and grabbing his keys, he broke every speeding law to get Bella's house. Charlie's truck wasn't in the driveway, nor was the cruiser. He got out and rang the doorbell. There was a quiet shuffle and Bella opened the door. "Sweetness …"
Her face was red and splotchy, clearly, she'd been crying all afternoon. "I said I needed time."
"I didn't want you to leave, Bella," he said. "I still don't. Please, can we talk?"
She nodded, letting him in and offering him a seat in the breezy living room. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked. He shook his head, gently tugging on her hand and pulling her into his lap. He held her tightly and her sobs began anew.
"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward cooed, rubbing her back. "I was ready to kick his ass, or throw him through the damned windows." He looked at Bella, wiping her tears away. "You know you're not that."
"I do, but it hurt to think that your father would think so little of me," she said. "My dad was ready to go off the rails when I told him, despite their friendship."
"He should. Perhaps, it would teach my dad a lesson in keeping his damned mouth shut," Edward sneered. "Your dad should shoot of my dad's nuts."
"The target may be too small," Bella snorted. Edward laughed, sitting back and keeping Bella in his arms. "I'm sorry if I overreacted."
"You didn't. I couldn't believe what my dad was saying. I think he believed that I was going to be single for the rest of my life. He's prepared to have another Tanya debacle," Edward groaned. "But, he's not in charge of my life. He knows he fucked up, royally. Mom kicked him out."
"I don't want to cause turmoil in your family," Bella frowned.
"He was the cause. Never you," Edward said, wiping an errant tear away from her cheek. "I'm just afraid that you're going to give up on us because of his actions."
"No, I'm not, but I do think we need to slow down," she whispered. "No more sleepovers."
"Bullshit. I'm not changing my life because of him. If I want you in my life, I'm having you," Edward snarled. "And I'm moving out. I wanted you to come with me to choose a home, but with what happened, I think it's best that I find something sooner rather than later."
"It's not my house. You get what you think is best," Bella said woodenly.
"No, if I had my way, it would be your house. You should have a say," Edward argued. He took off his hat, tugging at his hair. "I can see if I can rework my schedule so we could check something out tomorrow. I want you to have a say."
"Edward, you are so stubborn," Bella sighed. "You need to work with your schedule. Send me links from your realtor and I'll give you the thumbs up or thumbs down, but I still don't feel like I should have an opinion. According to Carlisle, I'm only a whore, temporary at best."
Edward took Bella's face into his hands and stared into her empty eyes. "You're not. You're my forever and have been my forever since I first met you. I was a teenaged moron to not recognize it in the first place. Don't let my dad win, sweetness. I adore you. Besides my children, you are my life. I can't imagine life without you," he whispered.
"Okay. I'm sorry," she sniffled, sliding her arms around his neck.
"Don't apologize. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for my dad," Edward said, nuzzling her hair. "I love you so much, Bella. Nothing will change that."
"I love you, too," she whispered.
Though Bella said she loved him, too, Edward was terrified that the damage had been done with his dad. He prayed that she wouldn't take his implied words to heart. She meant too much to him and if his dad's callous comments caused her to doubt his love, Edward would never forgive his father.
A/N: So, Carlisle was a douche canoe. In his mind, he believed he was looking out for his son and grandchildren; the feelings of the person getting his ire be damned. Up next will be some further healing with Edward and Bella. Things are still up in the air, at least in my opinion. We're also going to hear from Tanya and see if she got some dirt on Bella. What will she do with it?
Leave me some loving … more loving means that Edward and Bella get reunited sooner. Thanks for reading! ;-)