Hey! Okay, I know I'm a terrible, terrible person for making you wait so long for this chapter but I have a pretty good excuse. I went camping the week of the Fourth of July (my fellow Americans likely understand the tradition) and got a sunburn from hell despite my many layers of sunblock during my five day adventure with the boyfriend. I also acquired a lovely ear infection on top of the sunburn, which thanks to the help of some antibiotics is much better. So, after a week of healing and recuperating I'm still a bit sunburned but I can finally hear out of my ear with almost no pain, which allowed me to focus and get this chapter complete.
Now, with that said, thank you all so much for your reviews and adds and for your continued support of this story. I'm sorry that it took me so long to finally get this chapter up and I'm sorry that I didn't respond to everyone's reviews; especially since you all had such great things to say about the moment between Aurora and Charlie at the end. I would have responded to them before this posting, but it's late and I'm exhausted, so, I thought it better just to post the new chapter. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I PROMISE that if you leave a signed review for this chapter I will respond this time around. I hope you guys like this chapter, and please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Forty-Eight
"I'm going to be sick," I said under my breath, knowing Jacob was the only one in the car that heard the muttered words, as I sat in the front passenger seat of my car. I heard Jacob sigh heavily and fidget in his seat in the back before I felt his warm hand reach in between the seat and the side of the car to give my upper right arm a squeeze. I looked over my right shoulder and around the headrest to look at Jacob, who was seated behind me since I was able to have my seat relatively close to the dashboard because I wasn't driving like Charlie. He gave me a tight lipped smile, that I did my best to return before I turned my gaze back to the windshield and the road ahead while Jacob lowered his hand from my arm.
We had decided to drive my car since it was a little more practical than taking Charlie's cruiser into Seattle, and after the initial blushing rampage that followed the memories of Jacob and me in the backseat of my car passed we set off on the road at quarter to six that morning. Now, we were in Seattle and making our way through downtown. Thankfully, Charlie seemed to know where he was going through the seemingly endless winding roads. I knew that it only seemed that way to me because I was so nervous and apprehensive for what was going to happen in the next handful of hours.
Finally, Charlie turned into a parking ramp, grabbed the little ticket from the machine, and drove into the parking ramp. Thankfully, it didn't take us long to find a parking spot and I took a deep breath as Charlie parked the car and turned off the engine before he looked at me, pulling the keys out of the ignition with a soft sigh.
"Robert said that this place will pretty much be deserted today since it's the weekend, but that he'd be waiting for us in the lobby. Security will have let him in by now, so, if you're ready we'll head on over to the building. It's across the street," Charlie said as he looked at me, concern in his brown eyes that I desperately wanted to get rid of. I hated that Charlie was so worried about me. Jacob worried enough for the both of them most of the time.
"I'm ready," I said, my voice far stronger and surer than I actually felt, and Charlie gave me a look that told me he didn't quite believe me. "Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so, there's no point in putting it off," I amended and Charlie gave me a tight lipped smile that I uneasily returned before the three of us climbed out of my car. I had taken my jacket and scarf off during the long drive, so, I had them in my hands when I closed the car door.
I shivered a bit, but before I could start to put my things back on Jacob took my jacket from my hands and held it out to me. He grinned when I looked at him and I chuckled and smiled before I turned around and slid my arms into my jacket before he shrugged it on. His hands gently massaged my tense shoulders and for a moment my nervousness and fear for the next couple of hours ebbed away as I buttoned up my jacket and Jacob's hands lingered for a bit. When I wrapped my scarf around my neck he gently pulled my shortened hair out from underneath it and after securing my scarf into place I turned around and smiled at him.
"Thanks," I said softly and he smiled at me before he leaned down and kissed my forehead, taking my left hand into his right in the process before we joined Charlie who was waiting near the trunk of my car. Charlie put a comforting hand on my upper back before he lowered it as the two of us started to make our way out of the parking ramp. Even when we got outside and stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change so we could make our way into the tall glass and steel building that took up the entire city block, I felt like I was on auto pilot and just going through the motions. It was almost like how I felt during the day of my mom's funeral, numb and like I wasn't really there mentally, but at the same time it wasn't like it because this time around I was fully aware of what was going on around me.
We waked in silence when the traffic light changed and we crossed the street and headed towards the entrance where Robert was waiting for us. Jacob's iron grip didn't waver from my hand as we stopped in front of the large glass doors, Charlie peered inside before I saw him give someone a small smile and waved his right hand before he stepped back. Barely a minute later a man dressed in a security officer's uniform was opening one of the doors and ushering Charlie, Jacob, and me into the lobby.
"Charlie, it's good to meet you person," a rich baritone voice said as the security guard closed the door behind us and I saw Charlie shake hands with a man who was as tall as him but dressed in a navy suit that had likely cost as much as Charlie and Sue had paid for my used car.
"You too, Robert," Charlie said as he nodded his head slightly before the two men let go of each other's hands and Robert turned his brown eyes to me, a warm smile on his face. He was younger than Charlie, I guessed mid-thirties, and he had neatly cut blonde hair and a relatively handsome face. He looked like a nice guy, but he also had an air about him that gave me the impression he was not one to be messed with, which was probably why he was a great attorney. I'd done a bit of research on Robert Garner when Charlie had told me his name and he was one of the top family law attorneys in Washington state, and that made me feel like I owed Carlisle and Esme even more for hiring him.
"And you must be Aurora," Robert said kindly and I managed to muster a smile as I looked at him.
"That's me," I said, my voice trembling a bit and portraying my nervousness, but Robert just continued to smile at me before his eyes flickered up to Jacob in mild surprise.
"I'm Jacob Black, Aurora's boyfriend," he said, introducing himself, and Robert nodded his head before he held out his right hand to Jacob. Jacob let go of my hand then and took hold of Robert's hand to shake it.
"It's nice to meet you, Jacob," Robert said. "Charlie had told me you'd be joining him and Aurora today and I'm glad you're here to support her." Jacob nodded his head curtly before he let go of Robert's hand and was quick to take my hand into his once more, lacing our fingers together as I heard him sigh quietly. "Well, Mr. Grant, his attorney, and the lab technicians are waiting for us upstairs," Robert said as he looked at Charlie before he looked at me. "If you're ready, we'll head on up." I found it funny that Robert had pretty much just said the same thing Charlie had in the car, but I just nodded my head this time around and Jacob squeezed my hand. "All right, let's go," he said quietly. The security guard was settled at his station and shot us tight lipped smiles as we passed him by and went to the elevator bay.
We rode up the elevator in silence and my heart started to pick up the pace the higher we went, but Jacob's hand didn't leave mine. Not even when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I took a deep breath as I followed Robert and Charlie off the elevator with Jacob still at my side. Apparently the law firm took up the entire floor we had arrived on and after turning to the left we were greeted by an empty receptionist desk and the name 'Bradley and Morrison' in large block gold letters on the dark wall behind it. However, the waiting area of the office was not empty.
"Robert, good to see you again," a gruff voice said and my eyes left the shining lettering to see a shorter man with white-gray hair cut and styled neatly on top of his head. Like Robert he was wearing an expensive looking suit but a gray one. Robert smiled and shook hands with the gray haired man as he nodded.
"You as well Howard," Robert said before he lowered his hand back to his side. "Thank you for agreeing to do all of this on a Saturday. With Aurora being in school and having mid-terms next week before her winter holiday, we didn't want to have her miss any school." Howard just nodded before he turned his eyes to Charlie, Jacob, and me. Thankfully, I managed to hold back a smile when Howard raised his eyebrows and blinked rapidly a few times as he looked up at Jacob. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone stand up slowly from one of the chairs in the waiting area, but I kept my eyes on Howard while my heart rate only picked up yet again. "Howard, this is Charlie Swan, Aurora, and Aurora's boyfriend, Jacob Black." Howard cleared his throat and turned his eyes to Charlie and smiled as he held out his hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Swan," he said and Charlie, albeit reluctantly, shook the man's hand. "I'm Howard Bradley. Mrs. Thompson had nothing but good things to say about you when I spoke to her." Charlie didn't say a word, he just nodded his head, as he gave Howard a tight lipped smile and when they let go of each other's hands Charlie moved back a bit so he was standing directly on my right rather than slightly in front of me like he had been. Howard turned slightly and gestured with his right hand. "Roman," he said quietly and Jacob's hand tightened around mine.
I took a deep breath and squeezed his hand back as I finally tore my eyes away from Howard and looked to the man who believed himself to be my biological father. I was surprised to see that he was taller than I was expecting, standing maybe only two or three inches shorter than Jacob, and it was obvious that he cared about his appearance given that I could tell he was in serious good shape for his age. I wasn't surprised to see him dressed in a suit as well, one that looked just as expensive if not more than the two attorneys' suits. Edward (who insisted on doing some research into Roman for me) had told me that he seemed like a very determined and career driven man. I had never wanted to see a photo of him, but Edward's description of a man with a stern face and mildly cold eyes served him well.
His hair was an ashy brown color with a great deal of gray around his temples, and despite his stoic expression he would be considered attractive with his blue eyes, regal nose, and well defined jaw line. However, what pained me the most at that moment was that I could actually see little nuances in his features that were similar to mine and before the test was even complete I was resigned to the fact that it was all the more likely that this man was my biological father. I took another deep breath before I finally bit the bullet and let my eyes fully meet his, and to my astonishment Roman's stoic expression melted away into one of complete surprise.
"Goodness, you look nearly identical to Lizzie," Roman said quietly, his accented voice reminding me of Alistair since the grumpy vamp was from England as well. However, I was surprised to hear him call Mom 'Lizzie' since she hated that nickname, but it was then that I realized why Mom might have hated it when her friends called her Lizzie. It was because Roman used to call her that and aside from me, she seemed to cut every tie that she ever had with him away from her.
"I'm well aware that I look like my mom, thank you," I said as evenly as I could but my voice still trembled with nerves. Jacob ran his thumb over the back of my hand to comfort me while Charlie raised his left hand and rested it on my upper back. I squeezed Jacob's hands slightly in thanks to him, but I looked at Charlie and smiled softly when my blue eyes met his brown. He smiled back before he gently rubbed his hand over my back twice before he lowered his hand. We returned our gaze to the other men and Roman actually looked a bit sheepish as he looked at me.
"Well, the lab technician is waiting for us in the conference room," Howard said, breaking the awkward silence that had fell around us after my small exchange with Roman and then Charlie. "Shall we get the necessities for the test out of the way and then we can all sit and talk things through?"
"Yes, I think that would be best," Robert said and Howard nodded before he and Roman started leading the rest of us toward a large conference room that rested on the other side of the darkly painted wall. Jacob and I were the last ones to enter the room but I tugged on his hand as I hesitated to follow Charlie inside and he stopped and turned to look down at me.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a whisper knowing full well that the other s were watching and waiting for us just inside the room; well, Howard and Roman were watching us while Robert and Charlie had moved off to talk to the lab technician who was a pretty woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail and black framed glasses on her face.
"Nothing," I whispered softly enough so that I knew he would be the only one that could possibly hear me, "I just need a little bit more of that Jacob Black certainty of yours that everything's going to be okay." He gave me a small smile before he raised his left hand to the side of my face and gently tucked my hair behind my ear.
"It's going to be okay, Rory, I promise," he whispered, his brown eyes never leaving mine and I felt a little bit of tension leave my body as I nodded my head. His smile softened slightly before he leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering a little longer than they should have but I really didn't care as I closed my eyes. "Don't worry," he said with a pause as he pulled back and I opened my eyes to look at him, "I'm not going to leave your side unless you have to use the bathroom or something." I laughed under my breath at that, thankful that he made me feel a little lighter with his lame attempt at humor, before I softly hit his chest, which made him grin. "Let's go in," he said as he jerked his head slightly towards the door in front of us and I nodded yet again before the two of us entered the conference room.
Robert and Howard had been going back and forth for the last half an hour about what the next course of action was to be should the test come back to show that I was Roman's daughter. The inside of my cheeks still tingled a bit from the cotton swabs that had been run along the inside of my mouth for the technician to get a bit of my DNA, but other than that the test had been painless. However, what was not painless was listening to Howard and Robert talk about me like I was a piece of property or something. They talked about how if Roman was my biological father he had every right to visitation and legal custody so he would be consulted regarding any health related issues; and looking between Charlie and Jacob neither one of them were exactly comfortable with how I was being talked about either.
"You are aware that she'll be eighteen in roughly seven months, aren't you?" Charlie asked suddenly, interrupting Howard who had been going on about Roman's rights and how if mediating the issues wouldn't be favorable to his client he would be more than happy to take the issue to the Court. All eyes had turned to Charlie when he spoke and, seemingly flustered by Charlie's outburst, Howard had been about to respond when Charlie beat him to it. "She'll be an adult in July, and I know the court system well enough to know that a judge would likely laugh you out of the courtroom. Especially since it would likely be months before you'd even get the matter before the Court and she'd be even closer to being eighteen."
"Mr. Swan, I understand that you think you know wh-," Howard began in a condescending tone, and anger filled me at the sound and at the way that Howard was looking at Charlie. Robert looked like he was about to intervene, but I wasn't having it.
"Don't you talk to him like that!" I said sharply as I stood from my seat, which was across the large table from Roman. I glared at Howard as he looked at me with raised eyebrows and I clenched my fists at my sides. "He's right and you know damn well that he is." Howard huffed and looked at Robert with an expression that clearly said 'control your clients,' but I just rolled my eyes and looked at Roman who was looking at me with an expression I could not read on his face. However, I had questions. Questions that I was finally finding the courage to ask and I took a deep breath before I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
"Look, Mr. Grant, I understand that you think you have the right to have a say in what goes on in my life, but in reality you don't. Not anymore anyway. I'm practically an adult, I'll be out of high school soon, and I've already got plans set for college and my future. If you are my biological father, that's great because then I could get a medical history from you so I could know of any potential medical conditions; but other than that I don't want or need anything from you.
"The only time in my life that I ever wondered 'where's my daddy' was when I was really little and noticed how my friends had moms and dads, but after a short phase I didn't think of it anymore. I had a wonderful life with my mom, one that I wouldn't change for anything, and I continue to have one with Charlie. Why do you want to come in and try to ruin everything?" The room was silent. Completely silent after my little speech and Roman and I just looked at each other for several quiet beats before he sighed softly and looked away from me.
"Could I have a moment alone with Aurora?" he asked as he looked between Howard, Robert, and Charlie. Even though I wasn't close enough to really sense it and even though I wasn't even looking at him, I knew Jacob had tensed at the question.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Jacob said and I turned my head to the left only to see him stand from his seat and have him take hold of my hand while he looked at Roman. "I'm sure that deep down you're a nice guy and everything, Mr. Grant, but I'm not exactly comfortable leaving Aurora alone with you."
"Fifteen minutes is all I am asking for," Roman said and I looked at him and saw that he was giving Jacob a contemplative look. I wasn't sure what Roman was thinking as he looked at Jacob, but it was obvious to those in the room that didn't know Jacob that Jacob was protective of me and was only looking out for me. "I swear to you that I truly do not mean Aurora any harm. I would just like to talk to her privately for a few minutes." I heard Jacob sigh and Charlie cleared his throat, bringing my attention and everyone else's to him.
"If Aurora is comfortable with it, I don't see why they can't talk for a few minutes," Charlie said before he too stood from his seat and looked at me. "Would you be okay with talking to him? If not, don't be afraid to say so."
From the look in Charlie's eyes I could tell that he wasn't comfortable leaving me alone with Roman, but he was giving me the option and leaving the final decision up to me; and that made me love Charlie all the more. Forty-five minutes ago I would have said 'hell no' to talking to Roman on my own, but I wanted my question answered and it didn't look like he was going to give me an answer unless we were alone. So, after a minute silent mental deliberation I nodded.
"Okay," Charlie said and Jacob's hold on my hand tightened. "Fifteen minutes," Charlie said as he turned his eyes to Roman before quickly looked at Jacob. "Come on, Jake. She'll be okay," he said and I turned my eyes to Jacob. His shoulders were stiff and I could make out the slightest of trembles in them as I felt the gentle vibration down his arm thanks to his iron grip on my hand. He looked at me, finally tearing his eyes from Roman.
"I'll be okay," I said, maintaining my courage and bottling away my nerves. He sighed through his nose before he gave me a tense and curt nod and then leaned down to place a soft chaste kiss upon my lips.
"I'll be listening," he promised in a whisper and I subtly nodded as he pulled away and let go of my hand before he hesitantly followed Charlie, Robert, and a sulking Howard out of the room. I watched them walk away and when the door closed behind them I looked at Roman for a moment before I turned away from him and walked over to the large wall of windows that looked over downtown Seattle, crossing my arms over my chest in the process.
"That young man loves you very much," Roman said, breaking the silence after a beat.
"And I love him just as much," I said automatically, my eyes still trained on the window and staring off into the distance but not looking at anything in particular. "He's very good to me."
"He's also very protective of you," Roman said, his voice much closer than it had been. I looked over my right shoulder to find him standing about four feet away from me as he too looked out the window. He turned his eyes to me then and I sighed softly once again as I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Aurora, I know you do not think very highly of me and despite what you might think my tracking you down was not to ruin your life."
"Then why?" I asked.
"Because I loved your mother very much and if you are my daughter, which I am truly convinced you are now that I've actually laid my eyes on you, I just want a chance to get to know you," he said.
"You loved my mother?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I chose to ignore the second half of his sentence. "She was your mistress."
"Just because I was not married to her does not mean that my feelings for her were not genuine," Roman said with a furrowed brow. "I truly did love her, Aurora, and part of me still does."
"I don't believe you," I said as I shook my head.
"Whether you believe me or not, it's the truth," he said. "She's the one that ended our affair after a year, and I was gutted when she did. However, she asked me never to contact her again and to leave her alone, which was what I did. Until I was in Los Angeles at a conference in June when I overheard a conversation and Lizzie's name came up.
"The two men and one woman were talking about how Lizzie's death was such a tragedy and that now only had the company she worked for lost a bright mind but the world had lost such a lovely person. I hoped and prayed that they were talking about a different Elizabeth Bishop, but the next day, after a little digging, I found out that they were indeed talking about my Lizzie."
"My mother was not your anything," I said quickly, uncomfortable with the tone he had taken as he spoke about her. He sighed softly as he looked at me before he turned his gaze out the window once more.
"It is possible to love more than one person; and while I do love my wife, it pales in comparison to the love that I had for your mother."
"It's selfish to claim that you loved two people at once," I said, drawing his attention back to me. "When you say that you love two people at the same time it's because you want them both and you don't care who gets hurt so long as you have them both." Roman reminded me of Bella before she had finally let her feelings for Jacob go; he wanted the best of both worlds and damn the consequences.
"It's not that simple," he said as he shook his head.
"Trust me, it is," I said and he sighed. "If the love you felt for my mom made the love you have for your wife feel like puppy love, then why didn't you just leave your wife? Why have an affair with her for a year?"
"I had three children, all under ten years of age, and responsibilities that I could not turn my back on," he said. "My company was taking off with opportunities left and right. I couldn't."
At those words it was like everything clicked for me and I completely understood why he was so insistent on wedging his way into my life with the help of his lawyer and threatened attempts to take it to court if we refused. It was then that I was sure those threats were hollow, and that they really had no intention of doing so. They just wanted to scare us into an agreement, but Charlie wasn't stupid and neither was I; and at that moment all the anxiousness and fear that had built up over the last couple of weeks was gone. I could have cared less if the test results came back saying he was my father because this man no longer had any power over me.
"Now I get why you're doing all of this. It makes perfect sense," I said as I uncrossed my arms and laughed softly before I shook my head.
"What?" he asked with his brow furrowed once more.
"You really are a selfish person, Mr. Grant," I said and he blinked at me in surprise. "My mom's gone, but I'm the next best thing, right? And with the possibility of me being your daughter pretty much guaranteed at this point, you have a permanent link to her and a way to have her in your life again. Plus, the fact that I look a lot like her is the icing on the cake for you and makes me a living breathing memento of the time you had with her."
"That's no-," he said, but I interrupted him because the flush to his cheeks told me I hit the nail on the head despite his oncoming denial.
"Don't lie," I said. "The only reason you want anything to do with me is to have a way to be connected to my mother again. Have you even told your wife about any of this yet?" The flush on his face darkened and his shoulders tensed, which told me he had not told her anything and he likely had no plans on doing so. "Wow," I said with a laugh as I shook my head once more. "When the test results come in and show that I really am your daughter, I welcome you to take this to court and try to have an order issued to force your way into my life. I know you're not going to do it, of course, because that would be public exposure and your wife would find out all about your affair with my mother and me, and likely divorce your ass and get a good chunk of that fortune of yours.
"I'm sorry your plan to play the 'I loved her' card on me backfired, Mr. Grant. I may be young but I'm certainly not naïve and I'm definitely not stupid. Good luck to you," I said with a nod of my head and I turned around to head for the door when Roman roughly grabbed me by upper arm. His hold was tight and I was certain that it was going to leave behind a bruise. I gasped as I looked up into his blue eyes, which were filled with anger as he looked down at me. I realized then why Mom likely ended her affair with the man in front of me.
"You listen to me, girl, I won't have you speak to me like that. You don't know who you're mes-," he started, but he didn't get to finish. He was ripped away from me in a flash and after blinking to get my bearings I saw that Jacob had Roman pinned to the wall of windows by his throat was snarling at him.
"Jacob!" I yelled before I rushed over and put my left hand on the bicep of his left arm that was pinning Roman to the window and my right hand on his trembling back. "Jacob, I'm okay. You came in before he could do anything, so, just let him go." Jacob looked at me for a second before he turned his hard gaze back to Roman. I followed his movement and saw that Roman had paled considerably and had both of his hands wrapped around Jacob's wrist and forearm. He looked like he was about to pee his pants or something and the fear was very present in his eyes as he looked at Jacob. "Jacob, please," I whispered as I looked back at him. "He's just not worth it." Jacob let out a low growl before he roughly released his hold on Roman before he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me away from the man that was now gasping for air.
"You so much as contact Aurora, Charlie, or anyone that they care about in any way," Jacob said lowly, his body still trembling, as Roman righted himself and cleared his throat awkwardly as he looked at Jacob, "you won't like the consequences." Roman knew he was defeated, I could tell by the resignation in his eyes as he looked up at Jacob. He had no power over me, which sadly was what he wanted and had until I realized just why he was so gung how about all of this. And had he came into the picture a year ago or sooner he would have had it but thankfully, it hadn't turned out that way.
"Howard, I respect you as a fellow attorney," Robert said as Jacob turned us away from Roman and nearly carried me towards the door where Charlie stood with our coats in hand. I looked at Robert to see him glaring daggers at a flabbergasted looking Howard while Charlie looked about as murderous as Jacob had when he had Roman pinned to the window. "However, I think you should really be more selective of the people you take on as clients.
"Also, I will welcome any motion you want to bring forward because I can guarantee you that you'll lose and don't look for us to come to any sort of agreement at any mediation you want to schedule. I'd turn in my license before I'd allow him to have any sort of contact with her after that display. I can only imagine what he would have done had Jacob not insisted on standing close to the door. Good bye, Howard."
Before the other man could say anything, Robert was ushering the rest of us out of the conference room and back through the waiting area to the elevators. Jacob had yet to let go of me so I could put my coat on, but I was more than comfortable at the present moment. My mind was spinning a million miles an hour as we rode down on the elevator and I was well aware that Charlie was having a heated discussion with Robert, but I wasn't processing anything that they were saying. I looked up at Jacob only to see he was still scowling as he stared ahead, but sensing my eyes on his face he turned his head and looked at me. Jacob sighed softly before he leaned down and pressed a kiss on my forehead.
"Nothing like that is ever going to happen again," he whispered against my skin as the doors dinged open but we lingered in the elevator. "Human or no, I'll tear his head off and rip him limb from limb without any trouble at all." Despite the completely morbid visual and despite it being something I most definitely did not want Jacob to do, I felt all the tension leave my body because I knew he was totally serious. He kissed my forehead one more time before he pulled back and guided me off the elevator and over to a waiting Robert and Charlie, the latter of whom still looked like he was ready for war; and I knew that no harm would ever come to me so long as Jacob and Charlie was around, and even after what had just happened I never felt safer.
