CHAPTER FIFTY - THREE
(JPOV)
I could tell Bella was already growing suspicious when I tried to rush her off with Emily. The truth was, we were already behind schedule this morning and I had to get my own ass in gear. The countdown was on... two days and counting before the big reveal. I was out the door within minutes of her leaving with Emily with a thousand different to do lists on my mind as I drove through town.
Sam, Paul, Seth, Quil, Jared, Leah and Embry were waiting on the front porch of the house with eager grins plastered on their faces at my arrival.
"Holy shit, Bro! We're burnin' daylight!" Paul scoffed, grabbing a new brush and a fresh bucket of paint to start working on the deck, which was in desperate need of a new coat.
"Does she know you bought all new furniture?" Leah asked, as she helped Seth and Jared unload one of the love seats from the rented uhaul.
"Nope. She knows nothing." I chuckled in reply.
"I gotta hand it to you, Jake. Keeping this secret from her this long is pretty damn clever!" Seth laughed.
"Well, we're not completely out of the woods yet. Two days left and counting!" I sighed, retrieving the hammer and nails from Sam to finish off the railing.
"It's damn genius if you ask me. She'll love it!" Leah added. "Where do you want this in the living room? Or do you trust my woman decorative skills enough to be the judge of that set up?"
"I trust your skills enough. Besides, she'll probably switch things around to her liking when we settle in anyway."
"True enough. Okay boys, bring it all in." Leah yelled to the rest of them, who began swiftly unloading the many pieces of furniture.
"How long do we have till we have to wrap this up today?" Sam asked, hammering away with me.
"That all depends on how busy and preoccupied Emily can keep Bella for the day. My hope is well into the evening. Got a lot to finish up before the big reveal."
"It'll be ready. No worries, bro. If I know Em, she'll have her shopping all day. She knows we need the time to finish up here."
"Good to know."
"How's your dad?"
"Better now that we have an understanding- I think." I sighed.
"I hope so. Hate to think of him wandering down that dark road again. Been there, done that. Shitty way to be."
"Agreed."
We worked well into the early hours of the evening, until our growing appetite's took over. Sam and I made a run to the pizza joint in town and we all took a much needed break before the sun set.
"Place looks awesome, Jake." Paul grinned my way.
"Thanks, still needs some work but."
"It's yours... and hers. Says a lot right there." He quickly added.
I nodded in agreement, reflecting back on when I used to dream of her having a home with me someday. Back then, it felt like just that- a dream... and a pipe dream at that. But now we'd given life to that dream and the wide grin on my face felt permanent from the knowledge of it.
I'm sure to some, it wouldn't be considered much, but to me this house was everything. I wanted our future here and I planned on making whatever dreams she wanted to come true here.
Sure, the house was smaller than I'd like it to be, but it was in way better condition now than it had been before. I was damn proud of the progress made.
As dad always taught me. Anything worth having is worth working for.
It was a lesson I was glad to have learned early on.
Dad had always worked hard and earned every damn thing he had and if I was lucky. I'd turn out to be half the man he was.
"Hey Jake, we brought your clothes from home? Where ya want them?" Embry yelled from the driveway.
"Just set them in the master bedroom. I'll sort through them later, bro."
He nodded and carried in the two huge boxes.
"Well that's one of ya packed. Only one more to go." Sam chuckled, finishing his pizza in one big bite.
How the hell I was gonna get all her belongings from her father's place to here, without her noticing no less, still remained an unsolved mystery to me.
I stole a glance down at my wrist watch, seeing the time was almost five, and noting I had a two hour window right now, before she would be due back with Emily. I shot Em a quick text, asking her to please keep Bella occupied till seven and she agreed. With that confirmation, I took my window of opportunity and ran with it, grabbing Sam's truck keys and heading out.
"Can I borrow your truck?" I yelled his way, seeing him nod and offer me a thumbs up in reply.
I sped off to Forks, and met Charlie in the driveway when I arrived there. His patrol cruiser pulling in only a few moments ahead of me.
"Hey there Jake. Where's your ride?" He asked, noticing Sam's wheels instead of my own.
"Hey Charlie, I borrowed Sam's to come over and get some of Bella's things while I had the chance. Emily has her occupied with a shopping trip for another few hours. Figured I'd work fast while I still had the chance, right?"
His nodded reply was barely noticeable when he held open the front door for me. "Come in. I uh- put the boxes you asked for in her room earlier today. There's a few more empty ones down at the station if you need them. Case everything doesn't fit in those."
"I should be alright with just these. Thanks Charlie." I replied, quickly shaking his hand before heading up over the stairs.
I worked quickly and placed as many of her clothes in the boxes as I could, taking the many boxes out two at a time and seeing Charlie grab a few himself along the way. His help more than appreciated.
"I'll uh- make up some kind of excuse or something. So she doesn't come popping in and see her things missing. Wouldn't wanna blow the surprise now. Made it all this way." He sighed, placing the last load of boxes in the back of Sam's truck with me.
"Absolutely. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous it'll get leaked out somehow between now and then. It's a damn miracle it hasn't yet with everyone knowing and all." I chuckled in reply.
I noticed the serious look he wore when his gaze met mine and it made me momentarily pause. The heavy silence now weighing on the both of us as we lingered there.
"You did real well here with all this, Jake. Really made this happen. That was a big project and you did it." Charlie soon sighed.
"With a lot of help."
"Listen Jake, I know you're real busy and on a time crunch, but uh- There's something I wanna say to you."
I closed Sam's tailgate and took a few steps his way, intuition and plain old common sense, telling me where this conversation was headed. I was moving his daughter out of his house today. Even though she'd been staying with me on the Res for a while now, taking out her things was an entirely different move. A permanent one and one that any good father, like Charlie, would have a hard time with. Bella was a grown woman, but to Charlie, she would always be his little girl.
"I'm not in too much of a rush. I got time." I replied, meeting his gaze and seeing his eyes wander to the many boxes now stacked in Sam's truck.
"I know you got a lot to do... and uh- Things are crazy busy for you with all this but uh-" He sighed, shaking his head a few times and clearing his throat.
Seeing him struggle with this the way he was, made me think. I could only place myself in his shoes. Someday... If and when Bella and I had a daughter. This would be hard as hell for me to swallow, too.
"Charlie..." I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder and meeting his reflective gaze. "I promise you... With all of me that I will take good care of her... always."
"I know..." He replied, clearing his throat once more. His gaze becoming misty when he took my offered hand, and firmly shook it in his. "I know you will. Let me know if you need anymore help?"
"I sure will." I smiled to him. "You and dad will be more than welcome there. Anytime Charlie. Our home is always open to you both. Day or night."
"Thank you. That means a lot, son."
I released his hand and climbed back into Sam's truck, looking in the rear view mirror to see Charlie on his front steps waving as I drove away with Bella's things.
I had every damn intention of keeping my promise to him.
I would take good care of her... forever.
