Chapter Thirty Two

Bella

I was surprised when Jasper told me to pull off the road at the next rest stop.

"But we're getting close now. Do we really need another stop?"

He caught my eye in the mirror and shook his head very slightly in a warning. I nodded so he knew I had understood and did as he said finding another car exactly the same as ours waiting and Darius standing beside it with Peter.

Puzzled I climbed out followed by Jasper and Megan who ran over to Peter excited to see him again. I wondered if she had worried she might never see him again even though we had told her we were driving to the ranch. I guess the only constant in her life up to now had been Jasper, everything else had changed, their place of residence, the uncertainty of ever seeing me again. She really needed some stability and I knew at that moment that Jasper and I would make it. We both loved Megan and each other. All that was needed now was a little time.

While Peter took Megan to get something to eat at the small diner positioned closer to the road Jasper and I joined Darius.

"What's going on? Is there a problem?"

Darius nodded not taking his eyes from the road.

"Yeah, Edward has decided to try a snatch and grab and rustled up a few friends willing to help him. They think they've been careful but I'm better. His tame computer nerd is going to slow the traffic to a stop up ahead and while his gifted friend knocks you all out he's going to take Megan and fly away with her."

I could feel my rage building, how dare he scare my little girl? How dare he try kidnapping her to get back at me. For a minute I actually wanted him dead.

"Now, I didn't have much time so this is a bit Heath Robinson but it works."

He patted the hood of the car he had arrived in.

"What is it? A decoy car?"

His smile widened, "Let's just say it's a car with a brain. I can control it. The thing I need to know is if you want it fully loaded. After all, it's you Edward is trying to harm."

I frowned, "Fully loaded? I'm sorry, I don't speak Darius language."

He sighed and glanced at Jasper before continuing.

"Do you want Edward to die? It's as simple as that. Do you want to give him one more chance or blow his bollocks off and be done with it?"

I opened my mouth to say that I wanted him in pieces but then I remembered that whatever he had done or planned to do he was the father of my daughter. Did I have the courage to order his death?

"Give me my alternatives, please."

"Well, in a few words you can either A, give Edward a warning and if he does as he's told let him out alive and whole or B, blow the fucker to kingdom come."

When I took my time to decide he warned me that we needed to move fast.

"OK. Give him a warning but if he ignores it then I want him dead. I will not spend the rest of my life and Megan's glancing over my shoulder."

There was no judgement in Darius' expression as he nodded.

"Right then. Here."

He handed me a small recorder. You sort out your warning, you have two minutes and the car has to leave."

"You mean you already have a bomb primed in the vehicle?"

"Bella, I like to be prepared and I didn't have much time. You're lucky I was able to source all the components at such short notice. Now go and remember we're in a hurry."

I thought about it for a minute then recorded a short message and gave the recorder back to Darius who slipped it into a harness in the glove box.

Seconds later the car was on its way minus a driver although with the dummy he had placed in the driver's seat it should be enough to fool anyone from a distance.

"He'll deflate in about fifteen minutes, once the car stops in traffic. Another of my handy little gadgets."

Megan came back with a sandwich in one hand and a can of soda in the other.

"Uncle Peter says he's found a little pony for me to ride, mommy."

Darius opened the rear door, "We should go."

Jasper, Megan and I piled into the back while Peter slid into the driver's side leaving Darius to ride shotgun.

"Take it easy Peter. I don't want to catch up to the decoy car."

"I know. You told me a dozen times already. I'm not a fu...moron."

Peter drove slowly as the traffic built up and then up ahead there was an explosion and a cloud of smoke billowed into the air. I knew then that even if I hadn't divorced Edward I would still be free of him. He had ignored my warning and as a result, forfeited his life.

I caught a glimpse of Darius slipping a small remote into his pocket and knew he had been in control of the decoy car all the time. I felt slightly guilty that I had not been the one to do the deed instead of putting the burden on someone else.

Almost as if he had read my mind Darius turned and smiled reassuringly at me.

"Don't sweat it, I'm not. Now, Megan, I hear you're going to learn to ride?"

Megan looked up from where she had been concentrating on drawing a picture,

"Yes. Uncle Peter said he has a small pony for me to ride. Can you ride, Uncle Darius?"

"Ouch, that makes me sound really old. Now, Uncle Peter may be a really old man but I'm still a youngster so you'd best just call me Darius."

Megan looked to Jasper for permission and he nodded.

"Great. So, do you ride Darius?"

"When I was a little boy that's all there was. We didn't have cars or aeroplanes."

"Really? So you had to walk everywhere? Did you have a house?"

He laughed, "Yes we had houses but no electricity. The lights were candles or oil lamps and we cooked over open fires."

"Does your house have electricity, Uncle Peter? I like to watch cartoons sometimes."

"Yeah, Megan. Darius was dirt poor, but we have all the mod cons."

Megan stared at Peter as if deciding whether he was joking then grinned.

"You're telling stories about Darius."

She turned to Darius who stood looking at Peter with exasperation.

"You weren't poor were you, Darius?"

"Only sometimes. But there's nothing wrong with being poor. Megan."

Again she stared at him and we all waited sure she would come up with something interesting. But none of us expected what came next.

"Who's Sara?"

He flinched as if she had hit him and I intervened,

"Megan. Stop asking questions."

"No. It's OK, it's just that I haven't heard her name spoken out loud for a very long time. Sara was my wife, Megan. She was like you, beautiful, sweet and very clever."

"What happened to her?"

"She died a very long time ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry. You still miss her don't you?"

Darius nodded, "Yes, very much, and I hope one day to join her."

"Sara went to heaven because she was a good person. I don't think daddy did though because he wasn't very nice."

We were all struck dumb by her pronouncement. How did she know Edward was dead? No one had said anything in her presence.

"Do you mean that your daddy is dead?"

Megan nodded, "Yes. I felt it, like a big black cloud that suddenly went away. Now he's gone does that mean that poppa will be my daddy now?"

Jasper smiled at Megan, "I'll always be your daddy, Megan."

She hugged him tight then looked up at me.

"Mommy. Will we have a home like Peter and Darius? One we stay in so I can have a bedroom that I can keep forever?"

"Yes, sweetheart. After New Year we'll start looking for somewhere."

Jasper

How Megan knew what she did was a mystery but then most gifts were. She didn't seem to have been badly affected by the loss of her father and her question about me being called daddy had touched me deeply. Whatever happened, I meant what I said. I would always be her father in every way that mattered.

Even though she had her mother now she still looked to me for comfort and support and I guess it would take a long time for her to transfer this to her mom but Bella didn't seem to mind. She had accepted the close relationship between the two of us as normal and understandable.

I was hoping that we found time over the New Year to spend some time to ourselves. I didn't want Megan to feel she was being pushed away but we did need to talk and with Peter, Charlotte and Darius around there would be an opportunity to talk while she was otherwise occupied.

Charlotte was waiting to greet us when we pulled up and Megan gave her a hug and followed her inside to look at the room they had set up for her. From the squeals of delight that floated down the stairs, it was a definite hit.

Peter took Bella and me down to the stables to have a quick look at the pony he had sourced for Megan to learn to ride on.

"How did you do it so quickly, Peter?"

He grinned at Bella, "I have my sources, besides Megan is one of the family now and we want her to enjoy her stay here. You too. We only have three bedrooms here I'm afraid so Darius put yours and the Major's bags into his room."

He flashed an evil grin and I wanted to wipe it off his face but Bella took it in her stride.

"That's fine, I'm sure we can work something out."

"Or I could bunk up with Darius in the room over the stables."

My suggestion was shot down in flames.

"Nope, Darius has it full of electronic crap. Sorry Major. You'll just have to suck it up like Bella."

Megan came running downstairs chattering rapidly as she told us all about her room.

"I've got a desk and pink curtains, a huge doll with lots of clothes and books, hundreds of pictures books. Will you read to me, mommy? Poppa? Aunt Charlotte told me you painted the horse picture over my bed. I didn't know you could paint. Will you teach me? Please. She said it was a painting of the horse you used to ride. He's huge and black, a stallion, and that means a boy horse. Auntie Charlotte told me that I can name my pony. I'll be able to see it in the morning, it's a mare, that's a girl horse."

"It sounds like you are a very lucky little girl. I hope you said thank you to Auntie Charlotte?"

Megan nodded, "I did, poppa."

Bella glanced at me and I could see her approval of Megan's good manners. It was something my own parents had been very strict about and I guess it had just rubbed off on me.

I took Bella up to my room to show her the layout of the house and then Megan joined us to show us her room. It had been Charlotte's sewing room last time I had been here and the transformation was amazing. It looked like it had always been a little girl's room but then Charlotte was a whizz with a needle and thread. It showed in the drapes and comforter on the bed, the rag rug on the polished wooden floor and the ragdoll sitting on a child-sized chair. The painting of Midnight, the stallion I had ridden into war with, had been moved from its usual place in my room to adorn Megan's room, a nice touch for which I am sure I owed Charlotte my thanks.

"Poppa. Mommy, Auntie Charlotte says I can have a bath and then watch cartoons for a little while then she's going to read to me if that's OK with you. Is it? Can I?"

"Do you promise to be good?"

She nodded smiling happily and after an exchange of glances, we both nodded. I know Charlotte was doing this to give us some alone time but she would also enjoy having a child to herself for a little while. She loved children although she never had a chance to interact with any to any great degree. It was the one thing that really upset her about becoming a vampire, the fact it took away her chance to become a mother, every woman's God-given right.

"Do you mind if we take a walk while you're in the tub?"

"Sure. Auntie Charlotte and I are going to make bubble pictures."

"Bubble pictures? Wow, that sounds good."

She nodded the turned and went over to Charlotte who took her outstretched hand and led her upstairs.

"Be back before midnight you two or Peter will never forgive me. He wants us to see it in together."

We agreed to be back well before then and I held out my hand to Bella.

"Shall we? I can show you around the ranch."

She smiles at me, a twinkle in her eye, "Why not."

We walked out passing a grinning Peter as he went inside with Darius.

"Midnight. Do not be late."

His passing words floated in the crisp evening air which swirled with falling snowflakes.

I led Bella across to the stables and introduced her to the horses and Megan's little pony, a beautiful little thing with a placid disposition.

"You think Megan will be able to ride her? She's still so little."

"I think Megan will be as good as horsewoman as she is with everything else she turns her hand to. She's versatile just like her mother."

"Edward really is gone isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. You're free to do whatever you want now. You and Megan."

She sighed and turned to lean against the door of the pony's stall.

"I feel such relief as if I just woke up from a bad dream. I don't need to worry about Edward coming into my life and trying to ruin it. Megan doesn't need to be afraid any longer and it's all because of you."

"Not me. I can't take the credit, it was all Darius' work."

"But he's only involved because of you. If not for you I would still be trapped in a marriage with a man I no longer loved even if I couldn't explain why. A man who actively tried to kill his own flesh and blood. Then when he found out she had survived he was prepared to use her to punish me. He didn't want Megan, he just wanted to hurt me. You have no idea how miserable I was. I even contemplated ending it all, can you believe that, Jasper? Am I being fair asking you to become involved with a neurotic woman and her strange and wonderful daughter?"

I stared at her, shocked at how close to suicide she had got before I contacted her. If I had waited just a little longer? It didn't bear thinking about.

She was waiting for me to answer her question. Was I going to take that final step and involve myself publicly with Bella?

"You know I often wondered what would happen when and if I finally told you about Megan. I knew it was the right thing to do but it hurt to think I would have to give Megan up even though I had no choice. I love that little girl, I would do anything for her and I promised myself and her that I would always be there if she needed me although it wouldn't be easy, especially if you and Edward were still together."

"No. You would never have handed her back to Edward. I know that Jasper, and I don't blame you knowing what you did. At first, I thought my feelings for you were gratitude but it's so much more than that and now I'm talking too much and making a complete fool of myself."

I took her hands in mine, holding them firmly.

"I don't want your gratitude Bella, and I worried that my feelings for you were fueled by a desire to stay close to Megan. I'm sure it must have occurred to you too."

She shrugged, "Maybe for a few minutes, no longer."

I laughed, "OK I'll believe you."

I pulled her closer until we were almost toe to toe then chickened out.

"Shall we walk on?"

She nodded and I could feel she was as nervous and expectant as I was but I needed the moment to be just right.