AN: Sorry guys! Fanfiction was down this weekend, and I couldn't login to update. Then I got busy and forgot to post this week. Hopefully this is worth the wait! PS. I've never been pregnant, so all strange cravings were googled. Feel free to share some of your own strange pregnancy cravings in the comments!
CHAPTER EIGHTY
EDWARD'S POV:
Though some might think it silly, I did stop and pick up a 6 pack of Vitamin R to take with me to the cemetery. I'm sure someone will swipe it later, but it felt wrong going to Charlie's grave empty-handed, and he certainly wasn't a flowery type of guy. Charlie had a wry sense of humor, and I'd like to believe that it would have made him smile if he were still alive.
When I arrived at the cemetery, it was completely empty. A ghost-town, one might humor. It made sense though since it was the weekend; people probably were out enjoying life rather than mourning those who have lost theirs. I stumbled around checking names to try and find his. With Forks being rather small, it didn't take me long. His gravesite was slightly unkempt, but considering my conversation with Bella this morning, I wasn't sure how many visitors the Chief actually got. I did notice wheel indentations in the grass, which lead me to believe Billy Black was at least a frequent guest.
I placed the beer on top of the tombstone, and plopped myself down on the ground. Jasper was right—this isn't exactly my cup of tea, and I wasn't exactly sure how to go about it. I figured I'd just go with the flow, and say what was on my mind. Its not like I had to worry about people judging me considering I was alone.
"I brought you some beer Charlie. Not sure if they have that up where you are, and I didn't want you to go thirsty. Though, if heaven is what we all dream it to be, I'm sure yours is filled with flat screens, a comfy recliner, and a never-ending six-pack. Or maybe you're sitting in a spiffy boat on a clear lake fishing. Yea, that sounds more up your alley. Just don't go fibbing about how big your latest catch is," I jested, trying to get a conversation going.
I sighed. This felt weird. It's not like he was going to answer me. But it was something I felt like I had to do, so I would power through. "I'm sure I'm the last person you expected to see again, huh? Better late than never though, right? I'm sorry things came to be as they were. I'm sure her showing up on your doorstep without me left a bitter taste in your mouth. We've always had our differences, you and I. But our common denominator—Bella—made our relationship work. I promised you I would never hurt her, and yet, that is exactly what I did."
"I never intended to hurt Bella. She was my world, sir. When she left, that world fell apart. I never truly understood what made her leave. Things were going fine in my book. Of course, I never imagined a hypothetical conversation would send her running. I'd like to believe that if she had told me about the pregnancy then, I would have been fine with it. Though, I'm not sure. Realistically, I probably would have had a nasty reaction to it at first. I had never wanted kids, and I didn't see that changing. But if given time, I would have been okay with it. It's a product of Bella and I, how could I not be?"
"I know its silly we got that far in our relationship without taking about these sorts of things. I think I took for granted how in sync we were that I just assumed we were on the same page. And we all know what they say about those who make assumptions. I am the ass in this picture. And because of it, I lost the last five years of my life with her. With him." At the mention of Tony, I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
"Tony, god Charlie, he's amazing. I didn't want to like him. Like I said, kids were never on my radar. But he just squirmed his way in. He's impossible not to love. I can't believe how much I love him already. Its like a switch has been turned on within me. Is that what parenting is? Does it just happen so instantaneous like that?"
"Well, maybe not so instantaneous. In the beginning, I was upset. How could she keep this from me? This wasn't a silly little omission. This one decision changed the course of both our lives. And she made the decision for me. What gave her that right? Of course, her being unconscious made it difficult to get my answers. With no one to take my anger out on, I was a jerk to Toy. I'm not proud of that Charlie. But when I got that phone call that my son needed me; I was floored. How was I supposed to respond to a call like that?"
"I tried to push him away. But like I already said, he won me over. I think it might have been as early on as when he accused me of stealing his name," I chuckled, remembering that first interaction. "Back then, I thought he was obnoxious, and juvenile. But after getting to know him better, its moments like that that endeared him to me. He was so brave Charlie. He had to be scared, not fully understanding what was going on with his mother. I think his saving grace was the stories that Bella told him. He knew my family on sight, and integrated himself right in."
"It was while Bella was sleeping that I came to terms with the fact that I was a father. I'm a father Charlie. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. Honestly, I feel like I'm in another dimension or something. But I wouldn't change it for the world. Well, I'd like to go back in time so I could get these years back, but that's a whole other issue."
"I've been trying to get my answers from Bella, but its been slow going. What I did learn was that you were always an advocate for me to know about Tony. And for that, I greatly appreciate your effort Charlie. We both know how stubborn Bella can be, so obviously she didn't take you up on your advice. But still, it was nice to hear that you didn't just write me off. You were willing to give me a chance, even when she wasn't. Sometimes I wish you called me, and got my ass into gear. But it wasn't your place—I know that. It just would have sped all of this along much quicker."
"I'm sad that I missed out on so much of his life already. Sure, there are pictures. I read Bella's letters to me where she highlighted things about the pregnancy, and the early years. But I can't get those years back Charlie. And though I don't want to admit it, I'm still so fucking angry with her for doing this to me. Things are so tentative between us that I'm trying to squash that anger down so that we can make a go out of this co-parenting thing. Its just hard to love her so much, and yet hate her just the same."
I startled myself with what I just said. Shaking my head, I quickly reiterated, "No, that's not true. I don't hate her. I hate what she did. The action, not the person. We've talked about it all, her thought processes, and why she handled things the way she did. I've expressed my displeasure, and she's apologized. Now we're trying to move forward. I can forgive her, but I just can't forget that it all happened. Isn't that the saying—forgiving is easy, forgetting is the hardship. And it is hard because apologies don't change the past. They can't fix things. I'm sure overtime this anger will fade away. I'm just focusing on being in Tony's life right now. I may not be able to make up for the lost years, but I can be apart of it from here on out."
"It reminds me a little of you and Bella. You missed out on her early years as well, with her living in Phoenix with her mom. But once she moved in with you full-time, your relationship flourished. I'm hoping the same can be said for me and Tony. I'm going to do everything in my power to be there for him. For them. I'm looking to relocate, so that we can be a family. I love her Charlie. I want the happily ever after. It may be five years too late, but I want what I lost."
"Except it doesn't matter what I want. What I'm starting to understand is she doesn't want me here. It's not that I'm bad for Tony or anything. I think she doesn't want me to hurt him like I hurt her. But that's not fair. I have no intention of hurting him. Hell, I had no intention of hurting her. Again, I didn't realize she was feeling me out about babies, and then reacted negatively to what I had to say. This whole thing just seems like a circular argument. And there's no winners."
"I'm trying to show her that I'm here to stay for good. That I will be there for him, and for her, but I feel like its going in one ear and out the other. She doesn't trust me. I get it. But she also hasn't given me a proper chance at being a father. At being anything for her. I'm sure it's just going to take time to show her that I'm serious, and that I'm not going to abandon them. Its just frustrating to feel like I'm not making any progress. Or the little progress we do make gets set back thirty steps. Like this morning."
"Man, I was an idiot this morning. I pressed her about you Charlie. And that probably wasn't a smart thing to do. But I was trying to be a good friend. Instead, she clammed up, and shut down on me. Before that happened, we had been having a good week. We were making progress, and heading towards maybe rekindling our friendship. And then I had to go and toe the line, and I'm back at square one. I just wish I knew what to do here. Figuring out fatherhood is tough enough. Figuring out where I stand with your daughter is a whole other can of worms."
"I didn't come here to gripe. Sorry, that wasn't my intention. I think I just needed to unleash without the worry of getting into an argument. I ask my family for advice, but they too just want me to be with Bella that sometimes, I'm not sure if they are really helping. All I can do now is wait it out. Just continue to be there for Tony, and help Bella in any way I can. Maybe the next time I visit, I'll have seen some progress on that front. If you got any pull up there, see that you help me out some. I'm gonna need a miracle at this point."
"You were a great man Charlie. I'm glad that I got to know you. I know it took some time to win you over, but I'm sure no father wants a young man sniffing around their only daughter. I truly appreciated the time that we got to spend together, specifically the times you took me fishing, or camping. I'm looking forward to passing that along to my son. Charlie, you accepted me as one of your own, and I'll be forever grateful for that. I'm just sorry that I never got a chance to say a proper goodbye. Break-ups are messy. And it rarely just involves the two people in the relationship. I'm just glad that you were there for her—for them, when I couldn't be. Thank you for everything you did, and I'm sure will continue to do while you watch over them. I promise to do what I can from my end. Goodbye Charlie." With that, I stood up, and dusted myself off.
As I navigated around the tombstones to head back to my car, my phone buzzed, alerting me to a text message. I briefly checked my watch, worried I had been gone too long, and was needed back at home. Or, well, Bella's house. It had only been a little over an hour, so I shouldn't have ruffled any feathers there. With that relief, I opened the phone to retrieve my message.
Heading to diner with A, B, & T. Join us when you're done? -Bella
I was pleased to hear from Bella, considering how awkward things were after our talks this morning. And she was willing to invite me along, which at least told me she wasn't too upset with me. Not wanting to delay, I sent off a quick reply.
Perfect timing. Just heading out now. Will meet you there. Thanks for the invite. –Edward
I had just put the phone back in my pocket, when it buzzed again. Curious what else there was for her to say, I was happy to see her reply.
:) See you there. –Bella
Yes, you will Bella. Yes, you will.
The first thing I noticed when I got to the diner was that Bella's mood seemed to have elevated some. I had hoped that was the case from her messages, but texts are sometimes hard to analyze. I was glad to see Angela's visit had been just what she needed. I've had a few run ins with Angela since I've been back, but not as many with the two of them together. I particularly was enjoying the interaction between them. From what I could gather, Bella had been poking fun at Angela for having difficulty getting up and down from a seating position with her huge belly. Their jesting hadn't stopped with this lunch break, and Angela was retaliating by sharing some tidbits about Bella and her own pregnancy.
"Don't even start with me Swan. You never come between a pregnant woman and her food. God, you almost took my fingers off when I tried to swipe a fry that one time. Remember Ben?" Angela questioned her husband.
"Oh, I remember. What were you Bella…five, no six months at that point?" Ben asked Bella for clarification.
"Don't know. What you're. Talking about," Bella replied, obviously trying to play dumb.
"Well, regardless of how far along you were, you got very territorial when it came to your food." Turning to look at me, since I was the only one not privy to the information, Ben continued. "We stopped in at the diner on the way home from a get-together at Newton's. Housewarming, I think. Anyways, Bella was already cranky because everyone was touching her bump without permission. After the required amount of time to spend there without looking rude, we bowed out. Bella demanded that we had to stop to feed her feelings. I remember that was how she phrased it, because I had never heard that before, and thought it was a nice way to put," Ben supplied.
Angela jumped in, "I didn't understand at the time, but I definitely can now. My feelings are all over the place, and therefore, I feel like I'm always eating."
"Eating. For two," Bella shrugged, as if that explained everything.
Angela just rolled her eyes, and said, "Thank you Captain Obvious," while dipping her French fry in her Chocolate Milk Shake. With a huff, she launched into her next thought. "What is it about people placing their hands on another person's body? Just because I'm more rounded in the middle doesn't mean I want everyone acknowledging it."
"Preach." Bella said, agreeing with Angela.
"Why do they want to touch your belly?" asked Tony, not really understanding the problem.
"As the baby grows inside my belly, it sometimes moves, and kicks. People want to feel it, so they touch to try and see if they can catch the baby moving. But its not polite to touch someone without asking first. Just like at the fun center. You ask your friends if you can hug them, right? You never just take what you want. People always have the right to say no. It's the same for when Mommies are pregnant with babies," Angela tried to explain.
"Did I kick for people when they touched your belly Mommy?" he asked Bella.
"Yes. Poppa. Would tap. And you. Would tap. Back."
"So, I talked before I knew how to even be alive yet?" Tony was astonished. I had to laugh at how his mind worked.
"Smart. Boy," Bella said, while brushing her fingers through Tony's hair. He barely noticed her action because he was back to focusing on devouring his chicken nuggets.
I hadn't realized I was staring at them until I was distracted by Ben with the continuation of the story. "Anyways, we make it to the diner for Bella to 'feed those feelings', and she starts off with a basket of fries while we waited for the rest of the food to be ready. I guess we were under the impression that the fries were an appetizer for everyone to share, so Angela reached in to help herself. But oh no, Bella swatted those fries right out of her hand, and said MINE! She sounded like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings."
"Sweetheart, your geek is showing," Angela jested, before continuing for him. "After that reaction, I realized it wasn't safe to come between Bella and her food. And to definitely not make fun of any weird food combinations she might be craving."
"What were some of the worst?" I asked. I was dying to learn more about Bella and her pregnancy. I had gained some insight from her letters, but they were nothing compared to first-hand accounts. I was slightly worried that I would upset her by asking these types of questions. I took a quick peek at Bella and saw she had a slight smile on her face, so she certainly wasn't bothered by my question.
"My personal favorite was the Clementines and hot sauce phase. She practically caused a shortage in the Fork's produce section with that one," Angela supplied.
"I was always grossed out when she would make that blueberry and green olive salad. I like both of those things, but certainly not together," Ben shivered, as if he was imagining her eating it right now.
I chuckled, because at least those seemed to be relatively tame. I've seen women who have given into the temptation of non-food cravings, like chalk, and dirt.
"Tomato soup. And M&Ms." Bella offered.
"Uggh, really Bella? I didn't know about that one," Angela bunched up her nose thinking about it.
"Last month. Before baby. All I wanted. Can't stomach. Now," Bella explained.
"So that's why you won't even look at an M&M now? Interesting. I wonder if the craving would come back if you were to ever get pregnant again. Although I heard each pregnancy is different. Hopefully I won't be enticed by that one," Angela said, while soothing her belly.
My eyes bulged at the thought of Bella pregnant again. Angela had said it so nonchalantly. Does that mean this is something they had talked about? Were more children something Bella wanted? These were the type of questions I needed to know the answer to. I quickly schooled my features when I felt Bella looking my way. I wasn't averse to the idea of more children—that alone showed that I had come a long way in such a short amount of time. But considering I just gained a son less than a month ago, I wasn't exactly looking to add to the roster right away. Plus, with how Bella was so against anything moving forward with me, was that even a possibility? Did that mean I would have to watch her procreate with another man? My heart seized up at that thought. No, I couldn't do that. I lost her once—ironically enough over the topic of children. I refuse to lose her again, even if it currently is to an unknown hypothetical suitor. This was definitely a conversation Bella and I would need to have. But I would table it for now. I had to get her on board to trying to be with me first.
"Don't know. What future. Holds," she said, while maintaining eye contact with me. I felt like she was stripping away my walls to try and see into my brain. Silly Bella, you don't have to guess what I'm thinking. All you have to do is ask, I thought.
"That is true for most cases. But I know what my future holds. Some berry cobbler. We're getting dessert, right? You won't force me to eat dessert myself? Please don't make me feel like the fat lady who can't stop eating," Angela whined, which just made everyone at the table laugh.
"Can I have dessert Mommy?" Tony asked, perking up at Angela's comment.
"Finish nuggets. First. Then yes."
Lunch continued on. I sat back and just observed them. In some ways, I felt like an outsider. And I was. I'm sure the four of them have had many meals together in the last five years. They were just so comfortable with one another. I was jealous. This is what I wanted. I wanted to jest, and reminisce, and create new memories. I just needed to stay the course. Hopefully my efforts will be rewarded, and we will have this again.
After Angela and Tony enjoyed some dessert, we parted ways. Angela gave me a hug before she left for her car. With that hug, she instilled some wisdom for me. "Be patient with her. She's trying." I wasn't 100 percent sure what she was referring to, but I simply nodded to show that I had heard her, and would try.
When we made it back to the house, Tony seemed to be crashing. I thought kids tended to have sugar highs after enjoying sweets, but maybe that wasn't the case for all. After getting Bella settled into her chair, I offered to get him down for a nap. While I was carrying him towards the stairs, I heard Bella tentatively call out to me, causing me to turn back towards her.
"Can we. Talk. When he's down?" She asked. What she didn't realize yet is that I would do anything for her. Of course, I couldn't tell her that verbatim. I'd certainly scare her away then. Instead, I simply said sure, and made my way upstairs with the sleepy boy.
Though he protested the nap, stating he was a big boy, he was practically out the second his head touched the pillow. I took a moment to center myself before I made my way back downstairs. Bella was in the living room with her trusty whiteboard in her lap. I guess she had a lot to say. Before we started, I offered to get her settled on the couch where she could be more comfortable, but she passed. I wondered if she wanted to remain in the chair in case she needed a quick getaway. After this morning's conversations, I could only hope things didn't take a turn for the worse.
I settled in on the couch, and just looked at her. This was her rodeo after all. She's the one that asked to talk, so I was waiting her out. I didn't have to wait long before she sighed and said, "Sorry."
I gave her a perplexed look, before asking, "What for?" I wasn't going to assume anything at this point.
"This morning. I Wasn't. Fair. To you."
Shaking my head, I said, "I shouldn't have overstepped Bella. Its me who is sorry."
Grabbing the whiteboard, she quickly wrote, "No, you didn't overstep. Charlie is a tough subject for me. It was brought to my attention that you are a better person for daring to bring it up."
"Daring huh? I don't think so. Stupid maybe. It wasn't my intention to insult you Bella."
"The truth hurts Edward. You didn't insult me. I just needed a kick in the ass to realize that I wasn't as sleuth in not dealing with things as I thought. I was upset because you haven't been here very long, so how could you know? But Angela promptly pointed out that if you could figure it out this quickly, I was doing a shitty job hiding it."
"I know we haven't been around each other in a really long time Bella, but deep down, I still know you. I know when you're upset. It's almost second nature. I think this was just one of those situations. Yet, I shouldn't have attacked you with it this morning; especially if it is a tough subject for you. You deserved to be gently eased into it. I had no intention of even going there. It wasn't until I noticed how you tensed that I began questioning things myself."
"Its hard sometimes to think that despite so much time having passed, some things are still the same." Bella had a far off look in her eye. I wasn't sure if she was reflecting on what she just wrote, or if she was preparing herself for whatever she wanted to say next. I sat and just watched her. I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I heard her voice, "How was. Visit?"
Considering how quiet her voice got, I knew she was referring to my time spent at Charlie's grave. I knew it wasn't easy for her to talk about, but I wanted to be as truthful as possible. "It was strange at first. I felt a little crazy sitting there, talking to myself. But it also was very therapeutic. I admitted things to him I don't even know if I was aware of consciously myself. I left feeling very…what's the word? Free? Lighter? I feel bad that I never got to say goodbye myself, but I'm glad that I did it."
"That's. good."
"It's not for everyone Bella. Just because you haven't been doesn't mean you're grieving wrong. Everyone grieves in their own way. Even Jasper was surprised to hear I was going because it isn't exactly something up my alley. I don't even really do that sort of thing for my own blood relatives. I just think because he had passed, and we weren't really on good terms, it was important for me to go and say goodbye. I wasn't trying to force your hand or make you come earlier. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes by going first of all. But then when I realized you hadn't been, I wanted to offer for you to come with me incase you needed that extra support."
"Realize. That now."
"Sounds like you and Angela had a nice visit."
Bella rolled her eyes, before writing, "She's one of the few people who can talk some sense into me."
"Everyone needs one of those people in their lives Bella."
"I haven't been very fair to you Edward." She wrote, then paused, the marker still posed on the board. It seemed like she wasn't sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "You got the raw end of the deal in this situation. You have every right to scream at me, run for the hills, abandon us, and yet here you still are."
"This situation is tough Bella. I don't know what the hell that I'm doing. The only thing I do know is that I don't want to go anywhere."
"That is what I mean. I'm so ready for you to hurt us" she quickly erased the us and put Tony, "and leave, that I haven't been listening to the fact that you are pledging to do the opposite."
"It's going to take time for you to trust that what I'm saying is true. I understand that Bella. I just don't want to fight you every step of the way. As I said, this situation is tough. We shouldn't make it tougher than it needs to be."
"You surprised me with your relocation talk. I didn't think you were that serious about this. My self-preservation tactics want me to be skeptical. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop here. But that isn't fair. To you, or to Tony. You have done everything right so far. I should have faith in that, and in you."
My heart soared at hearing this. Maybe things weren't as bleak as I had thought. "Three weeks ago, I was miserable Bella. Being here, being with you guys, I feel alive again. I need you in my life."
"I can understand that. But this shouldn't all fall on your shoulders either. I have a lot to make up for as well."
"We can't change the past Bella. I don't want this friendship" I said, though what I really wanted to say was relationship, "to stand on a checks and balance system based on who owes who. As long as I can be apart of your lives, I don't care where that is."
"But you should. You have a lot to lose in coming here Edward. We don't have as many ties as you do to Chicago."
"I don't want to have to up route your lives. You've been stressing about having things go back to normal for Tony. Relocating isn't your normal."
"Nothing about this situation is normal. Even after you leave, it won't be normal. We'll have to factor in phone calls, and video sessions, and next visits. The day to day lives we knew are no more."
I went to interject, but Bella held up her hand and said, "Wait. Please." She began writing on her board to keep her train of thought going. "You being in Tony's life has changed things. And that isn't a bad thing. I just need to get used to these changes. I can complain that waking up from the coma to all this has been a lot to handle. But that's nothing compared to the bombshell you got. I'm not the only one struggling here, and the sooner I realize that, the easier I think things will be."
"And I want this co-parenting to work Edward. Regardless of whatever happens with us in the future, you will always be Tony's father, and we need to make this work for him. And he needs to be with you, around you as much as possible."
"So, you understand why I need to be here then?" I asked her.
"Or us there. We don't have to decide this right now. But it shouldn't automatically be on you."
"We can agree to disagree there, but I'm just glad that we seem to be on the same wavelength at least. I was worried I had scared you away with talk of relocating. Especially when you hadn't said anything since. I'm just glad to see that that isn't the case."
"I do have a thought to run by you though." Bella was biting her lip, which was her usual tell that she was unsure. I raised my eyebrow at her, wondering what could make her nervous now.
"Anything Bella. What's on your mind?"
"I know you have to go home, and we need to figure out when you'll be coming back. Like I said the other day, after I heal up some, I'd like to ease up on you flying back and forth so much by having us come out your way." She paused, before adding, "What I was thinking was that maybe we should come stay in Chicago for a while."
I was stunned. I certainly hadn't been expecting that. I wasn't sure what Bella saw on my face, but she quickly erased the board, and started writing again. "I just thought since I'm out of work right now, and we don't really have anything going on, it might be easier for us to come to you. You could visit and see Tony after a day at work. And he'd get some more time with your family. If anything, it would allow us to see what relocation would look like for us, if we chose to do this the other way around. Unless I'm totally overstepping right now."
I didn't want her to doubt herself. I quickly said, "No, not overstepping at all. That, that sounds wonderful Bella. But are you sure? That is certainly the opposite of normal life for you guys."
"Like I said, nothing is going to be normal anymore. I can't ask you to give everything up and move here if we don't give your neck of the woods a chance first. And, I kind of thought that rehabbing in Chicago might afford me more options than good old Forks. So, if it makes you feel better, you can blame it on purely selfish reasons."
"Bella, you're the least selfish person I know," I stated, not sure what else to say quite yet. I was floored. This Bella was night and day to the Bella I've been struggling to get on with these last few weeks. While I wanted to know why the sudden change, I really didn't want to question it right now. "I would love to have you guys in Chicago. It actually would ease my mind quite a bit to put some distance between you and Black right now."
"That's sort of what I was thinking as well. There's more pros than cons. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't be right away. You might need to come back here one or two times before I'm medically cleared for flying myself. But since you laid your plans out for me, I wanted to do the same for you."
"Sounds completely reasonable to me. Now, while we seem to be talking rationally, can I propose something without you feeling like I'm taking all your choices away?" I tested.
Bella seemed hesitant when I framed it that way, but cautiously said, "Go. Ahead."
"What we learned this week was that having me be here was necessary, and I feel more comfortable knowing another adult is in the house with Tony while you are recuperating. While it wouldn't be that hard to ask Sue to be around way more than she has been, I had another thought I wanted to run by you."
She seemed to at least be listening to what I had to say with an open mind, so I continued. "I can be back here in about two weeks. So, I was wondering if you would be up for a substitute Cullen in my absence? Alice did not get enough time with you before she had to go back home. However, she's dying to rectify that. She wouldn't stay that whole time, but would you be open to that? I'm not trying to take your choices away, or have you thinking you need to be babysat here or anything. Just wanted you to know you have options here."
"I wouldn't want to inconvenience anybody. I'm sure Sue could stay overnights."
"Bella, there is no inconveniencing my sister. She does what she wants. And she wants this. I'm just trying to give you a choice before we have to leash her."
That made her chuckle. "It would be nice to catch up with her. But what about Jasper and Sophia? Her job?"
"Sophia would probably come along, so that would make Tony happy as well. Jasper said I would have to socialize with him since I was stealing his family to come be with my family, but he was okay with it. He knows how important restoring your friendship is to Alice. He wouldn't deny her anything. As for her job, she's the owner. She's got enough staff to run things in her absence. She's just waiting on the go ahead to buy tickets."
"Can't. Wait," Bella said, offering me a true smile. I was glad she didn't see this as me attempting to micromanage things in my absence. I just wanted what was best for everyone around.
"I will pass your approval along. Hopefully you won't come to regret this decision. We all know that Alice can be a handful."
"Well, the only thing I can hope for is that my injuries will make shopping an impossibility. Though knowing Alice, she'll find a way to get her hands on my wardrobe regardless."
"Never bet against Alice," I said, laughing. I was pleased the atmosphere had alleviated some with our banter. With the more serious topics behind us, we spent time just reminiscing about how Alice always had an uncanny ability to just know things. It was nice going down memory lane with Bella. I was pleased that the mood of the house had shifted greatly from this morning. I just hope we can keep this mood up for my remaining few days here. That thought made my chest hurt, but now wasn't the time to think about it. I wanted to enjoy this pleasant chat with Bella. There would be time to worry about all of this later, so I ignored the ticking clock of my departure, and instead focused on my future sitting in front of me.
