Chapter 5

I don't sleep, pacing around the cabin, unpacking my bag, and rearranging the furniture.

I send a quick text to Jess letting her know I made it, promising her to call her the next day.

I'm a mess of nerves.

Talking to Charlie over the past month has given me a sense of who he is, but being here in the place where he lives—I wonder what my life would have been like if my parents stayed together.

I find the picture of them, the one I took from Renee, in my bag; I hang it up on the mirror in my bedroom.

I wonder if Renee loved him.

I thought I knew what love looked like with Liam, but I don't think love is supposed to be indifference.

It's what I feel when I think of Liam, now.

It feels a lot like growing up with Renee.

Phil was always the caring father, but he kept us in line. I don't think it was his decision to say he was my father—that was all Renee—but it doesn't make it right. The resentment is there, hating that he knew and went along with it.

I hope that one day I can get past it and look at him as a father again.

Renee was always concerned about her image: always look your best, and don't ever show weakness.

The resentment I feel toward her starts to feel like anger. I'll never forgive her for it.

Here in Forks, I can tell it's different; Alice and Edward have already shown me what it's like when you genuinely care about people.

Being a doctor, preparing for it my whole life, I feel like I fall in between the good and the bad; or at least I hope I do.

. . .

I wake up to the sun shining through the windows and a knock on the door.

I make my way to the door—quickly checking to make sure my hair isn't a mess—and opening the door to Edward, who's holding two cups of coffee and a bag.

It's only been a few hours, so I'm not sure why I'm surprised at how good-looking he is—sharp, angular jaw and eyelashes, dark and long. He wears a grey v-neck and a backward ball cap.

"Morning, Doc," he says with a smile, holding a cup out and the white bag out to me.

"Thanks." I move out of the way, motioning for him to come in.

He shrugs, and I watch the morning light in his hair that flips up from under his hat; it shines like a new penny. His green eyes are vibrant, and his crooked grin is there too.

"What are neighbors for?" He leans against the bar as I set them both down..

I sip my coffee, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever need any sugar."

I feel my cheeks heat, blush spreading. I don't know what it is about him. I lose my cool around him.

His grin widens, eyes dancing with mischief. "Please do."

I shake my head, liking this playful back and forth between us.

Opening the bag, there are a few doughnuts, and they smell amazing.

I take a bite, and for the second time today, I lose my composure.

I let out a moan; it tastes better than I imagined it would.

Edward shifts and clears his throat. I smile, glad he's the uncomfortable one now.

"What are your plans today?" he asks, taking a doughnut from the bag.

"Charlie's supposed to stop by soon," I say, looking at the clock that hangs over Edward's head.

It's only 8 A.M. Charlie never really gave me a time that he'd be here.

I watch as he takes a bite of his doughnut, licking his lips when he's done.

He laughs. "Sue has him on shop duty"—he nods to the bag and coffee—"I passed by this morning, and he's just biding his time until he can come by. She said he was up before the sun, ready to come over here."

I smile. I'm so ready to meet Charlie and Sue.

"Anyway, your rental should be ready later today. I know you have a big day... I can take your keys, if you want, and bring it back for you."

I study him for a second, thankful to see a friendly face, someone who could be a friend. I was so worried about this being a terrible experience—new town, new family, new life; I'm so thankful to have him here, making it just a little bit less scary.

"Thanks." I give him a smile, finding the keys in my bag and handing them to him.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. If you need anything, I'll be home for a few hours."

I walk him to the door, not wanting him to go, but not having a real reason to ask him to stay; suddenly I'm nervous to actually meet Charlie.

I don't want him to leave, and luckily I spot the jacket he gave me the night before. "Hey, here's your jacket," I say, causing him to stop.

"Keep it. It looks better on you." He smiles, waving bye. I close the door behind me, leaning against it. I'm still nervous, but with the way he makes me feel, suddenly there are butterflies fluttering around, too.

…

The rumble of an engine, the sound of tires on gravel, make me take a deep breath. I look out of the windows, and I see a police cruiser. Charlie's here.

I take a deep breath to calm myself. We've talked everyday for a month, sometimes more than once a day. I remind myself that I'll be okay—no matter what happens—but still jump when he knocks on the door.

"Hiya, Bells," he says, mustache twitching. He looks like he did in the picture with Mom, just a little older with some gray hair mixed with his brown, laugh lines around his eyes.

I had always wondered why my eyes were brown when Vanessa's were blue like our parents—Renee always said I took after Gran, but the real reason why is looking at me now with the same brown eyes that I have.

I take a deep breath. "Hi, Charlie."

Talking to him in person is a lot like talking to him on the phone—easy and comforting. I realize he is genuinely happy to have me here—something he repeats over and over.

I find myself happier than I thought I could be. All of the nerves seem to disappear the more we sit and talk.

We sit on the sofa, drinking more coffee from Sue's cafe, Forks N Beans. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things here. It's better than anything in New York City.

"I really like the name," I tell him, laughing quietly. He laughs too.

"It's a weird name. Em... Sue's son came up with it, so it's special to her." He looks away nervously, mustache twitching.

"So you've met Alice and Edward; have you met anyone else?" he asks, changing the subject..

"No, I got here pretty late last night."

He seems to be relieved. "Well what do you say to lunch? The bar has some great food. I know a few people who want to meet you, too."

I realize it's pretty late, and I am hungry. "Yeah, lunch sounds great."

...

"Heads up, it's a small town and you're my new daughter…" He trails off, opening the door to the bar.

I laugh and shrug. "I'm a doctor and I've lived in New York my whole life. I can handle a few weird loo…" My words are cut off as we turn the corner—literally everyone is staring—it's so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Edward's behind the bar talking to a blonde but gives a wave. Alice is at a table, taking an order; she smiles when our eyes meet.

Charlie clears his throat, and everyone seems to snap out of it.

We walk over to a table, where a dark haired woman sits. I realize this is Sue, Charlie's wife. He's mentioned her a few times when we've talked while I was in New York. He's sent a few pictures, too. She smiles and stands. "Bella…" She looks at Charlie and back at me. "I can't thank you enough for coming here...making him…" she nods toward Charlie "...so happy."

I gulp, the sudden emotion overtaking me. I look to the bar where Edward is. He's deep in conversation with the blonde, eyebrows creased. She shakes her head—her icy blue eyes meet mine. As much as I've felt welcomed here by Charlie, she doesn't seem to be too happy with my presence; whatever the reason. I don't know her, so I turn my attention back to Sue and Charlie.

"The most important thing about Forks…" Charlie's starts, tenting his hands in front of him seriously "...is to know that Waylon, in the back? His burgers are the closest damn thing to heaven you'll ever get."

Sue laughs. "I'm glad you're a doctor, Bella; maybe you can convince him that he doesn't need to eat one every single day."

Charlie holds his hands up in front of him, and I watch him. "We'll be working on that." I try to give him a stern look.

He rolls his eyes. "You just got here; I'm not going anywhere, Bells."

Alice appears before I can say anything, practically bouncing on her feet. "Hey, Bella! Chief!" She looks at Sue. "Other Mary."

They all laugh, and the confusion shows on my face.

"Forks is a small place." Alice says, "My first name is Mary."

"So is mine." Sue smiles.

"To save confusion, we use our middle names instead," Alice says.

"...Unless Alice is in trouble with Edward. Then it's usually Mary Alice."

"Hey, Chief!" Someone calls, waving in our direction. Charlie looks away nervously but laughs. Alice rolls her eyes. Sue smiles and I can't help but let my eyes float to Edward again. Someone else has joined him and the blonde, and they're in a really tense conversation.

The guy that joins them is tall, muscular, and I'm pretty sure he could play football professionally—he's huge. He glances over with a wave, and the blonde pushes him. Having no idea what is up with her, I decide to ignore them.

"I'm sure Charlie has already told you about the burgers, Bella. I can get you a menu if you'd like."

"No, I'll take one. It's fine."

She nods, and Sue and Charlie both say they'll have the same.

I hear a commotion start, coming from the direction of the bar, and I realize it's happening with who Edward was talking to just moments ago.

Then I hear the words, "I should have known."

"Em," the blonde calls as he walks to our table.

"I can't believe you've kept this from me, Rose," he says, finally standing in front of our table.

"Emmett," Charlie is cautious, he stands up. I hear Edward call the same name.

"You could have told me." He doesn't seem angry, just ambushed.

Everyone watches, and I never see it—until the words are said out loud—the truth that sneaks up on me when I least expect it to.

"She's my sister, Dad."

It's then that I finally look up at this man standing, shoulders slumped before us, and see what is plainly obvious—Emmett has Charlie's eyes, too.

The fact that I finished this chapter this week is a miracle, so I'm so sorry that it's late.

thanks for reading!

xo