4 months until due date
Carlisle pulls his foot from the accelerator and moves it to the breaks. The faster he drives, the faster he gets home, and that's the last thing he wants right now.
I shouldn't be surprised, he thinks to himself. Jasper's barely keeping up his side of their agreement. Esme says he's behaving wonderful when he's home with her. The only complaint that she has is that he tries to avoid logging on to his new online classes in the morning and struggles to refocus on schoolwork after eating lunch. Other than that, she describes him as cheerful and compliant.
All of that changes once Carlisle enters the house. No matter what he does, Jasper's pissed off at him for some reason or another. He always goes back to accusing Carlisle of acting like his father, but what else can Carlisle do to avoid that? No matter what he does, what he says, Jasper still sees him as someone trying to replace Avery.
Carlisle thinks back to the day before. All he asked was for Jasper to bring the dirty towels from the upstairs bathroom to the laundry room to be washed. That was enough to cause the teen to cop an attitude.
It probably didn't help that Carlisle started lecturing him about being responsible, though.
He sighs heavily as he watches the speedometer creep down to thirty miles per hour. Maybe it's not just Jasper who isn't holding up his end of their deal. There's just too much past tension for them to move on smoothly.
Carlisle predicts one of two outcomes. Either Jasper and him will continue to argue and fight, therefore raising the baby in an unhealthy, unhappy home, or Jasper will move out the first moment he can and will leave the baby for Carlisle and Esme to raise themselves.
Something has to change.
He isn't sure how to make a change, though. The kid needs some intense guidance. If he had a dedicated, persistent parental figure in his life he wouldn't be in the mess that he is in, but god help whoever tries that. Jasper won't allow it.
Carlisle slows down even more. He feels like he's barely creeping down the road. Anything to keep from having to fight at home, though.
On the right side of the road, parked to the side of a driveway is a bright yellow four-wheeler. It catches Carlisle's eye, and when he sees the red for sale sign nailed to a tall stake in the ground, he pulls over. Once the car is in park, he hops out to read the information on the sign.
"Interested in the quad?" A voice calls, causing Carlisle to look up. A man walks down the short driveway from the open garage.
"Yes. My…" Carlisle trails off as he thinks of the right word to describe his and Jasper's relationship. "My step-son would like one."
"It's a good machine. I'm only selling because I upgraded to a newer model."
The man starts to talk about the details of the ATV, but Carlisle is barely listening. Step-son is better than son, and if someone was on the outside looking in they would probably use the same label since Jasper calls Esme his Mom. It doesn't feel right, though.
"I just replaced the brakes two months ago." The man explains and nudges the back tire with the toe of his shoe. "These are the stock tires, but I have a set of mudding tires for sale, too. They're perfect for rougher riding."
"Yeah, he would want the mudding tires." Carlisle nods.
He doesn't deserve this, though. Jasper's a disrespectful brat. He stole from Carlisle and ran off without so much of a concern for anyone else. He talks back, he's rude, and he can't follow basic rules. He's done nothing to earn this.
"It's a nice ride." The man finishes telling the details. Carlisle looks over at the for sale sign and the price written boldly in black marker.
"How much for the tires, too?" Carlisle asks. The man thinks it over for a few seconds before throwing out a number. Carlisle nods, looks to Mercedes, then to the truck parked in the man's driveway. "I live about four miles away, down on Maple Road. How much would it take for you to drop it off at my house?"
The man mulls it over and throws out another number. Carlisle nods again.
"I'll take it. I have to go to the ATM to get the cash out, but I'll be back in about twenty minutes."
Carlisle confirms the price and the man's eyes widen slightly. He expected some kind of negotiation and set his price a little high to accommodate that. Carlisle doesn't care, though. Maybe this will help mend the gap between him and Jasper. Or maybe it will just get Jasper out of the house so Carlisle can enjoy some peace and quiet. Either way, it's a win.
He gets in his car, hurries to the ATM, and is back in front of the house with cash in hand in ninteen minutes. The man already has the four-wheeler loaded in the back of his truck with the extra set of tires. They exchange the money, and Carlisle leads the way to his house with the truck following close behind. When they pull into the driveway, the man starts to unload the tires and release the tie-down straps from the bed of the truck. Carlisle goes inside and yells for Jasper.
"Jasper, come outside!"
"I'm doing something!" Jasper yells back from the upper floor.
"Well, stop, and come outside!"
"I said," Jasper shouts again and Carlisle can hear his heavy, stomping footsteps coming down the hall and the stairs. He enters the kitchen with an angry scowl curling his lips. "I'm doing something! You can't tell me to leave whatever I'm doing just to do what you want me to!"
"For God's sakes, Jasper," Carlisle rolls his eyes. Esme hears the commotion and joins the feuding duo in the kitchen. "I bought something for you. Do you want to see it or not?"
Jasper sets his jaw as he mulls it over and tries to figure out what Carlisle's angle is on this. What manipulation tactic is he using to trick Jasper into following his directions now?
"What did you get him?" Esme asks.
"Let's go outside and see it."
Jasper narrows his eyes and looks over to Esme. When she smiles at him and nods towards the door, Jasper gives in. Carlisle steps out of the doorway to allow Jasper to step outside. Esme comes to his side and holds Carlisle's hand before following Jasper's path out.
"Are you serious?" Jasper proclaims happily when he spots the man unloads the four-wheeler from the bed of the truck. He turns towards Carlisle and Esme with a big smile on his face. "You got that for me? That's mine?"
"It sure is," Carlisle says proudly.
"Really?" Jasper asks again.
"Really!"
Esme smiles, but squeezes Carlisle's hand.
"We didn't talk about this," She whispers to her husband. Once all wheels are on the ground, Jasper rushes to it.
"I saw it on my way home today. There wasn't time to talk about it." Carlisle whispers back.
"This is awesome!" Jasper cheers.
"You still could have called." She mutters.
"I gotta go get Rose! She's going to love this," Jasper smiles and runs back into the house.
"I think it's safe to say that your son likes it," The man smiles. Carlisle nods and thanks the man again before he gets in his truck and leaves.
Thank god Jasper was in the house and couldn't hear that comment, Carlisle thinks to himself. The word 'son' would have ruined the day.
"Look! Carlisle got it for me! Can you believe it?" Jasper tells Rosalie as he pulls her to the driveway by her hand. She smiles as he raves about the ATV.
Carlisle watches as Jasper turns the key and the engine roars to life. Esme jumps in to stop Jasper from taking off in the snow with the machine. She tells him he has to be careful, to go slow, be away of his surroundings, and all kinds of other rules that he's barely listening too.
"Okay, okay, Mom. I'll be careful," Jasper promises. Esme bits her lip, but steps back. Jasper presses his thumb on the throttle and flies through the snow.
Rosalie walks back to Carlisle. Esme stays in the driveway, wringing her hands as she watches Jasper.
"Where did you find that?" She asks.
"I spotted it on the way home." Carlisle answers.
"Good deal," Rose smiles. "He likes it."
"Good. It's about time I do something right in his eyes."
Rosalie smiles, then shivers as the winter wind blows. She hurries back inside, and Esme takes her place next to Carlisle. Now that Jasper is preoccupied and not watching her reaction, she frowns at her husband.
"You could have called." She says.
"It was an impulse buy. I didn't plan on purchasing it."
"You could have paid for it and asked it to be delivered later. We could have at least gotten him a helmet before giving it to him."
"I'll order a helmet for him tonight."
"I'm still not happy about this," Esme sighs. "It's dangerous."
"He'll be fine. Besides, look how excited he is. He was ready to fight when I called him downstairs, and now his entire mood is turned around." Carlisle points out while brushing off his wife's worries. "He's going to be fine."
-JWiD-
Jasper huffs warm breaths onto his red hands as he comes into the house. His toes and fingers are frozen. His whole body shivers. His lips are chapped, and his nose, cheeks, and ears are windburned.
It's the happiest he's been since moving here.
He goes to the laundry room and digs through the hamper of his clean clothes that he was supposed to put away earlier today. He finds a pair of socks, black sweatpants, and a purple sweatshirt. He changes and carries the hamper to the steps. The rest of the house has gone to bed already, and the lights have been turned off and the rooms are quiet. Jasper pauses on the first step, sets the hamper down, and heads towards Carlisle's and Esme's bedroom. The door is shut, and he takes a deep breath as he listens to the voices on behind it.
"You need to go check on him. What if he crashed it?" Esme frets.
"He didn't crash. I just heard the door. He's inside now." Carlisle says.
Jasper hesitates, then raps his knuckles on the door.
"Can I come in?" He asks.
Before he can answer, Esme opens the door and gasps at his red, irritated skin.
"Oh, Jasper! Look at you. Come in, let me get you something for your skin." She says as she quickly goes to the master bathroom. Jasper takes half a step in, then leans against the doorframe and looks to the ground. He curls and uncurls his toes in an attempt to warm them up.
"Black, silver, red, or blue?" Carlisle asks from where he's sitting on the bed with his laptop open.
"Huh?" Jasper asks.
"For a helmet. Come here and take a look at the options," Carlisle says. Jasper walks slowly to the bed and carefully lowers himself on the edge. Carlisle shifts the laptop so Jasper can see the screen. He points to the row of helmets. "Which do you like?"
"This one," He says, pointing out a matte black helmet. Carlisle clicks to add it to his virtual cart. Jasper nervously bites at his lip. "Can you order me a pair of goggles, too? The snow kept getting in my eyes."
Carlisle nods quickly, and types "goggles" into the websites search bar. He debates on pinching himself, because there's no way Jasper just asked him for something in such a reasonable way.
"Those will match my helmet." Jasper points to the screen again. Carlisle adds them to the cart, the gestures to Jasper's red, dry hands.
"You need a good pair of gloves, too,"
"Yeah, that'd be great." Jasper agrees.
As Carlisle navigates the website to find the selection of gloves, Esme comes back from the bathroom with a small jar of moisturizer. She dips her finger in the moisturizer and dots it onto Jasper's cheekbones, chin, nose, and forehead. It stings his skin.
"Take this upstairs with you. Put it on after you shower in the morning, and after you wash your face at night. It will help." She says. Jasper wrinkles his nose at the flowery smell.
"It's a girls product, though."
"Healthy skin is for both boys and girls, Jasper."
Carlisle smiles, and places his order. He pays extra for faster shipping. The sooner the gear gets here, the happier Jasper will be.
"You're so cold," Esme sighs as she takes Jasper's hands in hers. She rubs hers over his fingers. "Go lay in bed, dear, and warm up. You have to dress warmer if you're going to ride that thing."
"I'll dress warmer tomorrow."
"You have to have your schoolwork done first." Esme says.
"But once it's done, I can ride it, right?"
"You need to wait until your helmet gets here, too."
"Let him ride, Esme," Carlisle interjects. "If he just rides in the front yard where you can look out the window and see him, he'll be fine."
"Thanks, Carlisle!" Jasper states with a beaming smile. Carlisle smiles back, but Jasper quickly remembers that he's not supposed to be happy with his adoptive father. He stands from the bed, clears his throat, and puts on a neutral face.
"You have to be careful riding that. I don't want you getting hurt." Esme continues to voice her concerns. Jasper nods.
"I'll be careful, Mom." Jasper promises as he slowly walks back to the doorframe. Sighing, he leans against it and looks over to Carlisle. "I, uh, just wanted to say thanks. I really like the four-wheeler."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." Carlisle responds cheerfully. Jasper looks down at the ground again before responding.
"It reminds me of my Daddy. Thanks again."
As soon as the word 'again' leaves his mouth, Jasper walks out of the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. A little pit of anxiety has situated itself in Jasper's stomach. He never thought he'd thank Carlisle for anything. But no matter what he buys him, he's still not Avery Whitlock.
—JWiD—
"This is stupid," Jasper grumbles as he climbs into the back seat of Carlisle's car. He crosses his arms over his chest.
"We're in the homestretch, Jasper," Carlisle attempts to comfort him.
"Yes, dear, we're almost done with this." Esme confirms.
Jasper slouches in his seat and locks his gaze on the window as Carlisle drives to the lawyer's office. Carlisle and Esme are insistent that he comes to these stupid meetings where he has to talk to some dumbass in a suit and listen to some legal jargon that he doesn't understand. He finished all of his schoolwork and should have been allowed to ride his four-wheeler. That's the house rule, after all. His helmet arrived three days ago, so he and Carlisle were able to convince Esme to let him ride through the woods, too. As soon as he submitted the last online assignment for class, he went to Esme for the key but was told no. Instead, he had to get ready for this stupid meeting.
After parking, Jasper follows Esme and Carlisle into the building with a scowl on his face and his hands shoved into his pockets. They trudge through a waiting room and secretary desk, down the hall, and to an office. Jasper doesn't even greet the lawyer like Carlisle and Esme do before plopping down in a seat across from the large desk.
"We do have a new development in the case," The lawyer starts to say, and Jasper tunes out.
He's not thinking about Maria anymore. She's nothing to him. There are no more feelings. It's like she never had a grasp on him. He was nothing but a check to her, and she was nothing but a quick hook up to him. As long as he doesn't think about her, those feelings don't come up. Therefore, he tunes out the lawyer to avoid becoming a mess of emotions. Instead of thinking about her, his mind is on the four-wheeler. Maybe Carlisle has a chain saw. If he does, he and Jasper could cut down some trees in the woods to make a riding trail.
"How do you feel about that, Jasper?" Esme's voice pulls his attention back to reality.
"Hmm?"
"The plea deal."
"Oh, yeah, that's fine. Whatever." Jasper shrugs.
The lawyer looks to Esme and Carlisle.
"He's not paying attention. We'll talk to him about it at home." Carlisle says.
The meeting continues as Jasper daydreams about anything other where he's at now.
When they're done speaking, Esme sets her hand on Jasper's shoulder as she and Carlisle rise to their feet. Jasper does the same and follow them back to the car. He gets in the back of the car, still zoned out. Carlisle keeps peeking at Jasper in the rearview mirror on the ride home. They pull into the garage, but Carlisle leaves the engine running.
"I'm going to go for a ride with Jasper. I'll talk to him about the plea deal." He tells Esme.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"He'll probably be angry and hurt over it, and he might get snippy with you. Don't lose your temper."
"I won't." Carlisle promises, then reaches back and nudges Jasper's knee to get his attention. "Hey, get in the front seat."
"Hmm?" Jasper says as he comes back to reality. Esme gets out of the car.
"Get in the front seat." Carlisle repeats.
Mindlessly, Jasper follows the instructions. Esme heads inside the house, and Carlisle backs down the driveway.
"Where are we going?" Jasper asks.
"Emmett's place."
"Why?"
"Because I don't think you're going to like what I have to tell you," Carlisle sighs. "It's about Maria."
"I don't want to talk about her," Jasper responds quickly.
"I know, but we have to."
"Can't we just stay home? I want to ride my four-wheeler." Jasper protests.
"I don't think you'll get to ride it tonight."
"But the house rule is that I get to ride it when—"
"I know what the house rule is, but today is different."
"Hmp," Jasper huffs.
"Remember how we talked about you possibly testifying against Maria in court?"
"I don't want to do that."
"You don't have too now. She took a plea deal, so you don't have to go to trail now." Carlisle explains. He keeps glancing over to Jasper, trying to gauge his reaction.
"What does that mean?" He asks slowly.
"It means she pled guilty."
"So, I don't have to go to trail?"
"No."
"I don't have to see her again?"
"No."
"Are they going to put that in the newspaper?" Jasper asks quietly.
"I don't know," Carlisle sighs. "I hope they don't."
Jasper falls silent as he absorbs the latest information he's been given. Carlisle glances over just in time to see the teens woeful eyes.
"Is she going to jail?"
"Prison. The plea deal lightened her sentence a little, but she's still going to serve time."
"In prison?"
"Yes. She committed multiple felonies, Jasper. She deserves prison time for the abuse she caused."
"Abuse," Jasper snorts at the word and rolls his eyes. "I hate that word."
"That's what it is, though. She sexually abused you and other boys."
Other boys. Jasper shakes the thought from his head.
"It wasn't abuse,"
"Whatever you want to call it," Carlisle mutters.
A pit grows in Jasper's stomach, but he refuses to acknowledge it. She doesn't have control over him anymore. He won't let her have that control anymore. He has Alice, and she's all he needs, so he don't know why talking about that other bitch is putting his stomach in a knot.
"Why are we going to Emmett's?" He asks quickly to change the subject.
"I know I'm stressed about all of this bullshit, and I'm sure you're even more stressed than me."
"We're going to smoke?"
"Yeah."
"Some parent you are," Jasper scoffs and rolls his eyes. He has to keep this conversation from going back to Maria. "What kind of person smokes with a fifteen year old?"
"I'm not your damn parent," Carlisle states. "It's not like I'm smoking with my kid."
Jasper's shoulders fall, the tension in his jaw lessens, and he smiles.
"Emmett's your kid, though."
"He's my adult son. He's not a kid anymore."
"Well," Jasper shifts in his seat so he's turned towards Carlisle. "Does Mom know this is where we're going?"
"She knows we're going for a ride, and she'll know that we went to Emmett's, but she doesn't need to know why we're there."
"What's the big deal? You're not fostering anymore, and now I'm legally stuck here, so who cares if she knows?"
"Because," Carlisle says. "I got in a little trouble with some weed when I was in high school. Esme was sure I had ruined my chances of getting into college and made me swear to never touch the stuff again. She's still paranoid about it coming up and jeopardizing my job."
"Oh."
"Plus, she's still a mama bear," Carlisle laughs. "And she would tear my head off if she knew I was letting you smoke."
Jasper laughs along with Carlisle, who quickly hits the breaks as he comes to a curve in the road. Jasper recognizes it as the same area that Carlisle has been pulled over in the past. As they make the curve, they see a cop parked on the side of the road, making Jasper laugh even harder.
"Remember that time we were in the car arguing and you got pulled over and ticketed?"
"Yeah. Esme was pissed at me for that." Carlisle chuckles.
"I don't think my Daddy ever got pulled over with me in the car," Jasper says as he fondly thinks back to his younger years.
"He probably didn't. Avery sounds like a real super dad." Carlisle responds.
Jasper's smile grows when he hears Carlisle praise Avery Whitlock. He relaxes into his seat and watches Carlisle as he drives.
"He was. You know, when I was little, he would let me sit on his lap and steer his truck down our road. He said once I was big enough to reach the pedals then he would teach me how to drive, but we never got to do that." Jasper explains. He pierces his lips together and hesitates for just a moment before continuing. "You could teach me how to drive this, though."
"Oh, hell no. You're not getting behind this wheel. I'm not your Dad, so don't think you're going to be able to use this car. Hell, I never even let Emmett drive this." Carlisle quickly shoots down his idea, but Jasper smiles even bigger. Carlisle is finally figuring this out.
They pull up to Emmett's apartment complex. It's a small, two story building with neglected landscaping and pealing paint. Carlisle parks next to Jeep and he and Jasper hurry out. The last door on the right side of the building leads into Emmett's apartment, and Carlisle lets themselves in.
"About time you guys got here!" Emmett calls from the small kitchen. He comes out with an open bag of chips and a big smile. He pats Jasper on the shoulder. "What's up, brother?"
"Not much, man."
"Hey, Dad," Emmett smiles.
The trio sit in the living room. Jasper tells Emmett about the four-wheeler, and Emmett smiles and asks questions. Carlisle looks around the dirty apartment. The dated, faded carpet needs vacuumed. The windows need washed. He has a worn down pale pink couch that was left in the apartment by the previous tenant, a black recliner he bought used online, and a television sitting on a milk crate. Esme bought him a set of dishes, pots, and pans. Emmett accepted them but insisted that he didn't need help getting his own things together. Carlisle mentally kicks himself for acting so rash. He should have been more understanding when Emmett told him about dropping out of school. Kicking him out was a mistake. All the yelling, all the intense rules, not extending grace towards the kids mistakes and being more understanding of their problems could have saved his family a lot of heartache.
"Maria took a plea deal. I don't have to go to court." Jasper says, pulling Carlisle from his guilty thoughts. Jasper watches Emmett for some type of reaction, and Carlisle looks between both boys.
"You didn't want to go to court, right?" Emmett clarifies.
"Right."
"Well, I'm glad you don't to go to court now, but I'm sure this is still rough for you." Emmett speaks calmly and confidently. "I know Rosie will always be there for you, and so will I, so if you need anything just let us know."
"Thanks." Jasper sighs, then forces a smile. "I thought we were gonna smoke?"
Emmett smirks, abandons his bag of chips and goes to the bedroom. Jasper looks over at Carlisle, who has lost himself again in looking around the apartment. Maybe Emmett can get out of this lease early and move back home.
When Emmett comes back and sits between Carlisle and Jasper on the couch, Carlisle pats Emmett's shoulder.
"You're always going to be welcomed back home, Emmett." Carlisle says. "You don't have to stay here. I'm sure your lease agreement has a buyout clause. I'll give you the money to buy it out and you can come back home."
"Thanks, Dad, but I like it here." Emmett says. Carlisle sighs.
"Alright. Well, if you ever change your mind, just let me know."
Emmett continues with a smile, but Carlisle struggles to keep up a happy façade.
He has to do better. For Emmett and Edward, for Rosalie and Jasper, and for this baby.
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