Twilight belongs to the ridiculously talented Stephenie Meyer.
A Father's Hope belongs to me.
Thanks to twimom817 for beta'ing for me … you rock, bb and I appreciate it more than you know!
So the consensus is that Irina is a total bitch and we definitely don't like her. So ... let's meet Bella and bring a little sunshine into Edward's life shall we?
Chapter Four
Nearly a year after I filed for divorce, it was finalized. I was finally free of my obligations to Irina because she didn't contest the adultery nor did she ask for anything from me with the exception of child support. There was never any question as to whether or not I would take care of Chloe. I had told Irina on more than one occasion that I was happy to pay for anything Chloe needed. If she wanted dance or piano lessons, I told Irina to sign her up and tell me how much.
By the time June arrived, I was anxious to see Chloe. I talked to Irina and made arrangements to fly into LAX where she'd meet me with Chloe and then we'd turn around and fly back to Washington the same day.
I was overjoyed to finally have my daughter home in Washington with me. A few weeks into her stay, Emmett and I planned a fishing trip with our girls. Katie and Chloe were excited to see each other of course, since they knew they'd have the entire summer to play together. As we were driving to our favorite fishing spot, Chloe begged me to let her stay in Washington and live with Alice, Mom, Dad and me.
"Please, Daddy?"
"Why, Chloebear? Don't you like living with Mommy?"
"Mommy's not there very often. She leaves a lot."
"She does?"
"Uh huh. We live with Felix and his cousins. Felix and Mommy aren't home a lot."
"So do you just hang out in your room and wait for her to come home?"
"I don't have a room of my own. I share a room with Felix's cousins."
"Chloebear … how many kids do you share a room with?"
"Umm … Tanya, David, Carmen and Demitri."
"Do you share a bed with any of them?" I asked, extremely pissed at this point.
"No, I sleep on the floor."
If I ever needed medication for high blood pressure it was at that moment. First to hear that my daughter was being ignored by her mother; then to find out that she was sharing a room with four other kids AND she sleeps on the floor? It was nearly more than I could bear.
I was thankful that my mom had emptied out one of their guestrooms and redecorated it for Chloe. My Dad had spent an entire weekend painting the entire room princess pink before the furniture store delivered a white canopy bed and dresser with a mirror.
When all was said and done, my mom had transformed what once was a bland guestroom into a little girl's dream room. She would always have that when she came home to Washington.
As Emmett and I waded around in the shallow water attempting to try and help our daughters catch something, I told him everything that Chloe had told me.
"Document it, dude. Every time she does something stupid, every email saying that she'll have her back by a certain date and then doesn't … document it. Use that shit against her next time you go to court. Make sure you let your lawyer know what you have in your arsenal."
"It seems so awful to have to resort to that. I was married to her for Christ's sake."
"I know, dude. I've been there. At the end of the day, you have to protect Chloe and do what's best for her. It may be that being with Irina isn't the best thing for her."
"Yeah, but maybe being with me isn't the best thing for her either. I'm still in the academy and I live with my parents … I need to be able to provide a home for her."
"Why would having Chloe at your parent's be so terrible? It's a stable environment, and that house is so filled with love it's bursting at the seams. Chloe would never want for anything if she was there with you and Uncle Car and Aunt Es. God, don't get me started on Alice … she'd be in hog heaven if Chloe was there 24/7."
I chuckled.
"Yeah … I guess you're right."
"I know I'm right, dude. Now all we have to do is find you a good woman to share your life with and you'll be good to go."
"Jesus, Em. My divorce was just finalized three weeks ago and you want to tangle me up with another female already? No thanks. I'm done with women for a while."
"Come on man! Rosie and I are getting married soon and you're gonna need a date to the wedding. Besides … Rosie already has someone in mind for you."
"Not everyone needs a date to a wedding. I'll just bring Chloe as my date then I won't have to worry about all the complications afterward."
"Eddie … come on man. Rosie's friend is one of the sweetest girls I know; next to Rosie, of course. Seriously man, she's pretty and nice. She's a nurse and works at a pediatrician's office so how bad could she be?"
"Em …"
"Just come out with me and Rosie and meet her for drinks," he pleaded.
"All right, all right. Drinks. That's it."
A week later, I found myself sitting at a high top table in one of our regular haunts having drinks with Emmett, Rosalie and her friend, Bella.
When I first saw Bella, all I could think about was how much she looked like Irina. She was slender and petite but she was a few inches taller, and her hair was more of a mahogany brown compared to Irina's dark, almost black hair. Bella's eyes were a greenish-brown color with flecks of gold in them. Her skin was a peachy color and she had splatters of freckles across her nose and cheeks, as well as on her chest and shoulders.
Usually when Irina went out, whether it was to a club or just to meet our friends for drinks, she spent hours getting ready, and dressed meticulously. Bella seemed completely the opposite. She wore very little make up if any, and she wore a pair of dark skinny jeans and a tank top. On her feet, she wore a pair of gray Chucks. I couldn't tell how long her hair was because she had it swept up in a messy bun.
Emmett, however, was wrong. Bella wasn't merely pretty; she was beautiful.
I was drawn into conversation with her and found that she was not only beautiful, but extremely intelligent and very funny. The more she drank, the less verbal filter she had. That was perfectly fine with me because she was completely honest.
"I have zero tolerance for bullshit," she warned me.
I couldn't help but smile because in that moment, she reminded me so much of Rosalie. I had nothing but respect for Rosalie because she kept Emmett's dumb ass in check.
Rosalie of course laughed and shook her head.
"So … Edward. Rose tells me that you're a former Marine?" Bella asked.
"Guilty." I admitted.
"I think that's cool. My grandfather was a Marine. He served during World War II. He was there on Mt. Suribachi when they raised the flag. We think pretty highly of the Marine Corps in my family."
"I'm proud to have been a Marine, and to have served. It taught me a lot, things that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else."
"Thank you, Edward," Bella said softly.
"For what?"
"For serving. It takes strength and courage and I think that people generally don't give it a second thought. They never stop to be thankful for the freedoms we're given or to the people that fight for them. So thank you."
I felt so humbled in that moment. There sat a beautiful woman telling me something that no one else ever had before, except my CO when I was discharged. I spent ten years of my life in the Marines and that was the first time that I'd been told thank you.
"You're very welcome, Bella."
Bella and I continued to sit at the table and talk while Emmett and Rose danced on the dance floor. I found myself lost in the conversation, hanging on every word that came out of her sweet mouth.
"Come on, Bells, we gotta get goin' if we want to make it to that dress fitting in the morning," Rosalie reminded her as she and Emmett made their way out the door.
"Bella, wait," I shouted over the loud music.
"What?" she asked as she turned back toward me and smiled.
"Can we … maybe get together again sometime?" I asked shyly.
"I'd love to." She smiled.
I handed her my phone and she typed in her number. When she handed it back, I immediately called her.
"There, now you have mine too," I said, smiling crookedly.
"See you around, Edward."
A/N: Time for my confession ... hehe my Grandfather served in the Marines and he was there on Mt. Suribachi when they raised the American flag on Iwo Jima. He said it was one of the most beautiful and surreal things he'd ever seen. I also have several other family members who've served in the military ... I think the only branch we didn't cover was the Coast Guard. So yeah ... we think pretty highly of the military in our family. If you ever have the opportunity to go to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA - GO! It's absolutely beautiful!
As always, leave me a review! See you tomorrow!