Assumption Chapter 8

Truth

BPOV:

"It absolutely terrifies me, Bella." I am stunned at what he just told me. His animosity towards me makes so much sense now. We sat there in silence, me watching him as he stared at the cup of coffee in his hands. The turn this conversation had taken meant that we were going to need something stronger than coffee. I got up and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of bourbon that I had seen in the cabinet. I returned to the couch, sat down, and poured a healthy amount in each of our mugs. Edward looked up at me and smiled before lifting his mug and taking a large gulp.

"What is your daughter's name?" I asked, unable to stave off my curiosity any longer.

"Abigail Katrina Cullen."

"That's pretty."

"Thanks."

"So, how often do you get to see her?"

"We…uh…agreed on a six month split. At least until she starts school, then we'll have to come to some other arrangement. I don't want to hurt Tanya but I am not going to give up my daughter without a fight. Anyways, I just took her back to Tanya a month ago so I have five more months before she comes back home."

I smiled, "You know, I don't think you need to worry about your relationship with your daughter, Edward. You're already off to a better start than Charlie and me. Plus you have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes."

"You mean that you believe that he didn't love you? Because I know he did Bella. He told me so."

"Did he tell you that when my parents were first divorced they had the same six month split arrangement?"

"No."

"It only happened once then, I guess, Charlie decided that it was too much for him and he had the custody arrangement changed to one month in the summer and that was it. I found all the court documents once when Mom and I were moving."

"I had no idea he did that. That doesn't make sense. I…just don't get it."

"Everyone always tells me that I'm wrong and he loved me and wanted me, but I've never been able to believe that. He's the one that pushed me away, not the other way around." Our coffee gone, I poured each of us a cup of straight bourbon.

"I know you told me about the time he told you not to come, but there had to be more to it, right? More times than it appeared that he felt that way."

"It was a lot of times, Edward. When I was here I would try to talk to him and he'd be too interested in whatever game it was that was on to respond. If I pushed too hard he'd tell me that I should call Mom and let her know that I was alright or suggest that it was bedtime."

"Bella, he was never a very talkative person with any of us, especially if there was a game on. I figured out that if you waited until a commercial came on you were more apt to get a response."

"I was a child Edward; the last time that I was here I was fifteen. My mother was always involved in everything about my life. We had hour long conversations about our days every day. How was I supposed to get that about him when I rarely saw the man?"

"I guess in that context it would have been hard to get that."

"You told me that Jacob was arrested for murder right about the time that dad asked me not to come back. Did it…was that why?"

"Jacob ended up being more twisted than anyone thought. I was a senior in high school. Emmett had already graduated high school but was volunteering at the police station for the summer. He had dreams of becoming a lawyer at that point. All of a sudden there were these reports coming in about some guy that was watching teenage girls, like a peeping Tom. No one was able to say who it was because he kept his face covered, but the victims were all teenage girls with brown hair. Then the guy got more aggressive. He started leaving notes and pictures that he'd taken, saying things like, "I can't wait till we're together." The whole town was freaking out because no one knew who the guy was, it could have been anyone. Girls were refusing to go out on dates and the school dances were cancelled. It wasn't just happening in Forks, it was all the neighboring towns. It was a nightmare. Charlie took a lot of flak from the community for keeping you away, you know, protecting his daughter and failing to protect theirs. But I think by that point he had a lead on what was going on, he just needed to get everything lined up. Over the summer the guy seemed to get angrier and more desperate. It really got to the point that parents didn't let their teenage daughters even stay home alone, and trust me when I say that they were scared enough that they didn't argue at all. Hell, even us guys were looking at each other and wondering."

Edward stopped and finished off his drink before pouring himself another one. He took a deep breath and continued, "At the end of the summer it all came to an end when Jacob lost it and got caught. Jessica Stanley was a junior and working part time for Newton's Sporting Goods. Her parent's allowed her to keep her job as long as she never worked alone and Mr. Newton walked her home. One night Mr. Newton was too sick to take her home and Jessica said it would be alright if Michael walked her. Jessica and Michael had been dating since she was a freshman and she was positive that it wasn't him. He would never do the things that were happening. They left together and neither of them made it home that night. They were found a block from the store. Michael had been hit in the head with a tire iron and left unconscious and bleeding. And Jessica was dead. I won't go into details about how brutal the murder was, it's too disturbing."

"How did they find out it was Jacob?"

"Your dad already suspected it but Jacob screwed up and left DNA behind. Jessica apparently fought back hard and he left the tire iron with his prints behind. That was a stupid move that shows just how unstable he had become by that point. Michael still hasn't forgiven himself for failing to protect her. That is why he drinks. Guilt."

"Wow. That's really sick. What I don't understand is why you guys think that Billy is dangerous to me?"

"Before Charlie could get the arrest and search warrants to go on the Reservation, Billy helped Jacob destroy every bit of evidence they could get their hands on. Whatever there was they thought was evidence, they burned it all in a bonfire in their backyard. Then Billy tried to hide Jacob. Charlie had no choice but to charge Billy with accessory to murder and obstruction of justice. Billy served two years in jail and has since threatened to ruin Charlie's family like Charlie ruined his. He blames Charlie for Jacob going to jail. He thinks that as Charlie's best friend he should have given Jacob a pass and let Billy deal with it. Billy tried to make Charlie feel guilty for arresting Jacob, like Charlie was the one that did something wrong and betrayed their friendship. He really blamed Charlie for his son being tried for murdering Jessica. Charlie was devastated that he was betrayed by his own best friend like that."

"How did they finally get to Jacob?"

"Sam Uley turned him in. He pretended to be willing to hide him and then called the cops the moment Jacob fell asleep."

"Why didn't Charlie tell me any of this? I would have understood."

"I don't know. I thought he had. I really did."

"No. He just made it seem like he didn't want me here again," I said as I covered my face with my hands and sobbed.

EPOV:

I finally got it. Once I stopped and really listened to what she was saying, I got it. Charlie tried to protect her by not telling her of the danger there was for her here and he ended up sacrificing his relationship with her. That being said, she could have tried a little harder to keep him in her life. I reached over and pulled her into my arms and held her as I thought about all the ways that their relationship could have been salvaged by just talking to each other.

I just sat there holding her in silence until she calmed down. I grabbed the bottle of bourbon and went to pour her another glass when she stopped me, saying she didn't want to get any more drunk than she already was. I couldn't believe that I told her everything about Tanya and our failed marriage. I hadn't intended to, it just all came pouring out. That call from Tanya last night had thrown me. I hated that she could still make me feel like I wasn't enough. That the excitement of living in the big city meant more to her than I did.

I don't think that many of us in town will ever be able to forget Jessica or the way that she died, but Michael and Angela took it the hardest. He loved Jess, and Angela was her best friend. It was the loss of someone so special to each that brought them together. There is no doubt in my mind that they love each other completely. That has never been a question in my mind since they got together. I simply worry about Michael's drinking binges. He has never been irresponsible about it like he was a few days ago when he caused that accident with Bella. He could have seriously hurt or killed her and then where would Angela be? Alone and raising a baby as a single mother.

"Do you still want to work on your book?"

"I need to, but I don't think I'm clear headed enough to right now. I have no idea where to go from the point I'm stuck at. I keep waiting for inspiration to hit me and it never comes," she said shaking her head.

"Wanna tell me about it? I might be able to help you."

"Not tonight. How about we plan on dinner tomorrow and we can talk about it. I might even let you look at my manuscript and tell me what you think."

"Wow, I'd be happy to. You'd really trust me to do that?"

"Normally, I wouldn't let anyone look, but I really need a second set of eyes and I think you could give me the perspective that I need."

"Did you want me to leave now so you can get to sleep? You must be tired."

"I'm tired but there is no way that I am getting to sleep anytime soon. How about a movie?"

"A movie sounds good." We flipped through the stations until Bella found Tower Heist on On Demand and started playing that. I hadn't seen it yet but she said it was hilarious.

We watched the movie in silence. She was wrong and it wasn't long before she was fast asleep. I covered her with a blanket that was hanging on the back of the couch and made sure that the house was locked before I made my way home. Luckily, I had had enough time to sober up before I had to get behind the wheel of my car.

I walked into my apartment and stopped to look at a picture of Abby that I had sitting on an end table in the living room. I carried it with me as I walked to my room and collapsed onto my bed. I laid there staring at it for a long time before I turned over and placed it next to the one that I kept on my nightstand. I forced myself to get up and get ready for bed knowing that I would regret it in morning if I didn't. I crawled into bed and fell asleep quickly, knowing that morning would come sooner than I'd like it to and I had be up early to open the store. I had kept the store closed today due to the funeral so I was bound to be quite busy. And maybe I might be looking forward to seeing Bella again tomorrow night for dinner.

A/N:

Happy Saturday! Wow! Thank you so much to everyone that has been reading and reviewing. I feel so blessed to have so many familiar names and new readers joining me on this journey. Reviews will get teasers of Chapter 9, which went off to Sweetpea123, my awesome beta, a few minutes ago. See you next Saturday.