An hour later. Still Carlisle's POV
I was laying next to Bella with my arm around her waist. She was curled up, her back against my chest. She was sleeping soundly and her breathing was deep and even.
When she had decided to go to bed, I wrapped us both in sheets. I did not want her to get cold while I was holding her. We kissed each other good-night before she drifted off.
Time passed by without me noticing. My mind replayed the evening that Bella and I shared together. I could not help but smile at the memory of being buried deep inside of her. It pleased me to know that I had satisfied her. I would feel terrible if I did not.
Despite how content and elated I was, I felt very bewildered. Why did I not feel guilty for having sex with Bella? The fact that I didn't made me uneasy. I had just cheated on my Esme, my soul mate! What kind of person did it make me if I did not feel ashamed about that?
And above all, how was she going to feel when she found out about what Bella and I had done? How was Edward going to react? How would my other children-except Alice-take this? I will really have some explaining when they get home, whenever that would be.
I pondered over this for hours. Dawn was approaching before I knew it.
The clock had just struck 6:45 when I heard an alarm go off. Bella stirred and yawned quietly.
"Good morning, beautiful," I whispered.
She turned to me with a smile. "Good morning, Carlisle. Did we really just spend the night with each other?" she queried in amazement.
"We certainly have. How are you feeling? Are you sore?"
Moving around, she nodded. "Just a little. Other than that, I feel perfect. That was the best night of my life."
"I have to admit that it was one of my best as well. That is, if it isn't my very best."
"Yeah."
We were quiet for moment. Then I kissed her on the lips.
"Perhaps you should take a shower and get ready for school now. You don't want to be late. I'll cook breakfast for you. Is there anything that you would like it particular?"
"Um...just eggs and sausage, thank you. I'm not too hungry right now."
I nodded. "Okay. I will see you in the kitchen."
"Alright."
The both of us shared another kiss before I left the room. I heard the shower being turned on just as I was pouring the eggs in one of the skillets. The sausages were frying in another one.
While I cooked Bella's food, I thought of how wonderful it was to lay next to her as she slept. And my arm around her waist felt so...so right. As if it belonged there. If only she didn't have school! I would hold her all day long.
My phone rang then. I took it out of my pocket to look at the screen. Dr. Gerandy was calling.
"Carlisle Cullen speaking," I declared.
"Hi Dr. Cullen. It's Dr. Gerandy. I just wanted to let you know that Dr. Katz is in, so you can have the day off. But I would like you to come back on Wednesday if you are able to," he added.
"Of course, Donald. That will not be a problem. I shall see you then. If you need me for anything, let me know."
"I'll keep that in mind. See you later, Carlisle."
"Good-bye."
He hung up.
Bella's eggs and sausages were prepared within a few minutes. I laid tops on the skillets to keep them hot until she came downstairs.
She eventually appeared ten minutes later. Luckily, her food was still considerably warm, so I did not have to reheat it.
I fixed her plate before giving it to her. "There you are, sweetie. I hope that you enjoy your breakfast," I stated.
"Thank you, Carlisle. I know that I'll love it," she commented with a grin.
The both of us talked as she ate her food, but not about anything particularly important. She agreed to let me wash her dishes when I offered to do it for her.
Bella stood up after I was finished. "I have to get going now, or I'll be late. I don't want to leave, though. I wish that I could spend the whole day in bed with you," she remarked with a deep sigh.
"I understand, and I would love to do the same. However, you need to get your education. It is necessary that you do. You may come back after school if you still desire to be with me later. We can do whatever you like."
"Okay. That sounds nice. Well, if I don't see you then, I will definitely come back soon."
With a nod, I embraced her. "You know that you are welcome to visit anytime, Isabella. I am always happy to see you."
She wrapped her arms around me. "I'm glad to know that."
A minute later, I backed away so that I could kiss her. "Go on, now. You really do not want to be late. Besides, I would be tempted to keep you here and do naughty things to you if you stay here any longer."
Bella chuckled heartily. "Then I will leave before I cause you to suffer from inner turmoil. Bye, Carlisle."
"Enjoy your day at school."
She pecked me on the cheek and strolled out of the kitchen. I watched as her truck sped up the driveway before disappearing into the trees.
No less than five seconds afterwards, my cell phone rang with a text message. It was from Alice.
I am on my way home. I have something quite important to tell you. It has everything to do with why you and Bella are drawn to each other. And with why I kept telling you to follow your heart whenever you wanted to do something with her. I will explain more after I get there. Nobody else is coming with me. I need to have this talk with you alone first before I reveal to everyone else the information that I will give you. Be there in an hour-A
Okay. I shall be waiting here for you-C
To pass the time, I checked my email and read the newspaper online. Nothing too terrible was happening in Seattle or Olympia. That was good to know.
I went downstairs to watch TV after I was finished using my computer. A documentary about pre-humans caught my interest, so I decided to look at it until Alice arrived.
The program was just ending when I heard her running towards the mansion. Seconds later, the front door opened and she was coming upstairs.
As Alice entered the room, I beamed at her and stood. "Hi there, little one," I greeted.
"Hey, Dad," she returned. "I guess that I don't need to ask how you're doing."
I had to laugh. "No, I suppose not. How are you? How are Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie? What about Esme and Edward? Are they having a difficult time right now? Do they know about what happened last night?" I queried in concern.
"I'm fine, and everybody else is okay. I didn't tell anyone about your "get-together" with Bella. I chose not to for now." Then she made a face. "But Esme...well...it's kind of hard to say how she is doing. She is still doesn't know what to do, or how she feels about, what happened on Saturday. What I do know is that she isn't leaning towards anger. I believe that she is just trying to think all of this through.
"Edward did not come back to the Denalis since he spoke to Bella the other day. He's brooding in the woods near Vancouver. We tried to talk to him, but he asked us not to bother him. He's very depressed and wants to be alone right now." she stated.
Sighing morosely, I buried my face in my hands. "This is all my fault. I should have just left the house when I heard what Bella was doing that night. So much trouble would have been avoided if I had. Esme and Edward should be furious. They should hate me!" I groaned in despair.
Alice placed her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. It is going to be all right, and I will explain why. This is what I have to talk to you about, remember?"
I nodded. "Yes. So, how do you know it will? Why do Bella and I feel the way that we do for each other? There must be a reason. Otherwise, I would never have cheated on Esme. I do not understood how I could do that to her, or why I do not regret being intimate with Bella. I love her so much."
She rubbed my arm comfortingly. "I know that you do, Carlisle. Let me explain everything now. You will understand it all after I do."
Then she leaned back and massaged her temple. "Well, all I can say is that I can't believe that I didn't see it much, much sooner. Things would be very different for us if I had, but in a good way. I am sure that you have noticed that your feelings for Bella has changed since Friday."
"Of course I have," I agreed.
Alice narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. "Would you say that they are more intense than the feelings that you have for Esme?" she questioned.
"...I...I do not know. I've never really thought about it..." I murmured.
"Or allowed yourself to," she pointed out matter-of-factly.
When I just stared at her, she inclined her head with a grin. "Yes, Carlisle. I know that you didn't. I have been watching you and Bella closely for almost every minute this weekend, except when you two were being intimate."
I had to laugh at that. She chortled a little herself.
"But I meant what I said," Alice remarked when we had settled down. "You have been lying to yourself about how strong your feelings are for Bella. Tell the truth...do you feel the same way for Esme as you did before Friday?"
Lowering my head, I mulled it over. I thought of every moment that I noticed how different it was to be with Bella in all aspects. That the difference was better. She even had a lot more in common with me than Esme did. I realized this last night.
I wasn't saying that she was better than Esme because she was not. However, I enjoyed spending time with Bella more. So much more. And yes, my feelings for her were deeper. I was not happy about admitting this to myself, but lying would make the situation worse. Honesty was the only way.
And Alice had said that everything would be all right. I had to trust her.
With a sigh, I looked up to meet her eyes. "No," I finally replied. "No, I do not."
She laid her hand on mine. "You have nothing to worry about, Carlisle. Remember what I told you last night-it isn't wrong. How you feel about Bella, what you desired to do with her. None of it is, and I will give you the reason why."
I nodded once. "Let's hear it, then."
Her expression grew solemn. "It turns out that Bella is your soul mate, not Esme. She never was. I guess that I don't need to add that you two weren't meant to marry each other. Now, I know that you love Esme," she pointed out as I opened my mouth to speak. "Trust me, I do. But since she is not your mate, your love for her will change. It already has."
There was no use in denying it. She was right.
And suddenly, it all became clear. Why my bond with Bella was different. Why we felt more of a connection to each other. It also explained why I felt the way I did for her. In all honesty, I realized that I was starting to fall in love with her.
I could also understand why she affected me in ways that Esme never had. Otherwise, I would never have had sex with her, and certainly not so quickly. Esme and I had waited until we had gotten married to.
However, there were now more questions that had yet to be answered. Not to mention that there was a good deal of confusion surrounding this whole matter. Plus, it made me very uncertain about a lot of the events that may happen in the near future.
First, how were Esme and Edward going to react when Alice told them the news? Will they be furious, or will they be understanding and accept it? And what about Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie? How would they take to the relationship that Bella and I will have? When it comes to Charlie, I will be fortunate if he did not think that I was pervert. I would be even luckier if he decides not to go after me with a gun.
Out of all of the questions that I had, one in particular stood out from the rest.
"Alice, something isn't adding up. Why did it take so long for you to find out that Bella and I are soul mates? I should have known it when I had met her last year!" I pointed out.
She shrugged. "I agree with you, Carlisle. But I really don't know why I didn't see that you two are sooner than this. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Edward had all of Bella's attention. You also have to consider the fact that you never had much alone time with her. And then, you yourself were focused on Esme. This weekend was the only time that you really had a good chance to be with Bella," she stated.
That was most definitely true. "I understand. So, when are Esme and the others returning? They will need to be informed that Bella is my mate eventually."
"Not until tomorrow. Esme said that she will ready to come back then. After that, I guess that I tell her everything. But as I said last night, don't worry. There is no need to. Everything will turn about okay and we will all be happier than before in the end. I'm going to return to Denali. Jasper is missing me. Besides, someone is going to want to have plenty of time with you after she leaves from school."
"Whatever," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Good-bye, little one. I will see you tomorrow. Oh...does Bella feel the same way about me? Do you know if she does?" I would feel terrible if she did not.
Alice smiled reassuringly. "Yes, she does. She has no idea of it yet, but she will after she finds out that you are her true other half. You'll see. Bye-bye, Carlisle."
We hugged each other, and then she left with a wave. Pretty soon, it was quiet, and I was alone with my thoughts again.
(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I'm sorry that I haven't posted a chapter in so long. I am in EMT classes, so I am often too busy to write. Plus, writer's blocks just slow me down even more. I hope that you liked the chapter, though. And don't worry, there will be more lemons in the next chapter :) Plus, I am thinking of adding Bella's POV in a future chapter, if not the next.)