My son's wedding was absolutely beautiful, and now they're off to Disney World and Universal Studios for their honeymoon.
Thank you to everyone that is reviewing. It really means a lot to me. Sorry for the cliff hanger from last chapter.
**WARNING** Memories of physical abuse.
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. All mistakes are my own.
ENJOY!
10/10/2022
Chapter 8
EPOV
"Ah, Mr. Cullen. How nice to see you," the guy replied as I approached him. He still didn't answer my question.
"I asked you a question. Why. Are. You. Here?" I was pissed and determined to get answers one way or another.
He chuckled and uncrossed his legs to stand up straight, squaring his shoulders. "Well, it's a free country. I can stand on any street corner if I feel like it."
"Not if you're stalking someone and I do believe you're stalking my girlfriend and I want to know why," I stated firmly, stepping closer. He moved towards the driver side of his car, but I grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him up against it. I was going to get the answers one way or another.
He didn't say anything until I drew back my fist, ready to punch his lights out. "Wait, wait, wait," he pleaded, putting his hands up, "I can only tell you one thing. I'm not stalking her."
I slammed him into his car one more time before releasing him. "If you're not stalking her, then why the hell do you keep asking me questions about her?"
"That I can't answer." Not the answer I wanted.
I drew my fist back and decked him, feeling his nose crunch on impact. It felt good. I hadn't punched anyone since I was in college.
"You're gonna regret that," he yelled, standing up from the ground, holding his nose. Blood was dripping through his fingers. He had flown backwards when I punched him and landed in the gutter of the street.
"Oh, really." I stepped toward him and popped my shoulders like I was gonna hit him, again. He flinched back from me. "We'll see about that after I give Bella's father your information. You do you know who Bella's father is, don't you?" I shook my head and glanced over at him. "Of course you do. I advise you to back the fuck off. You'll be hearing from the Marshal himself as soon as I get in touch with him."
I turned to walk away and he shouted at me. "How much do you really know about Isabella, Mr. Cullen? I think you need to have a nice little chat with your girlfriend. Oh and the Marshal isn't her father!"
The guy climbed into his car and drove off before I could say anything. This was getting ridiculous. I made sure to run back to my truck and get the piece of paper out of my glove box that had his name and license plate number. His phone number was on the paper, too. I was definitely making a phone call to Charlie tonight.
When I made it up to Bella's loft, I was still fuming. I had no idea why that guy was assuming I didn't know anything about Bella. I knew everything there was to know. I knew the Marshal wasn't her biological father, so I had no idea why he thought otherwise. I rolled my eyes and shook my head before I sat my duffle bag down by the front door when I entered.
"Bella!" I yelled as I made my way to the kitchen. I could smell the dinner she was cooking.
She poked her head around the corner as I approached. "In here. Dinner's almost ready. Are you hungry?"
She saw the distress on my face and came toward me. "What's wrong? You look pissed."
"That fuckwit from the other day..." I glanced down at the piece of paper in my hand, "Michael Newton."
"Yeah, and...Who's he?" Bella asked with concern etched on her face.
I walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar. "He's the guy I backed into the other night and he was at my work this morning. And to top it off, he was just outside your building. He keeps telling me that I need to have a nice little chat with you. It seems like he's trying to tell me that you're keeping something from me. Does that make any sense to you?"
"No. I've told you everything there is to know about me; I promise you. I have no reason to lie." She walked to where I was sitting and settled between my legs.
I moved my right hand to cup her cheek and she gasped, "What the hell happened to your hand?"
"Um... his nose kinda ran into my knuckles," I stated sarcastically, raising my brows and chuckled.
Bella stepped away from me and made her way to the freezer and pulled a bag of frozen... something out and wrapped it in a hand towel before she placed it on my hand, "Leave that there and I don't wanna hear it. Why'd you punch him in the first place?"
"He pissed me off. I wanted to know why he keeps popping up where ever we are and he wouldn't answer me," I explained and grimaced as she placed her hand on top of the bag of frozen food and pressed down. "Shhhiiiit." I hissed through my teeth.
I knew I was about to be socked in the nose, but I had to know, "You sure you've told me everything about yourself? What about your biological father? This Michael guy seems to think I didn't know anything about him when I mentioned calling your dad. Which, I need you to call him so I can give him this information. He can check him out, can't he?" Bella backed away from me and glared, hurt crossing her face.
"Do you not believe me? I have no reason to lie to you. I just told you that." She backed further away, waving her hands as she talked. "Edward, you can call my mom and Momma Whitlock if you have to; they wouldn't lie." She seemed really hurt by my questioning. I didn't want to seem crass and I didn't want to sound like I didn't trust her or believe her, I just wanted to know why this guy, Michael, was persisting that I didn't know anything about her.
I stood up from the stool and pulled her into my arms. I wanted to make sure she knew that I was here for her. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like I don't believe you, I do. This guy's just really pissing me off by saying this shit about you." I leaned away from her and put my hands on her shoulders. "If you don't mind me asking, what really happened to your father?"
She pulled away from me and leaned against the counter. She sighed and started with her story. "I wasn't there." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I stayed at Mr. And Mrs. Landers house. My mom didn't go too much into detail when she told me what happened. All I know is when the police arrived at the house, my father was choking my mom. The police tried to pull him off of her and he wouldn't let go. He just squeezed tighter. When my mom passed out from not being able to breathe, the police tackled him and he tried to grab a gun from one of the officers."
"So, I assuming he got the gun and the rest is history, more or less?" I asked, trying to understand more.
"Yeah, when he raised the gun to point it towards my mother, three other officers fired their guns at him. He didn't have a chance." She explained, so I pulled her to me, again. I knew she had no remorse for what happened to her father and I didn't blame her. I wouldn't, either. The guy was better off in hell because if he were still alive, I wouldn't hesitate to beat the man within an inch of his life.
I hugged her tightly and kissed her temple. "I'm glad you weren't there, but I'm also sorry you had to go through most of your childhood in that situation. No child deserves that." I kissed her temple again hoping to calm her. She was still upset. I still had more questions about the rest of her family. I knew Phil's parents were still alive when this happened.
"Another question, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to Phil's parents? Are they still around?"
"I don't know." She pulled back from me and leaned against the counter, again. "They really didn't care about me in the first place. They always turned their heads when they knew Phil was beating my mom. I think they cared more about the money he was bringing into their family. Don't get me wrong, they had their own money. At least that's what they portrayed. They had nice cars and a really nice house, but when it came to my mom and me, we were scum. In the whole twelve years that I lived in that house in Florida, they visited a total of three times that I knew of. Phil would always go to their house. We went a few times, too, but we were told to stay in the kitchen. Phil didn't want us socializing unnecessarily. I wasn't even allowed to call them grandma and grandpa. They were just weird." She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her. I could see tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.
I really didn't know what to say; I just listened. It felt good to know she still trusted me enough to share her life with me. I always wanted her to feel safe and trust towards me.
She moved from where she was standing and checked on our dinner. "So, was this our first argument?"
"Hell no. But that doesn't mean we can't make up," I said with a sheepish grin. She knew what I was hinting at.
"Too much drama for ya?" she asked, stepping into my arms and wrapping hers around me.
"Eh, we wouldn't have a strong relationship without any good drama," I said, jokingly. We had only been together a few weeks, but it already felt like a lifetime. That was how much I loved her.
She playfully smacked my chest and stepped back over to the stove. The timer had sounded and she pulled the most delectable looking food from the oven. "Damn, that smells good. What is it?"
"It's chicken and rice casserole with five different cheeses. I hope you're not watching your waist line 'cause this is definitely not too healthy?" This woman and her cooking were music to my stomach.
"I get plenty of exercise at work and at home," I said wagging my eyebrows at her. She smiled and giggled at my flirting.
Dinner was absolutely delicious and I ate until I could barely breathe. She definitely knew how to cook. My only concern now was broaching the subject of me staying with her indefinitely or permanently.
"So, I brought a bunch of my clothes over. I hope it's okay that I stay with you for a while. I'm concerned about what this guy Michael is up to. I don't want you left alone. He's been getting too close and since he now knows where you live, I don't trust him to not try and get in contact with you." I stood from the table to clear my spot and she followed.
She placed her dishes in the sink and handed me a dry towel. "I wash, you dry, but no, I don't mind. I actually like you staying here with me. I don't think Alice would mind, either. Not that she's going to be here a lot anyway. She'll be spending most of her time at the studio or with Jazz. Those two have been connected at the hip since she got into town and it's only been a few days." She handed me a dish and continued washing the others. I had no clue where any of her dishes went, so I just stacked them on the counter. Plus, she had a dishwasher, but I wasn't about to question her about it.
"I don't want to seem like I'm invading your space. You need to call your dad, by the way. Tonight, if you can." I wanted to make sure we could find out what this guy was up to and why he's been lurking around.
She handed me another dish. "Sure, let's finish up in here and I'll call him. I don't even know if he's back in town or not but I can at least leave him a message."
"Is he really gone that much?"
"Yes, but he makes up for it. If he's gone for more than a week, he makes sure he's stays close enough to home, for longer. He doesn't like being away from my mom and my brother and sister, too much," she explained. I already knew what it felt like to be away from Bella for more than twelve hours and it was agonizing. I couldn't imagine what the Marshal felt like being away from his family for more than a week at a time.
BPOV
After Edward and I finished cleaning up, we settled into the living room. "Can you grab my phone from the side pouch of my purse, please?"
Edward made his way over to me where I was on the couch and sat down. "You calling your dad?"
"Yeah, the sooner the better," I stated. Hopefully my dad could help in more ways than one.
I grabbed my phone and dialed my dad's number. I didn't want to interrupt anything that he was doing, but from what Edward told me about this Michael guy, I wanted him taken care of.
"Hey, baby girl." He sounded a little out of breath like he was doing something.
"Hi, daddy. Did I catch you at a bad time?" I could always wait for him to call me back.
"No, honey; I'm just packing my bags, getting ready to head home. Is everything okay?" I could hear a zipper in the background.
"Yeah, for the most part. Um... I may need you to take care of something for me." I knew he wouldn't hesitate.
"And what would that something be? You sure everything's okay?" He had concern in his voice, now.
"Yes, daddy. Aside from some creeper lurking around." Otherwise my life was wonderful.
"Creeper?"
"Yes, he's been showing up at Edwards's job and he was hanging around outside my building earlier when Edward got here. He even pulled in behind Edwards's truck one night and caused an accident." I explained. I was getting a little nervous about his reaction.
"Is Edward there with you now?" Oh, no. The inquisition was about to start.
"Yes."
"Let me talk to him." This was definitely not the way I wanted these two to meet.
I reached my hand out towards Edward with my phone. "He wants to talk to you."
"Me?" Edward's brows knitted together, pointing to himself. It was quite comical.
"Um...yeah." I said in a menacing way. "I don't know why. You ask him," I said shoving the phone into his chest. "Take it. Tell him all you know and give him the information you have." I wanted to crack up laughing, but I didn't want him to run from this unexpected opportunity to speak to my father.
EPOV
"Hello?" What a way to talk to your girlfriends' dad for the first time.
"Is this Edward?" He sounded like a man who meant business and could beat my ass if he had to.
"Yes, sir." I didn't want to sound like a pussy, either.
"This is U.S. Marshal Charles Swan. What's this I hear about a creeper outside my daughter's building?" I wanted to laugh because of the way he introduced himself to me. I already knew it was him, but I knew he had to play the 'dad' and 'Marshal' part.
"Um... well, sir. It started a few nights ago when we were at the park and he pulled behind me and I hit him. We exchanged information, but the next day he was at my work. He kept asking me questions about Bella." I tried to explain everything I could, but he would cut me off with questions.
"What kind of questions?"
"He wanted to know how well I knew her and said I needed to talk to her. I assumed it was about her past. Which sir, I know all about. This is all confusing to me." I didn't want to sound too distressed over the phone because I wanted the Marshal to know that I could protect Bella if it ever came to that.
"Do you have that information for me? I'll get what I can on this guy and we'll go from there." I grabbed the piece of paper from the coffee table and recited all the information to him. It was his name, a phone number, and his license plate number.
"Okay, I'll get this ran as soon as possible. In the meantime, are you staying with my daughter?" Ah, crap. I needed to stay cool.
"Yes, sir. I don't want to leave her alone with this guy around." I started getting nervous. I had a feeling he was going to question our sleeping arrangements. I knew I would, if it were my daughter.
"Good. Now, one more question. Are you sleeping with my daughter? 'Cause Edward, you know I carry a gun and I don't want to have to use it on you if you hurt my daughter."
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when he asked me that. "Um... sir. You'll have to speak to Bella about that, sir. I'll let her answer." I mumbled like a dumbass idiot, calling him sir and wondering where the hell my balls went.
"Fine, let me talk to my daughter."
I handed the phone to Bella and she had an amused look on her face. "Hi, dad."
"Yes, dad...No... I'm an adult. I can sleep with whomever I want...NO! Are you crazy? Edward is my first... Daddy please...Yes, we're careful... So what if I get pregnant. I want kids and so does he... NO! Dad your being ridiculous... I know and I love you, too... Dad, are you serious? You've heard that pay backs are a bitch, right? HA, HA, HA very funny...Okay, I will. Bye dad."
I looked at her quizzically. I could only imagine what was being said on the other end of that phone call. "Do I even want to know?"
She giggled and laid her phone down on the coffee table. She climbed onto my lap and straddled me. "Well, he wanted to make sure we were being safe and said it would be too soon for you to knock me up. He said it would be a shot gun wedding if you did."
"Oh, really? So if you get pregnant, he'd make me marry you?" Maybe I should be sneaky and knock her up. I couldn't do that to her, though.
"He said he was only joking around. That's the kind of guy he is. Once you get to know him, you'll know when he's serious and when he's not." She wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Well, I can't wait to meet him," I said, wrapping my arms around her. She weaved her fingers through the hair at the base of my neck causing goose bumps to spread across my arms and down my back.
"Oh, you will. Before you know it, actually. He's on his way home and will be paying us a visit. He wants me to make sure someone is with me all the time. He doesn't seem to realize that I can protect myself if I needed to." She leaned down and placed her lips on mine. It felt like it had been too long since I had tasted her. "Mmm... I missed you today."
"How's your uh... situation down below? Are you sore?" I wanted to be with her again but I didn't want her to be any more uncomfortable than what she experienced this morning.
She shrugged her shoulders. "You can say pussy, Edward." She giggled. "It definitely feels like it's gotten some action, that's for sure. I'll be okay, though. Nothing a nice hot bath won't fix." She had such a dirty mouth.
She climbed off my lap and started towards her bedroom. "Join me?"
"Do you even need to ask?" She giggled and waited for me to walk with her to her room. She headed straight for the bathroom and then I remembered my bag by the front door. "I'll be right back. I need to grab my bag in the foyer."
"Okay. I'll start the water," she said, pulling her shirt over her head as she entered her room.
When I got back, I put my bag down on her bed. I needed to find a place to sit my stuff out of the way so it wouldn't seem so cluttered. I already felt like I was imposing on her space, but there was no way in hell I was letting her be alone especially if Alice wasn't going to be home.
I grabbed a pair of boxers and my robe out of my bag and headed for the bathroom. She was already snuggled down under the bubbles that threatened to overflow onto the floor. "You think you have enough bubbles in there?"
"Hush, you can never have enough bubbles and this is one of those overflow tubs. It looks like it's going to spill over but it doesn't. See watch." She sloshed some water over the side and I saw it disappear through a gap that I never noticed before. "See, no mess, no fowl. Now get in here, mister."
I undressed as quickly as I could. The anticipation nearly killing me. I couldn't wait to touch her. Even if we didn't make love tonight, because of her soreness, I wanted to hold her close to me. The feel of her skin against mine was calming and an addiction at the same time.
I stepped into the tub, sliding down behind her. "What the hell? Don't you think it's hot enough?"
"Oh shut it, whiner. You'll get used to it. What kind of stuff did you do when you were sore after a game?" I thought about it for a minute. I had taken hot baths like this for my aching muscles. They were recommended by the physical therapist that traveled with us on our games. He also suggested that we use Icy-Hot.
"I guess you're right. I've been out of the game for a while, you know. Stop picking on me." I sighed as I sank further down into the tub. "Mmm... It does feel good after you get used to it." I closed my eyes but felt empty without her touching me.
I snaked my arms around her and pulled her back flush with my chest. We moaned as our skin made contact. "Have I told you today that I loved you?"
"Just once. But I'll never get tired of hearing it."
"In that case, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I could keep going," I clarified in between each kiss I placed on her neck.
She giggled and lifted her arms to wrap around my neck in a backwards hug. "I get the gist of it and I love you, too. More than you know."
"I think I do know. By the way, I wasn't sure where to sit my stuff so I just sat it on the bed," I told her as I splayed the palm of my hand across her stomach. I knew she could feel my hardness on her back, but I didn't want to push her into anything.
She removed her hands from around my neck and ran them along my legs. The feeling made me twitch, "Mmm... feels like somebody's wanting attention." She reached around behind her and wrapped her tiny fingers around my cock. I couldn't help the sound that came from my throat.
"Baby? We uh... God, that feels good." I whimpered. She was stroking me, driving me insane. I wanted to lift her up and let her sink down on me, but we were in the tub, so that meant no condom.
In one swift movement, she turned around and propped her feet on my thighs. This position gave her a better grip on me and I was definitely not complaining. I couldn't help what I did next. "Oh, shit. Oh, God," she rambled out as I grabbed her ankles, pulling her closer and slipping my hand between her legs to find her clit. If she was gonna make me feel good, then I felt it was only fair that I do the same for her.
We continued with our ministrations and found our release moments later. I wasn't sure how I was going to last the night without being inside of her. I was like a man in the desert without water.
We stayed in the bath until the water turned cold and went straight to bed. We didn't make love, but I was content with that. Sex wasn't what our relationship was about. No matter whether we had sex or not, I wanted to cherish her any which way I could.
BPOV
I was so comfortable falling asleep in Edward's arms. I could definitely get used to having him with me every night. I wanted to tell him to forget about getting his own place and move in with me, but I had to see how things worked out with him staying with me, first. I was so used to being on my own that I wanted to see if I could cope with someone else living with me.
Falling into a deeper sleep, flashes started that I couldn't stop...
~~Past Memory/Dream~~
I was lying in bed. Everything was peaceful. No noise from my parents fighting or the TV blaring from downstairs. I sighed, pulling my blanket more secure around my shoulders. I wished it was like this all the time...nice and quiet.
"NO! NO! NO... Phil, please. I didn't mean to. It was an accident. Please!" I heard my mom scream from downstairs. I shouldn't have thanked my lucky stars for the peace and quiet.
I jolted upright, jumping out of bed. Quietly, I tiptoed from my room to the stairs that led to the kitchen.
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? HUH? DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE?"
"Please, Phil... I couldn't help it. Your bag was in the way. It was an accident." She was pleading for him not to hit her, and we always knew it wouldn't work, but she still tried.
"SO, IT'S MY FUCKIN' FAUL TTHAT YOU CAN'T FUCKIN' WALK, YOU CLUMSY BITCH?"
Then I saw it. He punched her in the mouth then pulled her back up by her hair and slapped her.
Chills riddled my body because I was so scared. He didn't know I was watching as the tears began to flow down my face. I was so afraid he would make me watch again. I couldn't do it. I couldn't witness my mom being hurt anymore.
A sob escaped me, and I was sure he heard, but he didn't. He continued with his rant and torture to my mother.
"GET UP! IF I HAVE TO FUCKIN' WIPE THAT SHIT UP WITH YOUR FUCKIN' FACE, I WILL!"
I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't know what he was blaming my mom for, yet again and it had to stop. I had to get help.
Slowly and quietly, I made my way down the stairs. Once he had his back turned, I ran. I ran and ran as fast as I could. I had to get to the Landers place. They were the closet to where we lived.
"Please, please help. Please. I can't watch anymore. Please, GOD, please help me. I need you. Please, please." I prayed and begged over and over in my head, as I ran.
~~End Memory/Dream~~
"Please! Please!" I was yelling as someone shook me.
"Baby, wake up. Bella, come on, wake up, sweetheart. You're having a nightmare," Edward said, rubbing his hand across my face to get me to wake up.
Opening my eyes, a loud sob escaped me. I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could. I just wanted that memory to go away. I should have known it would haunt me after telling the story to Edward. I took my chances, though. I needed to tell him.
"Oh, God, Edward. I can see it all over again. He hurt her so bad. All she did was spill something on his bag." I cried harder into his chest and he let me. He rubbed his hands up and down my back, soothing me the best he could.
"Shh... it's okay. It was just a dream, baby. It's over now. You're okay; I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you," Edward whispered into my ear as he rocked us slowly, side to side.
Crying harder, not being able to catch my breath enough to speak clearly, "You... you, don't under... understand. It was real. I was there. I... It was clear as day to me. I saw it again. I can't... it won't go away."
"Shh... okay, try and calm down. You're gonna make yourself sick. Shh... Just take a few deep breaths. You'll be okay; I promise," he said pulling me into his lap; cradling me, my head tucked under his chin.
He held me until I fell asleep. I still couldn't get the images out of my head, but they didn't haunt me as bad as my dream did. I felt like I lived it all over again; I felt helpless.
Waking up to the blaring sound of my alarm, I reluctantly sat up in my bed. My head was pounding, my throat was dry and my chest hurt. I felt horrible. I hoped a nice hot shower would help with my misery, but I knew I would be suffering, regardless.
I felt the blankets shift and I knew Edward was awake as well, "You okay, baby?"
"I feel like shit." I said with a raspy voice. "I feel like I've been hit with a semi-truck," I expressed, turning to get a better look at my savior.
Edward scooted closer to me, pulling me back down to lie next to him, "That bad?"
"Ugh... yeah," I said groaning as I snuggled closer into his chest.
"I'm calling my aunt. You're staying home. I'll take the day off and take care of you," he expressed, pressing his lips to my temple. "You're warm, too. I think you're running a fever."
He climbed out of bed and grabbed his cell phone to call his aunt. I didn't want to argue with him. I didn't have the energy, to. I just wanted the achiness to go away. I hadn't been sick in years and never really had anyone to take care of me since I was a child. My mom always babied me to the fullest extent when I would get sick. I might actually enjoy being coddled by Edward.
"My aunt said to take all the time you needed. She said to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids." He chuckled as he sat down on the bed next to me. "She sounded like the Momma bear that she is. She also demanded that I wait on you hand and foot, and of course, I don't have a problem with it. If you're not feeling any better by tomorrow night, we'll just stay in. Emmett and Rose are arriving around four tomorrow afternoon. We're supposed to have dinner at the Metropolitan Grill; my uncles craving steak."
My stomach churned at the thought of food. "Don't talk about food."
"You're feeling sick like that, too?" He asked. His brows knitted together in wonder. "I think you might have the flu."
"Great. Just what I need. I haven't been sick like this for a few years; I hate it," I complained like a petulant child.
"Baby, I've never met anyone who enjoys being sick. Here, take this..." he handed me the remote to the TV. "Get comfortable and I'll go make you some tea and grab some crackers to snack on. Those shouldn't upset your stomach too much."
I wasn't sure I could love him anymore in that moment, but I knew he just filled my heart more.
I snuggled under the covers and switched the TV on. I decided on 'Good Morning America'. I missed seeing Diane Sawyer on there. She was my favorite. Then there was Sam Champion. To be honest, I think I have a little crush on him. I wouldn't tell Edward, though. I think he may actually know Sam.
Thirty minutes later, Edward came back into the room, carrying a tray with my tea, crackers and a few other food items. I noticed, fresh fruit, toast, coffee and... Oatmeal? I didn't even know I had oatmeal in my house.
"Sit up. You need to eat a little something. I made some toast for you just in case you didn't want the crackers." He sat down on his side of the bed. "Mind if I join you? I went ahead and made breakfast for myself while I was at it." He pulled the tray from the foot of the bed as I was getting myself comfortable.
Being the gentleman that he is, he spread a cloth napkin over my lap and placed the plate with the toast, on top of it. I sighed and watched him as he prepared his oatmeal with the fresh fruit. That was something that I had never seen before, but needed to try.
"I love having you here. Thank you for taking care of me," I said before taking a small bite from a slice of toast.
Edward leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Shit, your burning up. I'll be right back. You need to take some Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Which do you prefer?"
"I'll take the Ibuprofen. It'll help with my aches and pains, too." He caressed my cheek with his fingertips before he got up from the bed. He looked worried as I felt a small case of guilt wash over me. I didn't want him getting sick, too. We'd definitely be a match made in heaven.
I loved him being in my home. I knew it had only been one night, but I don't think I'll want him to go. Who cares what kinds of habits he has. Lord knows I have plenty of habits, and as far as I could tell, he didn't snore. If he did, I haven't been forced awake from his log sawing. Everyone has habits, don't they? I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, so now is better than any to find out how we co-exist together.
We lazed around in bed throughout the day. He pampered me and even made us lunch. I was surprised that I kept my food down. It was soup; nothing too heavy. He made us a light dinner, too.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by a loud knock at my door. Edward jumped out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and sleep pants. He was definitely getting comfortable being here and I couldn't be any happier about it.
Edward came back into the room. The look on his face was priceless. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Edward, what's wrong?"
"Um... your uh... your dad's here." His faced turned completely pale white.
I giggled. I knew my dad was probably giving him shit for answering the door instead of me and wearing his night clothes instead of his regular clothes. "Sweetheart, are you okay? It's just my dad."
"Bella, that's just it. Your dad... is in there," he pointed towards the living room. I couldn't help it and laughed again. "Bella, it's not funny. He's not a small guy. I think he can take me."
"Honey, I know my dad can take you, but he won't. Did he say anything to you?" I pressed my lips in a hard line, trying to suppress my laughter.
"He didn't have to. He looked at me from head to toe then demanded that I get you," he explained. I shook my head because I knew my dad was only trying to scare Edward and it was working. Who knew that a big guy like him would cower away from his girlfriend's dad.
I stood from the bed and felt dizzy. Edward was by my side in an instant. "Whoa, there Nelly. You okay?"
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. Will you grab my robe?" I slipped my feet into my slippers and walked toward him.
Edward handed me my robe and helped me out to the living room. My dad was still standing in the foyer.
"Daddy?" I called out as Edward helped me to the couch. He grabbed the blanket that was lying over the back.
My dad walked further into the room, "Baby girl, what's wrong with you?" He had a worried expression on his face.
"I have the flu. Edward's been waiting on me hand and foot since yesterday," I explained, feeling a slight twinge of a headache coming on.
"Is that so?" He raised his brows, watching as Edward got me situated on the couch.
"Yes, daddy. Now sit down. You want something to drink? Coffee, juice?" I offered.
"No, I'm good. Thank you anyway," he said, then continued. "So, I stopped by your office and Joan said you were home sick. I hope it was okay to come by. I have the information you requested." He sat in the chair across from the couch where I was sitting.
Edward came and sat next to me and pulled my legs over his. "By the way, daddy, this is Edward... Edward, this is my dad, Charlie."
My dad stood from the chair and reached out to shake Edwards' hand, "It's nice to meet you. I watched you play before. You're good. Your brother, too."
"Thank you, sir. My brother and his wife are actually coming into town today. How long are you in Seattle for?" Edward asked as my dad sat back down.
"I wanted to head home tonight, but Renee insisted that I stay. She and the kids are heading down in the morning. They wanted to visit with Bella since her birthday is coming up in a few weeks," he explained.
I groaned and leaned further into Edward, "Ugh... Don't remind me."
"I know, baby girl. We'll see how you feel in the morning. Your mom wasn't gonna leave until about ten. If you think you're not up to it by then, I'll tell her to hold off. We don't need Gracie and Alex getting sick, too."
"I'm sorry." I made a pouty face at him.
"Don't be. You couldn't help getting sick," he said, scooting up to the edge of his seat. He placed his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it up. He pulled a file folder out and handed it to me.
"What's this?" I took it and laid it on my lap.
"The info on that guy. It looks like he's a private investigator. A dirty one, at that. He's been involved in some shady stuff, but I couldn't figure out who hired him. According to the info you see there, he hadn't had a documented case in quite some time. So whoever's looking for you, wants everything kept quiet. Can you think of anyone who would be doing something like this?" He asked while pulling another piece of paper from his briefcase. It looked like a picture.
"No... What's that?" I asked, gesturing to the paper in his hand.
"His picture. Get a good look at it. He has a few different disguises that he's used over the years. This guy really is a piece of work," he grumbled and took the picture and file back from me as I handed them to him.
"What should I do?" If anyone knew what I needed to do, it would be my dad.
By the end of the conversation, my dad and Edward reassured me that this guy, Michael, wouldn't get any closer. My dad said he would look more into him and if he had to, he would arrest him himself for stalking me.
"So, did you get a hotel already? You're more than welcome to stay here. I do have an extra room." I should have thought about what I said first because the look on his face was priceless.
It almost sounded like he growled at me. "What?" I was trying to play innocent, but I knew it wasn't working. I knew he was thinking about Edward sharing my bed.
"Nothing uh... yeah sure. If you don't mind. It's not like I'll be kicking Edward out of his bed or anything," he sighed and slouched down into the chair.
"Did you have breakfast, daddy?" I was trying to steer clear of the huge elephant in the room. "I'm sure Edward can find something." I wanted to try and get him as comfortable as I could around Edward. I was hoping the awkwardness would pass quickly.
"No, I'm good. I grabbed something to eat at the diner before I left Forks. Mrs. Cope wanted me to tell you hello. They've been trying to get her eldest grandson trained to take over. Her and Carl are ready to retire." I pulled my legs from Edwards lap when he tapped them for me to move. He got up and disappeared into the kitchen.
I wrapped my blanket around me more. "Well, you tell Mrs. Cope hello for me, too. I'll make sure to stop in the next time I'm in town. I hope it doesn't take long for them to train Andrew. He's pretty smart. You remember him, don't you? He and I went to school together."
"Yeah, he's a good kid." He paused for a minute, "So uh... when are you gonna ask Edward to move in with you?"
"What?" I feigned innocence, placing my hand on my chest. "Daddy, really? He's only been here for a couple of nights. Why would you think I wanted him to move in with me?" Yeah, so sue me. I already knew I wanted him to move in, but I wanted to wait it out a few more days, but I knew in my heart, for sure, that I wanted him here.
"You can't fool me, baby girl. I may be old, but I'm good at reading people and I can read you like an open book. I'm just not used to seeing you with someone that's making you this happy. You're happy, right?" I knew he was concerned, and it only made me love him even more.
I got up from the couch and made my way over to him and sat on his lap. "I know you didn't want me to grow up, but I did. And yes, I'm very happy with Edward." I placed one arm over his shoulders. "I think he's the one. He makes my heart feel funny and I love him." I laid my head on his shoulder right under his chin.
"You love him?" I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.
"Yeah, I do. A lot; more than anything. He loves me, too," I explained. I wrapped my other arm around his neck and hugged the hell out of him.
He groaned when I tightened my grip, "Okay, okay." I pulled away from him and nestled my head back between his chin and shoulder.
"I just want my girl happy, and I can see that you are. Edward seems like a great guy, but I hope he never forgets who your dad is."
"Daddy." I admonished him, playfully smacking his chest as I sat up. Edward came walking back into the room with two coffee mugs.
"You sure you don't want anything, Marshal?" Edward asked as he sat the two mugs down onto the coffee table.
I got up from my dad's lap and went back to the couch. "No, thank you and please call me Charlie. I try to leave my job title at work."
Throughout the day, we lounged around watching TV. My dad got up a few times to make phone calls or to answer some incoming ones. It was normal for him to deal with a little work here and there, during his time off. I had gotten used to it over the years and so did my mom. There was a lot of stuff that we weren't entitled to hear so we never took offense to him having to answer a call during dinner because we knew it had to be important.
Emmett had called Edward when he got into town, but Edward told him that we would be missing dinner because I was sick. He was okay with it and wished me well, hoping I could make dinner the next night. I hoped so, too. I knew Edwards's parents were back from their trip and I was getting pretty excited to have dinner with them. I was hoping for a speedy recovery. I felt like a little kid, not wanting to miss out on anything.
It never fails how much you edit; you'll always find something you missed the first and second time.
Thank you bunches,
Reason
