15
"You look beautiful." Smiling, I looked over my shoulder, finding Carlisle standing in the doorway of our bedroom. He was wearing a dark suit that fit him like a glove. His eyes traveled down the length of my body, tracing the curves of my hips and meeting my eyes. "You look good enough to eat."
My cheeks turned bright red as I shifted my attention back to the mirror. "Pretty sure you ate me last night."
Carlisle laughed. "I can never get enough of you, Isabella."
I smiled. "I hope not."
He sighed and pushed off the doorjamb and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. His fingers brushed across the red dress Alice had left for me the night before, knowing that I wouldn't have anything nice to wear for graduation. She always knew what I needed, knew what I was comfortable in, and never pushed me to be anyone other than me.
"What's on your mind, baby?" he whispered.
"I don't want to go," I said. "Those people, I just . . . I don't know if I can stand up in front of them and not tell them all to fuck off."
"So do it," he laughed. "It'll be the best valedictorian speech they've ever heard."
I smiled. "Something tells me ole Reverend Brandon wouldn't like it."
"Who gives a fuck what that cranky old man likes," Carlisle told me, sliding his hand up and covering my heart. "Speak from here, lover."
"Have I told you today that I love you?" I murmured.
"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it," he whispered. "I love you, too."
Knowing that I couldn't put it off any longer, I slipped my hand into Carlisle's and allowed him to lead me downstairs. The boys were sitting on the couch, scowling because they had to go with us. Hell, I didn't blame them. It was going to be boring, but whatever. This was my last high school event, and I was ready to be done with it. Then we could move on with our lives. A sigh of happiness slipped from my lips. I was ready to be Carlisle's wife.
Though they weren't happy about being forced to go with us, they followed us out to the car and climbed into their seats. My robe was in the trunk, thanks to Alice, who had insisted that she go to the school this morning and pick up both of ours. She knew, just like I did, that the last place I wanted to be was inside that place. Yet, here I was, going back for graduation.
In the end, it didn't matter that I hadn't finished my trig final. The combination of A's on my other finals and my remarkable three point seven GPA put me at the top of my class, meaning I was forced to stand in front of my fellow classmates, teachers, and the people of Forks and give an inspirational speech about our future. Blah, blah, blah. It was all bullshit.
The parking lot was jammed pack when Carlisle dropped me off at the front doors. He assured me that he and the boys would be fine, and I knew he would. He'd been raising them on his own for the better part of the last three years, but I hated that he had to put up with all this bullshit, too. Didn't we both deserve to just be happy?
"Bella!" Alice chirped, rushing over to me and throwing her arms around my neck. "Can you believe we're finally graduating?"
"No," I laughed as someone brushed past me. Looking to my left, I saw Lauren's parents walking into the auditorium, each of them throwing a glare in my direction while Lauren seemed to be embarrassed by their attitude. She may have been a gossiping bitch, but Lauren wasn't a horrible person. Just one of those who was so wrapped up in her own life that she rarely looked back herself. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Alice. "Where's Esme? I figured she'd have her lips attached to you."
Alice laughed, her cheeks turning bright pink. "She's meeting me here. Ma and Pa threw a hissy about me not having dinner with the family. I can't wait to get the fuck out of this town."
I nodded, turning to the doors and smiling when Carlisle and the boys came trekking in with Esme, Edward, and Jasper right behind them. Esme pushed her way past Carlisle, wrapping her arms around Alice and pulling her in for a searing kiss.
A rippling gasp trickled throughout the lobby as the parents of our classmates watched the two lesbians kissing. The majority of our classmates had long gotten over the shock of the two lovers, but their parents were still appalled that they would dare kiss in public.
"Mary Alice Brandon!" Reverend Brandon exclaimed, grabbing Alice by the arm and dragging her away from Esme. "That is enough!"
Alice snarled as she slipped her arm out of her father's arms. "Don't have a stroke, Dad."
"You are disgracing me and your mother," he hissed, towering over her, and for the first time, I worried about Alice's safety. Seeing how Esme grabbed Alice by the hips and pulled her backward, she was, too.
Reverend Brandon snapped his eyes up to hers, disgust radiating from him. "Get your hands off my daughter!"
"Dad, stop it!" Alice groused, preventing her father from grabbing her arm again. "I'm not doing anything wrong."
Reverend Brandon released a sardonic laugh, drawing the attention of everyone standing around us: classmates, parents, teachers, everyone. "Not doing anything wrong? You're defying me, your mother, and most important, you're defying God!"
"Fuck God!" Alice sneered, causing a ripple of gasps around us. "If God can't accept me for how he made me, then I'm done with him. I'm certainly done with you and Mom."
"Mary Alice!" her mother exclaimed, stepping up next to her husband, her eyes searching those around us. "You are embarrassing yourself and us. Now, we've put up with . . ." she waved her hand between Alice and Esme, ". . . for long enough. It's time you grow up, young lady."
Alice shook her head, looking from me to Carlisle and then over to Esme. "You're right. It is enough." A look of hurt filled Esme's eyes, but when Alice reached backward and wrapped her arm around her waist, nestling her lover against her, she smiled. "I'm leaving Forks. I'm leaving you. I'm leaving the narrow-minded, bullshit that comes with living under your fucking roof. I'm done. I'm gone, and for all I care, Ma and Pa, you can go to Hell."
Turning her back to her parents, Alice faced to me. Though she was trying to be strong, I saw the fear in her eyes. Reaching out, I grabbed her arms, pulling both her and Esme away from Reverend and Mrs. Brandon, aware of those staring at us. When we reached Carlisle, he wrapped his arm around me, his eyes flittering over to Alice's parents.
"Are they still standing there?" Alice whispered, her voice soft and shaky.
He nodded. "Yeah, pretty sure they don't know what to do right now."
"Yeah, well, neither do I," she murmured, looking over at Esme. "I'm sorry about them. They've always been assholes, but I never thought they'd go that far."
"As long as you're still my woman, I don't care what they say to or about me, baby," Esme cooed. "I love you."
Alice smiled and brought her hand up to the back of Esme's head, bringing her lips down against hers. "I love you, too."
Behind them, Reverend and Mrs. Brandon glared at Alice before turning and walking out of the building, making it clear that they weren't going to stay and watch their daughter graduate. From the far corner of the lobby, I saw Alice's younger sister, Cynthia, sigh and say something to her friends before she turned and walked out. I worried about Cynthia, who at sixteen, was the only person inside the Brandon household to accept Alice for how she was.
Mrs. Cope came shuffling out of the auditorium, her eyes scanning the crowd before she announced that we were about to begin. Sighing, I watched as Carlisle shuffled the boys behind Edward and Jasper with Esme following them. Once only the graduating class was left in the lobby, we were told to line up. Since I was first in my class, I was lucky and got to lead my class inside, past the very people who had spent the last three weeks judging me for the choices I'd made.
As the music started, I did my duty and lead the way, ignoring the gawking stares and muttered whispers. Only, I knew that I wasn't the sole subject of their gossip this time. No, Alice's disgraceful outburst had made her the center of attention, too; though she wouldn't give a shit. Alice had never been ashamed of her feelings, and it was one of the things I loved about her.
As we took our seats, James Greene stood up and welcomed us, going on and on about how we'd made them proud, how hard we'd worked to achieve our goals. One look at my classmates told me they didn't believe that bullshit any more than I did.
All too soon it was time for me to give my speech, so I pushed myself out of my seat and walked up onto the stage, pausing as I looked around at everyone. Carlisle and the boys were sitting to the left of the stage. Tyler was perched up in his lap, while Michael was sitting on Jasper's lap. His arm was wrapped around Edward's shoulders, and the people sitting around them seemed shocked that they were cuddling. I smiled, thinking about how they'd finally stepped out of the closet, so to speak.
Turning my attention back to my classmates, I said, "I'm supposed to stand up here and give an inspirational speech about how we, as a class, are going to change the world." I paused. "Well, that's a bunch of bullshit."
My classmates laughed, while their parents and the townsfolk gasped and muttered under her their breaths.
"We're not going to change the world," I continued. "The world is a horrible place. It's full of anger and hardship, full of people just waiting to tear us down and teach us to take it up the ass."
I shook my head, ignoring the muttered outrage coming from the people around me. "Over the last few weeks, I've walked down the hallway of this very school and had people whisper about me, calling me names, judging me because of the choices I've made. These are the same people who I learned to read with, whose birthday parties I attended. Yet, they were ready to turn their back on me because I dared to find happiness with someone they felt was wrong."
My classmates, all except Emmett, Rose, and Alice, shifted uneasily in their seats.
"And it didn't stop with you, either," I told them, before turning my attention to everyone else. "I was raised in this town, went to church with a lot of you. You were supposed to be there to help me when my father died, but you weren't. You sat back and watched as my mother . . ." I shook my head, bringing my hand to my mouth. "While my mother lost herself to grief. You sat there and judged me for falling in love, for finding a man who loves me back, who needs me half as much as I need him."
Placing my hands on either side of the podium, I took a deep breath. "I don't know what the future has in store for us. Some of us will move on from Forks, find our homes elsewhere. Others will never be able to escape the narrow-minded, hatefulness that comes with living in this town." I laughed. "But for me? I'm leaving this town, and for all I care, all of you can fuck off."
Turning from the podium, I gave James Greene and Riley Biers a look before I walked off the stage, but instead of taking my seat in the front row, I walked past everyone and out of the auditorium. While everyone around us was muttering about how rude and ungrateful I was, I couldn't find it in myself to care. Not anymore. I had Carlisle and the boy, Edward and Jasper, Esme and Alice, Rose and Emmett, and I was done with this place.
An arm wrapped around my waist, and I smiled as I looked over and saw Carlisle holding me. He had a huge grin on his face. "I didn't think you'd really do that."
"I wasn't going to, but when I found myself looking down at everyone, I just said fuck it all and let them know how I really felt." I laughed as we headed outside. "Where are the boys?"
"I left them with Edward and Jasper. I wanted to make sure you were okay. They're going to bring them to the house," he explained.
And before I could say anything else, the sound of Jasper, Edward, Esme, Alice, Emmett, and Rose's laughter exploded and we looked back to see them running out, the door slamming shut behind them. In a heartbeat, Tyler and Michael were wrapped around my legs, one hand finding their way to my ass.
"Damn it, Swan," Emmett snickered. "That was the best speech I've ever heard."
"Thanks," I laughed. "I'm sure nobody else shares your feelings."
"Mr. Greene looked like a chicken with his head cut off," Rose guffawed, wrapping her arm around Emmett's waist. "He was stammering and stuttering about how sorry he was. Funniest crap I've ever seen. I had to walk out just so that I didn't piss myself!"
We all burst out laughing, only stopping when the doors behind us opened and William and Catherine Hale came sauntering out with a look of disapproval on their faces. Rose sobered up immediately, her eyes flittering between her mother and father.
Catherine Hale, a tall, thin, stunning blond who looked like she could be Rose's older sister and not her mother, shifted her attention from Rose to Emmett, to Alice to Carlisle, and before finally turning toward me. Her lips curled upward in a smile, and I immediately felt afraid. "Isabella, what are your plans for the future?"
"Um," I stammered, looking at Carlisle before I added, "We're moving to San Francisco, and I'm planning on attending Berkeley."
She nodded, shifting her eyes over to her husband, an equally stunning blond with firm features, a strong jaw, and a gorgeous smile. "And what are you planning on studying?"
"Um, I don't know," I admitted. "I was thinking about English, but recently, I've been considering something to do with science."
Catherine smiled. "Good." She stepped over to me, placing her hand on my cheek in a move that was completely uncharacteristic for her. "You'll thrive once you get out of this town. Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you're not perfect the way you are. Your father was an amazing man, and your mother loved you. She may not have known how to show it, but she did love you. Don't lose yourself to your anger."
"I — I won't," I mumbled.
She bobbed her head toward me before letting her hand drop from my face and looking over at her daughter, who like me appeared to be stunned by her mother's words. "Rosalie, we're going home. Will you be late?"
"Um, yeah, probably," Rose admitted and shifted her eyes to me. "We're going to Bella and Carlisle's."
Catherine nodded and wrapped her hand around William's arm. "Then we'll see you in the morning." Her attention flittered to Emmett. "Why don't you join us for breakfast?"
"Um, yeah, okay, I guess," Emmett muttered, and for the first time in all the years since I've known him, I saw him unsure of himself.
"Excellent!" Catherine cheered, giving William's arm a tug. "Good night."
"Night," we mumbled together, and watched as they walked over to their Lexus, climbed inside, and pulled out of the parking lot.
Shifting my eyes back to Rose, I asked, "What the fuck just happened? Did you mom just give me her blessing?"
"That's how it would appear," she replied, appearing to be just as confused as me. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "Anywho, let's get the f . . ." She shifted her eyes down to Michael and Tyler, "heck out of here."
I laughed. "Nice save, Rose."
"Yeah, yeah," she scoffed, sliding her hand into Emmett's.
"Meet us over at the house," I called out as Carlisle started leading me and the boys to the car.
When we got back to the house, we found two boxes sitting on the porch with a note with Alice's name tapped on top. Carlisle and I shared a look before we carried them inside, placing them next to the door. One didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was inside the boxes. Alice had taken a stand, openly and publicly defied her parents, and now they were letting her go. They had no idea what an amazing woman their daughter was, how she loved with her whole heart, and how much she wanted their acceptance, but not at the price of giving up the love of her life. Like I had for Carlisle, Alice would give up everything for Esme Platt.
The boys rushed up to their room, stripped off their suit, and changed into their pajamas. They'd just come back down when the doorbell rang. Before we could stop them, they rushed over to the door and pulled it open, cheering when they saw Edward and Jasper.
"Come on in," Carlisle laughed, placing a hand on the boys' chests and pulling them backward.
"Thanks," Edward said, ruffling Michael's hair as he walked by.
"Stop doing that!" the six-year-old whined with a huff.
"Nah, it looks good like that, little man," Edward scoffed as he walked over to me and handed me a bottle of wine. "For the bride to be."
I smiled as my cheeks warmed. "He told you, huh?"
"He was excited," Jasper laughed when Carlisle's face turned red.
The boys had run over to the couch and had the television on. Carlisle and I had sat them down after breakfast and told them that we wanted to get married. I was worried that we were moving too fast, that they'd see me as an intruder who was taking their father away, but the only things they were concerned about was whether or not I was moving to California with them and if I would still babysit. When I assured them that I wasn't going anywhere, they both just smiled, nodded, and turned their attention back to their food. It was in that moment that I realized they had the most innocent view of the world, and I envied them.
"I just didn't want those two," Carlisle said, tilting his head toward the boys, "to say anything first."
"Probably would, too," I laughed, before leaning up on my toes and kissing Edward's cheek. "Thank you. You and Jasper have done so much for us. Knowing that you support us means the world."
"Same for us, Bella," Jasper said, wrapping his arms around both of us. "Believe me when I say that since you've let us into your live, ours has only been made better."
"Even with you losing your job?" I asked, still feeling the guilt for costing him his position at the high school.
"Well, I won't lie and say that part didn't suck," he admitted. "I love teaching, but not here. That place . . . There is something seriously wrong with a school when their biggest concern is following protocol when a student's safety is in danger. The fact that they would have rather me left you in the hands of that asshole just grates on my nerves. Besides, I've got a plan."
"Jasper said a bad word," Tyler giggled, climbing over the back of the couch and walking over to me, holding his arms up.
"Sorry, little man," he grumbled, pretending to pout as I picked Tyler up.
"S'okay," he murmured, laying his head on my shoulder. "Bella, can I go to bed? I'm tired."
I smiled. "Of course you can. Want me to tuck you in?"
He nodded, his arms wrapping around my neck. I kissed his forehead as I turned and reached for Michael, knowing that he'd be tired, too. Grumbling under his breath about it being summer vacation, he grabbed my hand and let me lead him upstairs to their rooms. I laid Tyler in his bed, sitting on the edge and bringing my hand up to his face. His eyes were already closed, so I leaned in and pressed my lips on his cheek, and whispered, "I love you, Ty. May your dreams be filled with happiness."
Sliding off his bed, I sat down on Michael's. He rolled onto his side and looked up at me. "Bella?"
"What, sweetheart?" I asked.
"Are you scared to move to California?"
I took a deep breath. "Kind of. I don't want to stay here, but change always makes me a little nervous. Are you scared?"
He nodded. "I have friends here. What if they don't like me at my new school?"
"How could not like you? You're a cool kid."
"Bella?" he whispered, his eyes glistening with tears.
"What?"
"Promise not to leave us?" he whimpered, sniffing as he tried to keep his tears from falling.
I shifted so that I was laying in front of him. Bringing my hand up to his cheek, I smiled. "I promise. You, me, Ty, and Dad — we're a family. That will never change. You have my word."
With trembling lips, he scooted over so that he was cuddle up around me. And as his eyes closed, and I watched as he fell asleep, I realized just how strong Michael had always been. Unlike Tyler, who was the baby of the family, Michael tried to be older than his six years, to keep his brother from suffering. He was an amazing little boy, and I vowed to make his life easier. I wanted him to be a big, to enjoy his life and not have to grow up before he was ready.
It wasn't until the door to the boys' room pushed open and I saw Carlisle peeking in that I realized I'd been laying with Michael for a while. Slipping off his bed, I tip-toed across the room and pulled the door so that it was almost closed.
"Everything okay?" Carlisle asked, his hands sliding over my hips.
"Perfect," I said, leaning up for a kiss. "Think I'm going to change out of this dress. Is everyone here yet?"
He snorted. "Emmett and Rose arrived a few minutes ago, but Alice and Esme aren't here. I'm kind of worried about them, actually. After what happened with Alice's parents. You don't think they'd hurt either of them, do you?"
"I don't think so, but I never thought my mother would hit me, either," I admitted, and before I could say anything else the doorbell rang. "And I bet you that's them."
"Probably," he laughed, though I could hear the relief in his voice, and it touched me that he was concerned about my friends. "Come on. Let's change and then we can join the party. We have an engagement to celebrate."
I smiled as I followed him into our bedroom. We quickly stripped out of our clothes, opting to change into jeans and tees. Sliding my hand back into his, we stopped and checked on the boys once more before heading downstairs. Alice and Esme were sitting on the couch, the two boxes her parents had left on the front porch open and the clothes that were inside spilling out. I pulled away from Carlisle and walked over to Alice, sitting next to her and laying my head on her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she insisted, but I knew my best friend and fine was the last thing she was at the moment.
"Yeah, I know," I said, also knowing that she wouldn't talk about it until she was ready. "So when are you two planning on heading to California?"
Alice smiled and looked over at me. "End of next week. I've gotta find a way to get into my house and grab the rest of my stuff, but Esme starts a new job in a week, and I need to things sorted, too. Might as well get a jump start on it."
"Makes sense," I admitted, hooking my arm in with hers.
"Mom is letting Alice stay with us until we leave," Esme added, sliding her arm around her woman.
"I was thinking," I said, giving Carlisle a look. "Carlisle and I are leaving in the morning for a quick trip to San Francisco. We need to find a place to live, scout the area and everything. If you wanted, you could stay here, watch the boys for us."
"Um, are you sure?" Alice asked, her eyes shifting over to Carlisle.
"Sure, why not," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "They like you, you know them. Edward and Jasper are both here, in case you need anything."
"Um, sure, okay," Alice said, and I could tell she was clearly unsure if it was a good idea.
"Thanks," I replied, shifting so that I was looking over at her. "It's a load off my shoulders. With the boys taken care of, we can focus on finding a house, getting my schedule for next year set up, planning a wedding, finding Carlisle a job before he does something really crazy."
"Wait, what?" Alice said, gasping. "You're . . . you're getting married?"
I bit my lip and nodded.
Alice squealed and launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and pushing me back onto the couch so that she was laying on top of me. Before the other side of the couch, I heard Carlisle and Emmett moan, the sound of Rosalie slapping Emmett on the back of the head, and the sound of Edward and Jasper laughing.
"Dude, I'm standing right here!' Rose snarled, huffing.
"I know, baby, but they're hot!" Emmett groused, only making it worse for himself. "You know how much I love lesbians!"
"Ugh, men," Rose laughed and shook her head as Alice climbed off of me.
"This is so exciting!" Alice giggled. "You're getting married, Esme and I will finally be able to be together, Jasper and Edward are moving, too. And somehow, we're getting Rose and Emmett down there, too!"
"Um, actually, we found out today that we both got into City College of San Francisco," Rose said, drawing everyone's attention to her and Emmett. "It's not Berkeley, but at least we can be together."
"Yeah," Emmett said, sliding his arm around Rose's waist. "Now, I just have to figure out how to pay for it."
"We'll figure it out, Em," I said, standing up and walking around the couch, pulling him and Rose in for a hug. "Somehow."
"Hope so, Swan," he whispered. "Because I don't want to be left behind."
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