A Zoe Mack Novel by Lisa Bilbrey

6

Bella lifted her coffee cup to her lips, taking a small sip. She was sitting on the front porch, watching the sun rise. The air was cool, but not cold. She'd pulled on one of Edward's sweatshirts, but mostly for comfort of having him close, than a need to be warm. She'd left him in bed.

While sleep had come easier, she still found herself waking at every creak, every noise. And most mornings, she found herself escaping to the front porch, needing the fresh air she'd been denied for so long.

Her attention was pulled toward the dirt driveway as Emmett's beat up pick-up kicked up a cloud of dust. Her shoulders tensed as he parked in front of the house, climbed out, and pulled a beat up duffle bag onto his shoulder. Emmett smiled as he took each step with ease and control.

"Morning," he said, leaning against the pillow just feet from her.

"Good morning, Emmett," she said, stiffly. "Where's Rose?"

"At the clinic. Gotta keep up appearances." He shifted so that he was facing her. "You okay?"

"Of course," Bella lied, almost believing that she was being truthful. "There's coffee if you want a cup."

"I've already had two." Emmett placed the bag on the porch and pushed it toward her with his foot. "Make sure Edward gets this, okay?"

Bella nodded and watched as Emmett headed toward the barn. He'd been guarded toward her, which she understood. After finding out that he, Rose, and Jasper had been placed to watch over her, she hadn't been too friendly toward him. She felt betrayed and humiliated, like Edward hadn't trusted her to take care of herself. Maybe he hadn't, but she was doing okay, wasn't she?

Blowing out a deep breath, she reached for the bag, only to realize she'd been digging her nails into the palm of her hand. Yeah, she was just fine.

Bella stood and picked up the bag, which was heavier than she expected, and carried it into the house. Edward was seated on the couch, his laptop propped up on his knees. She placed the bag on the floor next to him before curling onto the couch next to him. Edward laughed softly as he wrapped his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

"How was the sunrise?" he asked, pulling the cup from her hands and taking a sip. "Ugh, this needs sugar."

"No, it doesn't," she argued and snatched her cup back. "And it was nice. It's almost always nice here."

Edward hummed and tilted his head toward the bag. "Emmett drop that off?"

"Yep." Bella leaned away from him, sitting on the edge of the couch. "What's in it?"

"Oh, um, Emmett tinkers with cameras and such. Thought I might update your security system before Jacob, Seth, and Leah get here."

"How much longer?"

"They should be here the day after tomorrow. Sam and Emily decided to stay behind."

Bella cocked and eyebrow as she looked back at him.

"It was harder than they expected, I think. They need a break," he explained

"Must be nice to get a vacation from hell," Bella muttered, mostly to herself, but she knew Edward heard her. He placed his hand on her back, but she shrugged it off and stood. "I'm going into town. I've got an order of lumber that I need to pick up, and we need more milk, so . . ."

"I'll come with you," Edward offered, closing his laptop.

"No, I . . ." Bella shook her head and took a step backward. "Stay here. I'll be quick."

Though she could tell Edward didn't want her going alone, he didn't argue with her. Bella rushed upstairs to her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone, keys, and wallet.

Aro and Alice were in the kitchen when she came back down. Alice was standing in front of the stove with a carton of eggs in one hand and a frying pan in the other.

Slowly, Bella walked up behind her, placing her hands on Alice's arms. The fragile girl tensed, but didn't pull away as Bella lifted her arm with the frying pan and placed it on the stove up.

"Remember those omelets I taught you how to make?"

Alice nodded.

"Edward likes mushrooms, cheese, and ham." Bella released her. "Lots of mushrooms."

"Okay," she whispered.

Bella smiled as she turned to Aro, who was leaning against the palm of his hand. His eyes were closed, but he had a grin on his lips. She walked over to him and placed her hand over his and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, sweetheart." Aro's eyes opened and he looked at her. "Be safe."

"I will." And she hoped like hell that she could be.

Edward had his laptop open again as she walked past him. Alice had taken quite the liking to him. Not the way she was with Jasper, of course, but she still liked him. Maybe it was the connection to Elizabeth. She wasn't sure, and she wasn't sure it was healthy, but right now, she had enough worried on her shoulders without worrying about Alice getting too close to Edward.

"I love you," Bella said, pausing before she opened the front door.

"I love you more."

Though she disagreed with him, knowing that nobody could love anyone more than she loved him, she left him sitting in the living room.

Her first stop was by Newton's Lumber Yard and Hardware store. Mike Newton had promised that her order would be in by now. Trying to keep calm, Bella climbed out of her truck, giving her surroundings a quick glance before she headed into the store. The smell of lumber, dust, and dirt filled her nose, nauseating her. She hated the smell.

"Anna!" Mike cheered, rushing out of his office. "Your order is in."

"Hmm, and they say miracles don't happen." Bella stepped up to the counter and opened her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

"Came out to $3322."

Her eyes widen as she pulled out her credit card. "You quoted me $2900 when I placed my order."

"Well, yeah, but I had to expedite the backorder, and then there is tax."

"Hmm, seeing as I've had to wait almost two and a half months for my order, I should be getting a discount." Bella sighed and handed her card over to him. "But whatever. Just get it loaded into my truck."

"Right away," Mike stammered.

Once he'd completed her transaction, he rushed around the corner and out of the store. Bella followed and watched as he personally lugged her lumber into the back of her truck. She worried that the man would have a heart attack. He was sweating profusely and his face and neck were bright red.

After he had her ordered tied down, he attempted to wipe the sweat from his face with the back of his hand, but it didn't see like it helped.

"Need anything else?"

"I hope not." Bella opened the driver's side door and looked back at Mike. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Anna. Sorry about all the hassle."

Bella waved him off and climbed inside. She stopped at the market and picked up a gallon of milk, some eggs, fresh produce, and before she realized it, she was parked outside of Jasper's Bakery.

He was just finishing up with a customer when she walked inside, their eyes meeting over a tray of jelly donuts. Jasper looked at the little old woman he was serving before addressing Bella.

"Morning, Anna."

"Morning," Bella whispered, drawing the attention of the woman at the counter.

Lois Cope—the mayors wife. She'd come out to the ranch not long after Bella, Aro, and Alice showed up, offered to show them around town. She was a harmless woman, just nosy.

"Mrs. Cope."

"Anna!" she gushed, rushing over to her and giving her a bumpy hug. She was a hefty woman. "We hardly see you in town anymore. Keeping busy on that ranch, are you?"

"Always work to be done," Bella lied.

"Mrs. Cope," Jasper drew her attention back to him, "you're ready to go, ma'am."

"Thank you, Jasper." Mrs. Coped walked back to the counter and picked up her box. "The mister will be mighty glad to see me tonight."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sure he will." Jasper laughed.

Bella moved out of the doorway as to allow Mrs. Cope to leave. The moment the door was closed, she heard Jasper say, "Didn't think you'd come back in here."

"Wasn't sure I should," she said, turning her attention to him. "You used to be a baker."

"I'm still a baker," he argued. "Just have other skills, too."

"So I've heard. How long were you in the army?"

"Ten years," he said. "And before that, my daddy taught me how to hunt, how to track. You don't grow up in Texas without learning a skill or two, Bella. Or should I still call you Anna?"

"It doesn't matter," she murmured, waving her hand in the air. "Where'd you learn to bake?"

"Momma always said it was fine that I knew how to survive off the land, but the girls would love me more if I could bake them a cake, too. Turns out I enjoy it."

Bella shook her head and looked around. "I don't know why I'm here."

"You're angry," Jasper said, pulling out a tray of chocolate cupcakes with red sprinkles. He placed two in a small box and sealed it with a piece of tape. "Which is understandable, of course. But he wouldn't have sent us here if he hadn't been worried about you."

"Yeah, I know," she said, stiffly.

"Do you?" he asked, leaning on the counter. "I don't think you really understand what Edward went through while you were saving the world. He spent every second he could watching for your message, hoping that you were okay. Hell, I don't know how many times I had to keep him from rushing to Forks to save you."

"Of course I do," she argued. "It wasn't an easy decision to go undercover, Jasper. I thought I was going to die. The hell . . . the pain . . ." Bella blew out a deep breath. "Do you love Alice?"

Jasper's eyes widened, clearly surprised by the change of subject. "No. I like her. I don't know her well enough to love her. I think she's beautiful and she has an amazing sense of humor. But she's fragile and hurting and not ready for a relationship."

"Are you willing to wait for her?"

"You're asking difficult questions," he chuckled. "I don't know. Right now, I'm just trying to be her friend. Trying to keep her safe, to keep you safe, and when Leah gets here, I'll try to keep her safe."

At the mention of Leah's name, Bella stumbled back against the door. Turning, she grabbed the handle and yanked it open, her chest heaving as she struggled to keep from openly sobbing.

"I'm shouldn't have come here," she whimpered. "I'm sorry."

"Bella, wait," Jasper called, but she was out of the shop and heading toward her truck. She scrambled inside, forgoing her seatbelt as she jammed the key in the ignition and started her truck. As she shifted into reverse, Jasper came running out of his shop. A tear sprinkled down her face as she reversed and drove away. She couldn't even explain why she was upset.

—BR—

Bella found herself parked at the ocean. She climbed out of the truck and stumbled down to the shoreline. Sinking into the sand, she pulled her knees up to her chest, not caring that the waves were washing up over her.

Her heart was racing, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath, and tears burned her eyes. Every time she thought she was going to be okay, life felt like it came up and smacked her in the ass.

Her mother's death, her father's betrayal, the hell she'd put herself into. She'd left everything she knew in Forks, became Annabelle Mason, not Bella Swan. Yet, she was still Bella, still the girl who was locked away with a monster.

She still felt him. Carlisle's hands on her body, his breath on her skin, the sting as he hit her, beat her, used her. She hated him, feared him, even in death. She'd never be normal, never be the Bella she was before the night her father gave her away.

"Alice said I might find you here."

At the sound of Edward's voice, Bella sighed and looked over her shoulder, finding him standing about ten feet behind her.

"Jasper called."

"Of course he did," she groused.

"He was worried."

"Everyone's so worried about me, aren't they?" Bella stood and turned to face him. "You, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, but nobody cares how I feel. How I really feel."

"I do," Edward insisted.

"No, you don't," she snarled. "Or you wouldn't be bringing her here!"

Edward sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "I've already explained why we need to bring Leah here."

Bella rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. "She's a danger to herself and others. Yeah, I know."

"What is this really about?" Edward asked, frowning. "You . . . you did all of that to get her out, and now, it's like you don't want her anymore."

"I . . . I told you," she stammered.

"But not the truth."

Bella shook her head, and turned back toward the water. "She'll blame me."

"What?" he asked, walking up behind her. He placed his hands on her hips, but Bella shook his touch off. "What is going on?"

"She'll blame me," Bella told him, tears filling her eyes as she looked at him. "For what my father did to her. He wouldn't have . . . bought her if . . . if I hadn't . . ."

"Maybe not," Edward admitted. "But Cullen had already broken her, Bella. He'd fucked with her mind, made her stay with him. He didn't have to hold her hostage the way he did you, did he?"

Bella shook her head.

Edward brought his hands up to her face, wiping away the tears she hadn't been able to keep from falling.

"Honey, everything you did, everything you went through, you did because Leah's your family, because Jake and Seth, and Sam and Emily, are your family. Because Aro needed to find Alice, because . . . because of Elizabeth. It wasn't fair that you went through all of that. I wish I could go back and keep you from walking into that motherfucker's house. But I can't."

"I'm scared, Edward," she cried, barely speaking above a whisper. "I'm scared all the time and I have this feeling that everything we know is about to explode in our face."

"I won't let that happen," he insisted, nestling her against him. "I'll take care of you, Bella. For the rest of our lives, I will take care of you."

"Promise," she whimpered.

"On my life."

"I just hope that's not the price you'll pay."

But whether Edward heard her, Bella couldn't be sure.

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