Chapter Seventeen

Bella

Jasper suggested that I take the ring off and keep it hidden until after Maggie's party and although I hated the idea I knew that he was right.

Sensing my reluctance he caressed my cheek, "I know it's not what you want but right now you're winning. The Volturi are on your side, everyone is. Don't give Edward any leverage to use against you. We know and that's all that matters. He can't read your thoughts and he's not going to see me so he's not going to find out that way.

And once this is over you, me, and Maggie, we'll go away somewhere. Make a new start, get a place of our own and be the family that we are.

I should have waited but I just couldn't. I love you, Bella and I want you so much it's driving me crazy. Now, I'm going to walk you back to the citadel and then leave. I need to hunt and I can't do that here. Maggie fed earlier before her nap so she'll be fine until I get back."

I waited on the steps of the clock tower and watched as he walked through the crowd in the square disappearing from view. When I could no longer see him I went inside feeling very alone and fingering the ring I held in my hand before slipping it into my jacket pocket.

Standing in the hall I looked from left to right then taking a deep breath to steady myself I returned to Carlisle's suite. Even through the thick door, I could hear laughter and when I opened the door I found Maggie spinning a blindfolded Esme round and round.

Seeing me she grinned, "We're playing Blind Man's Buff, Mommy. Nana Esme is it."

"So I see. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

Carlisle grinned a little sheepishly as Esme pulled off her blindfold, "That's my fault I'm afraid She woke up, and when she asked if she could stay up a while I said yes. I'm sorry, Bella."

Realizing that I might have been a little short with them I hurried on,

"That's OK. I was just surprised. Right madam. If you are going to go to your party tomorrow you'd better go to bed or you might fall asleep before you get any cake or presents."

Maggie grumbled but allowed me to shoo her back into the bedroom after kissing her grandparents goodnight.

Once we were alone Maggie turned to me and in a whisper asked, "You aren't really cross with me are you?"

I smiled, "No, of course not, but it's been a very long and exciting day and I think you should try to sleep."

"Is Papa coming to tuck me in?"

"No sweetie, he had something to do. He'll see you tomorrow after the party."

She twirled a curl around her fingers, something she always did when she was thinking.

"Will Edward be at my party?"

"Yes, he will."

"Why, mommy? I don't like him. He's angry with you and he hates Papa. He's not a nice person. He wants me to call him daddy but he's not my daddy. He didn't want me to be born."

I sat beside her and put an arm protectively around her shoulders, "Why do you say that, sweetie?"

"I…I listened to him."

She was looking guilty now, she'd been listening to Edward's thoughts and he was still remembering how he'd felt about her.

"He thought that I would kill you, Mommy. Why would he say that? That's a bad thing. Does he think I'm a bad girl?"

I hugged her comfortingly, "No. he just didn't understand. You are an extraordinary little girl and he didn't understand that."

"Is he going to take me away from you and Papa?"

"No. No, I would never let him take you from me."

"What about Papa? I don't want him, I want Papa."

"Me too. Now, don't worry about anything. Papa promised to keep us safe and look after us forever and he would never break his promise."

She nodded and climbed back into bed pulling the covers up to her chin looking very small and vulnerable in the huge four-poster, "Will you sleep with me tonight, Mommy?"

I picked up a huge pink rabbit off the floor, "Don't you want to cuddle up with this?"

She shook her head and pushed it away, "No. it was a present from him. Edward. He sent it earlier and I let Nana Esme put it in here but I don't like it."

I nodded my understanding and threw it onto a chair, "Me neither. I promise I'll be in later but I want to talk to Nana and Grandpa first. Now you snuggle down and have sweet dreams."

I kissed her and after a long hug, I left her already half asleep.

Rejoining Carlisle and Esme I noticed a bag from an expensive boutique on one of the side tables and picked it up when I saw the note pinned to it and recognized Edward's handwriting.

Esme noticed and jumped up, "I wasn't sure what to do with it when it arrived so I thought it best to leave it for you to deal with, Bella. In Edward's defense, I think he's trying to make amends."

I read the beautifully written note.

Dearest Maggie,

I thought you might like a pretty dress for your birthday party.

Lots of love Daddy xx

I pulled out the dress, a satin one with a full skirt in pale green and with a darker green bow at the waist.

"It is pretty."

"Has Maggie seen it?"

Esme shook her head, "No, it wasn't our place to do that. There are a pair of pumps that match and a hair ribbon. He went to some trouble."

I nodded, putting the dress down, "Yes, when it's too late."

I sat down feeling the unease in the atmosphere and decided to clear the air.

"I'm sorry if I seem a little short with everyone but you must understand that I fought for Maggie with no help from Edward and now he decides to play the doting father I'm supposed to be thankful. I am grateful for everything you did for me, I just don't think I can get beyond what Edward said and did back then. Now, if that is going to be a problem for anyone…"

Carlisle spoke up, "No, Bella. It's not. Edward is my son and I will always love him but he was wrong and now has to live with the consequences. I don't think for one moment that Aro or his brothers will ask you to give him a second chance. I get the feeling they know what your response to such an appeal would be. Neither do I regret what I did and if circumstances were repeated I would do the same thing again."

"Thank you for that, Carlisle. It makes me feel much easier. As for the dress, Maggie can decide what she wears. I won't try to influence her."

Esme nodded, "That's very gracious of you, Bella."

Carlisle cleared his throat looking nervous once more, "There is just one thing I feel it necessary to mention, and please don't take this as criticism. Are you sure it is safe for Jasper to be so close to Maggie under the circumstances? I know he would never harm her intentionally but her needs have caused him to become a human blood drinker again. Do you trust his self-control that completely?"

I smiled, "Yes, I do." Then I explained what had happened when Maggie fell and cut her hands.

Carlisle shook his head in wonder, "Love really does conquer all it would appear. Well, that puts our minds at rest. I was somewhat concerned when I saw his eyes. What a sacrifice to make."

"Yes. He turned his life upside down for us. I can never repay him for all he's done."

Esme smiled knowingly, "Oh I think you already have. I've never seen him look so contented."

I was exhausted by the time I joined Maggie in that huge four-poster bed. For someone so small she certainly managed to take up a lot of space! I found myself twisting my body around hers and fell asleep almost immediately.

I don't think I would have woken when I did if not for Maggie jumping up and down on the bed, "Mommy, mommy, wake up. Look what I got."

I opened my eyes to see her holding up a new outfit, designer jeans, and a sweater, another gift from Edward no doubt. Didn't he realize that you can't buy love?

"That's nice."

"It is, I got a new dress too but I'm not going to wear it."

"You're not? Why baby?"

She leaned in and whispered, "Because he sent them for me and called himself my daddy. I don't want to go to the party, Mommy."

"Oh, Maggie. That's a shame, why? You can wear the pretty dress that Nana and Grandpa bought you or we can go shopping this morning."

"Will he be there?"

"Edward? Yes, Aro invited him."

"But it's my party and I don't want him to come."

I sighed, "Maggie that's not very nice, is it? I'll be with you all the time and he won't hurt you. He just wants to talk to you."

She shook her head vigorously, curls bumping around her face, "No. He wants me to be his little girl and I'm not. I'm not his little girl. I don't even like him."

My first inclination was to tell her that I didn't either but I was the adult here and should answer her like one.

"Maggie, Edward is your biological father. That means he helped to make you. He made a very bad mistake when he learned you were going to be born and he regrets it. He just wants to be your friend."

"Well, I don't want any more friends."

My daughter was showing her stubborn streak, something she had inherited from me I'm afraid.

"Let me shower and then we'll go shopping. I need a dress for your party and once it's over we can leave Volterra."

"She studied me, "Where will we go? Back to Auntie Maggie on the farm? I liked it there."

"I'm not sure. Wouldn't you like a house of our own? A bedroom you can choose furniture and things for? A bookcase for your books and a toy box? Maybe even a Princess bed like this one?"

She looked at the bed thoughtfully. "Can I have one with twinkle lights around it?"

"We'll see, Now scoot."

Like her, all I wanted to do was to get away from here and Edward. I didn't care where we went. All I cared about was making a home with Jasper and Maggie. A place we could call our own, a stable environment for her.

Let's just get through the party and the Volturi decision afterward, then we can look forward, I thought.

I nodded, it sounded like a plan!

I missed Jasper but Esme went shopping with us and after an hour of looking at party outfits Maggie finally chose a red dress with Minnie Mouse on the front. It was simple with no lace and bows and I had the feeling she had chosen it purely because it was the direct opposite of the dress Edward had sent her.

She was hungry by then so we stopped for an early lunch in a cafe on the square and were listening to her chatter to Esme about the things she had done on the farm when she suddenly stopped and stared out of the window.

Turning to follow her gaze I saw Edward standing there smiling in at her. She wriggled uneasily then her expression changed. She jumped down from her seat and ran outside beaming.

Following her in shock, I was expecting her to run into Edward's outstretched arms although I couldn't understand why she should change her attitude toward him so abruptly. Instead, she swerved to avoid his embrace and ran beyond into Jasper's arms. He had walked up behind Edward and she had seen him. Edward, unaware of that, had assumed that she had suddenly warmed to him.

I couldn't help smiling at Edward's confused look but then it was replaced by a terrible hurt followed by fury when he saw Jasper and Maggie together.

"It looks like you've done a good job of turning my daughter against me, Bella."

I shook my head, "Not guilty, you did that all by yourself. Maggie makes up her own mind and I've never said anything against you in her hearing. I'm sorry, Edward. I think you're just going to have to accept that you can't buy her love. Maybe you could try being less pushy?"

He opened his mouth to argue then looked at his daughter in Jasper's arms again and I saw his shoulders sag in defeat.

"She'll never feel that way about me, will she? I was wrong, I made mistakes but you have to believe that I was only thinking about your safety."

"I know you believe that but you refused to allow me to make my own decisions about this. You pushed me into this situation. In marriage, a couple is supposed to be equal partners, mutually supporting. You never did that. If you had listened to me and been prepared to let me decide it could have been you there when Maggie was born. Everything would have been different. Now, we all have to learn to live with the consequences of your decisions. Maybe if you stopped fighting me and trying so hard with Maggie you two could become friends but it's going to take time and meanwhile, you have to let go. Give us our freedom and move on."

He nodded, "That's all you're leaving me, a faint hope?"

"No, that's all you left yourself."

"I could fight you."

"You'd lose."

My voice was cold and hard, if it came to a fight he stood no chance.

He nodded sadly, "I know. If only I could have understood how much this meant to you."

"You could have, but you refused to listen. You think you know what's right, how everyone should act. You don't. No one does. Now, I'm taking Maggie back to the citadel. We'll see you at the party later."

"The party? I'm not sure I'm welcome, Bella. Maybe I should bow out gracefully and think of my options. I would like to play a small part in my daughter's life. Maybe we can work on that? Please?"

"I guess that's up to you. If you backed off so she doesn't feel like you are a threat to all she knows and loves then maybe she would come to understand you aren't the enemy. Goodbye, Edward."

I felt his eyes on me as I joined Jasper and Maggie but I didn't turn around. He was my past and they were my future.

I did wonder if perhaps he had heard Jasper's thoughts and realized that he had lost everything. Maybe that was why he had changed his attitude. I didn't know but I hoped he meant what he had said. I didn't want to fight him but I would if he forced me.