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Bella wraps her cool fingers around my bicep and squeezes before taking my hand. I really don't want to hear the rest of this story.
"Didyme's brother wasn't right in the head before his change, and it only got worse after they changed him. They tried to hide it, to help him, but he went on a psychotic rampage and murdered his sister right in front of Marcus."
My eyes bulge.
"Marcus wasn't the same after that. He still isn't."
"Charlie—" Renee warns.
"He's still in Tuscany, sitting in front of Didyme's ashes. His mind is broken just like his heart, but his body still remains sitting in front of what's left of his mate where he'll remain for the rest of eternity. I don't want that for my daughter, Edward."
"It's something Bella and I will consider when the time is right," I promise. "I have two children who depend on me, and I won't abandon them for the three-day burn and the years it could potentially take for me to acclimate. You're not half the man I thought you were if you expect me to leave them right now. They're just kids."
He's contemplative for a moment. "We'll revisit the subject when they're of age. Their mates are both vampires, so I expect they'll both consider Eternal Life."
At a point in my life, I would have fought tooth and nail at the idea of Angela and Alice becoming vampires. Now that I have Bella, I know the pull and the gut-wrenching feeling that comes with just the thought of not loving her forever.
"Yes, sir."
Charlie seems to relax after our conversation, but I barely notice. Everyone tries to lighten the mood. I end up losing my shirt in the one poker game I play, and Angela gets to ask another round of questions while I get stuck in my head and remain there until long after everyone who doesn't live in my house leaves.
Renee needs to get back to Washington, D.C. to fulfill her presidential duties, and Charlie has a meeting with his mortal book publishers.
Renee doles out a plethora of hugs and kisses and promises that she'll come visit again soon. Charlie focuses on saying goodbye to the girls and exits the house without even looking toward Bella or me.
Ben and Jasper head out shortly after the Swans, and the girls make sandwiches with plans to hole away in Angela's bedroom so they can catch up on their favorite show.
Bella leads me up to my room and sits me down on the bed. She cradles my face in her hands and runs her thumbs under my tired eyes. "Sweetheart, please don't worry about my dad. We have plenty of time," she whispers.