Chapter 02
EPOV
*Thursday, the week before Bella's family dinner*
I settle into my desk for the day, sifting through paperwork that's been piled on the surface. You know, when I first thought about being a cop at the ripe age of seven, I never quite imagined the amount of paperwork that came along with it. I was more enthralled in catching the robbers and telling people to stick their hands up. Being an actual adult cop is nothing like what my seven-year-old mind imagined.
I'm thankful for this job, though. I moved back from Alaska a few months ago and Forks Police Department was gracious enough to bring me on. If I'm being honest, I'm glad I'm back in Forks. Not only for the slightly warmer weather, but for the fact that I'm close to my family again. After high school I followed my girlfriend to Alaska. That was a big mistake, if I do say so myself. It was also a reality check.
Despite the heartbreak, I still stuck around Alaska, staying almost ten years before making the decision it was time to come home. My parents are happy I'm back and my sister couldn't be more thrilled. Her two-year-old son, Riley, is pretty excited too. That kid has me so wrapped around his finger, it's not even funny. Alice let me stay with her while I was searching for a house and Riley and I became practically inseparable. He was my shadow and I enjoyed every damn minute of it.
"Cullen," Chief says as he walks towards my desk. "My office. We need to have a chat," he demands, but his tone isn't angry. Still, I can't shake that called-to-the-principal's-office feeling. I stand and follow him to his office. Once we're both inside, he closes the door and goes to his chair and sits, letting out a sigh. He motions for me to sit and I do so without a word. My heart is racing and I'm sure there's panic on my face even though I try to hide it. Chief looks up, sensing my panic and his face softens a bit.
"I'm not firing you, Cullen," he waves my fears off with his hand. "Actually, quite the opposite."
"You're already employing me, I can't be employed again," I joke, hoping to lighten the mood. Chief's mustache twitches but that's the only reaction I get from him. I make a mental note that he's not really the joking kind of guy, I guess.
"I have a special job request for you," he opens up the conversation. I make eye contact with him and he breathes in deep. Whatever the job is, I can tell he's not all that thrilled about it. Or maybe he isn't thrilled about giving me the job. But if he wasn't thrilled with giving it to me, why wouldn't he give it to someone else? Dammit, Cullen, focus.
"I want you to know that with this job comes the trust of me. And it's taking a lot of trust with giving this to someone as new as you. I barely know you but I feel you're most fit for this position," he starts to ramble. I adjust myself in the chair, leaning forward to show him I'm listening attentively.
"My daughter is going through the process of divorcing her husband. He's currently in jail for a domestic abuse charge that was brought on three months ago," he says, clearly hoping I'll catch on without him having to explicitly say it. I nod for him to continue. "The son of a bitch is getting out earlier than we expected and I want to cover my bases to make sure she's protected. That's where you come in."
"What exactly are you asking me?" I ask, hoping I'm mishearing him. He can't be asking me to play babysitter, can he?
"I want you to keep an eye out on my daughter. I have a few men on standby to take action if needed, but I want you on the frontline. I can't always be with her without her giving me hell so I need you to be there whenever possible."
"Okay," I say hesitantly, shifting in my chair again. What he's asking me to do seems awkward at best. If he thinks he's going to get hell for being around her all the time, how's she going to react to having me stationed by her side at all times?
"The thing is that she can't know you're keeping an eye out. She'd never let you stay around if she knew you were working for me. And, again, I'd get hell for it. So, I need you to just try and be her friend. I don't care how you go about starting that, I'm sure you're creative enough to figure it out." Okay, this just took a ridiculously complicated turn.
"Chief," I say, uncomfortably. "I'm, uh, not sure if I should," I begin but he cuts me off.
"I didn't ask, son," he says with a tone of finality. "This is an assignment I'm ordering you to fulfill. I'm not even sure that James is going to try to make a move. But I need someone with her in case he does. That fucker hurt her once and he's not going to get the chance to do it again." I bite the inside of my cheek and inhale deeply before letting the breath out and nodding my head.
"Alright, Sir, I'll do it," I agree, but I make it clearly known I'm not overly thrilled about it. I'm a police officer, dammit, not a babysitter for Chief Swan's daughter. Chief slides a file over to me and I pick it up.
"I've put together a file on my family. Just the basics that you'll need to be aware of. This may help you figure out how to work your way into my daughter's good graces," he explains. I stand and give a shake of the file and offer a tight-lipped smile.
"I'll figure something out. Thanks, Chief," I mutter before opening the door and leaving the office.
This is definitely not what I had in mind when joining the FPD. While I don't expect daily action because, well, let's face it, it's a town with less than 4,000 people in its population, I still expected something better than this. With this assignment, I'm nothing more than a glorified babysitter for a woman that probably doesn't even need one.
I drop the file onto my desk before letting my body drop into my chair. The file seems to mock me, letting me know I'm not a real cop anymore. Releasing a sigh, I flip open the file to see a picture of Chief's daughter. According to the file, her name is Isabella, but the name Bella in quotations lets me know she doesn't go by that name. Glancing back at the picture, I can't help but notice how beautiful she is. It feels inappropriate thinking of my boss' daughter in that way but I can't help it. I mean, when it's completely obvious, you have to think it, right?
I read what Chief's listed about her. She's a 27-year-old high school English teacher and helps someone named Rosalie with cheer practice once a week after school. She attends the high school football games with Rosalie, too. So, she's invested in her career. At least babysitting her during the day will be easy enough. We'll just make sure that if James comes to the vicinity, the cops are notified. Of course, I'll make sure I'm not too far away so I can swoop in and take care of the fucker, but nonetheless, that part should be easy.
Turning the page, I'm met with pictures of Bella's beaten body. The sight makes bile rise in my throat and I have to fight to swallow it back down. In the first picture, her right cheek is so swollen that it's clear the bone beneath is damaged. Her right eye is also swollen shut, the eyelid purple and puffy. There's a gash going through her eyebrow, too. Her chin is bruised but it's hard to tell if anything else around her mouth is damaged because there's a tube shoved down her throat. She's clearly been in the hospital because of this asshole.
The next several pictures are of her arms and legs and torso. This guy truly did a number on her. It's shocking he's getting out of jail so soon. Three months after doing this to a woman? This is clearly aggravated assault on top of domestic violence. Hell, I'd even argue attempted murder on top of that charge with how battered Bella's body is.
I turn the pictures over, not able to look at them any longer to find a picture of a man with shaggy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The paper it's attached to says Jasper Swan. A 31-year-old professional editor. It says he's employed at some publishing company out in Port Angeles. That's quite the commute for a daily job, but I guess good on him. Bella apparently lives with Jasper, which, again, makes my job easier. Station myself nearby and if James comes around, Jasper will know to call Chief and I'll be right there to take care of it. After seeing those pictures, I wouldn't mind making his face look the same way Bella's did, if not worse.
Turning the page again, I see a picture of another man. This one looks like he could be a football player with how big he looks. Emmett Swan, a 29-year-old personal fitness trainer. He works at the local gym with his clients. An idea comes to my mind, then. I could make my way into Bella's life through Emmett. I'll start getting trained by him and become his friend and work my way to being Bella's friend. I jot down to sign up for his training before turning the page.
The next face I'm met with is Rosalie Hale. At 27-years-old, she's Emmett's fiancé and Bella's best friend. She looks intimidating as hell and is just as beautiful as Bella. From the pictures, I'm not sure how Emmett ended up with Rose. They seem like total opposites.
After Rose's picture, that's the end of the file. I look up the gym that Emmett trains at and plug the number into my cell phone.
"Total Fit Gym, this is Alexis, how can I help you?" a woman answers, sounding completely bored.
"Hey, I was looking to start with a personal trainer," I reply, flipping to Emmett's page of the file.
"Do you have a membership with us?" she asks and I can hear the computer mouse clicking on the other side of the line.
"No, but I'd like to start one," I reply.
"Alright, what's your name?"
"Edward Cullen. Do you need me to spell it?" I ask.
"No, no," she muses as she types. "We'll get your account set up with us when you come in for your first training session. Did you have a certain trainer in mind?" she asks.
"Uh, Emmett Swan," I say as I glance down at the paper. She starts typing on the computer again.
"He actually has an opening tomorrow at two," she says. "Would this work? They're hour-long sessions."
"Yeah, that'll work, thanks," I agree.
"Alright, Edward, you're all set for tomorrow at two. And It'll be every Friday at two from here on out," she informs.
"Great, thanks for your help," I say before hanging up. I close the file and push it aside before setting to work on my remaining paperwork.
After work, I drive my Yamaha R6 over to Alice's. I spend quite a bit of time at Alice's, even though I've finally gotten my own place. I enjoy spending time with her and Riley.
Alice and her ex-fiancé, Demetri, ended up having Riley about six months before the wedding. The day after Riley was born, Demetri decided he didn't feel ready to continue their relationship. Alice was, reasonably so, heartbroken, and I hated when I had to go back to Alaska a few days after. If I'm being honest, part of the reason I moved back here was because of Riley. Alice has done an amazing job so far raising him, but I want to be there for him, too.
I park my bike in Alice's driveway and make my way up her porch steps, knocking on her door before walking in.
"Al?" I call when I walk in. I hear a squeal and little footsteps bounding towards me. I crouch down and open my arms, letting out a yell of excitement that only encouraged his excitement more. Riley launches himself at me and I scoop him into my arms. "How's it going, Buddy?" I ask as I kiss his cheek.
"Good!" he grins. I carry him into the living room. "Where's Mommy, Ri?" I ask. "Al!" I call again.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she calls as she comes down the hall from the laundry room. "You're so impatient," she scolds. I grin and set Riley down on the couch, plopping down next to him. He wastes no time before climbing up my body to get to my shoulders.
"Riley, be careful with Uncle Eddie," she warns with a small frown. Yeah, you heard that right. Uncle Eddie. But don't get any ideas, Riley is the only one allowed to call me Eddie. I hold onto Riley's feet as he grabs fistfuls of my hair.
"He's alright, Al," I grin at her. She smiles before walking into the kitchen.
"What'd you do today, Bud?" I ask, tilting my head back to look up at him.
"Mommy and I played in the sand!" he says excitedly.
"You did?" I say in exaggerated awe. Alice comes out of the kitchen, holding a beer out to me. I grin and thank her before taking the bottle. She curls herself up in the chair next to the couch.
"Ri, tell Uncle Eddie what you want for your birthday," Alice encourages.
"A motorcycle!" he yells out, his "r" sounding more like a "w". I grin and hold out my hand for him to high-five me. He does so excitedly and bounces on my shoulders. I take a pull from my beer and give Alice a look, silently letting her know I'm going to take care of his birthday wish. Riley turns three next month and Alice is trying to make sure his party is going to be perfect. She's sent out invitations to his friends from preschool and she's recruited me to help put it together.
"So, guess what Chief asked me to do today," I say before taking another swig of beer. She sets her beer down and looks at me.
"What'd he ask you to do?" she inquires.
"I'm basically babysitting his daughter," I say and wait for her reaction. She tilts her head a bit, cocking an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. I take another drink of my beer, taking my time to let her process what I just said.
"So, I guess she's going through a rocky divorce and her husband was in jail. He really did a number on her, if you know what I mean," I say, not wanting to go into detail in front of Riley. Alice places her hand on her chest, frowning at my words. "So, he's getting out of jail next week and Chief wants me to keep an eye out on his daughter discretely. As in become her friend but don't let her know I'm a cop."
"That doesn't seem like a good idea," Alice frowns again.
"I tried telling him that," I shake my head. "I'm not a babysitter, either. She's a grown woman who, by the way, lives with her brother. What am I going to do that he can't aside from make an arrest if necessary?" My frustration starts to bubble and I stop, taking a deep breath to calm myself before taking another long pull from my beer. "I now have to lie to this poor woman and her family."
"That's awful," she mutters, taking a drink from her own beer.
"Awful," Riley echoes. I smirk and pull him down into my lap, tickling his sides. He squeals and squirms, kicking his legs everywhere. He almost knocks my beer over but I grab it in time, setting it on the floor between my feet. I don't relent on my tickle assault until he has tears running down his face from laughter.
"Edward, that's enough," Alice scolds, but her smile tells me she isn't upset. I stop and Riley's laughs die down to a giggle as he looks up at me, his face red. I wipe the tears from his cheeks as he grins up at me. Riley has Alice's blue eyes and her little nose. The rest is all from Demetri, including the brown curls atop his head. As much as I hate that he resembles that asshole, I have to admit my nephew is as perfect as a child can get.
"Are you staying for dinner, Edward?" she asks. "I was just going to order pizza."
"What do you think, Little Man? Do I want pizza?" I ask, looking down at Riley.
"Yes!" he grins and pushes himself up onto his knees. His knee narrowly misses my crotch and I reflexively push him to the side. He doesn't seem phased by it and goes for my shoulders again. I laugh as I help him climb up. Without bending too much, I reach down and grab my beer, finishing the last bit of it.
"I'll get it ordered," Alice smiles before getting up and going to the kitchen. "Is Tony's Pizza okay?" she calls behind her.
"That's perfect, Al. Tell them we'll pay when it gets here. Dinner's on me tonight."
"That's not necessary, Edward," she calls back.
"Hey, you got dinner last time. It's on me," I argue with her lightly. She doesn't press it any further. I hear her on the phone in the kitchen ordering the pizza. I tilt my head back to look at my nephew and he rubs my unshaven jaw, enjoying the feel of the stubble on his little hands.
"You're fuzzy," he giggles and I scrunch my nose up.
"It's called stubbly, you weirdo," I laugh.
"Weirdo," he echoes me and I stop laughing.
"Don't let Mommy hear you say that, Little Man," I say pointedly and he grins at me. I'm sure he's going to let that word slip at some point and I'm going to get a phone call from Alice.
"Don't let Mommy hear you say what?" Alice asks, her hands on her hips. I look over and she's standing in the entryway of the living room, quirking an eyebrow at me. I look back up at Riley.
"Just say, 'I love you, Mommy,'," I instruct with a smile.
"Love you, Mommy!" Riley grins, opening his arms. "This much!" he adds on. Nice touch, Little Man.
"You better not be teaching him bad words, Edward," Alice scolds before walking over and placing a kiss on the top of Riley's head.
"I love you too, Baby," she smiles at him, ruffling his curls. She takes back her spot on the chair, pulling her legs up next to her.
"The only thing I taught him is that Uncle Eddie is stubbly, not fuzzy," I grin, looking up at Riley. Alice lets out a laugh, although I can tell she doesn't believe me. Riley takes to rubbing my jaw again and I close my eyes, letting him have his fun. One of his hands eventually makes its way up to my nose and grabs it. "Hey," I laugh, pulling him off my shoulders. "You have to be nice to Uncle Eddie," I tell him lightly.
"Riley, if you get too rough, Uncle Eddie isn't going to want to come over anymore." Riley looks up at me with wide eyes and I wink at him.
"Alice, don't make threats for me that I can't follow through on," I laugh. Riley ends up climbing off my lap and running over to his toy chest by the TV. Alice and I fall into easy conversation as we watch him play with his toy airplanes, running around the room with them in his hands.
Not too long later, the pizza man arrives and I go to the door to pay him, giving him an extra $20 as a tip. Thanking him, I close the door and take the pizza to the kitchen with Riley at my ankles.
"Pizza!" he yells excitedly, climbing up onto his chair and sitting on his knees.
"Don't you need to wash your hands?" I ask pointedly. He grins at me before getting down and running to the bathroom. I hear the faucet turn on as I grab down plates for all of us.
"Thanks, Edward," Alice smiles. I glance at her and smile before getting a slice of cheese pizza for Riley. I pull an applesauce out of the fridge and open it, placing it on the plate. Riley comes running back into the room at full speed, only stopping when he gets to his chair.
"What do you tell Uncle Eddie?" Alice asks Riley as I set the plate in front of him.
"Thank you," he grins, his "th" sounding like "f". I ruffle his hair and sit across from him. Alice takes her spot next to Riley before we all dig in to eat.
"So, what's your first move with this new assignment?" Alice asks. I scrunch my nose as I chew my bite of pizza, knowing she's going to laugh at what I'm about to say.
"I'm going to a personal fitness training session with her brother tomorrow." I wasn't wrong, Alice started laughing. It's not like I don't enjoy keeping myself fit. I make sure to maintain my physique but I'm not what you'd call a gym rat. I actually really don't like the gym. Too many guys grunting and too many women power-walking on their treadmill with their chest puffed out, desperate for attention. If I'm working out, I don't want women hanging all over me. I'm gross with sweat, they're gross with sweat, and we're both all around uncomfortable from our workouts.
"I'm going to need a video of that," she grins teasingly.
"That'll never happen," I laugh. Riley watches our exchange with interest. I take another bite of my pizza and glance at him. He grins at me, pizza sauce surrounding his mouth. He picks up his slice and flips it over so the cheese meets his tongue when he takes a bite. I smile, watching his weird pizza eating.
"So, what? You're going to befriend her brother to get to her?"
"That's the plan," I say, sighing. "I can't necessarily just walk up to her doorstep, can I?" She nods in agreement as she bites into her pizza.
After dinner, I help clean up the kitchen before announcing my departure.
"Thanks again for dinner," Alice smiles as she hugs me.
"It's no problem, you know that," I say as I hug her, kissing the top of her head. When I let her go, I pick up Riley. "I'll see you soon, okay, Little Man?" I smile.
"Okay, Weirdo," he grins at me and I groan as Alice smacks the back of my head.
"I knew you taught him something he shouldn't be saying," she frowns and takes her son from my arms. "That's not a nice word to say, Ri," she scolds lightly. "Just because Uncle Eddie said it doesn't make it okay."
"Sorry, Al," I smile sheepishly as I make my way to the door. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," I call before opening the door.
"Yeah, call me after your gym session," she laughs. I groan and roll my eyes as I make my way to my bike. I hop on and head home, wondering if I'm actually ready for tomorrow to come.
Hey everyone!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I saw some of you were eager to meet Edward and I hope this didn't disappoint! I can't wait to show you what happens next! I'll update soon, and, as always, keep reviewing! It makes my day :)
- Twilight What?
