14
Bella stood at the backdoor, watching Edward and Charlie playing in the yard. He was chasing her, causing her to laugh so hard she could barely stand up. She never thought she would see him with her daughter, something she had longed to see for far too long. Not that it would last. Eventually, he would have to leave them again. It's just what happened.
"She looks like you."
Bella looked over her shoulder, finding Carlisle leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. "Sometimes."
"Bella, I . . ." He shook his head as he pushed away and walked toward her, stopping when she moved away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know," she lied. Or maybe it wasn't a lie. She had been so guarded, so untrusting of everyone for so long, it was just her instinct. "Sorry, I just . . ."
"Guess I can understand, considering everything you told us."
Bella nodded, unsure what to say to her brother. There had been a time when they were the best of friends, but like so many things, Bella had ruined that, too. "I missed you every day, Carlisle. Everyday."
"Then why didn't you come home?" he asked. "After you escaped, why didn't you come home? We could have protected you!"
"No, you couldn't," she argued, biting the inside of her lip before looking out the screen door, watching as Edward scooped Charlie into his arms and spun around with her. "The plan had always been for me to stay dead until they could get Marcus locked away for the rest of his life. Keep me in protective custody for a year, maybe two."
She looked at Carlisle. "But Marcus . . . He never believed that I was dead. He was smarter than we thought, I guess. Edward and I were living in a small town in Iowa. Barely five hundred people in that fucking town, it was horrible. I was seven months pregnant when the charges against Marcus were dropped and he began looking for me. It took him five days to figure out where the safe house was. We managed to get away from him again, but Edward suspected that there was a mole inside his unit, someone who was in the know what where we were. So, we made the decision to separate. I moved to Texas, and had Charlie, tried to hide, do the best I could to raise her, to be the best mother I could, to never let her fall into Marcus' hands."
Bella wiped a tear off her face. "Edward was the only person who knew where we were. At least he was until a few days ago when, after a blizzard swept through Texas, I found footprints outside of my house. I knew it was him. So we left, met up with Edward."
"You and Edward are what? Together?"
Bella opened her mouth to try to explain her relationship with Edward, but was unsure she would give their story justice. "He's my salvation."