Disclaimer: I own absolutely no rights to either the Twilight Saga books or movies. All right belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N: I love a good Paul/Bella pairing and wanted to do something AH. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter One
PPOV
Paul was having a shit day. The shipment of materials for the new build site was delayed and this was an important project that was supposed to begin first thing Monday morning. Usually materials for his builds were on site one to two weeks before the build was to begin. Paul was one for punctuality and precision. Being prepared and having all things in order for his builds was part of his need for constant attention to detail and one of the reasons he was named the best contractor in Washington state. His crews worked all over Washington, parts of Idaho, Oregon, British Columbia and even as far as northern California. This build was closer to home and held sentimental value to Paul and many of his friends.
This project was for a new community center for the reservation of La Push, which was where Paul was born and raised. It would hold a banquet hall, office and classroom space for counseling and tutoring, a gym for rehab and therapy sessions and finally a state of the art playground for the children. All of this was on Paul's dime because he was giving back to the community that took a delinquent from an abusive and broken home, molding him into the successful man he is today. Had it not been for the chief of his tribe, Billy Black and many men and women of La Push, he would be in jail or worse dead. He was on a path of destruction, underage drinking, fighting, stealing, and sleeping with anyone that looked twice at him.
Chief Black and his best friend Charlie Swan, chief of police in the town of Forks took Paul under their wings and helped him get his life straight. Because of these two men, Paul was able to get an education and start his own construction company. Funding from the tribe paid for college and housing, even going as far to assist him to get federal and tribal loans and grants to start Silver Wolf Construction. Building his company with the help of fellow friends and tribe members, Paul was able to pay the loans off quickly and used his success to give back as much as possible.
He often spoke with both of his mentors by phone, but hadn't gotten to see either man much in the past five years. This weekend he would be back home to stay for a few months for multiple reasons. Sam, his best friend, was getting married this weekend and then Paul would be staying on to lead the build of the community center. He currently lived in Seattle, but was feeling a little more homesick. He loved the big city, as their was always something to do and he had an amazing office space that over looked downtown Seattle. Comforts of quiet living in smaller towns and the tribal land he grew up on was something that Paul was truly beginning to miss.
His friends lived in La Push and Paul really missed hanging out with them. Pickup basketball games on the courts at the high school, bonfires on the beach and just having a beer together while watching a game on the TV was just some of the many things he missed. Paul didn't have much time for these things over the past few years. He did not date either, usually hook ups and one night stands occasionally. No one wanted someone that worked all hours and was gone weeks to months at a time. Getting closer to thirty was making him want to settle down more and more. A good woman to come home to and to spoil with his success. Kids that he could be a good dad to, not like his drunk asshole of a father. He wanted to play in the backyard with his kids, teach his sons to throw a ball or how to build stuff. Spirits help him if he was blessed with a princess, she would never want for anything just like her mother. Her mother... a good woman was what was missing from his life.
Paul shook his head, he had to get on the ball if he was going to make it to La Push for the rehearsal. Closing his laptop and packing it in his bag, Paul grabbed his keys, laptop bag and blueprint tube as he headed out to his truck. He had already packed his bags and had them loaded into his truck earlier that morning. Some may call it an OCD tendency, but Paul prided himself on being prepared and organized. Jane, his cleaning lady always came in once a week to do a deep clean and grocery shopping. Paul did his own laundry and kept things tidy. The structure and tidiness was something that he did not have as a kid, so it helped to keep him grounded and allowed him to feel like he was in control of his life and his destiny.
Destiny was a funny word to Paul and as he drove south on the highway, he chuckled to himself. The one thing in his life that he let slip through his fingers was the one thing missing in his life the most. The first time he heard someone talk about destiny and how his life would be destine to destruction if he did not change his path, he thought they were an idiot. He told her to her face as he laugh, but that laugh was cut short when the five foot, one inch brunette slapped his face. Now that one person was the one that was missing from his life. Bella Swan was the beginning of his wake up call. He was a punk ass sixteen year old and she was the police chief's daughter. She was good to his bad, light to his dark.
One week after the incident, Charlie Swan busted him for underage drinking and public disorder. Sitting in the jail cell and sobering up, he remembers Charlie walking in and sitting down beside him. They sat in silence for a long while before Charlie finally spoke and the words he spoke changed Paul's life.
"Son, it's time for a change and you are the only one that can make that change. I know your childhood was shit. Remember, I was the one that came out to your house and arrested your old man more than one time. You didn't deserve the crap he put you and your mother through. You are better than him and I believe you can be the man he could never be. I can help you only so far, but you have to help yourself son."
Charlie let that sink in for a few minutes before taking a breath and finishing, " I am going to let you sleep it off and dry out tonight. In the morning I will take you out for breakfast and we can discuss what your options are and what help I can get you. The other option is you don't go to breakfast with me and you go back to that run down house and continue allowing yourself to continue on the path of your father. Your choice son."
Charlie patted Paul on the shoulder, got up and left. Paul sat there looking at the gray concrete wall for hours. The words Charlie spoke cut deep, down to the marrow of is bones.
Charlie Swan was a good man, single father that raised his daughter since she was five years old when her mother and Charlie's wife Renee Swan was killed by a drunk driver. He was more than fair to the people of his town and even went out of his way to help out on the reservation. If there was anyone he would want to be like or impress, it was Charlie.
He remembered more than just what Charlie had said. Paul remembered times when his old man would leave his mother and him to go on a bender and sleep his way though out the west coast. Charlie would come by to check on them and bring groceries. He found out later in his teenage years that Charlie was the reason his power would not get cut off many times. School supplies and clothes would mysteriously appear right before the school year. Even though he was not made of money and had his own child to take care of, Charlie Swan made sure Paul Lahote was taken care of.
Paul definitely remembered the day Charlie arrested his old man on the day his mother was found murdered in the woods near his run down house. Paul had been thirteen. His grandfather took him in until his death when Paul was sixteen and that was when the trouble really ramped up. Two weeks before his seventeenth birthday was when Charlie busted him and changed his life.
The next morning at eight o'clock, Paul was waiting for Charlie. They went to breakfast and Billy Black met them at the dinner. They sat in the back at the table where they could have some privacy. That discussion change his life and set his path on the right track.
Two months after that breakfast, Paul found himself at the front door of the Swan house. Bella was home alone and was surprised when she answered the door to see Paul Lahote. Being ever the polite young woman she was, she invited him in and offered him a soda. As they sat, the first thing Paul did was apologize to her for his behavior. Of course Bella apologized for slapping him, but Paul told her that he needed a good smack to the head. After that,they became friends.
That friendship meant more to Paul that he could ever say out loud. Both young adults would meet for studying and hung out with the same group of friends. Bella tutored Paul to allow him to catch up on school work and graduate on time. He brought his GPA up so much with her help, that he was able to qualify for multiple scholarships and grants.
Both teenagers were going to different colleges, with Paul heading to Washington State in eastern Washington state to study architecture while Bella was to attend University of Washington in Seattle for education. She had always enjoyed helping children and knew that she wanted to have a career path in education.
Paul knew he had fallen head over heels in love with Bella Swan, but could not act on his feelings. He was not good enough for her. She deserved a man that would give her the moon and stars, all of her heart's desire. Knowing he would have to work to build himself up to be the man that deserved to stand by her side, he went to college and buckled down.
They would text and occasionally talked on the phone, but as time and work got in the way, those texts and calls became fewer and fewer. He worked his ass off. He heard that she had been dating someone and rumors had reached him that they had gotten engaged, so Paul stayed away. When someone brought he up, he changed the subject.
Sam knew Paul was in love with her and the thought of another man being with her destroyed his hope. Sam finally told him to pull his head out of his ass and listen to what he had to say. Evidently the engagement was ended by her some years ago. She moved back to Forks and was teaching at the elementary school in Forks while leading a tutoring program in La Push. This was Paul's second wake up call.
Paul knew he would see her at the rehearsal and wedding as she was the maid of honor and he was the best man. Sam and Emily did not want any big bachelor or bachelorette parties, so all of their friends would get together after the rehearsal to go out to a club. Paul was hoping this would finally the time he can finally show Bella Swan he was the the man she deserved.