I heard a car come up the driveway and pull into the garage. I relaxed, knowing immediately that it must be family to make an entrance like that. A moment later, there was a quiet, unnecessary knock on the door between the garage and the rest of the house. "Mom, it's your house!" said Edward with a laugh.
Esme gracefully walked through the door, festively dressed in fitted slacks and a red and green striped sweater, wearing clip on earrings shaped like little gifts, with her hair pulled up into a neat bun. "Esme!" I shouted and ran towards her, hugging her. I surprised even myself with how excited I was to see her. "Bella, it's so good to have you home. We're very sorry for leaving you like we did. You have my word that we will never leave you again." She said as she hugged me back.
Edward also ran up to hug Esme. "Don't you ever do that to me again, young man! I've been worried sick about you! But it's so good to see you happy." She said pulling him into a tight embrace. They held each other for a moment and then she noticed their surroundings. "Oh my God, you did all of this last night?"
"Yes, I was hoping to surprise Bella." He said as Esme looked around adoring the decorations. She was running her hands gently over a long string of hand cut paper snowflakes.
"It's lovely! I can't believe how wonderful this looks. You're going to have to do this every year! How was dinner?" Esme asked, looking at me again.
"Delicious!" I said, putting my hand on Edward's arm. "I'm going to take a plate to Charlie at the station in a little bit. Are the others coming too?"
"In a few days. Alice told me that Edward's story would be a little more credible if a parent showed up, plus, now you won't have to stay at Charlie's alone tonight while he's working if you don't want to. I'm sure I can convince him to let you have a sleepover with me."
"I would love that!" I said, way more excitedly than intended, pulling Esme into another hug.
A little while and many reassurances later from both me and Esme, Edward finally went for a hunt. He promised to be back within 2 hours and made sure I knew that he took his cell phone with him. Before he left, I placed the hair tie normally worn around my wrist on his instead, knowing that it would smell like me and make him happy if he started to panic. Esme offered to drive me to the police station and I gladly accepted for the opportunity to spend time with her. She dropped me off and went to take some food to Carlisle's former co-workers since she was in town, mostly to give me some alone time with my dad, and said she'd be back for me in an hour.
"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed. "Is everything ok?"
"Hi Dad! Yeah. I knew you'd be alone tonight and thought I'd bring you some dinner. Edward & Esme made it." I said, handing him a plate overflowing with food, and another filled with cake and fudge.
"Esme is in town too?" he asked, sitting down and already happily removing foil from one of the plates to eat.
"She came in a few hours ago. She said that even though she was mad at Edward, she didn't want any of her kids to spend Christmas morning alone. Carlisle had to work but Esme came to stay with Edward and to see me."
Charlie took a huge bite out of a roll and was staring at me, questioningly, as he ate. "You look great, kid. I'm glad to see you feeling better." He said after a few minutes.
"Thanks Dad. I feel a lot better. I'm really sorry for everything I put you through these last few months. I was just so scared. I knew that I loved Edward and I couldn't see him or talk to him and I just…panicked all the time. It was hard. He was an ass. He broke my heart. I don't totally trust him yet, but I'm happy to be with him again. Esme told me that his whole family has been telling him what a dumb mistake he was making the entire time and I think he finally came to his senses."
Charlie nodded and continued to eat. "I don't trust him either, but I'm happy to see you, well, happy. Is that a new sweater?" He asked, changing the subject. Charlie and I were never ones to talk about our feelings much with each other, and I was glad.
"Yes, Edward got it for me. I was in such a rush to get there after reading his card that I showed up with my tee shirt inside out." I laughed, "So when he gave me this, I changed to something a little less crazy."
"What else did he get you? He said he might leave a gift."
My locket was carefully hidden under my sweater. That would raise too many questions right now. "A card, some photos of me and his family from before that I hadn't seen and a promise ring." I said, showing him my hand. "It's not an engagement ring or anything like that. I wouldn't agree to that at our age. He said he wanted to give me something to promise he'd stick around this time. It was his birth mother's."
Charlie's face turned white. I knew he wouldn't be happy about it. But he quickly stuffed more food into his mouth and looked away. After a few minutes, he said "As long as you're happy, Bella. That's all I ever wanted for you."
"Edward told me you threatened to shoot him if he hurt me again. Thanks Dad, I love you. I know you just want to protect me. Edward is definitely a stupid teenage boy, but he isn't dangerous to me. He didn't mean to hurt me when he left, he was trying to leave because he thought he was a danger magnet to me. He said Carlisle couldn't believe how superstitious he was being."
"I love you too kid. Thanks for coming to see me. Dinner is great. As long as he keeps his promise, I'll keep my promise to you to not hurt him. You look so much better."
"He's trying to fatten me up. He made most of dinner by himself. I woke up from a nightmare super early this morning and when I found his gift, I went to find him. He made us pancakes and bacon and hot chocolate then too."
"He cooked most of dinner?"
"Yeah, Esme came home later. She talked him through a lot of it though on the phone."
"I'm surprised he let you out of his sight, he was so upset and insistent on seeing you last night."
"Esme asked him to help her take some food to some of Carlisle's former co-workers at the hospital. Would you believe that they made so much that they needed to use both cars?" I lied, but Charlie, knowing Esme's love of cooking, laughed a little at the thought. "Esme dropped me off here and is going to come back and get me on her way home and take me back to my truck. I wanted to spend the drive over with her. I've missed them." I reached behind my chair and presented dad with a wrapped present. "My gift to you is at home under the tree, but Edward wanted me to give you this as a thank you for being so kind to him when he came to see you yesterday."
Charlie looked amused, but also annoyed, if that were possible. He took the gift and tore the paper off, taking no notice of the perfect wrapping. "Oh! Fishing stuff. Well that was thoughtful of him."
Charlie and I spent the remaining time together just enjoying each other's company as he enjoyed the selection of cake and fudge Edward sent over. He told me about some cases he was working and his plans to go fishing with Billy as soon as it was warm enough again. I caught him looking at me and smiling a little more than usual and I was happy knowing that he had finally stopped worrying about me.
A little while later, Esme came inside with a big smile on her face. "Hello Chief Swan, Bella." she said as she put her hands on my shoulders. "I hope dinner was ok, Edward is my assistant chef in training." she joked, looking at Charlie. "It was delicious, thank you." He said to her. "Please have a seat and get comfortable."
Esme sat down in the chair beside me and reached out to brush my hand with hers. "Chief," she started, before Charlie insisted that she call him by his name. "Charlie, I would like to apologize on behalf of our entire family for leaving Bella like we did. Edward was insistent that we not contact her once we moved. He said it would be better for her to forget about us and not be constantly reminded of him. We argued with him and told him he was being unreasonable but I'm sure you know how teenage boys are."
"Oh yeah." said Charlie, with a smile. He could never resist Esme's charms.
"Bella tells me that you'll be working overnight, I'd hate for her to wake up Christmas morning by herself. Would it be alright if she stays with me tonight at our house? If she wants to that is." She looked at me and said, loud enough for Charlie to hear, "We'll make Edward sleep all by himself on the third floor and we'll keep the warm fire downstairs to ourselves." I laughed and knew that Charlie probably enjoyed the mental image of Edward sleeping alone and chilly upstairs while Esme and I had a great time enjoying the warmth of the fire together, making smores or something without him.
"If you want to Bella, sure. As long as you promise to keep an eye on them?"
"You have my word. I trust both Edward and Bella. Edward was raised to protect a young lady's virtue. But even then, I will not let him out of my sight. Bella and I will have a girl's night."
And with that, I gave Charlie a sincere hug and my thanks and headed back to the house with Esme, grateful to have her and Edward back and to have more time to spend with them. I must have dozed off on the ride home, because I woke up once again warm on the Cullen's couch in front of a fire, but this time, with Edward sitting and holding my head in his lap, his golden eyes sparkling and dazzling me from the second I looked up at him.
