Chapter 10: Decisions
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We escaped from the house by climbing out the window of my bedroom, like a couple of teenagers running away from their parents. Although it was small and not luxurious, I led Bella to the small cabin that the family had built in the most remote part of the Denali wilderness for extended hunting trips. The furnishing were sparse, but it was the perfect place for us to spend time alone together. I felt bad for leaving the family without saying goodbye, but I trusted that Alice had seen we would return and tell the others for us. The only thing that mattered to me was taking care of Bella. My highest priority was making sure she felt safe and loved.
For the next week we made love, talked, and generally bonded with one another. Bella and I had never spent this much uninterrupted time alone together...and it was wonderful. I would have kidnapped her a long time ago if I had known how much joy it would bring me having her all to myself, not having to compete for attention with others. I told her so.
"When I changed you, my initial plan was to take you somewhere so it was just the two of us. If Alice hadn't of convinced me that you needed to see the family when you woke up, I would have kept you all to myself."
Our bodies were entangled and I gave her a kiss on the forehead. Bella sighed in contentment.
"Being alone with you is bliss...but Alice was right. I was so devastated by the family leaving, I needed to know they cared about me." She smiled, a mischievously look in her eye. "Although...we definitely should have scheduled some alone time together much earlier."
"When do you want to go home?" I asked. As far as I was concerned, we never had to return home if Bella didn't want to, but I would support whatever decision she made.
"Never?" Her emotions were playful, and I realized she was joking.
I laughed. "Fine with me."
Bella became more serious and contemplative. "Carlisle and Esme are anxious to move to Ithaca and I'm sure your cousins want their home back. I suppose we need to return soon."
"They're now your cousins, too," I reminded her.
She smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Do you think you can live with Edward?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No. But, I want to be with the family. I'll have to deal with it."
I didn't know if I could live peaceably with Edward, either. A coven needed to be unified and that wouldn't be possible if Edward was going to be antagonistic. Although Bella had shared with me herside of their conversation, I knew that it was only her side of the story. She was full of self doubt at times, and still didn't seem to know her true self worth. I think Edward and Bella's conversation came to the correct conclusion, but I believed Edward's side of the story would be much different from Bella's. I needed to talk to him, to hear his perspective, and I also wanted closure for myself.
Would Bella and I be able to stay with the family? I knew that I was willing to work things out and Bella seemed to be equally committed. It seemed our future with the family depended on Edward.
Whether he stayed or went, our future was in his hands.
