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Bella and Carlisle were the last two to walk off the plane — on purpose, of course. They'd stay seated until everyone else had lined the aisle, but eventually, they had to walk off the plane. He kept his arm wrapped around her as they walked through the airport, stopping to claim their baggage as it rotated around them. Once they had gathered everything, they walked out of the airport.

The air was thick, yet dry, completely the opposite of their home in L.A. She and Carlisle shared a look. They'd left the small town life in Texas and hadn't looked back, yet here they were. Back in Hell, because of him.

They heard a whistle on their left, and when she looked, Bella laughed and dropped her bag as she ran over and jumped in the arms of the man waiting at the curb for them. The tall, lanky blond wrapped his arms around her, hoisting her off the ground and spinning her around. Last time she saw him he was barely a teenager, and now, he was a grown ass man.

"Put me down, jackass!"

Jasper Cullen placed her back onto her feet, keeping his hands on her hips until she had her feet under her. His lips curved into a sexy smirk. "Good to see you, B."

Bella placed her hands on either side of his face. "You too, Jasper. You've gotten so big! I bet all the girls are chasing you, aren't they?"

"Not all of them," he scoffed, smirking. "Just one. You'll meet her tomorrow night. Mom's insisting on family dinner, since her babies are finally home. Her words, not mine. We would have done it tonight, but Rosalie had to work the last shift at the hospital"

"Oh, okay," she laughed and dropped her hands.

Rosalie Cullen was Carlisle and Jasper's sister. Where Carlisle and Bella were twenty-eight, Rosalie was twenty-five, and Jasper was twenty-two. All of them had considered Bella to be a member of their family. Leaving them had been the hardest part of fleeing, but their lives had been on the line. They'd had to save their lives, hadn't they? Hadn't they?

"Hey, little brother, I didn't know you were picking us up," Carlisle said, dropping their bags next to Bella and pulling his little (only by age seeing as Jasper now stood a solid two inches taller than Carlisle) brother into a hug. "Thought Mom was going to be here."

"She got tied up, so you get me instead," Jasper explained, looking behind them. "Where's Esme?"

"She couldn't get the time off. End of the school year and all," Carlisle said, giving his little brother a look.

"Well, we should get going."

Jasper picked up Bella's bag before she could touch it and tossed it into the trunk of his SUV, waiting for Carlisle to add his before closing it. Bella slipped into the backseat before Carlisle could argue with her. As they pulled away from the airport, she shifted and stared out the window. When they'd left town ten years ago, in the middle of the night like cowards did, she never planned on going back. And now . . . now, it was time to face her past . . . right?

—You—

The tension in Bella's shoulders grew tighter the closer they got to town. The hour drive back to their small, Texas hometown felt like it only took minutes. Jasper parked in the driveway of a large, white Victorian style house with a perfectly kept lawn. She took a deep breath as they climbed out, and while Jasper and Carlisle pulled their bags out of the back, she couldn't stop herself from looking at the house across the street, two doors down to the left. The house of her nightmares. She clinched her hands into tight fists, trying to block out the sounds of him screaming "You ugly bitch" followed by the feel of his hand hitting the side of her face. She could still taste the blood inside her mouth.

"Hey, come on," Carlisle whispered, sliding his hand around her fist.

Bella tried to smile as she looked away, but of course, he saw right through her. He always had. No matter how many excuses she made for the bruises, he had always seen her. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Carlisle leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Just keep your eyes over here, okay?"

She nodded, her lips trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. It'd been a long time since she'd cried over him. Flexing her fingers apart, she gripped his hand, and they followed Jasper, who pretended not to notice the panic attack she'd almost had, into the house.

"My babies!"

"Hey, Mom," Carlisle laughed, swooping the tiny, blond woman with bright blue eyes into his arms. He pressed his lips against her cheek before he placed her back on her feet. "You look good."

"Bullshit," she snickered, placing her hands on his shoulder. "I sure have missed you, Carlisle."

"I've missed you, too, Mom." He hugged her again, and when he released her, she turned and looked at Bella.

"My baby girl," Charlotte Cullen cooed as she hurried over, enveloping her in a hug. "Oh, my sweet girl, it's good to see you. Been way too long, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am. It's good to see you, too, Lottie," Bella whimpered. She pulled away and put her hands up. "Sorry, I just. . ." Bella blew out a heavy breath. "You look beautiful, Lottie."

"So do you, sweet girl." Charlotte reached up and placed her hands on either side of her face. "You're too thin, though. I'd better go finish dinner. Gotta fatten you up while I have you here."

Bella smiled and waited until Charlotte was in the kitchen before she took her bag from Jasper. "My room still my room?"

"Like Mom would have it any other way," Jasper snickered. "Get settled and then meet me in the garage. I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?" she asked.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Bella rolled her eyes as Jasper turned and walked into the kitchen, to help Charlotte with dinner. Jasper had always loved helping his mother in the kitchen.

Carlisle and Bella headed upstairs. While he took the room on the right side of the hallway, she turned and walked into the room on the left. The room hadn't been changed in ten years. The bed still had the same purple and black bedding. There was an oversized chair in front of the window, a small table next to it that still had one of her favorite books. On top of the oak dresser were a dozen pictures of Bella and Carlisle, Bella and Jasper, Bella and Rosalie, Bella and Charlotte. None of Bella with him, though. The room had been her safety, her sanctuary for more years than she cared to admit, until it got too hard to put on a brave face and pretend her father wasn't an asshole.

"There's a fucking treadmill in my room." Bella laughed and looked back at the door, finding Carlisle leaning against the doorframe. "Your room she doesn't mess with, but she turns my room into a personal gym."

"She always did love me more," Bella quipped, lifting her suitcase and placing it on the bed. She sighed and turned, sitting on the side. "I didn't think it would be this hard."

"Sure you did." Carlisle walked over and sat on the bed next to her, taking hold of her hand, and bringing it to his lips. "I'm not going to lie, B, I'm worried about you."

She tried to smile, but knew it didn't come off right. "I'm kind of worried about me, too. Maybe . . . maybe I should just let die him alone, you know?"

"You should," he agreed, nodding. "But I know you can't."

"I shouldn't care," she whispered, standing up and walking over to the window. She could see the house across the street, two doors down on the left. The sound of his phone ringing broke through the awkward silence, and when she looked back, she saw him smile before he answered with a low, "Hey, babe."

"Tell her I said hi," Bella said, gesturing for him to leave her room.

Carlisle walked over and kissed the stop of her head before leaving her alone, saying, "Bella says she loves me more than you."

"Liar!" she yelled, but only got his laughter in response.

Half an hour later, she'd unpacked her suitcase and was standing outside the garage, waiting for him to let her in. A minute later, the door opened and Jasper stepped back, a shit-eating grin on his face as he waved for her to enter. And that's when she saw her.

"Oh, my God, how?" she asked, walking over and kneeling next to the 1973 Volkswagen Thing Convertible. It was bright yellow with a black top. She'd spent three years restoring her, only to be forced to leave her behind with him. "Jasper, how'd you get her? I figured the old man would have chopped her up into pieces the second we left."

Jasper smiled and shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets. "After y'all left, he took it to Jake's, sold it for ten dollars and a case of beer. Figured he was going to scrap it, I supposed, but Jake called, so Mom and I went and got it. We knew it was important to you."

"Of course Jake would call you," she laughed, turning back to it and running her hand along the side. "Me, him, and Carlisle spent three summers and a lot of money putting her together."

"Still think it's weird that you called your car she, by the way."

Bella smiled and looked back at Carlisle, who was leaning against the entry way. "Did you know?"

"No," he denied. "Trust me, if I'd known, I would have figure out how to get it to L.A. with us."

Bella bit her lip and turned back to the car. "Jasper, I . . ."

"I'm awesome, I know," he said, winking before he turned and left her and Carlisle alone.

"How's Esme?" Bella asked, standing and looking at Carlisle.

"She's tired. Said Henry tried to flush his underwear because he'd pooped in them again."

Bella laughed.

"She tried to get a sub for the week, wanted to fly out tomorrow, but they just don't have the coverage."

"It's fine," Bella said, waving him off as she turned and looked back at her car. "She shouldn't waste her time off on him, anyway. He's not worth it."

"B . . ."

But before Carlisle could finish his thought, Charlotte called them in for dinner. He gave her a look and hurried back inside. Sighing, Bella ran her hand over the top of her car before she followed. When she walked into the dining room, she laughed when she saw the table filled with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and dinner rolls.

"Lottie, you did not need to go to all this trouble!" Bella shook her head before she walked around the table, taking her usual chair next to Carlisle. "But thank you. Been a long time since I've had your fried chicken."

"It was always your favorite," she said, smiling. "Now, while we eat, tell me about your work. I haven't seen anything new from you lately."

"I haven't really put out anything new," she murmured, biting the inside of her lip before she reached for the chicken. "I've been floating between a few galleries. I have a show next month, though, which should really levitate my exposure."

"Maybe I can fly out," she said, before turning to Carlisle. "Now, when are you and Esme going to give me a grandchild?"

Carlisle choked on his chicken, which caused Bella and Jasper to laugh. He glared at her as he tried to explain to Charlotte that they weren't ready, but she continued to press. Bella turned her focus onto her food, savoring in the small, amazing feeling of being wanted, loved, and cherished by a parent, because Charlotte Cullen was the only real parent she'd ever known. And she'd only loved her because once upon a time, Carlisle had been in love her, and she him, but now, Bella had nobody to love.

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