AN: Hey all! Yes, the chapter's finally finished! Sorry it's been so long! It's been hectic around here and I haven't been able to find inspiration or the right words to write out! This was hard to do. I had an outline for the chapter but it took a long time to word it and then I lost it so planning the chapter out in my head was taking forever. So sorry for keeping you all waiting. I would love to hear what you all think this chapter so please read and review! I really want to know what you all think about it! I really do apologize for this being so late and hope you all forgive me for it. This chapter has been worked on for the last few days. So if you have ideas please share them so this doesn't happen again! Read and Review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters! Stephenie Meyer does!
Summary: Set after Edward left in New Moon. Bella's life started to fall apart when he left but then some surprises come her way and practically takes away her life in Forks. Edward and his family come back a year later to find out Bella had died about two weeks after they left. Edward and his family are heartbroken until Jasper gets a call from an old friend asking him and his family to be a part of her wedding. Tensions rise and some angers are tested. Secrets and pasts are revealed and some relationships are tested. It's time to see what all of them are made of.
Chapter Fifteen
Seth POV:
I was awestruck. He thought my series of questions had to do with Emmalie? How...how did he know? I never hinted at it. I don't remember ever saying anything to him about liking Emma. Did he see what had happened between us? I don't understand and what do I do? Do I deny it? Should I be honest about it? Should I lie? What should I do? Jake wasn't supposed to find out. This was supposed to be between me and...me. I was the only one who was supposed to know about my feelings for her. How'd he find out? Would he tell Bella? If Bella found out she would kill me. I mean she tried to kill Jake. If I hadn't pulled her away, Jake probably would have been dead. Bella honestly frightens me a little so what should I do?
I stared at Jake, still in awe. Was I that obvious? He stared back at me not betraying any emotion except patience. We both stared at each other for several minutes, both waiting for me to respond to his question. It was then that I heard myself answer the question.
"How did you know?" I asked him, quietly. He kept his stare before sending a smile.
"It's kind of obvious, especially since I used to be where you were. The only difference is that I acted on the new feelings and that everyone already knew that I imprinted on Nessie. You are doing good at hiding that fact. It wasn't until you brought this up that I even guessed that you imprinted on her."
"You weren't supposed to know. I was hoping that I wasn't so obvious."
"Why did you keep it a secret? Why didn't you tell me or any of the pack? Even if you didn't want to tell the others like E.J or Ness or Bells, why couldn't you trust us with this? We all would have understood. We've all been there, Seth. We've all imprinted on someone. Why would it have been so bad to tell us?" Jake asked. I hesitated before answering.
"I was scared." I admitted. He looked at me confused.
"What was there to be scared of?" he asked.
"A couple things actually. But...one of them...is...um...Bella." I answered. He stared at me before laughing.
"Are you serious? Bells? You're scared of Bells?" he chuckled surprised. I glared at him.
"You know you could be a little bit more sensitive." I spat. He kept chuckling.
"I'm sorry. It's just unbelievable. Of all things to be scared of you are scared of Bells. Bells? She's not that scary, Seth." Jake replied. I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really. I seem to remember you getting scared when she basically tried to kill you when she find out that you imprinted on Nessie. After seeing what she tried to do to you, why shouldn't I be a little scared? If I hadn't pulled her away from you, she would have killed you." I reminded.
"Well that was just a minor issue. She didn't end up killing me."
"Yeah and that's because I saved you, dude."
"Yeah well that's beside the point. Bells wouldn't mind as much as you think. She likes you." He responded, waving off my comment. I stared at him.
"That's your response? You don't happen to remember the fact that you were Bella's best friend, do you?" I asked him, pointing out his relationship with her. He put out his finger as if to point out a finer detail.
"But, you also have to remember that Bella didn't consider me her best friend the minute she found out I imprinted on her baby."
"Yeah and you don't think she's going to feel the same if she finds out about my feelings for Emma?" I countered. He sighed exasperated, tired of this argument already.
"The difference is, Seth, that you didn't happen to imprint on her the day she was born." he replied.
"Yes, but Jake I would have had I met her that day. I didn't meet her for another week." I pointed out.
"Yes but the difference is that now she's older and you were away enough that she never really saw how you felt. I mean you weren't hanging out with Emma while Bella was around most of the time. She never saw the flirting you two do."
"We do not flirt." He looked at me in disbelief.
"Are you kidding? You two flirt more than that son of hers. You two are the flirting experts and it's also pretty funny when you flirt too. You guys are so lovey duvey it's gross but kind of funny, especially when we are making fun of you behind your backs." I glared at him. Jacob laughed. Oh he was so funny.
"Back to the point, Jacob." I said, still glaring at him.
"The point is that Bella won't care. In fact she'll be happy. She's been worrying about Emma never finding someone. It has scared her more than anything. She doesn't want Emma to be alone for the rest of her life. She wants her to be happy. She can tell that Emma's not happy because everyone is paired off except her. We all know her and she needs someone. I can't imagine anyone better for her than you and I know Bella will feel the same way." Jake assured me. I looked up at him.
"Jake, is it possible for her not to care about me the same way?" I asked, voicing my other fear. I was scared that she wouldn't feel the same way. I couldn't imagine my life without Emma.
Jake was right. I was in love with Emma. I had imprinted on her. She was my everything. It was exactly as Jake had described it to Bella before. She truly was holding me to the Earth. She was my addiction, my obsession. She was the one. I can't breathe without her. It hurt me every time I had to stay away from her. When she was younger, I tried to make it less obvious that I imprinted on her. I would stay away from weeks at a time but I would always come see her at the same time. I loved how every time I saw her, her face lit up. That made my heartbeat speed up, seeing her smile. I love her smile, everything about her. I always have. I will admit however that I did not always know that I imprinted on her.
The first few weeks, I felt the pull but hadn't been able to quite figure out what it meant. I at one point thought it could have been imprinting but a part of me was in denial, not wanting to deal with the issue Jake was dealing with. But some part of me knew that she would be the one. Every time I saw her, I felt like everything was brighter. I felt different. I needed to be near her. The longer I was away, the more I missed her. It wasn't until I stayed away too long and heard about the pull in Jake's thoughts that I figured it out. I had imprinted on Bella's little girl. The revelation sent me there more often than I orignally had been. For the longest time, we were just best friends. It wasn't until a year ago that I started to fall deeply in love with her. It was then that it became my worry about her not feeling the same way.
Jake stared at me, seeming unsure of the answer to that question. It didn't surprise me. It wasn't ever heard of for that to happen but in our lives, it's not hard to not believe anything anymore. Vampires and werewolves used to be myths and vampires never fell in love with humans nor had children with them. Things just don't seem as unbelievable as they once had been. Why would it be unbelievable for this to be true too? Jake then shrugged.
"I don't really know, Seth. But is it really a bad idea to tell her? She should know. You will never find out unless you tell her." Jake answered. I nodded. I knew he was right. I would tell her. I would tell her soon. I just had to find the way to do that. With that thought, I said my goodbyes to Jake and left. I would figure out how to tell her and hope that she would feel the same way I feel about her.
Edward POV:
For the first time in a long time, my existence has been was going great. My family was smiling and laughing again. We gained more friends, people who had become family to us. Anne, John, and Jason have met a lot to us. They had their quirks and were interesting to say the least. The best part was that I got my Bella back. never thought that she would forgive me and yet she had. She truly was remarkable. She still finds ways to surprise me. I gained children that I never thought I could have. Nessie was very accepting of me and Emmalie was making an effort to let me in as well. The only problem was the E.J. He still refused to try and accept me as his father. He wouldn't even acknowledge me.
The fact that he will not even try to accept me makes me uneasy. He has hated me so readily, so entirely. It does pain me to know that my son will never forgive me for what I had done in the past. But I knew that I deserved it. I had broken Bella's heart and left her pregnant. I deserved worse than my son's hate. I deserved all of my kids' hatred and Bella's as well. I did not deserve their forgiveness. I seeked their forgiveness but I did not deserve it. I didn't deserve them. I didn't deserve her. I knew that and E.J had every right to hate me. I hated me. I was a monster for what I had done. I knew that I would never forgive myself for what I had done.
I was sitting in the living room, looking at the family albums Bella had on the coffee table. There were several pictures. There was one of all three of the kids when they were a few months old (but they looked like toddlers). I saw another one with the three of them and the wolves from La Push. There was one of Nessie and Jacob when Nessie looked like a toddler, one taken just after she was born, and then one with them now.
I was still unsure as to how I felt about her and Jacob being together. I could tell Jacob cared about her, that he would take care of her. He was even good for her. It was just a little strange that a guy who at one time was starting to have feelings for her mother is now her boyfriend. It's a little hard to take in. There's also the fact that she was my baby girl. Even though I hadn't known her as a baby, she was still my baby girl. It was weird that my daughter already has a boyfriend when I just found out about her. I trust Jacob
with her though. He loves her. I know that. It's just strange seeing my little girl so grown up when I have only known her for a few months.
I went through more pictures. I started seeing ones with Bella and the kids. I saw ones from more recent times and earlier years. I saw one with Bella while she was still pregnant. She was smiling at the camera with Jason, who had his arm around her. I flipped the page and saw one with her and Anne, her and John, her and Jacob, and her with all of them. In all of those pictures she looked beautiful. I stopped on a picture in which a pregnant Bella was sleeping. She looked so at peace. A book was laying on the table next her flipped upside down. I looked closer and laughed at the title of the book. It was Wuthering Heights. Of course, I thought to myself smiling and shaking my head. That was my Bella. She absolutely loved that book. I stared at the picture of my Bella. This one was by far my favorite.
"I hate that picture." I heard. I turned around to see Bella standing behind me. She came and sat next to me on the couch. I looked at her.
"Why?" I asked. I couldn't see what was wrong with this picture.
"I don't know. I don't really like pictures of me when I'm sleeping. They're not very good pictures." she answered. I looked into her eyes and replied.
"I think it's beautiful. I think you were beautiful. I think you are still beautiful and always will be. I love this picture. It reminds me of all those times I watched you sleep before I left. And you looked even more beautiful because you were carrying my children." I responded. She smiled and leaned in to me. "Wuthering Heights, Bella? Really? Don't you
ever get tired of that book?" I asked. She looked like that if she were human she would have blushed.
"No, I don't. I love it. It's a good book." she replied in a defensive tone. I looked at her with a disbelieving look.
"No it's not. Bella, the characters themselves are terrible." I argued.
"Maybe so but the book is still good." she said in a firm tone, looking like she wanted to end the argument before it really started. I appeased her and didn't continue the argument. Bella flipped some pages in the book to the back and I saw that picture of me that she had taken before I left and next to it was the picture of the two of us.
"You found it?" I asked softly, remembering very well that I hid that picture from her so that she could move on with her life. She nodded.
"Yeah. Jake and I were packing up my things to leave once we realized I was pregnant and while we were packing up I noticed the floorboard was a little off so I opened it and found all the stuff. I love that picture of you." she responded in a loving tone. She flipped the page again and there was a picture of just me and her from a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful picture. Then there was a picture of Bella, Nessie, E.J, Emma, and me. I was sitting on the couch holding Bella and staring at her with love while E.J had one arm behind Nessie (who was on his right) and one behind Emma (who was on his left). The three of them were smiling in front of the couch Bella and I were sitting on. The picture was perfect. Everything looked perfect. I put my hand on the picture like I was tracing the figure of the people in the photo. "This one is my favorite." she declared. "This is the first picture with all five of us. We actually look like a family."
"Yeah we do." I said, smiling fondly. My eyes laid on the image of my son. He was smiling the same smile I had. He truly was the spitting image of me. This was the first I had seen of his smile. The day this picture was taken I hadn't seen the smile. I didn't even know this picture was being taken. I was taken in by Bella. She was looking especially radiant that day. It was the day she told me that she trusted me again.
I came over again to see Bella. I loved seeing her and of course Emma, E.J, and Nessie. Even though E.J and Emma didn't get along with me, I still loved seeing them and I still loved them. I may wish that they would accept me but I will always admire them for their persistence in being infuriated with me. They both were stubborn. Bella says they get that from me but I believe they inherited that from her. The three of them, regardless of their hatred of me, would always be my miracles. The three of them and Bella would be my light in the darkness. They were my everything. I don't know what I would do without Bella. The ten years without her were miserable. To lose her forever again would certainly kill me.
I knocked on the door. Bella had called me over today. She told me she needed to talk to me about something. I waited patiently for someone to open the door. Bella told me I shouldn't have to knock anymore. I came over here so often I might as well live here. But we both figured it would be better to do that after Emmalie and E.J trusted me. I heard someone walk the door and when it opened I saw the face of my daughter Nessie. She grinned at me.
"Hi, Daddy!" she greeted, hugging me tightly. I held her close to me. I loved this girl and not just because she was forgiving but because of who she is. She is a terrific girl and she reminds me a lot of Bella. She always thinks of everyone else first. Ness is very accepting and loving. She is beautiful, just like Bella. She loves reading. Bella seems to thinks she looks most like me and while some of that may be true, I see more of Bella in her than in either of her siblings. Her brother looked just like me and Emma was more of a mixture. Bella doesn't see any of her features in any of them but I see all of them very clearly. Those girls in particular held quite a few of Bella's facial features. Nessie looked at me, still grinning. "Mom's in the living room." she said. I nodded and went in.
I found Bella on the couch. She smiled at me and gestured for me to sit next her. I sat down beside her and sent her a smile back. She of course looked beautiful like always. Bella kissed me softly before putting her hands on mine and gazing into my eyes.
"Edward, I called you here to tell you something." she started. She paused for a minute before continuing. "I wanted to tell you that I love you, Edward. I can't imagine being without you. These last few weeks have made me the happiest I have been in the longest time. I remembered the conversation we had after you came back and I wanted to tell you that...I trust you, Edward." she finished. I stared at her for a minute before breaking out into a huge smile and pulling her into a passionate kiss. We pulled away and just stared at each other with love. She had just made me the happiest man in the entire universe.
"I love you, Bella." I declared. She smiled.
"I love you too, Edward." she replied. We stayed staring at each other that we hadn't realized that Anne had taken a picture of us and the kids. All I could do was stare at Bella, the most beautiful woman in the world.
"I love that picture too." I said, coming out of my memory.
"You know we have school tomorrow." stated Bella. I nodded. That was both a good and a bad thing. I loved the idea and hated it because it would give me time to spend with her but I would also have to deal with the thoughts of the teenagers at school. It was nice to have the break from that. I would also not get to act like a father to Renesmee and I love that job.
"I know." I sighed both for that reason and something else. As I stared at that picture, I found myself still staring at E.J. Would he ever forgive me? Bella seemed to know what I was thinking.
"You know he'll come around. I told you that. He just needs time." she said. I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated.
"How much more time? Bella, I have been around for almost two months and he hasn't said a word to me since the baseball field. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. You had it fairly easy, Bella." I vented. She raised an eyebrow.
"Oh I had it easy? I only had to carry him and then give birth to him which nearly killed me. That's not difficult on my part at all." she responded sarcastically. I sighed.
"That's not what I meant. I just meant that you had their love from the start. They have loved you since they had existed." I explained.
"You had their love too. You were just gone for too long." Bella responded. I winced.
"Don't remind me." I said. I hated the fact that I was gone. It still made me upset that I had left her. It hurt to think of what she had been through without me. I had seen her through Jacob's perspective. She was absolutely destroyed after I left and it broke my heart to see her that way. I loved her and I hated to see her in pain. Bella put her hands on my face and glared at me.
"Don't you dare start that again. Edward, that's in the past. I know you want to take it back. You need to forgive yourself for it. Quit it with the self-loathing thing because it's really starting to get on my nerves." scolded Bella.
"But, Bella,-" I started.
"No." she interupted. "No. What you did is in the past. There is nothing you or I can do now so please, forgive yourself."
"I'll try." I responded, knowing she was right.
"Good because if you hadn't, I might have had to withdraw my forgiveness." she teased. I smiled at her and she smiled herself before kissing me again. Oh how I loved her!
The last day before high school was fun to say the least. Bella and I spent it with our families all together. I enjoyed every minute of it. This was the day we were going back to high school, the place that had been my purgatory before I met Bella. I was not excited about this in the slightest. High school was never my family's favorite part of the day. The only time it ever was, was when Bella was in our high school. Back then, she needed to be at school all the time. This time she doesn't so this doesn't feel like it's necessary. They had been on a long summer break and now it's the first day of school. This was going to be a long day.
I got in my Volvo with my brothers and my sisters. Bella and her family were in their own cars. We had decided that we were going to pretend that we didn't know each other for the time being. Both Anne and Alice thought it would be fun. I knew better because that would mean hearing thoughts I don't want to hear about my other family. I drove behind Bella's car and behind us was E.J's car. We pulled into the parking lot and saw several students heads turn our way. Bella parked in a spot and further down we parked. E.J chose a spot closer to Bella. We all got out of our cars and that's when their thoughts started to broadcast inside my head.
Wow somehow they got even hotter over the summer!
Look at Jason's muscles! He's so gorgeous! Why oh why did he have to be dating that...that...that Anne!
John's looking good this year! Maybe I'll ask him out this time. Jason's already turned me down but John doesn't have a girl.
E.J of course looks adorable as always although weirdly enought there's another guy at the end of the parking lot that looks just like him but that's better for me. If E.J turns me down I can ask him out!
Anne's so pretty this year! I wish...
Nessie is hot. She's absolutely looking perfect this year! Maybe I should..., I heard a guy think. His thoughts got more vivid and it caused me to growl menacingly. He'd better watch his thoughts or I might end up killing him. The same thoughts were there for Emma.
Look at Bella! She is so hot. I'm gonna..., I heard this one BOY start thinking. I started growling even more than I had for my daughters. How dare he say things like that about my Bella? I was about ready to run after him and hurt him. He was starting to remind me of those guys who were once after Emma and those guys from Port Angeles all those years ago. As we walked into the school and I passed the guy, I glared at him. Sheesh! What's his problem?
I walked towards the couseling office with my family. I felt Bella come up to me and weave her hand into mine. I looked at her and she smiled. Relax, Edward. It's fine, I heard her say in her thoughts. Wait her thoughts? How? I could never read her thoughts! This is the first time I've ever read her thoughts...ever! She grinned, catching my surprise. I sent her an inquisitive look. I'll tell you later, she responded before winking and walking away. Now I couldn't wait until I got home because I couldn't wait to hear this explanation.
We got our schedules and went through the day before getting to gym. E.J and I were in the same gym class. We were both in the locker room and could hear the conversations in the room. Sadly enough, the guy with the irritating thoughts was in this class as well. E.J and I were both silently getting ready. We both tensed at the sound of the guy's voice. He started to talk about Bella. Both our fists clenched.
"So Bella looks absolutely perfect this year. You know I asked her out again and she turned me down again. She's going to say yes to me this year. We are going to go on a date together and we will..." I heard the guy say, not quite hearing the words but knowing where they were going. My jaw clenched. I looked at E.J and saw him in the same position. I heard him continue and say same crude things about Bella and that's when I lost it. I attacked him, punching him (at human speed and human strength). I felt people pull me back, including E.J. "What did you do that for?" he asked.
"Never say those things about Bella ever again!" I spat.
"Don't tell me what to do, newbie. You are new hear so you obviously don't know how things work around here so..." he replied.
"I think I know very well how things work and what you people are like and I'm telling you to back off." I hissed.
"I can do whatever I want." he responded icily. "There's nothing you can do about it." I felt E.J's hold on me loosen.
"Well I can and will. You had beeter back off, Warren, or Edward won't be the only one attacking you. I will be as well and I won't hold Edward back either." E.J said menacingly, glaring at the guy. He took me by the arm and pulled me aside.
"Why'd you do that?" he asked me.
"I wasn't going to let him get away with what he said. Contrary to your belief, I actually care about her. I love her. Does that sound good enough for you?" I replied angrily. I was not really mad at him. I was still furious because of Warren. So in attempt to control my fury, I left the room, leaving E.J there stunned and thinking.
Emmalie POV:
I walked to my English class that I was alone in. I did however have friends in this class. I really wondered how things were going with E.J and Dad in the same class. That seemed like it would be a nightmare. It made me a little worried. It also made me feel that way because I suddenly felt a burst of anger coming from the gym. I knew them being in the same class alone was a bad idea. I would talk to my mom about this and E.J. I saw my friend Dylan, looking nervous. He was a great guy and really great friend. He was one of my favorite people in this school. Dylan then walked up to me.
"Hey Emma." he greeted nervously. I sent him a sweet smile.
"Hey, Dylan. What's up?" I asked. He looked down and fiddled with his fingers.
"I wanted to ask you something for the longest time." he responded. He looked into my eyes. "Em, would you go out on a date with me?" he asked.
I was stunned. I didn't know how to respond. I liked this guy. I would willingly go out on a date with him had I not been so in love with Seth. I didn't know what I was going to say. I wanted to but I loved Seth. But Seth couldn't possibly feel the same way? Should I go out with him or should I not? I could see myself falling for this guy so should I wait? After a minute I made my decision.