A/N: Hey...yeah, I'm still here. Didn't forget about the story, but it's been a rough few weeks. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry if I didn't get back to some of you. Thank you as always to Sassy. I appreciate everything.
I honestly hope I don't disappoint with this chapter, but there are a lot of things that need to happen for Bella and Cam to get settled in. Hope you aren't bored to death.
Disclaimer: Twilight and all its recognizable characters belong to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
Songs to listen to: Daya - Next plane out & Selena Gomez - Marshmallo wolves
Chapter 3 – Concession
Sam asked Charlie to stay behind while they went out to find Cameron, in case he turned up. They didn't want him to return to an empty house. To say that Charlie was unhappy about waiting around while he could be out practicing his skills as a cop, was putting it mildly, but Bella simply refused to be the one to stay behind and wait. This was her son – there was no way she was going to let them stop her from going out to look for Cameron. She wanted to be right alongside Sam when they found him. Wanted to make sure he was okay.
"Where do you think he went?" Bella asked as she followed behind Sam down the porch steps and to the front yard where it had begun to drizzle again, hoping his lupine senses would be able to lead them to Cameron.
Sam lifted his face skyward and pulled a deep breath in through his nose, probably trying to catch their son's scent. He looked down at Bella, face a blank mask that gave nothing away. She hated when he tried to remain calm and neutral. Hated it when he tried to hide his emotions from her. In the past, it hadn't happened very often, but when they'd had a fight, or when he'd been concerned for one of his pack members, this was the face that had greeted her. His stoic Alpha face. "He's definitely not in the woods," Sam took another sniff. "He's taken the road down to town."
"Then, let's go." She suggested, pointing to her car standing next to Sam's white pick-up in the driveway. "I'll just go get my keys." She turned away and headed back toward the house, only managing to take a couple of steps before she felt Sam's large hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"No," He turned her around to face him. "We can use my truck. No point in wasting time."
"Yeah, okay," She conceded. Sam was probably right. The sooner they got on the road, the sooner they could find Cameron. It was going to start raining heavily again soon, judging by the dark clouds gatehered above them, and she didn't like the idea of her boy out in the cold, in a town he didn't know.
She opened the truck door, noticing the logo on the side. Uley's construction. She knew he always liked to build things – work with his hands – and made a mental note to ask him about it later. There were so many things about his life that she didn't know. How and when he'd started his own business – he was still working for Emily's uncle when she fell pregnant. He was saving up to go to college, and she wondered if he ever took the opportunity. There had been so much debate between Sam and the council members about whether it were possible for the members of the pack, and especially the Alpha, to go and further their education. Many of the council members had maintained that being part of the pack - being protectors for the Quileute tribe - was their first priority, and she'd always felt it to be so unfair to them. Were they supposed to give up on all their dreams because of their DNA? Because of their heritage? Something they never asked for. She wondered if he still loved music as much as he used to, and if he still had that same dry humor that had always made her laugh? Was he happy with Emily? Were they in love? And if so, was their love just as earth shattering as it had been between him and her in their short time together? Did Sam make Emily his famous chocolate pudding when she felt down or had crazy PMS cravings and needed comfort food, just like he had done for her? She knew nothing about him anymore - he was basically a stranger to her after seventeen years spent apart.
The thundering sound of the truck coming to life, brought Bella back to the present and made her look up. She had to focus on the task at hand - finding their boy. "We'll head into town," Sam said as he pulled away. "But I want you to help me keep an eye out for Cameron. Look carefully."
"Of course I'll keep an eye out for him. Why do you think I wanted to come along in the first place?" She snapped at him, feeling unsettled by the fact that it seemed like he knew her mind was a mess right now.
"I didn't mean it like that," He looked over at her for a moment, face just as stoic as before. "You just seem a little distracted."
"I'm focused. Don't worry." She looked away with an irritated cluck of her tongue, keeping her eyes trained on her side of the road, focusing on the trees as well, just in case Cameron had decided to make his way through the woods in an attempt to remain hidden.
Sam had his window down for what she supposed was a way of tracking Cameron's scent, and she decided to do the same. Perhaps it would help him get the scent from all possible angles. She ignored the drizzle against her face as the rain wafted in through her open window; right now she couldn't care less about getting wet.
"I bet Emily wasn't happy that you came to see Cameron and me?" She tested the waters, trying to get a feel for how the conversation between Sam and his wife went down when he told her his old flame was back in town after almost two decades. If the roles had been reversed, she would have been crazy jealous.
"Why would she be upset about it?" He shrugged, not looking at her. "It's got nothing to do with her."
"I beg to differ. She's your wife. It's got everything to do with her," Bella challenged. "Besides, she probably fears that you'll find out about what happened all those years ago, now that I am back in town."
"My wife?" He glanced at her for a second, looking confused. "Why would you think we're married?"
Bella was taken by surprise. "I just assumed you were married, you know, since she was the one to break us up. Thought you'd fallen for her after I left."
"You know, Bella Swan," He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in blatant annoyance, "You really are a terrible listener."
"And you came to this conclusion how?" She wanted to know. What made him think she didn't listen to what he said? She heard every word he said, everytime he opened his mouth.
"I told you how the imprint works when we first met. And I told you again tonight that it meant forever. Even if we're not together anymore. It'll always be the same. No matter how many years apart, the imprint is still going to be there."
Bella bit her lip and looked away. What was she supposed to say? She sighed heavily before deciding to simply say what was on her mind. "A lot has changed over the years, Sam. Time has chipped away at both of us, doing its fair share of damage and making it impossible to fix what's been broken." She wanted to make sure he knew where they stood. Wanted to let him know that he shouldn't get his hopes up if, in fact, he still thought there was a chance for them. Too much time and way too much hurt had taken its toll on them. On the imprint. And though it meant forever, it didn't mean they could ever get back what Emily had destroyed with her selfish behavior. What they had destroyed with their stupid mistakes. Emily couldn't take all the blame. Sam could have come after her. Or she could have confronted Sam instead of just taking off like a coward. But neither of them did anything to fix it, or to fight for this supposed 'forever love' of theirs, and now it was too late.
"I know, Bella." He murmured, keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead. "Believe me, I know that better than almost anyone."
Bella narrowed her eyes at the large silhouette she could see through the drizzle misting against the windscreen, the overcast skies making it darker than usual at this time of day, just as Sam hit the breaks and turned the truck onto the shoulder of the road. "There he is," He sighed in relief. "Thank god."
The truck had barely come to a stop, before Bella jumped out and nearly stumbled in her haste to get to her son. "Cam!" She called out to him, squinting to keep the rain out of her eyes as she splashed through the mud toward him.
Cameron turned around at the sound of her voice, hair and clothes soaking wet and shoulders slumped dejectedly, like the world and all its issues were too heavy for him to carry by himself. It hurt to see him like this. What had happened back at Charlie's to make him leave?
She marched determinedly up to him, anger and relief flaring up inside of her. She wanted to be mad at him for making her so worried. For taking off without a word. And she wanted to pull him in for a hug because he was safe. They had found him in one piece. He was unharmed. "Where do you think you're going, young man?" She demanded.
"To Blaine's." He shrugged, refusing to look at her. His anger and resentment toward her was obvious, and she knew she had to fix it now, or risk pushing him away.
"You don't even know where he lives." She challenged. "You hardly even know your way around this town."
"I've got a relatively good idea how to get where I need to go." He said. "I was the one driving us to and from La Push, remember? And Blaine showed me where he lives this morning, after the funeral. Said I was welcome to come over whenever I felt like it."
"You couldn't have asked us for a lift instead of just taking off? Or told us you were leaving, at least?" She planted her hands on her hips, the gesture feeling so foreign to her. She rarely had to admonish Cameron in the past, and it felt so strange to have to do it now. Especially with Sam watching. Cameron was always such a good and considerate boy.
"You were too busy fighting with my dad and grandfather about choices I should be allowed to make as part of the family." He accused, eyes wide and fierce as he jabbed his finger repeatedly into his chest, trying to get his point accross. "I have a say in this too, Mom. It's not just your life."
Bella reached out to him, but he sidestepped her. "Don't." He shook his head and wiped the rain from his face. "I don't want to hear any more excuses for why we can't stay."
"You're right, baby. And I'm so sorry for excluding you." She took another step toward him, watching as he lifted his head in surprise. "It was never my intention to make you feel like you didn't have a choice in the matter. I was just trying to do what's best for you, but apparently I don't always know what that is."
"What are you trying to say?" He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, trying to understand.
"I'm saying that if you want to stay, we'll stay."
"Permanently?" He looked hopeful, and it killed her to realize how desperately he needed to stay. How badly he wanted to have his dad and grandfather in his life.
"If that's what you want, yes."
"I want to get to know grandpa Charlie and my father." He said carefully. "And I think they want to get to know me too. Both of them."
"I do," Sam's voice made her startle as he spoke up from behind her. She had thought he was still in the truck.
He stepped forward to stand next to her, before he continued. "I know we can't get back the years that we lost, but I want to take advantage of what we do have now that you're here."
Bella looked at the two men staring at each other, the resemblance even more striking now as she saw them together, both desperate to get to know each other, and it made her heart contract painfully to think how they were robbed of so much. "How about we start by getting out of the rain." She suggested, worried that Cameron might catch a cold. "We have a lot to discuss at home if we're going to move back."
Sam and Cameron both turned to look at her, wearing the same boyish grin. "I'm so up for that discussion." The younger male said, heading to the truck with a lighter heart.
She wished that she could feel as eager as they did about moving back home. But instead, she felt scared and completely out of sorts. Sure, it would be great to rekindle old friendships and spend more time with her father, but would she be able to handle seeing Sam around on a relatively permanent basis? Everything she had hated about Sam, everything she thought he'd done, was false, now meaning she had to revisit the idea of Sam as the bad guy, as well as the assumption that he was married to Emily. Had he honestly spent all this time on his own because of a silly imprint?
Bella ended up being squashed between Cameron and Sam, because Cam's legs were simply too long to fit comfortably on either side of the center console where she now had to sit, and as luck would have it, she had to endure the torture of feeling Sam's hand graze against her thigh every time he had to shift gears. She knew it wasn't on purpose - there was literally no space in the cab now, to be able to respect anyone's personal bubble - but why couldn't he just drive an automatic like a normal person? It would have minimized the amount of times he had to touch her. She hated the heat and the goosebumps his touch created. Hated how it brought back memories of fiery nights of passion shared between them, before it all went south. And worst of all, she hated how much her heart ached at the mere thought of how she had destroyed everything with a stupid text. What would life have been like if she'd just told him the news face to face?
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Cameron apologized to both of them, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had taken up residence between Sam and her. "I promise I will never do it again."
"Apology accepted." Sam nodded in Cameron's direction. "I think from here on out we just need to be open with each other. Communicate properly, and make decisions together."
"I agree," Bella looked up at Sam, before turning her attention to their son. "Even though your dad and I aren't together, we still need to function like a family if this is gonna work."
Cameron had gotten a talking to by Charlie as soon as they arrived back. She should have expected this - her father used to do the same thing to her when she had done something wrong. And it was out of love that he admonished her son, but she couldn't help but defend him. If she had been more considerate of Cameron's feelings on the matter, he wouldn't have taken off in the first place.
She was now sitting curled up on the couch next to her son, watching as Sam strolled up to them with coco for Cameron and coffee for her. Charlie had a beer in hand, sitting on his recliner, sports channel muted, and Sam's own beer was waiting on the coffee table.
"Thank you," She accepted her mug, and watched the silent exchange between father and son as Sam handed Cameron his coco. This was the first time in all of this boy's life that he had a father who cared for him and made him a hot beverage to comfort him. It had always only been them. Yes, they had her mother, but she was never the domestic type, and though Phil had always been the one to cook, he was never really that in touch with his own emotions, or anyone else's for that matter, to make these kind of gestures that Sam now was. And it made her realize that maybe, just maybe, staying was the right decision. For Cam. He deserved all of this love and concern. He deserved admonishment from a grandfather who cared so much, but also deserved to be spoiled rotten. She could deal with her own heartache and insecurities around Sam, as long as it meant her son was happy.
"So you're really staying, then?" Charlie asked and brought the beer up to his lips, pleased and surprised by the news.
"Yes, but there are a lot of things to sort out. Like a job. And a place to stay. And no," She stopped Charlie as he opened his mouth. She knew he wanted to suggest that they stay with him. "We'll need our own place. I love you dad, and I'm grateful that you're allowing us to stay, but it's only temporary. Because, let's face it, the house is simply too small for the three of us."
"My mother's house is unoccupied, for obvious reasons," Sam offered. "You're more than welcome to stay there. And as for a job, just go talk to Jake like I suggested earlier. I'm sure he'd be happy to have you fill the position."
"Are you sure?" She checked. She didn't want to step in and take over his mother's house right after her death, when things were all still so raw and unreal for him. She didn't want Sam to feel like Alison never existed when she chopped and changed things in the house to make it her own. "Are you ready for that?"
"My mother would have wanted it to be like this." He confidently assured her.
"Thank you." She flashed Sam a brief but grateful smile. "Then we should consider enrolling Cam in La Push High, since we'll be living on the Reservation. And it needs to happen fast. I want him back in school on Monday so he doesn't miss out on too much." She gave Cameron a gentle shove with her shoulder. "What do you think, honey? La Push or Forks High?"
"La Push, for sure. That's where Blaine goes to school, right?" He asked Sam.
"Yes." He nodded. "And Embry's daughter, Arizona."
"I didn't even know Embry had a daughter. Didn't even know he was married." Bella said, though she should have known. It had been years since she's seen them, and the fact of the matter was she knew nothing about her friends.
Sam scratched his head uncomfortably and Charlie cleared his throat, changing the topic. "When were you thinking of going back for your stuff?" Charlie asked. "Or are you going to ask Reneé to pack up your stuff and send it down?"
"We'll definitely go up. The sooner the better. If we could do it this weekend, it'd be a big weight off my shoulders. And I need to go to Jacksonville to speak to my landlord about the lease, quit my job and get Cam's transcripts transferred to La Push. Though, if we go this weekend, I don't know when we'll get time to go to the school to do that."
"Driving time is going to make it impossible to get all of that done and still be back here by Monday." Charlie mused, "Even if Reneé does start packing up for you, there isn't going to be enough time."
"Unless we fly up." Sam suggested easily.
"There's no way." Bella shook her head. "My budget is pretty tight at the moment." She had too many expenses for her budget to allow flying up to Florida. That was the life of a single mother.
"I didn't suggest that you pay for it." Sam interjected. "I'll buy the tickets, but on one condition."
"Which would be?" Bella felt apprehensive about his condition. It could be anything and she didn't want to agree before she knew exactly what he wanted.
"I want to come with. I want to help."
"That's not necessary, Sam." Bella declined as politely but as vehemently as she could. "I'm sure Cam and I can manage." She feared the thought of sitting next to Sam on a plane for six hours to and from Florida. What were they going to talk about the whole time? Unless she pretended to sleep.
"I insist. You're going to need all the help you can get."
"He's right, Bells." Charlie took Sam's side. "If you want to get anything done, you'll need his help. You'll need to arrange with the school to find out if you'll be able to come and see them, because I doubt you'll be on time to catch the school open. Maybe there'll be someone who can stay behind after hours to wait for you. But then you'll need to book flights now, so you can leave first thing in the morning."
"Maybe I can email the school now, and try and call them before the flight tomorrow just to confirm an appointment."
Sam ignored them, pulled out his phone and started typing away, for what she wasn't sure. She watched as his brows knit together in concentration and he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth. This was something she still remembered well - this was his determined face. And it looked ridiculously sexy on him, even if she hated to admit it to herself.
"I'll give you gas money for the trip down if you don't get a flight." Charlie offered, pulling Bella's attention away from Sam.
"No, Dad. It's fine, really." She declined, although she could really use the money.
"It wasn't up for discussion." He dismissed her refusal. "I want to help in any way that I can."
"Don't worry about it, Charlie. We won't need it." Sam assured her father with a smug smile. "Got three tickets for a six thirty flight to Jacksonville tomorrow morning. We'll have plenty of time to get to the school, and Bella can even go see her boss and the landlord. We can do it on our way from the airport." He turned his attention to her. "So that's a few less things to worry about."
"That'll mean we have to leave around three tomorrow morning to get to Port Angeles on time." She said. "Doesn't leave us with a lot of time to sleep."
"If that's what we have to do to get things done, we'll just have to deal with it." Sam shrugged. "We can sleep on the plane."
"So, what happened to talking to Emily?" Charlie asked. "Are you still planning on paying her a visit?"
"I'll deal with her when we get back." He assured Charlie. "But my first priority is getting Bella and Cameron settled in."
Sleep was the last thing on Bella's mind when she got in bed just after ten. She knew she should try and switch off, because tomorrow would be a long day, but she simply couldn't.
After Sam had left, promising to pick them up just before three, she called her mom up to tell her about her decision to stay. And like she had expected, her mother was very understanding. At first, she had been a little worried that Bella was making a mistake trusting Sam after everything she'd been through on her own, but when she explained what really happened all those years ago, her mother supported her choice wholeheartedly, even asking if she was going to consider patching things up with Sam.
As gently but as clearly as she could, she told her mother in no uncertain terms that her getting back with Sam was never going to happen. Sure, they could try and build a friendship, but as she had told Sam, too much had happened to just pick up where they left off.
Her mother had offered to start packing up her place the next day, and even though she wanted to do it herself, she knew that she would need help. There was simply too much that needed to be done on their short stay in Florida, that she couldn't refuse. Reneé also said she'd take it upon herself to sell the furniture and appliances that Bella wasn't going to take back to Forks, which would be most if not all of her meager possessions, with the exception of a few things. She didn't want to take too many things on the plane. The more she was taking with, the more she had to pay. Allison's place was fully furnished anyway, and anything she'd need would have to be bought with the money she got for her furniture.
Her mind kept going back to today and how helpful Sam had been. It was proof that she wasn't being a fool for letting Sam into her son's life. He really still was the good guy she remembered him to be. And despite buying the plane tickets and allowing her to stay in his mother's house for free, he didn't ask for anything except to be a part of Cameron's life. And that was a very reasonable demand. Even her mother had said so.
She wondered how it would feel to show Sam a snippet of the life she had lead the last seventeen years? The place where she'd raised their son.
Morning came too soon, and Bella felt tired and anxious for everything that lay ahead for the weekend. Everything was about to change, and it was terrifying to step out of her comfort zone. It had been a big struggle to keep head above water in the beginning, but for the last nine years, things were going pretty well. She had a good job and could support the two of them without any real problems. She couldn't go crazy. Couldn't buy everything they wanted, but she could provide for everything they needed. And that's what mattered most.
Sam had been there just before three like he said, looking well rested. She envied him. How was it possible that he'd been able to sleep so well, when she'd only fallen asleep after one? But then again, he had never struggled to fall asleep in the past. Why should it be any different now?
With the promise of arranging Cameron's transfer at La Push high today, Charlie sent them off, looking just as excited as Cameron and Sam did. And she wondered why she was the only one who wasn't a hundred percent sold on the idea of moving back. They seemed to think that it was a great idea, which made her think that she was the problem, and not them. She had to try and let her guard down.
"Are you still Alpha of the pack?" She finally opened her mouth after half an hour of Sam and Cameron chatting away about the sports they liked, and what they did for fun. Seventeen years back, there was still a debate about the possibility of Jake taking over from Sam when he felt ready.
He turned to look at her, and she almost wanted to laugh at how comical it looked to see him in her car. He looked like he'd been stuffed into the driver's seat, barely any legroom or space to move. "Still Alpha. Jake didn't want to carry the responsibility." Sam explained. "And he said that he didn't have the personality or the characteristics required to become the kind of Alpha that our people needed him to be. He wanted to be free from the pressure and the constant scrutiny from the council."
"Sounds like him," Bella agreed. "It would have changed him a lot."
"I always feel like the bad guy when I have to dole out punishments and make the tough descisions. It would have been nice to have someone else take over."
"But you're the oldest. And you know how to handle them. It can't be easy keeping that rambunctious group in line, but you always did it so well."
"They have their good and bad days. Mostly, these days, they fight with each other because of differences in opinions. But they're honestly a lot less rowdy than they used to be, back in the day."
"What pack?" Cameron asked from the back, leaning in between the front seats to look at the two of them. They had completely forgotten that Cameron didn't know. Wasn't supposed to know. But thankfully they hadn't given much away.
"Uh," Bella struggled to think of a good cover up.
"We're the leaders of the Quileute tribe." Sam explained easily. "And we call ourselves a pack, because sometimes we feel like the guard dogs for our people. If there are any problems, we have to deal with it. Some of us are on the council too, making decisions with and for the people."
"When did that happen?" Bella was surprised but pleased to hear this. It was about time. They deserved a say in their own lives. "What happened to Old Quil, Sue and Billy?"
"They are still part of the Council, but about a year after you left, we went to the council. Told them that we, as the pack, needed to have a place in the council as well. It wasn't fair that they got to decide how we led our lives, when we were the ones protecting them. We had a say too. And they conceded, eventually. Took a lot of convincing, but Billy had been the first to give in. We compromised - they let the two oldest," Sam air quoted, subtly explaining that he was talking about the first ones to phase, "join the council, but included Jake because of his lineage."
"And did you ever win the debate about college?"
"We did, yeah," He smiled proudly at her, "I'm surprised that you remember it."
"Of course I do. I always thought that it was unfair of them to want to hold you back because of your responsibilities."
"That was the main reason we went to the council. We wanted a say in our futures too. If we aren't allowed to further our education, how do they expect our community to ever get out of poverty's claws? They go on and on about prosperity in the community and making a better life for everyone on the Reservation, but they refuse to give the youth a chance to do just that. More businesses in La Push would mean more job opportunities. More money invested in the community."
Bella nodded in agreement. She could tell that this was something that Sam felt very passionate about. This was something he had thought long and hard about. He loved his people. Wanted the best for them, and she knew that he was the best possible Alpha for his pack. She was proud to call him Cameron's father, because if this was the way he cared for people not related to him, how much more would he care about the future of his own son.
"They allowed two at a time to go study." He continued. "Of course, we had to settle for community college. That was part of the compromise, since we couldn't stay away for long periods. But it was better than nothing."
"Who went first?" She couldn't seem to curb her curiosity on the matter. She wanted to know everything.
"Paul and I." He said. "Jared, being Beta, and Jake, at that point the future leader, stayed behind and took command when we were 'occupied'. And I guess that's when Jake ultimately decided being Alpha wasn't for him."
"I still wanted to ask about your business." She interrupted, remembering the sign on his truck. "You were still working for Emily's uncle when I left. When did you venture off to do your own thing?"
"After taking a construction course, I started my own business. And as time passed, I did a few management courses too. I started out alone, and over time, Paul, Jared and Embry came to work for me. I just couldn't seem to keep up with the demand on my own, and since then, the business has really taken off." He cleared his throat, and looked at her. "What about you? Did you finish high school? Did you go and study?"
"Yeah, I decided to finish school back in Florida." She sighed, still remembering the teasing and rude remarks. "Worst time in my life. High school kids can be really mean. But after school, things started looking up again. "She shrugged. "Mom was a great help with Cam. And I worked for about three years after I finished high school to save up for college. Worked during college, too, but I managed to finish my graphic designing course and do a few computer courses. And eventually I got hired to do desktop publishing at a pretty prestigious advertising company."
"I just wish I had known," Sam said. "I could have helped. Made it easier for you, somehow."
"I know that now, Sam. But it doesn't help to resent yourself for things that were out of your control."
"And Mom did a pretty awesome job taking care of us." Cameron added proudly from the back seat, and it warmed her heart to know that he was satisfied with the life she had provided for him. "She's one very strong woman."
"I don't doubt that for a minute." Sam looked her straight in the eye, like he was speaking directly to her.
Bella woke up with a start, realizing that the announcements were on, informing them that they would be descending into Jacksonville soon. She felt a little bewildered, having slept the entire flight. It was so unlike her to fall asleep so easily in an airplane. In any place other than her house or her mom's, actually, but the heat that had radiated from Sam had made it hard to stay awake. What baffled her was how she had ended up with her head on his chest and his arm around her shoulder. There was a little wet spot on his shirt, and she wiped the corner of her mouth, hoping that it was just her sweat, but sure enough, there was drool on her chin. "Oh god," She groaned, feeling horrified. "I'm so sorry." She looked up at him, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck and onto her cheeks. Sam didn't look like he minded at all, midnight eyes soft and intense as he looked at her, and for some reason, her stomach clenched and her pulse sped up. She hadn't seen that look in so many years, and it frightened the shit out of her. She felt so vulnerable around him, and she hated it. And it was too late to get up and go to the toilet to hide, since the seat belt sign was already on, meaning she had to stay firmly stuck in this embarrassing situation.
"Don't worry about it," He waved it away with a chuckle. "I'm just glad you got some rest."
She turned to look at Cameron, feeling ashamed that she'd somehow wormed her way into Sam's arms while unconscious. And he had to witness it. "Did you get some sleep in?" She asked in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
"Nah." He shook his head. "Dad and I talked most of the way."
"About?"
"Oh, you know, about school and sports. Talked some more our hobbies. About Grandma and her terrible cooking skills, and how Phil refuses to let her near a stove. I just had to warn Dad, because if Grandma does attempt to cook this weekend, I want him to be prepared."
"Cam's right." Bella agreed, eyes wide and serious as she warned him too. "Don't think that anything she produces is edible. Believe me, even if it looks good, I can assure you it's not. We've been fooled enough times in the past."
"It's truly a gift." Cameron said. "You should have seen the roast turkey she prepared for us one Christmas. It looked so good. But to this day, I don't know what she did to mess it up."
"She used aloe juice as a basting sauce." Bella chuckled. "And if that wasn't enough, she added some of the juice to the gravy too. We tried to be polite and attempt to drown the meat in gravy just to get it down, but it only made it worse. That was the day Phil had finally put his foot down and banned her from the kitchen. Said there was no way he was going to allow her to mess up such a perfectly good turkey. Or any other food, for that matter."
"At least she tried to cook for you," Sam grinned. "That has to count for something."
"Yeah, but we should never have let it go that far. We were trying to be nice. Tried to eat all her attempts, and it only encouraged her to become more creative. But that was the last." Cameron shuddered. "And if she makes chocolate cake, beware. She adds bay leaves and nutmeg. Says it adds a little kick. But it's truly horrible."
"I'm impressed that you two managed to survive for so long." Sam pretended to sympathize.
"Only thanks to Phil." Bella assured him. "Don't know how he learned to cook so well, but I sure am grateful."
"Mom's cooking is just as good." Cameron said.
"Just as good as Phil's or Renée's?" Sam checked. "Don't want to end up with food poisoning."
Bella playfully smacked his shoulder. "Hey, now. I've cooked for you in the past and you were fine."
"Mom is a fantastic cook. Don't worry." Cameron came to Bella's rescue.
"Yeah, no thanks to Charlie or my mother. Before Phil, I had to do all the cooking, or else we would have starved. And with Charlie we'd have eaten out every night if I didn't cook."
Getting their luggage took a little longer than they thought, and Bella was anxious to get going, so they'd get to the school in time. She had decided to send an email last night, just in case the school secretary had too many appointments to make time to see them. And when she had turned on her phone, she saw a reply. They had an appointment for two o clock, which meant they only had forty-five minutes to get to the school in time.
The girl at the car rental desk didn't help much. When they initially got there, the rental agency had the wrong car. Sam explained to the pretty brunette that he had asked for a spacious sedan, and instead, they had given him the keys to a Chevy Spark.
"Does it look like I'll fit in a small car like that? I'd be wearing it, instead of driving it." He said to the girl. "That's why I specifically asked for a bigger car."
"Yes sir, I see that now. You are quite big." She said and batted her heavy eyelashes at him, cheeks flushed with attraction. Sam was very handsome. Always had been and she knew other women would notice, but was it necessary to flirt so openly? The woman had a job to do, and she was wasting even more of the little time they had left.
"Oh my god," Bella scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning away and stalked over to the seats to wait until Sam and the girl finished flirting. She knew Sam wasn't hers. She had no claim on him, but for some reason she couldn't suppress the jealousy she felt when she watched their exchange.
She was busy typing out a text to her mom to let her know that they were at the airport and would join them a little later, when Sam came strolling over to her, Cameron in tow, and arched a brow at her, lips clenched together as though he was trying not to smile.
"What?" She snapped irritably.
"Nothing," He held his hands up in surrender.
"No, say what you want to say. I can see you've got something on your mind."
"I was just wondering why you were so annoyed back there?" He was now openly smirking at her.
"Because you two were flirting like teenagers." She huffed. "The girl is half your age. And she was anything but professional. And you weren't helping the situation at all."
"Are you jealous?" Sam chuckled and lifted a dark brow in amusement, finding her irritation funny for some reason.
Bella shot out of her chair and grabbed her bags. "No," She glared at him. "Of course I wasn't jealous. You can flirt with whomever you want when we fly back to Forks, but you're wasting time right now."
"Right." Sam nodded, pursing his lips in yet another attempt not to laugh. "Well, let's go then, madam. Lead the way." He gestured with his hand for her to get going.
She took off at a brisk pace, not giving a damn if they followed as she pulled her luggage behind her, muttering under her breath about how much Sam was annoying her. But when she looked over her shoulder at Sam and Cameron, they were silently chuckling together, making her huff and shake her head at them. Men - she'd never truly understand them.
A/N: Leave me your thoughts...