While You Loved Me
Author's Note: OK So I still feel like writing so here's the next chapter…I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but copies of all of the Twilight Saga Books and DVDs, All of the works of Nicholas Sparks and the DVDs of his books turned into movies, and the Rascal Flatts CD that had "While You Loved Me" on the track list.
Chapter 7
Junior's POV
Bella continued her life at home in Atlanta after her graduation from Sarah Lawrence with Edward, who now was the manager of the most successful bank in all of Georgia, planning her wedding and preparing for the life she dreamed of with the man of her dreams. Well not REALLY the man of her dreams, but the man her parents dreamed of her settling down with. She loved Edward, that goes without saying, but a big part of her still wondered "what if". What if she and Emmett HAD of worked out and ran away together that summer?
She brushed all of the thoughts of yesterday out of her head and began to focus on the here and now. She owed it to herself and to Edward to be fully committed to him and their upcoming marriage. She began to really get into planning their wedding, and the closer the day came the more excited she became. It was a month before their wedding and she was trying on Wedding dresses when her mother came in to show her the front page spread in the newspaper detailing her engagement to Georgia's most eligible bachelor.
"Isabella, darling, that dress looks stunning on you." Renee said, holding the paper in her hand as she looked at her daughter standing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress.
"Edward's going to take one look at you and just DIE" Alice, her old friend who moved from Gatlinburg to Atlanta after Jasper died in battle, said.
"It IS a beautiful dress, isn't it?" Bella gushed, grinning from ear to ear. "I still find it hard to believe that I am only a month away from being Mrs. Edward Cullen."
"Enjoy it, darling, you only live once." Her aunt said.
"What's that in your hand, mother?" Bella asked her mother.
"Oh! It's the newspaper, they were talking about your engagement…ON THE FRONT PAGE!" Renee exclaimed and everyone, including Bella squealed.
Bella took the paper from her mother and opened it to the article detailing her engagement and upcoming wedding to Edward when she spotted a picture in the corner of the page with the heading "Gatlinburg Man restores Pinhook Plantation" with a picture of Emmett standing in front of the old house where they spent their last night together, beaming proudly. In that moment, Bella was overwhelmed with emotions upon seeing Emmett again even if it was in print and she passed out right there on the spot.
A couple of hours later, Bella woke up in a cold bath tub and sat there for a while not wanting to talk to anyone about what caused her to pass out. Her mother thought it was all the press about her engagement to Edward, in reality it was the fact that Emmett finished what he told her he was going to do so long ago. It had been 3 years since she last saw or spoke to Emmett and seeing him in the paper, beaming proudly, made her want to see him again even if it was just to see if he was doing all right. She made the decision here and there to make a special trip back to Gatlinburg and on to the small town of Calhoun less than an hour past the town where it all started. She called and made reservations at the local bed and breakfast in Gatlinburg and went to tell Edward that she was going away for the weekend. He was in a meeting when she got to the bank but he excused his fellow bankers to speak to her.
"Isabella, love. What brings you here today? Not that I am not glad to see you." Edward said once his associates were out of the room.
"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting." Bella said kissing Edward lightly on the lips.
"Oh, it's fine, love. We were just talking budget reports and the like, things that will still be there after we are finished here." He said with a smile, pulling her close.
"I came to tell you that I need to go away for the weekend." Bella said, afraid that he was going to question her.
"What for, love?" Edward asked.
"With planning the wedding and everything, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed. I need to get away and clear my head for a few days, it's nothing bad." Bella said with a sincere smile even though she was being anything but sincere about her intentions to the man she was supposed to be marrying.
"I understand, love. You have been too stressed out lately. Go and enjoy yourself for the weekend but come back to me so that we can get married, ok?" he said kissing Bella lightly on the temple.
"I will, I love you." She said with a smile and went home to pack for her weekend in Gatlinburg.
She wasn't sure what to expect when she got to town. She drove to the bed and breakfast to drop off her bags and sat on the trying to think of what she would say to Emmett when she saw him again. The next morning she made the 30 minute drive to Calhoun and pulled up in front of Pinhook Plantation. She was in awe at how different the house looked since the last time that she had been there. Like what she told Emmett so long ago that she wanted, there was a large wrap around porch and blue shutters with a red front door. It was breathtaking.
She got out of the car and stopped when she saw Emmett come out of the house and lean against the railing of the front porch. He didn't say anything to her, she wasn't even sure if he recognized her. She got the nerve to move and stepped toward the house.
"Emmett? I…um…I saw your article in the paper about you finishing the house. I just wanted to come see it myself." Bella stumbled over her words. Emmett didn't say anything, just the shock of seeing her again left him speechless. "It looks nice. I like what you've done with the place. I…um…yeah. I'm a stupid woman, I'm just going to go now." Bella continued to ramble before turning to head toward her car.
"Wait!" Emmett finally said and Bella stopped where she was, turning to look at him. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" he asked.
"I'd love that." Bella said softly before following him inside.
Once they were inside Emmett made them a dinner of breakfast foods, just like his father had the night that she met him, and they caught each other up on their lives since the last time they saw each other. Bella left out the fact that she had a fiancée at home, she wasn't sure why though.
"Do you recognize this room?" Emmett finally asked as they were finishing their beer and wine after dinner. Bella looked around and gasped.
"Is this…"she started to ask and he tipped his beer toward the piano in the corner that he had fully restored. "Oh wow." Was all Bella could say. Things got a bit awkward after that and so Bella decided to call it a night. Before she left, Emmett stopped her once again.
"Will you come back tomorrow? There's somewhere I want to show you." He said.
"Sure, I'll come back in the morning." Bella replied with a shy smile and Emmett grinned back at her, the dimples she fell in love with so long ago gleaming at her.
She went back to her room at the bed and breakfast that night and after making a call to Edward letting him know she was ok, she went to sleep. She found herself dreaming of Emmett and was excited about seeing him again the next morning.]