Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Author's Note: Alright, so my computer is back. Everything was wiped out because they needed to fix it, so I had to basically re-create my computer and it is definitely a process. Technology really kicks you in the ass sometimes and I think we can all vouch for that. Hopefully now we can get back to our weekly Sunday updates.
Also, many people have been asking me how many more chapters are left of the story, and sadly we are nearing the end. I would say that there are approximately 8 or so chapters left to go. I previously projected 28 chapters total, but I think it may be cut short a couple chapters. I'm going to be sad when it ends so let's not think about it, okay? :) Enjoy this chapter! You guys are amazing and I tried my best to respond to all reviews for last chapter. Belated, I know, but better late than never!
Edward POV
Nothing compared to the warmth of having Bella in my arms. She belonged there. It felt right, and I found myself instinctively holding her tighter.
"Mmm," I moaned quietly, resting my head on the top of her head as she slept soundly beside me. I didn't want to let her go, so I spent the majority of the night with my arm wrapped around her, holding her close to me.
I had woken up when the sun first rose in the early morning, and once I glanced down at the beautiful woman sleeping in my arms, sleep felt like the most unimportant thing at the moment. I wasn't going to take these innocent touches and caresses for granted because now I knew what it was like to be without Bella and I never wanted to feel that way again. She was everything to me and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how much I loved her.
I kissed the top of her head and she stirred slightly in my arms before lifting her head up and looking at me through sleep-filled eyes.
"Did I wake you?" I whispered, stroking her arm gently.
She smiled slightly and shook her head. "I've been awake for the last fifteen minutes. I just like the way your arms feel around me," she replied softly.
I leaned in and pressed a gently, lingering kiss to her forehead before pulling back and smiling down at her. "You're so beautiful," I murmured, reaching up with my other hand to tuck a strand piece of hair behind her ear.
She rolled her eyes at my sentiment and rested her head on my chest
"You are," I insisted.
"Stop it," Bella scolded playfully.
"I can't."
She looked at me and blushed and giggled before burying her head in the crook of my neck as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
Bella and I had spent the last few days talking, rediscovering our relationship, and figuring out what we had done wrong. It was helping us grow stronger—I could feel it. And I knew we still had a lot to work through, but we were doing it one step at a time like we had planned, getting to know each other all over again, starting something amazingly fresh and beautiful.
Keeping things from Emmett and Rosalie wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I felt a little guilty for keeping them out of the loop, but I thought that we deserved the time to ourselves. After yesterday's events, however—having tortured them for an entire day—it was safe to say that the time was approaching to finally come clean with them.
"You're beautiful," Bella suddenly murmured beside me. I looked down at her and smiled crookedly before kissing her on her plump, beautiful lips.
I shook my head and whispered, "I have nothing on you, love." I stretched a bit and Bella giggled beside me. "I'm gonna take a shower," I announced after a few minutes. I sat up and kissed the side of her face before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
I emerged about twenty minutes later and saw that Bella was no longer in the room. After getting dressed, I headed downstairs into the kitchen where I found Bella, Jasper, and Alice sitting at the table eating breakfast.
"Hey, Edward," Alice smiled, taking a bite of her oatmeal. "There's eggs and bacon on the stove. Jasper made some really good oatmeal, too."
"Thanks, Ali," I said, smiling slightly as I kissed the top of her head and then walked to the stove. I hadn't spent much time with Alice or Jasper upon arriving and that was due mainly to the fact that Bella and I had been separated for the better part of our trip. It was just so hard to be around them, pretending to be a happy couple when we were going through so much turmoil inside.
"Edward?"
I broke away from my thoughts, having realized I had completely spaced out in front of the stove, and looked over at a confused and worried Jasper.
"You alright, dude?" he chuckled, though I could sense the concern in his voice. He placed some bacon on his plate as he regarded me closely.
I nodded. "Yea," I responded curtly, putting some eggs on my plate slowly, hoping he wouldn't question me further.
"Come on, dude, we've known each other basically our whole lives. I know you almost better than I know myself."
"Are you declaring your love for me, Jasper, or just asking me what's wrong?" I quipped sarcastically.
He laughed whole-heartedly, causing Bella and Alice to pause mid-conversation and give us both an odd look.
"Touché," he replied once his laughter had subsided. "But seriously, man. I'm good at reading people. Especially people I know well. Like you. So spill."
"Jazz, I don't get what the problem is."
He let out a heavy sigh before stepping closer and lowering his voice so only I could hear. "Listen, Alice was telling me last night how you and Bella have hardly spent any time with us the entire time you've been here. Now I? I don't mind. I can get over it. But Alice? That sort of thing kills her. She loves you guys." He paused and glanced over at Alice and Bella to make sure they were still fully engulfed in conversation before turning back to me. "And it got me thinking that she was right. You guys have been weirdly distant from us this whole time. I mean, you've spent some time with us for wedding stuff, but other than that you just seem to be…by yourselves. Are you guys just…you know…really active…." he trailed off, leaving his words lingering in the air as I tried to decipher his meaning.
Realization dawned on me instantly. "Oh, Jesus Christ, Jasper! When did you become such a sick perv?"
"I'm not a sick perv, but it makes sense. You guys always seem to be…together…and most of the time alone. I just figured maybe your libidos are working overtime," he defended.
I glowered at him. "Okay, firstly? Our libidos are none of your concern."
He gave me a wry smile. "Well it wouldn't be such a bad thing, Edward. I mean, I bet it'd be pretty fucking fantastic. I know when Alice gets like that, it's just—"
"Alright, dude, seriously?" I interrupted hastily. "I really don't want to hear about you boning my sister."
He shrugged and chuckled again. "Whatever, I digress. So you're sure nothing's up? Alice has been worried since you guys have been so introverted lately."
"Introverted?" I teased lightly.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "I'm a psychology professor, I can't help but use psychological terms from time to time."
"Hey, I didn't say anything," I shrugged, smiling easily. I had missed this banter with Jasper. Bella and I really hadn't spent a lot of time with them and I knew now that we needed to make up for the lost time. "But seriously, nothing's up."
He regarded me for a minute before accepting my response and nodding. "Fine, but spend more time with your sister. When you don't, she's in a bad mood. And when she's in a bad mood, guess who she takes it out on?" he asked rhetorically, giving me a pointed look.
I nodded understandingly before the two of us walked back to the table and sat down.
"What were you guys talking about over there?" Alice asked curiously.
I glanced at Jasper, but his eyes remained focused on Alice's as he smiled at her. "Just guy talk, beautiful," he replied smoothly.
Alice swooned—like always—before composing her features and looking at me. "Edward, I was just telling Bella about tonight. We wanted to go to a club and go dancing. Sounds like fun, right?" she implored, her big eyes getting all hopeful.
I looked at Jasper and saw him glaring at me with a 'say yes or your balls will be in the blender' look. I cleared my throat to cover the strangled cough threatening to escape, before turning to Alice and smiling.
"That sounds great, Alice," I replied sincerely.
Instead of jumping up and down and squealing in true Alice fashion, her eyes grew softer and her smile got a little smaller. It wasn't a sad look, just an appreciative one. If I didn't know any better, I would say she was on the verge of crying.
Was I really that much of a douche that my little sister was almost in tears at the fact that I had agreed to go clubbing with her?
Clearly, I was.
"Thanks, Edward," she replied softly. "Okay!" she chirped, clapping her hands and hopping out of her chair, the real Alice returning in full force. "I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready and then Bella and I are going shopping."
Bella tried to smile at Alice, but it just came out as a grimace. Jasper and I both chuckled as Alice's face fell.
"Bella, you said you'd be a good sport," Alice said calmly.
"Yea, yea," Bella responded, waving her hand at Alice dismissively.
Jasper got out of his chair and laughed quietly, kissing Alice on the head as he walked past her to the sink. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go get changed." He turned and looked at me. "You and I are going with them."
I raised my eyebrows. "Jasper wants to go shopping?" I teased. "Gonna get a manicure, too, Jazz?" I joked, taking a sip from the orange juice Bella had poured for me.
"Ha-fuckety-ha," Jasper retorted, glaring at me as he put his arm around Alice's shoulders and headed out of the kitchen. "Just be ready in five!" he called as they retreated to their bedrooms.
I chuckled and shook my head as I looked at Bella. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared down at her cup of coffee.
"Bella," I started softly. Her head snapped up in my direction and I took in her blank expression. "What's up?"
She shrugged and looked down at the table again, wrapping her arms around her torso. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I reached over and took one of her hands, unwrapping it from her waist and holding it firmly in mine.
"What is it?" I asked.
Bella sighed and shook her head, glancing at me once before looking back at her empty breakfast bowl. "I like when Alice is happy," she murmured quietly after a moment of silence. I looked at her confused, wondering where that statement had come from. "I don't ever want to be the reason she's upset," she continued, finally looking up at me and trying to convey with her eyes what she was trying to say. I still didn't understand. "So let's not tell her," she explained softly, looking straight into my confused eyes. "Or any of them…about what happened. I can't stand to hurt them." She sighed and shook her head, her gaze focusing on my chest. I could always tell when she was trying to avoid eye contact with me.
"You don't want to tell them what's been going on these last three months?" I clarified quietly, not sure how I felt about keeping such a huge secret from our family permanently.
She nodded, and replied a bit shakily, "Yea. I mean, we're okay now, so it'd be pointless."
I took in her logic for a minute, letting her words turn around in my head before muttering a soft, "I…guess…"
"Unless you want to tell them," she amended quickly.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, contemplating. As wrong as it felt keeping this from our families, Bella did have a point. If we had worked things out, then there was no reason to upset anyone. It was over and done and Bella and I were now working through our problems together. Our families knowing wouldn't be a benefit in any way.
I met her worried eyes once again and reached forward with my free hand, stroking the side of her face with my knuckles. "Maybe you're right," I whispered.
She nodded and exhaled a shaky breath before clearing the table quietly and leading me upstairs. I was already dressed for the day so I sat patiently on the bed and watched Bella walk around the room, pulling articles of clothing from the closet or the drawers and placing them on the bed in front of her. The whole scene was oddly soothing. It had been so long since I had watched Bella carry out mundane activities such as getting dressed in the morning and now I appreciated it so much more. The way she moved, the way her eyebrows furrowed in contemplation when choosing a shirt, the way she bit her bottom lip when she regarded herself in the mirror. It was all strangely…intriguing.
"Stop checking me out," she suddenly said, just as she was pulling jeans up and over her creamy legs.
"I wasn't," I claimed, even though at the same time I was staring unabashedly at her ass as she fastened her belt.
"You are," she retorted, laughing softly.
"Can't help it," I mumbled, shaking my head as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed a jacket. "You're amazing."
She halted her movements and stared at me blankly. I finally snapped out of my lust-induced haze and looked up at her, wondering if I had said something wrong.
"What?" I asked stupidly.
"Why are you complimenting me so much lately?" she asked quietly, staring at me to gauge my reaction.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. You're always saying things like 'you're beautiful,' 'you're amazing,'" she pointed out.
"I'm…sorry?" I was far beyond confused now. Did my compliments make her uncomfortable?
She shook her head and bit her lip as she eyed me warily. "If you're doing it as form of apology for everything, Edward…I thought we had gotten over that. We forgave each other, remember?"
"Wait," I stopped her, standing up and walking over to her. "That's not what it's about, Bella. Not at all."
"Then…what?" she asked timidly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Does it make you uncomfortable?" I had to know.
She shook her head quickly. "No. No it doesn't."
I sighed deeply. "I went three months without having you, Bella. The words that come out of my mouth? They aren't manufactured or practiced or even thought of beforehand. They're just blurted out. I guess I just always want you to know what an incredible woman you are. I can't help that."
She stared at me for a few moments before looking down and nodding. "Then, th-thank you," she murmured shyly.
I smiled at her sudden timid-ness and walked closer to her, kissing the top of her head and waiting for her to look up at me. When she finally did, I placed a hand on the side of her face and leaned in, gently pressing my lips to hers in a long, lingering kiss.
"For the record," she breathed against my lips. "I think everything about you is amazing."
I smiled against her mouth before placing one more chaste kiss against it. "Come on," I said, taking her hand. "They're probably waiting."
She nodded and followed me downstairs and to the garage where, like I had predicted, Alice and Jasper were already getting into Jasper's car. We drove in relative silence to the mall and upon arriving, Alice all but dragged Bella out of the car before Jasper and I even had our seatbelts off.
"We'll meet you guys in the food court at one!" Alice called over her shoulder as the two of them entered the large mall. I chucked when Bella looked over at me pleadingly right before they were out of sight.
"Looks like it's just you and me, buddy," Jasper sighed, smiling slightly and patting me on the back as we walked into the mall at a leisurely pace.
"Yea, I guess we're just a ride to them, huh?" I joked.
Jasper chuckled. "Got that right," he mumbled, and I immediately understood the double meaning.
"Fuck, Jasper, what's with you lately?" I demanded, humor evident in my tone as we boarded the escalators to get to the second level.
"What?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"Everything is sexual innuendos and connotations. You're not usually so…vulgar all the time," I reasoned.
He laughed and shook his head. "Well, since you've been so M.I.A. lately, I've been spending a lot of time with Emmett and he's, well…oh come on, you've met him," he deadpanned.
It was my turn to laugh. It was true. Emmett definitely always had his mind in the gutter.
I couldn't help the pang of guilt that hit me at Jasper's words though. Bella and I hadn't really spent too much time with the family aside from dinners or the occasional wedding planning. Granted they were at work most of the time—even though Jasper was a college professor, he was teaching summer school this year. But Bella and I could have made more of an effort—we should have.
"I'm sorry about that, man. Being so distant I mean," I responded quietly.
"No worries," he shrugged. "Point is, you and Bella are only here for a couple more weeks. So let's make the best of it, yes?"
I chuckled at Jasper's ease and nodded. "Sure, man. That sounds good."
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, not really paying attention to our surroundings because we were in deep conversation for the majority of the time. That was one thing I had missed most about Jasper—you could have a real conversation with him.
We met up with the girls at one like we had planned and had a quick lunch. Bella was beyond thankful that they had finished their shopping excursion and I merely chuckled at her tiredness as we headed back toward the car.
"Did you have fun?" I asked her teasingly.
She looked at me and openly glared as I opened the car door for her while Jasper did the same for Alice. "You're so hilarious," she replied flatly.
I chuckled and slid in next to her, wrapping my arm around her as we started back toward the lake house.
"So Rose is manning the store today and Emmett's gonna be at work a little later than usual. He said things came up yesterday and he couldn't get much done," Alice started from the passenger seat. Bella and I exchanged a quick glance at her statement as she continued, "So they're meeting us at the club. You guys want to leave around eight?" she asked, turning to look at us.
"Sounds good, Alice," Bella replied, smiling sincerely at my sister. I wondered if she too had realized what little time we had been spending with the rest of the family, especially Alice and Jasper. Then again, Alice was always the blunt type and could have called Bella out on it while they were shopping.
Alice smiled and turned back around as we finally reached the house. I hopped out and carried Bella's bags for her as we all walked inside. Alice and Jasper went to the den to watch a movie, but I could see Bella was tired so I suggested we go upstairs and take a nap.
"So, verdict?" I implored as I set the bags down in the corner of the room and Bella climbed onto the bed and lay down on her back.
"What are you talking about?" she asked me as I closed the door to the bedroom and went to lie down beside her.
"Shopping day. On a scale of one to ten. How much did you hate it?" I smirked, only joking slightly.
"It wasn't…too bad," she started quietly. "I missed Alice. I haven't spent a lot of time with her lately. She brought it up during shopping and I realized she was right. We really haven't spent a lot of time with them, Edward. And it's their wedding coming up."
I nodded and sighed. "Yea, Jasper lectured me a little bit on that earlier, too."
"All the crap that was going on between us…" she trailed off quietly, looking up at me hesitantly. "And Emmett and Rosalie torturing us…I guess we just didn't have any way to make time for them in between," she shrugged. "Or Esme and Carlisle! Gah, we are so selfish! They all probably hate us," she groaned.
"Hey," I chided softly, lifting her chin so she was looking at me. "What have we been talking about? Letting go of the past, right?" She nodded as I continued, "We both have this problem—not being able to let go of our guilt. But let's try not to think about what we should have done differently, okay? Let's just enjoy the time we have left with all of them now."
She smiled slightly at me. "When did you get so philosophical?" she teased.
I chuckled lightly and lay down on my back, pulling her to me so her head was resting on my chest. "I spent the whole day with Jasper. I always get all deep when I have long talks with him," I reasoned.
"Mmm," she hummed quietly, closing her eyes and snuggling into my chest. "I missed your smell."
"My smell?" I asked, amusement evident in my tone.
I looked down to see her bury her face deeper into my chest as she blushed three shades of crimson. "I can't believe I just said that," she mumbled.
I buried my nose in her hair and exhaled. "Hey, I'm just as guilty of missing your smell, too, love."
She lifted her head and looked at me incredulously. "Oh yea?"
I nodded. "Strawberries," I stated simply.
"Strawberries?"
"Yea," I answered. "Your shampoo. It's always either strawberry or coconut." I paused and sniffed her hair again as she giggled.
"Which one do you prefer?" she asked me, albeit seductively. I was sure she didn't even know how tempting she was always being.
"Both. I like when you change it with the seasons," I replied honestly.
Her mouth dropped open slightly. "You notice the change in my shampoo?"
I nodded. "Of course. You always use coconut in the winter and strawberry in the summer. And then in fall and spring you always mix it up. I never know which one it'll be. I like it that way." I paused and wondered if maybe her ritual had changed over the three months we were apart and my heart dropped slightly. "Do you…still do that?" I asked hesitantly.
She nodded, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "I still do that."
I placed my hand on the side of her face and pulled her to me, kissing her longingly and passionately for a few moments before we finally lay in each other's arms and fell asleep to the sounds of our even breathing.
XxXxX
"Drink it, Edward!"
I shook my head at Alice and downed the shot, grimacing slightly as it burned its way down my throat. The last time I had drunk like this was at Alice and Jasper's engagement party, and that was because Emmett was trying to get me nice and drunk so that Bella and I would hook up.
My pants suddenly tightened at the memory and it didn't help matters that Bella's hand was resting on my thigh. I glanced over at her to see if she had noticed the sudden shift and I saw that she was now blushing.
"What are you blushing for?" Alice asked her, laughing loudly. She was always such a lightweight and never knew when to cut herself off.
"Nothing. It's just the alcohol," Bella replied quickly, taking a long drink from the beer Alice had placed in front of her.
"So where are Rosalie and Emmett?" I asked casually, effectively changing the subject. I hadn't seen or spoken to them since yesterday.
Alice shrugged and looked out at the crowd. When she decided she couldn't see past all of the bodies, she kneeled on her barstool to get a better view. "Oh, they just walked in!" She waved her hand slightly in the air and sat back down in her seat as Rosalie and Emmett approached us.
"Hey, guys," Rosalie greeted softly, sitting in the seat beside Alice as Emmett sat in the one next to Bella.
"Hey, Bella," Emmett greeted her quietly, obviously hesitant in speaking with her.
"Hey, Emmett," she replied just as softly, offering him a small nod as she turned her attention back to her drink and removed the hand that was in my lap.
I grazed her thigh with my hand in a reassuring manner and she glanced up at me quickly and smiled. We spent the first half of the night drinking and reminiscing of our childhoods. It was a little bit awkward because it was extremely obvious that Emmett and Rosalie avoided interacting with Bella and me as much as possible. I could tell Jasper was curious about the distance between us, but he wasn't one to call people out on their shit in front of a crowd. Alice, on the other hand—had she not been so completely inebriated by this point—probably would have.
We cut Alice off midway through the night since she was the only one who was really getting drunk—the rest of us were merely nursing our drinks—and I offered to go get a beer for Jasper and myself since everyone else was good. I was at the bar, paying for the alcohol, when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. Before I could turn around and tell whoever it was to get the hell off of me, I felt warm lips at me ear.
"Meet me in the car. Five minutes," she whispered. Then she released me.
I turned around, my mouth hanging open in shock, as I watched Bella make her way through the crowd of dancing bodies all the way to the exit. The beers were completely forgotten as I abandoned them at the bar and hurried after her. It didn't take long to find Jasper's car where it was parked in the large parking lot. I hesitantly opened the backseat and there was Bella, sitting with her beautiful legs crossed, waiting for me.
"What are you doing?" I asked her, my voice somewhat husky as I slid in beside her.
"I wanted to be close to you," she responded quietly, leaning in toward me and barely touching her lips to mine.
"How did you get in here?" I mumbled against her lips as she climbed on top of me in the small space, straddling my lap. It didn't pass my attention how her dress rode up when she was sitting on me like that and I wasted no time grabbing her ass and dragging her warm body over mine.
"Mmm," she moaned, finally pressing her lips to mine. "I told Jasper I left something in here."
I nodded and continued kissing her as her hands went to the button of my pants. "Bella," I warned against her lips, pulling back to look at her. We were both breathing heavily by this point. "In Jasper's car?" I questioned her, raising my eyebrow. It was actually an enormous turn on that she wanted to throw down in the backseat of a car. We hadn't done that since senior year.
She nodded, her hands now moving to fumble with the buttons of my shirt. "Why not?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly as her fingers trembled.
My hold on her tightened as I pushed her down on my now very prominent erection and she moaned loudly into my mouth.
"I don't care, she's going to talk to us now," Rosalie's stern voice suddenly broke through the heavy breathing occurring between Bella and me. Before we even had the chance to move away from our compromising positions, the back door was pulled open and Rosalie stood there with a hand on her hip. "Yes, Bella, I followed you out here because—"
"Holy shit!" Emmett suddenly shrieked, clasping one hand over his mouth as he took in the scene before him.
Rosalie's mouth dropped open when she finally registered what was going on. It stayed like that for a few seconds, all of us just gaping at each other, too afraid to make a move.
Finally, Bella—blushing like always—awkwardly scrambled off of my lap and all but stumbled out of the car, pulling her dress down. I followed her out and made quick work of buttoning my shirt back up before running a hand through my hair.
The four of us stood there awkwardly, regarding each other, no one really sure what to say next.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence and fidgeting, Emmett finally spoke up, "Are you guys like…into angry sex now? Because, shit, that could really complicate things."
I rolled my eyes at him and Bella crossed her arms over her chest, blushing even deeper—as if that were possible.
"What…you…how…fuck…" Rosalie stammered, pointing at us, clearly flustered.
"Rosalie rendered speechless?" I quipped tightly.
She glared at me. "Alright, what the fuck is going on? What was that?" she demanded, finally regaining some composure.
"What was what?" Bella asked quietly, shrugging and avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"It's a little too late to play coy, Bella. We saw that," Rosalie shot back.
"Saw what?" Bella raised her head and stared Rosalie down. She wasn't backing down and—God help me—my hard-on returned.
I discreetly adjusted myself in my pants and glanced at Emmett, only to see him watching me with his mouth hanging open slightly. "Fuck, Emmett, do you mind?" I snapped at him.
His laughter was ear shattering. "Dude, you're the one trying to hide your little problem there!" he defended.
"It's not little," I bit back.
"Okay, enough!" Rosalie interjected. She turned to Bella and lowered her voice. "Bella, what's going on?"
Bella let out a heavy breath before looking at me. I nodded minutely and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Edward and I," she started, "we, um…we're…"
"Having angry sex?" Emmett suggested.
"No, Emmett," Bella replied, annoyed. "That night on the boat when you guys stranded us, we…we…talked."
Rosalie waited patiently and I realized Bella wasn't comfortable talking about this, so I took over. "We realized that we couldn't go on the way we were. We wanted to work through our problems, and that's exactly what we've been doing," I stated simply.
"You guys have been together since that night?" Rosalie asked, her voice small.
Bella and I both nodded.
"I can't believe you lied!" Rosalie yelled angrily. "How could you do that to us?"
"You hurt us, Rose," Bella pointed out, just as angrily. She dropped my hand and walked closer to Rosalie. "You guys messed with us from the day you found out we were getting a divorce. I know you were just trying to help, I get that. And we're thankful for it because I really do think it helped us figure out what dumb asses we were being. But you took it too far. You know that, right?"
Rosalie and Emmett both exchanged heavy glances before looking back at Bella and me.
"We just wanted some time to sort through everything," I interceded quietly. "Without you guys getting involved. You did help, yes, and we appreciate it. But sometimes you guys took things to a whole other level and it just fucked things up more. Take the engagement party for example. Getting us fucked up so we'd have sex? Really? What was that supposed to prove?"
"It…" Rosalie trailed off, swallowing hard.
"And setting us up with Ben and Angela?" Bella added. "What the hell was that?"
"You guys were together then," Emmett stated evenly.
I nodded. "Yea, we were. And do you know how fucking hard that was for us? Even if we were still separated, that was a really fucked up thing to do. To us and to Ben and Angela," I reminded them.
Emmett nodded before looking at Rosalie. "Rosie?" he said softly, nudging her arm gently.
Rosalie looked up at us, tears filling her eyes. "You guys…everything we did…we thought we were helping. We thought we could make you see. We were so desperate to make you see," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "And when we saw that our plans weren't working, we had to keep stepping it up. It got out of control. We know that. And we don't know how to make it up to you."
Bella had silent tears falling down her face by this point as well and she quickly wiped them away. "I know you guys were just trying to help. And you did…slightly," Bella said, smiling wryly as Rosalie let out a small, tear-filled laugh. "But you put us through hell and back. I needed you to be my friend, Rose. Not someone who was going to mess with my life like that," Bella finished sadly.
Rosalie nodded, sniffing back her own tears and wiping the ones on her cheeks away. "I know. Looking back…ugh, God! I wish I could just take it all back!"
"But if you did, then that night on the boat never would have happened," Bella pointed out softly. "I mean, Edward and I…we would have eventually realized that we needed to talk, but…who knows…maybe you guys spared us months of unnecessary heartbreak by speeding up the process."
Rosalie stared at Bella quietly for a few moments before sighing. "I'm so sorry, Bella," she finally said.
"Me too," she whispered, stepping into Rosalie's slightly open arms and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.
"I missed my best friend," Rosalie murmured against Bella's hair as they held onto each other for a little longer before pulling away. "And my brother-in-law," Rosalie added, smiling at me and walking over. I opened my arms and she wrapped hers around me tightly. "I'm so sorry, Edward," she whispered against my hair.
"I know," I replied. "Me too."
She pulled away and we looked over at Emmett and Bella. Emmett was standing in front of Bella, looking like a kid about to get scolded by his parents.
"Bella…I'm…you have no idea how sorry I am," Emmett said softly, shaking his head.
Bella's face broke out into a small smile as she leaped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Mmm…I love you, Emmett. And I'm sorry, too."
"What the hell are you guys apologizing for?" Rosalie asked Bella and me.
"For keeping this from you," Bella said, confused, as she pulled away from Emmett..
"And being too stupid to see what was right in front of us," I added, looking at Bella intensely.
Rosalie shook her head. "You guys needed time," she shrugged. "I get it. You deserved it for all the shit we put you guys through."
"But as far as being stupid…yea, apology accepted," Emmett joked. I punched him in the arm and chuckled.
"I missed my baby brother," he yelped, pulling me to him way too tightly and picking me up.
"Fuck, Emmett, you're crushing my kidneys," I choked out. He laughed whole heartedly and set me down, patting me on the back as I coughed.
"Okay, maybe we should head in. Alice and Jasper are probably worried," Rosalie said, amusement evident in her tone as she watched the two of us.
"Agreed," Bella nodded. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me.
"Aww, the lovebirds are back!" Emmett bellowed happily as he put an arm around both Bella and me so he was between us. "Hey, here's a plus—you guys can start having sex in the house now."
I burst into laughter. "Emmett, what makes you think we haven't already started having sex in the house?" I asked him, completely amused.
"You guys were just about to get it on in a car," Rosalie pointed out. "Isn't that because you can't do it in the house?" She seemed genuinely confused.
Bella shook her head slowly. "No, it was because I wanted him," she smirked.
"Oh, ew!" Rosalie shrieked.
Emmett moved away from us and stared at us with his jaw hanging open, wondering, "You guys have been screwing in the house? Our room is right next door, how did we not hear?"
"He gags me," Bella shrugged.
"Okay," Rosalie interrupted before it could get any further.
Emmett just stood there, staring at us with a look of horror on his face. It only caused my laughter to intensify.
"No more talk of their sex lives, Emmett," Rosalie scolded before linking her arm through Bella's and heading toward the entrance of the club. "Now, Bella," Rosalie started, "please tell me how you managed to kidnap my dress, get Emmett thrown in jail, and get my car towed all in one day."
Bella laughed quietly and glanced back at me before turning her attention to Rosalie and delving into the full story. Emmett and I were walking behind them and their voices faded away as Emmett started speaking.
"Dude, do you really gag her?" he asked, his voice low as he continued staring at me.
I kept my eyes trained ahead as we walked and my face broke out into a wide smile. "Jesus, Emmett," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I really fucking missed you."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading :)