Disclaimer: I own nothing.
IT'S UP! Finally!! Whooo hoo!!
I want to thank all of you for all your patience and wonderful memos. I appreciate you taking the time to give me a brief note to help me relax and know that you understand. You guys are the best!!
Please Enjoy!
Bella's POV
After explaining to Emmett that I wanted to go to Charlie's, he insisted I sleep at home for the night. I wanted to get away from everything that had happened but I was still nervous and shaky from the argument with Edward. I agreed to stay for the night but I was leaving before the sun came out. I didn't want Edward to show up at my house and assume that he could take the role of Kimberly's father. I wasn't ready and neither was Kimberly.
Rose had helped me pack what I would take and everything was in the car ready to go. It was six in the morning and Kimberly was also up. I had tried not to make noise so that she could sleep in a bit more but she awoke. I had the car on so the heater could warm it up and we could be ready to go.
We had been driving for an hour when Kimberly fell back asleep. The discussion from the previous day lingered in my mind. I didn't know how Edward found out about Kimberly but the point was that he did. He knew and I also knew that he would find out. The coincidences and familiarities were too obvious.
I kept going over and over the discussion that we had and the anger swept through. The thoughts and torments terrified me about losing Kimberly. What if Edward wanted to have Kimberly to himself to redeem for lost time? I shook the thought off and focused on the traffic ahead.
It was early and the drive to Rhode Island would be long.
--
Once in Rhode Island the memories of my childhood flooded my tortured thoughts. The ice cream shop where Emmett and I hung out was filled with younger teens. The park and the markets were filled with people. I could have taken a simpler route to the house but I wanted to see where I had grown up.
"Mommy, we there yet?" Kimberly asked. She had been asleep most of the ride but she had awoken just before entering Rhode Island.
"Almost." I answered cheerfully. I wanted to see my dad, I wanted to be home.
--
I pulled up to the drive way at my old home and turned the engine off. "Are you ready to see grandpa?" I asked Kimberly.
"Yea!" She cheered.
I got out of the car and opened the door for Kimberly.
"Bella, Kimberly!" Charlie walked out of the house and greeted us.
"Gwampa!" Kimberly ran towards him and hugged him.
"Hey kido." Charlie picked her up and walked towards me.
"Hi dad." I was glad to see my dad. I hadn't seen him since before Kimberly went to pre-school.
"I'm so glad to have you both here." He let Kimberly down and helped me take the bags inside.
-
"Look mommy!" Kimberly had already gone inside and was jumping on the couch.
"No jumping on the couch, you already know that." Charlie playfully tackled her down and started tickling her.
"How was the drive?" Charlie asked.
"It was long but soothing." I answered honestly.
"I'm hungwee." Kimberly complained walking toward the kitchen.
"Do you want to go eat out?" Charlie asked. "We can give your mom a break from cooking."
"Yea!" Kimberly cheered.
"Alright but grandpa drives." I replied.
"Drive? We can walk." Charlie added. We didn't live far from the downtown area but I had forgotten how close everything was compared to where we lived in New York.
"Les go!" Kimberly tugged on Charlie's hand and dragged him out the door.
The fresh breeze of an early morning in late October was refreshing. The day was a bit gloomy but streaks of sunshine still shone through the clouds.
The downtown scenery was beautiful like I had remembered. We walked into a familiar family owned restaurant and the same pictures that were up before, were still there. I had missed being home. The last time I was back in Rhode Island I had Kimberly in my arms. She was only months old.
We took a seat at the table and looked over the menu. I ordered what I usually had and got chicken tenders and fries for Kimberly.
We were eating peacefully when my phone started vibrating. It was Alice. I ignored the calls and continued to eat. After the phone wouldn't stop vibrating excused myself from the table and went outside.
I dialed Rosalie's cell phone private and hoped it was her who answered. "Hello?" She answered.
"Rose it's me! Are you alone?" I asked.
"Thank goodness! Yea I'm at home, I couldn't stand Alice. She went to your house in the morning to take Kimberly to school but you weren't there and since we have Kenzo she got suspicious."
"What did you tell her?"I hated leaving Alice out but if Jasper found out I was afraid Edward would too.
"That we didn't know anything about you and that you had only left Kenzo with us because you were too overwhelmed to think about him." That sounded almost true.
"Ok. Well I'm with Kimberly and Charlie right now so I can't talk much."
"Wait, have you told him?" She asked.
"No, we arrived like two hours ago and I haven't had the time."
"Take your time and don't hurry back if you don't want to. Take your time and feel better. Emmett and I have everything under control over here."
"Thank you." I hung up and walked back inside.
My food had gotten cold and I wasn't hungry anymore. Charlie and Kimberly had finished and were ready to leave.
-
If Alice was worried I didn't want to imagine what Edward would do when he found out I left with Kimberly.
I let Kimberly and Charlie play downstairs while I unpacked what we had brought. Kimberly was staying in the bedroom Charlie had prepared for her and Bryant while I stayed in my old room.
The picture on the nightstand caught my attention. It was the picture of Rene and me together the autumn before she past away. I sat on the edge of my bed and held the picture to my chest. "I need you mom." I let my silent tears make small puddles on the picture frame glass. "Why did you leave? I need your guidance and reassurance that everything will be alright."
"Bella." Charlie knocked on the door.
I wiped my tears away and placed the picture back on the night stand. "I could tell something was off when you called last night wanting to come home. I wouldn't have thought anything of it but knowing you, you wouldn't have pulled Kimberly out of school for just a visit. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" He asked, rubbing my back soothingly.
"I'm afraid to lose my daughter." I answered in a low whisper. "Edward's back and he knows about Kimberly."
I hadn't told Charlie about Edward's arrival but now I wished I had. "How long has he known?" Charlie asked angrily.
"He's been back for a while but he found out yesterday." I answered. "I couldn't stay in New York and wait for him to arrive at my house wanting to take part of Kimberly's life. I'm not ready."
"Nobody is going to take your daughter away from you." He assured. "Neither Edward nor anybody is going to force anything upon you. You have been the one person who has looked after Kimberly far beyond thinking of yourself and you are the only one who gets to decide what happens next. If he wants to fight he will get a fight but I promise you no one is taking her away."
I kept staring at my mom's picture and remembered all the times we would sit up and talk about boys. The day Emmett arrived with Edward my mom and I snuck out to the park to talk about him. She was always comforting me and giving me her advice and support. "I miss mom." I picked the picture up and held onto it. "Why did she have to go, I need her! I need mom!" I cried into Charlie's shoulders and held the picture to my chest.
"It hurts me to see you suffering like this. I know you need your mom and it's been hard all these years seeing you and Emmett having to confront life without her; especially you Bella. It's important for a young woman to have her mother by her side and guiding her. You and Rene were very close and it was painful to imagine that I wouldn't be enough for you."
"Don't say that you're the best dad I could ask for."
"What I see in you as a mother Bella, I don't think you see in yourself. You have questioned if you have been good enough for Kimberly but you have been more than enough for her. She looks up to you and she loves you for always being there and protecting her. Right now you're trying to think and be like your mother because she always had your answer but now you are Kimberly's mother and you hold her answer. As much as I hate to admit it, Kimberly needs her father."
She did need him. "It wouldn't just be wrong and selfish of me to keep her apart from Edward but it would be hypocritical. I need Rene with me and I don't have her by my side. Edward is here and I can't make Kimberly go through what Emmett and I have gone through. I know what its like to grow without a parent and I won't make Kimberly go through that. If Edward is here and is willing to be part of her life then I won't oppose it. I wouldn't want Kimberly to resent me for keeping her away from her dad. I tried to be a mother and a father to Kimberly but only he can teach her what a father can teach, like you taught me. I don't know what I would do without you dad but I'm still confused and scared." He wiped my tears away and embraced me. I felt secure in my dad's hug but I wasn't always going to stay there.
Edward's POV
All morning I kept going over the confrontation I had with Bell the previous day. She hated me and I couldn't blame her. I was the man she detested most. Since meeting Kimberly I had wanted to be her father and look after her as my own child. And now that I knew that she was my daughter I wanted to be in her life. I wanted to take her to school and be part of her activities.
Without knowing it I loved my daughter from day one. The affection and charisma I felt towards her was the love from a father to his daughter. But Bella had said I wasn't Kimberly's father. I never nurtured her or looked after her but I wanted to do that now. I wanted to make up for what I hadn't done. It wasn't going to be easy because making it right to Kimberly would be like trying to make it right to Bella.
I debated whether I should go to Bella's house and ask if I could take Kimberly to school but Carlisle and Esme opinionated that it would be bad. Kimberly didn't know I was her father and she would see me like a stranger. I'd have to start easing into her life slowly. I wanted to talk to Bella about what would happen now that I knew about Kimberly and that I wanted to be part of her daily life.
I didn't have her number and Jasper wouldn't give it to me. It was past one and I was desperate to talk to Bella and sort arrangements out.
"Edward?" Jane called.
"In the living room." I answered.
"Hey, have you heard from Bella?" She asked.
"No, why?" I asked confused.
"Kimberly wasn't in school today. But that's probably because Bella felt worn out after the argument you two had."
Had Bella felt so deteriorated that she didn't take Kimberly to school? I wasn't going to wait for tomorrow to find out.
I grabbed the keys to my Volvo and drove to her house.
The windows were closed and her dog wasn't in either. I got back in the car and drove down to the store.
Alice was crying over the counter and Emmett and Rose were sitting by her with worried expressions.
"Where's Bella?" I asked standing on the other end of the register.
"Why the fuck do you want to know Cullen?" Emmett asked angrily.
"Kimberly wasn't at school and I wanted to know why."
"Now you care about the daughter you just found out you have?" Rose asked in disbelief.
"Are they here?" I asked sternly.
"You don't have the rights to demand." Emmett walked around the register closer to me.
"We don't know where she is." Alice cried.
"What? What do you mean you don't know where she is?" How could that be?
"I was going to take Kimberly to school for her but no one was home when I got there and I haven't heard from her."
Rosalie's POV
"She's your sister do you know where she is?" Edward asked Emmett.
"No and if I did I wouldn't tell you. You screwed with her life and what she does is her choice."
"Her choice? She has my daughter!" Edward yelled. "She left with my daughter!"
"Don't yell in my face!" Emmett shoved. "Don't forget that you were the one who abandoned Kimberly. Bella has always protected her and she is safe where ever they are."
"You have known that Kimberly is your daughter for 24 hours out of the four years she has been breathing and you are now worried about her being with Bella. Bella has done nothing but live for her daughter and if she wants to leave with her than she has every right!" This bastard was going to come and demand what territory he did not have.
"Kimberly is with her mother, the only parent that Kimberly knows. Kimberly is never safer than when she is with Bella. That girl will fight for her daughter no matter what it takes." I chuckled darkly at his idiotic image.
"You don't have an opinion in any decision that Bella makes. She has been making every decision in Kimberly's life and what you think or say isn't going to make a difference. Although you might now know, you have no say in the aspect of Kimberly's life."
He wanted to speak up but I interrupted. "Kimberly is the beautiful little girl that she is because Bella raised her. Bella has always thought about her daughter and if Bella decides to include you in her life it will be because she finds it best for her daughter. But for now you respect Bella's decisions and actions."
(A/N) Okay so this is a complete different way of righting this chapter than the way I had it. I tried to recreate the same one that got erased but I didn't like the way it pieced together. Things were missing and the structure wasn't fitting. So I recreated the main elements through a different idea. I hope it's good I'm kind of happy with it.
I hope you enjoyed it. Please give me some feed back!!