Chapter Fourteen: Takes All Night
Carlisle's POV
"Bella, when do you start your job?" I asked as June began and Edward's school year came to an end. It had been almost a month since graduating and she'd said nothing about going to work, and it was starting to worry me.
"Don't know." She shrugged as she got out of bed and got into the shower. I knew when something was bothering her, and I knew when she was lying. I wanted to help her, but I didn't wanna push her either. I hoped with time, she'd tell me and I prayed I could help her with whahever she was dealing with.
"You ready?" I asked Edward as I sat down with him as he ate breakfast before his last few tests for the school year.
"I think so." He nodded. "Bella and I have been busting our butts studying."
"Bella and I?" I laughed.
"Okay I've been busting my butt." He said as he rolled his eyes. "But, she helped a lot."
"You're going to do great." She said happily as she came into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. We watched as Edward got onto the bus for the last time this year and when it was just the two of, she went back upstairs, ignoring me. I decided to give her the space she wanted and went into my office to try and come up with new ideas for next year.
"I'm going out." She told me as the front door opened, but before she could leave, I sprang up and blocked her way out of the house. "Carlisle, please."
"Would you please come with me?" I asked as I pushed her back into the house.
"Do I have a choice?" She moaned as she turned around so she wasn't walking backwards anymore and I led her upstairs. I pushed her past the bedrooms and stopped at a door that was never open very often, and turned the knob. Once the door was open, I heard her breath catch.
"Carlisle..." She breathed as she walked further into the room. Inside were two desks, an iMac placed on top of one, a bookshelf than covered an entire wall, articles she'd written during her summer internships and at school framed and hung on the walls. I'd made it into her office before I even knew what our future would be like together.
"Edward and I weren't sure what do with this room." I sighed as I perched myself on one of the desks. "It was too small to be a bedroom, and he didn't want just a room dedicated to just his piano. I asked if he had any suggestions, and once I'd turned down the whole two he'd come up with, he decided he didn't care that much and left me to figure out what to do with it.
"And, I missed you. So much Bella, I was going stir crazy." I shrugged. "And, I thought by doing this, it would convince me I had nothing to worry about and that you'd be using it one day. That, we'd be back together once graduation came like we planned. I've kept the door shut since I finished it because looking at it just sitting there hurt, but I always knew you'd be here to use it."
"Carlisle, you didn't have to do this." She shrugged. "I could have worked somewhere else, or in our room."
"I told you, I wanted to do it because it was the only way I could be close to you." I shrugged. "I painted it purple, Bella."
"You hate purple." She laughed.
"Not hate...it just isn't a good color to paint an entire room in my opinion." I corrected. "Anyway, I made this for you Bella and I'd hate to see it go to waist. Tell me, when do you start your job?"
I don't know." She answered again and before I could argue with her again, she covered my mouth. Once I agreed I wasn't going to fight with her, she uncovered my mouth and took a deep breath. "I don't know when I start, because I don't have a job."
"You...don't?" I asked. "You lied?"
"I had to." She shrugged. "My parents were never going to let me come here with you if they knew I didn't have any options."
"Bella," I sighed.
"I had a job offer here." She told me. "At a few places. The Trib, Post-Gazette, and at a job at a small Blog site."
"Then, why didn't you take any of them?" I asked.
"Because," She sighed as she began pacing. "I just...well none of them...it was just..." She stuttered. "I'm scared, Carlisle."
"Going into the real world is a scary thing." I agreed. "But, I would have been here with you every step of the way."
"I'm not scared about being out at a job." She explained. "I'm scared of being a big city where I don't know anyone...where anyone could do anything and get away with it." And it suddenly clicked. She was afraid of being attacked again.
"You're afraid you're going to be raped again?" I asked gently as I pulled her into me and held on tightly.
"It's happened in every other city I've lived in." She said as she twiddled her thumbs together. "What's to stop it from happening in Pittsburgh?"
"Bella, you were never attacked by strangers on the street." I whispered. "People you knew and trusted did this, and the chances just happening as your walking down the street are slim to none."
"But that's how it usually does happen!" She cried, tears now streaming down her face.
"Staying in this house and not facing your fears isn't going to do anything for you, Bella." I whispered, cupping her cheeks. "You have to face this. And you have to get out of this house."
"I've been out of this house." She shrugged.
"I mean for more than two hours, hanging out with Edward." I smiled. "Bella, I just want what's right for you and this...staying here isn't it."
"What if it happens again?" She asked as her watery eyes looked right into mine. I brought my thumb up and gently wiped the tear that had fell off her cheek and gave her a soft smile.
"Then, I'm going to be there every step of the way." I whispered. "I'm always going to be here for you, Bella. And I will always protect you."
"Promise?"
"Of course." I smiled as I pressed my forehead to hers. We stayed like this for what seemed like hours before both our stomachs began rumbling.
After that day, I secured a job for Bella at Pitt Magazine. It was right down the street from my building and I knew a few people she'd be working with. I felt good knowing she was there while she was scared and not somewhere down town, far from where I was. It was lonely without her in the house with me all the time, but at least Edward was done with school.
Even though he was barely home because he was getting so popular.
"Dad, can I have money for pizza?" He asked Friday afternoon...the day before we were going to visit my parents for their anniversary. "Kayleigh and I wanna go get something to eat."
"Kayleigh?" I asked. I knew her face and she'd been over a few times with his other friends. It was so funny to see him starting to hang around girls as well as boys, but I didn't think he was starting to hang out with them alone. "Where do you and Kayleigh plan on going?"
"Mineo's." He shrugged. "Come on, please."
"Okay, but I'm not picking you up super late." I sighed. "We're leaving for New York once Bella gets home.
"Deal," He agreed, but not before nearly throwing a tantrum. "So...money?" He asked, holding out his hand like he just expected me to give it to him. "Thanks, see ya!" He called as he ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him. For the first time in a long while, the house was empty and I had it to myself.
After a few hours of doing absolutely nothing and two beers later, Bella was bustling through the door and I couldn't tell if it was excitement to be home, or just be away from the office.
"How was it?" I asked as I kissed her. She sighed as she plopped down on the couch and grabbed my empty beer bottle off the table. I walked to the fridge and grabbed her one and she opened it, and chugged a third of it immediately. "You don't even like beer?"
"That's how much this day sucked." She laughed. "It was just crazy...but in a really good way. You know?"
"Yeah," I smiled, kissing her forehead. "Edward's out with a girl, we gotta swing by the park to pick him up before getting on the road for New York."
"Okay, let me just go put a few things in my bag and change." She smiled as she stood and went upstairs. I confirmed Edward was still at the nearby park, and Bella was done doing her thing within minutes.
Six and a half hours later, I was practically carrying Edward through the door to my parents home. I got him upstairs and into the guest room and he was snoring again in seconds. Since it was late and Bella was up early for work, she was asleep on the bed by the time I was done brushing my teeth and I only smiled as I watched her sleeping.
Ever since I assured her that I was going to be there if anything were to happen, she almost seemed to sleep more peacefully. She didn't toss and turn as much, and she just looked like she wasn't fighting herself anymore. And, I guess it helped that she was waking up at seven in the morning to get to work on time.
"Goodnight, kiddo." My mother whispered as she popped her head through the door. "She asleep already?"
"It was a long drive." I smiled as I walked over to her. It didn't matter how old I was, if I was with her, I hugged and kissed my mother goodnight. "And, she was up early for work."
"I understand." She smiled, grabbing my face and kissing my cheek, just like she'd been doing since the day I was born. "Sleep soundly, Carlisle."
"I will mom." I smiled, tightly wrapping my arms around her. "I love you."
"I love you more." She whispered as I let go. Once the door was shut, I climbed into bed next to Bella and fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, Bella and I were up early making them their anniversary breakfast in bed. It was something I'd been doing since I was old enough to reach the cabinet with the cereal inside. I was this little mama's boy who could barely eat by himself, let alone make breakfast by myself. So, for four years, they ate my Lucky Charms in their beds and I made them watch their wedding video while I sat with them.
"Happy anniversary!" I said as we walked into their room. They both turned over and smiled at us, and took their time sitting up. "How long has it been?" I asked. "One hundred, right?"
"Forty you loser!" My father yelled as he took a bite of his pancakes. "You can't cook, Carlisle so this means...she made them?" He asked and I still cringed a little bit by the way he said 'she' instead of her name. He was being civil and he wasn't calling her a whore anymore, but he still didn't like her. Especially after moving to Pittsburgh.
"Yeah, Bella's a pro at making breakfast." I smiled, squeezing her hand.
"Well, it is my favorite meal of the day." She laughed. After a few more compliments of how good they were, we left the room to wake Edward up. When I opened the door, he was moving around under the covers with his head under his sheet and I knew he was up to something.
I went over and pulled the covers down and caught him red handed with my phone...again.
"Edward," I scolded. "What are you doing?" I sighed, snatching the phone out of my hand.
"You won't let me have a real phone until high school." He shrugged. "The one I have only has a few minutes, and I have to use them to contact you."
"Exactly, so why do you think stealing my phone is okay?" I asked.
"Because, I'm turning fourteen soon, dad." He sighed. "This isn't the eighteenth century anymore...everyone my age has a phone."
"Well, you'll get one." Is sighed walking over to him and ruffling his hair. "Be patient. Who were you texting so furiously anyway?"
"Nate." He lied, and I went in and read the recent history and raised my eyes brows at him.
"I had no idea how deeply you felt about Nate's eyes."
"Dad!" He yelled in embaressment.
"That's what you get for stealing my phone!" I called as I closed the door shut. By the time I changed, my mother and Bella were already in the kitchen, starting to prepare some of the food for the party that night. It wasn't anything big, and it was at a nearby park, but my mother insisted on doing the cooking herself.
"Can I help you with anything?" I asked as I washed my hands.
"Can you start prepping the salad?" Bella asked, handing me a few heads of lettuce.
"I sure can." I smiled as I grabbed a knife from the drawer.
The three of us worked until the last possible second before they had to start getting ready. I made sure everything was packaged and ready to put into the car before I went up to shower and get ready. When I walked into our room, Bella was hunched over the dresser, looking in the mirror and applying the make up she didn't need.
"What are you doing?" I asked as I walked over to her.
"Make up." She shrugged.
"Why?"
"Because I am." She laughed, elbowing me in the stomach.
"You don't need it!" I called as I grabbed my towel and got into the shower. Once I got out and went back into our room, she was even prettier than she was when I went in. And, she was wearing work our shorts and one of my t-shirts when I left. "You look gorgeous." I whispered. She was wearing a blue and white dress and was pulling red flats out of her bag.
"Thanks," She smiled as she handed me my shorts and shirt to change into. Once I was dressed and my hair was dry, we headed back downstairs. My dad and Edward had taken care of everything else and we were just waiting on my mother to come downstairs to leave.
"Okay, lets go!" She squealed cheerfully as she grabbed my fathers hand. We drove down the road to the park where an old family friend was waiting to help set things up. By the time we were done, I was pooped and didn't even wanna think about another five or six hours here.
However, when I saw the familiar Jeep pulling into the parking lot, I got a second wind and was actually running towards got out of the car, looking thinner than the last time I saw him and met my pace and ran towards me too.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as we clapped each other on the back. I didn't care how gay or girly we looked right now, I hadn't seen him since I left in October and it was killing me just as much as it was killing me not having Bella around. "Where are the Charlotte and Claire?" I asked as I saw Rosalie pull only one baby from the back
"The twins stayed with Rosalie's parents." He smiled as he let go. "It was too long of a drive to have all three babies with us. Plus, Claire can't be in the car for more than an hour before she goes off like a nuclear bomb."
"Edward was that way." I laughed as I went over to Rosalie. I took Ariana, who was even bigger than when I left her, from her arms and spun her around. "Hello, little girl. Remember me?"
"Car..." She eventually got out, touching her small cheek to my face. She giggled as she felt my stubble and didn't stop laughing until Rosalie came and took her back.
"I can't believe how big she got." I mused as Rosalie went over and said hi to Bella and my parents. "I mean...three in October."
"You and me both buddy." He laughed as we went over and grabbed a beer from the coolers. I watched as Bella grabbed Ariana from Rosalie and threw her up in the air, enjoying every second. "She's gonna be a good mom."
"She already is." I smiled as I watched Edward walk up to her and started talking to him about something. "I'm really glad you came."
"Yeah, well...it's been a while." He nodded. "I mean, we didn't have very much time when you were here for graduation."
"It was hectic."
"I get it," He laughed. "You put up with me when Rosalie and I got back together after that long...long break the second year working at NYU."
"You're right," I laughed, clanking our bottles together. "You owed me."
As the party went on, and more people I knew showed up, it didn't seem to drag on like I thought it would. Once it got dark enough, Bella plugged in the lights and lit the tiki torches that were set up around the lot and it was magical. Before I filled a glass with champaign for my speech, I checked my shorts pocket, making sure it was still safe.
Once everyoe had a glass of champaign in their hands, I clanked my fork against my glass, gaining everyone's attention.
"Umm, hi everyone." I greeted as I looked out at everyone. "I just want to congratulate my parents for forty years of marriage. I know that those forty years have been filled with nothing but love and happiness. Helen Keller once said The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched; they must be felt and I know that is very true when it comes to my parents.
"These two people I call mom and dad have always been my rock in whatever I did and it's because of them I was able to build a life for myself. Without them, I wouldn't be half the dad I am and I probably wouldn't even know what love really meant...I might not even know what love is.
"Anyway, they've taught me a lot of life lessons like never obey and trust your parents...had to learn that one the hard way." I laughed. "To being passionate about what you love to do. For some odd reason, I fell in love with the human mind and it's because of my parents encouragement that I decided to major in psychology and have a wonderful job.
"But, the most important thing they taught me...was how to love someone. They taught me that love isn't always what you think it will be and that in the end, it really is enough to get you through anything." I said. "But, they did teach me something that...I didn't think really was true and I wished I'd listened to them.
"They told me to not settle for a spouse. They told me to wait until that perfect girl came along and my dad told me that he knew my mother was the one for him when he saw her every single day...and every single time he saw her his heart rate picked up and his knees buckled. I loved my first wife very much, but that didn't happen and it didn't last like it should have.
"But, a few years ago, I met a girl that does happen with." I smiled as I walked closer to Bella. "I lose my balance when she walks into a room and Bella, I couldn't imagine not having you in my life anymore." I smiled as I reached in my shorts pocket, pulling out the little black velvet box.