Let Love Lie
Chapter 17 - Gone
BPOV
It's been about thirteen months since Tony was introduced to this world.
Alice had her baby about five months after I did. A beautiful baby girl named Ashley.
Emmett and Rose moved back to Forks a few months back. Their apartment was too small for the three of them so they bought a house in Forks. Jasper and Alice moved back about a month ago seeing as Alice can work from home and Jasper wants to be closer to everyone.
I don't really want to move back with James out of jail. I feel safer here in Seattle. Edward is very understanding with my reasoning and wants what will be the best for me. Nobody wants a repeat of my horrible anxiety. I can tell, though, that Edward really misses his sister and her children.
"Come on, Babe, we've got to go if we're going to make it to Forks by dinner," Edward calls as he comes into the apartment.
We are spending the weekend in Forks to celebrate Dad's retirement. Mom finally convinced him to put his badge down for good. If only convincing Edward was as easy. I'm not pestering him about it, though. Whenever I bring up my distaste about his job he gets angry and we end up fighting. The only good thing about it is the make-up sex.
"Bella, come on, we have to go," Edward walks in with Tony in his arms. Tony's gotten so big. He weighs nearly thirty pounds. I pick my head up off the table and look at them.
"Ma!" Tony cries happily, clapping his tiny hands.
"No, you're supposed to say Dad," Edward frowns.
"Hi, Baby," I smile. I get up and take Tony from Edward's arm. Tony only knows how to say no and mama. Edward isn't too thrilled with Tony's choice of first words but he is ecstatic, nonetheless, that he is beginning to talk.
We walk out to the Volvo and begin our trip to Forks.
"What do you think Alice and Rose have for me to wear this time?" I question with a hint of bitterness. I'm never allowed to dress myself for things like this. I mean, I love my sisters to death but id like to wear what I went once in a while.
"I don't know, but that dress you wore to the last retirement party was sexy as hell."
"Edward!" I scold and look in the backseat where Tony is fast asleep in his car seat.
"What? He's sleeping."
"Still," I say and turn back to face the front. I cross my arms and look out the window. "Besides, I don't own that dress anymore," I add with pursed lips.
"Throw it out?" he furrows his eyebrows.
"Burned it. Along with the purse. Threw the shoes out though. I didn't want to remember that night." Even though I wanted to forget, I remember that night clearly. I also remember burning the clothes in my backyard.
I stand in front of the fire pit in my backyard clutching my dress to my chest tight. You can do this, Swan, I think. I've tried almost ten times to burn this dress, trying to convince myself that some of the pain will be lifted. I close my eyes and sigh.
"Three, two, one," I whisper, my eyes still closed, arms extended, and drop the dress into the flames with the clutch bundled in it. I open my eyes and watch the flames engulf the fabric.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I sink to the ground, sobbing silently.
"Shoot, sorry, that was inconsiderate of me to bring that up," he frowns.
"Hey, don't worry about it. We're past that, remember?" I smile. I grab his hand and entwine my fingers with his.
XOXO
"There's my Boo-Bear!" Mom squeals as she comes out to the Volvo. She takes Tony out of his car seat and starts retreating into the house.
"Mom, his diaper may be dirty," I start but she's already in the house.
"So," Edward says awkwardly. "I see we're welcome here." He grabs our overnight bags and walks with me into the house.
"Mom, what'd you do with my son?" I call when we get in the house. I walk in the kitchen and see her feeding him Cheerios. "Hey, don't give him too much," I say. "He won't eat his dinner."
"Oh, don't worry, Bella, a little spoiling is good for him," she says as he takes another Cheerio from Mom's hand.
Dad walks into the room and kisses my temple before shaking Edward's hand.
"Renee, stop feeding the poor kid. I swear, every time you see him you shove food in his face," Dad grumbles.
"Oh stop, Charlie. Don't tell me you weren't the same way with Bella. Every day when I got home from work there were multiple Popsicle wrappers in the garbage. At least Cheerios are good for him," Mom scoffs. Tony signals that he wants more by opening and closing a fist when Mom's hand is empty.
"No more, Baby," I coo at him before taking him from her arms. One sniff and I can smell his dirty diaper. "I'm going to go change his diaper," I say before walking out of the room and up the stairs with Edward close behind.
We walk into my old room, which is where we're staying, and Edward hands me the diaper bag before setting our overnight bags on the bed. I lay Tony down on my old desk and change his diaper.
"I'm going to the bar with your dad tonight," Edward says from the bed. I finish strapping the diaper on Tony before looking over at Edward, confused.
"Since when do you guys go get drinks?" I ask. He shrugs, an indifferent look on his face.
"I guess there's a first for everything."
Later that day, Rose and Emmett come over with Jackson. We all hang out in the living room while Jack and Tony play together.
"So, Pops, what are you going to do with all your free time?" Emmett asks as he stretches his arms across the back of the couch and extends his legs, crossing his ankles.
"Fish," Dad says happily.
"You will not be spending all of your time fishing, Charlie," Mom scolds. "You can help around the house," she smirks. Charlie huffs and leans back in the loveseat.
Tony stands up and comes over to Edward and me.
"Ma!" he cries happily, showing me the toy motorcycle he has.
"Still hasn't said Dad yet?" Rose asks.
"No," Edward pouts. I pick Tony up and set him in my lap. He holds the motorcycle up to Edward.
"Say dada," I coo encouragingly. "Say dada!"
"No," Tony says, shoving the toy farther towards Edward. Emmett belts out a loud laugh at the frown on Edward's face.
"Thanks, Buddy," Edward says and takes the toy.
"Voom," Tony says and my eyes go wide. Emmett starts laughing again.
"Man, Eddie boy, he just does not want to learn how to say Dad."
"Yeah, Buddy, the motorcycle goes vroom," Edward smiles.
"That's word three," I smile.
"Voom, voom!" Tony claps his hands happily.
"That's like Daddy's bike," I say to Tony.
"Speaking of which, Eddie boy," Emmett pipes in. "Where have you been keeping your bike?"
"It's at my parents' house, parked in their garage. Bella and I thought it would be best that I stick to the Volvo for now seeing as we have Tony."
"You can't just take it for joyrides?" Rose quirks an eyebrow.
"I take it for joyrides when I come to Forks. It makes coming here even more appealing," he chuckles.
"Oh please, we all know you come here to see Charlie and me," Mom giggles.
"You guys make this trip worthwhile," Edward chuckles.
"Well, we're going to head out, it's time for Jack to get to bed."
"No," Jack whimpers. "Stay with Gamma."
"You'll see Grandma tomorrow, Baby," Rose says as she picks up a now fully crying Jackson. Upon hearing Jackson cry, Tony starts crying.
"What's wrong, Buddy?" Edward chuckles and wipes some of Tony's crocodile tears away.
"He's getting tired too," I say as I hold onto Tony and stand up off Edward's lap. "I'm going to take him upstairs." I say goodnight to Rose and Emmett before taking Tony upstairs and changing him into his pajamas. Edward comes up with a bottle and hands it to me.
"Your dad and I are going to head out," he says as I sit in the rocker and begin rocking before holding the bottle to Tony's mouth. He holds it between his tiny hands and starts drinking the milk, his eyes on his daddy.
"Don't drink too much, please," I say softly. "I don't want a hung over boyfriend at my dad's retirement party tomorrow," I add with a smile. Ever since I got pregnant, calling Edward a boyfriend and proved insufficient. He's more, so much more, but there's no word for it without sounding like a sap. He's my true love, soul mate, the only man I'll ever love, all of the above, but I can't just say that to people without getting weird looks.
"I'm not planning on drinking much. I'll be back in a few hours." He comes over and kisses my lips before kissing Tony's forehead. "Love you both."
"And we love you too," I smile. He walks out and Tony whimpers a little but doesn't stop drinking. His big green eyes look at me before looking down at the bottle, closing a little more as the moments pass. By the time he's finished with the bottle his eyes are closed and he lets out a sleepy sigh. I set the bottle down and stand, carrying him over to the crib Mom and Dad bought for our visits. It's nothing spectacular, just something that'll work for our visits. I walk over to our bags and grab Tony's blanket and teddy bear. I walk back over to the crib and he takes the bear, tucking it under his arm, and I cover them both with the blanket.
"Goodnight, Tony. Mama loves you," I smile before walking back over to the bag. I pull out the baby monitor and set it up before flicking the light off and walking downstairs with my half of the monitor.
Mom is in the kitchen cleaning up the mess we made from dinner.
"Is he asleep?" she asks without looking up.
"Sound asleep. He's just like his daddy; he can sleep through anything," I smile.
"Have you and Edward talked about marriage lately?" she asks, not accusingly but genuinely curious.
"No," I frown. "I think I turned the subject down too many times."
"What do you mean?" Mom asks as she dries her hands off on a dishtowel before sitting at the kitchen table, motioning for me to join her.
"He's brought the subject up a few times. But every time he brings it up I make an excuse not to talk about it."
"Why? I mean, you seem like you want to marry him."
"I do! God, I do, so much it hurts. But I've just been scared. I've been letting my insecurities get the best of me. It's been a few months since we've talked about it."
"Why don't you bring the subject up? He may think that you don't want to get married because you keep avoiding the subject. Bringing it up yourself will let him know that you want it to happen."
"I guess I never really thought of that," I shrug.
EPOV
"Alright, Cullen, what's the story behind us getting drinks tonight? Poor Renee almost had a stroke because this surprised her."
"Yeah, same with Bella," I say and take a swig of my beer, trying to think of how to approach the subject I want.
"Spit it out, boy, I don't have all night," Charlie encourages, almost impatiently.
"I want to ask Bella to marry me. Tomorrow night," I say getting right to the point. Charlie is silent, taking a long pull from his beer.
"Do you have a ring?" he finally asks. I reach into my pocket and pull out the square velvet box, opening it to show the ring to him. It's simple, which Bella will love. It's white gold with a single princess cut diamond. Charlie whistles, impressed.
"So do I have your permission?" I ask hopefully.
"You had my permission the day you knocked her up," he says, meaning to sound lighthearted but coming off as accusing. I wince slightly before putting the ring away.
BPOV
Sometime during the night I feel an arm snake around my waist. It pulls my back flush against a chest.
"What time is it?" I mumble.
"Nearly 11:30," Edward answers softly.
"How'd it go?" I yawn.
"Great," he says with a smile in his voice.
"That's great," I mumble.
Edward starts kissing my neck, making me giggle as his stubble runs across my skin. His hand snakes from my stomach to my crotch, cupping his hand around it.
"Edward, we can't," I hiss. He groans in protest but removes his hand, placing it back on my stomach. His lips still assault my neck on their journey to my jaw, then to my lips. He shifts so he's leaning over me, his arm supporting his weight. When he pulls apart we're both breathless.
"I love you," I say, hoping he won't be angry with me for saying no to sex.
"I love you," he murmurs before kissing me again. When he pulls away he lies back down and buries his nose in my hair. "Goodnight, Baby," he mumbles.
"Goodnight," I sigh before closing my eyes.
XOXO
The next morning Edward and I pitch in to help set up for Charlie's party. We're hanging banners and making, and spiking, punch, and ordering food to be brought in.
By the time we're finished the party starts full swing. Edward is really enjoying seeing his old coworkers and showing off his son to them and their families.
"Cullen, you've got yourself a future cop," one of the officers, Officer Crowley, says. I never really liked Crowley. It could be because the last time I saw him he made remarks about my and Edward's break-up.
"Oh no he doesn't," I smile and take Tony from Edward. I kiss Edward's cheek before walking to find my mom.
"Well there's a face I haven't seen in a while," Jake says from behind me. I turn and smile at him.
"Jake, hi!" I grin. "How have you been?" Jake and I distanced ourselves from each other for a few months after the phone call we had where I told him I was pregnant. He called me out of the blue about three months after and apologized, saying he felt terrible for being a dick.
"Good," he smiles. "Great, actually. I proposed to Leah." Leah finally convinced Jake that she was over her past boyfriend and that she wanted to be with him so now they're together. They have been for about a year now.
"And?" I grin.
"She said yes," he beams.
"Jake!" I grin happily and hug him one-armed due to the child in my arms.
"This must be Tony," he says once we pull apart.
"Yep, this is my little guy," I smile at Tony. He's looking at Jake with big green, curious eyes. "Tony, this is Jake," I say in a soft voice. "He's Mommy's friend. Can you say hi?" Tony just hides in my hair.
"He looks just like Edward," Jake notes.
"Edward couldn't deny being Tony's dad if he tried," I laugh.
"Is he talking yet?"
"He can say mama, no, and he just started saying vroom yesterday."
"Jake, there you are," Leah says as she walks over. "Oh hey, Bella," she says with a fake grin plastered on her face.
"Hi, Leah," I smile as sincerely as I can.
"Oh! Look at the ring Jakey gave me! We're engaged!" she says as she waves her hand in front of my face.
I move my head back a little before saying, "Wow, that's gorgeous. Congrats." There's not much enthusiasm in my voice. As happy as I am for Jake, I can't seem to express it with Leah around. I also can't help the nagging voice in my head that tells me I could have a ring on my finger if I would stop avoiding the subject every time Edward brings it up.
"Well don't sound so excited," she scoffs. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
"I'm excited for you guys, really, I just," I start but she's not finished.
"I mean, just because you've been with your man for a few complicated years and he still hasn't given you a ring doesn't mean you can't be happy for me," she rants.
"Leah, Babe, that's enough," Jake says, stopping her.
"It was nice talking to you guys. Congrats," I say before walking away. I walk into the kitchen where Mom is refilling the food plates.
"Need some help?" I ask, adjusting Tony on my hip so he's less strenuous on my arm.
"No, Honey, I'm fine. But why are you hiding out in here?"
"Hiding out? I'm not hiding out," I lie. She looks over her shoulder with a quirked eyebrow.
"I had a run in with Leah." I set Tony on the counter in front of me, giving my arm a break.
"What happened this time?" she sighs, going back to rearranging the food to look presentable.
"She was just waving her ring in my face and rubbing it in that I'm not engaged," I purse my lips.
"Don't pay any attention to her, Bella. Marrying her will be the stupidest thing Jake will ever do and don't you go repeating that to anyone," she says pointedly. "You have a beautiful son and a boyfriend who loves you more than life itself. You are so incredibly blessed to have them both in your life. Don't let what Leah says bother you. And remember what we talked about last night."
"I remember," I say as I take my bracelet off and give it to Tony who promptly puts it in his mouth.
"Don't let him chew on that, give him his teething rings," Mom scolds. She picks up the platter and walks out.
"You love Mommy, don't you," I smile as I pick my son up.
"No," Tony grins. "Voom," he says.
"You're being silly," I giggle and walk out of the kitchen. I take him upstairs to get him his teething rings and get my bracelet back. "May as well check your diaper while we're up here," I say.
"There you are," Edward says as I'm pulling Tony's wet diaper off him.
"Yeah, I had to get his teething rings and change his diaper," I say without looking at him. I rummage through the diaper bag and find we only have one diaper left. "And we're out of diapers," I sigh.
"I'll go out and buy some," he offers. I finish putting the diaper on Tony, pull his pants up, pick him up and turn my attention to Edward.
"Thank you," I smile and walk over to kiss him.
"You're welcome," he smiles back. He grabs his wallet, phone and keys before kissing my lips again. "Be right back. Love you."
"That makes one of you," I say jokingly. "Tony told me no when I asked him if he loved me." Edward just laughs and kisses Tony's head. "Love you too." He winks at me before walking out.
I take Tony down to the party and Alice immediately takes him from me.
"You're hogging my nephew," she complains.
"He's my son you know," I laugh.
"That doesn't mean you can hog him," she giggles.
"Where's Ashley?"
"Where do you think? With Jasper. He's already wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger."
"You painted her nails?"
"Of course," she says. "This is me we're talking about." I just laugh and shake my head. Riley, who is now seven and in third grade, comes over to us.
"Mom, can I have a Coke?"
"One," she says. "Or else you'll never sleep tonight."
"He's so big," I say in awe. "How did the three year old I met turn into that?"
"Trust me, if I knew I would tell you. It seems like just yesterday he was playing tag with you and Edward." I nod in agreement. "Speaking of which, where is my brother?"
"He went to get diapers about ten minutes ago." Riley comes back with a can of Coke and stands by Alice.
"How's school going?" I ask him.
"It's boring," he shrugs. "We do the same things everyday. I know everything we're doing."
"Well that's good. It should be easy then."
"Too easy," he sighs.
"Riley just joined a soccer team," Alice says proudly.
"Did you? Is that fun?"
"It's tons of fun. The guys on my team are so cool," he gushes. "We have a game coming up. You and Uncle Edward should come," he says with a smile. He stopped calling Edward Eddie about a year ago.
"Yeah, sure," I smile and nod.
A few hours later everyone trickles out and Edward still hasn't come back from getting the diapers.
"Hey, Dad?" I say as I walk into the kitchen.
"Yeah?" he asks with his head in the fridge.
"Charles, get out of there. You don't need anymore food!" Mom scolds. Dad grumbles before standing up straight and closing the door, giving me his undivided attention.
"Have you heard from Edward?"
"No, I haven't; why?"
"He went to go get diapers three hours ago and he's still not back and I haven't heard anything."
"I'm sure he probably just ran into one of his friends and lost time catching up."
"Yeah, sure," I say, unconvinced. "I'm going to go put Tony to bed," I say as I grab a bottle from the fridge. I walk up to my room and put it in a bottle warmer. After two minutes I take the bottle out of the warmer and sit in the rocker. I hold the bottle to Tony's lips and he grabs it and puts it in his mouth.
Once the bottle is finished I place him in his crib with his teddy bear and tuck him in.
"Goodnight, Sweetheart," I smile before kissing two of my fingers and putting them on his forehead. I walk out of the room, closing the door until it's only open by a crack, and head down to the kitchen.
I sit across from Mom at the kitchen table and pull out my cell phone. It rings once and is sent to voicemail.
"Hey, you've reached Edward. I'm not able to answer at the moment but I'll get back to you as quick as I can." Once the beep sounds I leave a message.
"Where are you? You've been gone for hours and you only went to get diapers and now you're blocking my call? Call me when you get this." I tap the end button and sigh.
"He blocked your call?" Mom says, clearly shocked.
"Yeah," I frown.
My phone buzzes with a text from Edward. I'm in Seattle.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I shriek angrily. "He's in Seattle!"
What the hell are you doing there?! I text back.
It doesn't take long before he replies with I'm packing up my stuff. I'm moving out. You can keep the apartment. I don't want it.
My heartbeat stops for a second before beating double time.
"He's moving out," I whisper.
"What?" Mom nearly shrieks. I shake my head and type back a reply: What about Tony? You're just going to pick up and leave me to take care of him alone?
"Something's not right," Dad grumbles. I look up at him.
"What do you mean?" I ask but he just shakes his head and rubs his chin, deep in thought.
Edward replies with: Basically. I don't want custody.
"This can't be him," I say breathlessly. "He just told me he doesn't want Tony. Edward would never say that."
"I'll go out and search for him. Hopefully he's not in Seattle." Dad puts his shoes on and leaves.
"What if this really is him, Mom?" I ask, tears forming in my eyes.
"Baby, come here," she frowns and pulls me into her arms. "I know you and Edward have had your ups and downs but you and I both know he wouldn't just leave you and Tony. He loves you both too much." I pull away and wipe my eyes, nodding my head.
"Tony still needs diapers," I whine.
"We'll have your father stop on his way home," she winks before walking over to the phone. I sit down in the kitchen chair again and run my hands through my hair.
"Charlie," Mom says. "Could you pick up diapers on your way home? Thanks, Sweetie." Once Mom hangs up the phone, she makes us coffee and sits next to me.
"You need to get to bed soon," she parents. "Or else you're going to be dead on your feet tomorrow."
"I just can't think about sleeping when I know Edward won't be there. When I know he may not want to be there."
"Isabella Marie, that kind of attitude stops right now," Mom scolds. "Now go upstairs and try to get some sleep."
"Yes, Mom," I mumble and walk upstairs. I change into a pair of shorts and one of Edward's t-shirts before crawling into bed. I toss and turn for what feels like forever before I fall into a restless sleep.
The next morning I get a text message from Edward again saying I love you. I run my finger across the words and tears stream my cheeks. I don't know what to believe or whether this is even Edward. I'm so confused as to what changed between last night and this morning. I press the sleep button on my phone and silently cry.
XOXO
A week has gone by and there is still no word from Edward.
Dad found his car, abandoned, on the side of the road on the outskirts of town. The keys were still in the ignition and the car door was left open. There were no signs of a struggle but I know for a fact that Edward would never leave his car in that condition.
I'm getting more and more anxious as the days go on and in return Tony is becoming more and more fussy. Mom says he can understand my moods and reacts to them but controlling them is easier said than done.
I finally thought that Edward and I were going to catch a break from all of this bullshit life keeps throwing at us but I guess I was wrong. Edward is MIA and the only word from him was the texts I had received the night of Dad's party.
Dad pushed his retirement back another month so he could lead the case in Edward's disappearance. He seems to be the only one at the station that believes Edward didn't willingly disappear. My dad told his fellow officers about the texts and the car and the strange disappearance but no one seems to think anything weird about it. They think he left on his own accord, leaving his girlfriend and son behind. I mean, I can see why they think that. It happens all the time. Hell, it's happened to Alice. But that doesn't mean Edward is capable of just picking up and ditching us. He's different. He actually cares about us.
"Tony, please, stop crying," I whine, on the verge of my own tears as my son wails in my ear. It's nearing three in the morning and Tony woke up from his sleep only to start bawling his eyes out. "Mommy's tired, Honey. Please, please, let me sleep. I'm begging you."
Mom walks into my room, yawning.
"Here, let me take him," she offers.
"No, it's fine, I've got it. Just go back to bed," I say, my voice cracking.
"Bella, you're exhausted. Give me Tony and get some sleep. I'll take him downstairs and get him settled down." Reluctantly, I hand my son over to Mom, mouthing thank you to her with a trembling lip and crawling back in bed. Mom walks out and shuts my door, the wails of my son dying out as she walks downstairs with him.
Tears wet my pillow for the umpteenth time this week as I drift back to sleep.
EPOV
I wake up in an unfamiliar musty-smelling room. I bring a hand up to my pounding head and attempt to keep the bile from rising up my throat. I'm beyond dizzy, the room spinning out of control, and I feel like I just walked off a rollercoaster I'd been on for hours. The bile manages to rise up anyway and I lean over the edge of the bed and empty the contents of my stomach onto the floor.
Goddamn, this is worse than any hangover I've ever had.
"Good, you're awake," an eerily calm, incredibly familiar voice says as someone walks through the door.
"James," I grunt, my throat still burning from throwing up.
"In the flesh," he says proudly, a grin taking over his face. "I have to say, I'm flattered you're welcoming me with such hostility," he says eerily calm with a twinge of sarcasm.
"What the hell did you do to me?" I spit. I try to get up off the bed but can't manage to gain enough feeling in my legs to stand.
"What do you mean, Mate?" he asks innocently, looking down at his grimy fingernails. Everything comes flashing back to me, leaving me breathless.
I went out for diapers. I was driving and a car pulled out in front of me, coming straight for me. I pulled off to the side of the road to avoid the collision. My heart had been pounding and I was trying to catch my breath. That's when the car door for the seat behind me opened and someone covered my mouth and injected something into my neck. Everything is blackness after that.
"You drugged me," I state breathlessly.
"Don't be so dramatic, now, Edward. I merely sedated you. No hard feelings," he shrugs. "The sedation hasn't completely worn off yet, though, so don't try anything. I can easily kick your ass."
"Where's Bella?" I ask.
"Probably on her way to Seattle," he says nonchalantly, leaning against the wall as if bored. "Don't worry, Mate, she thinks you're safe. She thinks you're moving out."
"What?"
"Here, see for yourself," he says and tosses my phone onto the bed with my text log with Bella open. I read the last few texts claiming that I was moving out and that I didn't want Tony. My heartbeat is unsteady as I swallow this conversation. She thinks I just abandoned her. That's her biggest fear: abandonment. She's never come full out and said it but it's been hinted at in arguments.
Although I haven't actually abandoned her, I can't help but feel the pain of knowing that with this conversation she's probably falling apart on the inside while wearing her calm, cool, and collected mask. My fingers quickly flit over the keyboard, producing the three-word sentence that I hope will make her see that I'm not really abandoning you: I love you.
James snatches the phone from me a mere second too late; the message sends. His fist finds my jaw with as much force as he can muster, making my head whip to the side, blood filling my mouth. The force is enough to make the pounding in my head intensify by one hundred percent and my world goes black again.
This time when I wake up I'm not nauseous. The pounding is faint but still noticeable. I groan and lift my head from the bloody sheet and push myself into a sitting position. I can fully feel my legs now and stand up, the dizziness returning, and lean against the wall to stay balanced. There's a window across from the bed. I stumble over to it and try lifting it open but it won't budge.
"Fuck," I curse under my breath.
"Step away from the window, Cullen," James says as he comes in.
"Why? It's not like I can get out through it anyway," I grumble and look at him. He's pointing a gun at me and a strong sense of déjà vu washes over me. I put my hands up and back away from the window. "You don't need to use that," I say, not taking my eyes off his hand for a second.
"Back to the bed," he says. I make my way over to the bed, my eyes still fixed on his hand, and sit. James lowers his gun and I let out an audible sigh of relief. "I swear to God, Cullen, if you try to escape I will not hesitate in killing you."
"What the hell is your motive behind kidnapping me?" I spit.
"If I can't have Bella no one can."
"So you're just going to let her think I abandoned her? Do you know what that's going to do to her?" I argue.
"I honestly couldn't care less," he says. "She deserves to be unhappy. She put me in jail."
"You put yourself there," I counter heatedly. "The only reason you were there was because of you."
"No!" he shouts. "I was there because she had to be a little fucking skank!" I jump up off the bed and he raises the gun again. "Don't even think about it." I sit back down on the bed and he lowers the gun again. "Now you stay there, I got shit to do," he says before leaving the room, shutting the door and locking me in.
XOXO
A week passes in this manner. Challenging conversations, no food and no water. My head has ached the whole time and it gets worse daily. The hunger and thirst is almost unbearable. My stomach is past growling. It's now a permanent ache in the pit of my stomach. My throat is so dry it hurts to speak.
James walks in and tosses a bottle at me. A water bottle.
"Drink," he demands. I open it and start sipping it, knowing if I drink too fast it'll all come back up. I look at James suspiciously as I drink. There's got to be something going on if he's giving me water.
Once I'm finished with the water I set it on the table and clear my throat.
"What's going on?" I ask, my voice still slightly raspy.
"You needed water so I was kind enough to supply you with it," he shrugs.
"Bullshit, there's a catch," I say.
"You want out of here, no?"
"Well that's blatantly obvious," I roll my eyes. "I should be with my son and Bella."
"Come on then," James waves his hands for me to stand. I cautiously stand up. "Get through me and you can go." I don't make a move and James widens his arms. "Come on," he insists. "Hit me. I dare ya."
"Go to Hell," I spit and sit back down. I'm not going to waste my time with this. He's probably got his gun on him. It'd be suicide trying to fight him.
"Fine then," James says and draws his gun, cocking it. "I guess I'll start then." He aims and shoots, the bullet skimming my arm, leaving a searing pain and a gash that begins bleeding profusely. I cry out in pain and clamp my hand over my arm and look at James. He tosses the gun behind him.
"Now, come on, hit me," he says eerily calm. I don't hesitate this time. I get up and walk so I'm face to face with him. My angry scowl meeting his creepy grin. I pull back my good arm and land a hook into the side of his face. His head whips to the side and he laughs. Yeah, that's right, he belts out laughing.
"You son of a bitch," I spit and shove him away from me. He straightens up and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before lunging forward, tackling me to the ground. I grunt in pain as my head hits the ground. James grabs my jaw and pulls my head up before bashing it into the ground again. I cry out in pain and use all my strength to push him off me.
I'm disoriented but manage to land a punch in his gut. My eyes are blurring and the pain is making me nauseous. I manage to get to my feet, staggering slightly, and throw a punch at his face, hitting his jaw. He barely flinches at my weak punch and walks up to me. He goes to punch me in the gut but I feel something sharp pierce the skin. I double over, leaning onto his shoulder, in pain. No sound escapes my agape mouth. He pulls the knife out and shoves me to the ground. My hands find the wound on my stomach and cover it, putting pressure on it.
I realize I never even had a chance. He had this whole thing planned out. He knew from the beginning that he would be the one walking away. He would be triumphant.
I let Bella and Tony down. This was my ticket out of here and I fucked it up. Now she's always going to think I abandoned them. She'll never know what truly happened. That's what hurts me the most. Not that I won't ever hold her in my arms or see my son, the spitting image of me, grow up and have kids of his own, but that she will never know the truth about what happened to me. For all she knows I just picked up and left, disappeared on my own free will.
James kneels down beside me, grabs my collar and punches me hard a few times before I black out.
BPOV
"Mom, can you watch Tony? He's asleep and I need to go buy more cereal for him."
"Yeah, Honey, I'll see you when you get back," she says without looking up from the book she's reading. I grab the keys to Edward's Volvo and head out to the car. We retrieved it from the side of the road when Dad found it and it's been sitting along the curb for the past week. I get in the driver's seat and welcome the familiar smell that always encompasses me when I'm near Edward. A few tears drip down my cheeks as I turn the car on and pull away.
I drive along the road where Dad found the Volvo trying to figure out where he could have gone. Tony doesn't really need cereal; I just needed an excuse that wouldn't get questioned. I spot a hidden road and pull up onto the shoulder. I look at the vaguely familiar road name, carved on a wooden sign. I wrack my brain for why this name is familiar. I gasp when I realize James has a cabin down this road. I kill the engine and silence my cell phone, putting it and the keys into my pocket before starting my hike down the road.
About a mile down the road I come across the cabin. I'd been here only once before and that was for about ten minutes before we left again after James made one of his deals.
I start checking windows to see if I can find anything, anything, to hint at where Edward is.
I see a reflection behind me in one of the windows before a hand clamps over my mouth. An arm wraps around my struggling body, picking me up and carrying me inside. I scream out against the hand but the person doesn't let up.
"You better hope for your sake no one is following you," James spits and lets go of me. I spin around and put some distance between us.
"Where's Edward," I ask, on the verge of hyperventilating.
"That hurts, Love," he says, placing a hand over his heart. "You think I'm capable of abducting your precious Edward?"
"Where is he?" I spit, eyeing a closed door to my right.
"Not here," he widens his arms and steps in front of my view. "Dead end. But why don't you stay and keep me company?"
RenPOV
Tony starts crying from Bella's room. I place my book on the arm of the couch and go up to see what's wrong.
"Hi, Sweetie," I coo and pick him up. "You hungry?" I ask. I take him downstairs and open the pantry to see what we have for him to eat. That's when I spot the cereal Bella gives him. Confused, I place Tony in his highchair and pour some onto the attached table. The box is nearly full. That's when realization hits me.
"Charlie," I call urgently. He comes into the room quickly.
"What is it?" he asks.
"I think Bella went looking for Edward." Charlie is silent but I can tell he's cursing in his head.
Jasper and Alice walk into the house with Riley and Ashley.
"Hey, is Bella here?" Alice asks. "We're taking the kids to the park today."
"Jasper, come with me," Charlie says before pulling him out the door without further explanation.
"Mom, what's going on?" Alice asks.
BPOV
I'm literally trembling in my seat. The mere thought of James is enough to give me nightmares but being in the same room as him is terrifying. Especially because he won't let me leave.
"Now, Bella, tell me, why do you automatically decide I'm to blame for lover boy's disappearance?" James asks coolly. I avoid his icy gaze and ring my hands together nervously. "Come on now, no need to be scared," he says and crosses the room to me. I bite my lip to keep my whimper inside as he strokes my cheek. My tears give my fear away though; a few make their way down my cheeks.
"D-don't touch me," I shutter. He pats my cheek with more force than necessary before straightening up.
The sound of tires on the dirt road makes him stiffen.
"I see we have company," he says as he grabs my arm roughly. He pulls me to him and I whimper. He holds my back to his chest and I feel the cool metal of a gun press against the underside of my jaw. "If these are cops you're dead," he says menacingly in my ear before kissing the lobe. I let out a quick sob before biting my lip and closing my eyes, not wanting to see who is possibly going to cause my death.
I hear a gunshot and glass shattering. I let out a high-pitched scream and stiffen. James' grip loosens and I feel him fall to the ground. I stay stiffened with my eyes clamped shut, hyperventilating.
"Bella! Bella," Dad's voice calls and I feel his arms wrap around me. I let out my sobs and relax in his arms. "You're fine, Sweetheart," he says and rubs my back.
"He's dead," Jasper says from our feet. My thoughts immediately go to Edward and I start crying harder. Edward's dead. He's gone. I look down at Jasper and see he was talking about James. I let go of Dad and pull Jasper up to hug him. "Is he here, Bells?"
"I-I don't k-know," I sob. "J-James said h-he wasn't."
"I'm going to check around to make sure," Dad says. He checks the rooms around the cabin before going to the closed door. He holds the gun in one hand, looks back at us real quick, and opens the door. My heart skips a beat in anticipation as he walks in.
"God dammit," Dad's voice calls from the room. I push away from Jasper and run into the room and see Edward on the ground.
"Edward!" I shriek.
"Bella," Dad stops me as I try to go over to him.
"No, let me go! Let me go! Edward!" I cry. Jasper grabs me from Dad and holds onto me while Dad checks for a pulse.
"Shit," he says and stands up, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Bella." I let out a strangled sob and my knees buckle.
"No!" I scream.
"I'm going to call the paramedics for a second look-over," he sighs before walking out. I break out of Jasper's grip and crawl over to Edward.
"Oh my god," I sob. "Edward, please! Please!" I shriek. "Open your eyes! Look at me!" I gently cup his battered face and rub his bloodied cheekbones. "You can't do this to me! Together forever, remember?" My eyes rake over his body, taking in every gash, every bruise, that covers him head to toe.
"Bella," Dad says as he walks into the room. "The paramedics are here. Let them do their job, Honey." I don't move or say anything. My voice escaped me and I'm left open-mouthed, staring at my boyfriend's lifeless body with tears streaking my cheeks. I feel Dad's arms pull me from Edward and I scream in protest, thrashing against him.
"No! Edward!" I scream, grabbing at his hand. I feel someone steady my arm and pull my sleeve up before I feel a needle go into my skin. Almost immediately, I feel the energy draining from my body and my whole world goes black.
Hey everyone!
Please don't kill me! I know, I know, I make you all wait for this update FOR EVER and then I leave you with a cliffy! I promise this next update won't take me as long! I've just been soooo busy lately! This summer has been nothing but work, work, and work! But I should hopefully start writing more within these next couple of weeks.
Reviewers get teasers!
Lots of love,
Nikki