Edward's POV
"Edward?" Charlie growled.
There were no discernible thoughts I could discern from his head, nothing that could tell me what he was thinking. All I knew in that moment was, that God gave me speed for a reason.
Within seconds, Charlie lunged after me, but I was faster. I sprinted up onto the small hill that had been behind us. Charlie stood in a crouched position, as if I were his prey this time, snarling with hatred towards me. Carlisle stood momentarily awestruck watching the scene play out before finally snapping into action.
He calmly walked to Charlie's side, his hands raised in a submissive pose. "Do you even remember Edward, Charlie? He's not going to hurt you. Please, hear me on this, brother."
The endearment 'brother' seemed to touch something in Charlie, because his hard stance melted slightly.
"I don't remember him, but the name set something off in me, almost like a burning hatred that I can't even describe."
I sighed deeply, knowing that I would never get Charlie to truly warm to me, and ran a hand through my unruly hair. A shower was on the list of the many things that I needed to do, including taking care of the increasing burn that was plaguing my own throat currently. Getting off of this island would be a true blessing, seeing as we hardly had anything of real substance here.
Carlisle only nodded at Charlie and took one step closer to him. "I understand, but I give you my word, Edward isn't going to harm you. He can go off on his own hunt or something, if you'd like, while I bring you back to the house and formally introduce you to my wife and daughter. Would that make you feel better?"
I stood off in the distance, feeling scrutinized and judged by Bella's father, who actually had no memory of what I had done. How ironic. It made me feel rather horrible, and the worst part was still to come. When he actually found out, or was told, he would have facts to back up his dislike. Fear slivered through my body for that day, because he had the strength and the hatred to literally tear me limb from limb. How had no one thought of this before?
"I suppose," Charlie responded, as he straightened out of his crouch and began to walk off in the opposite direction with Carlisle, completely disregarding me as they went. "You have a wife and a daughter? And you're a vampire?"
Carlisle laughed as they continued to walk and talk casually. "I have much to tell you, but yes, I do."
My shoulders slumped as I walked off towards the shoreline, a heavy sigh escaping from me. Life with the family was going to be so difficult again if I had someone hating me constantly. At least I was saved from his thoughts, which seemed to be one blessing I could chalk up to the Big One.
Tugging my shirt off and tossing it onto the sand, my intent to go to the other island to hunt, I thought about Bella and Jasper, knowing that their plane should have just touched down in Rio not long ago, and hoped against hope that their time there would be everything that they hoped it would be. They deserved it, and once they got back, things probably would be pretty crazy, as they tended to stay with us.
Alice's POV
"Charlie and Carlisle should be here in a couple minutes, Esme! Edward was sent away because Charlie already knows he hates him," I said, letting out a small giggle. I couldn't help myself. Even the burn of venom didn't take away Charlie's loathing for all things Edward. That was something that I could work on with him, for sure.
"Oh, dear me! How could he forget every other thing, and only remember that!" Esme responded as she breezed into the living room, her caramel-colored hair flowing behind her like a fountain. I always envied her hair.
"Lord only knows, but Carlisle is going to bring him back here to meet us and give him the usual newborn talk. Charlie will do just fine for it, but that's about all I can see. He's calm right now, so I can get a firmer grasp on what's going to happen."
"Can you tell if the flight to Rio made it on time? Are they alright?"
God love Esme, always the worrier. One of the things that I wasn't built with was the mothering gene. I'd prefer to be mothered, thank you very much. As it was, I'd actually already checked up on Bella and Jasper's future, and dare I say I won't be checking on their future again for the next week. Yes, I had given Bella my blessing to marry my ex-husband, and I was so happy that the two of them had found their happiness together, but the sight of them together in bed was just a little bit more than I could take at the moment. I decided that for the rest of the week I would be checking in on Rose and Emmett. At least that was something I was used to seeing!
"They have made it just fine, Esme, and they are very much alright. I'm sure they are enjoying the beauty of your island as we speak."
"Though nothing could ever match the beauty that is my wife," Carlisle said, as he and Charlie entered in through the breezeway. He left Charlie's side and met Esme in the middle of the room, their lips coming together as if nothing else in the world was supposed to happen in that moment.
I let out a small sigh and smiled as I watched them, always happy to see the true love that was shared between the two of them.
Charlie shuffled on his feet in a very human-like move and I turned my head to watch him, taking in the rugged appearance of a changed man. His features now were more chiseled and angular, making him even more handsome than he had been when he was human. His lips pouted down as he awkwardly watched the scene before him. His eyes were deep red and very magnetizing. If it wouldn't have been completely weird for such a young girl to have the hots for such an older man and if I didn't know my mate was out there waiting for me, hot damn!
I bit back the laughter that bubbled up inside of me at that thought, knowing that I would turn Bella fifty shades of red if I told her that bit of information, which I was thoroughly planning to do via text after our little talk. I grinned to myself as I patted the couch beside me, motioning for Charlie to sit.
"I'm Alice. Wanna sit by me?"
Carlisle cleared his throat and chuckled. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? Charlie, this is Esme, my wife." He motioned to her, and then to me. "And this is Alice, our daughter, for all intents and purposes."
Charlie nodded at us both and slid down onto the couch next to me. It was so weird being introduced to someone that we'd known for years now. Surely, something somewhere along the way would jog his memory at least a little bit. Or maybe he would be like me, having forever lost his past, and only having his future. I didn't worry about it so much now, but I knew that he wouldn't like the idea of not knowing his past, since he had a daughter and grandchildren to look forward to spending eternity with.
Carlisle and Esme took a seat on the couch facing the one opposite us, their hands clasped in one another's. Esme studied Charlie's face as if he were a puzzle, which confused me. Now I almost wished I were a mind-reader to know what she was thinking.
Carlisle started his speech the same way I had always heard him start it with a newborn; Charlie was obviously no different in this way.
"Charlie, there are two ways that vampires can choose to live our lives. You see us, very civilized, a family. You haven't met the rest of our children. They are away right now, but we have Edward and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, and Jasper and Bella. We can function as a family because we choose to feed off of animals, as you did today. It will sustain you, and you will live a normal life, the way we do, though you will obviously have some difficulties. I can't promise you that this life is an easy one, because it isn't. I can only promise you that I will be here for you every step of the way.
"The other way of life is to feed from humans, as you may have figured out. It is, in some ways, a much easier way to live, because you do not have to fight the urges that we, as vegetarians, sometimes fight. You live as a nomad, without family though, always traveling from place to place because you've killed in the last place you were. The hunt becomes your obsession, and all you see in humans is blood. You will never truly be able to walk amongst them, because you wouldn't be able to control yourself from giving in to your thirst. We, on the other hand, live among the humans. As I stated before, it's not easy. But if you were able to talk to each one of my family members, they would tell you, it is worth it."
Carlisle stopped there, allowing Charlie to take in all he had heard so far.
"So..." Charlie said, stopping to formulate his words. "...do I have to always drink what I did today? 'Cause that just plum tasted nasty."
I giggled and Carlisle laughed, shaking his head. "No, though you will have to until we leave this island, which will probably be tomorrow."
"And if I chose to be a vegetarian..." he said the last word questioningly, like he didn't quite understand the connotation. "...I'd be a part of your family?"
"Either way, you are and always will be a part of this family, Charlie, you and your daughter, Bella."
"Wait...so my daughter is your daughter as well?" he asked, scratching his head.
Carlisle chuckled. "Forgive me. I haven't explained something to you. When I say my children, they are not my blood. They are more like the ones I have taken under my wing. Edward was my first, then Esme, though she is my wife and not my daughter. Then Rosalie, and then Emmett. Alice and Jasper came after that, and then lastly, Bella. I would never take the place of you in her life, Charlie."
Charlie nodded; clearly processing all of the information he had been given.
After a few moments, he finally asked, "Where is my daughter? Can I see her? Maybe she would jog my memory."
Carlisle's blonde head shook back and forth sadly. "I'm sorry, Charlie. She's not here. It wouldn't be safe for you to see her right now regardless, because she is still a human, as are your grandchildren. She and Jasper are actually on their honeymoon. We all came here to get them married and you had to be changed right after, because you were dying of cancer. It was your dying wish, before you were to be turned into one of us, that you would be able to see your daughter marry the man that you knew was the right man for her."
"You mean, I chose this life?"
"Yes, so that you could spend eternity with Bella, once she is changed, and Sophie and Alex, your grandchildren, who will be shapeshifters."
A puzzled look passed across Charlie's face at the word "shapeshifters", but he seemed to recognize Sophie and Alex, as he had Bella's name.
"I apologize again, Charlie. I know this is so much information to throw at you right now, especially while you are probably having a hard time concentrating. Do you want me to stop? Do you need to hunt again?"
"Are you kidding? I'll be putting that off for as long as possible, thanks," Charlie quipped back, causing us all to laugh.
"I know, the animals here on the island aren't the most appetizing, but we will be leaving here tomorrow."
"As long as you can promise me that we are going to something even remotely more appealing than that damn goat, I'm game to staying with you guys. I don't want to be alone, that's for sure. And I want the chance to find out about my past, my daughter, and grandchildren."
Carlisle smiled widely, his hand flexing around Esme's. "I'm so glad to hear you say that you will stay with us. I don't have any idea what we would have told Bella should you have chosen anything else."
I giggled and shook my head, thinking about what kind of wrath Bella could actually cause. She couldn't physically hurt any of us, but her mouth sure did get going from time to time. It was just one of the many things I loved about her now, not that I didn't love her back when she was timid and shy. I just always appreciated someone who was brutally honest and didn't mind telling the truth, no matter the consequences, too. Of course, her new boldness went along with her temper now, which also got away with her sometimes, which we all found funny and used against her whenever we could. For the most part though, she really took everything we gave to her in stride.
Just then, I knew what could help Charlie, the book Bella left for him! She filled it with pictures of her, the kids and him, all of us together. She even wrote him a letter. If anything would jog his memory, it had to be something like that.
I snapped my fingers and was out of the living room before anyone could say anything else, grabbing the book that Bella had left on the bed she had while she was here and flew back into the living room in seconds, settling down beside Charlie with my legs curled under me with a wide grin across my face.
Every person in the room stared at me with different ranges of emotion. Carlisle, with confusion; Esme, one of happy recognition, and Charlie, who looked alarmed by my speed and sudden movements.
"This is the book that Bella made for Charlie before he was changed. She left it here for us to show to him once he woke up. There are pictures of her and the kids and us in it. There is also a letter from Bella to you, Charlie. I'll have to hold the book and the letter for you, because you would probably rip them, but if you would like to look at them now, I'd be glad to do that with you."
Charlie smiled a little and nodded, looking from me to Carlisle and Esme.
"If it's alright with you, Charlie, Esme and I are going to go look for Edward now. You'll have to get used to him being around, because he's going to be here with our family," Carlisle said, standing from the couch with Esme.
"I understand. I'll do my best to keep it at bay, Carlisle."
"Good. We will see you two soon then."
Then they were gone, leaving us to Bella, Sophie, Alex and Charlie's past.
Meanwhile...on Isle Esme...
Bella's POV
After a bumpy, moonlit ride to the island, we finally made it to Isle Esme. Just as the sun started to rise, the boat that dropped us off rode away. We'd made it with barely a moment to spare. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked around the luscious landscape, drinking in the morning air and the sound of the tide behind me. Jasper's arms snaked around my waist, the early morning sun sending tiny flares of diamond-encrusted glimmers from his scarred skin, and his chin came to rest on my shoulder.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
I nodded my answer, too much in awe to speak.. How could you put words to something so magnificent as a place like this, and thento think that Carlisle had bought the entire island and named it after his wife It was a true testament to how thoroughly he adored Esme.
I felt a pair of cool lips brush against the skin of my neck and I instinctively scooted my body back more into my husband.
"Come on, Mrs. Whitlock. The others graciously decided that we deserved some time alone in the house, so I say we take full use of it while we can."
My heart skipped a beat at Jasper's words and a grin formed on my lips as I turned my head to look towards him. He captured my lips with his just as my head turned, our lips moving together as one. There was nothing else in the world but him at that moment, and I intended to take full advantage of the time we had been given.
Jasper swept me up into his arms and I wound my arms around his neck, my head tilting into our kiss, deepening it. A grunt of approval left Jasper's mouth and exhaled into mine, meeting with a soft moan of my own. In the next few seconds, I was swept off of the beach and into a side door that clearly lead into the room I assumed we would be spending our time in while here. I didn't need a tour of the house at the moment, though I was curious to see it. I only needed my wonderful husband and more of the passionate kisses that he was giving me.
My body was gently laid back onto a plush white bed with a white canopy surrounding the entire area of the bed. Had I been looking at it from the outside, instead of from the inside, I would have been scared to mess it up. Now I couldn't wait to mess this wonderfully made bed up.
Jasper's hand slid down the curves of my body, causing chills to spread all throughout me. His lips broke away from mine and his eyes followed the line of his hand.
"This is more beautiful than any island I've ever seen before," he murmured as his hand continued its path down my trembling body. I was completely caught up in his words and his touch. My body arched up off of the bed into his hand, desperate for more of what he was eager to give. A small chuckle left his lips, but he said nothing as he tore at my dress, not taking the time to lift it over my head. I didn't care.
My panties were ripped away then, and my stomach did a nervous but excited flip. He looked down at me with a glint of playfulness in his eyes before he lowered himself down to my stomach, pressing small kisses to my skin. The heat radiating from my skin and the cold coming from Jasper's mouth was enough to make me insane alone, but then he lowered himself between my legs.
Hiking my legs up around his shoulders, his head dipped down and I felt one swipe of his chilly tongue move against my clit. My entire body arched as a deep moan escaped my lips.
"That's right, baby. I want you to sing for me," he whispered against my body, as he began to flick his tongue rapidly over my swollen bundle of nerves.
I squeezed my eyes shut, seeing multiple colors behind my eyelids at the pleasure he was bringing me. My moans were like a chorus, one right after the other, my body rocking in time with the rhythm of Jasper's talented tongue. My hands reached out to grab onto the bed sheets, looking for something to hold onto as I felt my orgasm fast approached.
And then he slid one icy finger inside of me and curled it upward.
I couldn't contain the cries and whimpers, the sounds of ecstasy that came from me as my body fell over the edge. My body trembled and rocked back and forth, as Jasper slowly brought me back down from the high of my orgasm.
"God, yes," I panted, my body already pleasured more than necessary. But there was more to come...so much more.
A/N: Well, what are you thinking? I'd love to know. As always, thank you to the amazing NCChris for making this chapter shiny and bright for me. Her beta commentary is enough to make my day, but I would love to know even more from each one of my amazing readers. Cause you all freaking rock!