Chapter 19

Hope's POV

Both Carlisle and Esme sat at the kitchen table when we arrived home, and I threw Jacob an expression that said 'help'. The grin on his face and simple shrug of his shoulders made me slap him in the chest before mounting the back staircase. Surprisingly enough, I made it nearly to the top before hearing Carlisle's voice.

"We need to talk," it said.

I felt my spirit wilt not that it was all that pumped up to begin with, but I certainly couldn't complain about the time I'd had alone with Jacob in the woods. His calloused hand reached out to tweak a stray curl in passing as he retreated to his bedroom leaving me to face the music. Only the sounds of my steps and the ticking of the hall clock filled the room as I entered cautiously looking up at my "guardians".

Carlisle stood to pull back a chair for me, and I took it without a word. I could feel the doctor sizing me up, choosing his words carefully even before he spoke. Esme's eyes looked teary and I feared she might gush all over me at any moment. Instead her husband began with his usual question.

"Are you all right?" his tone was gentle as the back of his hand rested a moment on my flushed cheeks.

"I'm fine," I responded with a flat affect, pushing his hand away. I was angry. How dare Esme allow my sister to call her "Mom"!

"Your clothes are wet," he matched my tone. "You should take a shower and change first to get your body temperature up."

"I hardly think it matters considering I nearly died of hypothermia last month," I responded, smartly.

Carlisle looked about to say something. Instead, he took a deep breath and walked over to the stove where he poured me a simple mug of hot tea with lemon and honey. The room was painfully quiet as he stirred the mixture and set it before me. Jacob came down over the stairs carrying Emmalyn who was bundled up for an outdoor adventure. In his free hand, he held a towel which got tossed playfully at me.

"We're going to meet Bella at the park. We hear there's just enough snow to build a snowman," he explained quickly, but I knew it was just an excuse to clear the house so we could talk. I both appreciated and resented the action. Still, I kept up a strong front and kissed my sister goodbye. The door closed and I was left alone with Carlisle and Esme.

"Darling, I am so sorry for what happened earlier," Esme began, but Carlisle, sensing I wasn't accepting her words held up his hand.

I narrowed my eyes as her. "How could you? You're supposed to be taking care of us not taking our parents' place!"

"Hope Elaina," Carlisle warned, but I didn't care, I was seething.

"And who asked you to anyway?" I slammed my fist aggressively on the table dumping some of the tea out of my cup with its' movement. "It's not like we need someone to take care of us. I'm practically 18, and I've been taking care of us all the whole time we've been with Aria. Who do you think held Emma every time she woke up with another stupid nightmare? And who do you think went after Dillion whenever he took off? I did it all without any help from anyone. We didn't need anybody then and we don't need anybody now!"With that I pushed myself up from the table overturning the steaming hot tea in the process.

Carlisle's POV

The girl was beyond enraged by today's events and to be honest, I couldn't blame her. Then again, she didn't know what was actually going on because she hadn't even given Esme a chance to explain. I secured her by the wrist before she had the chance to escape while Esme set to work cleaning up the mess.

"Now listen here," I kept my tone even despite my frustration. "Sweetheart, I realize you're hurting and you're looking for an outlet to get some of that anger out, but I can assure you, Esme is not the target you want to set your sites on. First of all, you can try to push us away all you want, but we're not going anywhere because as much as you don't want to admit it, you do need people in your life right now who will ask the tough questions and push you when you need it. Neither one of us are ever going to try to replace your parents nor could we. They were your parents, your flesh and blood. They raised you for nearly 17 years before we even met. That bond you had can never be replicated. If you had stuck around to hear my wife's response to your sister's words, you would have heard her explain just that. At the same time, you have to be able to see that Emma and Dillon are young and they don't understand things the same way you and I do. Emma misses your Mom and Dad and she's looking for comfort in a family. Right now, that is what we are trying to be for all of you. I am never going to ask you to call me "Dad" nor is Esme going to ask you to call her by any name other than what you are comfortable with. We want each of you to take this at your own pace."

"Why should we? It's not like we're staying. Mom and Dad's lawyer is going to help me. I'm getting emancipated," she announced, confidently. "This won't even be a thing in a couple months because I'll be living back at home and I'll have Emma and Dillon with me. You guys have been really kind to take us like this, and it'll be great to have someone to babysit, but I think it's for the best if I handle my brother and sister. This is just going to confuse them."

I wasn't about to argue with her because in that moment, I realized that was just what she was looking for. A sparring partner. Nope, not gonna jump at the opportunity. Instead, I forced another deep breath, released her wrist and gave a sad smile. "Then I suppose we should see about finding you a steady job."