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9
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I pray your brakes go out runnin' down a hill
I pray a flowerpot falls from a window sill and knocks you in the head like I'd like to
I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls
I pray you're flyin' high when your engine stalls
I pray all your dreams never come true
Just know wherever you are honey, I pray for you
- Pray For You, Jaron And The Long Road To Love
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Bella let out a peaceful sigh as she relaxed on the old blanket she had set out in her back yard, ready to enjoy a good book on her day off of work. The early morning air had just started to get hot thanks to the rising sun, leaving her thankful for the shade of the large oak tree above her. Her dad had just left for work which left the house completely quiet- something rare since she and Edward had separated. It seemed Paul and Jared had adopted her as a best friend and confidant in much the same way Jake, Embry and Quil had.
She moaned when her phone rang and interrupted the rare silence she had surrounded herself with moments before hand. If not for the windows being opened, she could have pretended to ignore it. She was tempted to let it alone before thinking better of it. She'd just reached it when it stopped ringing. She glared at it and yanked it off the charger- half a battery was better than none at all- and grumbled as she stomped out of the back door and back to her comfortable place on her blanket. She glared at the phone again before tossing it beside her, daring it to ring again and disrupt her peace.
Ring it did.
"Hello?" She huffed.
"Well… hello to you too, Grinch. Who spit in your cheerios this morning?"
Bella's temper deflated instantly. "Hey Sam. Sorry… just… I was reading…"
He laughed. "You don't have to explain anymore. I get why you were mad now."
"Bite me." She teased. "Sorry I shouldn't have said that." She told him after the words left her mouth. She pushed those thoughts of him biting her and where aside for now. They'd get her into trouble if she wasn't careful. Sam was a friend. Just a good friend.
"You busy?"
She snorted. "No… why… are you and the guys doing anything?"
Sam laughed. "They're going swimming… they want you to come too…"
Bella chuckled. "Of course they do…" She sighed.
"Jared said Kim'll be there.. She's bringing Leah too I think..." Sam told her with a huff at the mention of Leah.
She laughed. Sam didn't like Leah, not because she was Emily's cousin, but because she always flirted with him and he had no interest in her at all. "Poor baby." She was thankful he couldn't see her… she hadn't meant to say that.
"Well… I'll be at your front door in about ten minutes… think you can be ready to go by then?" He asked.
Bella pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Was he serious? Ten minutes and he wanted her ready? She may have been a tomboy… been raised with more men than women as friends… but ten minutes?
"Bella? Did I lose you?"
She squeaked and rushed to tell him she'd be ready. Hanging up, she gathered the corners of the blanket together and rushed inside, making a mad dash up the stairs to get ready. Glancing down at her outfit after flinging the blanket into a corner of her bedroom, she whined. There was no WAY she'd be ready in just ten minutes. Who was she kidding, she was a mess!
Her dresser was searched in an effort to look for her favorite pair of cut offs after grabbing out a white, V-neck, sleeveless shirt with a picture of a pair of cowboy boots on the front and the saying "My Hero wears cowboy boots…" across the bottom. She glanced at the clock. Five minutes to go. She rushed to her closet and pulled her boots out before rushing back to the dresser to run a brush through her hair before throwing the mess of waves into a pony tail.
She squeaked and rushed to tell him she'd be ready. Hanging up, she gathered the corners of the blanket together and rushed inside, making a mad dash up the stairs to get ready. Glancing down at her outfit after flinging the blanket into a corner of her bedroom, she whined. There was no WAY she'd be ready in just ten minutes. Who was she kidding, she was a mess!
Her dresser was searched in an effort to look for her favorite pair of cut offs after grabbing out a white, V-neck, sleeveless shirt with a picture of a pair of cowboy boots on the front and the saying "My Hero wears cowboy boots…" across the bottom. She glanced at the clock. Five minutes to go. She rushed to her closet and pulled her boots out before rushing back to the dresser to run a brush through her hair before throwing the mess of waves into a pony tail.
She had expected to see Sam. She hadn't expected to see her ex boyfriend, and stood rooted on the floor gaping at him. Edward looked like he'd been run over by an 18 wheeler then cracked over the head by a steel beam or two. In other words, he looked like hell to her.
"Can we talk?"
Bella swallowed. "I don't see that there's anything left for either of us to say to one another." She said with an even tone.
"Please, Bella. Just… I miss you."
Bella rolled her eyes. She could see Sam coming down the road and sighed. She didn't want to break up a fight in her front yard, but she didn't want Edward to press charges against Sam either. Lord knows what kind of things he'd say. He'd already tried to say she, Jacob, Embry and Quil had been drinking when they'd told the officers what James had done to Jacob.
"Look, Edward. You made it clear that you don't want me. Rumors even suggest you're happier with Tanya. I've never been one to cheat, I won't help you do that to her, no matter if I do think it's what she deserves." She growled.
"What if I told you I was wrong?! I messed up Bella! I'm only human!" Edward huffed. He missed Sam's truck pulling to a stop on the curb.
Bella shook her head. "No. plain and simple. No."
"Why not?" He sounded like a child pouting for not getting his way.
She could only stare in shock. "Because I don't want to put up with the lies, the cheating, the possessiveness and the mistreatment. I don't like being ignored, nor do I like having the fact that my father doesn't have as much money thrown in my face. I don't like that I was cheated on and took you back because I thought I loved you and you had learned your lesson only to have you do it again, not once but twice." She spat.
Edward looked around making sure no one had started listening to them. "Bella, calm down, please. You're working yourself into a fit. Stress isn't good for you."
Sam cleared his throat before Bella could say anything else. He'd seen her puff her chest up, preparing to lay into him again. Some guys just never learned. Then again, the same could be said for her for taking him back. First loves… the crazy things people did for them.
"You ok, Bella?"
Edward glared. "She's fine. I just wanted to talk with her. You can leave the way you came, this doesn't concern you."
"If I wanted you to open your mouth and speak for her, I would have asked you in the first place copper top." He snapped. "Now, are you ok, Bella?"
Bella smiled and closed the front door behind her, locking it in the process. "I'm good. Thanks Sam." She said before walking past Edward.
"Bella…" Edward's tone was light, but the hand on her arm was nearly painful in its grip.
Sam noticed the wince and had Edward pinned to the side of the house in a matter of seconds- so it seemed to Bella. "Touch her again, copper top, you and me will take a ride with Jessup. I'll string you by your balls to the back of his saddle and let him drag you around the back pastures. She's never going to take you back. Get that through your head. Now leave."
Bella sighed. "Come on Sam… everyone will be waiting on us." She said putting her hand on his arm.
Sam huffed and let Edward go, both of them turning away from him. He waited for Bella to close and lock her door before walking with her to his truck, acting as a buffer between her and Edward.
"Bella, wait! Can't we just talk?!" Edward said nearly tripping down the front steps to try and get her attention again.
She shook her head. "Go home Edward. I gave you my answer. It won't change." She told him with a sad smile.
Edward watched as Sam placed his hands on her hips, lifting her into his truck causing her to squeal. He said something that made her laugh before closing the door once she was situated. He'd not had a chance to tell her that Tanya had been pregnant with another man's baby and Emily had skipped town again after Edward refused to date her exclusively, even if they'd been talking off and on for nearly two years. Lauren was left, but he didn't want her. He wanted Bella. And he couldn't have her again.
Could his morning get any worse?
Of course. He rolled his eyes when his phone rang, his father's picture coming across the screen.
"Yes dad?" He huffed.
"We need to talk. I just got off the phone with Charlie Swan. Do you want to tell me why you're harassing his daughter? Again?"
It figured one of them would let the chief of police know. "No, and I'm not harassing her!"
"Putting your hand on her arm to the point she's wincing in pain is harassment! And you're lucky she didn't want anything done about it. It could be considered assault if she were to try and press it."
"Please, it wouldn't hold up in court!"
"You forget just who her god father is…" Carlisle quipped with a dry tone to his voice.
"Dad… what do you want me to do? I came to beg for her to take me back! I realized what an ass I was and just wanted to talk. She wouldn't give me the time of day!" Edward nearly growled.
"Watch your tone with me, son. You have bigger fish to fry right now. Lauren's mother just left my office… Lauren claims she's pregnant.."
Edward rolled his eyes. "That's wonderful for her. I'm sure the sap she'll have the kid with will be thrilled."
"Edward…you're the sap…" Carlisle huffed.
Edward spluttered in indignation. "What… but… that's… no… just… no! We didn't even… she can't… NO!"
"You're telling me you didn't sleep with her?"
"Dad… I did… but… I was careful!"
Carlisle sighed. "She claims you were both drunk. It was in fact the night that Bella and Emily got into a fight that you took she and Emily home and, in her words, 'had one of the most fun threesomes ever.' Is that true?"
"Fuuuuuuuck! Could my day get any worse?"
Carlisle merely hung up, refusing to take pity on his son, wondering where he had gone so wrong with the boy. He thanked every deity, god, and holy spirit above that his daughter had turned out better. Alice was younger- by nine minutes and twelve seconds (if you asked her), but already in college after having graduated a year early. She had also recently gotten engaged to a decent rancher in Texas where she had been going to school. At least one of his kids had turned out alright.
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Bella sighed and turned to face Sam after ten minutes of silence. "Thank you for that, Sam. You didn't have to do anything. I thought it was you when I heard the knock on the door."
"It's alright, Bella. You don't have to explain it to me."
She sighed. "I still appreciate it.. I'm so tired of his bull crap." She frowned.
"Next time I see him around you, he's six foot under my boot." Sam grizzled.
She chose not to answer, instead diverting the course of the conversation. "So do I get to know where we're going? You said you wanted to go swimming… just not where…"
Sam grinned. "You'll see."
"Sam…" Bella whined.
He shook his head and grinned. "Not gonna work… I have two brothers and a cousin…" He teased.
Bella scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Please?"
Sam chuckled. "Nope. We're nearly there."
"Why does this place look so familiar?" She wondered.
"It was a good try but nope." He said pulling to a stop by two other trucks, one of which was Quil's and the other being Leah's.
Sam helped her out of the truck, making sure to keep eye contact with her the whole time. She bit her bottom lip and he nearly moaned. With a sigh he took a step back and cleared his throat. "Come on, it's just through the bushes." He said holding his hand out to her.
She nodded and took his hand, thankful he had started walking in front so she'd know where to step. Tree roots and boots didn't mix well. She'd learned that the hard way. When they hit the small clearing she grinned. Now she knew why it was so familiar. They'd all come to this old pond as kids. She didn't even know it was still here. That meant they were on the back of Quil's property and had taken a few back roads that she didn't know about to get there.
Jacob eyed the two with amusement after they had found a place to sit their towels down on the pond bank. He swore he'd end up knocking their heads together if they didn't admit their growing feelings for one another soon. He watched the way Sam raked his eyes over her body when Bella shred her tee shirt and shorts leaving her in a string bikini that left little to the imagination and had to admit it was one of the most hilarious sights in the world. There was definite chemistry there. He just had to get them to admit it..