***Sorry to cut this one a little short, I'm having trouble with what was going to be the end of this chapter but turns out is going to be the beginning of the next. Let me know what you guys think! Reviews are welcome!!!!
"Surprise," Bella grinned sheepishly.
"Come in," Emmett stepped aside so she could walk into the house.
Emmett's done well for himself. Bella thought as she looked around the well furnished living room.
"Please tell me Charlie sent you early," Emmett pleaded as he shut the doo behind him.
"Not really. Renee thinks I'm at the coffee shop."
"Bella! What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how pissed they are going to be at you, and me for that matter?"
"I'm sorry Emmett, I just didn't know what else to do! I mean they threw it on me an expected me to be ok with it. I just panicked." Bella ran a hand through her long brown hair as she paced back and forth in the entrance way. "You've always been there for me when I needed help, and well, I needed help."
"Aw Bells," Emmett pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I knew this would be hard on you."
"it just killed everything. My friendships, my college plans, my family. They seemed fine Emmett, then everything just fell apart. I couldn't just sit there and wait for it to fall apart completely."
"I know sweetie, I know." Emmett squeezed her tight, "You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to."
"Do you really mean that?" She looked up at him, "What about Charlie?"
"I'm going to call Charlie and talk things over with him. I have to let him know that you're here first off."
"Emmett, you're a life saver." Bella said, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Hey anything with for my little sister, just let me get the call over with before the figure out you're not down the street."
'Do you want me to do it?"
Emmett shook his head, "You've been through enough today. Go relax. If you're going to be staying here, I have to be the one to talk to him about all of that anyway."
Bella shot him a thankful look and headed into the living room. Her tired body collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the soft cushions. The silence was welcoming after the morning she had, the only sounds in the house were Emmett sliding a chair across the tiled kitchen floor. His voice followed shortly after that, the conversation spiking in intensity as Emmett revealed where Bella was to his parents.
"She's fine….I don't know how she managed it either…..well she panicked……..you guys dumped a lot on her."
Bella was impressed. Emmett seemed to be holding his own, She could only imagine what it sounded like on the other end of the line.
"She wants to stay….well I know that, but I think it might be best…you'll be working a lot and she's going to be in school….I'll help her. You know I'm making more than enough…I think she'll be happiest here.."
The chair slid back across the floor as Emmett stood up, interrupting Bella's ease dropping. His steps carried towards the rear of the house, stopping in a room adjacent to the living room.
Bella sat up, worried that Emmett had felt the need to leave the room to continue his conversation. She stared at the LCD display on the cable box on Emmett's entertainment center as a few minutes passed, standing up as the fifth one passed by. She could barely make out what Emmett was saying as she walked slowly towards the room her brother was standing in, which turn out to be his office.
"Ok Charlie, thank you," Emmett said and pressed the 'end call' button on his cell phone.
"So when am I going back?" Bella asked as she leaned against the white door frame.
"You're not."
"OK, so when are you handing me over to him when he gets here?"
"I'm not," Emmett couldn't help but grin as he sat on the top of his desk.
"What do you mean?" Bella's heart rate jumped as she waited for his response.
"Well technically you can do whatever you want in this whole situation. You're over eighteen and the judge didn't have to place a provider of custody for on you."
"So?"
"So I talked to Charlie and I told him I thought it would be best if you stayed with me, for good. Charlie is only renting an apartment anyway and he's going to be working a lot of odd hours."
"Emmett! Oh my god, are you serious?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm going to help you with school too, at least until we can get you a job somewhere."
"You are the best brother in the world, you know that?" Bella ran up to her brother and wrapped her arms around his well built waistline.
'Charlie is going to drop off your stuff when he gets here, but until then well have to get you some stuff" Emmett squeezed her tight.
"I can't believe this! God I am so excited. I don't have any idea of what to do with myself!"
Her head was still spinning from the days events, leaving her not even sure of how much time had actually passed.
"Well while we have all of that energy, we should knock out some of that shopping." Emmett chuckled.
"A girl could never say no to shopping, especially when her big brother is footing the bill."
Emmett shook his head and grabbed his wallet and keys off of the desk. "You know, you haven't stopped smiling since you got here."
"It's good to be with you again," Bella shrugged as they walked out of the house and climbed into Emmett's Jeep. "I've missed you Emmett."
"I've missed her too Bella. I'm sorry I didn't come right for you when I got word of what was going on. I'm a terrible brother."
"Em, you are not. You're a grown man now, you have a job and a house, you can't just leave all of that. I wouldn't have wanted you too."
"I still feel terrible Bella. I promised you when I moved out that I would still be there for you."
"You were always there for me, always there to take my emergency phone calls or to get an update when I was really excited about something. You weren't there in person Emmett, but you managed to be there even after you moved. And look at everything now! Now I'm your roommate."
Emmett smiled, "You're right. I'm going to make it up to you. Starting with getting you set up here and set up with school. We might have to repaint the guest room, I went a little blue crazy when I moved in."
"Blue is fine."
"Blue isn't you, especially dark blue. You need something bright, something that represents your personality."
"You know Emmett, you're doing more than I could have ever asked for from you." She smiled at him.
"And I will continue to do so," Emmett said with a firm nod.
Bella smiled and relaxed against the headrest of her seat, she was incredibly fortunate. Jasper had been right, the sun was already sneaking out from behind the clouds of her parents divorce.
Forks was going to be a new starting point for her, she decided as the passed through the center of the small town. Life was changing around her quickly, and if she didn't start attempting to make sense of it, her head would probably explode.
"What are you thinking?" Emmett asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Just how crazy this get and how quickly they can get that way," Bella shook her head. "And as crazy as things have gotten, I feel extremely good about being here."
"Speaking of here, how did you manage to get al the way from Phoenix to my doorstep?"
"Well mom is going to get a surprise from Visa in a few weeks," Bella blushed. 'I met a really nice guy at the airport who gave me a lift, He just moved here from Michigan."
"Bella an airport is no place to be picking up guys,"
Bella rolled her eyes, as fun as Emmett was he still possessed some of Charlie's protective qualities.
"He's taken, very taken from what he told me. He's just a nice guy." She shrugged, "he talked he into going to Washington State."
"Well maybe he's not all that bad," Emmett grinned. "If Charlie or Renee ask, I picked you up from the airport ok? Just to make sure both of our heads are spared."
"Agreed. So Emmett, what have you been up to? You have any luck with the ladies?"
Emmett laughed and shook his head, "Half the time I came right home and ordered a pizza while I prepped for my latest case."
"Sound exciting."
See that Jasper, told you.
"Being a lawyer requires a lot of work Bells, but not all my names are like that. I do go out you know."
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," Bella grinned.
"There's a bar about twenty minutes from the house that I go to with the gang after work."
"The gang?"
"Yea you know a small group people from work. There's Carlisle and James, well and of course Rosalie."
"Oh Rosalie huh? What's the story with her?" Bella leaned over the seat listening intently for her brother's answer.
"There is no story Bella,"
"Then why are you blushing?"
Emmett sighed, "Stop bothering me while I'm driving."
"Hey you brought her up," Bella shrugged. "And I know that there's something, you haven't blushed like that since you asked Kendra Morris to senior prom."
"You don't give up do you?"
"Have I ever?"
"Just like mom," Emmett shook his head. "Promise me you won't make a big deal out of this?"
"Come on, I have a lot of moms traits but I'm not that bad."
Emmett sat silent for a minute as they pulled into a parking spot of the Forks Mall.
"I've worked with Rosalie since I started at the firm, and I haven't taken my eyes off of her since. She's tall and incredibly gorgeous, Long blonde hair and beautiful brown eyes." Emmett leaned back in the seat and stared out through the windshield. "But words cannot even explain how beautiful she is. She's so passionate Bella, and her eyes, they're always filled with excitement when she's talking about something she's genuinely interested in. Whenever she gets that look in her eyes, it takes everything in me not to reach out and kiss her"
"Wow," Bella blinked. "Was that the first time you let that out?"
"Yea," Emmett looked down at the steering wheel. "So much for that whole macho big brother thing I had going for me."
"Have you said anything to her? I mean does she have the slightest idea about how you feel?"
Bella quickly got out of the Jeep as Emmett climbed out his side, trying to dodge any more of the embarrassing conversation.
"I can't Bella." Emmett said, his feet not stopping as they mad their way across the parking lot to the south side entrance.
"Why not?" She gasped as she struggled to keep up, taking two steps for every one of his.
"We just made partner together, I cant let my hormones screw that up for either of us."
"But you love her," Bella grabbed his arm to keep him from walking any farther.
"Bella its not always that easy ok?"
"Why isn't it?" Bella crossed her arms, "You know how you feel and you two are going to be working closer together now. Just do it! The worst she can say is no."
Emmett sigh and placed his hands on his hips, "Where did all of this come from?"
"You know what? I don't know. I was sitting there in the car thinking about everything and I've decided I'm turning over a new leaf. Sort of like trying things that are well, a little out of character for me."
"You sure that guy you met is an English Lit major?" Emmett's eyebrows rose in question.
"So he says," Bella chuckled. "He just got me thinking. I came here to get away from the mess and that kind of sounds like starting life over in a sense."
"Ill tell you what, we'll do this together." Emmett put his arm around his younger sister as they walked through the entrance and out into the busy mall hallway. "Let's make a pact right now, you and I are going to start making some serious changes ok?"
Bella smiled up at her brother, "You mean you'll actually try to talk to her about something other than work?"
"You got it little lady."
"Well we can start by getting some new threads!" Bella wiggled her eyebrows at him, making her brother laugh.
"A promise is a promise," Emmett sighed.
"Emmett?"
Bella and Emmett turned suddenly to see Rosalie, Emmett's crush walking towards them,
"Is that who I think it is?" Bella whispered.
Emmett only nodded, feeling a lump of nervousness build up in his throat.