My Best Friends Father
Summary: Bella's been in love with Alice's father for years. Alice's father just might return those feelings. Will Alice's plan to bring them together work? Watch as they find each other and discover that there are no limits in love. All human, AU, AR, First Fanfic.
Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight, Pepsi owns Dr. Pepper, Levi's own Levi brand, Discovery Channel owns the Mythbusters TV series.
AN: I tried very hard for Jasper to think like a man. But since I'm not a man, I can only imagine how much I was off.
Chapter 4
JPOV
An hour and a half later the house looked respectable, and there were clean sheets on the beds. The bathroom had been cleaned, something Alice had called reminding me to do, and I was now pacing in my room. What else do I need to do? I smelled myself, ehh, I'd definitely need to get a shower and change. Should I put on something nice or be comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt? I was mid-pace when Alice knocked on my bedroom door. She grinned as she watched me make another trek across the room.
"Need some help dad?" She perched herself on the edge of my bed.
"I was thinking since we are just ordering pizza that I should go with comfort, but I don't want her to think I look too scruffy." I groaned. "I feel like I'm 17 again, trying to decide what to wear on a date. I hate this." I rubbed my hand down my face, embarrassed at admitting this to my daughter.
"Dad, you've known each other for how many years? She isn't going to think you're scruffy." Alice rolled her eyes. "Besides, she's seen you in cut off's and a holey t-shirt; you can't get much scruffier than that."
She laughed when I glared at her, "Although if I could make a suggestion? I don't know if you wear any certain jeans to work in, but that pair you had on the time she fell definitely made an impression." She grinned, her eyes sparkling with laughter. She was enjoying my discomfort.
I muttered to myself, "Daughter's, talking about their fathers butt, is nothing sacred?" Alice just laughed.
I grumbled as I rummaged through my closet and grabbed a pair of black Levi's and my favorite confederate flag shirt. "Now get out of here so I can shower and change. Go make sure I put Isabella's soda in the fridge." I caught Alice's grin as she headed toward the kitchen.
***
Alice was watching me fidget at the kitchen table, while I watched the clock, waiting for the doorbell to ring. When it did, I jumped up throwing a "Shut up Alice" and a warning look over my shoulder when she laughed at my actions. I shook my head, "No respect, how did I raise such a disrespectful daughter?" She just laughed harder.
I pulled the door open and there stood the most enchanting woman in the world. Her hair was still pulled up from her day at work, showing off her beautiful neck, her blouse looking very sexy draped over her body. Just a hint of lace showed at the V of her blouse. It was probably one of the cami-something or others Alice tried to explain to me once. Whatever the hell it was called, I liked it.
"Hi Mr. Brandon, thank you so much for this…" Quit staring at her like an idiot, I told myself firmly, shaking myself out of my stupor and invited her in.
"I'm really glad to have you here Isabella, come in, Alice is in the kitchen." I stepped out of the way, letting her pass me. Before she had gone two steps, my hand had reached out of its own accord; I couldn't seem to keep myself from touching her. Energy shot up my arm at the contact. I had to quickly come up with an excuse to cover my impulsiveness. When she turned back and looked up at me, she had a blush covering her face and chest.
"Do you have a suitcase or any bags that need to come inside? We could go ahead and put those in your room before it gets dark." Yeah, that sounded reasonable.
"Yes, just a couple of bags."
We turned and went to the trunk of her car, unloaded her bags and I lead her inside the house. I took her to the bedroom across from my room, explaining that we'd have to share the bathroom. She grinned inexplicably at that. With the tour out of the way, I asked about her day at school. She told me about a student who had tried to put his coat on upside down. I told her about the work-site I'm on now, and she told me more about the kids in her class.
Once we made it into the kitchen, Isabella and Alice started discussing their day. I got Alice and myself an iced tea, and set a can of Dr. Pepper in front of Isabella. When she just looked at it, I was sure I'd chosen the wrong kind. I was surprised by the disappointment that swept through me. Just as I was about to offer her a different drink she spoke, blushing prettily.
"I love Dr. Pepper, thank you so much!" She grinned up at me. You'd think I was 5, at the pleasure I felt at her approval.
"I know what you like, so I picked some up on my way home today." I told her. Then paused, hoping she wouldn't notice my slip. That I'd actually picked up the soda before I knew they would be coming to my house for dinner.
The doorbell ringing distracted them from my comment. I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket as I made my way towards the door to pay for the pizza.
Alice was laughing when I came back into the kitchen carrying the pizzas.
"Ladies, dinner is served." I put the pizzas and plates on the table and sat down.
Dinner was spent talking and laughing, sharing our day's events. I was enjoying the time, able to openly watch Isabella as she told us stories about her students and fellow teachers. When Alice mentioned someone named Coach Harris I saw Isabella stiffen. Wondering what this was about, I lifted an eyebrow at Alice. She went on to tell me that this Coach Harris person had a list of teachers that he hit on and that Isabella, my Isabella was next on his list. She had actually had to sneak out of the school building today to get away from him.
My jaw and fists clenched, he better stay the hell away her. I fought down the urge to sling Isabella over my shoulder and carry her off to a cave. The need to protect her from creeps like the coach nearly tore a growl from my throat. I took several deep breaths. A black eye or a broken nose wouldn't put him out of commission for long, but I'd feel a hell of a lot better . I was enjoying thinking of ways to torture him when I noticed Isabella looking over at me with a worried expression. I wondered what my face had shown, I worked at relaxing my jaw and unclenching my fists. I pushed the torture scenarios to the back of my mind to contemplate later.
"It's not a big deal, he'll move on in a week or so when I don't show any interest. At least that's what happened with the other ladies at school." Isabella tried to pass it off as unimportant.
I was slightly shocked; she thinks this isn't a big deal. The woman I'm in love with is being harassed by some jerk… oh hell… I'm in love with her. I looked at her, and then my daughter, certain there was a stunned look on my face.
What will Alice think when she realizes that this isn't just some insignificant infatuation? Will she accept the idea of her father being in love with her best friend? When we'd discussed the possibility of Isabella and I being attracted to one another, she had seemed very accepting, even happy about it. Would that change because I fell in love with Isabella? I couldn't imagine Alice being upset at the prospect, probably just the opposite, if I knew my daughter at all.
I want to protect her. I'll laugh with her when she's happy, and hold her when she cries…then beat the hell out of whoever made her cry. A smile crossed my face. Isabella would never let me beat the hell out of anyone, no matter how much they deserved it. I want to see her stomp around the house when I've done something stupid... and I sure as hell want to be here to make up with her later.
Grinning at the thought, I looked up, surprised to find myself alone in the kitchen. I heard Isabella call "bye" to Alice and then close the front door. I stood up and began picking up the leftovers from dinner.
She started the dishes and I just stood enjoying how natural she looked in my home.
"Mr. Brandon, what's your schedule for the mornings? I don't want to get in your way when I get ready for school." She asked as she glanced over at me.
My heart clenched, I'm in love with her and she still calls me Mr. Brandon.
"First off, can we dispense with the Mr. Brandon? Call me Jasper." I waited for her to agree, hoping she'd use my name. I wanted to hear my name on her lips. When she nodded in agreement I focused on her question. "I usually get a shower at 6:30, and then have some coffee and read the paper until I leave at around 8:00. What about you?"
"I have to leave about 7:30, my kids start arriving at 8:00. I get up about 6:00, so I should be out of your way when you get up. Would you mind if I fix enough coffee for both of us? I wouldn't be able to handle 22 kids without my morning coffee."
She grinned up at me; I hope that at some point I'll get to see her in action with her students. I picked up the towel and began to dry the dishes, enjoying the chance to be near her.
"Not a problem, the coffee machine's on a timer, I'll just make enough for both of us. It should be ready when you get out of the shower." I set the towel down and turned to walk into the living room. "I'm going to watch some TV; you're welcome to join me." She came in and we shared the couch, be it at opposite ends. Simply spending time with her doing nothing of importance was enjoyable. I could do this for the rest of my life without complaint.
We watched Mythbusters, a favorite TV show of mine. Debating and discussing the methods they used in their experiments. We laughed at the amount of damage they were able to inflict with each new myth. She cheered when they cut a car in half with a makeshift snowplow. I watched her face, feeling the love I felt for her grow as we shared an hour of TV.
I noticed when she left to change; but was sidetracked as the next episode of Mythbusters came on. When she called goodnight over her shoulder as she walked through the living room in her pajamas I actually lost my breath. I nodded back at her, unable to get a word out of my mouth.
My entire body had tensed, seeing her beautiful pale legs in her shorts; she wore a simple shirt that hugged every curve. I ached at the sight of her as she walked down the hallway to her room. I was still trying to catch my breath, when my cell phone rang. I looked down at my caller ID.
"Hi honey. Did you make it home alright?" I sounded hoarse, even to myself.
"Yes, yes. You sound strange, did you kiss her?" I carried the phone to my room, smiling at Alice's enthusiasm.
"Calm down honey. No I didn't kiss her." I paused. "Listen, I need to ask you something." I took a deep breath. "I know we talked about this earlier but are you sure this is something you can live with? If you're wrong and she doesn't wish to pursue anything with me, it could hurt both of you. Are you absolutely certain that you can live with this, no matter the consequences, good or bad?" I waited for her answer.
"Dad," she spoke softly and I knew she was taking this seriously, "I can't tell you things that are for Bella to say, but I am very sure that she does have feelings for you. And I also know that she finds you very attractive." Giggling, she added, "Bella was checking out your ass in those jeans when you went to the door too get the pizza." My stunned silence was humorous to Alice, and as much as I know she was enjoying my discomfort, I had one more thing I knew I needed to tell her.
"The way I feel for her is not something I'll be able to turn off once I take that first step. I think I should tell you that I'm already in love with her, Alice."
"If you're still wondering if I can handle you being in love with my best friend, I think it's wonderful. I'll tell you the same thing I did earlier today. I love you dad, I want you to be happy. And if she makes you happy then I really do want this for you."
"I love you too Alice. Have a good night and tell the Major he'd better take good care of you." I hung the phone up and plugged it into the charger on my dresser.
I pulled off my clothes, stretching the muscles in my arms and back before climbing into bed. Just as I was turning the light off I heard Isabella's phone ring. Alice must be checking in with her.
I lay on my back, my arms resting behind my head as I thought about Alice's phone call. So, she had checked out my butt. I'll have to go out and get some more Levi's.
I could hear Isabella tossing in bed, I imagined her there, pajamas wrapped around her body. Would she sleep in her shirt or just her panties? I clenched my hands, envisioning how she'll feel as I hold her against my chest as we sleep. I was barely able to stop myself from going into her room. I ached for her. I had to stop myself from fantasizing about what she would look like when she slept.
I dreamt of her anyway.
This is my first fanfic. Constructive criticism greatly appreciated. Please Review. ;)
AN: Is anyone interested in Jaspers dream (or Bella's for that matter), or would you prefer that I go straight to the next morning (Where we'll start to get to our lemony goodness?) Please let me know. ;)