23

The woman, who had the same auburn-colored hair that Edward had, gasped, opened her mouth once, twice, a third time before she squeaked and hurried out of Edward's bedroom, leaving the door wide open. Edward rushed over, slammed the door shut hard enough for the wood frame to splinter. He cringed and closed his eyes before he turned and looked at her.

"It's official," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I have to leave town, move to an island off the coast of fucking Brazil if I want any naked time with you ever again."

Bella laughed, deep from her gut laughed and bent over, picking her jeans and panties off the floor. "I can never get naked here again, Edward. Every time I do, one of them shows up and catches me with my pants off!"

"I'm so sorry, Bella," he chuckled, leaning against the door. "They weren't supposed to be here for another three hours."

"Well, surprise," she scoffed, slipping her panties on before following with her jeans. "Maybe I can shimmy down the drainpipe. Do you have a drainpipe outside of your bedroom window?"

"No, I don't," he snickered. "You're just gonna have to be brave and face them, Bella."

"Yeah, or I could just hide in the closet until they leave," she countered, picking her bra up off the floor. She slipped her shirt off and put said bra on and then picked up her shirt. "Don't you think you need to put your clothes on, Edward?"

"I'd rather take yours off again," he said but pushed away from the door and grabbed the jeans he had thrown on the floor. He pulled them on and then dug in his dresser, pulling out a NYU T-shirt, slipping it over his head. "Happy now?"

Bella bit her lip and shook her head. "I prefer you naked, too."

"You're going to be the death of me, Bella," he murmured, walking over to her, placing his hands on her hips. "If you're not ready to meet them, I can distract them while you carefully and quietly sneak out the front door, but I can't guarantee that my mother won't be waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs with a big, fucking smile on her face."

"Why would she be smiling?"

He grinned. "Because she came here for you, Bella."

"Me?" she squeaked, and he nodded. "Why me?"

"Because she's worried about you."

"Oh."

"Too much?" he asked, cringing.

"Just . . . just not used to people worrying about me, Edward. Especially people I've never met."

"Well, Mom is. . . Mom is pretty damn amazing."

She nodded, placing her hands on his chest, smiling when he shivered and inhaled a deep breath. "Okay, I'll meet them. I mean, she's already seen me half-naked. No point in hiding now, is there?"

"At least you had time to put a shirt on," he scoffed. "I was in my underwear, sweetheart."

Bella laughed. "That's fair."

Edward slipped his arm around her waist as they walked across the bedroom, out into the hallway, downstairs, where his mother was not waiting for them. Bella considered making a break for it, but knew she couldn't leave Edward behind to face his parents alone.

Garrett and Kate were seated in the living room with Edward's mother, who was piddling around the room, straightening the cushions, while his father stood next to the large picture window, overlooking the front yard. He was as tall as Edward, but not as broad shoulder. He had the same dirty blond hair as Garrett, though his hair had the same curly texture as Emmett's.

"There they are!" his mother squealed, tossing one of the throw pillows at Garrett, who barely managed to bat it away, and rushing toward Edward. Or so Bella thought. The woman with shoulder length auburn hair and bright green eyes threw her arms around her.

However, Bella hadn't been prepared for such a move and heard herself screaming, "NO!" before she could stop herself.

"Mom, stop," Edward said, wedging himself between his mother and Bella. He placed his hands on either side of Bella's face. "It's okay, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I didn't . . . I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he replied. "Just take a deep breath."

She did as he said, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. Edward moved his hands from her face, wrapping his arm back around her waist as together, they turned and faced his mother, who had tears in her eyes and her hands pressed against her chest.

"Mom, I know you're excited, but give her a second, okay?"

The woman quickly nodded. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to . . . to scare you."

"You didn't," she lied.

"She did," his father said, walking over and placing his hand on his wife's shoulders. "She's been excited to meet you, Bella. We both have."

"Oh."

Edward's finger's curved around her hip, pulling her firmly against the side of his body, a move that did not go unnoticed by either one of his parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Bella Swan. Sweetheart, this is my mother and father, James and Victoria Masen."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Masen," she whispered.

"No need to be so formal, dead. James and Vicki will do," Victoria said, grinning as she stretched her hand outward. "And the pleasure is entirely ours."

"From the way I hear it, the pleasure was Eddie's," Garrett quipped, causing Bella's eyes to widen, and Kate to smack him in the chest. "What? Mom said —"

"Garrett!" Victoria groused, turning her glare onto her son. "Don't make me take you over my knee, young man."

Garrett opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but seemed to catch the drift, so to speak, and clamp his mouth shut. Kate rolled her eyes as she stood up, snapping her fingers for him to follow.

"We should go. Have to get the bar set up before we open. We'll meet you for dinner at half past five, though. If I don't kick my husband's ass first, of course," she added, giving everyone a smile before she and Garrett left.

"I should probably go, too," Bella murmured, giving Edward a look. "You know, plans to make and . . ."

She was almost at the door when Victoria said, "We'll see you for dinner, won't we, dear?"

"Mom," Edward started, but Bella said, "Um, yeah, sure, of course."

And before anyone could stop her, she bolted through the front door, down the front walk and to her car. When she looked back, she saw Victoria watching her from the doorway. She gave her a small wave before she turned and walked back into the house. Bella mentally slapped herself in the head. She couldn't even be normal for one minute around his parents.

Bella climbed into her car, digging her phone out of her pocket when it chimed with a new text. From Edward, of course, that said: You do not have to come to dinner, sweetheart.

She sigh and sent a reply that said: I know I don't, but it's time for me to be a big girl and move on. Especially if moving on is with you.

She stowed her phone in her pocket as Edward's response came back, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he sent back. Either it would have her tingling with need, or it would crush her soul, and either were too much for her right then and there.

—You—

Bella stopped and got herself a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a cherry lime from a little mom and pop style joint before driving to Clearwater's Funeral Home. As she climbed out of her car, she looked around, barely recognizing Main Street. Once upon a time, it had been booming with business. There had been a Radio Shack, a high-priced department store, a pizza joint where the kids hung out and played arcade games. Not her, of course. Charlie hadn't allowed it, and he kept a close on eye it, so it was one of the few places she and Carlisle had never been able to go. Not that they wanted to. Being around other kids, knowing how happy they were while she was being held prisoner by a father who never loved her was just too much to handle.

"Well, well, well," a female voice from behind her came, and when Bella turned toward the front of the funeral home, she found the older sister of Seth. Tall, thin with long black hair, dark eyes, and creamy tan skin, Leah Clearwater had been one of the few girls her age who never talked shit about her. At least, to her face. "You look good, Bella. You look damn good."

"I look like shit," Bella scoffed, but pushed away from her car and walked up to Leah, who thankfully didn't make any effort to hug her. "You know why I'm here."

Leah nodded. "Figured you'd be by. Seth said your old man is in real bad shape."

Bella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah."

"Come on, Bella," Leah said, opening the door and gesturing for her to go inside. The door closed with a thud, and when she looked back, Leah shrugged. "Sorry. There's a spring loose, and . . . Anyway, I've been meaning to get it fixed."

Bella hummed, and followed Leah down a long hallway and into an office on the right side. Though Leah motioned for her to take a seat, Bella stopped and picked up a picture off the desk, a picture of her and Sam Uley on their wedding day.

"Seth told you, huh?" Bella groused, shifting her eyes to Leah. "What the fuck, Leah?"

"Fine," she said, snatching the picture from Bella. "Sam told me about your old man, about you being back."

"And you knew that if Uley was anywhere close to me, I'd kick his ass," she spat. "Again."

"Yes, your distaste for my husband is quite known," Leah quipped.

"You married Sam Uley!" she yelled.

"Will you stop yelling?" Leah hurried over, closing the door to her office. She turned and looked back at Bella. "Yes, Sam and I are married. We've been married for almost five years. He's not the same asshole he was ten years ago, Bella."

"Oh, so he's a different type of asshole now."

Leah rolled her eyes. "Good to see you're still dramatic."

"I'm not being dramatic, Leah." Bella dropped into the nearest chair she could find, bending over with her head in her hands. "Do you love him, Leah?"

Leah smiled and sat in the chair next to her. "I do. You leaving really made him think about the kind of man he wanted to be, Bella. He . . . he wanted to prosecute your dad for what he did to you, but Riley Biers, being the bastard he is, told him that without a complaining witness, i.e. you, there wasn't anything to be done, which we all thought was a load of bullshit. Sam was especially upset, and I don't know what he said to him, but about a month after you left, Charlie resigned from the department, and Sam took over at interim chief, eventually being given the position officially. When he first asked me out, I told him to go to Hell, but he kept asking, and you know this job is not an easy one, being surrounded by so much death. Anyway, one night we were out at the lake, just talking, and he . . . he told me that his biggest regret was failing you, Bella."

"Me?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Leah nodded. "It took a long time for him to stop blaming himself, to stop hating himself for not being a better police officer, a better friend to you, Bella, but he's not the same Sam Uley he was ten years ago."

Bella's lips trembled. "Just a few nights ago, he let the air out on all four tires on my car, Leah, after finding me in the cemetery visiting my mom."

"No, he didn't," she argued. "Seth showed up at the house the next afternoon, starting jumping his ass for it. Sam said it wasn't him, that he'd busted a group of teenagers out there about an hour after you left. He was going to call Seth and Jake himself to go get your car, but I guess you bet him to it."

"Oh," she whispered, biting the inside of her lip.

"He was supposed to go talk to you this morning," she said. "Did he not?"

"No, he did," she admitted. "I kind of lost my shit on him, and then Carlisle kind of lost his shit on him."

Leah frowned. "Yeah, maybe I should have called Rosalie or Jasper, given them the heads up."

"Probably." Bella sighed. "Does he make you happy, Leah?"

She smiled. "Very happy, Bella. I've never loved someone the way I love him."

"Good, that's good," she said, nodding. "If he hurts you, though. . ."

"I know, I know, you'll kick his ass. Wouldn't be the first time." Leah reached out and covered her hands with her own. "I've missed you, Bella."

"I've missed you, too, Leah," she lied, or almost lied. She had missed Leah, but she hadn't missed being back home.

Leah gave her a look before she stood up and walked around her desk, pulling open one of the drawers in her filing cabinet. She pulled out a folder, placed it on top of her desk, and sat down.

"Your dad came in right after his diagnosis, made all his arrangements. He bought the plot next to your mom, has everything set up and paid for, so you don't really need to do anything. When he passes, you or Rosalie or Jasper, whoever, can let me know and I'll get everything rolling for you."

Bella nodded. "The one and only time he planned for anything and it's his funeral. Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Leah frowned and picked up small, white envelope. "He, um, he asked if I'd give this to you when, or if, you . . . you ever came in."

Bella stared at the envelope in her hand for several seconds before she said, "Burn it."

"Bella." Leah shook her head before she stood up and walked back around the desk, sitting in the chair next to her again. "I know you don't want to hear this, but the Charlie Swan you ran from was not the man who came into my office to settle his affairs because he didn't want that burden to be put on your shoulders."

"Leah," she whimpered, shaking her head.

"You don't have to read it right now, or even today. But you should have it, for when you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready?"

"Then you're not, but you came back for a reason, Bella." Leah shoved the envelope into her hands before she leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "I've really missed you, Bella. I really have."

Bella murmured a heavy, "Yeah, me too," before she hurried out of Leah's office, down the long, dark hallway, and out to her car. She dug her phone out of her pocket, needing Edward. The text he had sent her before popped up on the screen and the tears she had been struggling to keep from falling, fell freely when she read: I want to move on with you, too, sweetheart. With heart emoji at the end.

Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews! As I said in Searching for Hope, I am leaving Sunday for a little vacation. I'm going to have my laptop with me, so I should be able to write still, but don't be too upset if updates slow down a little. Do me a solid and leave me a few words for this chapter, too!