The Gift

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyers owns all Twilight and the Characters

Chapter 9 Protect At All Cost

EPOV

"Mommy," Carly said running to Bella as we walked into the house. It was a quiet ride over here between the two of us. She looked as if she had something on her mind and I didn't want to bother her.

"Were you a good girl for Edward today," she asked as she hugged Carly.

"Yep," Carly said grinning. "He even got me hot chocolate with extra marshmallows."

"Did he," Bella said looking over at me. Busted by the four year old. "It looks like I'm going to have to have a talk with him."

"Who me," I asked smirking hoping to get out of it.

"Yes," she said laughing as she out Carly down. "Why don't you go back to Alice and Rose? I'll call you when dinner is ready?"

"Okay," Carly said skipping back up the stairs.

"I'll take that," I told her reaching for her jacket.

"Thank you," she replied to me. Once I hung up her jacket I grabbed her and pulled her close to me.

"She was so well behaved today," I said hoping that would get me out of trouble.

"That's wonderful, but that doesn't get you off the hook. You do know that if she doesn't eat her dinner," she said trying to be serious. She wasn't able to hide her seriousness for long when she started laughing. "It's going to be all your fault."

"I know," I answered her looking into her eyes. "We were having such a great afternoon. I just wanted to top it off for her."

"From her expression," she started to say before standing on her tip toes. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a quick kiss before saying anything more. "I can tell that you passed with flying colors."

"I love you," I told her before leaning down getting ready to kiss her. As my lips were about to meet hers I heard someone clear their throat. We both quickly turned our heads to see who it was.

"Is everything okay," Charlie asked looking at Bella. "Sue said that Edward ran out of the house to find you."

"I fell asleep," she answered quickly looking over at me then back at Charlie.

"Is that all that happened," he asked getting more serious.

"Yes," she said lying to him. Why would she lie to Charlie? Why wouldn't she tell him that Mike showed up at her place.

"Don't do that again to me Bells," he said pulling her into a hug. "You had me worried when I heard you weren't here yet."

"I'm sorry," she said moving away from him. "I had better go see if Esme and Sue need help."

As she walked towards the kitchen I could feel that Charlie was giving me the glare of death. I could hear it now from him. He was going to one let me have it or two give me the if you hurt my daughter speech. Besides all of that I didn't know why he was glaring at me. I took a deep breath before anything was said.

"Was she really sleeping," he asked when she was out of sight and in the kitchen.

"When I walked into the house I found her getting off of the living room floor," I told him not wanting to hide anything. "It looked as if."

"As if what," he said interrupting me. I took another deep breath before speaking again, because I knew that this was going to set him off.

"It looked as if she had been crying," I said honestly. "I swear Charlie I didn't do it."

"Edward," he said as we walked into the living room. "I know that it wasn't you son. Did she at least tell you?"

"Yes," I answered him and took another deep breath before saying anything else. "She said that Mike stopped by before she was on her way here."

"That asshole," he said pacing the living room. I watched as his face went from red to a deep purple. "I'll kill that son of a bitch."

"Charlie," I spoke up trying to get his attention. "I've already told her that I would gladly kick his ass. Knowing her she told me that he wasn't worth it."

"Did she tell you what he wanted," he asked starting to calm down.

"No," I replied.

"She's so stubborn sometimes," he said with a small chuckle.

"I agree with you there," I said laughing.

"Just don't fuck up again," he said turning serious again. "Those girls are my life. So don't think I won't shoot your ass if you hurt either one of them."

"Yes sir," I said feeling a lump form in my throat.

"Good," he said patting my back. "I haven't seen her this happy in a long time."

"Dinner is ready," Bella said before coming I could say anything.

"Good talk," Charlie said as he left the living the room.

"What was that about," she said walking towards me.

"Nothing important," I said wrapping my arms around her and bringing her close.

"Please tell me that he didn't threaten you," she said trying not to get upset.

"Sweetheart," I said brushing my nose along her cheek and whispering into her ear. "He just wants you to be happy."

"Does he now," she said. "What about you?"

"Me," I said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. " Your's and Carly's happiness is one of the most important things to me."

I leaned down and kissed her. As our lips meet they formed as if they were one and moved as if they were one. Her lips were soft and sweet. I moved my hands from around her waist to where I was cupping her face. I didn't want to push our physical relationship too far. I wanted her to make the decisions on how far we went when she was ready. I broke our kiss and placed my forehead against hers. I could smell her shampoo as I took a deep breath. She had never changed it, and it smelled of fresh strawberries still. I was just a fool to never notice the small things.

"The most important thing," I said as we gazed into each others eyes. "Is that I love you both. I love you with all my heart and forever more."

"I love you too," she said smiling.

"Edward Anthony Cullen," I heard mom yell. "If you and Bella plan on eating you two had better get in here."

I took her hand and lead the way to the dinning room. I couldn't help but notice that she was still laughing at what mom said. I knew exactly what she meant by coming on and eating. If we wanted to eat before Emmett got to the table we needed to go now. Walking into the dinning room I noticed that everyone was already seated at the table. There were two empty seats between Rosalie and Charlie.

"I hope that you don't mind," Alice said speaking up. When we turned to see Alice, I noticed that Carly was sitting between her and Jasper already eating.

"Alice," Bella said walking over to her. "It's perfectly fine. Like you said you could use her for all the practice that you need."

What did she mean by this? What was fine? What in the hell was she talking about practice? Just then I saw the two of them giggling and looking over at me. Oh great! I hated it when they did this to me. She's told Alice something that I've done and Alice had agreed with her. She walked back over to me and I wrapped my arm around her waist. We walked around the table to our seats. I pulled her chair out for her and as she sat down she gave me smile.

"What was all that about," I asked her as I sat down.

"She just wanted to know if it was okay if Carly sat them," she answered me.

"Okay," I said thinking before asking her the next question. "What were you two giggling about then?"

"How I would deal with you if Carly doesn't eat her dinner," she said leaning over and whispering in my ear. I felt my face turn red as I felt her breath tickle down my neck. If she only knew what she did to me.

"Bells," Charlie said getting her attention before I could say anything else.

"Yes," she said turning around to face him.

"What's the matter," Jasper said with a big fucking smirk on his face tossing a roll at me. "Need a cold shower to cool down."

"I wouldn't be the one talking," I smarted off to him throwing it right back to him.

"Who needs to cool off," Emmett said with a mouth full of food.

"No one," Alice said interrupting us. When I looked over at her she had placed her hands over Carly's ears. "Boys there is a child at the table tonight. So, if you want to talk like that, then take it somewhere else."

"Rose," Emmett said when Rosalie smacked him upside the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"Stay out of everyone else's business," she said sternly to him.

"Dad," I heard Bella say all of a sudden. The next thing I know she is getting up from the table and walking over towards Carly. "I can take care of myself and my daughter. I'm sorry Carlisle and Esme but we have to leave."

"We'll get her," Alice told Bella. With one quick head nod to Alice Bella walked out of the dinning room.

"Bella," I said getting up from the table and going after her. "Bella damn it would you stop for one damn minute."

"Don't," she told me jerking her arm away from me when I caught her. "You told him."

"What," I said trying to figure out what she meant.

"You told Charlie about Mike coming over this afternoon," she told me.

"You didn't tell me that I couldn't," I replied right back to her.

"Don't you think that if it was important I would have told him," she told me sternly getting pissed.

"Damn it Bella," I said angrily towards her. "I think that you father had a right to know. He should've known that his granddaughter's father came over. Aren't you the least fucking bit worried that he will take her from you?"

"No," she yelled at me coldly. She closed her eyes I guess to fight back the tears. When she finally opened them they were black as night. "He's never wanted her from the start. He's never held her, never told her a story, and never spent any time with her. So the answer to your question is no. He will never take her from me."

"Bella," I whispered out as everything she said hit me like a brick wall. How could someone not want their own child? Mike surely was an asshole for this move. I would do anything for her to be my daughter. I tried to pull her close to me but she jerked out of my arms.

"Carly," she said when Jasper and Alice came into view in the hallway with no Carly. I'm sure everyone had heard what was going on between us.

"Bella," Sue said come up to Bella. "Why don't your farther and I keep her for the night?"

"Okay," she told Sue hugging her close. Once she let Sue go, she looked around the room before speaking again. "Who is going to drive me home?"

"I will," I said speaking up.

"No," she said coldly to me as she turned to face me. "I have nothing more to say to you tonight."

"Jasper can," Alice said speaking up. "He won't mind at all. Plus he can get me some ice cream from the store."

"Damn pregnancy cravings," Jasper said shaking his head. "Bella, I'll be glad to drive you home. Just tell me whenever you are ready."

"Let's go," she said after telling Carly goodbye who walked into the hallway. As she walked out the door she didn't even glance my way.

"How," I started to say turning to Alice when the door slammed. "How do I fix this?"

"Give her a few minutes head start," she said coming to stand beside me. "It will all work out. You'll see I promise."

"She's never been that cold to me," I told her remembering how dark Bella's eyes became.

"The Bella that we know now has a child to protect," Alice told me as she hugged me. "She is going to not only protect her child but protect herself at all costs."

"Thank you," I told her as I kissed her cheek. I knew that Alice was right about Bella. She was trying to protect herself and Carly.

"Go make up with her," she said as I grabbed my jacket and keys. I ran to the Volvo and headed straight for her house.

BPOV

As I walked out of the house I didn't look at him. I couldn't believe that he told Charlie about Mike coming over. I thought that I could trust him, but I was starting to think otherwise. Neither one of else were speaking on the ride to my house. I just didn't know what to say about all of this.

"You know that he didn't mean it," Jasper said breaking the silence in the car.

"I know now," I said taking a deep breath. I know that Jasper was right about the whole situation. Edward didn't mean to do any harm when he told Charlie.

"He's a completely different person," he went on to say. "Before you came back into his life, he was empty shell. There was no life, no passion, and no fire in his eyes. Ever since you and Carly entered it the empty shell is gone. He shows life, and love behind his eyes."

"Really," I said looking over at him.

"In the evenings when he comes back from your place. All he can talk about is what the three of you did, or what you two did," he said to me. "There have even been a couple of times when he had mentioned Carly. He wishes that he was her farther and not Mike."

"He does," was all I could say for a minute. I needed to tell him the truth if we made past this fight. I glanced out the window to notice that we were almost back to the house. "It's the next driveway on the left."

"Don't be so hard on him," he said pulling into the driveway.

"Thanks," I told him getting out of the car.

"No problem," he said when I shut the door.

I walked into the dark house and took a deep breath. Jasper was right and I needed to talk to Edward. We have never been this mad at each before. Back in the day we could be mad at each for one minute then the next everything was fine. I left the lights off down stairs and headed upstairs to my room turning on the light. Once I was in the room I shut the door and shrugged my jacket off tossing it onto the rocking chair. I felt numb now after what all had happened at his house and in the car. Pulling my phone out of my jean pocket I noticed that there were no missed calls or text messages. I had really done it this time. I dialed his number and hoped that he would answer it.

"This is Edward," his voice mail said when it clicked over. He must be angry with me since he didn't answer the phone. "I can't come to the phone right now leave a message."

"I'm sorry," I said once I heard the beep. I took a deep breath before I said anything else since I could feel the tears wanting to fall. "I know that you didn't mean any of it. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I love you."

I put the phone on the dresser, turned the light out, and laid down on the bed. As I laid there I couldn't help but let the tears fall. If we couldn't make it past this misunderstanding. Then how were we going to make it when he finds out about the truth.