Chapter 13: The Special Moments
Two days after Gabriel's birth, Sue had been released from the hospital but she had gone to the hospital everyday to visit Gabriel. While everything else in the house was extremely quiet and tense. Therefore, Bella spent most of her time out of the house.
Bella sighed as she arrived at work at Newton's Olympic Outfitters. "Hey Bella," Karen Newton greeted.
"Hi, Mrs. Newton," Bella replied.
"How's Sue doing?" she asked.
"I don't see her very much. She's up at the hospital all day with Gabriel right now," Bella replied.
"Well, tell her that Gabriel's in our thoughts and prayers," Karen told her.
Nodding her head slowly, the teenage girl stood behind the counter. "Hey Bella," Mike greeted.
"Hey, Mike," she answered.
"How's it going?" he asked.
She shrugged a little. "Alright," she replied. Mike started opening up the boxes of inventory they had received.
"Excuse me miss," a voice called.
Looking up, Bella smiled as Emmett walked over to the counter. "May I help you sir?" she asked, grinning a little.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you have any sales going on?" he replied.
"Our camping gear is on sale," she told him.
"Camping gear huh? Well do you have anything new that has come in?" he asked.
Bella smiled a little as she reached under the counter. "Well, we are receiving some sleeping bags," she replied opening up the magazine.
"Any double sleeping bags?" he asked, grinning a little.
"Double sleeping bags huh? Plan on bringing someone with you?" she asked.
"I don't know; how would you like to join me?" Emmett answered grinning from ear to ear.
She raised her eyebrow at him, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Wouldn't have to worry about being cold," he commented. Her cheeks suddenly turned red as she bit her lower lip. "Because I'm sure a girl like you would like to have a good time," he commented.
"Hey, sir, can you stop harassing my co-worker?" Mike asked.
Bella was giggling a little. "Mike, it's fine," she told him. Emmett was grinning from ear to ear.
"What you know him?" Mike asked.
"Yes…Mike this is Emmett Cullen, my boyfriend," Bella informed.
"Damn babe the cover was going great," Emmett, told her.
Giggling softly, she kissed her boyfriend gently. Emmett kissed her back with a grin, but his eyes were over at Mike was watching with the ugliest expression that could only make Emmett smile with satisfaction. After pulling away, he moved his fingers over her jaw with a smile. "So how long do you work today?" he asked.
"Until closing," she replied.
"Damn," he muttered.
Mike cleared his throat; his eyes were burning as he looked at Emmett. Emmett grinned a little. "So…the family and I are going on a camping trip. Wanna come?" he asked. Bella stared at him quizzically.
"Me? On a camping trip?" she asked slowly.
"Yeah, why not it'd be fun," he replied.
"Emmett, I am the clumsiest person on the face of the earth. Why would it be a good idea for me to go camping?" she asked.
"Because it'd be fun and you wouldn't have to worry about falling because I'd be there," he replied grinning.
Bella rolled her eyes a little. "Come on Gorgeous, say you'll come," he insisted. He held her hand with a smile.
"I have no other choice do I?" she asked, raising a brow curiously at him.
"Nope," he replied chuckling.
Pretending to be thinking about it, she tapped her finger lightly against her chin. "Alright, alright, I'll go," she said with a defeated sigh. Emmett chuckled, kissing her briefly.
"Be ready Friday, I'll pick you up at five," he told her.
"Sounds good," she answered smiling.
He kissed her once more before leaving the store. "So…you and Cullen huh?" Mike asked. Bella glanced over at him.
"Yeah," she replied slowly as she put the magazine away.
He opened up another box. "The guy is like…big as a bear," he commented.
"Your point?" she asked slowly.
"The guy is new in town and you two are already dating?" he asked.
"I was dating Emmett before he moved to Forks. We met in the foster home we were put in together," she replied.
She started writing down the inventory. Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with Mike's staring. The one thing she couldn't about Mike is that he followed her around like a lost puppy. "Just waiting for a tail to start wagging," she thought to herself as she kept glancing at him. She let out a sigh. "What Mike?" she asked frustrated.
"Bells come on, are you really serious about this guy?" he asked.
"Yeah, Mike, I am. What's it to you anyways?" Bella demanded.
"The guy is like big enough to crush you with one hand," Mike replied.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, the young woman leaned back against the counter staring at her co-worker. "Mike…you are unbelievable," she commented.
"I'm just saying be careful. The guy's personality can change with the flip of a coin," he answered.
"How do you know that? Emmett has been in town for what a week and you're already telling me that my boyfriend might start abusing me?" she asked.
Mike was silent. "You know what Mike? You don't know a thing about Emmett. I know Emmett more than anyone else in this whole damn town! I have known him since I was twelve-years-old. If the man had a mean streak do you honestly believe I would stay with him?" she asked glaring at him.
An awkward silence fell between them. Bella let out a deep breath as she grabbed her writing pad and left to write down the rest of the inventory. What Mike insinuated infuriated her to no end. Emmett meant everything to her. She would never say this to anyone out loud so no one would start to ridicule him for being this way, but to her he was her protective teddy bear. Showing his strong, protective features on
The outside, but when they were alone he was just the kindest man she could ever know.
If there was anyone in this world she felt she was meant to be with, it was Emmett. Everything about him made her smile. His smile, his eyes, his laugh, she even liked his jokes no matter how lame they could get. She also enjoyed how spontaneous Emmett could be. It made the days more interesting. She also liked that he could also be so romantic, even though the romantic bits weren't needed at all, to her those were just a bonus.
When her shift finally ended, Bella walked out of the store to find Emmett waiting by her truck. "Hey Gorgeous," he said smiling.
"Hey…" she answered smiling a little.
"How'd it go?" he asked.
"It was long," she replied.
Emmett smiled a little. "Come on," he told her opening the door of her truck for her.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Just…get in the truck," he replied.
Laughing a little, she got into the truck after handing him the keys. He got into the truck and drove off.
They ended up at their spot, staring out at the clear sky, which was rare in Washington, looking up at the starry sky. "Em…" she started.
"Yeah," he answered.
Pushing her hair from her eyes, she sat up a little to look at him. "You know how much you mean to me right?" she asked quietly, her hand resting on his chest. Emmett stared up at her, his fingers moving through her hair.
"I think I have the gist of it," he replied smiling.
"Emmett come on I was being serious," she told him.
Emmett stared at her quizzically. "Yeah Bells, I know, because you mean that much to me. If not more," he answered. He continued to caress her hair while staring into her eyes. "Did something happen at work?" he asked.
"No, nothing that I can't handle," she replied.
"Did that guy do something?" he asked, sitting up and turning the radio they had playing off.
"No, no he didn't do anything. He just said something that pissed me off," she replied.
She rested her hands on his chest. "Emmett, I can handle it okay?" she asked. Sighing, Emmett rested his forehead against hers, his hand on the back of her neck.
"You'll tell me if he does something right?" he asked.
"Yes, I'll say something," she replied.
She kissed him briefly with a smile. "Promise," she whispered. She reached behind him, turning the radio back on. Emmett smiled as Truly, Madly, Deeply began to play. Getting up from the ground, he held his hand out to her.
"Let's dance Gorgeous," he told her.
"I can't dance," she answered.
Chuckling, he pulled her up. "Come on," he told her. Bella smiled as he rested his hand in the middle of her back, resting his forehead to hers. Closing her eyes, she rested her hand on the back of his neck as they both started swaying to the music. She enjoyed these moments, the moments she looked forward to everyday. The moments where she could just spend it with only Emmett without having someone stare.
Emmett had his own eyes closed as he pulled her a little closer. This girl was everything to him, his reason for everything he had ever done and what he would do for his future. He had a bright future, as long as Bella was part of that future. His heart beat for her, her face, her eyes, her smile were all that saw in his dreams at night. Bella Swan was the woman for him, no other girl could compare to her.
After awhile, Emmett pulled her hand from the back of his neck, clasping it with his own, holding their hands against his chest while his other hand moved to the middle of her back. Bella's free hand moved to the middle of his back, her eyes still closed, but a smile on her face.
Soon they had stopped dancing, the music was still playing but they were just relishing their every minute they had together before they had to go back home. Except for right now, this is all they had and this was all they could ever want.