Chapter 16: Emmetts Secrets

Emmett let out a deep breath as he stood in his room, trying to fix his tie. "Dammit," he muttered frustrated, throwing the tie on the bed. Rubbing the back of his neck, he let out a deep breath, looking at the cap and gown sitting on the hanger on the doorknob of his room.

"Emmett?" a voice called followed by a knock.

"I'll be out in a minute ma," he answered.

He picked the tie up off the bed, trying to tie it again. Esme opened the door, smiling to see her son struggling with the tie. "Didn't your dad teach you how to do that already?" she asked.

"Yeah, kinda forgot," he replied.

Smiling, she walked over to Emmett, fixing the tie for him. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," he replied.

Esme rested her hand on his cheek. "I'm very, very proud of you Emmett," she told him.

"Thanks mom," he answered.

She sighed sadly, as she finished the tie. "I know I'm not your birthmother," she murmured.

"No, but you remind me of her," he answered.

Smiling, the woman kissed his cheek before patting his shoulder. "Get your things, everyone's waiting," she told him.

"I'm coming," he answered.

He watched her leave and let out a sigh. Moving his fingers through his hair, he grabbed his cap and gown before leaving his room.

After the graduation, Emmett was looking around when he felt someone crash into him. "Congratulations," Bella told him smiling. Smiling, Emmett lifted his girlfriend up off the ground, kissing the top of her head.

"Thanks Gorgeous," he answered.

Bella smiled before he kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, her arms around his neck. She giggled softly as he placed his hat on her head. Pulling back, Emmett stroked her cheek gently. "Come on you guys! We have a party to go to!" Alice announced excitedly. Laughing, Emmett shook his head slowly.

"She gets more interesting everyday," he told her smiling.

Laughing, they held hands as they left the auditorium.

When they arrived at the party, everyone was laughing, having a great time. Emmett had his arms around Bella while they were talking to a few of their friends. "So what happens now?" Angela asked.

"Emmett's heading to Stanford on a baseball scholarship," Bella replied.

"Really wow that's great," Eric commented while pulling Angela close.

"Yeah, it'll be one interesting opportunity," he answered.

Bella placed her hands over Emmett's as he kissed the top of her head. "You hope to join him at Stanford?" Angela asked.

"Hopefully, have to get accepted first," she replied.

"They'd be stupid to deny you access to their school," he told her.

Before Bella could say anything, she let out a yelp when he lifted her up off the ground, spinning her around in circles. She laughed as he set her down, kissing the side of her head. She smiled a little as he kissed the side of her neck. "Love you Gorgeous," he told her.

"I love you too," she answered.

Emmett grinned, placing his hand on the back of her neck, moving in to kiss her. "Emmett," Alice called. Sighing, he pulled away to look at his sister.

"What?" he asked.

Alice stared at him quizzically. "Do you know an Ian McCarty?" she asked. Bella saw the blood drain from his face.

"Ian McCarty?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's here," Alice, replied.

Bella held onto his arms. "Emmett, what's going on?" she asked quietly.

"Stay here Gorgeous," he told her letting her go.

He walked by Alice over to the parking lot.

Standing in the parking lot, he saw a person he hadn't seen in thirteen years. The man stood almost if not taller than Emmett with black hair with gray streaks. He was wearing black boots, blue jeans, and a white t-shirt. The man was flicking a cigarette on the ground after taking a puff. "I hear you're looking for me," Emmett commented. Looking up, the man put out the cigarette out.

"Yep," he answered.

Emmett stared at the man. "What are you doing here Ian?" he demanded.

"Hey, I'm your dad. You will call me as such," Ian, answered.

"Please you haven't been my dad in thirteen years. Shit scratch that. You haven't been my dad in eighteen years!" Emmett snapped.

Ian stared at the young man. "Hey! I gave you everything," he told him.

"Yea an ass kicking starting from 5 PM to Midnight," Emmett answered.

"Hey, I just disciplined you, tried to toughen you up," Ian told him.

Emmett's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "Hello! Beating a kid with your fists and a belt isn't classified as "discipline!" he snapped. The man waved his hand dismissively before reaching into his pocket to pull out his pack of cigarettes.

"Want one?" he asked.

"No," Emmett answered.

Ian shrugged before lighting the cigarette. "What the hell do you want here?" Emmett demanded.

"You're my boy. My boy is the first McCarty to graduate high school," Ian replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"No thanks to you. And how did you find me?" Emmett demanded.

"I'm your dad Emmett. With the proof that I am your father gets a lot of leeway," Ian answered.

"You shouldn't have had any leeway! You beat the hell out of me!" Emmett exclaimed.

Ian rolled his eyes at Emmett. "Not when you have proof of AA stuff," he answered.

"Emmett," Bella called.

She hurried over, grabbing his arm. "Emmett what's going on?" she asked. Emmett looked out of the corner of his eye to see his father leering at Bella. Grabbing his girlfriend by her arm, he pulled her behind him.

"Well, I see my son gets one thing from me. His taste in lovely ladies, hello," Ian said with a grin.

"You don't talk to her. You don't even look at her!" Emmett hissed.

He looked over at Bella. "Go back to the party Gorgeous, I'll be there shortly," he told her quietly.

"I'm not…" she started.

"Please, Bella, just please," he insisted.

Biting her lower lip, she looked over at Ian to see her still staring with his smirk that made her heart drop to her stomach. "Please," Emmett whispered. She nodded her head slowly.

"Please be careful," she told him.

Nodding he kissed her forehead before she walked back to the party. Emmett looked back at his father to see him watching Bella as she walked away. "Back off Ian!" he snapped angrily.

"What, just checking out the goods my son's picked. Us McCarty men know how to make the girls fall for us," he commented as he leaned against his car.

Feeling his blood boil, Emmett swallowed hard. "I wish I had a shovel to fertilize my parents' garden with all of your bullshit!" he exclaimed.

"And what the hell does that mean?" Ian snapped.

Emmett just stared at him. "Oh please! You know you could've fucking fooled me as a child! Fooled me with your stupid lies! Your manipulations! You could've made me believe everything! But now that I'm older I know better!" he answered.

"You're now talking crazy talk boy, I think your goody too shoes adoptive parents have melted your brain," he commented flicking out another cigarette.

"YOU ATTACKED HER!" Emmett shouted.

"I did no such thing. I loved your mom," Ian answered.

Emmett let out a frustrated sigh. "How did you do it Ian? How did you…how did you make everyone believe that she loved you when she screamed 'rape'? How?" he demanded.

"Your mother loved me," Ian answered.

Walking over to the one man that disgusted him, glaring daggers at him. "She never loved you! Never! You made EVERYONE fucking believe she did! You somehow twisted what you did to her in your screwed up little head that she loved you!" he snapped.

"Watch it boy," Ian told him.

"Mom ran AWAY from you! She raised me alone for the first two years of my life! You found her! You found us! You attacked us!" Emmett snapped.

"Shut up boy," Ian answered.

Emmett's heart was beating hard against his chest, the adrenaline pumping in his veins. "Out of the two of us, mom did love one of us! She loved one of us more than her life and she proved it that night!" Emmett snapped.

"Shut…up!" Ian snapped.
"Mom died saving me from you! She died to make sure I wouldn't turn into such a fucking monster like you!" Emmett answered.

"I am NOT a monster!" Ian snapped.

"SHE SCREAMED IT THAT NIGHT!" Emmett shouted.

Emmett grabbed a hold of Ian's shirt. "Me seeing how brutally she was killed by your hands made me not want to become like you! I am NOTHING like you! NOTHING!" Emmett shouted.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Ian shouted.

"You killed her because she was protecting me from you! You wanted to kill me! BECAUSE SHE LOVED ME AND NOT YOU! YOU WANTED ME DEAD BECAUSE SHE LOVED ME!" Emmett shouted.

Ian let out a shout and before Emmett could react, he was on the ground, his father's hands wrapped around his throat. "You little bastard! You ruined it all! I almost had her! She was mine! She was all mine and you stole her away from me!" Ian hissed. Emmett landed a punch on his jaw, knocking the man off him. They both got off the ground.

"It took me years of fucking therapy to get myself to believe that I will NEVER be like you! I already have something you don't have! Yeah, my Bella is gorgeous, the most gorgeous woman in the world but I would never EVER hurt her like you did mom! Mom loved me! She hated that it was you that helped with my creation but mom always saw good! She also saw pure evil! YOU!" Emmett shouted.

"I AM NOT EVIL! I LOVED HER!" Ian shouted.

He kicked Emmett in the stomach. "I just hated you!" he snapped. Emmett winced, holding his jaw.

"If you loved her…you would've waited for her! You wouldn't have KILLED HER IN COLD BLOOD!" Emmett shouted.

"I MEANT TO KILL YOU!" Ian shouted before attacking Emmett again.

Emmett tried to pry Ian's hands from around his throat. He gasped for air as he did everything he could think of to get this man off him.

Bella was watching in horror. "DAD DO SOMETHING!" she screamed to her father. Charlie ran down the hill over towards the parking lot, yanking Ian off Emmett. Bella ran down the hill, falling next to her boyfriend. "Emmett! Emmett talk to me, say something," she begged, her hands on his face.

"For an old man he has a grip," Emmett muttered, holding his throat as he started coughing.

Bella let out a sob, hugging him close. "I'm okay Gorgeous, I'm okay," he assured her. He watched as Ian was dragged away, shouting about how Emmett was the one supposed to die. Carlisle ran down the hill, helping Emmett sit up.

"You alright son?" he asked.

"Yeah, dad, I'm alright," Emmett replied.

Carlisle checked the bruises around his throat. "I've been waiting six damn years to tell him that," Emmett muttered. Bella rested her forehead against the side of his head with a shaky sigh.

After the party was cleaned up and everything, Bella walked up the trail to her and Emmett's spot to find her boyfriend sitting on the hill looking out at the view. "You want to talk about it?" she asked quietly. Sighing, Emmett reached over, holding her hand in his.

"I'm just thinking of her…my mother," he murmured.

She rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "She was a brave woman," she answered.

"The best mother a kid could ever ask for," he murmured.

He moved his thumb over her hand. "Most women wouldn't go through with carrying their "product of rape" to nine months, but she did. She raised me alone for the first three years. My earliest memory of her was when I was two and she was making her homemade chocolate chip cookies. How I loved her cookies," he murmured. Bella moved her hand over his. "Then…he came. Apparently, he had been following us for the last two months. He attacked us," he whispered.

Bella bit her lower lip, moving her hand over his arm. "After she…died…he dragged me back home and made it look like what happened to mom was an accident. Then I was left in that nightmare for the next two years," he explained.

"Emmett I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Emmett looked over at her, holding her hand in his. He kissed the back of her hand. "Going through therapy helps a bit. Now that I know he's finally getting what he deserved, I feel like things can start to become a little more normal in my life. Except…" he trailed off.

"Except what?" she asked quietly.

He let out a deep breath. "I'm scared to becoming just like him," he answered. Sitting up, she straddled his lap.

"Look at me," she said quietly.

Looking up into her eyes, he let out a deep breath. "You…could never be like that man," she told him. She kissed him briefly. "Because you are the kindest, gentlest man I have ever known in my life," she murmured. She moved her fingers over his face. "And I love you so much Emmett," she whispered.

Moving his hand over her back, he let out a small sigh. "I love you too Bells," he murmured.

"See…that what makes you better than him already. You love me and know that I love you back. You never force anything on me and I trust you with everything," she whispered.

Smiling a little, Bella leaned forward, kissing him gently. Emmett kissed her back, holding her close. "I love you so much," she whispered against his lips.

"And I love you," he answered quietly.

He rested his forehead against her shoulder. "Always," he whispered. Bella smiled, closing her eyes as they both just rested together on the hill, watching the sunset.