A/N - Sadly, these characters all belong to SM
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Chapter 13
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"Bella, slow down!" I could hear Edward's voice, but I couldn't register his words. I was still so angry. After my conversation with Phil, I needed to get out some frustration. I directed Edward to Piestewa Peak, so we could hike the summit trail. The fact that it was hot and that I was clumsy barely registered to me. Luckily, once Edward realized where I was taking him, he insisted that we stop and at least get some supplies for a hike.
The hike itself was somewhat challenging. I probably would have been a little more winded had I not been so totally pissed off. Edward was hovering, which annoyed the shit out of me, because I knew that he was just afraid that I would trip and fall. Edward insisted that we stop at the first lookout. The trail was usually pretty crowded, but there were very few people on it today. I guess because it was a Tuesday morning...
I plopped myself down, wrapping my arms around my knees as I leaned back against a large boulder. Edward sat across from me. We both stared out at the incredible view of the city for a while without speaking.
Edward was the first to break the silence. "Bella," he said hesitantly, "What exactly happened with Phil? You once told me that you thought he was a creepy pedophile. I was too afraid to ask you at the time what you meant."
"Nothing ever happened." Edward looked at me disbelievingly. "It was really more just a feeling." I tried to explain it to both him and myself. "I know that Phil was more interested in me than any adult man should be interested in a thirteen year old girl." I could tell that this explanation wasn't going to be sufficient, so I continued. "I just had some uncomfortable encounters with Phil before I left Phoenix. There were a couple of times when I knew that he was trying to watch me either in the shower or getting dressed. I also woke up once with him standing next to my bed."
Edward just continued to watch me.
"The worst part of it all was listening to him tell Renee that I was coming on to him." I put my head down on my knees as I finished. "A thirteen year old girl should be able to talk to her mother about her fears...not defend her actions. I spent years wondering if maybe I did, somehow, give him the impression that I had a thing for him. I wondered if maybe I was delusional. I know now that it wasn't me, but he still tries to say it is."
"Is that what has you so pissed off right now, or is it me?"
"No, Edward. I'm not pissed at you right now. I'm not ready to go there yet. Phil just tried to do it again, and he got the reaction he wanted. I'm just ready to get the hell out of here."
"Well, why don't you tell me what happened this morning, then we can use my amazing detective skills to figure out what else has to be done so you can go home."
Edward scooted over next to me and pulled me into him. I relaxed my legs and rested my head on his shoulder as I told him about my meeting with the moron.
I met with Phil Tuesday morning, only to find out that he did, indeed want to talk to me about my mother's life insurance policy. It seems as though I was the main beneficiary, but Phil thought that there must be a mistake. I told him to take it up with her lawyer. That just wasn't a battle that I was going to fight. Phil also asked me if I had spoken with my mother any time over the past few months. When I informed him that I had only spoken to her when she called to wish Leah a Happy Birthday, he seemed someone appeased. I thought it an odd question, and I told him so.
I found out some details regarding my mother's accident. She had been at a charity event with a new friend. Several people from the party had come forward to tell the police that they did not see her drink any alcoholic beverages while in their presence. Phil's insistence that he be allowed to see the insurance policy once we met with Mom's lawyer kept drifting in and out of the conversations. Finally, I asked him what exactly he was trying to find.
"Bella, when you spoke to your mother last time, did she seem depressed?"
I'm pretty sure that I was looking at him strangely by this point. "No, as I have said, she called to wish Leah a Happy Birthday. We didn't have a heart to heart. Why are you asking me this?"
"I'm just curious."
I told Phil that I really didn't have the time to sit around playing games. It seemed as though he was dragging his feet concerning having a memorial service, so I needed to make some plans. "Phil, I need to get back to my children and my job. We need to sit down and go through Mom's affairs. I want to tie up any loose ends, and I would like to say a final goodbye to my mother. I don't mean to sound harsh or insensitive, but I can't begin to heal until I have dealt with all the other stuff."
Phil completely blew me away with his next statement. "Bella, I promised your mother that I would tell you how much she loved you and your children. It really hurt her that you moved away and were so distant. She wanted nothing more than to be a good grandmother, and you robbed her of that. I promised her that I would stay in contact with both you and your children. I know that you had a little crush on me when you were younger, and that you are embarrassed by the way you behaved, but I think it's time we put all of that in the past. Let me be a grandfather. I would hate for the people in your life to hear what a little slut you were back then."
RAGE
"No. Phil. I did not have a crush on you," I said through clenched teeth. "You tried to have an inappropriate relationship with a thirteen year old girl. I never stuck around long enough to find out how inappropriate you wanted it to be, but if you think that you will get anywhere near my children at this point, you are out of your fucking mind." I was so angry that I was shaking. "Get me the information on the burial for my mother so I can get the hell out of this crazy town and the hell away from you. I don't care what you tell people, but so help me God, if you come near one of my children, I will personally see to it that you won't ever desire anything again."
By the time I stood up, I was seething with anger. I reiterated that I needed information on Mom's funeral but any contacts he planned to have with me should be made through the attorney. I walked into the lobby to see Edward staring at me intently.
"What did he say to you?"
"Edward, I cannot talk to you about this right now. Get me out of here before I head back into that restaurant and stab him with the first steak knife I get my hands on."
"No problem. Would you mind running up to the room to get my keys?"
I was already walking towards the elevators by the time I realized that Edward was heading towards Phil. I didn't stick around to see what happened.
Having gotten my phone and the keys to the rental car, I headed back to the lobby. Edward was sitting on the couch closest to the elevator waiting on me. I wanted to ask him what he had said to Phil, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't tell me, so I let it go. I pushed him back onto the couch as he was standing up, so I could sit down next to him.
"Bella, don't you want to get out of here?"
"I really do," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "But I really need to talk to my babies first. They should be up by now."
I called and spoke with both children. Charlie got on the phone and asked me what was going on. I filled him in on the few details that I had, and he asked if I was alone. Not knowing exactly how to answer him, I told him the truth - that Alice had told Edward what happened and he came to make sure I was alright.
"Well Bella, I don't know how I feel about it being Edward, but I'm glad someone is there with you. I have a feeling that something just isn't right. I never trusted Phil."
The little girl in me wanted to tell Charlie everything. I wanted to tell him what he had just said to me as well, but I knew it wouldn't serve any purpose other than to upset him. I was lost in thought and not really paying attention when I heard a question in Charlie's voice.
"I'm sorry, Dad. Could you repeat that?"
"I said that I didn't realize you and Alice were close again. I'm glad for that, I always did love that girl."
Smiling into the phone, I told Charlie that the past few weeks had been quite eventful. I filled him in on the short version of Alice moving into my basement. Charlie seemed genuinely pleased by this, but he asked if that meant Edward would be around more often.
"I don't know Dad. Right now, I can't think about that."
"Just be careful Bells. I don't want to see you get hurt."
I felt so much better after talking to my dad, that I was almost able to relax. Almost. Edward asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him that I needed to see the attorney first. We looked up the address and headed to the car. It was a cute little blue convertible. I had no idea the make or model, but I'm sure that if I asked, I could find out all about it. After holding the door open for me, Edward ran around the front of the car. He hopped in and input the address into the GPS system. He showed me how to put the top down and where the dials were to adjust the volume on my side of the car.
The visit with the attorney was pretty quick. He pulled my mother's information and life insurance policy and said that it was pretty clear - I was, in fact, the only beneficiary. The part that struck me as odd was the date. My mother had taken out the life insurance policy the week after Jake died. I couldn't quite wrap my brain around the fact that she would have taken out a life insurance policy so recently and not named Phil in it. The attorney informed me that he would have to wait until all parties named in her will, Phil and I, were both there before he could go over that with us. Great! Another morning with Phil.
After notifying the attorney that I didn't plan to be in town more than two more days, we left the skyscraper with no real plans for the rest of the day. Surprisingly, Edward had never been to Phoenix and didn't know much about it. He asked me where we should go, and the idea came to me before I really had a chance to think it through.
By the time Edward and I had finished talking about Phil and the morning we had, the sun was completely overhead, and it was getting HOT. We decided not to finish the hike to the top, so we headed back down the trail. This time, I walked much slower, and Edward held my hand the entire way down. It felt so much better just having someone to talk to about how much I hated Phil, that I didn't even think about the fact that I was leaning on Edward way too much.
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The next few days passed with a whirlwind of activity. The funeral was small and quite beautiful. Saying goodbye to my mother was a surreal experience, and I was thankful to have someone there to share it with me. We met with the attorney a few more times, and got the legal business squared away. By the time I was on the plane headed back to Port Angeles, I was completely exhausted.
Edward and I had remained physically distant during the trip. With the exception of the first night, he stayed in his bed, and I stayed in mine. He would sometimes hold my hand or rub my shoulders, but he never made a move that was anything more than brotherly. It was so nice to not feel that pressure, but at the same time, it was perfectly maddening. Even his brotherly touches would cause my pulse to spike and my skin to heat. I didn't want him to know what he was capable to doing to me, but I had the strangest feeling that he knew anyway.
Somehow, when we got to the gate at the airport, our tickets had been upgraded to first class (I wonder who could have done that), so when we boarded the plane, there was actually enough room for us to stretch out and get some sleep. It took almost no time for me to go to sleep, with my head on Edward's shoulder. I guess I slept longer than I realized, because I woke to a trail of heat on my face. I looked up, confused at first, to find we were making our descent into the Port Angeles Airport. Edward was looking at me with that beautiful smirk on his face. As the plane landed, he said, "Back to our life, Beautiful."
I had no idea what he meant by that, and I didn't have the energy to ask him.
Sorry it's such a short chapter. I will try to update soon!
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