A/N I wanted to apologize for posting this so late today. I was busy this morning and have had a crappy night tonight. I didn't want to leave anyone hanging though, so here's the chapter today - the big confrontation with Charlie. As I suspected, not everyone liked my ending to the last chapter, but don't worry, they're not going to run off and get married tomorrow. :) Thank you to everyone who continues to follow this story! You are all amazing! 3 Please review and let me know what you think about Charlie's reaction!
Chapter 18 - Confrontation
Bella couldn't believe that this man sitting beside her loved her as much as he did. She was still reeling over what they had talked about just before they left. Now they were in his car, driving to Bella's house to tell Charlie.
Bella was still incredibly worried about Charlie not approving of their relationship and forbidding her to see Edward, but her resolve was so much stronger. She knew she would be eighteen in three days. She knew that Edward loved her with his whole heart and soul. She knew that she would one day be his wife. She wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop her from being with her one true love.
She still couldn't believe he asked her to marry him, but she was elated nonetheless. Yes, she knew she was young and yes, she knew that they wouldn't be getting married anytime in the near future; she was just so happy that he loved her enough to want to marry her. He seemed as determined to be with her as she was with him and that was the thought that had a smile on her face all the way home.
When they pulled up to the house, Bella noticed that Charlie's cruiser wasn't in the driveway. She knew that meant he wasn't home, but she didn't know where he would be on a Saturday afternoon. It was always possible that he had gotten a call and went into work, but as far as she knew, he was supposed to be off today.
Deciding a quick phone call to the station would tell her one way or the other, she reached and grabbed Edward's hand to give it a quick squeeze before getting out of the car. She leaned back in the door to give him a flirty look and asked, "Aren't you coming?" as she winked at him and closed the door.
Before she could even get up the three stairs to the porch, she felt Edward's arms wrap around her waist and pull her back into him. She squealed with delight and laughed that he was humoring her little game. Could he be more perfect?
After he kissed along her neck, he moved up to her ear and roughly whispered, "Bella, you are one little temptress, aren't you? I'm having a hard enough time as it is keeping my hands off of you without you trying to seduce me!" He chuckled, to let her know he was teasing before turning her in his arms to place a kiss on her lips.
The kiss started off innocently enough, but soon Bella forgot what she was supposed to be doing. He pulled her lower lip into his mouth and started nibbling on it. When his tongue traced her upper lip to seek entry, she opened her mouth to him.
She wasn't sure how long they stood on the porch kissing, but it must have been a while. She didn't even hear the cruiser pull up into the driveway or the door close. What caught her attention was a throat being loudly and very conspicuously cleared right behind Edward's shoulder.
As if they had been electrocuted, they two of them jumped apart. As red as a tomato, Bella stepped to the side and looked up into Charlie's amused face. She couldn't help but smile in return.
…..
Charlie had been really worried about Bella. When Esme called him last night he didn't know what he was supposed to think. She said that Bella had driven with her adoptive son, Edward, up to Port Townsend. While they were there, they got caught in the storm and were doing to stay the night at a motel so they didn't have to drive in the weather.
Apparently Esme had pulled some strings and had arranged for the Bella and Edward to talk because they had both been in similar situations. She explained that she felt if they could open up to each other, they could realize that other people have been where they are and they could possibly be each other's greatest support.
Edward had always been a decent young man, but Charlie didn't know much about him. He knew that he had attempted suicide a while back, but that was the extent of it. Carlisle and Esme had always said that what happened before that was Edward's business and only he would be able to share his story. Charlie had never felt the need to ask and Edward never willingly shared.
Still, when Esme called him an hour ago he was completely shocked by what she had to say. According to her, something had sparked between Edward and Bella that went beyond being a support system for each other. She informed Charlie that they had returned to her house before noon and had stayed for lunch. They had announced that they were in love with each other and Esme explained how she could see that they were telling the truth.
Esme explained that after lunch, Bella sort of had a break down because she was afraid that Charlie wouldn't allow her to date Edward. When he had asked Esme how he should handle the situation, she told him to leave for an hour. She explained that Edward and Bella were planning to come and share the news, but without having some time to work up the courage, Bella would be a wreck and things could easily turn into some sort of fight.
So that's just what Charlie did. He trusted Esme completely and knew she always gave sound advice, so when she said to leave for an hour he got in the cruiser and decided that he was just going to drive around. He didn't want to go into the station because he was afraid he'd end up getting stuck there, so he had spent the last sixty minutes driving around Forks with no purpose in mind and no destination.
After the hour was up, Charlie decided to head home. When he pulled into the driveway, he felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his head at the sight in front of him. Bella had her arms wrapped around the neck of a guy whom he assumed was Edward and they were locked into a very passionate kiss.
He would have assumed that they would have heard him pull in and would have separated, but they remained lip locked. He even playfully slammed his door harder than necessary trying to get their attention and still there was nothing from them. Finally, he walked up behind Edward and cleared his throat very conspicuously. That seemed to have done the trick because within a split second, they jumped apart and looked really guilty. Well, Bella looked extremely embarrassed too, but that only made Charlie's smile widen on his face.
…..
Bella was still nervous about telling here dad, so when they pulled up to her house and he wasn't home; Edward breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that even though she said she was ready to tell him, she wasn't. On the ride home he had watched her very covertly and he could see that she had been shaking slightly. He loved her more than he ever thought possible but this display of courage on her part only seemed to increase that love exponentially.
He wasn't sure what she had planned when she squeezed his hand and got out of the car. Did she want him to follow? Was he supposed to leave? Should he wait in the car? A litany of questions ran through his mind until Bella answered his question by leaning back in her open door, asking him if he was coming, and then actually winking at him. Seriously… she winked at him before closing the door and making a beeline for the door.
He was chuckling to himself as he scrambled out of the car, kicking his door shut as he went, and grabbing Bella around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He kissed along her neck for a minute before whispering into her ear. "Bella, you are one little temptress, aren't you? I'm having a hard enough time as it is keeping my hands off of you without you trying to seduce me!"
He grabbed her hips and spun her around so that they were face to face before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. All he intended was to take her mind off the Charlie situation for a few minutes, but he couldn't control his need for her. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and started biting on it. After another minute, he began slowly licking her upper lip wanting to deepen the kiss. When Bella opened her mouth to him he groaned and deepened the kiss.
When they heard a throat being cleared behind them, they immediately separated. He could tell that Bella was completely mortified because she was as red as a vine-ripened tomato. Again he was so proud of her though, because she took a deep breath and stepped to the side to looked right at Charlie, who was standing behind him. He knew things would be okay when he saw a grin appear on Bella's face and he felt himself smiling as well.
Not wanting to be rude, he reached for her hand, entwined their fingers, and then turned around to stand beside Bella, looking her father straight in the eye.
Bella seemed much more composed now but he still wasn't sure she was ready to actually explain anything to her dad so Edward gave her hand a tight squeeze and then extended it toward her father.
"Chief Swan, it's nice to see you again," he began while shaking the man's hand. After letting go, he pulled back to place his arm around Bella, pulling her into him, and continued. "I know I've probably gone about this the wrong way, but Sir, I am deeply in love with your daughter. I need her more than I need air to breath or food to eat or water to drink. I know that we practically just met and we are both very young, but she's the one for me, I have no doubt in my mind. Sir, it would make Bella and me extremely happy if you would give us your blessing on this relationship, but you should know that we will pursue it whether we have your blessing or not. Bella will be eighteen in three days and is prepared to do what it takes to be with me. I don't want to take her away from you if I can help it, especially because I know you just got her back, but I will if it's the only way. Chief Swan, please will you give us your blessing?"
He said what he felt needed to be said and then risked a side-glance towards Bella. She was gazing at him as if he were her own personal savior and the love in that gaze confirmed to him that she agreed with everything that had come out of his mouth. She would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her to and he knew that he would do the same if she asked it of him.
…..
Bella was extremely grateful that Edward had stepped in to talk to Charlie for both of them. She knew she was more composed than before when she broke down at the Cullen's house, but she also knew that she could lose that composure at any time if the wrong words were said. She felt an extra calm come over her when he put his arm around her and hugged her to his body.
She listened as Edward told her dad that he was in love with her and needed her more than he needed air or food or water. She couldn't keep the tears from spilling over when he expressed that need because she knew it was true and it made her the happiest girl in the world.
She loved the way his arm tightened around her when he told her dad that they planned to pursue their relationship whether he approved or not. She listened to him as he explained that she would be willing to leave in three days if that's what it took but that he didn't want to take her away from her father and it made her heart swell. She could tell that he knew what she needed and would do anything to give it to her, but that he also wanted to take Charlie's feelings into account. He understood that by Bella leaving, Charlie would be a broken man again and he didn't want that. He was giving Charlie and out.
She couldn't help but gaze at him adoringly. She fell in love with the greatest man on the planet. He would do absolutely anything for her and she knew she would do the same.
When he seemed to be done talking, Bella risked a glance at her dad. Charlie was looking at the two of them with a gaze so intense it made her squirm. She didn't know how long the three of them stood there silently, but finally it was her dad who broke the silence.
"Bella? Is what Edward is saying true? Do you love him?"
Without any hesitation whatsoever she looked her dad straight in the eye and told him the honest to god truth, "Dad, I love him more than anything in this world. I was incomplete without him in my life; now I'm whole again. I have a reason to believe that everything will be okay. I have struggled for the last two months to understand and overcome my grief about what happened with mom, but after talking to Edward yesterday I am filled with peace. I know that I'm going to be okay and that I do deserve to be happy. That's something I couldn't have found or accepted until I met Edward."
She glanced up at Edward while she was talking to her dad and smiled at him. She also wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled herself in closer to him as she turned back to Charlie.
"Dad, you should know that Edward was speaking the truth when he said I would leave if I have to in order to continue seeing him. I love you dad and I'm sorry for the things I've done in the past to hurt you, but even thinking about not being allowed to see Edward feels like someone is ripping my heart out of my chest. If the thought of not being able to see him causes a pain that horrible, I don't want to even imagine what the actual pain would be like. I don't just want him in my life dad I need him in it. I don't want to hurt you by leaving to be with him so please don't make me. Please tell me we have your blessing!"
She knew she was begging at this point, but she didn't care. She was determined to spare Charlie from being hurt again if she could, but she also knew that she wouldn't live without Edward, even if Charlie tried to make her. She was mentally preparing herself to tell him she would be leaving when he shocked the hell out of her.
"Baby, you're only seventeen, are you sure this is what you want?" She looked up at him with doe-like eyes and simply nodded, allowing him time to finish.
"Then of course you have my blessing sweetheart. I want nothing more in this world than for you to be happy. If I can make sure that happens and keep you in my life at the same time then there really is no choice. You're my baby girl. From the day your mother found out she was pregnant, to the first time I felt you kick inside her belly, to the time I went to Phoenix to bring you home to now I have loved you. I will always love you Bella, and I will always want you to be happy. I'm not going to stand in the way of your decision but if things for some reason don't work out, I want you to know that I will be here for you always."
Before he was even done talking, she released her grip on Edward's waist and threw her self into her father's arms sobbing. "Thank you daddy. You don't know how much this means to me – to us. I love you so much!" She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes and tears streaming down her cheek. When he reached up to wipe them away, she smiled even wider and hugged him tighter. She wondered how she could have ever doubted that he would want her to be happy. Looking into his face right now and seeing the love in his eyes made her feel a little foolish.
Charlie released Bella and walked over to Edward smiling. Bella watched as her dad pulled him into a man hug and patted him on the back while saying, "Welcome to the family Edward!" She couldn't have been happier.