Disclaimer- Stephenie still owns the usual suspects.
I own my original characters and original story.
*This parallels chapter 63 of V&V 'Reality Shows & Apparitions'. Please read that before attempting this.
Enjoy!
****************************LRM**********************************
Chapter 63 – Tying Up Loose Ends
As the day wore on I became even more relaxed. It all started with Emmett's impromptu rap at the graduation. It felt so fucking good to laugh. My mother had been shooting me worried glances until then. After I gave her a reassuring smile she seemed to finally accept the fact that everything was okay.
"Are you all looking forward to your trip next week?" My Dad asked as we ate dinner.
"You'd better believe it." Emmett answered excitedly. "I've planned the whole thing. We're going by train from Seattle to Chicago. Lay over there for a day or so because someone has to make an appearance on Oprah." He said with a smirk while glancing at me. "From there we're renting a vehicle and driving Route 66 all the way to California, and then driving up to Vegas after that."
Alice made a face. "I wish we could do the whole trip with you, but as least we'll be there for the first part."
I saw Bella give her a happy smile.
"Yep. I've reserved three bedroom compartments on the train because it takes two days to get from Seattle to Chicago, it's going to be awesome." Emmett continued.
Thank God Bella and I didn't have to share quarters with anyone.
Forty-eight straight hours of Emmett would have me contemplating jumping from a moving train.
Christopher spoke up then. "You know I love you darlings, and I love Oprah, but I don't do trains." He grinned. "I'll meet you all in California."
"Snob" Alice accused with a smile.
"This is true." Chris returned her smile.
"Well I think it sounds wonderful. This is exactly what you all need." Mom chimed in. "Duke is looking forward to having a house full of company for a couple of days."
I couldn't wait to see my grandfather. I especially couldn't wait to introduce him to Bella.
During the entire Reality Show conversation, I watched Bella's face. Her bruises were healing, but it was her mental outlook that was the thing that brought me the most happiness. She truly was making a monumental effort to put this trauma behind her.
She was one strong woman.
The expression on her face when I admitted to being a fan of Dirty Jobs was priceless. I'd realized that since we'd been together, I hadn't watched much television. I was always more interested in watching her.
I smiled to myself.
Before Bella, I was a hermit who could easily lose himself in my music and in television when I wasn't filming.
Everything has changed.
-LRM—
The more time I spent with Charlie, the more I genuinely liked the man. As quiet and guarded as he was, it wasn't an easy task to get to know him. Be that as it may, it became clear after seeing him a few times that there were three things his life revolved around: His job, his children, and fishing. Not necessarily in that order.
The children came first. Always.
His toast for Bella was exactly what she needed to hear. She needed to know that people were proud of her, and that we didn't question what she had to do in order to make it back safely to us.
I knew her ordeal still weighed on her mind heavily.
She'd been crying in her sleep.
The crying didn't seem associated with any kind of nightmares. When she woke up happy each morning, and didn't mention the crying, I came to the conclusion that she had no recollection of it.
That caused me to wonder if she was in more pain than she let on. I knew that her bruises hurt, especially the one on her hip. Every time she rolled over in bed it made her whimper.
Whatever the cause of the crying, I worried.
The cake tasting was a welcome escape. I loved our family, but we'd been elbow to elbow with them for hours, and I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Bella.
I'd managed to suppress my inner horndog for most of the week, that was until Bella dripped chocolate down her chin during our cake tasting. Even that would have been okay if she hadn't moaned.
My dick sprang to life at that moan, and wouldn't behave for the rest of the evening.
"You've got a little something." I said while pointing to the chocolate on her chin. I couldn't help myself; I leaned toward her and licked it off.
Bella got an expression on her face that told me she was seriously considering tossing the abstinence idea aside and letting me make love to her.
Fuck me for being a decent guy, but I couldn't let her do that.
"Got it." I smirked before standing suddenly and reaching for her hand. "Come on, let's go for a walk."
She seemed to need a moment to pull herself together. I teased her as I wrote our cake choices on the form and then pulled her outside with me.
I hadn't planned it, but the logical place to go was the boat.
As soon as we sat down, it brought me back to the first time we'd boarded this boat together. I pulled Bella close to me.
"You know I was thinking about all this." She said in almost a whisper as she gestured around us. "While I was lying in that field waiting for the emergency crew." She paused. "Our first kiss, when you told me you loved me, I was remembering it all."
I realized that it was time I told her about what happened while she was missing, before she saw the photos for herself.
I nodded. "Bella, I need to tell you something. There are some photos of me online that I really don't want you to see because I think they'll upset you, but I honestly don't think it can be avoided."
She frowned, and then as I should have expected her mind took off in a direction I never could have predicted.
"Edward what are you talking about? Are there naked photos of you circulating the internet or something?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Because you told me you always kept your package covered. I'd hate for that to have been untrue, and now there's a million chicks out there drooling over your you know what." She said, whispering the last three words.
I couldn't answer her. I was speechless. And very, very amused.
"You should totally sue whoever put those out there and demand the originals. And then give them to me, yeah, that would be the smartest thing to do. Give them to me and I'll purchase a safe." She babbled away.
Little does she realize that she's already got my dick in a damned lock box.
"I mean seriously, can you imagine the damage some computer hacker could do with those photos. You need to do whatever you have to, threaten whoever you have to, in order to get them taken down from the internet immediately. You don't know where your man business may show up next."
"One day some poor unsuspecting office worker at say, the United Nations, could log onto their computer and there would be a photo of your peen for all the world to see Edward. It could turn into an international incident." She gasped in horror.
That was it; I couldn't contain the howls of laughter any more.
Bella made it sound as if my cock had the power to topple governments. It was very flattering and fucking hilarious.
"I fail to see the humor Edward." She glared as she folded her arms across her chest.
I was finally able to take a breath. "Bella, the photos don't show me naked."
She just stared. I wasn't a hundred percent certain that she was even listening to me.
"Bella, they were taken while you were missing. I was arguing with a cop." I sputtered out.
Well that didn't come out the way I'd planned.
Bella cringed. "Uh"
She looked embarrassed suddenly.
"Forget what I said. Um, I'm not really myself."
The laughter returned.
"I have a head injury!" She said with a glare, which only caused me to laugh even harder.
"I can't" I laughed. "Bella, I…"
This may be fucking hopeless.
She continued to glare at me as I calmed.
A few minutes later, when I was sure I could carry on an intelligent conversation, I spoke again.
"I don't even know if I'll be able to do this now." I said while holding back the smile that was threatening.
"Would you just tell me already." She demanded.
Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't fucking laugh.
I blew out a breath then. "Okay" I said as I leaned over and pecked her lips. "I suppose we'll have to address your bizarre thought patterns at a later date." I smirked and then thought about my argument with the cop. The thought of that morning successfully removed any desire to laugh. I cleared my throat. "I thought you were dead." I whispered.
She looked confused.
I pulled her closer and kissed her hair. "They, the reporters, said that there was a body at the crash site. I was certain it was you." I could barely speak the words. "I confronted the cop. I had to know." I huffed out a laugh. "I guess he didn't like my attitude."
"He cuffed me and made me sit in the back of the squad car. There were several news crews at the scene, and they filmed everything."
I felt her tense. "So that's what's all over the internet?" She asked.
I nodded. She wrapped her arms tightly around me then.
"I knew I couldn't live if you didn't come back to me Bella. At the same time that you were lying in that field remembering our time together, I was doing the same thing. The one difference was that I was despairing of ever seeing you alive again." I took a deep breath.
"I need to tell you one more thing." I continued in a whisper. "I was making plans to end my life."
She looked up with a heartbroken expression on her beautiful face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Knowing you as I do, I suspected as much. It was one of the things I held onto as I fought the Ranger. I fought him so hard Edward, part of the reason I have so many bruises." She smiled ruefully. "I just kept thinking how you wouldn't want to live without me. You've said it often enough." She smiled genuinely then. "I couldn't let that happen."
I pulled her close and tucked her head under my chin. "Oh Bella." I breathed, before giving her a kiss. "When you're here with me like this, it's easy to forget about anything that could threaten our happiness."
"Unfortunately, we have to live in the real world, which is full of real dangers." I sighed. "You'll have to forgive me if I go a little crazy for a while making sure you're safe."
She smiled. "It's okay. I'm not going to fight you on this Edward. I try to learn from my mistakes. I should have never left my apartment, but at least it's over." She let out a breath. "I believe that if the ranger had been unsuccessful, he'd have tried again."
We sat in silence for a while before I spoke. "This is completely off subject, but I was wondering if you planned on keeping your car?"
This was a subject I hadn't approached. Even if she didn't want to keep her old car, I'd hoped she'd like the Mustang.
"No. There's no point really. Especially now that Lou or Sidney will be accompanying us most places." She answered without looking up at me. "But even if that weren't the case, I don't want it any more. It would remind me of that night." She whispered the last part.
"Okay, so we'll get rid of the car." I was secretly relieved. I wanted to dispose of all reminders of that night.
"You know Bella, we can still go out alone, just as we did before."
She nodded. "That's true. You have the Vanquish."
I nodded. It was time to give her my gift. "Come one more place with me?"
"Of course." She said with a smile as she took my hand.
Our family was prepared for what would happen next. As we walked through the house, I nodded to Rosalie, and watched her disappear down the hall toward the garage. Everyone else followed us silently.
Bella was beyond curious as she looked around. "What's going on?" She finally asked as we all stood on the front steps.
I grinned down at her. "Just wait."
About a minute later, I could hear Rose driving the car around from the garage. I didn't look at the car though, instead I watched Bella's face as it morphed from confused to awed in the span of a minute.
"Congratulations sweetheart." I said in her ear before Rose handed her the keys.
She turned toward me. I braced myself, unsure of what her reaction might be.
"You bought me a car?" She gasped.
I nodded warily.
She stared at me for a moment before she actually squealed in delight before throwing her arms around my neck and kissing the hell out of me.
It was my turn to be stunned.
"Thank you." She whispered after finally breaking the kiss.
"Come on" She urged as she pulled me toward the car.
Evidently we were going for a ride.
"We'll be back soon." She said happily to our family.
We stayed out just long enough for Bella to get a feel for the car. "Ohh" Bella moaned when she noticed the state of the art stereo I'd had installed. "Can I play my ipod on this?" She asked as she pointed.
I nodded.
"I need to make a cool playlist for this fabulous car." She said with a grin.
After our ride, Bella parked the car happily back in my parents' garage and made no mention of taking it to the apartment. We knew from the police that the ranger had tampered with her windshield wiper, which meant that somehow he'd gotten access to the parking garage at the apartment building. Even though he was dead and gone, I didn't blame her for not wanting this new vehicle there. The parking garage seemed tainted somehow.
-LRM—
I had dreaded the thought of Bella going to work the following week, knowing it would be difficult to let her out of my sight. I also knew that she didn't look forward to the barrage of questions which were sure to greet her at WIRI. Imagine my elation when she told me that she and Rose had decided that she didn't need to go in. Rose's replacement would help with whatever was needed during that last week.
On Sunday evening we had dinner with Rose and Emmett. Rose wasn't shy about imparting every detail she'd learned about Bella's abduction. I'd had a couple stalkers in my day, it was an unfortunate reality of being famous, but I found it chilling that this should happen to Bella not once, but twice in her life.
It was almost as if she was a magnet for psychopaths. I made a vow to redouble my efforts to keep her safe.
No one was ever going to hurt her again.
I thought about the bastard that was burning in hell, and about the other one, I hoped, rotting in prison.
Would he be released? Would he come after Bella if that were to happen?
I suddenly felt sick.
Emmett whispered that he wanted to talk to Bella, so I helped Rose carry the desserts into the living room as I saw Bella follow Emmett to the office.
"Do you know what that's about?" I asked Rose as I gestured toward the doorway they'd just disappeared into.
"Yeah. We gathered up all those flowers and gifts left at the hospital. We thought she might want to see them."
I nodded.
"How are you Rose?" I felt like such a jerk. Here she was pregnant, having had lived through this ordeal with the rest of us, and I hadn't even inquired about her health.
"I'm doing really well Edward. Baby Swan's pretty tough, just like the rest of the Swans." She smiled.
"They are tough aren't they?" I agreed quietly with a frown.
"Emmett has this saying, I think it came from his parents, it goes 'God never gives you a cross harder than you can bear'. If that's true, then he and his family must be bordering on superhuman in the strength category." She said with a rueful smile. "They've had more shit thrown at them then anyone I've ever known."
"I certainly hope He's done giving them crosses for a while." I muttered.
"Amen to that." She agreed.
After another minute she stood. "Let's go see what's going on."
We found Emmett and Bella in the study speaking quietly, their arms around each other, both were crying. I started to turn around to leave but Rose grabbed my forearm holding me there.
"Emmett, we don't need to talk about this…" Bella whispered.
"I've got to get this out." He said as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I was so scared." He whispered. "It was different than with Mom. By the time we heard anything, Mom was already gone. This…" He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "I felt so fucking helpless. I kept hearing you scream in my mind. It didn't go away until I saw you in the hospital."
"Emmett, it's okay, I'm okay." Bella soothed. I had to swallow the lump in my throat.
Emmett nodded and swallowed hard. "Thank God." He whispered as he held her against him and rubbed her head.
"Rosie just about collapsed when she realized what had happened to you, and I was fucking useless." He muttered.
"No you weren't Emmett." Rose spoke up then. Emmett and Bella turned toward us. "He called the doctor and explained what happened. He prescribed a mild sedative, and then Emmett put me to bed."
This upset Bella even more. "Oh Rose, that much stress, you could have lost the baby."
Rose put her arm around Bella. "Now don't you start Bells. Everything is perfect now, and Baby Swan is going to be perfect too." She said with a smile.
The Letterman show was just the distraction we all needed. That was until Dave showed that stupid photo of me in a dress.
Emmett laughed the loudest, of course. "Oh Andy, I had no idea. First I find out you're a very talented rapper, then your proclivity for dressing in women's clothing is revealed. Holy shit, you're a complicated guy." He said with a grin.
Asshole.
"What do you mean Edward's a rapper?" Bella questioned.
Damn you Emmett.
I glared at Emmett.
"You didn't show her that?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Emmett, I doubt she will find it humorous."
Emmett just shrugged.
I was pleasantly surprised when Bella let the matter drop, and didn't bring it up again even after we were back at home.
-LRM—
We spent the next few days preparing for the party the next weekend, and for our road trip.
To that end, we grocery shopped for just what we'd need until we left town. Going to the grocery store with Bella had always been an experience, but now it was even more intense. People seemed to have no qualms about approaching us to ask how Bella was feeling. They were a little more timid about requesting photos and autographs, but that changed as Bella's bruises faded.
The grocery store visit also gave us a glimpse of what the tabloids were saying. No surprise that the top story was Bella's abduction and escape.
Back at home, Bella's family worries about her mental state
As Bella heals, Edward worries that wedding will be delayed
All the drama behind them, Edward and Bella look forward to forever
Bella smirked. "Well at least that one got it right." She said as she pointed to the last tabloid in the rack.
I chuckled and shook my head.
She had stopped crying in her sleep toward the end of the week, which made me think that it had been tied to her physical pain.
I was still having a hard time leaving her on her own. I would go as far as the balcony to make phone calls to Jasper, Alec or Jane, but didn't leave the apartment without her.
She didn't seem to mind.
-LRM—
'Daddy, if I give you buwerfwy kisses, wiwl you push me on da swing?' the beautiful little girl in my arms asked just before she pulled my face down to hers and tickled my cheek with her eyelashes. When she was finished I pulled back just enough to gaze at her little face. She looked so much like Bella.
'It's a deal sweetheart' I said before sitting her on the swing.
'Higher Daddy' she said as she turned her head toward me and pleaded with a smile. Her big brown eyes watched me trustingly as I pushed the swing just a little higher.
Her giggles filled the air around us just as a pair of warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind. 'Edward you're such a pushover, I never let her go that high.' Bella said sweetly.
'It's not high. Anyway, you know I can't deny her.' I grinned apologetically as I turned to face her.
I wrapped my arms around Bella, her swollen stomach resting between us, and leaned down to brush my lips against her neck. 'You're a wonderful father Edward.' She whispered. I pulled back slightly and placed my hand on top of her stomach just in time to feel the baby kick.
My eyes flew open. Where the hell was I? I looked around at Bella's familiar bedroom.
A dream?
I searched the room. My heart clenched when I realized the little brown-eyed girl was gone. She had been the same one that I'd dreamt of before almost losing Bella.
Was that our child? A child Bella and I would have some day?
As much as I told myself that it was only a dream, part of me wasn't buying that.
Hadn't my damned nightmare almost come true?
So why not a good dream?
Suddenly, I wanted it all, and I wanted it now. Our home, our family, our future. This was the life Bella and I would have together and I couldn't wait.
August fourteenth couldn't arrive soon enough.
I rested my head back on the pillow. The apartment was quiet apart from Bella's singing in the kitchen where I assumed she was cooking breakfast.
I threw back the covers, feeling the need to wrap my arms around her and hold her close.
-LRM-
"Edward, stop being such a wuss." Bella snapped as she sped down the highway.
"Bella, I am not a wuss. Would you please keep your eyes on the damn road rather than me, and would you please go the speed limit." I barked.
I'll admit that I was overprotective before, but since dreaming of our child and a pregnant Bella, I'd gotten slightly more desperate about her safety.
After all, she was the future mother of my children.
She chuckled. "It's kind of hard to miss you when you're white-knuckling my dash. And I'll have you know I'm only going five miles over the speed limit." She turned and raised an eyebrow at me.
Eyes on the road!
"You shouldn't have given me this car if you expected me to go slow."
I grimaced. "I've created a monster." I muttered.
She just laughed at me when I complained that she was giving me gray hair.
I chuckled to myself when I realized that after the last two weeks, we should both have gray hair.
-LRM—
Wednesday afternoon brought a surprise as we viewed Jill Richardson's 'apology'. I knew something was fishy about it, but didn't share my thoughts with Bella.
For Bella's sake, I was glad she did it, but the apology had all the markings of a deal in the works between her and somebody, probably a studio or a television show.
The next day we heard that she'd landed a spot on a reality show.
Hollywood is so fucking predictable.
-LRM—
The obnoxiously loud knocking on the door could only have been coming from Emmett. I contemplated pretending I wasn't there, but he would have easily discovered the truth.
He'd just use his key.
Shit.
I pulled the door open with a frown.
"Why hello there Andy. Let's go." He said, as if I should know what he was talking about.
"Go where? I don't want to leave, Bella will be home soon." I said in almost a whine.
"We're going to buy stuff for our road trip. Stop being a bitch and come on." He barked. "You can survive for an afternoon without Bella."
Oh I beg to differ.
I didn't say anything. I just glared. He didn't back down. I let out a frustrated breath and grabbed my jacket.
On the way to the hummer, I shot a quick text to Bella.
My love-
Your brother is forcing me to go shopping for 'road trip supplies'
Pray for me
Miss you
-E
As we rode toward Tacoma, Emmett explained that there was a 'western wear' store in the mall there, and he couldn't go on this trip without a cowboy hat and boots.
I should have hidden under Bella's bed.
"Emmett, do you have any idea what a trip to a mall is like for me?" I asked incredulously.
"Quit whining and pull your hood up. No one will bother you." He answered in an exasperated tone. "You better change your attitude before this road trip or I'm leaving you in the middle of fucking nowhere Eddie."
I guess I was being a bitch.
"Sorry. I just …"
"I know. You hate being away from Bella. I get that." He smirked.
I forced myself to stop moping, and actually ended up enjoying the rest of the ride.
The first stop was a camera shop, where I purchased a new video camera, having left my other one back in California. Then we were off to the western wear store.
I had no desire to purchase anything, so after about thirty minutes of standing around watching Emmett shop, I decided to go in search of a frozen yogurt.
A couple of people recognized me in the food court, and I posed for some photos before carrying my frozen yogurt with me and heading back toward the western wear shop.
As I passed Victoria's Secret, I wondered if Bella would help me choose her lingerie for the honeymoon.
For what I planned to do, no clothing would be required for long.
At the thought of Bella in sexy lingerie, and then with no sexy lingerie, I started to get a hard on. I was so fucking irritated with myself for thinking about naked Bella while in public, that I seriously contemplated dumping the rest of the yogurt in my pants as punishment.
By this time, I'd reached the western wear store, so I parked my ass on a bench while waiting for Emmett to emerge. As I waited, my phone chimed, alerting me to an incoming text.
.
Take your time
I'm going to hang out with Rose for a while
Miss you too. Love you
-B
.
I read her message and had just decided to dial her number when a quiet voice interrupted me.
"Edward?"
It was a voice I hadn't heard in seven years, and had honestly hoped never to hear again. I turned my head sharply to my right, and standing about ten feet away from me was the woman who had almost single-handedly ruined my life.
I stared at her, my face a blank mask as I took in her appearance. She was still pretty, but looked much older than her twenty-four years, worry lines etched across her pale skin. She also wasn't dressed in the manner I'd remembered. The Meghan I knew in high school wouldn't have left the house without makeup, jewelry and designer clothing.
This Meghan wore no makeup, and was dressed in comfortable jeans and a loose fitting sweatshirt which swallowed her small frame. The thing that amazed me the most was my reaction to seeing her. I had absolutely no feelings for the woman standing in front of me, not even hatred.
She was nothing to me.
I still hadn't spoken as I continued to stare.
"I…" She spoke again. "I don't expect you to ever want to speak to me again. I've thought about trying to contact you a hundred different times…" She trailed off and took a breath as she pushed her sleeves up her forearms in a nervous gesture.
"What could you possibly have had to say?" I asked in a flat voice.
She got a pained look on her face. "I'm sorry?" She whispered. "I know it's not enough, and probably means nothing to you, but I still want to say it. I'm so very sorry."
I raised my eyebrows, but kept the blank expression. She didn't attempt to move any closer to me, and I was glad of that. Even with ten feet between us, it felt too close.
"I've seen you in the news, and with your Isabella. I'm so glad she's alright." She took another breath. "You seem good together. You seem happy."
"She's the only woman I have ever loved." I said truthfully. "The only woman I will ever love."
She winced slightly at my words. "You deserve to be happy Edward, more than anyone."
She paused and looked down at the floor before continuing in a whisper. "We were so young when we started dating. I met Jimmy about a month later." She frowned. "Looking back, I realize now that I was never in love with him. I was a young girl in love with the idea that a guy in his twenties would take an interest in me."
She shook her head. "I was so foolish. You were nothing but good to me Edward, and I treated you so horribly, using you to hide my relationship with him from my parents."
I let out a breath and wondered what the hell was keeping Emmett. "Alright. Are we finished here?" I asked, looking away to stare at a potted palm, rather than look at her. I found her nervousness irritating for some reason.
She took a deep breath, "I'm HIV positive." She blurted.
I turned my head to stare at her in shock.
"After what happened on prom night, after I was released from the hospital," She continued in a whisper, "my parents sent me to rehab. Once I found out I was HIV positive, I went through a period where I didn't want to live."
This was hard to listen to. I fought against the urge to give a shit about what she'd been through.
"I didn't deserve it, but my family stuck by me. Eventually I made my peace with my situation and decided to go to school. I wanted to help others, so I went into nursing."
I sat there, stunned as I listened to her story.
"I contracted HIV from him. Who knows how many other people he infected before he was arrested." She took a breath. "I work with AIDs patients now. In some way, I hope to make up for the damage I've caused; do some good in the world." She clasped her hands together. "It's every rewarding work. There's so much progress being made that people are surviving longer and longer with the disease. The chances that I'll live past forty gets better every day."
Forty?
I was glad I was already sitting down. I couldn't imagine someone my age rejoicing in the fact that they may live to see forty.
I didn't want to feel pity for this woman that I'd hated for so long, the woman who had been the cause of my arrest and attempted suicide. But pity was exactly what I felt.
I was angry with myself for that. She didn't deserve my pity.
Should I tell her how she ruined me? How for so many years I'd remained a closed-off prick because of her, avoiding getting close to anyone, including my own family? How I'd battled depression?
Bella's beautiful face came unbidden to my mind then, calming me, reminding me that now I'd have everything I thought I wanted with Meghan, but I'd have it with someone I really loved.
If Meghan hadn't done what she did, as awful as it was, I may never have found Bella.
Bella
My soul mate
My saving grace
"So, that's all. I just wanted to express to you how sorry I am. I don't expect you to ever forgive me, but I need to forgive myself Edward. I need to do that so I can move on with my life." She shifted from one foot to the other. "I've found someone who loves me. The amazing thing is that after I told him everything I'd done, he still wanted me." She said in an awed whisper. "We're building a life together."
A life that may only last another fifteen years…
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, before resting my elbows on my knees. I had no idea how to process all of this. I was getting a fucking headache.
She chuckled. "I see that you still run your hands through your hair when you're frustrated." I shot her a look. "Oh, uh sorry" she whispered.
There was silence for a moment. "Well, thank you for listening. You could have told me to go to hell, and I'd have left you alone." She turned to go. "Goodbye Edward." She whispered. "I hope you and Bella will be very happy together." She said sincerely before turning and walking away.
She wanted my forgiveness. Was that something I was capable of giving her? I thought about how forgiving Bella had been. I knew for a fact that she'd forgiven Geri Chance for the evil she'd unleashed. I also knew that someday, not tomorrow but someday, she'd forgive the ranger for what he did.
Unlike those two people, Meghan had actually shown remorse and apologized for her actions. Could I bring myself to forgive her?
I had to admit that the fact she was HIV positive did have some bearing on the fact that I'd even consider forgiving her. In the end, her actions in high school had harmed herself a lot more then they'd harmed me.
My girl had been returned to me only nine days before. Sure she was bruised, but she was alive. I owed the universe a little forgiveness.
I stood from the bench and followed the way I'd seen Meghan leave. Less than five minutes later, I caught up to her. When I was about two feet behind her, I spoke so that only she could hear me.
"I forgive you" I said in a hoarse whisper to the back of her head.
I heard her gasp. She never turned, but her pace slowed and her hand reached up to brush across her cheek. Wiping a tear perhaps? "Thank you." She whispered back.
I stopped and stood where I was as I watched her walk away. Once she was out of sight, I turned back the way I'd come. As I passed Victoria's Secret again, Emmett came barreling out of the store, almost bumping into me.
"That place is a fucking torture chamber for those of us abstaining until our wedding day." He boomed, earning chuckles from the mall patrons within earshot.
I couldn't muster the energy to answer him. I was drained. I wanted nothing more than to hold my girl in my arms.
All the way home, Emmett tried to engage me in conversation. I wasn't trying to be an asshole, I was simply exhausted. When we arrived back at the apartment, I sat on the sofa waiting for Bella to arrive.
Less than five minutes later, she came through the door. I looked at her, my personal angel, and once again everything in my life was as it should be.
The things Meghan had told me were playing and replaying in my brain. Had I forgiven her too easily?
No. This woman had paid too harsh a price for her mistakes. I had no choice but to set her free from her guilt. It was done.
I pulled Bella into my arms. "I love you so much Bella." I whispered before I kissed her with all the desperation of a dying man clinging to his only lifeline, because that's exactly what she was.
When we broke the kiss, she had a worried look. "Edward, what's happened, what's wrong?"
I dropped my gaze as I prepared to tell her everything. I cleared my throat. "I saw Meghan." I answered in a strained voice.
***********************************A/N****************************
A/N Better?
Next chap of V&V will have the farewell party at WIRI. It should be exciting. Watch for a sneak peek before the whole chapter posts.
Love in the form of a review is very much appreciated. Also, I've been nominated for several 'Avant Garde Awards', Round 1voting begins May 22…please vote for me. (I will beg again! ).
TTFN