A/N: Hello Lovelies! I'm back safe and sound and ready with another chapter for you! Thank you for your reviews, support, and patience during my vacation. Croatia is a lovely country, and I strongly recommend going if you ever get the opportunity to visit.
Let's get right to it…SMeyer owns all Twilight characters. No copyright infringement intended.
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15.
"Baby, are you awake?" I felt whispered against my ear. For a moment I wasn't sure where I was, but I quickly remembered that I was in Edward's bed and I was completely naked. His lips on my shoulder reminded me very quickly where I was and what we'd done earlier. I felt him hard against my back, and I was very fucking certain then that I was awake.
I quickly turned in his arms and saw the smile on his face and his question made perfect sense to me. "I am now," I whispered as I kissed across his chest.
He quickly shifted onto his back and pulled me on top of him. "Anything wrong?" I teased. Maybe I wasn't that experienced, but I knew what the hell he wanted, and I was determined that he was going to have to work for it a little.
"Wrong? The only thing wrong is that I'm not inside of you," he whispered. I laughed softly at his comment.
"Really? That's a problem?" I teased again as I kissed and nipped along his neck. It was my turn to tease him. He was so fucking sexy, and I was enjoying getting to know his body and his needs. I had my own needs, and I certainly wanted him inside me, but I wanted to torture him a little first.
"Shit…you're going to tease me, aren't you? Well, I'm pretty damn tough. Do your worst," he whispered. I quickly centered myself over him and slid down his hard cock. In that moment, it felt better being on top of him than it had with him on top of me.
"Yesss," he gasped as I stopped moving and sat up on him. I sat very still and looked at him with my arms crossed over my breasts, staring at him.
"Usually, it's more pleasant for both of us if we move around," he joked. I wiggled a little, but didn't stroke on him. I just ground my clit into his pelvic bone, enjoying the unexpected friction.
I was a bit surprised when Edward growled, "fuuuuccccckkkk," under me.
"I think that's what we're doing, right?" I teased quietly.
"You are so absolutely perfect for me, except for the fact that you're a tease," he whispered as he pulled my body down closer to him. He kissed me passionately, and I had nothing else to say because it was perfect.
I moved against him harder, enjoying the moans and groans from both of us at the contact. Before I knew it, I was reaching Cloud 12, having far surpassed Cloud 9. I had to bite my lip to keep from cursing and screaming, but I made it, and he wasn't far behind me.
We quickly settled back into sleep, and I was surprised to find myself in my kitchen in Ft. Hood with a steaming cup of coffee before me and my dead husband in his full dress uniform sitting across from me.
"Bells, is something on your mind, sweetheart?" he asked. I couldn't figure out why I was there, but I knew what was on my mind, so I cleared my throat and plowed in. I could hear the music from earlier in the background, and it was truly time to say good-bye. I thought I had, but maybe I hadn't, so it was time once and for all.
"Um, Edward asked me to marry him tonight. What do you think about that?" I asked. I took a sip from the cup, not tasting it, but I knew it was my stall tactic.
I was surprised that he smiled at me. It was a very bright smile, and I didn't know what to make of it. "So, you're finally ready? I'm so happy about that. I never wanted you to be alone, you know. It's hard for me to give you up, but I can't really look out for my girls anymore, now can I? Well, Cullen seems like a good guy, so I gladly relinquish my role as the caretaker," Jacob responded.
I couldn't help the tears. I knew it was going to be the last time I'd see him, and while it was a good thing, considering I was moving on, it made my heart ache again. I'd loved Jacob for a long time, but it was really time to let him go.
"Yeah, I guess that's right. Am I doing the right thing for Jax and me?" I asked him.
"You are the only person who can answer that question, Bells. Am I jealous? Hell yeah. But, I can't be there so I want you to be happy. Look, think about having that little boy we never got the opportunity to have, and let that man love you and take care of you. That's all he really wants to do, you know," he answered.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I knew it would be hard because last good-byes always are, but we needed to have one so I had to man-up and have mine. "I'll think about it. We haven't talked about kids because we have the girls, but maybe…someday. You do know that you'll always have a place in my heart, right?" I asked.
"Sure…sure. You know that Gianna will always have a place in his heart, right? I mean, they seemed to have a love like ours, and even though it wasn't as long as ours, it doesn't mean it wasn't as deep. Don't go gettin' all jealous and shit. He loves you, so give him a little space on that," Jacob advised. He was right. I knew that Edward loved Gianna, and there was no room for jealousy in the relationship we had. We both knew we'd loved before, but we were moving on.
"I'll take care of your dad, you know. He's very important to me, and actually, Charlie and Renee are bringing him tomorrow," I responded. I saw Jacob laugh, and I couldn't help but laugh with him.
"Only you would continue to take care of your dead husband's father. Well, it seems like Cullen's okay with that, so thank you both. Look Bells, I've got a few things to say before I'm gone for good. I'm proud of you for everything you've done for our daughter. I'm sorry that I had to go away the way I did, but I'm so glad you found a decent guy to love you and Jax. I appreciate that you'll always love me, but let me go because you've got a new love in your life who needs to know that you love him. I understand it completely. I'll love you and Jax forever. Now, wake up, honey, and move on with the rest of your life. I love you…I love you…I love you…
I jolted awake like I'd been shot just as the alarm went off. The entire thing was far different than any other time I'd talked to Jacob in our little kitchen. I actually felt like I was talking to him, not talking to myself through his voice. It was disturbing to say the least.
I felt the tears on my cheeks, but Edward was already sitting up on the bed looking at me with worry in his eyes, having turned on a bedside light. "Is everything okay?' I asked warily.
"You tell me," he answered.
I dried my face on the sheet and smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm absolutely fine. It was a final good-bye, I guess. He was in the uniform I buried him in, so I know he's not coming back, and I guess he gave me his blessing on this. Now, we've got a few minutes before I need to get up and cook, so are you gonna kiss me or what?" I asked.
He smiled at me and didn't hesitate. He kissed me, he made love to me, and he helped me make Thanksgiving dinner for a whole group of people, Billy included. It was a perfect holiday, and I was happier and more at peace than I'd been in a very, very long time.
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I was priming the walls of Chelsea's room. I'd gone to the hardware store in town that morning and bought the paint that I needed for her room, along with primer. Edward had helped me move furniture into the hallway, and I'd covered the carpeting with drop cloths. It was Black Friday, and I had no intentions of going shopping, so painting seemed like a good idea.
My mom was downstairs with Jax and Chelsea, who was feeling better, and they were baking cookies. I was grateful that she was able to come over and occupy them so that I could paint. I had stopped by my house and picked up a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt, an old Mariner's baseball cap, and I was ready to work.
I could have called the painters to come back, but I wanted to do it myself because it was my gift to Chelsea. I'd ordered the new comforter and curtains in the fabric she'd picked out, and they were due to arrive in two weeks. I was very excited about it.
The room Jax wanted was more of a puzzle to me. I decided to incorporate the black she'd chosen by way of chalk board paint on the lower half of one of the walls in her room. It would give her a creative outlet that would hopefully keep her from coloring on the walls as she'd done in her room at home a time or two, and it would give her the black she wanted.
The rest of the colors would come together, but the goal for the weekend was to get Chelsea's room going. Edward had to go to the hospital for something, so I was on my own. I had my iPod in my ears, and I was rolling on primer while singing and dancing along to the song pulsing through my ears.
I was actually giddy from the night before. If I thought Wednesday night was spectacular, Thursday night was like fireworks, my birthday, and Christmas all rolled into one. Both of the girls were exhausted from all of the activity during the day, and they both went to bed at 8:30. Everyone left shortly after, and Edward and I sat on his back deck with the fire pit in the Adirondack chairs, enjoying a nice glass of Grand Marnier. It was calming and sweet, and sitting on his lap in the chair was quite comforting.
"So, are you going to give me an answer about moving in? You've already agreed to marry me, so you're not getting out of that anytime soon. You can keep your house and maybe rent it or something. It's a great house, and if you hadn't done such a spectacular job here, I'd suggest we live there, but you did and this one is bigger. So?" he asked.
We hadn't discussed my dream from the night before, but I knew it was weighing on him and needed to be dealt with. "Look, I know the dream I had last night might have caused some worry for you, but it shouldn't. It was a final good-bye because I've moved on. I didn't realize I needed to do it, but apparently my subconscious did. I truly have peace about Jacob, and I hope you have the same peace about Gianna. We can't plan a life together if we don't put them to rest," I answered.
I hadn't been to group in a while, but it was one thing I knew from my time there. You had to learn to put the past away, and I honestly felt like I'd finally done it. I just needed him to assure me that he had as well.
"Sweetheart, I know you needed your closure, and I'm glad you got it. I got mine in Italy when I went to Gianna's grave and told her good-bye, so I don't need any more closure than that. Now, moving in?" he asked.
"Um, okay. I'm not a prude, as I think you found out last night, but…I worry about us moving in together without the confines of marriage with two daughters living here. I know it won't register with Jax. She'll just be happy to have her Redward around. But, Chelsea is eight, and she's very astute at weighing situations, and I don't want us to set a poor example," I answered him honestly.
He laughed and kissed me sweetly. "You're a one of a kind, do you know that? She wants you two here as much as I do, and the fact that we're not married doesn't even register with her. Remember, I wasn't married to her mother, and her grandmother wasn't married to Finn, so the concept of marriage is completely foreign to her. I think she'd be excited about helping you plan a wedding, and we both know that Jax would love it as long as a veil of some sort was involved, so please don't worry about that," he answered as he took a sip from his drink. Well, that was as much as I needed to know, so I agreed to figure out how we'd combine households and he carried me inside.
When his fingers found my clit that night, I had no baggage to keep me from thoroughly enjoying the feeling. His deep kisses and his hands on me nearly catapulted me out of the bed, and if that was what I had to look forward to for the rest of my life, fuck, bring it on.
After we made love, him behind me at a pounding pace, we fell into a very peaceful sleep. There were no dreams of dead loved one's that night, and I was grateful. I was ready for the rest of my life, and he and Chelsea were dead center of it, standing next to my daughter.
As I sang along with Adam Levine, I felt more than saw that Edward was staring at me. I pulled the earbuds out and looked at him. He had a very satisfied smirk on his face, and it caused me to laugh. "What's got you looking so damn smug this morning? You were gone when I got up," I remarked as I dipped the roller into the paint tray and moved along the wall continuing my task.
"Your mom and I were laughing about your singing. I love you, but honey, don't give up your day job, and you should be cognizant of the fact that when you have the earbuds in, you can't hear yourself. I find it adorable, but the girls had their fingers plugged in their ears," he teased as he sat down in the floor watching me.
"Well, you can all go fu…pound sand. I like painting, and if Adam Levine ever shows up at the front door, don't get in my way because I'll knock you down to get to him. He's very sexy, and he'd be the only man to turn my head. Now, what was wrong at the hospital that you were gone when I woke?" I asked feeling the heat on my face from his comment about my less than stellar vocal abilities. Fuck them all, I was having fun.
"Oh, really? The skinny pale tatted-up guy from Maroon 5 gets you going and you'd leave me for him? Hmmm…I'll have to step up my game so that you won't even remember his name. I'll have to get my guitar out and play you a song or two. I think that, coupled with what I can do to you…and you know what I mean…would solidify the fact that you aren't going to want to go anywhere anytime soon. Besides, from what I've heard on TV, he's a fuckhound, and I don't think you'd sign on for that," Edward answered cockily.
I stopped what I was doing and looked at him for a moment, considering his words. I laughed at the smirk on his face, and replied, "Well, it takes one to know one, now doesn't it?"
He was off the floor and the roller was out of my hands before I knew what the fuck was happening. "I'm not a fuckhound, and you're not going anywhere. You're mine, and I'm yours, and no singer, songwriter, actor, or architect is going to tempt you away from me. I'll make very certain that you know that I'm the only man for you, even if I have to tie you to the goddamn bed," he answered as he kissed my neck and left me completely dizzy with desire.
"That's a very interesting proposal, Dr. Cullen," I whispered as I moved his mouth to mine and kissed him deeply. He was absolutely adorable, and I couldn't help but kiss him. Fuck, who wouldn't?
After we pulled away from the kiss, he looked into my eyes and I could see my whole life in them. God, he was incredible. How'd I ever get him? How'd he ever notice me?
"I've got a question for you. You apparently took notice of me when I worked in the morgue, and I'm not sure what caught your attention. You never really said anything until the McCarty's wedding came into play, so what made you ask me to go with you?" I asked. It was something I wanted to know very much.
I saw him close his eyes briefly and then smile. "Honestly?" he asked. Of course I wanted an honest answer.
"Yes, I want an honest answer," I responded. Okay, I wanted an honest answer unless it was going to piss me off.
"Well, this will make me sound like a complete douchebag, but you're built like a brick shithouse, and that caught my eye right away. I asked about your situation, and when I finally found someone who would tell me you were single, you were on my radar. Most people wouldn't really give me a straight answer, you know. They'd just say that you were working through a relationship. I had no fucking idea what that meant, but when I finally cornered Yorkie and found out you were single, I began watching you. I couldn't speak to you because I didn't know what the hell to say to you. I knew about Jax, but I didn't know if you were separated or divorced. Widowed never even crossed my mind," he answered honestly.
"So, it was only the body?" I asked as went back to painting. It was fascinating to get into his head. I was always surprised with what I found there.
"God, no. The body caught my eye, but it was your smart mouth that truly captivated me. You are a mystery, Bella. You have to know that. You were definitely one I wanted to solve, that's for damn sure," he answered as he slipped off his shoes and took the roller from me.
"So, Dr. Tightass?" I asked as I picked up a brush to do the trim work. Hell, if he was going to help me, I wasn't going to bitch about it. I'd just do something else.
"God, Jane was such a mistake, it wasn't even funny. She came onto me at a hospital fund raiser before I ever laid eyes on you, and I was such a mess that I didn't really think about it. I'm not proud of it, and I don't think you want me to go into detail about it. It was wrong on so many levels, but I was so fucked up at the time that it didn't even faze me. Anyway, can we move on from that?" he asked as he moved the roller over the paint tray.
Could we? I knew we needed to, and the fact that I had a lack of sexual history that didn't seem to bother him wasn't lost on me at all. He had apparently defiled a nurse in Boston that got him kicked out of his program there, and then when he hit Forks Community Hospital, he proceeded to fuck himself through a lot of the nursing staff and one bitchy doctor, as far as I knew. What the fuck was I doing with him?
As I worked my way around the window frame, I contemplated what the hell I was getting into. I knew I loved him, and I'd agreed to marry him. That was just abso-fucking-lutely crazy, wasn't it? I had a trainload of baggage that came with me and Jax, but he brought the entire Space Station with him. God, it was daunting.
"Whatever is going through that beautiful mind of yours needs to stop right now. I can only imagine what it is, and I need you to look at the man I am now, not the man I was. I was broken and floundering and completely fucked up. That's a pure and simple fact that we both know. Since I've been with you, I'm not that guy. Well, I mean since I came back from Italy with Chelsea I'm not that guy. I don't want that life. I want this life. This is always what I wanted, even though I lost my way. You can't doubt me now, Bella. I can't handle it if you doubt me," he explained.
I plopped myself down on the floor to begin edging in the baseboard, and I thought about what he'd said. He was right. I couldn't judge him on his past. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt that he'd changed. I knew I'd changed, and he never seemed to judge me, though there wasn't a hell of a lot to judge as far as I was concerned.
"Talk to me, Beautiful. I know you're stewing all of this over in your mind. You're not regretting agreeing to marry me, are you? I know I didn't have a ring, but I'll rectify that come Monday. Now, what's wrong?" he asked as he dipped the roller into the paint tray again. He'd covered one wall and moved on to another.
I had to ask myself one question as I sat there on the floor of the room that would be his daughter's …could you paint over your past? Could you just put a coat of primer over everything that at a lover had done? Over everyone a lover had done? That was the great big question hanging out there. Could I put a coat of "Killz" over his past? It was supposed to cover the ugly and kill any mold that might come with it. Could it cover Jane Volturi and erase her from his life? Or any of the others, for that matter? That was the question I needed to ask myself.
"I'm just thinking about Dr. Sex Hair. I know that you've been to hell and back, but there're still those nurses and your reputation with fucking a lot of them. I kind of worry that you'll get tired of me and you'll go in search of something new," I answered as I scooted along the floor to the other wall.
He put the roller into the paint tray and sat down next to me. I handed him a clean brush, and he smiled at me, which nearly made me lose my train of thought. I needed to stay on the tracks because it was important to know he wasn't going to tire of me and move on. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened to a woman, and the way the fates had shit on me in the past, it would figure that something like that would happen to me.
"You know, I don't think there's another woman on this planet that will drive me more insane than you? It's a good thing, trust me, but goddamn, you drive me crazy. I. Love. You. I've never had more than a thank you pass from my lips with regard to the five nurses at the hospital that I've been with. Yes, it's been five, and I'm not proud of it, but that's the number. It's not thirty-three, and it's been completely empty.
"I know that the gossip has the number far higher, and I know that you listened to that shit when you worked there, but it was nothing like that. I'm not sure what to do to convince you that I love you, and you're it for me and last night was the most incredible night of my life, only surpassing the night before it, but that's what I feel. Tell me what I can do to make this right because I don't want you to run away because you're worried that I'll move onto someone else. That's not going to fucking happen, by the way," he replied.
Well, hell, trust had to start somewhere, right? "Okay, I'll just let it go as best I can. I'm relieved it wasn't thirty-three, so I guess five is a number I can live with. Now, one last question before we pretend that you lived like a monk after you lost Gianna. What happened with the nurse in Boston that got you kicked out of the program?" I asked.
He rose from the floor and closed the bedroom door, and he sat back down next to me, leaning in close and kissing my cheek. "Okay. Her name was Tara. She was a nurse in the ER, and we hooked up a few times when we were both working nights. It wasn't anything serious, and when she tried to make it serious, I quit seeing her. She got pissed off and went to the Director of Nursing and filed a sexual harassment complaint against me, saying that I told her if she didn't have sex with me, I'd get her fired. I never did anything like that, as I hope you know. So, the D.O.N. happened to be her cousin, and I didn't have a fucking chance in hell of getting a fair shake. I got kicked out to save the hospital a lawsuit, and I ended up coming back here where Mom took pity on my ass and let me into the program on probation. I've fucked that up a time or two, but I'm the model employee now. So?" he asked.
"Okay. It's out in the open and it's not something I'm going to worry about. Now, we'll finish this and I'll shower and heat up dinner so Mom can go home. I think she and Dad are going to the movies or something," I told him. He pulled the brush from my hand and pulled me down on the floor with him, kissing me gently before he gave me the full onslaught of his mouth on mine.
When his tongue traced along my top lip, my arms wrapped around his neck and I opened my mouth, sucking his tongue inside. We were on our sides and he pulled my left leg up and hitched it over his hip, pulling my lower body flush with his. I could feel him hard against me, and I knew that I was dripping wet for him. I ground my center against his thigh that had found its way between my legs, and we both moaned as his hand worked its way under my bra and pinched my left nipple.
"Wait, Jax, we should knock," we both heard Chelsea instruct outside the bedroom door.
Edward pulled away and looked into my eyes. "This is going to be for the rest of our lives, isn't it?" he asked as we quickly righted our clothes and sat up.
"Well, for ten years with Chelsea, and then another four with Jax, if they both go to college at eighteen," I answered as I quickly picked up the paint brush when we heard the two knocking at the door.
As he rose from the floor to open the door, he whispered, "It'll be longer than that once we have one of our own," and then he opened the door.
"Ladies?" he asked before I could comment.
"We wanna help," Jax announced as she strolled into the room with her arms crossed over her chest while Chelsea stood by the doorway looking embarrassed. I guessed she could tell that we were up to something because when I looked at Edward, his shirt was half open and half untucked, and his hair was wild. I was sure I didn't look much better and I knew my face was on fire.
"Well, come on in and grab a brush," I announced. It was fitting that it was a family project, and it wasn't as if they could do any damage. It was just primer and the floor was completely covered.
For the next two hours, we finished priming the walls, and when we were done, we put a fan in the room and closed the door. The game plan was that I'd paint the next day, which prompted Edward to volunteer to take the girls to the movies, and then Sunday, we'd move the furniture back into the room. We'd tackle Jax's room after Christmas, which didn't make her happy, but when I explained how much more time it would take, she seemed to acquiesce.
That night, we had leftovers for dinner and watched a Christmas movie about a cow. Well, the girls watched the movie. Edward and I snuck kisses and grabs when they weren't looking, and when they went to bed, we finished what we'd started in Chelsea's room earlier in the day. Well, except for the fact that it was in the shower and he was pounding into me like he was nailing a board. Once I let go around him, he smirked as he lowered me to the shower floor and then bent me forward, stroking into me from behind as he sucked on my shoulder, leaving a mark of which he was quite proud once we got out of the shower.
It was a great weekend, to say the least.
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"Mom is coming over to stay with the girls because I want to have dinner with you tonight. Unfortunately, it's going to have to be in the on-call room, but I'll order for us. Don't worry about cooking because I know you've got a full day. Don't forget to tell your architect friend that you're engaged," Edward left on my voicemail that Monday morning.
Jax and I had gone home on Sunday night, and I was picking her up from pre-school after I stopped working for the day. Esme was staying at Edward's house with Chelsea who had a week off of school due to her surgery. I'd made arrangements with Esme to share the week so that neither of us needed to miss a whole week of work, and I could tell that it made Edward very happy when we'd talked about it on Thanksgiving.
Now that it was behind us, I needed to start Christmas shopping, and I needed to start planning for us to move in with Edward and Chelsea. I wasn't sure how that would fly with my parents, Renee, Charlie and Billy, but I'd made the decision, and I was prepared to argue it like a Philadelphia lawyer.
"Momma!" Jax called as I walked into preschool to pick her up that Monday afternoon. She had on a paint smock, and her fingers were covered in different-colored paints. She had a beaming smile on her face, and I could only laugh. I walked over to the tiny plastic easel where she was finger painting, and I tried to figure out what the hell it was.
Jax's teacher, Leah Clearwater, a friend of Jake's and mine from whom I'd grown apart, walked over to us, giving me a careful eye. "Bella, Jax tells me that she's going to have a sister. Are you expecting or adopting?" she asked. Once again, I laughed at my daughter's interpretation of events.
"No. My boyfriend has an eight-year old daughter. That's who she's talking about," I answered. She laughed with me and looked at Jax's picture.
"Miss Jax, what is that?" she asked. My daughter, the ever-confident one, turned around with a look of disbelief on her face that we couldn't figure it out, and crossed her arms over her chest as she always did when she was about to scold someone.
"Miss Leah, it's my family. That's Momma and Redward and Chelsea and me," she announced. Okay, so they were stick figures. Maybe we should work on her artistic skills a little? They looked like flower stems to me.
"What are those two at the top?" I asked as I pointed to two blobs in the sky.
"That's my daddy and that's Chelsea's momma. They're in heaven watching us," she announced as if it should have been painfully obvious to us. Leah looked at me with the pity head tilt, but I could only smile at her. I thought it was sweet that Jax thought about including Gianna and Jacob in our family. Without the two of them, we wouldn't have the family that we had.
"That's very nice, Jax. We'll take it home and put it on the refrigerator. Now, go over to the sink and have Seth help you clean up because we need to get going. You're going to Edward's tonight to have dinner with Chelsea and Esme while I go to the hospital and have dinner with Edward," I informed her. She scrambled away and I laughed when I saw her put her little paint-covered hand on Seth's rear to get his attention. I hoped the paint would come out or he was going to get a lot of strange looks with a tiny handprint on the ass of his jeans.
"So, are things serious with you and this guy? Embry told us that you were dating someone, but I thought he left you or something. I didn't realize he was back in the picture," Leah quizzed.
Everyone on the reservation felt like they had some right to make statements regarding my life which was why I stopped going down there after Billy moved, but apparently, my absence hadn't slowed down the wheels of gossip. It was nearly as bad as the hospital.
"He was in Italy bringing his daughter home, and yes, we're together. It's very serious, so could you just put that on the grapevine down there? I really don't know why you're all so fascinated with my personal life, but I'd really like it to stop. I'm moving on in my life, and I'm going to be making some changes of which I'm sure none of you will approve, but at the end of the day, the only person's opinion and well-being I worry about is that little girl right there. I know that Jacob was your friend, and I'm sure that you miss him too, but as Billy, my parents, and a very qualified psychiatrist have told me, he's not coming back and it's time for me to live my life again," I preached. I hoped I'd only have to say it once, because I didn't want to have to canvas the neighborhood and tell everyone on the reservation the same thing.
She stood there for a minute looking at me, and then a smile crept onto her face. "It's about damn time. You shouldn't be alone, and Jax needs a father-figure in her life. I'm very happy for you, and I'll make sure to spread the news so that people won't bother you. Please, though, come down and visit. Just because Jacob and Billy aren't there any longer, it doesn't mean that we don't miss you, okay?" she asked as she pulled me into a hug.
Color me shocked. She was quite a tough cookie, and if she was supportive, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have any problems with anyone else. It was actually a huge relief, considering the next thing that they'd hear about us was that Edward and I were getting married and Jax and I were going to move in with him. I was pretty sure not everyone would be happy about that news.
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E/N: So, we got some answers and final closure for Bella. This chapter, while not really action packed, does set the stage for the rest of the story…which, I promise, is going to be a lot less angsty. So, please stay tuned.
Please leave me some love!
Till next time…xoxo.