AN: this chapter is posted today for my lovely lady, Lisa, (AKA, Villemo79) as a wedding present. HAPPY WEDDING DAY, LOVELY! :)
Note: Bella's Lingerie - http:/i40 . tinypic . com/e7du39 . jpg
Bella's clothes going to see Renee and Charlie - http:/i40 . tinypic . com/302vv69 . jpg
Chapter Forty Three: (Making You Mine)
BPOV
Tanya has been dragging me around everywhere today. Why? I wouldn't have a clue. She just insisted that we needed to go have lunch at the diner, then we had to go see Jess, and then we had to head all the way into Port Angeles to go shopping. She demanded we go into nearly every single store, which was odd all on its own, because she knows I hate shopping with a passion and she normally wouldn't put me through that type of torture. If she wanted a shopping partner, she could have asked Alice. When she hauled me into the boutique lingerie store, I knew something was up.
"Why are we in here?" I asked suspiciously.
"Everyone needs some good lingerie, babe,"
"I've got some." I said, backing out of the store.
"Yeah, but that shit's old, you need some new, sexy stuff." She insisted, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me back inside.
"Are you saying the lingerie I have now isn't sexy?" I accused, quirking my brow.
"It's okay…"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Well, it's kind of innocent. You need something smokin' hot."
"I'm not comfortable in that stuff, Tan. You know I'm not."
"Well, sugarplum, you need to learn to be." She said, as she browsed through a very racy rack of lingerie. "How do you expect to get Edward into your pants if you have nothing to tempt him with?"
"Tanya!" I exclaimed. "Do you want to say that a little louder? I don't think the stores at the other end of the mall heard you."
"Whatever, go try these on." She said flippantly, throwing some very flimsy pieces at me.
"You're not serious?" I questioned, horrified.
"Deadly." She replied earnestly, spinning me around and pushing me towards the change rooms.
"Are you okay?" I ask on the drive home. Tanya furrows her brow and looks over at me.
"I'm fine, why?" she asks, confused.
"You've just been acting a little strange today,"
"In what way?" she asks, glancing at me and quirking her brow.
I sigh heavily, biting my bottom lip. "It was as though you were trying to occupy me all day or something." When I glance over at her, her expression falls and she purses her lips before looking away.
"I was just trying to keep your mind off things."
"About Renee and Charlie?" I ask softly, lifting my right leg and tucking it under my left. I turn in my seat so my body is facing her. "You didn't have to do that, I'll be okay."
"What's up with that anyway? Something is bothering you, I can tell." she says, looking at me and quirking her brow.
"It's nothing," I murmur.
"Bella." She says pointedly. "What's going on? Talk to me."
"It's just Renee…" I whisper, looking down at my hands while I twiddle my thumbs.
"What about her?"
"Well, I'm glad she's back, I am, but I don't know. I'm just still really pissed with her," I say quietly, glancing up at her. I sit forward, resting my elbow on my thigh, my chin resting on the palm of my hand.
"She told you why she left, babe," she replies softly, her expression filled with concern.
"Yeah, and I think that's what pisses me off the most." I mumble, sighing heavily and flopping my body back into my seat.
"What, her reason for leaving?" she asks, looking over at me confused.
"Yeah." I respond, bitting my bottom lip.
I know how Tanya must be feeling. My emotions are all over the place so I'm probably making no sense at all. To everyone else, I may seem crazy for still being mad at Renee for leaving the way she did – even when she has a legit excuse. But I can't shake my feelings off about the fact that she shouldn't have made those decisions for Charlie and I.
"Okay, look. I'll tell you this; in life, sometimes bad stuff happens, babe. You just have to remember that you have to find a way to move on somehow. You have to keep your head held high, take a deep breath and remember the things that make you smile instead of the things that make you frown."
The corners of my mouth begin to turn up into a smile. "Always so wise with the life lessons," I murmur, laughing softly.
"I'm a very wise person, you should listen to me." She replies, her tone serious. She looks over to me and grins.
"I don't know what going on in my head right now." I mumble, shaking my head and smiling timidly. "Never mind, don't worry about it. I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"Fair enough," she replies, sighing heavily.
"Anyway, you've been on your phone a lot today." I say, quirking my brow.
"Um. Yeah…" she says hesitantly, avoiding my gaze.
"Why?" I ask suspiciously.
"Just had to take care of a few things," she replies. I can see her biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling.
"Like?" I question, looking at her expectantly.
"Nothing important." She says nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, we're home now, you better head inside."
"Aren't you coming in?" I ask, furrowing my brow in confusion.
"Nah, I've got a few errands to run." She replies, smiling softly at me. There's a glint in her eyes that makes me suspicious.
"Tanya, what's going on? You're being really weird," I say straightforwardly. "I haven't done anything to upset you, have I?"
"What?" she asks amused, laughing lightly. "Babe, don't be stupid, we're fine. Just go inside, I'll see you later." she assures, smiling kindly at me.
"Okay…" I reply hesitantly, unbuckling my seatbelt before opening the car door and walking to the front door.
When I walk into the house, my hand flies to my mouth as I gasp in shock. There are candles lit everywhere, rose petals scattered on the floor. As I follow the rose trail from the front door to the kitchen island, I notice the bouquet of roses in a vase on top of the bench. I close my eyes as I breathe in the sent of the roses. When I open my eyes, something seems off, so I pinch one.
"Huh..." I murmur to myself before shaking my head and laughing lightly.
When I look down at the bench, I see an envelope with my name on it, written in Edward's perfect handwriting A smile forms on my lips as I open the envelope, pull out the letter, and begin to read.
To my dearest Bella.
Words cannot describe how much you mean to me and how much I care about you. I know we've been through a lot together, but there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. I've never felt for anyone the way I feel about you. It's like my life didn't begin until you came into my life. Everything about you leaves me in awe. The way you look up at me through your lashes, the way you smile sheepishly when you blush, and the way you bite your bottom lip when you're nervous. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and you have such a beautiful soul. You've become such a strong person. I'm so proud of you.
I love you so much, baby.
Forever yours, Edward.
P.S. I've left something for you in your room. Why don't you go take a look?
I wipe at my eyes as the tears begin to fall. He's the sweetest person I've ever met; he makes me feel so special. I clutch the letter to my chest as I follow the rose petal trail down the hallway and to my bedroom door. I swallow the nervous lump that's formed in my throat before slowly turning the handle and opening the door.
Edward is standing in the middle of my room, a rose in his hand. I can't stop myself from grinning as I step inside and make my way over to him.
"Do a bit of shopping today, did we?" he asks amused, glancing down at the lingerie bag I hold in my hand.
"Uh, yeah…" I murmur, blushing furiously.
"You look beautiful."
"Thanks. Tanya paid for my hair and nails to be done." I look around the room to see that there are candles lit everywhere in here as well, the rose petals leading from the door, all the way to where he stands. I glance over to my bed. There are rose petals in the shape of a heart.
"Edward, everything is so beautiful, how did you do it?" I ask softly, looking back to him.
"Alice gave me some ideas and Tanya kept you busy all day for me."
"I knew something was up with her!"
"Did you have a good day, though?"
"I guess," I reply, shrugging nonchalantly. "What's all this for, though?"
"I told you I wanted it to be special for you."
"What?" I ask, shocked. "You mean, all of this is because…"
"Yeah,"
"Well, that explains why Tanya insisted I buy some lingerie," I mumble.
"Is that what's in the bag?" he asks, amused.
"Don't laugh, it's not funny." I say seriously.
"I'm not laughing," he says, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "I can't wait to see you in whatever it is she persuaded you to buy, though,"
"Well, I'll just go change then," I say sultrily, winking before turning away from him and sauntering into my bathroom.
I lean against the door after closing it, closing my eyes and taking long, deep breaths to try and calm myself down. So this is it? Tonight's the night.
Finally.
Thank god I shaved my legs this morning.
I strip off my clothes and place them on the bathroom counter. I pull the flimsy lingerie out of the bag. It's a shirt that's red silk on the breast cups, a red bow situated in the middle of the chest area, with the rest of the body being black, see through and slit right up the middle. I take a deep breath before pulling it on over my head. I take off my cotton panties, replacing them with the red silk ones that came with the shirt. Well, I wouldn't really call it a shirt. Unless someone forgot the under layer and it was slit down the middle from being in an animal attack or something, but anyway…
I take my hair out of its loose pony tail and run my fingers through it. My hands begin to shake and my body becomes to feel over heated. I turn the tap on and run my hands under the water, spreading it along my arms and behind my neck. It makes me feel a little bit better but I'm still a nervous wreck.
"Bella, are you okay?" Edward calls from my room.
"Yeah, fine. I'll be out in a minute," I assure him, closing my eyes tightly and taking another deep breath. "Don't be a coward. You can do this," I whisper to myself before slipping on the matching red and black heels, swinging the bathroom door open and stepping into my room.
I glide my hand up the frame of the door, leaning against it and placing my other hand on my hip. His eyes roam up and down my body hungrily before he finally meets my gaze.
"You're so beautiful," he says softly, causing the blush to run into my cheeks.
"I'm really not that special." I murmur, smiling sheepishly.
"You don't see yourself clearly," he says, a smirk on his lips as he stalks towards me.
"Thank you?" I question.
He places his hand on my hip and pulls me towards him. When he leans forward, I can feel his breath on my neck and his lips against my ear.
"You're welcome," he whispers, his voice husky.
"How long have you been planning this?" I ask, swallowing the lump that forms in my throat.
"I've been thinking about it for a while," he says, planting a soft kiss at the corner of my mouth. "But I only decided today."
I still can't wrap my head around how far Edward and I have come. There was always that negative thought whispering "you've hurt him too much, he's not going to want to be anything more than friends now," in the back of my mind. But ever since we took that extra step and extended our relationship further than friendship, we've been taking everything slow. Sometimes, when we get into an argument or a petty fight, one of us will bring up something one of us did that hurt the other. We've been through so much together that by the end of our little tiffs we both apologize and say we love each other.
When I look into his eyes now, I can see the love and adoration he has for me. His green eyes entrance me every single time I look into them. I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love Edward. Whenever I'm not with him his presence still haunts me and I can't get him out of my mind. He's helped me so much with my fears and insecurities. Although I'm still on guard with other people in my life, with him I know there's no point. He knows me completely now and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I smile softly at him before standing on my tippy toes, wrapping my arms around his neck. "It's perfect. Thank you," I tell him quietly, kissing him on the lips.
"You're welcome." He replies, smiling in response before returning my kiss.
"I still can't believe we've come this far," I murmur.
"Everything happens for a reason, all of this has just made us stronger." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
Everything Edward has created tonight is an honest surprise. I'm not gonna lie, I've been thinking about when this time was going to come, but I never thought it would be so soon.
I twine my fingers through his hair as he keeps his eyes on me. He begins trailing kisses down my neck and across my collarbone, making all the feelings inside of me run wild. He slips his arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest, softly placing his lips against mine. My lips respond immediately, parting for him inevitably. He slips his tongue inside my mouth; a moan of pleasure escaping both of our lips at the contact. He places his hands on my hips and navigates us to the bed without removing his lips from mine. A giggle escapes my lips as my legs buckle and I fall backwards, the corners of Edward's mouth turning up into a smirk as I scoot up the bed. His eyes follow my every move, raking down my body before finally meeting my gaze again.
He climbs on top of me, ravishing my face with soft kisses before reaching my lips again. I sit up slightly when he runs his hands down my chest and across my torso, making Goosebumps pop up all over my body. I let out a shaky breath when he begins trailing kisses across my stomach.
"Um. Edward?" I whisper hesitantly, causing him to stop what he's doing when my body tenses. I bite my bottom lip when his eyes snap up to meet mine. "Sorry. I just, what am I meant to do? I have no idea what I'm doing," I murmur self-consciously.
He smiles softly at me before leaning up and planting a delicate kiss on my lips. "You don't need to worry about me, if that's what you mean. Tonight's all about you," He says sweetly.
"Okay," I reply quietly.
"Do you want your shirt on or off?" he asks thoughtfully.
"Oh. Um... Does it matter?" I ask, confused. He shakes his head and smiles affectionately at me.
"Not to me. It's your first time, I want you to be as comfortable as possible." he says.
"Okay. Well, off then?" I question.
"Off it is." He responds, smiling as he runs his hands down my arms.
He gathers the hem of my shirt into his hands and pulls it up slowly. I'm not wearing a bra underneath, so after he lifts the shirt up over my head, I smile sheepishly at him.
Well, I didn't have that on for very long. I think to myself.
As he leans over me I begin unbuttoning his shirt with fumbling hands. When his shirt is finally removed, I run my hands up his chest and grip his shoulders, pulling him down towards me as I lay down. He trails kisses across my torso, making his way up my neck and along my jaw line.
"Tell me if you become uncomfortable." He says seriously. I nod my head in acknowledgement before connecting our lips once again.
He grips the back of my legs, hitching them up so my knees are aligning with his chest. His hands run up my thighs and slip under the hem of my panties. My back arches in pleasure as he begins to massage my seams, running his thumb across my clit before slipping his fingers inside me. It feels weird at first, but I get used to the sensation quickly as he continues to move his fingers inside me. He removes his lips from mine and begins to plant kisses on my neck, down my collar bone and across my chest. My back arches when he takes my breast into his mouth and massages my nipple with his tongue. He moves from my breast to my stomach, making his way down my torso and to my pelvic line.
My eyes go wide when I realise what he's about to do. I've heard about people going down on each other but to be honest, the sound of it kind of grossed me out. That opinion quickly changes as soon as he flicks his tongue out and runs it up my centre.
"Oh, God," I moan, my hands finding their way into his hair.
He licks and sucks as his fingers continue to make their way in and out of me. I buck my hips, trying to create more friction as the sensation begins to drive me insane. I can't stop the crazy noises that begin to escape my lips at his touch.
"I think I'm close," I say breathlessly, my voice barely audible.
He quickens the pace of his fingers, sucking harder and massaging my clit with his thumb. I begin to pant heavily as the pleasure escalates rapidly.
"Edward. Ah. Oh, God," I gasp, gripping his hair tightly as I hit my climax, my walls tightening around his fingers as I cum. I wince when he pulls his fingers out of me, the blush rushing into my cheeks when he glances up at me.
"You're stunning when you blush," he whispers, kissing me softly on the cheek.
"You're stunning, period." I reply honestly. He chuckles lightly, shaking his head with amusement.
"How do you feel?" he asks hesitantly.
"Very sedated," I murmur, smiling mischievously.
"Good," he responds, planting kisses along my jaw. "I can't wait to make love to you, baby," whispers, placing his lips against my throat and kissing me lightly.
I pull my hands out of his hair and begin to fumble with his belt and unzip his pants. When he pulls down his pants down, he ends up falling on his ass, which causes me to laugh lightly. He laughs with me before throwing his pants – along with his boxes, across the room. I stop short of my laughter, my eyes going wide as I take in the size of him when he crawls back towards me.
"Do you have protection?" I ask breathlessly.
"Of course I do, baby," he assures, smirking before leaning across the bed and pulling a foil wrapper out of the bedside table.
He sits back in front of me, chucking the condom on top of my stomach. I take it in my hands and sit up, laying my legs across his as he sits Indian style. I rip the packet open, swallowing the nervous lump that has formed in my throat. I glance up at him though my lashes and bite my bottom lip as I slide the condom onto his manhood.
"Am I doing this right?" I murmur self-consciously. He places his thumb and index finger under my chin and lifts it until I meet his gaze.
"You're doing perfectly, baby," he assures, smiling at me. I lift my head up to kiss him lightly on the lips; he kisses me back passionately and tenderly, lying directly above me as I lay back down on the bed. I begin to squirm as he runs his cock along my folds, aligning himself with my centre until he's fully lubricated.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
"Yeah," I reply softly.
He leans forward and places his lips on top of mine, kissing me lovingly before pulling away and looking into my eyes. He entwines his right hand with my left and keeps his eyes locked with mine as he eases himself inside me slowly. I grip his hand tightly and bite my bottom lip from the sudden pain.
"Are you okay?" he asks concerned. I nod my head in acknowledgement, not trusting my voice to speak.
I run my free hand up his chest and wrap it around his neck, entwining my fingers into the hair on the nape of his neck. I pull his face back down to mine and kiss him eagerly as he eases the rest of himself inside me.
"Ah," I wince, squinting my eyes closed as I try to overcome the pain.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks, concerned.
"Yeah, it just… hurts," I say through gritted teeth.
"I know, baby, I'm sorry." He replies, stilling inside me and letting me get used to the feeling.
He begins to suck on my bottom lip, releasing it from the death grip of my teeth. I smile appreciatively at him, running my free hand up his chest and around his neck. He pulls out, his eyes locking with mine before pushing back inside me slowly. Our hands stay entwined as he repeats the motion, keeping his strides slow and sensual, making sure I'm comfortable at all times.
"You feel so good, baby," he whispers, breaking our kiss.
I tilt my head to the side, giving him easier access as he begins to trail kisses along my jaw, to my neck and down my chest. My back arches once again when he takes my breast into his mouth again. I lift my hips with each slow thrust he makes, trying to create more friction as the sensation builds up in my stomach. I can tell he's getting close to his orgasm as he struggles to keep his pace steady.
"Faster," I pant, wanting him to experience the feelings I'm feeling.
I remove my arm from around his neck and run it down his chest as he quickens his pace, thrusting his hips more dominantly. Although I want him to go faster so he can get his release, he doesn't forget about me for a second. He slips his hand down between my legs and begins to massage my clit with his palm, showering me with kisses all over my body. I begin to breathe heavily as the pleasure builds up inside me again. As I ride through my release, Edward combusts inside me no more than a few seconds later and slows his stride as he rides out his climax.
I wince as he pulls himself out of me and wraps his free arm around me, rolling us over so I'm lying on top of him. My left hand still entwined with his right. I give it a light squeeze, before letting out a content sigh.
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you too." I reply quietly, squeezing my body to his as tightly as I can.
He lifts our bodies up to pull the covers out from under us. He pulls the covers over us and when we're settled under the sheets, he begins tracing patterns on my back, eventually putting me to sleep.
The next morning, I wake up wrapped in Edward's arms. I smile against his chest and tighten my hold on him.
"Morning, beautiful," he says, kissing me on the forehead. I tilt my head up and he kisses me softly on the lips.
"I need a shower," I mumble, causing Edward to chuckle.
I sit up and lean over the bed, grabbing Edward's shirt and putting it on before climbing out of bed and going into the bathroom. I brush my teeth whilst in the shower. When I get out and dry myself, I put Edward's shirt back on. I walk back into my bedroom and put some clean panties on.
"I need coffee," I say. "Do you want some?"
"Sure," he says, closing the distance between us and kissing me softly on the lips. "I'm just gonna have a quick shower, too."
"There should be an old pair of your briefs in my draw, somewhere,"
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. They're comfy, okay? Don't judge."
"No judgement here, baby," he says, smirking at me.
He slaps me lightly on the ass when I turn to walk away. I spin around and wave my index finger in front of him before heading out to the kitchen. I make us a pot of coffee while Edward has a shower. I'm sitting on the stool, sipping my coffee when he comes out. My eyes roam his bare chest, causing him to quirk his brow and smirk at me.
"Like what you see?" He quips as he goes over to the pot and pours his coffee.
"Very much so," I reply.
He makes his way over to me and kisses me on the cheek. He sits down on the stool in front of me and I go to sit on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. I smile against his lips when he kisses me, before passionately kissing him back.
"Did you want to go over to Charlie's and see your mom? We could get the rest of your things from there as well, if you want?"
"Yeah, okay." I reply reluctantly.
"Bella, yesterday you said you wanted to talk. We kind of got distracted, so if you want to talk now, we can."
"Okay. Can we go to the couch?" I ask, climbing off his lap.
"Sure," he replies, entwining his hand with mine as we walk over to the couch. He sits down and I sit down right next to him, laying my legs across his.
"So, what's wrong?" he asks, concerned.
"It's just about Renee."
"What about her?"
"Well, I still have a lot of conflicted feelings towards her." I murmur.
"And what do you think they're about?"
"Her leaving," I reply, sighing heavily. "I know she had an excuse, but for some reason that excuse makes me angry and I can't figure out why."
"Okay, well, maybe it's still about the abandonment aspect of it?" he questions.
"Yeah, maybe," I ponder. "But the way she acted when I got upset with her. She said, 'I thought you wanted me to come here,' and I did, but I just got so angry."
"Have you told her this?" he asks.
"No,"
"Maybe you should. Try and work everything out. Like I told you yesterday, you can't resolve anything if you don't tell her how you're feeling."
"You're so smart," I say, smiling softly at him and kissing him on the lips. "We should probably go," I add, climbing off his lap and standing up.
"Okay,"
"I'm wearing your shirt, though, so you'll have to find something else to wear," I call out to him as I make my way down the hall.
"That's okay, I brought spare clothes," he says from right behind me, making me jump.
"Christ, Edward! You're like a damn ninja; don't sneak up on me like that!" I complain, slapping him on the chest.
"Sorry," he says, chuckling to himself.
"It's not funny; you almost gave me a heart attack." I say seriously.
"You're so adorable. Come on, hurry up and get dressed," he says, tapping me lightly on the ass.
"Whatever," I mumble, removing his shirt and picking my bra up off the ground. I put my bra on and head over to my closest, pulling out my studded, navy blued high waist denim shorts and put them on. I walk back over to my bed and put Edward's shirt back on, tucking it into my shorts.
"Actually, maybe we shouldn't go to Charlie's." Edward says randomly.
"What, why not?" I ask confused, looking up at him as I slip on my white vans.
"Because your mom will know something happened last night and she'll murder me!" he says, the tone of his voice indicating that it's the most obvious scenario in the world.
"Aren't you supposed to be afraid of Charlie for that?" I joke. I stand up off the bed and fold my arms across my chest, quirking my brow.
"I'm not scared of your dad. Your mom on the other hand, I am terrified of." He says seriously.
"You shouldn't be. She's harmless," I reply nonchalantly, the corners of my mouth turning up in amusement.
"She back handed Charlie across the face." He says pointedly, looking at me incredulously.
"Because he deserved it," I say, rolling my eyes. "Come on, you big baby," I add, laughing lightly and entwining my hand with his as I lead him out of my room.
When we arrive at Charlie's house, Renee is sitting out the front reading a book. She looks up as we pull into the driveway, a smile forming on her lips. She closes the book and places it on the table next to her. Edward walks around the front of the car and opens my car door for me. I smile fondly at him before kissing him softly on the lips. He entwines his hand with mine as we make our way up the drive.
"Hey, kids," Renee greets us cheerfully. "I didn't know you two were coming over today,"
"We just thought we'd come check up on Charlie," says Edward.
"And grab a few more of my things," I add nervously.
"Oh, okay. Bella. how are you feeling?" Renee asks.
"Uh. Fine, why?" I ask, confused.
"Your aura is just really… out there today." she replies, cocking her head to the side.
"Oh god, please don't start with that aura stuff again." I plead.
The front door banging open catches all of our attention. Charlie walks out, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely. When he notices our presence, his eyes go wide and he begins to fidget.
"Charlie, why don't you come sit down?" says Renee.
"I'm not a child, Renee. Don't talk to me like I'm one," he grumbles back before following her order.
"Sorry, love." She says, patting him on the shoulder. "Anyway, I don't know why you're so averted to it, Bella. There's definitely something different about you. It seems so familiar as well…" she says curiously.
"It's nothing, I'm fine. Nothing has changed. Um. I'm just gonna head upstairs." I sputter, smiling awkwardly before going inside.
Edward follows behind me as I make my way up the stairs to my old room.
"I told you she'd notice," he says, poking me lightly in the back.
"Whatever." I reply, swatting his hand away before opening my bedroom door.
"Bella, heaps of your stuff is still here," Edward says, shocked.
"I know,"
"When was the last time you were here?"
"When I left," I mumble.
"Shit. Are you okay being here?" he asks, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just pack up some stuff and get out of here," I reply, pulling some boxes out from under my desk and putting them on my bed.
We gather up the rest of my framed photos, clothes, shoes, CDs, DVDs, books, and school work and pack them all away in separate boxes.
"Man, you have a lot of books." Edward says.
"There's nothing wrong with the amount of books I have. I like to read, okay?"
"Clearly," he responds, laughing lightly. I roll my eyes at him as a smile tugs at the corners of my lips.
Once we've finished packing everything away, we carry the boxes back downstairs.
"What are you doing?" Charlie asks, confused.
"Taking the rest of my stuff back to the cottage."
"Aren't you ever gonna move back, though?" he asks sadly.
"No, Charlie." I reply quietly.
"I know what it is now!" Renee exclaims, jumping up out of her chair and looking between Edward and I.
"What?" I ask hesitantly.
"I know why your aura is that colour." she says softly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't changed." I insist. My eyes widening as she shakes her head with amusement.
"Oh, honey. You're growing up so fast." she says emotionally, closing the distance between us and wrapping her arms around me. "Did you use protection?" she whispers, causing me to pull away from her.
"What? How did you know?" I whisper back, glancing at Charlie and then Edward.
"I told you, it's in your aura. And you can't hide that sort of thing from your mother, sweetheart," she says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Yeah, well, I thought because you haven't seen me in so long…"
"Just because we've been apart, doesn't change the fact that I'm still your mother and I notice these things." She says lovingly.
"Yeah, and just because you're my mother, doesn't mean you can come back into my life saying, 'I left for you, so you wouldn't have to suffer my illness or condition.', and expect your abandonment to have no consequences." I retort angrily.
"What?" she asks shocked, her eyes widening. "Where did that come from?"
"It's been here all along, I just haven't been able to say anything."
"Why not? You have every right to get all of your feelings out." Renee says.
"I know that, I just didn't know how to put it into words." I respond. "But now I do."
"Go on," she says hesitantly.
"Anything could have happened to me while you were gone and you wouldn't have known because you stayed out of contact. Yeah, you wrote Charlie a letter and I ended up finding it instead of him, but shouldn't you have left me a letter? I'm your daughter; you were still responsible for seeing to my wellbeing, health, and safety."
"I know, Bella,"
"Then why didn't you contact me?" I shout. Edward entwines his hand with mine and squeezes it lightly.
"I don't know…"
"You don't know?" I ask incredulously. "Well, that's a shit excuse, isn't it? Just like your excuse for leaving. It's bullshit. You should have told us! Knowing you were sick and getting treatment, keeping in contact with you by long distance and being able to come and visit you would have been better than being abandoned and rejected by you."
"I never thought about it like that, honey. All I could think about was you being scared by seeing me the way I was. It wasn't a pretty thing. I was fatigued all the time, losing my hair, vomiting constantly, losing weight. I didn't want you to witness that."
"You shouldn't have made that decision for me."
"I know that now. I can't change the past, Bella, I can only try and make it up to you and be there for you now, and in the future."
"Things are never going to be the same again, Renee," I say sadly. "You closed your eyes and your heart to what could have happened to me in your absence."
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she whispers, tears forming in her eyes.
"So am I." I reply softly, blinking back tears.
"You can notice what?" Charlie asks, confused, snapping us all back into our previous conversation.
"Nothing," I murmur.
"What are you keeping from me? How has she grown up so fast?" he asks Renee.
"It's nothing to worry about, Charlie. Don't get worked up over nothing."
"I'll get worked up over whatever I want on my own property, thank you." He says sternly.
"Charlie, it's none of your business, so just drop it, okay?"
"You're my daughter. That makes it my business," he says harshly.
"Charlie, stop it." Renee scolds.
"Your daughter?" I ask astonished. "When was the last time you even gave a shit about me to even call me that?"
"Of course I care about you, don't be ridiculous."
"If you cared about me, you never would have hit me." I retort icily.
"That's the biggest regret of my life, Bella. I'll have to live with that until the day I die."
"And who's fault is that?" I ask harshly, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Bella…" Charlie's voice is filled with despair, and when I open my eyes to meet his gaze, his eyes are welling up with tears.
"You lost all rights as my father when you started neglecting me and blaming me for mom leaving us." I say sadly.
"I know, baby girl. I'm so sorry. I was heartbroken, I blamed the closest person to me; which was you." he replies shamefully.
"That's no excuse. I may be your daughter biologically, but that's where it ends." I say dejectedly, tears falling down my cheeks.
"Bella, you're being pretty hard on him. Everyone makes mistakes," Edward whispers to me.
"Are you really saying that right now?" I ask, spinning around to face him.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," He says, cupping my face in his hands.
I think back on mine and Edward's situation and how he gave me a second chance after the way I treated him. I purse my lips and look away from Edward and back at Charlie. I've never seen him so remorseful.
"I need some time to forgive you," I say softly. "You really hurt me, Charlie. And you're gonna have to do a lot to make it up to me."
"That's fine, I understand." Charlie says softly.
"Same goes for you, Renee," I say, glancing at her.
"I understand as well," she says softly, smiling sadly at me.
When I glance back at Edward, he pulls me into his arms and plants a kiss on my forehead.
"We're gonna head off," he says to Renee, entwining his hand with mine and leading me down the stairs.
"Bella?" Renee questions, running down the stairs after us. When I turn around to face her, she pulls me into a hug.
"I am really sorry." She whispers.
"Yeah," I reply, hugging her back. "Thanks for not telling Charlie."
"Of course," she says, kissing me on the forehead before facing Edward. "Bye, Edward. You look after her, okay?" she smiles affectionately at him and kisses him on the cheek.
"Will do, Mrs. Swan," he replies, smiling kindly at her.
"Good boy." She replies, laughing lightly before turning around and heading back up to the front porch. She leads Charlie inside before turning around and waving at us.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Edward says, pulling me into his side and leading us to the car.
So here is the long, anticipated moment! I hope it was worth the wait and good lord, I hope I did it justice!
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and support it means so much to me and I just can't even explain how happy and grateful I am that all of you have stuck with the story.
Thank you to MyHeartOfMusic for Beta'ing this chapter, and continuing to Beta the rest of this story for me :)
I love you all so much! Please leave a review of your thoughts on the chapter!
- nat x