[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer
[A/N] Thanks for the reviews you guys left me on the last update. It's always appreciated when you take a moment to tell me what you think.
Today's chapter is dedicated to MangekyoMasta510 and NoPros.
**22**
It had been forever since Bella had been in such an excellent mood like today. She and Rosalie were together now. The joy this thought caused her was overwhelming. All the way to Tyler's apartment she sang cheerfully to the music playing in her ancient radio.
There was no way she was going to break the news to Tyler though. He would most likely react like the jerk he was and Bella didn't want to have any of this behavior.
She parked the car and went to knock on the front door. The bell was broken and it would stay broken because Tyler didn't care enough to get it fixed.
Bella waited until the door was pulled open and she found herself face to face with a thin strawberry-haired woman. Why had he invited his slut over when Resha was here? What a goddamn jerk.
"Ty-Ty, your ex is here, Darling!"
Tyler appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around the skinny woman. He kept his eyes on Bella's face when he planted an open-mouthed kiss on his girlfriend's shoulder.
"Why don't you go back inside and wait for me." He purred softly. "I'll be with you in a minute."
Bella placed her hands on her hips. "Not necessary. Tanya can stay here. Is Resha upstairs?"
Tanya cleared her throat. "Kadesha picked her up."
"Why? Jeez, Tyler, I brought her here so that she can spend time with you. Not with your mother."
Tanya giggled stupidly. "You're right, Darling. Your ex really is a bitch."
"Maybe I'm a bitch but at least I'm not some cheap rebound fuck like you." Bella snapped. She felt very tempted to slap Tanya across her face but that would only cause unnecessary trouble. So, she just turned around and walked back to her car.
A short drive later, she had already reached the apartment complex where Tyler's mother lived. Bella and she had never really warmed up to each other. Sometimes you meet a person and instantly know you'll never be friends with him or her.
Still Bella had tried her best to be nice to Tyler's mom for Resha's sake. She had even agreed to name the second part of her daughter's name after her.
Bella sighed and turned off the engine. Kadesha owned a hairdresser's shop that was basically her second home.
A high-pitched scream filled Bella's ears when she entered the shop. She hit her head hard on some wind chimes above the door. Crap, this was going to leave a bruise.
"NANA! IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"
"What the fuck are doing here with her?" Bella snarled, kneeling down next to her sobbing daughter. "Honey, it's okay. We'll just wash it off again. Mommy is sorry."
"No, you won't touch her hair." Kadesha stated. "We need to keep the relaxer on for at least 6 more minutes."
I can kill you in six minutes and get rid of your corpse, Bella thought angrily. "Don't you have a heart? She's crying!"
"Honey, it's not that bad. Is it? You want your hair to be pretty. Don't you, sweetie?"
"B-b-but it hurts!" Resha sobbed. "You d-d-did not tell me it w-w-would hurt."
"Four more minutes." Her grandmother cheered the girl on. "You can do it. If you're brave, I'll buy you a new doll."
"H-h-hurts," the girl stuttered, sniffing back her snot. She had thought getting her hair done would be nice. It wasn't nice at all. It was just awful. The smelly stuff her Nana had put on her hair was burning like fire on her scalp. Four minutes? How long was four minutes?
"Listen, if you don't wash this shit from her hair right now, you're going to regret it." Bella told Resha's grandmother.
Kadesha rolled her eyes at Bella. "Stay out of things that don't concern you. Sweetie, you asked Nana to do your hair. Haven't you?"
"Fuck, you are dumb or something?" Bella was yelling now. "Wash that crap from her hair right now!"
"Two more minutes, Sweetie." Kadesha told Resha, completely ignoring Bella next to her.
The little one's cries turned into a hysterical screaming when her grandmother eventually maneuvered her over to the sink and started rinsing off the relaxer. "It burns! It burns! Nana, my eyes!"
"Keep them closed. We're almost done."
"You're done now." Bella snapped, wrapping a towel around Resha's head. She lifted the girl up and cradled her against her chest. "It's okay, honey. It's okay."
"Am I pretty now?" Resha asked, blinking at her mother through her burning eyes. The burn in her eyes was even worse than on her head. Yes, she did want to be pretty but not if it made her blind.
Bella took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself a bit. She hated nothing more than to see her daughter cry. Seeing Resha in pain cut into Bella's heart like a sharp knife.
"Mommy thinks you're always pretty." Bella whispered, sitting down on a plastic chair with Resha on her lap. "Do we want to look how your hair turned out?"
Resha nodded, wiping some snot from her chin. The moment Bella pulled the towel from her head seemed magical to the girl. Where a mess of tousled brown curls had been before was now silky smooth hair that fell past her shoulders.
"Lovely isn't it?" Kadesha said, running a thick brush through the dripping wet hair. "I told you Nana will make you pretty."
"Her hair was okay the way it was." Bella stated. "You are crazy to put chemicals on a six-year-olds head."
Kadesha clicked her tongue. "It won't do any harm."
"You better hope it won't. Resha, sweetie, tell your grandmother good bye now. We're leaving."
xxxx
Bella had treated herself and Resha to some delicious ice-cream before she had driven the car to Lucy's house. Rosalie's mother wouldn't take the news about the called off wedding too good. Bella wanted to be sure to have Rosalie's back when she told her.
When Rosalie opened the door, Bella had to resist the almost unbearable urge to pull the blonde woman into a passionate kiss. They needed to save that for once they would be alone again. Bella wanted to be alone with Rosalie very often from now on.
"Hey, sweetie pie." Rose greeted Resha. "What happened to your hair?"
"Don't ask." Bella sighed. "Have you told your mother yet?"
"Told me what?" Lucy asked, walking towards them. "Oh Resha, girl, you look so pretty now. Doesn't she look pretty, Rosie?"
They walked inside the living room where Resha instantly pressed her face against the vitrine. So many beautiful Tiaras! If only Lucy would allow her to play with them…
"I hope you're not hungry." Lucy stated apologetically. "The boys were here for lunch and they wolf down enough for five."
"We're not hungry, Lucy. Thank you."
"Good. Resha, please don't touch the glass. You're going to leave fingerprints on it."
"Mom, let her be." Rose stated. "Resha, do you want to go upstairs and see if you can find Mr. Jenks somewhere? He loves when you come to visit him."
Mr. Jenks was Lucy's high prized Maine Coon cat. Now, that her daughter wasn't a cute little beauty queen any longer Lucy needed someone else that she could present in the spot light of cameras.
As soon as Resha was gone, Bella spoke up. "Lucy, there is something Rose wants to tell you. I hope you'll take it like an adult."
Rosalie's mother cringed. Her lips twitched into a fake smile. "I already know what she wants to tell me. Rosalie, if you don't want to wear my dress. That's no big deal."
Rosalie coughed. "It's not about the dress, Mom. It's about the whole wedding."
"Sweetie, don't worry." Lucy told Rosalie, petting her shoulder. "Like I told you before, every bride tends to get cold feet before her big day."
"Mom, stop it. I…I…I'm not going to get married to Carlisle."
Lucy's mouth fell open. It took her a full minute until she managed to close it again and speak. "Rosie, darling, tell me you're trying to make a joke."
"Mom, I'm serious. I already spoke to Carlisle and gave him the ring back."
"Are you insane? Nobody gives back a three carat ring from Tiffany's!"
"Lucy, stop yelling at her." Bella said, wrapping her arm protectively over Rosalie's shoulder. "It's between Rosalie and Carlisle if she wants to call off the wedding."
Lucy's lower lip trembled. Rosalie's eyes filled with tears she desperately tried to hold at bay. She had known her mother would take the news badly. Crap.
"Don't cry, darling. I'm sure if you call Carlisle and tell him you were just overreacting, he'll understand."
"Mom, don't you get it? I don't love Carlisle. I thought I do. Do you want to know why? Because you told me what I felt when I was with him was love! But it's not."
Lucy burst into tears. How could Rosalie make her feel like this was her fault now? Who in heaven's name was so stupid to call off a wedding with a doctor!
"I've never been so ashamed of one of my kids like I am now." She sobbed, knowing that her tears would most likely make Rosalie feel guilty. Maybe a bit of guilt would bring her daughter back to her senses. "I'm sure your poor father turns over in his grave right now."
Having her dead father mentioned broke the rest of Rosalie's self-control. She started crying, barely noticing how the front door was opened again and her brothers walked in.
"Mom, why are you crying?" Jasper asked, kneeling down next to his mother. "Did something happen?"
"Your sister," Lucy croaked hoarsely. "She wants to bring me to my grave."
"Rose, what's wrong?" Emmett asked, sitting down next to Rosalie on the couch. "It can't be that bad."
"I c-c-called of-f-f the w-w-wedding." Rosalie stuttered out between sobs. "I broke up with Carlisle."
"Good riddance! Um, I mean, I'm sorry to hear that." Rosalie's older brother said, unable to suppress a wide grin.
"You need to help me make her see reason." Lucy pleaded, rubbing a trail of smeared mascara from underneath her eyes. "She's making herself miserable."
"I don't think so, Mom." Emmett stated. "Jazz, why don't you get a bottle of the whisky Uncle Peter sent us last Christmas? It will help to calm Mom's nerves."
"This is just horrible!" Lucy called out. "I don't understand why she's doing this to me."
"Mom! Calm down. I'm sure Rosie isn't calling off the wedding to upset you."
"Yes, that's true." Rosalie whispered her voice barely audible. "I'm so sorry, Mom."
"You don't have anything to apologize for." Bella stated, pulling Rose closer against her own body.
"Bella's right. Christ, I'm so glad you came back to your senses before it was too late." Emmett told his sister. He reached for her hand and gave it a careful tug. "Everything is going to be okay."
"Nothing is going to be okay." Lucy stated, taking the glass with the whisky her youngest son handed her. She gulped the alcohol down in several small sips. Then she grabbed the bottle Jasper had put on the desk in front of them and went upstairs.
"Why are you crying?" Resha asked, looking up from the corner of the guest bed where she had snuggled up with the cat. If only her mother would allow her to get her own cat. There couldn't be anything better than having your own cat, could there be?
"It doesn't matter." Lucy whined, lifting the bottle with the whisky to her mouth. "Please go downstairs. I need some rest."
"Are you sick?"
"Please, Resha. You're a big girl and should understand, aren't you? I want to be alone now."
Resha stroked over Mr. Jenks fluffy head for a last time before she stood up from the bed again and went downstairs to the living room.
"Mommy, why is Lucy crying?"
"She's upset." Bella explained. That woman is a bit too hysterical, Bella added in her head. She pulled Resha on her lap and weaved her fingers through her daughter's strangely smooth hair. "Sometimes adults like to be on their own when they are upset about something."