Rating: M
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer who owns all things Twilight…..what are you up to Stephenie?
This is an extra EPOV treat. It's longer than usual but it catches us up in his view. I really love my Edward in this story and from the reviews I've received, you like him as well. He is so sweet…I want one.
Thank you to everyone that reads and reviews, I truly appreciate it because I read each one and pay attention to what you say, so keep them coming, they help.
Betas T & A…..I love yous you are the best.
CHAPTER 12
Edward
I hated watching her walk away from me all alone like that. Emmett and Jasper assured me that Jacob had left town and said they made sure he was packed and on the road but that gave me little comfort in the grand scheme of things.
The moment I saw the look on her face today when she came barreling down the hill toward me, I knew he was here and had made contact with her. She definitely was not comfortable with him being here. She skied directly toward me and immediately stepped out of her skis and I did the same when I saw him. Bella stepped in close to my side and I enjoyed the feeling it gave me that she felt safe and protected next to me.
Damn, how did he find her?
The moment he opened his mouth to talk to her and called her 'babe', I about reached for his throat. After five years of zero contact with her, the first thing he says is "BABE"? Okay, I'm sure he said more that that, but that's all I heard. No fucking way pal. No one gets to call her that but me. I didn't get the opportunity to say anything because Bella was all over it, demanding that never call her that, ever.
That's my girl.
Since I didn't get an chance to talk to Bella this morning like I had originally planned, I needed to speak to her before this motherfucker opened his mouth again but once he recognizes me he proceeds to tell Bella the story about last night at Sam's.
I look from Jacob to Bella and see her question me about his story of how I got him drunk last night. I can tell she is curious, so I pull her away from him and tell her about how Jacob came to the bar last night telling the story about how he was looking for her and what his intentions were and how I paid to get him drunk to keep him off the mountain this morning and how that plan had obviously failed miserably.
"Why didn't you tell me about this last night, Edward?" She asked me.
"Because I knew he wouldn't find you last night and I didn't feel the need to worry you unecessarily knowing I was going to see you this morning to tell you but he got to you first."
She was pleased with this and smiled that sexy smile and hugged me. I love the feeling of her in my arms and her body close to mine. Could I really be falling for this girl so quickly?
"What the fuck is going on here, Bella?" Jacob yelled at her as he watched our exchange.
As if I didn't think it was possible to want this woman more than I already do, she took hold of my hand and told that bastard that I was her boyfriend. Even if it wasn't true and even if it was just for his benefit, it felt good hearing her say it. I took advantage of being her "boyfriend" and looked deep into her big brown eyes and smiled at her, my lips just barely touching hers and reached my hand around her and took a nice long gentle squeeze of that fine ass of hers. Shocked, she jumped about three inches off the ground and squealed, falling into me. I finally kissed her and all we could do was chuckle and giggle at the situation and she whispers, "Did you enjoy that, Mr. Cullen."
"You bet your sweet ass I did Ms. Swan." I said outloud wanting to devour her right here, or at the very least at my place just a few hundred feet away.
Pulling Bella and I out of our mutual trance, I hear him say, "This is bullshit, Bella. I just need 15 minutes to talk to you."
"Jake, Edward said it perfectly. I don't want to see you, I don't want to talk to you and I certainly don't want to fuck you. You had me, Jake. Don't you ever come looking for me again because if you do, I will report you for stalking and I will find a way to bring you before the Bar and you will have to answer to them."
Ahhhh, there's my girl again. But when he called her a bitch, my instincts went on full alert. All I wanted to do was wipe that smug-ass look off of his face. I made a move to lunge at him when Bella stopped me by doing something that totally took me by surprise. She kissed me this time and had my full attention.
The chemistry between us is undeniable and when we were able to pull away from our lust-induced state, we took our skis to the lift for a run down the Chute. I would rather spend my time enjoying her than argue with that bastard any day.
I spent the rest of the day skiing hard with Bella. We stopped only to catch our breath and for me to get a taste of her. I watched her open a bottle of water, drinking half of it and wiping the moisture from her lips. I thought to myself, 'I really want to be that bottle.' I would love to have those lips wrapped around me just like that and the vision made my dick spring into action. This is torture. I need to have her.
She shared the other half of the cold liquid with me and when I threw the bottle in the trash can, we were on our way.
Today we skied only black diamond runs, which are more physical. I enjoy watching her attack those deep moguls like a pro and when she caught air I nearly bit it watching her when she brought her knees up to her chest before nailing the landing. That shit turns me on right there. She is fucking sexy and that's all there is to it.
I could tell that she was getting tired so when she told me she was ready to go home I wasn't surprised. She said she was hungry and it dawned on me that we hadn't stopped for anything to eat since I met up with her this morning. And when she said she wanted a hot bath, I had to stop myself from having another fantasy in front of her. I pity her body when I finally get the chance to bury myself in her.
I walk her to her truck and we sit on her tailgate and just visit a little, which I find very refreshing. I have to deal with vendors, unions, the weather, reports and everything in between on a daily basis and it's nice to have a conversation with an intelligent woman discussing ski techniques or what it takes to make a good pot of chili or simply how beautiful the Sierra mountains are during the winter. I really enjoy just hanging out with her, she makes it easy for me to be myself and that's something I can't do with most people. I know that once I leave here it will be back to work as usual and 'Cullen' will be back. She hasn't met him yet and I'm not quite sure how she will feel about him. That's when I finally decided to go out on a limb.
"You know I like you, don't you Bella?" I hang my head, watching my boots swing under the truck. I am feeling like a teenager right about now.
"Yeah, I think I do know that."
"It's mutual, right?" I glance over at her out of the corner of my eye and watch her bite her bottom lip.
Oh Bella, please don't do that.
"Yes, it is. Very." She says, still playing with that lip.
"Do you do that on purpose or does that come natural to you?" She asks me.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, confused.
I'm really not sure what she is referring to because all I was doing was watching her chew on her bottom lip. The lip that I want to desperately suck on right now.
"The way you dazzle people. You can throw a look and make a woman's ovaries fry, did you know that?"
Did she just say fried ovaries? And right on cue, my phone rings. Damn, it's Emmett and just when I answer my phone Bella jumps off the tailgate and comes around to face me. As I am talking to Emmett, Bella starts giving me sweet little kisses between my words and it is fucking turning me on and making me hard for the umpteenth time today.
"Fuck Bella, you are going to kill me if you don't stop teasing me girl."
That's it! I can't do it anymore and I have to be inside of her. I need to feel her. Touch her body. I want to hear her scream my name.
"Remember that threat I gave you yesterday?" I say into her ear.
"What threat?" She says acting coy and batting her eyelashes.
Damn her. She knows exactly what I am talking about. She's good at this flirting thing.
"Monday." I say to her and then smack her ass as I jump off the tailgate.
I am going to fuck her all day and well into the night if she lets me. The mere thought of seeing her lying there naked underneath me is enough to take her to the condo right now and forget everything and everyone else. I just don't think she's ready for that yet. She will be by Monday though.
I need to meet my brothers, so I put her skis in the roof rack for her, kiss her goodbye and watch her drive away from me, missing her already.
I'm such a pussy.
As I push my way through Sam's god awful squeaky door, I greet everyone.
"Sam, you really need to lube that door, man. It's starting to hurt my ears."
"Hey, don't knock the door, man. It's my doorbell."
Everyone laughs at that because we all know it's true. When the door opens we all look to see who's coming in. It's actually the perfect doorbell. I take a seat between my brothers and Sam puts a Heineken in front of me. I swallow nearly all of it not realizing just how thirsty I am. I look over at Emmett and he is hitting on a girl way too young for him but I leave him at it.
"Hey Jazz, tell me what happened." I ask him for the details of their conversation with Jacob.
"It's really pretty cut and dry. Emmett, being the imposing creature that he is, towered over Jacob and instructed him to pack up and return to the city."
Jasper, always was one for keeping it direct and to the point, makes me dig for information if I want it. And I do want it. I want to know step by step what transpired with that asshole.
"Did that bastard give you hard time? Did he look like he was actually going to leave?" I'm watching his face while he tells the story, hoping he will give me more without me having to dig, which I find annoying as shit.
"Oh yeah. Em pretty much put the fear of death in him and I have no doubt he is gone because we followed him to his room, which is right here at the resort by the way, and we watched him pack and get in his car to leave. Outside of following him to San Francisco, I'm pretty certain he left." Jazz looks at his beer bottle and nervously starts pulling the label off.
"Edward? Tell me about her. Do you really like her or is this just a piece of ass we are getting into trouble over?" There's my brother, getting straight to the point.
I look directly at Jasper, "Jazz, I really like her. She's special. You'll like her too. She's not just a piece of ass to me. In fact I haven't even tried to get with her and it's been four days but God knows I've wanted to. When you see her you will understand what I am talking about."
I stare at my reflection in the mirror behind the bar, thinking about her and what she has done to turn my life upside down since I've met her.
"Hey Sam, what happened with you keeping that asshole in drinks last night so that I wasn't going to have to see him today?" I yell down the bar at him.
He is busy hitting up on another girl for the night when I inconveniently interrupt him. He runs his finger down her cheek and tells her he will be right back before walking over to talk to me.
"I did, Eddie. He passed out right here at the bar. I had to sober him up a bit so he could walk to his room. What happened? You see him today?"
"Worse, he found Bella at the top of the Chute this morning." I say looking at Sam.
"The man must have a gut of steel to go skiing with a hangover like that." Sam says shaking his head in disbelief.
I order another beer when a group of young ladies came through the door and spot me and my brothers. It doesn't take long before the flirting and giggling begins.
"Eddie, after you left last night, he was saying the foulest things about your girl. I hope he doesn't get the opportunity to be alone with her after hearing all of that."
Sam was looking directly at me and I could see what he was trying to say. He was going to hurt her. That thought alone sent a cold chill down my spine.
"What did he say, Sam?" I ask not sure I wanted to hear this.
"He said he was going to fuck her until she couldn't walk and then he said since she liked head so much he was going to shove his dick so far down her throat she was going to gag on him."
"Fuck Sam, don't sugar coat it or anything."
My stomach winds up in my throat. I would throw up if he did that to Bella. I sit there and stare at the counter suddenly feeling strange and anxious about Bella being home alone.
"Sorry dude, I thought you wanted to know everything he said."
I look over at Jazz and he can see it on my face. All of this is bringing back memories of Leah for both of us. Jasper, Emmett and my parents spent months saving me from the depths of despair over not just losing her, but how it all happened.
Leah and I had met in college where I was studying Business Administration with the sole intent of running Volturi while she was studying International Business Management. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. We dated through college, were madly in love and planned on getting married. We did everything together. She was it for me, the love of my life.
We would go to museums, the theater and travel together. But by far her most favorite pastime was listening while I played the piano, just for her. I would play for hours while she would lie on the chaise and read, listening to the lullaby's I would compose for her.
She ended up taking a job with a large company located in San Francisco that also had an office in London. This required her to frequently travel back and forth. Sometimes I would go with her but there were times when I couldn't. This went on for several years until we finally decided to set the date for the wedding. September 13th, a year from the day we decided to finally make it official. Since our engagment was long and everyone had waited for us to set the date, we planned on hosting an "announcement" party. Leah had another long trip to London scheduled so we decided to hold the party after her return. This particular trip was for a month and was the longest she would be gone. I would have traveled with her but couldn't because I was needed at the winery for the harvest. It's a very busy time of the year for Volturi.
Rather than being gone the one month she originally indicated, she was gone for two. She finally came home in time for Christmas. I missed her terribly and planned on spoiling her with a trip to Italy. We had a huge fight over that. She said she couldn't go because she was needed back in London. She didn't know exactly when she had to leave but she said she would at least be home for the holidays. We attended the usual holiday parties together and on the night of the New Year's party, my life fell apart.
Leah and I were enjoying ourselves at her firm's party and how I loved to watch her work a room. She was beautiful and elegant in her sleek black evening gown that fit her curves perfectly. She wore the sapphire and diamond necklace and matching earrings I gave her for Christmas that night. She looked beautiful. I was at the bar getting a glass of champagne and was talking to Seth, a co-worker of Leah's. He was talking about how he was supposed to have taken the trip to London but Leah insisted on going. I was taken by surprise by this because she told me that she "had" to go, not that she "insisted" on going. Seth went on, saying that he had been waiting to take a trip to London because he has family there that he has been wanting to see but Leah always insisted on going, not giving anyone else the opportunity. He then apologized to me for complaining about my fiancé but had hoped I would talk to her and ask her to give him a chance to make the trip this time.
When we got home we were changing our clothes in our respective dressing rooms. I was thinking about what Seth had said and it was as if a light bulb went on over my head and I walked to her dressing room and asked matter of factly, "When were you going to tell me?"
She gave me a deep exasperated sigh, "Tell you what, Edward? What is it now?"
"That you are having an affair."
I didn't know for certain, but I tested her to be sure and looked directly at her, with my game face on.
"How did you know? Who told you?" She shot her 'deer in the headlight' eyes at me and it was then that my life changed. It was only a suspicion but when she confirmed the truth, I was devastated.
"You did. Just now." I stared at her in silence, hatred growing for her with each passing second. "I want you to pack a bag and get out. You can come for the rest of your things tomorrow. But I want you out right now." I turned to reach for her Louis Vuitton suitcase off the top shelf and threw it on the ground at her feet.
She kicked the bag away and threw herself at me, begging me to forgive her and that he didn't mean anything to her and that she was lonely in London all by herself without me. She sounded as if she rehearsed that scene straight out of a movie. She wouldn't leave my house that night so I packed a bag of my own because I wasn't going to be in the same room with her. I told myself I would deal with it tomorrow. While I was packing she called someone named Sturridge, her London beau, and told him it was over and that she didn't want to have anything to do with him and he was to leave her alone and to never make contact with her again. Again, a drama scene fresh out of a movie.
I gave her everything. I would have given her the world if she asked me for it. The begging, the crying and the pleading continued for weeks until I cooled off enough to even want to look at her, let alone be in the same room with her, to listen to anything she had to say. I drove to her house and when I walked in I found her on her knees with his dick down her throat. The look on her face was priceless. I turned and left and never went back.
"Dude, answer your phone. It keeps buzzing." Sam says, sliding my phone under my nose. There were two texts from Bella.
"911"
"HELP ME HURRY"
"FUCK, LET'S GO." I yell throwing the bar stool to the ground as I jump to run out the door.
"He's there with her goddamn it. She texted me with 911." I am scared to death that he has hurt her already. Dear God, please protect her. I text her to tell her we are on our way.
"Emmett, can't you go any faster? Please, he's there with her. Oh god." I rock back and forth nearly pulling my hair out, trying not to envision the worst but I just keep thinking about what Sam said earlier.
"Edward, she will be okay. We will get there in time." Jasper says in an attempt to calm me down. He then tries to get me to sit back in my seat.
"DID YOU HEAR WHAT SAM SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO TO HER?" I yell at him. I didn't mean to but if something happens to her I will never forgive myself.
"I'm sorry Jazz. Fuck. What if he hurts her?" I rock back and forth, running my hands through my hair, frantic to get to her.
"What did he say, Edward?" Emmett yells at me.
I can't say it out loud.
"What did he fucking say?" He yells at me again.
I repeat what Sam told me and Emmett hits the gas, praying we get there in time. It is snowing and the roads are slick but have been recently plowed. We didn't need a car wreck preventing us from getting to Bella on top of everything else.
"Please hurry Emmett. Please." I can hear myself begging and my heart is breaking. I am terrified of what could possibly be happening right now.
"It's the one with the black Tahoe SUV. That other car must be Jacobs?" I say to Jasper.
"Yep, that's his." He confirms.
All three of us jump out of the car and run towards the door. Emmett rams it with his shoulder but it's already open and we stumble through the doorway.
There she is, my sweet little girl, on her knees and bare chested just like… The difference between Leah and Bella though is that Bella is at knifepoint. My heart leaps into my throat and I run to her, grabbing the lap blanket off the couch to cover her up. I hear her sob and know she has been injured but I can't bring myself to look at her just yet. I try to steady my nerves so that I can take care of her. She needs me right now. I start rocking her back and forth trying to calm her, to let her know I'm there and that it's going to be okay.
"I'm here baby….I'm here. Shhhhhh, baby, shhhhhhhhh" I can feel my own tears fall down my face as I rock her in my arms.
I watch as my brothers try to get hold of Jacob but he is slicing through the air with a butcher's knife, threatening them, preventing them from touching him. Emmett makes a jump for him, knocking over a table and missing the chance to grab him. Then Jasper throws a statue at him hoping to knock the knife out of his hand but misses. The motherfucker is inching backward toward the front door and then runs to his car. Jasper and Emmett run outside after him but they are too late. He is already in his car and pulling onto the road. He's gone, that motherfucker is gone.
Bella is shaking so damned hard right now and I can't wrap her up in me enough to stop it. I continue to rock with her and at this point I don't know if it's for her benefit or mine. Seeing her like that brought me to my knees. I get a glimpse of her face and I know he hit her really hard. I'm scared that I will lose it if I look at her and see how bad it is but I need to, I need to assess this. I push her far enough away from my chest so that I can get a closer look at her but she buries herself into me again. She tells me she doesn't want to be naked in front of everyone and asks for a shirt from her room. Jasper runs up the stairs to her room and comes back with a t-shirt.
After getting Bella dressed, I need to look at her face, to make sure she doesn't have a broken jaw or nose. It appears as if the force of the blow was around her eye, which is now swollen shut. My stomach turns seeing a sweet and fragile person so damaged like this. There is dried blood all over her face so I ask one of my brothers for a wet towel and an ice pack for the swelling. After wiping the blood away, I can see a small cut around her eye, but no stitches are needed, thank God.
Visibly shaken, I ask Emmett to get her a glass of wine hoping that will help calm her a bit. I think she might feel better if she got cleaned up and had a hot shower, so I take her upstairs, not letting her out of my arms. My heart breaks just seeing her so beat up like this and she smiles at me as best as she can and my heart breaks even more at that. After I get her settled in her bathroom, I head downstairs to my brothers.
"Fuck, you guys!" I say, pacing the kitchen floor and digging my hands through my hair.
"I know it. I can't get that vision out of my mind E." Emmett shakes his head and takes a shot of Jack Daniels to calm his nerves. He pours me one and I down it in one shot.
"I can't get it out of mine either. I can't even speak out loud what could have happened to her if we hadn't gotten here when we did." I can feel the tears welling in my eyes at the possibility of where Bella could be right now. I take the bottle and start taking huge gulps of the burning liquid.
"But you were here Edward. And because of you she is safe now." I love Jasper. He is always my voice of reason.
"It just reminds me, you know, of….. That very same fucking thing only with Bella it was….. not what she wanted. I'm glad I didn't have to see his… in her… FUCK!" I yell, smacking the countertop with my fists.
"She's safe now, Edward. Let's make something to eat, okay? She said she was hungry, let's make her something hot for dinner." Jasper starts going through the cupboards and refrigerator and comes up with something perfect. She will love it.
I hear her bedroom door open and I see her coming down the stairs looking clean and beautiful and… bruised. I walk to the bottom of the stairs and wait for her, to hold her in my arms. All I want to do is make her feel safe.
I watch as Emmett and Jasper each show her that they accept her, hugging her and whispering in her ear. I don't know what they said but it puts a peaceful look on her face and for that I am grateful. When it is my turn I hold her as tight as I can.
We take our dinner to the dining room and talk about the evening's events, when something catches my eye on the floor next to the couch. I get up to see what it is and as I get closer I realize what I'm seeing and it feels like my guts are being ripped out of my stomach. I pick it up and put it in my fist, walking over to Bella. I run my hand over her head, looking for the most sensitive area and when she flinches I know I have found it. I pull her hair back and find the spot where a chunk of her hair has been ripped out. The same chunk of hair that is now in the palm of my hand.
Once Bella sees what I have in my hand, she reacts surprisingly calm by turning back to her dinner. I'm beginning to wonder if she is in shock, this has been a pretty fucked up day for her. It was then I realize that I need to make a phone call.
I need to change my clothes so I ask my brothers to stay with Bella while I drive home for a shower and a change. They both willingly agree to stay with her and after I say my goodbye to Bella, I cautiously walk outside looking for any sign of Jacob, and make my way to my car. Once I'm on the road, I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and call my Uncle Embry, our family physician.
"Edward, son, how are you? What are you doing calling so late, is everything okay?"
"Hey Embry. I'm good. I have a situation that I need help with."
"Sure son, go ahead."
Embry is my father's best friend and has been a part of our family since I was born in addition to being our family physician. I figure he is the best person to call because I need to make sure that Bella is okay or whether I should take her to the hospital. I explain the situation and her injuries to him.
"It doesn't sound like her bone has been broken by your description, but you need to make sure you keep it iced and give her some Advil or Tylenol, anything to help ease the pain. It sounds like she went through quite an ordeal so you need to keep her stress level down and keep her calm. Sleep is the best way for her to heal but keep your eye on her in case she is in shock."
"Is there anything specific I should look for?" I ask, because I have no idea what shock looks like.
"Anxiety levels increase, if she feels weak or nauseous, cold sweats, dizziness, or if she loses consciousness. If any of these things happen you need take her to the hospital. You should also monitor her heart rate just to make sure it is normal and steady. Anything that doesn't look normal, call me and we can talk about it, okay? Other than the obvious bruises and I am sure she is in pain, I'm sure she will be fine Edward. She just needs to calm herself down and relax."
I am feeling much better knowing what I am looking for and how to deal with it. "Thanks, Uncle Embry, I really appreciate it and give a kiss to Sally for me. I'll call if there are any changes in Bella."
I reach the condo and turn on my computer to check my emails, filtering through which ones need attention and the ones that can wait. Tanya has overloaded my system so I return her call.
"Hey handsome, I thought you'd never call me. What's going on with you? It's not like you to ignore me and I'm not sure I like it." She pouts and I can visualize her bottom lip sticking out over the phone.
"I am at the lake for the weekend and it has turned into an extended vacation. I will be home next Sunday for the dinner." My parents are hosting the annual Napa Valley Vintner's dinner and I am required to be there.
"Tanya, I need you to know something. Our relationship as we know it needs to end. You and I both know that it was primarily business with occasional pleasure but I have met someone and I want to see it go further and I can't do that with the type of relationship you and I currently have." I explain to her.
"But Eddie…." She whines.
"Tanya, please don't. I need you to be an adult here and not do that because it's not going to work. You and I both know we weren't anything but friends and now I have met someone so it ends here and ends right now."
"Are you in love with her?" She asks and I can hear the tears in her throat.
"It's not like that. I've only recently met her and I want to see if it has the potential to go further but I won't do that to her with you in the picture." Please, let there not be any drama.
"Okay Eddie, daddy just walked in the room. Let me see what he wants and I'll call you right back." And before I can say anything else, she hangs up.
I need to make another call and look through my contacts and hit send.
"Jenks, Cullen. I need a search." I begin, "Jacob Black. 6'2", 180 lbs., American Indian decent. Attorney in San Francisco. I want everything you have on that motherfucker. I want to know when he takes a piss. Once he is found, I want a 24/7 tail on him and once that is in place if he goes anywhere near Bella Swan, paralegal at Hale, Whitlock and Evanson, I want him removed. I don't have her resident address, find it, and if he goes near that address, I want him removed. I want a daily report as to his regular location. Any questions? Good." Short and brief, that's why I like Jenks. He has been with our family for years and he is good at what he does. I ask and he takes care of it.
I run to my room stripping as I go up the stairs and stand under the hot stream of water. I need to de-stress myself. I have all sorts of thoughts going through my mind right now. When I saw that text on my phone, the blood left my body; 911. I didn't see it when she first sent it dammit. I could have saved her sooner and maybe she wouldn't have suffered that black eye.
"DAMMIT" I yell and hit the wall of the shower.
I lather my body and recall the memory of how she looked when I ran through her door. Seeing her on her knees with her hands tied and her beautiful breasts exposed to him like that. She said that he dragged her across the room by her hair. How caveman of you, you motherfucker. She just looked so defenseless. Never again, Bella, never again. He won't ever lay his hands on you again, I promise you that.
I finish my shower and quickly dress putting on Bella's favorite scent. It's incredible my need to be near her, to be with her…..to protect her.
When I get to Bella's they are sitting around the living room talking and I walk over to her and kiss her bruised cheek. Emmett looks at me, nods toward the kitchen and I follow him.
"She's doing okay I think. I was watching for signs of shock or stress and she's handling it pretty good. She tends to go in and out of the Twilight Zone though. She stares into space a lot but comes back after a bit." Emmett describes in perfect detail Bella's behavior so I can keep track of her.
"I called Embry and he told me what to do and what to watch for. Thanks for looking out for her Em."
"I can see why you are crushing, E. She's pretty cool." That gets a smile out of me and my eyes go in search of her.
"I called Jenks and got him on Jacob too."
"Excellent idea. He won't get near her again. Okay, we're going back to Sam's for a couple stress relievers if you know what I mean." Yeah, I know exactly what he means.
"Okay, guys, thanks for hanging out. I will be home as soon as the girls get here tomorrow. If you get any calls for me, let me know if they're important would you?" I know they know I am talking about Jacob and Jenks. After they leave, I check the windows and lock the doors.
I pour us a glass of wine, turn on some soothing music, turn out the lights and sit with Bella in front of the fire. Like Embry said, make her feel comfortable and stress free and that's what I try to do until my phone starts ringing. Thinking it might be Jenks or my brothers, I answer.
"Cullen"
"Hello Edward." .
"I can't talk to you right now." FUCK! Tanya.
"Eddie, I need to talk to you." She pleads.
"No."
"You are with her aren't you? Would you call me later then?" She asks.
"I can't call you later either." I look at Bella and can see that she is visibly exhausted. I guess she isn't the only one to bring drama to the table. She gets up but I stop her, not wanting her to be out of my sight but she says she needs to go to the bathroom so I let her go. Can this get any worse?
"Edward, we need to talk about this. We have been through too much to stop now. We used each other for pleasure at one time but for me it has developed into something more." I can hear the desperation coming out. I know her.
"Tanya, I told you I can't talk to you right now."
"When will you be home so we can talk? Don't make me call your parents." She threatens.
My parents! If she only knew that my parents abhor her.
"I told you I won't be home for another week. I plan on staying here through next weekend." I remind her, trying to end this before Bella comes back.
"I confirmed our attendance at the Napa Valley auction. You have to go with me. We always go together and I got us our favorite suite." She reminded me.
"Well you will just have to cancel." I tell her knowing there is no chance in hell I will be attending that with her this year.
"I am driving up tomorrow. We will talk about this then." She threatens.
"No Tanya, I do not want you here." I stand up and raise my voice to her.
"Why? Goddamn it, Edward. She can't mean that much to you to where you would throw everything we have away."
"Because, one, I have Emmett and Jasper here and two, I told you earlier what was going on with me. You will not show up here Tanya."
"Alright Eddie, you will be here in time for the NVV dinner, right?"
"Yes, I will be there in time for dinner. I will see you then. I will call you when I get a chance. Good night." I say rushing to get her off the phone and I quickly hang up.
I look up the stairs for Bella and see her standing at the top of the stairs. She sways and reaches out to grab hold of the banister and I can see she's going to fall. I run up the stairs to catch her but I'm too late and she hits the ground. Thank God she didn't fall down the stairs.
"Bella? Please baby, wake up. Please" I beg her to wake up and to answer me. Embry said that if she loses consciousness I was to take her to the hospital.
She finally wakes up and all she wants is to talk to Rose. All she can say to me is that she wants me out of her house and wants me gone.
"Bella, please stop. Settle down, you need to relax and lay still. It looks like you have reinjured your eye. I think you should go to the hospital."
"NO. No hospital. You need to go home, Edward. I don't want you here." She yells at me. She wants me gone?
"I am not leaving you here alone Bella. What's wrong? Tell me what's the matter?"
All she can say is that she wants her phone and wants me gone. Is this part of being in shock? Is she reaching high anxiety levels? I should call Embry. I'm about to call him when I hear her talking to Rose, telling her to get to Tahoe City right away and that she wants me to leave. I take the phone from her and go to the kitchen to talk to Rose.
"I don't know what happened. She went upstairs to go to the bathroom while I was on the… phone." That's when I turn around and look at her. She overheard my conversation with Tanya.
"Rose, I know what happened. She overheard a telephone conversation I was having and she misunderstood what I said." I explain to Rosalie about the call and about Tanya.
"Bella, Rose wants to talk to you." I hand the phone to her.
As I sit and listen to her talk to Rose about how I have a girlfriend and how she wants me to leave, I know I can't. I am certain she is showing signs of shock and I need to make sure she doesn't pass out again. I look into the fire, thinking about this whole day and not once do I regret knowing her or wanting to know her better but she wants me out because she misanalysed one phone call that she knows nothing about.
She stands in front of me and snaps, "Do you have a fucking girlfriend?" What the fuck?
"No, but I'm trying hard to work on one." I tell her as truthfully as I can.
"What does that mean? And what was that about her coming here and you making plans for dinner when you get home?"
There it is. There's the bottom line. She's jealous and she thinks Tanya is my girlfriend. I can feel my inner smile. She likes me... a lot.
She steps over to the bar and pours us a Jack Daniels shot and then returns back to Rosalie. I have to give kudos to Rose because not only did she help both Bella and I through this, it was all done while she had a man lying next to her.
After she hangs up from talking to Rose, Bella sits down and looks at me and tells me that she doesn't want to continue with whatever this is we have going on. My heart lurches and I feel an empty pain reverberate throughout my chest. I feel the complete loss and heartbreak that statement gives me at that very moment. Again, after saying that she wanted me to leave and that this was too much for her and that she was certain it was too much for me, in the end, it all revolved around the fact that she thought I was already with someone. Even though she asked me if I had someone in my life and I told her no, she is basing her opinion on the fact that I made plans for dinner with Tanya. She is only protecting herself, I've done it myself. I can fix this, but not tonight.
I stand up and scoop her into my arms and look down into her eyes. It takes everything in me not to kiss her as I carry her to bed. Oh, how I wish I was taking her to bed to make love to her. I set her in bed, get her hairbrush to brush the tangles from her hair and then tuck her into bed. I then go downstairs to get her a glass of water and some Advil. I also needed to make a call.
"Jenks, Cullen. I need you to make sure Tanya does not drive to Lake Tahoe. Don't harm her but make sure she doesn't make it up here. Any questions? Good."
I recheck all the windows and doors and see that it is snowing. The big fat flakes that Bella likes. I go back upstairs, giving her the water and Advil. I start a fire to warm the chilly room and open the curtains that cover the French doors so that she can see the snow fall. I know it will make her happy. I look over at her and see that she is sitting up in bed, her gaze flickering between watching me and watching it snow.
I'm exhausted and move to the other side of her bed and remove my sweater and jeans leaving on my t-shirt and boxer briefs. I watch her while she stares at me. I grin and climb into bed with my back to her so she doesn't think I'm going to try to force myself on her tonight. This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult things I've ever done because I would love nothing more than to wrap my body around her and fall asleep with her in my arms.
What amazes me the most is that when I am about to drift off to sleep, she snuggles against my back and wraps her arms around my chest
"I like you, Edward Cullen. I really like you." I smile and close my eyes.
I want to thank all of you that voted for Black Diamond at The Lemonade Stand. It was an honor to be nominated and thank you MAB for the nom.
Jennifer, I love your Farmward in Country Women Will Survive, loves me some barn lemons….Go Charlie dammit…go get you some of that Esme!
Joanie Baloney….you rock and you fucking know it. You are a survivor and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.