Life's A Beach
Chapter 9
A/N – Thanks for the nice words about the last chapter! Sweet moments are the best, aren't they? This is the big meeting with Dad – let's see how Edward handles it.
Edward stood in front of the building housing his father's downtown office. Even though it was January in notoriously cold and windy Chicago, the sun was out and he felt warmed by the reflection coming off the window. He slid a hand into his jacket, checking to see that the mysterious picture his mother slipped him this morning was still there. Edward wasn't at all sure what he would do with it, but he sensed it would be a turning point – one way or the other. With a deep sigh, he made his way into the building and stepped onto the elevator.
Heidi, his father's secretary and a general pain in Edward's ass, stood when he walked across the floor. "Edward" she purred "your father said you'd be stopping by this morning." He tucked his hands in his pockets, avoiding the hug he was sure she was angling for. Heidi was a beautiful woman, and not that much older than Edward, but she always made him feel like she was hunting and he was the prey. No thank you, he thought. Heidi seemed to realize she had no excuse to touch him, and sat on the front of her desk instead. Edward couldn't understand why his father kept such an obvious flirt around. He found her over the top attention annoying, but maybe it was just one more thing he and his father didn't agree on.
"Hi Heidi" he pulled at his tie and ran a quick hand through his hair. "Is he ready to see me or do I have a few minutes?"
She checked the clock on her desk. "It's time" she said "but I'm sure I could get you an extra few minutes before you go in. If you needed anything." Her tone was unmistakable.
"Just a coffee, please, if you have some made. I really don't want to keep him waiting." Edward followed her into the little kitchen and took the cup she handed him. He quickly stepped back out of her way and she frowned. "Thanks. I guess I'm ready now."
Heidi made her way to the imposing closed door located behind her desk. "Good luck, Edward." Her look softened, and Edward wondered how much she knew about what he was in for. He gave her a small smile, and opened the door.
Bella was the picture of annoyance as she stood in the security line at Savannah Airport. It wasn't really that she was upset with her two best friends, but she couldn't stand there and watch them kiss their new boyfriends goodbye when she couldn't be anywhere near hers. She checked the time on her phone for about the thousandth time this morning. Edward would be meeting with his father soon, and she'd be on a plane for almost three hours, completely unreachable. She reached the front of the line and held out her ID and boarding pass for the TSA officer. She turned and gave Alice and Rose the best evil eye she could muster.
"Since I don't have anyone here to kiss, I'm going through security. Bye Jasper. Bye Emmett. I'll see you two at the gate." When she turned back, the normally stoic agent appeared to be biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh. He stamped her boarding pass and handed it back to her.
"Here you are. Since I can't kiss you, I'll just say have a nice flight." He gave her a quick smile then schooled his features back to normal. "Next" he called.
Bella was grateful for the laugh he gave her. She made her way to the gate. Hesitating only a second, she sent Edward a quick text. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you. She tucked the phone in her backpack and waited for the girls to join her. Hopefully they'd get there before the plane took off. She sank into her chair and thought up ways to make them think she was really angry. Hey, she needed to have some fun too, and what better way than to at least partially terrify her best friends?
Edward stopped in the doorway and took a moment to study the man standing across the oversized office. Carlisle Cullen looked like the successful well-to-do attorney he'd become. The walls of his office were lined with awards from state, local, and national organizations recognizing his contributions to the field. One wall was completely lined with bookcases, filled with legal tomes. His father turned slowly and moved toward his son. He held out his hand. Edward shook it, wondering when he'd gotten old enough that his father no longer greeted him with a hug. Around the time they started disagreeing, he thought.
"Edward, I'm glad you're here." Carlisle motioned for him to sit on the plush sofa and settled himself in one of his leather armchairs.
"Are you, dad?"
Carlisle appeared caught off guard. "Of course. We have a lot to talk about, plans for next year."
"Dad…"
"Edward, I'm not going to entertain any conversation about alternatives. It's time you got on board with this plan. It's your future we're talking about here."
"And one year is going to make that much difference?" Edward tried to calm himself.
"Yes, if you pass up these opportunities. You know that everything depends on timing. Who has an internship, who needs someone to clerk for them. Screw up that timing, and you may miss the best opportunity of your life."
Edward leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "What if that's not the opportunity I want? What if the Olympics is the opportunity of my life?"
Carlisle snapped to attention. "You need to let this go, Edward. You are an adult, you need to understand the difference between a hobby and a career."
"A hobby? That's what you think this is?" Edward stood and paced. "You know how hard I've worked for this. You have always supported me. What changed?"
"Nothing changed" said his father calmly. "It's just time for you to move on with your life and accept some responsibility for your career."
"I'm sorry, Dad. I've never crossed you before. I love you, and I respect you, more than you know. But you're wrong on this. And I need to follow my heart." Edward stopped, faced his father. "I will skate. With or without your blessing, but I hope it's with."
"It won't be." His father was truly angry. "Don't throw this all away, Edward."
Edward swallowed hard. He didn't want to hurt his father but it was impossible to avoid. They'd both dug in their heels. Edward remembered what Jasper had told him about making his own way. He'd have Jasper, and Emmett, and most important he'd have Bella to support him. But if he had to do this without his father's support he was sure as hell going to know why.
Edward sat, so that he could look into his father's eyes. "What happened to you?"
Carlisle was taken aback. "I have no idea what you mean."
Edward hesitated, then ever so slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out the picture. He slid it across the table and sat back, waiting.
His father's blue eyes widened as he picked up the picture and held it up. For a second, Edward thought his father was going to throw it back at him. Instead, he set it back on the table. "You know who this is?"
He nodded. "I know that it's you. You were a skater. A good one, from the looks of it."
"I was" said Carlisle. "Not as good as you, but good. This picture, this was my last national competition."
"What happened?" Edward inched forward.
Carlisle gave a bitter laugh. "About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, I suffered what's commonly known as a career ending injury. It was bad, but you know the worst part? All of a sudden my entire life changed. My purpose, my reason for being. Gone. Because of one-sixteenth of an inch of my skate. Or maybe it was a rut in the ice. I'll never know. But even before the surgery I knew I would never be able to skate like that again."
Edward dropped his head. That fear always lurked somewhere.
"I had no career, no back up plan. I was…lost. I wasn't going to let that happen to you, Edward. I made sure you had the best education, the best opportunities. You would never find yourself the way I did, with nothing and no one." His faced was flushed, the emotion leaking through.
"What did you do? After, I mean."
"I started over" his father whispered. "Went back to college, went to law school. Met your mother." That brought a smile. "It took a long, long time to build up the practice I have now, to be able to give you and your mother everything I wanted for you. I could have started so much sooner. I wasted so much time."
They sat silently. Finally, Edward spoke. "But you did it, Dad. You may have lost one opportunity, but you made another. And so what if it took longer. You didn't lose out. You made your way. You met the love of your life and made a wonderful life for me." Edward sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "If I miss one opportunity, I'll make another. I'm your son, and I'm stubborn, just like you."
That got a chuckle out of his father.
"I can't help but think" he said "that if I'd kept skating I might never have met your mother. Would we have found each other? Would she have loved me the same way if I was struggling to support myself?"
Edward reached out, tentatively, and took his father's hand. "You know she would have. You two were meant to be. And you know as well as I do that she would have loved you no matter whether you were an up and coming lawyer, or selling hot dogs from a cart. And Dad, I've found someone. I think….no, I know, that she's the one."
Carlisle started to interrupt, but Edward stopped him. "We haven't known each other very long, but I've never felt anything like it. It was like we were meant to find each other, even if it took my dog knocking her over on the beach."
"You have a dog?"
Edward laughed. "That's what you got out of my teary confession?" After a few minutes he spoke again. "Bella is it for me, dad. I know it. And she'll support me no matter what I do." He held up his phone and showed his dad the text message Bella sent as she was getting on the plane. "So you see, I can't lose, dad. No matter what happens, I'll have my Bella."
A single tear ran down Carlisle's face. "I'm sorry, son. I was so caught up in wanting this life for you, that I forgot about the life you already have."
"Just say you'll support me, dad. That's all I want. It's all I need."
Without another word, the two men stood and embraced. Edward tried to blink back his tears, but they fell anyway. He felt that same safe, wonderful feeling that he'd felt growing up, knowing his dad was there for him, had his back. Loved him.
They took a step back. Carlisle grinned at his son. "You will bring this girl home to meet your mother and I, right?"
"Of course, dad. As soon as I can arrange it."
Bella spent the first hour of the plane ride not speaking to Alice and Rose. Actually, she completely understood, but it was way too much fun to watch them squirm.
"C'mon Bella" whined Alice. "We're sorry. We weren't trying to rub it in. We know you miss Edward."
Bella couldn't help but laugh. A long, noisy, snort because you are laughing too hard laugh.
"You bitch" said Rose. "You're not really mad at us, are you?"
"If I could open that window, I'd throw you off this plane" said Alice, pouting at having been fooled by her best friend.
Rose smacked her. "If you could open the window on the plane, we'd all be sucked out into space and torn into tiny pieces."
Bella wasn't about to apologize, but she did owe them an explanation. "It's just that today's a really important day for Edward. He's confronting his dad, or his dad's confronting him I guess, and I just want to be there for him."
"It'll work out, sweetie" said Rose.
"I know it will, but I want so much for him to be happy."
"That's what we all want for our guys" said Alice "now that we've found them."
"Best vacation ever" said Bella.
"You said it, sister" answered Rose, and they settled in for the rest of the flight.
As soon as the plane hit the ground, Bella whipped out her phone and turned it on. She took a deep breath waiting for it to wake up. When she got to the message app, her heart soared. Written there she saw his message.
All is good, long story, but dad and I are okay. Olympics, here we come! With you by my side, of course. Yours, Edward.