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She was terrified. She stood back, watching as Hope, her beautiful, sweet little Hope, buried her face in Angela's neck, the soft whisper, "Hi," trickling between her tony, perfect lips. She wanted to pull the girl into her arms, hug her, hold her, love her, but she couldn't, because she was terrified that Hope would see the real her, the nobody, the nothing who let Sam Uley steal her away. So instead of holding her Hope, she stood awkwardly as Angela held her daughter. No, their daughter.
"Bella, honey, are you okay?"
She shifted her eyes to Marcus, who was watching her closely, his eyes shifting to her fists before meeting her gaze again.
"Yes," she said, though she wasn't sure she was being honest. "I'm . . . I'm okay."
Marcus tilted his head to the side. "Maybe we should sit."
"Oh, yes, of course," Angela said, her eyes turning to Ben before she gestured toward the couches. "Please, have a seat."
Edward tightened his arm around her, pulling her backward onto the nearest of the two couches while Rosie, Carlisle, and Marcus stayed standing. Ben and Angela had just settled across from them when Tanya and Maggie walked out of the kitchen, a tray filled with coffee cups and a plate with cookies in Maggie's hands. They shared a look before placing the tray on the sofa table.
"Everything okay?" Maggie asked, moving over and sitting next to her. "Can you breathe, honey?"
The breath she managed to take was shaky, and the tears that filled her eyes spilled down her face before she could stop them.
"Bella, talk to us," Marcus said, moving so that he was kneeling in front of her. She shifted her eyes from Hope to him. "Tell me what you're feeling."
She shook her head.
"Bella," he started, but she shook her head again and said, "Not in front of her."
She knew she would have to talk to him, tell him what she was feeling. It was part of her healing, she told herself, but she couldn't do it in front of Hope. She was still innocent, still pure, and she refused take that away from Hope, not like he . . . no, not like Sam Uley had done the moment he made the decision to steal her life away. No, she was better than Sam Uley.
Marcus gave her a stern look, one that reminded her of the ones her father used to give her when she pestered him for candy or toys, but simply nodded and moved so that he was seated on the other side of Edward. Close, but not too close she knew. Biting the inside of her lip, she turned her attention back to Hope and Angela, who held her . . . No, their daughter tightly.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Don't be sorry, Bella," Ben said, sliding his arm around Angela and Hope. "This is hard for all of us."
She nodded, unsure of how to respond, and before she could, Hope slipped off Angela's lap, who reached for her, but pulled her hands backward. She held her breath as Hope waddled toward her, clutching Blue in her arms until she was standing right in front of her. Her little hand came up, laying on her cheek. She shifted her eyes to Angela and Ben before looking back down at the little girl in front of her. Her fingers were tiny, soft, and perfect. She wanted to cover her hand with her own, but she was afraid — both of scaring her sweet, beautiful Hope, and finding out Hope wasn't actually real, that she was just a dream.
"Hi," Hope whispered, smiling.
"Hi," she whimpered. "Hi, sweetheart. Hi."
Hope grinned and pulled her hand back, but shoved Blue toward her. "Teddy."
She felt her lips trembling as she smiled, wrapping her hands around Blue, who was worn, tattered around the edges. "Teddy is . . . Teddy is really cute."
"Teddy," Hope said with a laugh, pulling the bear back into her arms. "Teddy. Teddy. Teddy."
She smiled, wanting nothing more than to touch her face, her hand again. Hope laughed again, and hurried over to Angela, pushing Teddy into her arms before she turned and looked back at her. She watched as Hope hurried over a bookshelf, pulling one of the children's books off and carrying it over to her. She held it out.
"Book," Hope said and she had barely grabbed it before Hope was trying to climb into her lap.
She shifted her eyes back to Angela and Ben before she picked Hope up, setting her in her lap with the book held out in front of them. The room was silent, with the exception of Hope's laughter. She couldn't keep her tears from falling as she opened the book to the first page, and began reading to her sweet, little Hope.
—SfH—
Jasper waited until Bella, Edward, Rosalie, and Carlisle were out of the house before he pulled his phone out of his pocket, sending Garrett a text, asking for an update on the DNA tests that would prove, or not prove, that their Jane Doe was Gianna Romans. He wasn't sure what outcome he was waited for, either. Jane Doe deserved to be someone, not a nobody, but if she were Gianna, Demetri and Heidi Romans would lose their daughter again.
"I thought you were taking a few days off," Alice said, drawing his attention to her. She was sitting on the couch with Esme, snuggling Beth against her chest.
"I am," he said, clearing his throat, but looking down at his phone as Garrett replied with a snarky, 'Rest, relax, rejuvenate.' Jasper rolled his eyes, but didn't press it, knowing it wouldn't do any good. "Sorry," he added, shoving his phone into his pocket. "We should have gone with her."
"No, we shouldn't," Esme argued, shaking her head and standing up. "She's overwhelmed enough as it is, and with the trial starting next week, we need to give her the time and space to deal with everything without feeling like we're smothering her."
Jasper nodded, even though he still wasn't sure she was better off without all of them with her. They were a family, her family. What if she felt abandoned? Lost again? Sighing, Jasper hurried across the living room and out onto the front porch, only stopping when she felt a hand come down on his shoulder. When he looked back, he wasn't surprised to find Emmett standing behind him. Emmett reached back and grabbed the doorknob, pulling the front door closed.
"I'm fine," Jasper said, shaking his hand off his shoulder.
"None of us are fine, Jay," Emmett scoffed, but shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans instead of grabbing his shoulder again. "I wanted to go with them, too. To support Rosalie as much as Bella."
Jasper nodded.
"She said Bella was scared enough as it was, that we had to give her space, but . . ." Emmett shook his head. "I don't know, Jay, feels like I'm losing her."
"Rosalie?" Jasper asked, his eyes widening when Emmett nodded. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Emmett smiled weakly. "Is it? She's . . ."
He paused, and Jasper saw the tears in his eyes, which shocked him. The Emmett he knew wasn't a crier, but then again, Jasper wasn't the kind of man who let a homeless girl invade his family, either.
"I don't know, Jay," Emmett continued. "When Rosalie and I met, I knew immediately that she was the love of my life. Remember what Dad would say about when he met Mom?"
Jasper laughed. "I do."
"He said she was like seeing the sun for the first time, that he just knew she was the love of his life." Emmett smiled. "That's what it was like for me when I saw Rosalie. She was like breath of fresh air. I was . . . I was barely hanging on, you know? Mom and Dad were gone, Edward was . . . Edward was so angry, so fucking angry, and I felt so lost, so alone, Jay. I couldn't help him, but then she was there, and I fell for her immediately."
"She needs you, Em."
"No, I know she does," he insisted. "We'd been together for almost a month when . . . when she told me about her parents, about Bella, and I knew . . . I knew she needed me. But now? I don't know, Jay. I just feel pushed aside. I know that it's selfish, wanting to . . . wanting to be as important to Rosalie as Bella is, but it feels like . . . like she doesn't need me anymore," he whimpered, "when I need her more than anything in the world, Jay."
Jasper turned and placed his hands on his younger brother's shoulders. "Listen to me, Emmett. Right now, Rosalie needs you to stay strong for her, for Bella, for James. She's scared. I see her struggling to help Bella, to be there for her little sister. She's . . . terrified that she's going to close her eyes and Bella will disappear." Jasper paused, dropping his hands from his shoulders. "I think we all are, actually."
"Yeah," Emmett whispered. "Mom would have been there with her. She would have held Bella, declared herself as Hope's granny."
Jasper laughed. "Yeah, she would have."
From inside the house, Jasper heard Alice and Esme laugh, and wondered if there was ever going to be a day when they didn't hold their breath in regards to Bella Swan. She was their family, but would they ever just be able to breathe again?
—SfH—
Garrett tossed his phone on his desk, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands, muffling his scream of frustration.
"Why didn't you tell him?"
Sighing, Garrett tilted his head back, looking at Kate, who sat on the other side of his desk. "Because he needs a break."
"You need a break," she quipped, crossing her legs at the knee. "Still, he deserves to know."
"If I tell him that you're offering Yorke a deal, a deal that will keep him out of prison mind you, he'll stop taking the break he so desperately needs and come in, yelling and screaming, and then I'll probably have to fire him. So, no, I am going to tell him, because I'm going to talk you out of making the stupidest deal know to fucking man with that son-of-a-bitch."
Kate rolled her eyes, folding her arms in front of her. "Not like I have much of a choice, Mitchell."
"Last names, huh?" Garrett smiled. "Oh, so that's how this is going to be, councilor."
Kate ignored him, though, and uncrossed her legs and scooted to the edge of her chair, placing her hands on the table. "Look, I fought against it, I argued that he deserves to spend the next ten years in prison, but the decision was not mine to make." She shook her head. "Biers feels Yorke's testimony would all but guarantee that Quil Ateara, Embry Call, and Paul Lahote are convicted, seeing as all three are pleading not guilty," she all but spat. "How those men could have just sat by and let Sam Uley abuse Leah Clearwater and Emily Young, kidnap Bella Swan is something I will never understand. Something I don't want to understand," she added, softly before shifting her eyes back to him. "I don't like it, but we need Yorke's testimony, we need Ephraim Black's testimony, and Collin Littlesea and Brady Fuller."
"Yeah, I know." Garrett picked up his phone, staring at the text message from Cullen. "Are we doing enough, Kate? Are you going to be able to put these men in prison? Can you stop Sam Uley from ever being able to come after Bella Swan again? Can you?"
"I hope so." Kate stood up, picking up her briefcase. "I've gotta run. I have a meeting with Biers. Should be done by six. You want to come over? I'll pick up Chinese from that place over on tenth."
Garrett stood up, leaned across his desk toward her. "You have any limes?"
Kate laughed. "I do."
"Then I'll bring the tequila."
—SfH—
Angela tried to be brave, but watching Bella read to Vanessa was harder than she expected. Her daughter had always been quiet, shy, yet she took to Bella with such ease that it honestly scared her.
"It's, um, It's getting late," Angela said, softly drawing Bella's attention. She and Vanessa were seated on the floor, Teddy in Bella's lap while Vanessa played with her blocks. "A little past her bedtime. Would . . . would you like to help me put her to bed, Bella?"
She shifted her eyes from her to Vanessa to Edward, who nodded, before she whispered, "Yes, please."
Angela spared Ben a look before she stood up and walked over to Vanessa, scooping her into her arms. Bella scrambled to her feet and followed Angela out of the living room, upstairs into the room next to theirs. Angela had spent almost a month trying to decide what color to paint the walls. Blue? Green? Yellow? Of course, this was before she and Ben learned they would never be able to have children of their own, long before the thought of Vanessa even entered their mind.
"This is her room?" Bella asked, and when Angela looked back, she saw her standing in the doorway, her arms wrapped around herself.
"Yeah," Angela said. "She likes to sleep with Teddy . . . Sleep with Blue."
"Oh." Bella seemed to hesitate before she walked into the room, placing Teddy in the corner of Vanessa's crib. "Can I put her in bed?"
"Of course," Angela said, walking over and shifting the little girl into her arms. Vanessa whimpered, reaching for Angela, who was quick to take her back. "I'm sorry. She's had a long day."
"No, it's . . . it's okay," Bella whispered, wrapping her arms around herself again.
Angela kissed the side of Vanessa's head before she laid her in her crib, covering her with a blanket, and placing Teddy right next to her. She turned and slowly reached out, placing her hand on Bella's shoulder, feeling the girl tense before they turned and walked out of Vanessa's room. Angela left the door cracked open, putting her hand up for Bella to wait to make sure Vanessa didn't start fussing. She didn't, thankfully, but when Angela gestured for Bella to follow her downstairs, she was surprised when Bella grabbed her hand.
"Thank you," Bella whimpered.
"For what?" Angela asked with a frown.
"For letting me . . . for letting me see her," Bella cried, pulling her hand back and once again wrapping her arms around herself. "I tried to stop him from taking her, but he . . . he . . ." Bella closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I'm glad you found her. Hope . . . Vanessa is lucky to have you and Ben as her parents."
And before Angela could reply, Bella pushed past her, hurrying downstairs. She followed, but by the time she joined everyone, Bella was out of the house with Edward, Marcus, Carlisle, and Rosalie chasing after her. She'd thanked her for letting her see her own daughter, thanked her for taking care of her. Thanked her even though her heart broke. Angela saw it the moment the words left her mouth. She was stronger mother at sixteen than most women twice her age.
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