Chapter 18
Bella POV
It's been a month. Sam and I did like we'd said we were gonna do. After a week, we'd called Carlisle but we'd only gotten his voicemail. I'd tried reaching out to Alice and even Emmett but I hadn't had any luck. Sam and I were hoping that they'd reach out soon. Fortunately, since that day in the school parking lot we hadn't had any more run-ins with Edward. I still worried though. I couldn't think about that right now though. Graduation was in two days and I still had a lot to do. I wasn't the only one graduating, Paul and Jared were also graduating so we'd decided to have a combined graduation party. Charlie had been all for it. He knew that other than him, Mom and Phil; everyone else that I was inviting was down here. He said it made more sense to have the party here. My biggest worry on that front was Renee. She still didn't know that I'd moved out of Charlie's house. He'd agreed not to tell her. I was shocked when he told me.
Since I had nothing to do until graduation itself, I was spending today and tomorrow preparing all of the food for the party. Leah and Kim were even helping me. That had been another surprise. When Jared had finally brought Kim around we found out that she loved cooking just as much as I did. And since neither one of us could really go off to college we were gonna be opening up our own café down here on the Rez. Billy had helped us file the necessary paperwork with the council and they'd approved for us to open. They'd given us a building near Joy Atera's store. I couldn't have been more excited. I was hoping that as we got more imprints that they'd join us but I was also hoping that if Leah decided to stop phasing that she would. She'd become my best friend.
Renee and Phil were flying in this evening and Sam and I had agreed to go pick them up. Charlie thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for them to not only meet Sam but for me to tell her that I'd moved out of Charlie's house. That's where Sam and I were now. We were waiting at the airport for them. We were leaning against the side of his truck. "You're worried." He said.
I rolled my eyes. He laughed. "I just don't know how she's going to react. No wait! I do know how she's going to react. She's going to tell me that I'm too young and that she doesn't want me to repeat her mistakes." I said.
"What mistakes?" Sam asked.
I sighed. "She and Charlie got married right out of high school. A year later I came along. By the time I was two they were divorced." I said. "She's made it quite clear that marrying Charlie and having me so young was a mistake."
Sam wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into his side. "You are not a mistake. If she hadn't had you, we wouldn't be where we are now." He said.
He always knew what to say to make me feel better. "Either way, as soon as I tell her that I've moved out of Charlie's she's gonna assume that I'm pregnant." I said.
"Would it be so bad?" He asked. I looked up at him confused. "If you were?"
"No, but I don't exactly want to be pregnant at eighteen. You, the pack, Charlie and Billy are enough for me to take care of right now. Hopefully, one day Jake will imprint and then she can take care of Billy and that'll be one less thing for me to do." I said.
"Don't let Jake hear you say that." He said.
"I won't. Not to mention, Kim and I are trying to get the Café up and going." I said.
"That's fair. I hope you know that I'm not trying to push you into anything. It's just that my wolf gets excited when we talk about pups." Sam said.
I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that we were talking about kids and Sam was referring to them as pups. God! The things I do for my wolves. I was quickly pulled from my thoughts as I saw Renee and Phil making their way out of the airport. I waved to them as they walked out. "Bella! I thought Charlie was coming to get us." Renee said as she approached us.
I quickly hugged her. "Well, Sam and I thought it might be a good idea for us to come get you. We thought that maybe the four of us could grab a bite to eat before we headed back to Forks." I told her.
"That sounds wonderful." Renee said before she turned to Sam. "You must be Sam." She said.
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Sam Uley." He said. It wasn't quite his Alpha timbre but it was firm enough.
"And this is my step-dad Phil." I said introducing him.
Sam offered his hand out to Phil and Phil gladly shook it. "Let's get you guys loaded up." Sam said and he and Phil grabbed the luggage and tossed it into the back of the truck.
The four of us climbed into the truck and then Sam worked on getting us out of the airport. "Bella and I thought that we might go to this Steakhouse that we like to go to when we're up this way." Sam said. "That is, if it's okay with you guys."
"That sounds lovely Sam." Renee said and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
As Sam drove through Seattle, I listened to Renee talk about the different hobbies that she's been trying to get into since I'd come out to Forks. It seemed like the list was endless. Then she starts telling me that she has a bedroom all set up for me if I decide to come to Jacksonville for college. I flinched slightly at the thought of moving to Jacksonville. However, I was never more grateful than I was when Sam pulled into the parking lot of the Steakhouse.
We climbed out of the truck and made our way inside. Thankfully we were quickly seated and we ordered our drinks. Phil had ordered a beer, as did Sam. I knew I had nothing to worry about but for the sake of appearances he asked me if he had one would I drive home and I nodded. "So, what's new Bella?" Renee asked me finally after we'd ordered.
"It's funny you should ask that." I said. I suddenly felt like I was fifteen when I'd asked her to help me get on birth control. "Sam is my boyfriend." I said.
Renee laughed. "I gathered that much honey." She said.
"I moved out of Charlie's house a little over a month ago and moved in with Sam. I've decided not to go to college and instead I am opening a café with a friend of mine." I told her. I felt like I had blurted it out but in reality I hadn't.
I watched Renee for a minute. She sat up straighter while also leaning back in her chair. "How does Charlie feel about this?" She asked me.
"He's very supportive. He loves Sam." I told her.
She nodded. "Are you pregnant?" She asked.
Told ya. "No mom. I'm not pregnant. I have successfully been using birth control since I was fifteen." I told her.
"Bella, I can't say that I'm surprised even though I partially am but I've always told you that you have an old soul. I mean no offense when I say this but when I think back to moving in with Charlie and marrying him, then having you so young, I wished that I'd waited." Renee said.
"I'm not you mom. Sam and I aren't you and Charlie." I said, my voice void of any emotion.
The only thing she did was nod. We didn't say a single word to each other the rest of dinner. The only conversation was between Phil and Sam. They mostly talked about sports.
When we'd finished dinner, I'd asked Sam if he was okay to drive. I knew he would be but I also knew that we were keeping with appearances at least until we dropped them off at Charlie's. He'd told me he was. I was grateful. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Renee. All I wanted to do was go home, ready for this day to be over.
Sam POV
I knew when we'd left the restaurant that Bella was upset. She'd been honest with her mom (well as honest as she could be) and her mom had said some really hurtful things. Once we were back on the road, Bella was quiet the entire drive to Charlie's house.
When we'd pulled into Charlie's driveway, Renee chose then to speak up. "Bella, can't we come stay with you two. I mean, we're only in town for a couple of days…we have to make the most of it." Renee said.
"Don't worry mom, we'll have plenty of time to spend together. Sam and I just don't have the room right now." I told her. And it was partially the truth. Leah had gotten into a fight with Sue so she was crashing in our guest bedroom. I hadn't asked her what it was about, knowing that she'd tell me in her own time.
"Well okay then. I guess we'll see you tomorrow?" Renee asked.
"Yep. I gotta help Sam with his youth group then I can come get you and show you around the Rez, Mom." Bella told her. We'd decided that since Renee and Phil would be spending some time on the Rez that our cover story for the pack would be that I've been mentoring a youth group. We thought it was perfect.
Phil and I grabbed the luggage out of the back of the truck and the four of us made our way into Charlie's house. Charlie quickly hugged both Bella and I before he turned to Renee and Phil. This had to be awkward for him. I'd have to talk him and Billy into going fishing when this was all over. After everyone was situated, Bella and I said our goodbyes and headed home. I knew that I had to get her as far away from Renee as I possibly could.
The next morning Sam and I had gotten up to get ready for the La Push graduation. I was excited. When we arrived at the high school it didn't take long for us to find Jared and Paul. They both looked nervous. "What's wrong?" I asked. They'd told me that they were both nervous. I told them that everything would be okay. That this was a huge accomplishment for them. After the graduation ceremony, everyone headed their separate ways. Sam and I headed back to the house so that I could change clothes and fix lunch. Charlie was bringing Renee and Phil down. We would have lunch and then show them around the reservation. Sam and I had gone back and forth about where or not to introduce them to the pack. We'd finally decided to just go ahead and introduce them.
I had just changed clothes and finished fixing lunch when Leah came downstairs. She sat at the kitchen island and I knew that she was ready to talk. "Okay. Out with it." I said.
She sighed. "Mom and I had a fight." She said. That I knew. "I told her that I'd imprinted. She told me that she was happy for me and wanted to know who it was. I couldn't tell her. She doesn't get that I'm not ready to just give into the imprint. That I don't want my freedom taken away from me." Leah said.
To say I was shocked was…an understatement. I mean sure, when Sam had told me that the imprint had happened and that the Legends that Jake had once told me were true, I'd mentally thought that it was weird that the spirits would choose me for this wolf that was so important, therefore making me equally important but I never once thought that my freedom had been taken away. "Is…is that what you really think? That my freedom was taken away? That when Sam imprinted on me that it created false feelings? You don't think that I really love Sam? All of you?" I asked her, feeling like someone had just tried to rip my heart out.
I guess the realization of my questioning had gotten to her. She looked sad. "I'm sorry Bella. That's not what I meant. I know that you love Sam, just like I know that he loves you. I just meant…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words.
"Because let me tell you something. The imprint doesn't create false feelings nor does take your freedom away. The imprint guides you. It guides you to the one person that the spirits feel is your perfect match. You don't instantly fall in love with the other person. But Leah, something you do need to know about the imprint is this…the longer that your away from your imprint the more pain that you and him will be in. When I went to Italy, the pull was almost unbearable and it was just the same for Sam." I told Leah.
She nodded. "I'm sorry Bella, I never meant to upset you. I think I'll go for a run, clear my head." Leah said and I nodded.
After Sam and I had lunch with Renee, Phil and Charlie. We gave them a tour of the house and showed them around the Reservation. Charlie ended up staying at the house…something about there was a game on that he wanted to see. We showed Renee and Phil the building where the café would be and surprisingly Renee had been nice about it. When we got back to the house, Billy had joined Charlie to watch the game. Phil joined them while I headed to the kitchen to started prepping for dinner that night. Sam and I had decided to invite the pack over and grill out with everyone. I was making potato salad when Leah came in the back door. "Hey." I said.
She looked upset. "I'm sorry." She said. I looked at her confused. "About this morning."
I nodded. "I know. I forgive you. I wasn't trying to be hard on you, I just wanted to seriously think about everything and everyone that is involved." I said choosing my words carefully considering our visitors.
"I know and I will." She said.
"Good. Now go talk to your mom and invite her for dinner." I told her and she nodded, before heading back out the back door. When Leah left Renee walked over to me and hugged me. "What was that for?" I asked.
"Is she one of the ones that Sam is mentoring?" Renee asked me.
"Sort of. Why?"
"It's just…you're really good with her. Charlie said your good with all of them. Almost like a pack mother, he said." She told me. I looked over her shoulder at Charlie and glared at him. He gave me a sheepish smile.
"Yeah I guess so. I mean, they all know that they can come here whenever…for whatever. We feed them, help them…whatever they need." I told her. It was the simplest explanation I could give without telling too much.
"I guess…" She trailed off trying to find the right words. "I was never happy here. I guess I just didn't expect that you would be." Renee said.
I leaned against the kitchen island. I crossed my arms over my chest. "Mom, I'm a care giver. I spent so long being the grown up around you that when I came to live with Dad I didn't know how to just be a teenager. So when Sam and I met and he told me that he was mentoring some teens it just made sense for me to help him." I told her. And it was mostly true.
It was a few minutes later that Sam came in to grab all of the meat to throw on the grill. Leah had come back this time entering through the front door with Sue. Sue had been shocked to see Renee but they'd quickly hugged and made their way out to the front porch to sit on the swing and talk. After I finished all of the sides and got them in there dishes I headed out back. I noticed that all of the guys had joined Sam in the back yard and Paul and Jared were building a bonfire for after dinner.
When the food was finished Sam and I invited everyone inside and made introductions (obviously using our cover story). After everyone fixed their plates, everyone spread out. Renee and Sue (out front); Billy, Charlie and Phil (living room); Sam, Me, Jared and Kim (at the table); and everyone else had gone out back. It was nice having everyone together. After dinner, everyone had gathered in the back yard. Like any bonfire Billy was going to tell some of the legends. He'd talked to me and Sam wanting to know what we thought about Renee and Phil listening to them. We didn't have any objections. Like normal the guys sat on logs while we girls sat on the ground in front of them. As I sat there and listened to Billy tell the legends that I absolutely loved hearing, I looked over at Renee and could see that she was entranced. I felt like everything was perfect.
When Billy had finished telling the legends everyone got ready to go their separate ways. I told Renee, Charlie and Phil that we'd meet them in front of the school gym in the morning. They all agreed, saying that they'd see us then. When I'd closed the front door, I leaned against it and released a breath that I hadn't realized that I'd been holding. When I opened my eyes I saw the entire pack plus Billy and Sue staring at me laughing. "Only one more day." I said, before I made my way upstairs to take a nice relaxing bath.
The next morning Sam and I were up bright and early. We'd told everyone that they were on their own for breakfast this morning. I was so excited. Today was the day. I was finally graduating high school. I'd felt like this day was never going to come. As Sam was driving us to Forks for my graduation, I looked over at him and he was smiling (he didn't do that very often). "What are you smiling at?" I asked him.
"It's finally here. Your graduating. Which means that I don't have to worry about you going to Forks most days. Charlie doesn't even ask you to come to the house anymore knowing that it's better if he comes to us. It's a great day." Sam said.
"I know. I was thinking this morning that now that high is over I can really focus on getting the café up and running. Are you sure you can still do the renovations?" I asked him.
He reached over and grabbed my hand. "Of course. There's nobody else that I would trust to do it. Besides the council is going to reimburse whatever you spend getting set up." He told me.
As he pulled into the school parking lot, I couldn't help but feel blessed about everything that had happened. Granted some bad stuff had happened in the last year and a half, but lots of good things had happened to. Jake and I had reconnected. I'd met Sam and fallen in love with him. I'd found best friends in Angela, Kim and Leah. I couldn't ask for better friends.
After graduation, we'd headed back to the reservation so that I could change and get everything set up for the joint party that we were having. Kim had even talked to her family and they'd be joining us too. We'd set up tables inside the community center (one for each of us), I'd made enough food to feed an army including the four cakes (I'd made one for Kim anyway). I was beyond ready to celebrate with everyone.
When everyone arrived, I explained how I had everything set up. We were doing buffet style. Everyone was to fix their plates in the following order: Elders, Women, Men, then the youth group. After everyone had eaten, I'd seen Old Quil and I'd wanted to officially introduce him to Charlie. I mean after all, technically Charlie was his nephew. Charlie was beyond excited to officially meet Great Aunt Molly's husband. He'd been saddened to learn that his cousin (Quil 4th) had died in a boating accident but when he saw Quil 5th he got excited again. Charlie told me that it was awesome that he and Old Quil were mending the fences that had been caused between Molly and my grandparents. Old Quil often told me that I reminded him of Aunt Molly. I think that's why we got along so well.
That night after everyone had gone home, Sam and I just sat on first beach for a while. We'd come a long way since the day that he'd imprinted on me. Part of had wondered though, if I'd been awake the night that he'd found me in the woods…if he would have imprinted on me that night. "I have to tell you something. I didn't want to say anything earlier because I didn't want to ruin your day." Sam said.
I was sitting between his legs leaning against him. "What is it?" I asked.
"Carlisle called. It seems that the Volturi do not wish to make a deal." Sam told me.
I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. "I figured they probably wouldn't when we hadn't heard from any of them. Did you mention the Edward stuff to him?"
"I did. Their making their way back here, just in case he decides to try something." Sam told me and I nodded.
I couldn't speak right now. I knew that if I did I would start crying.