5
Bella's eyes snapped open, shifting around the dark room. She could feel the tears filling her eyes as she tried to move, tried to scream, tried to pull herself out of her nightmare, but felt like someone was holding her down, like the full weight of their body was on top of her. She could feel the panic rising inside her, creeping from the tips of her toes, through her legs, her torso, into her arms and hands. Her chest was heaving when she heard the front door open and close. She tried to scream for help, but her lips wouldn't part, the sound muffled by her clenched jaw.
"Bee, wake up, sleepyhead," Rosalie called out from the living room.
Bella cried out, her mouth still clamped tight. Tears seeped down the sides of her face as she struggled to get her arms and legs to move, to fight the invisible hands holding her down, pinning her against her bed.
"Bee, come on. I know you don't want to hire Edward Cullen, but we don't have any other choice!" Rosalie yelled just moments before the door to her bedroom was thrown open.
Bella whimpered, barely able to see Rosalie from the bottoms of her peripheral vision. Her entire body was shaking, her hands curled up in fists so tight she could feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands.
"Oh, my God, Bee!" Rosalie exclaimed, rushing over to the bed, reaching for her, but pulling back when Bella's muffled screams echoed throughout the dark bedroom. She reached over onto the nightstand, picking up Bella's cell phone. She waited for the face I.D. to fail before she entered her pin and immediately made the call. "She's having an episode . . . Okay . . . okay, hang on." Rosalie frowned as she shifted on the bed so she was kneeling next to Bella, putting the phone next to her ear. "Go ahead."
"Hey, Bee, I need you to calm down, honey," he cooed.
She cried harder, screaming against her lips.
"Close your eyes, Bee."
She did as he said.
"I want you to picture yourself somewhere safe. Can you do that? Can you picture somewhere safe, Bee?"
She could feel her tears continue to fall as she pictured herself on an empty stage, just her and her guitar. She sat on a stool, her fingers strumming the chords, playing a song she could remember from a dream. A song she could almost remember being sung to her, yet she didn't know who was signing to her.
"Deep breaths, honey," he whispered, and somehow she managed to pry her lips apart and took a ragged breath. "There you go. Just keep breathing, and relax your muscles. It's not real, Bee. Nobody is touching you. Just keep telling yourself that. Can you say it, honey?"
"No . . . no . . . nobody is . . . nobody is touching . . . touching me," she sobbed, unable to control her emotions.
The doorbell rang and Rosalie sighed, looking down at her before she left the phone propped against her ear and hurried out of her bedroom. Though her arms were still tense, sore even, Bella managed to reach up and pick up the phone, rolling onto her side and pulling her knees up to her chest, curling her body into the fetal position.
"Why does this keep happening to me?" she cried, wrapping her free arm around her chest.
"I don't know," he whispered. "I should have stayed on the phone with you all night. I knew you were in a bad place. I could hear it in your tone."
"Yeah," she whimpered, sniffing back her tears.
"Feel better?"
"No," she admitted, shivering and swallowing against the lump in her throat. "Am I going crazy?"
"Of course not," he quickly replied. Too quickly. "I'm coming. I'm booking my flight right now."
"You don't need to come," she argued, pushing herself up, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest.
"You need me!"
She sighed. "I do."
"But you don't want me there."
"You can't hold me together forever."
"Sure I can," he whispered. "I'm worried about you, Bee. You and Ro . . . you're all alone." He sighed. "Just let me come for a few days. I need to see for myself that you're okay."
Bella shook her head, but heard herself saying, "Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I . . . I miss you, so I guess if you're going to be a stubborn pain in the ass about coming, I'll let you."
He laughed. "Yeah, because I'm the stubborn pain in the ass between us."
Bella smiled. "I should go. The new bodyguard is here, so . . ."
"I'll call when I have my flight set up." He paused. "I love you, Bee."
"I love you, too. And thanks for, you know, helping pull me out of my head."
"You're welcome, I guess. I'll call you back in a few minutes."
"All right."
Bella ended the call and took a deep, calming breath before she stood up and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She walked out of her bedroom and down the hallway, stopping in the entry way. Edward was standing next to a man with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. There was something familiar about him, though she couldn't put her finger on it. Like she had seen him in a dream, or a nightmare.
"Good morning," Bella said. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's all right," Edward said, clearing his throat before he gestured the man next to him. "This is my father and partner, Carlisle Cullen."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen," she said, trying to put a real smile on her face, though it felt fake and awkward. "I'm Isabella, but please, call me Bella, when we aren't in public at least," she added.
"Of course," Carlisle said, nodding. "I'm Carlisle, not Mr. Cullen. Do you mind if I take a look around? Just get a feel for what we might need to do to keep you safe?"
Bella nodded, her eyes shifting from him to Edward and back. "Make yourself at home."
"Thank you." Carlisle gestured toward Rosalie. "Would you mind giving me the lay down while Edward gets settled?"
Rosalie glanced at Bella before she nodded. Edward watched his father walk away with Rosalie before turning back to Bella, who hadn't been able to pull her eyes away from him.
"Your room is down here," she said, gesturing to the hallway behind her. "First door on the left. My room is on the right. Your bathroom is next to your room. I have my own bathroom."
"Thank you."
Bella nodded, her fingers coming up to the silver locket that hung around her neck. Edward toward her, and she found herself pressing her body against the wall, needing to keep the small amount of space between them. Edward placed his bag on the bed.
"You were at my show last night," she said, drawing his attention back to her.
"I was," he said with a nod.
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"I don't know." She released the locket. "I'm sorry your room isn't . . . nicer. Ro's the only person who stays here, and she doesn't stay very often."
"It's fine. It's got a bed. That's all I really need."
She nodded and looked back down the hallway, expecting Rosalie and Carlisle to be back soon. Her house wasn't that big. She was startled when her phone rang, and throwing Edward a look.
She dug it out of her pocket, pressed the talk button, and said, "Hey," before she hurried across the hall to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Did you get your flight set up?"
"I did," he said. "I'm packing right now. Have to drive down to Helena, and fly out from there. If my flight isn't delayed, I should be there by midnight."
She nodded and slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"You shouldn't have to rush to my side every time I freak out," she whispered.
"I don't have to, Bee, I chose to. You and me, Bee, remember? It's always going to be you and me."
"You and me," she whimpered. "Tell me about your day."
He sighed. "Well, haven't done much today, but I can tell you what I did yesterday. I didn't get to finish."
"Okay."
"After I left the cemetery, I came back home, put my groceries up. Don't yell at me, but I had a bowl of ice cream."
She laughed. "Of course you did. Bet you were up all night with an upset stomach, too."
"I was," he admitted. "But it was worth it."
"What kind was it?"
"Mint chocolate chip."
"You could at least have picked a good ice cream," she snickered.
"It's my favorite!" he chuckled. "Anyway, after I enjoyed my delicious bowl of ice cream, I worked on my truck for a bit, and then settled in for a really, really good concert by America's Sweetheart."
"Ugh, don't call me that!" she groaned.
"Sorry," he scoffed before he paused and said, "I'd better hit the road, Bee. I'll text you when I get to Helena, okay?"
"Okay."
"If you need to talk, just call. Promise?"
She smiled. "I promise. Be safe, all right?"
"I will. Love you, Bee."
"Love you, too."
Bella once again ended the call before she stood up and walked into her bathroom, splashing some cold water on her face. She used a hand towel to dry her hands and face before she shoved her phone into her pocket and headed back out to Edward, Rosalie, and Carlisle, finding them in the backyard, where they were standing in awkward silence.
"Sorry about that," Bella said, drawing their attention to her.
"It's okay," Carlisle said, smiling as he glanced at Edward. "You have nice house."
"Thanks," she murmured, wrapping her arms around her torso. "So, I should probably tell you my father will be arriving tonight."
Rosalie's eyes widened. "He's coming?"
Bella nodded.
"Why?" Edward asked.
"Why?" she echoed. "Because he's my father, and he's knows . . . he knows I'm scared and, well, I haven't seen him in a while, so . . . What difference does it make? He's my father. He's welcome here anytime he wants to be here."
"Of course," Edward said, clearing his throat. "But we need tighten your security, so we need to make sure everyone who comes . . . comes into contact with you is not dangerous. You have do have a stalker, Ms. Swan."
"No shit, Mr. Cullen," she spat. "Isn't that why you're here? To protect me from said stalker? My father is not my stalker, so you can mark him off your fucking list."
Glaring at him, and ignoring the ghastly look on Rosalie's face, Bella turned and walked back into the house, heading straight for the kitchen. She started pulling out some blueberries, kale, unsweetened coconut milk, and Greek yogurt out of the fridge, placing them on the counter before she reached for a banana and a the bag of chia seeds. When she turned back to the small island in the middle of the kitchen, she paused when she saw Edward leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded in front of him.
"Come to remind me of how much danger I'm in?" she asked, placing the items on the counter and pulling out her blender.
"No," he said, quietly. "I'm sorry. I know I can be a dick sometimes."
"Yes, you can." She pulled off the lid and began adding her ingredients into the blender. She added some water before she plopped the lid back on and looked up at him. "I haven't seen my father in almost three years."
"Why not?"
She shrugged her shoulders before she started blending the smoothie. What was she supposed to tell him? That she felt guilty every time he had to talk her off the ledge? Because she did. Or that he spent night after night after night on the phone with her, detailing every minute of his day over and over and over because if she slept, she would wake up in a hell that she didn't understand.
No, she couldn't tell him that, so instead, she kept her eyes locked on his as her blender whirled her ingredients until it was a deep pink. She pressed the stop button and turned and opened the door to the cabinet, pulling out two glasses. She filled both of them to the brim before she walked over and shoved one of them against his chest.
"You want to move in? Fine. You want to strengthen my security? Please do, because to be honest, the label has me surrounded by incompetent morons, but you don't get to question my relationship with my father."
Edward reached up, wrapping his fingers around the glass pressed against his chest, watching her tense as his fingers brushed against hers.
She yanked her hand back, taking an extra step backward. "Can you keep me safe, Mr. Cullen?"
"I can," he said.
"I hope so," she whispered before she walked past him, stopping when she heard him say, "And it's Edward."
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking back at him.
He smiled, a real genuine smile that sent shivers down her spine. "My name is Edward."
"Good to know," she said, grinning in return.
But left him standing there as she walked back through the living room and into the backyard, where she found Rosalie standing with Carlisle with a notepad in her hands as she took note of everything he was saying.
"We need to add more cameras on the north and west sides of the house. I know you just changed the locks, but I'd like to change them again. We will do the work ourselves, to make sure they are secure," he added, glancing over at her. "I know you told Edward that nobody other than you and Rosalie have access to the house, but can you think of anyone else that has been inside?"
"No, like I said, I'm extremely private," she said, feeling herself tense when as Edward walked past her, his arm brushed against hers, causing her to drop the glass in her hands. It crashed at her feet, breaking. "Oh, shit."
"Don't move, Bee," Rosalie said, putting her hands up as she walked over to her, but didn't actually touch her. "You don't have shoes on, okay? You might step on a piece," she added. "I'm going to go into the kitchen and grab the broom and dustpan. Don't move, Bee."
"Okay," she whispered, trying to calm her heart. "Hurry."
Rosalie was in the house and back with the broom and dustpan quickly, and she managed to get the mess cleaned up so Bella could move. She could feel tears of humiliation flood her eyes as she walked over and sat in one of the red metal chairs, leaning forward to try to calm down.
"Hey, look at me, Bee," Rosalie said, and when she tilted her head back, she found herself looking past her best friend right at Edward, who was watching her with an intensity that scared her, yet calmed her at the same time. "Look at me, Bee."
"I'm okay, Ro," Bella whispered, tearing her eyes away from Edward and looking down at Rosalie. "I'm sorry. You know how clumsy I am."
"Bee." Rosalie shook her head before she turned and looked at Edward and Carlisle. "I should have mentioned this before, but Bella doesn't like to be touched. We don't know why, she just . . . she's always had a phobia about being touched. Even a minute brush against her arm can be traumatic for her. So make sure you don't touch her, okay?"
"Of course," Carlisle said, his eyes shifting to Edward before looking back at them. "How long have you lived here, Bella?"
"Um, I moved in a little more than three years ago," she said, quietly.
"And when you moved in, did you have the locks changed?" Edward asked. "Whoever owned the house before you could still have a key."
"My father insisted on having the locks changed. Only the three of us have keys. I don't have a maid, or a gardener, before you ask."
Carlisle grinned. "What about deliveries? Do you have takeout or groceries brought here?"
Bella shook her head. "I do online ordering and pick it up myself. My address is a P.O. Box, too, before you ask. Like I said, I'm extremely private."
"Of course," he said, folding his arms in front of him. "How about at the label? Would anyone there have had access to your home?"
"No," she murmured, wrapping her arms around her torso. "I don't see how, anyway. Everyone there knows to go through Ro if they need to communicate with me. It's in my contract."
"Okay." Carlisle reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. "We need the video from the break in, so we can analyze it, see if we get anything you, or the police, might have missed."
"Of course," Rosalie said, standing up and looking down at her watch. "I can burn it for you this afternoon, but unfortunately, we have an engagement to get to."
Bella groaned as she stood up.
"What engagement?" Edward asked.
"We have a planned sighting of Bella in a small music store to help prompt her new single that drops next week, and if we don't hustle, we're going to be late."
"Is that really important right now?" Edward scoffed, but before he could say anything, Carlisle placed his hand on his shoulder, and Bella watched as he tensed and stepped away from his father, his eyes dropping from hers. "You know what? Okay. Just . . . okay."
"Bee," Rosalie said, drawing her attention away from Edward. "Go get ready. Keep it casual, though."
Bella nodded and glanced back at Edward before she turned and hurried into the house straight to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, taking a deep breath. Had Edward just reacted the same way as her when touched? If so, why?
Thank you for all the AMAZING reviews!