Chapter 15

Charlie was sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper when he heard Bella pulling her truck up in front of the house. He felt himself relaxing right away, knowing she was safe. After getting her message last night, he texted her back, wanting to know where she was, but she hadn't replied. He had tried to call her a little later, but her phone was already closed off. He couldn't help worrying even though Bella was all grown up now. She would always be his little girl.

"Morning, dad!" Bella said when she came into the kitchen and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Morning, kiddo. Why is your phone switched off?"

"Oh, I forgot my charger at home."

"So, where were you?" Charlie asked and tried his best not to put his interrogation mode on. But he had been worried, and now that he knew she was safe, he was a bit angry. Again, he knew he shouldn't, she was 21, for crying out loud, but he couldn't help himself. He could not just stop worrying over her.

"Um... I stayed with a ... friend at the Rez," Bella answered.

Ok, so it was a guy. "Am I allowed to ask who that friend is?" Charlie asked, glancing at her neck full of evidence from the night before. She's 21; Charlie reminded himself. But he didn't have to like what he saw nonetheless.

"His name is Paul. He's friends with Sam and Jared. I know you know Sam."

"And I might know this Paul too. Is his last name Lahote by any means?" Charlie asked, dreading the answer.

He had a bad feeling about this. Paul Lahote was the last man in the Rez he wanted anywhere near his daughter. He was a troublemaker and a womanizer who often got into drunken fights. He would know; he had arrested him a few times. The boy could pick a fight with anybody, and he was capable of inflicting severe injuries due to his more than ten-year martial arts training. Holly had been wise to give the kid the way to channel his anger, but he could also be lethal. Luckily, he seemed to have some sense and hadn't ever really hurt anyone. But it was a miracle that no one had yet pressed charges against him.

He hated to feel this way. The boy had had his fair share of shitty life, his mother abandoning him when he was 8, and that poor excuse of a father abusing him, and God knows what else.

He remembered him as a small boy when he came with him and Holly on their fishing trips. He was a very clever boy and curious about things, if a bit reserved. But that was no wonder with his background.

Holly had taken him in after she could not stand anymore seeing him hanging around the Rez grocery store dirty and hungry and clearly abused by his father. Paul's father had died quite soon after that, shot to death, and his mother had never shown up.

After Holly – his chest tightened remembering his good friend – had been murdered, Paul lost his shit and started to get into fights, more than usual, more brutal fights. And there was the one time he found Paul in a very compromising situation with a woman in public. So, no, he didn't want Paul Lahote anywhere near his daughter. No matter the reasons for his behavior, he was no good for his Bells. It was a good thing Bella was leaving for the college in less than three months.

"Yeah, he is Paul Lahote."

"Is there something going on with you and that Lahote boy?"

"Maybe," Balla smiled.

Shit. Charlie knew it was no use trying to convince her that he was no good for her, so he tried to be as carefree as possible.

"You'll look after yourself, won't you. That boy can be a bit of trouble, if you know what I mean." He grimaced; he just could not say something.

"Yeah, dad. I know what I'm doing."

Don't you always.

He sighed.

"I have to leave for work now. You have a great day at Armchairs, and we'll have dinner later. I can bring something from the diner from the Sue's on my way home."

"That sounds great. And don't forget we have that appointment with the specialist tomorrow. We must leave early for Seattle. Did you book the hotel?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, I remember. And yes, I did. We're staying at the College Inn. See you later, kiddo."

He left the house and was just opening the door to his car when he heard Bella coming after him.

"Hey, dad," she gave him a small paper bag with something in it, "I don't think that a man who can make something this delicious can be all bad." She gave him a peck on his cheek and went back inside.

Charlie sat behind the driving wheel and peeked into the bag. There was a small muffin that smelled delicious. Charlie decided not to be impressed.

He grimaced when he lifted his leg into the car. He had had a bit more pain in his leg than usual, and his hip was making funny noises, so the appointment with Dr. Cullen wasn't coming too soon. He hadn't said anything to Bella. She didn't need to worry about him.

They would go and see Bella's apartment too. They have been lucky to snatch a good-priced student apartment for her that she, as Bella had informed him, would be sharing with a girl who was a friend of a friend. It was still a stretch for them, and Charlie wasn't happy about Bella thinking about using the money she inherited from his great aunt Molly to pay for her accommodation. But she had been adamant about it. And Charlie knew there was nothing he could do about it. He only hoped he could pay it for her. Her scholarship paid the fees and tuition, which was godsent.

He had been a bit sad that his girl would stay with him only a few months, but with that Lahote boy lurking around, she would not be leaving too soon, baking muffins or not; he wasn't the man for Bella.

He sighed. Being a parent was full of contradictions.

Bella was humming happily at Armchair Books. She had helped Peter unload delivery from HarperCollins, and now she was shelving the books. She loved the smell of new books blended with the aroma of fresh coffee. Bella knew she would love every second she would spend here before moving to Seattle. Maybe she could find something similar in Seattle to take a part-time job. If not in a bookshop, in a café. She should actually learn how to make coffees while she was here. Peter would be happy to teach her. She had been in one barista course in Honolulu to learn the basics, but she needed to practice, and maybe Peter would be ok her practicing here.

The bell on the door informed that a customer had come in. She saw a family with two small kids. The kids saw the kid's corner with books, toys, and crayons and dashed there, leaving their parents to look around. The smaller one could hardly keep up with his big sister. He was adorably wobbling and screaming in excitement.

Then she recognized the parents. Holy shit, they were Angela and Ben. Not that it really should surprise her, Angela had been heavily pregnant when they had graduated, and she and Ben were planning to get married soon after. But seeing a young woman her age with two small kids shocked her a bit. Didn't quite understand why.

"Hey, Angela and Ben," Bella walked to them.

"Oh my God, Bella!" Angela squeaked and rushed to hug her. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years. Are you visiting your dad? How are you? You look gorgeous! So tanned." She shot questions after questions.

Bella couldn't help but laugh. She was happy to see Angela too.

"I'm back from Honolulu. Will be in Forks until mid-September, and then I move to Seattle to study at the UW," she told her friend.

"Why?" Angela asked, stunned. "I mean, why would you move from Honolulu to Seattle to study at the UW?"

"Yeah, Bella, it is pretty hard to understand," Ben emphasized Angela's astonishment. "Hey, come on, we are talking about Hawaii."

A loud sound made by a Lego box crashing down from the shelf and a kid starting to cry startled the shit out of Bella, and Angela jerked towards the kids' corner, but Ben stopped her.

"I'll go," Ben said to Angela and kissed her on her cheek. Ben scoped the crying kid into his arms, and she stopped crying.

"Is she ok," Bella asked worryingly.

"Yeah, she's fine. The noise scared her," Ben answered.

"Oh, good. They are cute, I know your first kid's name is Nora, but I'm afraid I don't remember the name of your little one, sorry," Bella said, feeling a bit ashamed.

They hadn't kept much contact in the last two years, and she had forgotten what name Angela and Ben had given to their second child.

"That's fine. He is Jonah," Angela said and patted her arm. "So why did you move back to Forks?"

"My dad needed me, and I got a great scholarship to the College of Environment. I'm studying to become a marine biologist."

"Wow, what happened to you becoming an English teacher?" Angela asked.

"Hawaii happened," Bella smiled. "The marine life is so amazing there, and I met a lady who got me a job in Sea Life Park where they taught kids about the ecology of oceans and the threats they are facing due the pollution and global warming. And I realized that it was something I wanted to do, to help save the oceans."

"That is so cool. Well, you were always the smartest one of us. I guess you are happy you did all that extra science stuff in high school, huh?" Angela said, stretching her arms as Ben brought Jonah to her. The little one was fussing and needed his mother's attention.

"Well, it really did pay off. It would have been much harder to get into biology otherwise. But I did work my ass off in college in Hawaii to get the scholarship."

"I'm sure you did," Angela complied.

"Do you mind if I feed him here?" Angela looked around and didn't see anybody else in the shop.

"Um… no, go ahead."

Angela laid Jonah on her other arm and lifted her shirt from the middle. The kid was snapping his mouth and wailing. He looked like a baby bird. As soon as Angela lifted the baby to her breast, Jonah latched it and started to suck.

"Sorry that I'm staring, but it is so beautiful," Bella said to her friend.

"I don't mind a bit. Breastfeeding has been one of the best parts of being a mother," Angela sighed and brushed her son's cheek, happily gulping down the milk, his eyes closed and little hand grabbing tightly in Angela's hair. "I decided to breastfeed him longer than I did Nora. He's a year and two months old."

"So, what are you doing here?" Angle asked.

Bella tore her eyes off the feeding child and looked around.

"I work here a few hours a week. Today is actually my first day. And I probably should get back to work. But I would love to catch up with you again soon and hear everything about you and Ben and your kids."

"That sounds great. We live here in Forks, so it will be easy to arrange. And I want to hear all about Hawaii and if there is anybody special in your life." Angela winked, and Bella blushed a bit.

"Awww, there is someone."

"There might be," Bella giggled.

"What the fuck, man? Are you smiling?" Paul heard someone saying to him. He opened his eyes and saw Matt sitting down next to him. They were on their lunch break, and Paul had been thinking about Bella and him laughing their asses off after that fucking mutt had eaten their food.

Paul didn't reply but took another bite of his sandwich. He didn't want to talk about Bella with anybody, not yet, not even with his friends, and Matt was just a bloke he worked with.

Everybody knew that Paul was a silent man who didn't joke around much and kept his business to himself. Seeing him smile was an odd sight. He knew that. But fuck like he cared.

"So, do you think this shit will be finished by the end of the year?" Paul asked Matt changing the subject.

"Let's fucking hope so. I'm ready to move on."

They were building a new hospital, and at the site meeting yesterday, the boss told them that the work should be finished by the end of the year.

It suited Paul too. The next site would be closer to La Push, so it would be easier to get his chef certificate done and work. Thomas, his boss, was ok him working part-time since he believed in education, and he also knew about Paul's cooking skills. Paul had been a chef at his daughter's 21st party and had made an impact on all the guests. In more ways than one. As always.

He tried not to remember Thomas's daughter, who had tried to ambush him at the party to have him fuck her. It had been embarrassing, really. Like he would fuck his boss's daughter, he wasn't suicidal. He had told her that, and luckily she had let it go when he had promised they might hook-up some another time. Of course, he had been lying his head off, but she didn't know that. And it seemed she found someone else to fuck, because she left him alone after a few texts.

He was used to that, women lining up, making innuendos, and downright grabbing his dick while he worked with his food. Touches, squeezes, whispers, lipstick on his cheek. It had been fun as long as the horny bitches had been decent-looking and under 35. They always weren't. Pretty much after every gig, he had had one or two, sometimes three, phone numbers in his back pockets. Slip of paper with hearts and lipstick kisses. Sometimes he had felt like the manwhore he was, but he hadn't thought too much of it at that time. He had gotten laid a lot.

Now, all that shit felt repulsive. Something Paul hoped to forget. After an incredible night and morning with Bella, Paul was sure that he wouldn't even be able to get his dick up for anybody else. That woman was everything he had fantasized about and so much more. She was so natural in bed. Didn't shy away and was eager to please and to be pleased. Fuck she was hot.

The image of her licking his dick before climbing on his lap to fuck him was playing nonstop in his head. The way she felt in his arms, around his dick, that tight pussy sucking the life out of him and giving it back again, her fucking perfect tits just right size for his hands and those hot as hell tattoos on her body, Jesus, she drove him mad.

His whole body ignited into a fire when he thought about Bella. Her lips sucking his tongue, her lips on his neck, how she scraped her fingernails on his scalp, her sucking his earring. Jesus, that was the hottest thing ever. He had to suppress a moan, and shit, he was so hard it hurt. Not an ideal situation to find yourself surrounded by workmates.

"What's up, man?" Jared asked, looking curiously at his friend.

Fuck did I make a noise?

"Must be something I ate," he rubbed his abdomen and tried to look uneasy. Well, he did but for different reasons.

"Damn, hopefully, you haven't caught anything nasty."

Paul shrugged and took another gulp of his coke.

Of course, his friends had seen Bella's truck in front of his house when they had picked him up yesterday morning. He had agreed that yes, he had fucked Bella, and yes, she had stayed the night, and yes, he was hoping to fuck her again but wasn't willing to share anything else. But this was more than enough for his friends. He would never live it down. But fuck like he cared. They haven't seen him with a basket; at least he had that.

"So, who's pussy whipped now?" Jared sneered. The fucker didn't want to waste any time paying back Paul's past remarks. What fucking ever.

Paul tried hard not to think about that specific pussy with no luck. He wouldn't see her today or tomorrow. Bella had told him yesterday that she would be in Seattle for the next two days. Checking her new flat and doing some college shit and visiting some sort of a specialist with her dad.

Shit, that fucking fact had been rubbed into his face without any delay: she would be moving away in less than three months. Seattle was shitloads better than Honolulu, but it was still fucking four hours' drive away, and him working and studying, her studying and working, they wouldn't have time to see each other like fuck at all. What would happen to them? And was there "them" in the first place? It was definitely too soon to talk about "them", but no fucking way was he letting her go before they had become a "them".

And again, he pictured those horny college pricks sniffing around her and now having firsthand experience how fucking exquisite she really was, how delicious she tasted. He knew she would end up with some fucking soon-to-be-scientist fucker or lawyer prick sooner or later unless he could make her his. But how? Nothing more than asking her for another date wasn't on the menu for some time. Damn!

And he fucking missed her already, and it's been one fucking day since he saw her last. Goddamn.

Bella was excited. They had visited her soon to be home and met Alicia's friend's friend Megan, with whom she would be sharing the flat. She seemed a nice sort of girl with a lovely Kiwi accent. She reminded her of Alicia; of course, she did. Bella was confident they would get along well.

In the apartment, everything was new. They would be the first ones living there. Bedrooms were good sized with their bathrooms, the living room was cozy, and the kitchen seemed to have everything you needed to keep you fed; at least there was a working microwave. Bella snorted like she would be cooking any more than necessary. She hadn't asked Megan if she cooked, but she would find out soon enough.

The amenities in their apartment building were terrific, too: a gym, a games room, an excellent lounging area, and an outdoor courtyard with lovely spots to hang out. There was a grilling station and fire pits. Simply put, perfect. And direct access to an excellent exercise route that ran along Lake Washington. She could already picture herself going there for her morning runs. Which reminded her she had to buy new running shoes.

And everything you needed was within walking distance, just a few minutes away; Uni in 5, University Village in 2, and many restaurants and cafes just around the corner. She had already visited a little bookshop with a café no less and left her CV if there was a job opening. The owner was a lovely lady who was running the place on her own with the help of her brother. She had told Bella she liked her and might consider hiring her. Everything was going smoothly, a bit too smoothly if you asked her. But maybe she could really believe all was going to be ok. She was excited about living on her own for the first time.

An appointment with Dr. Cullen had gone well, or that is what her dad told her. She was a bit upset with her dad for not telling her he was having more pain than usual, but it seemed that Dr. Cullen could help him and had an idea of what was causing the progressive pain in his leg and hip.

They had met Dr. Cullen's son Edward, who was visiting his father at the medical center. As it happened, Edward was studying at UW to become a lawyer, and he lived very close to where Bella was moving. Not in the same apartment building but in the one next to it. They had exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet in September, maybe to have a coffee or something. Her dad seemed to be very excited about her getting to know Edward better. What gives.

Well, she had an idea: Paul. They had texted back and forth today. He had asked her about Seattle and her new place. She had snapped a few photos and sent them to him. He was happy to hear that she was happy and couldn't wait to move. He had asked her for another date, and she didn't have to think twice. Paul had asked her if she wanted to go for dinner and see a movie in Port Angeles or have him make her dinner and watch a movie at his place. Bella didn't have to think about that either.