Chapter 34

Bella was waiting for her father. Charlie was seeing Dr. Cullen, and he would stay with her for two days. They would do some Christmas shopping, and Bella was going to show him her campus and take him to the aquarium. There was an exhibition about tide pools that she had made with her course mates as part of her ecology and ecosystems course.

Bella was at Book Attic, and Charlie would come to meet Paula. Bella had told him how great Paula was, and she wanted them to meet. Who knows; they were about the same age, both single; anything might happen … right?

It was the first week of December, and she had one and a half weeks before Christmas break. She would go home to Forks and La Push. She missed home, although she loved her life in Seattle. Marine biology had proven to be even more interesting than she had thought. She loved her apartment and the area she lived in, Megan was an awesome roommate and had lovely friends in her courses; this work was still her dream come true.

She had loved Armchair books in Forks, but Paula's Book Attic had extra charm in an old building. She had once visited Paula's apartment above the bookshop, and it was the most beautiful home she had ever seen anywhere, with big windows, tall ceilings, and wooden floors.

The only downside, a very big one, was that she constantly missed Paul. She missed spending time with him without any other people around. And she missed Paul's kitchen. It was such a homey and comfortable place with very warm and some very hot memories.

Nine more days before she would see him again.

Her heart swelled when she thought about spending Christmas with Paul. She had always loved Christmas, but it would be special this year. She wondered how Paul felt about Christmas. They hadn't talked about it. Mommy Holly had probably made sure they had lovely holidays, but what about after she had died. Bella's heart broke to think about Paul being home alone or in a bar somewhere getting company for the night. Or maybe he had spent it with his friends. She really didn't know. But this year would be different.

She had got most of the gifts already, so Charlie and she didn't have much shopping to do.

For Paul, Bella had ordered from Hawaii a black leather multilayer bracelet with their nametags and small wolf and turtle figures, all made from silver. There was this lady who made custom-made jewelry, and she had bought many gifts from her during her years in Hawaii. A bit sappy present but not overly so, and she knew Paul would love it. He sometimes wore leather bands around his wrist, which matched so well with his black ear hooks and t-shirts he often liked to wear.

Thinking about Paul made her cheeks flush. She was still totally blown away every time she saw him. Would she ever be less affected by his looks? Probably not, hopefully not.

For Charlie, Billy, and Harry, Bella had asked her friend Anna from Finland to send her three matching pairs of those fantastic woolen socks. They had arrived by post two weeks ago. To thank Anna, she had sent Anna her favorite chocolate, which she loved in Honolulu, and a t-shirt with the Seattle logo and Seattle city guide, hinting to her that she might like to come for a visit. She had also sent the same Seattle guide for her mum and Phil with some Seattle-made delicacy chocolates. Her mum still held a grudge against her, but she just couldn't care. She would come around sooner or later. And it's not like her mum hadn't acted like a spoiled brat.

For Jake, Quil, and Embry, Bella bought t-shirts from Honolulu before leaving Hawaii.

So, she actually didn't have much left. They were spending Christmas Eve with Clearwaters and Blacks, so she needed presents for Sue, Seth, and Leah.

Ailani and Sarah would get their gifts when they visited her on spring break. They never bought any stuff for each other but did something fun together instead.

Thinking about Ailani and Sarah made her think about Bane. She hadn't heard from him since he came to see her. He hadn't wanted to talk to her and hadn't answered any of her messages. She tried for a while but decided to stop trying. It was his choice if he didn't want anything to do with her. His mother had told her that he was getting better. He had been down for a few weeks after coming back home. She hadn't talked with Edena for a month now. She hoped that Bane would find someone that would make him happy. She was past feeling guilty anymore.

Bella was startled from her thoughts by her father. "Bella!"

"Dad!" Bella rushed to her dad and hugged him tightly. "How was your appointment with Dr. Cullen?"

"It was good. He told me that my hip is getting better now that I do regular exercise. I have to thank Kai for the program he made me. He's the only one who had managed to get me interested in doing any exercise after the accident."

"That's great, dad! Kai is amazing at healing people. I haven't had any nightmares after he finished with me," Bella said.

"Hey, Paula, come to meet my dad!" Bella shouted to Paula at the back of the shop, getting paper for the printer.

Paula came to meet Charlie.

"Hello Charlie, I'm Paula," Paula said and stretched out her hand to greet Charlie.

"Hello Paula, I'm Charlie Bella's dad. It's nice to meet you," Charlie said and shook Paula's hand awkwardly. Charlie wasn't a lot around women and was a bit lost.

Then Bella saw something she thought she would never see: Charlie blushed. Bella couldn't believe her eyes; her father BLUSHED.

She giggled. Charlie glanced at her with a warning look.

"So, Charlie, Bella told me that you are a former police chief of Forks and now working as some kind of crime analyst with force," Paula said.

"Yes, that's about sums it up. Got my leg and hip injured and had to leave the chief position, but this new job is more interesting than I first thought it would be," Charlie told Paula, and it was the most words Bella had ever heard Charlie talk about his job to anyone.

This could turn out to be something quite interesting, very interesting indeed, Bella mused.

Bella worked around the bookshop, sold a few books, made a few coffees, and all that time, her dad and Paula talked. It was an amazing thing to see. She took a snapshot of them and sent it to Paul.

Aww, it's about time your dad finds a woman. with a wink emoji.

That would be the best thing EVER!

Paula was one of the most interesting people she had ever met. She was not only brilliant and funny, but she had this aura that made people feel happy and content when spending time with her. And she was beautiful with her short curly brown hair and green eyes. She wore red-rimmed glasses that gave her a very personal look. Bella simply loved Paula.

It was very easy to understand why her father was smitten by her; because he most definitely was just that: smitten.

And to prove the point, Charlie and Paula went for dinner on his second night in Seattle.

"So, dad, you and Paula, huh?" Bella grinned at her dad as she put a coffee mug under his nose and leaned on the kitchen island to look at him, her eyes full of delight. They were having breakfast at Bella's. Charlie would leave back to Forks after he'd eaten.

Charlie went all red.

"Well … um … yes, we went for a dinner, and she is a mighty fine lady," Charlie said.

"Aww, dad. Are you going to see her again?"

Charlie took a sip of his coffee, and his mustaches were twisting.

"I might," he finally said.

"That is so awesome, dad. Paula is one of the greatest people I know."

Bella contained her excitement, knowing it would make her father uncomfortable, but inside she was screaming in joy and fisting the air. She didn't know if Charlie had had any relationship after Reneé had left him. At least she had never seen him with any woman, and no one had ever told her anything about Charlie having a woman in his life. And when she had asked him, the answer was always the same: No.

So, this was HUGE. It would get interesting if they got together; where would her dad and Paula live. Would Charlie move to Seattle? Wow, hold your horses, she laughed at herself.

Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Paul.

Morning my beautiful. Did your dad come home last night? With a wink emoji

Bella was thrilled that Paul and his dad had become quite close while she had been in Seattle. Paul had told her about the dinners and talks, and Charlie had told her that he liked Paul. "He's a good kid. Went wrong for a while but is on the right track again," he said about Paul.

Poor Paul, Bella sighed. The last three weeks have been hard for him. He had many presentations and tests at school. And at work, he worked his ass off due to the tight schedule. It would ease up just before Christmas, and he was able to get a few days off. Because of all of this, they were living through their longest separation so far; four weeks. It was driving them both mad.

But the good news was that Paul would get his certificate even earlier than they had thought. Almost a year earlier. He would have it by this time next year. Nine months in school and three months working at the restaurant in Port Angeles. Then he would be free to work wherever he wanted.

All the teachers have been very impressed by his skills, and he was able to pass many courses just by presenting and giving some written work. One of the most talented and creative students they had ever had, one of his teachers had said to him. They had made him a unique curriculum. She was sure some ladies enjoyed watching him show them his skills. Probably improper thought, but Paul was Paul; many improper thoughts came with Paul. But she was so proud of him. He would be a great chef.

Bella and Paul had been able to get past the Halloween party disaster. Paul had been so hurt, and she was still ashamed of doubting him. It was yet again proof that she shouldn't touch alcohol. It had made her feel miserable and have self-doubts, which was strange since it usually affected people the other way around. Those feelings generally came on the day after, didn't they? Paul had made her repeatedly swear that she would never do that again.

A week after the Halloween party, Edward had shown up at Book Attic. He had asked her if she was ok and said it was a relief that it was just a misunderstanding and that he was happy things were good with her and Paul. After that, she didn't know what to think. But she was glad Edward didn't show up to the shop often. Paul got pissed off every time she told him he had come for a coffee.

And no matter what she thought, she could hardly tell Edward not to come; he was a paying customer after all. Sometimes he brought a girl, a different one every time, with him who also bought coffee and sometimes books.

Also, Paula happened to like him. Sometimes they had long discussions about different kinds of legal issues. Paula had once hoped to become a lawyer, but she'd lost both her parents just after graduation from high school, and between being devastated by the loss of her parents and not wanting to sell the bookshop, she had buried her dream and become a bookshop owner instead. The decision she had told her was the best she had ever made.

Bella woke up the morning after her dad had left early, put her running gear on, and left her room to get some orange juice before heading out to Burke-Gilman Trail. Jedd, Megan's boyfriend, was in the kitchen making a sandwich. Megan started dating him about a month ago, and he stayed a lot at their place. It didn't bother Bella, and as she would even have any right to be annoyed, she had Paul over as often as it was possible, but Paul didn't like that there was a stranger male present at her home pretty much all the time, but it was one of those things Paul just had to suck up and play nice. He could be an ass sometimes.

"Morning Bella, heading out for a run?" Jedd asked.

"Yeah, it's been too long since my last run. It seems that studies and work take time," Bella sighed. She missed running. She really should just take the time to go more often.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Jedd asked, surprising her completely.

She actually would mind. She was planning to put music on and run as long as she didn't have anything left in her. It was Sunday, and she didn't have work and only one essay to write. She didn't want anybody to influence her schedule today.

"Umm..." she started.

"Where is Jedd?" Megan came to her rescue, hollering from her room, "I need my hunky-junk here right now!"

Bella had to laugh. She giggled and walked to the door.

"Have fun, Hunky-junk," Bella said to Jedd and left. She felt relieved; she really hadn't wanted him to come with her.

It was cold and drizzly, but Bella had weather-appropriate clothing, so she didn't mind. And there wasn't any frost on the roads. Excellent. She did a few stretches and took off. It took some time to get into the rhythm, but when she did get into a flow, she didn't want to stop.

Two and half hours later, she dragged her half-dead body back to the apartment. Megan and Jedd were in the living room watching some sitcom when she came in.

"Had a good run?" Jedd asked.

"Yeah," she answered, still out of breath. She went to the kitchen, took her after-run mix from the freezer, and put it in the blender with protein powder and oat milk.

"You know Bella that you make us look like lazy couch potatoes, right?" Megan asked.

"Yeah?"

"And you don't feel bad about it?"

"Should I?"

"Nah, we're all good. But I get sweaty only by looking at you," Megan snorted.

"So sorry, my dear couch potato, I'll go shower asap," Bella giggled and took her drink, and left the lovebirds to snuggle by the tv.

She was beat. Luckily, they still had some casserole Paul had made in the freezer, she really didn't feel like cooking, and after the shower, she was going to get comfy, write her essay, and then start the book she had been waiting to read for weeks. It sounded pretty good plan for a Sunday. Poor Paul had to work today. Five more days, and then they would be together again.

Paul was fed up with his work. They were working on a bridge construction site, and it was on a very tight schedule, which meant they needed to work on many weekends too.

He had seriously considered quitting the job and trying to find something with more regular hours. Still, this one had its' advantages which were too big to lose: his boss understood that he needed more time off because of his studies, and he had been one encouraging him to take them on. But he expected him to work when he needed all his men, and these couple weeks before Christmas were like that.

And he paid well. There was no denying that getting money saved was very wise at this time of life. He was going to man up and ask Bella to marry him, and he needed money if she said yes, and they would need a place of their own when he moved to Seattle. It would cost considerably more to live in Seattle, especially when he didn't pay any rent.

After the fucked-up situation at the Halloween party, Paul was adamant about having a ring on Bella's and his finger as soon as possible. He was going to pop the question before Christmas. He just had to find the courage. He was scared shitless; what if she freaked out.

He tried to stay focused as Kai had instructed, and his program did help him a lot. Fuck, he wouldn't be coping without it. He especially enjoyed regular sparring with Kai. It helped him not to think Bella all the fucking time.

What had broken his heart was that Kim had had a miscarriage. It had happened after 12 weeks which was twice as cruel because both Kim and Jared had been relieved that the riskiest part was behind them. Life is a bitch.

Jared was a mess. It was terrible to see his best friend lose his shit. He felt so hopeless, not knowing what to do. He had called Kai and asked what he could do to help. Of course, there wasn't anything else than just to be there for him. He had done some of his work sifts when it was the worst for Jared. It was almost four weeks ago. He was getting a bit better, but shit like that leaves its mark.

Kim had gone to her mother for a while, and Jared was scared shittles that she was going to end things between them. Paul didn't know how women generally acted in the situations like these, but what he knew of Kim, she just needed time to be alone for a while. But it was four weeks ago. Should Jared be worried? He just didn't know.

It was Sunday night. Paul was finally home after a long shift and was totally beat. The week had been one straight from hell. Five more days, and Bella would be home with him. Jesus, he couldn't wait. He leaned back on the couch and palmed his dick, and fantasized about Bella being here with him. How he would kiss her, the spot behind her ear, how she would react to that, how he would take off her jeans, peel away her panties, kiss her thighs, and lick his way to her moist pussy.

"Mmm..." he moaned.

Paul was pulled out of his fantasy by a buzzing phone; it was a message from Bella. He opened it, and his heart started to hammer in his chest; it was a photo of Bella lying on the bed, naked.

Hey sexy! Would you like to try something new?

Holy fuck! Paul stood up from the couch, exhaustion changing into excitement in a nanosecond. Was this what he thought it was? Bella was suggesting phone sex? They'd never done that; he had thought about it many times, but he had wanted her to make the first move.

Shit baby what are you thinking? He replied.

Open your laptop, take your clothes off and call me (with a kiss emoji).

Paul grabbed his laptop from the side table and hoped it had enough power; he had forgotten his charger at the school on Friday and rushed to the bedroom.

He was off clothes the fastest he could remember. His dick was hard, and he was trembling with anticipation. He leaned against the wall on his bed and placed the laptop on his lap.

"Hey baby," Paul said when Bella showed up on his screen.

Bella was lying on her bed on her stomach. Her chin was resting between her palms, and she was swaying her legs. She was smiling the smile that was only for him, the one that melted his heart. Fuck he missed her so much it made him insane. Five more fucking days.

"Hey," Bella said. Her voice was soft.

Paul just stared. Her hair was flooding down her shoulders, covering her breasts.

"What do you have in mind?" Paul asked, his voice cracking.

"To be honest, I feel a bit funny, not sure at all what to do. But I miss you so bad, baby. I want to touch you, kiss you, feel you inside me," Bella whispered. Her cheeks blushed adorably.

"Baby, you turn me on just saying those things. I miss you so much too, baby. I want to kiss you, lick your neck, spread your legs and taste you, eat at you," Paul had to moan. He was so turned on. He was palming his dick slowly.

Bella moaned, and she moved to a sitting position crossing her legs. Her hair was still covering her breasts.

"Baby, move your hair so I can see your breasts. I would love to suck your nipple, suck hard as you like it. Touch your breasts, baby."

Bella brushed her hair off her breasts and touched her other breast. The nipple perked up, and Paul moaned. He licked his lips.

"Oh, Paul, I'm all wet for you," Bella moaned as her other hand went down between her legs.

Paul stroked his dick slowly. He was so close already that he had to take it easy. "Ahh, Bella, you make me feel so good."

"I want to see your dick, baby," Bella said.

"Here it is. Can you see how hard you make me?" He said, moaning when he fisted his dick. He was losing his shit. He wanted her so bad.

"I would love to do that, have my hands on your dick; your dick feels so good in my hands," Bella breathed.

Paul groaned. Paul was adding more pressure on his fisting, twisting a little but not too much; he didn't want this to end too soon. Bella licked her lips when she saw moisture leaking from the top.

"Would you show me your pussy? I miss your pussy. I want to see your fingers in your pussy," Paul panted and pumped.

Bella opened her legs from the cross-sitting position and sat on her knees, spreading her legs and moving her laptop a bit closer, and he had a full visual of her wet pink pussy. She slid her forefinger and middle finger over her wet folds and moaned.

He almost came and groaned loudly.

"Paul, my pussy is so wet for you."

"Jesus Bella, I've missed your pussy. Rub your pussy. I want to hear that wet noise."

Paul moved so that his feet were tugged under him and spread his thighs more. He didn't know how long he would last, but Bella had to come first. Bella was sliding fingers in and out, moaning.

"You hear Paul, how wet I am for you."

"Yeah, I would love to fuck that wet tight pussy of yours. I would put your legs on my shoulder, and my hot cock would fuck you so deep and hard." His hips thrust into his hand, and he pumped his dick harder.

Bella was rubbing herself and moaning, "oh Paul, I think I'm coming soon," she panted. "I want to see you cum."

Paul cupped his balls and tugged at them, and when he listened to wet noises from Bella's pussy and Bella's moaning, he was so fucking close. Seeing her slick fingers going in and out, he could almost taste her on his tongue.

"Tell me, baby, when you come. I want to come with you," Paul grunted.

"Ah … Ah … I'm coming baby, fuck me baby, I want you so bad..." And Bella moaned the way he knew if he had his dick inside of her, she would be sucking him hard, and he fisted his orgasm, roaring Bella's name. His cum spurted to his abdomen and sheets.

For a moment, they were both panting and just staring at each other. Bella's beautiful face was flushed, and her chest rose when she breathed heavily. It was so fucking intimate Paul felt his heart bursting. It hurt not to be able to kiss her, hold her.

"Shit Paul that was hot!" Bella panted.

"Fuck yeah. I had never done phone sex before," Paul said.

"Really? I was your first?" Bella asked, looking very surprised.

"Oh yeah, you are my first. You are my first in everything; you know that. Nothing meant anything before you," Paul said, and his heart ached for her.