Um... long time, no read! Sorry guys. Real life hit me hard. But also Bella and I were arguing because she wasn't supposed to get mad at Carlisle and she was not happy that I was taking his side in the argument even though I wasn't. I just didn't want him in the doghouse. But, just like when these to crazy kids kissed, I was overruled and basically told to suck it up.
The song for this chapter is Just Give Me A Reason, the cover by Madilyn Bailey and Chester See.
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Disclaimer: I'm only doing this for a friend. I don't get anything from it but her undying appreciation. I certainly don't get to have fun with Emmett and the boys in my head.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Just Give Me A Reason
BPOV
"Okay, Charlie, close your eyes!" I laughed as Charlie's grumbles carried up the stairs to where Alice, Rose and I were waiting to make our 'grand entrance' -at Alice's insistence of course. They came over earlier in the afternoon and tested the limits of our friendship by torturing me with curling irons, tweezers and makeup. I felt like I'd been plucked within an inch of my life but the end results spoke for themselves.
I looked like I belonged with them in all their ethereal beauty. My hair was curled and pinned until it fell over my shoulder like a waterfall. Alice and I had argued over dresses until we settled on a blood red high-low dress that fell just below my knees in front and to the floor in the back. The bodice was covered with lace and tiny rhinestones. The sleeves were off the shoulder with a bow-sash topping layers of tulle that fell in tiers in a horsehair hemline. I felt transformed and also completely insane, dressed to the nines and preparing to head to a dance.
Rosalie descended the stairs first and Charlie blushed and mumbled out several compliments. Alice followed after, floating down like she had actual wings. She kissed Charlie on the cheek and he turned red. I took a deep breath -praying to any deity listening to not let me fall down the stairs and break my neck -before stepping down the stairs carefully, thankful that I hadn't backed down when Alice had tried to talk me out of my trusty black Converse. I gripped the railing even with my lack of heels, watching my feet. When I reached the bottom, I looked up shyly at Charlie. His eyes were bright and soft and I smiled at him.
"Wow, Bells, you look… really nice," he said, clearing his throat. I wrapped my arms around him, taking care not to squeeze him too tightly. He was still recovering from whatever had happened at the lumber yard. I didn't know details and when I asked, he told me it was part of an ongoing investigation and he couldn't tell me anything, even if he knew I'd never tell. I stepped back after a moment and pretended not to notice when he subtly swiped his hands under his eyes. "Your mom would have loved this," he said hoarsely and I felt tears begin to well in my own eyes. "She was the fancy one." I snorted out a laugh.
"No crying!" She stepped between us with her hands held up in panic. "You'll ruin your makeup!" I laughed, rolling my eyes at her while Charlie muttered about having dust in his eye.
"Hey, Alice, can you take a picture of me and my dad together," I asked, pulling my phone out of my dress pocket. Yes, pockets. I might be dressed to do little more than stand around drinking bad punch, but I wasn't about to sacrifice functionality for appearance. She grinned and plucked it from my hands, stepping back with Rose to frame up her shot. I pulled Charlie into my side and smiled for the camera. Alice took a few different shots before the doorbell rang. Rose opened it, revealing Edward wearing an expensive looking tux and a grin. When he saw me, he whistled slowly.
"Damn, Swan, you might be prettier than I am tonight." I rolled my eyes at him.
"He thinks pretty highly of himself, doesn't he," Charlie muttered to me and I laughed.
"No one loves Edward as much as Edward," I said genially. Edward stepped into the house and moved to shake hands with Charlie.
"Thank you for letting me borrow Bella tonight, Chief." Charlie's face was stoic.
"Curfew is eleven. No drinking, no drugs and no sex. Am I clear?" Edward's smile grew brighter.
"Ten-four, Chief." Charlie rolled his eyes and we made our way outside.
"Holy shit," Charlie murmured as he crossed over the threshold. His eyes were locked on the car Edward had arrived in and I looked at it in confusion. "Is that an Aston Martin Vanquish?"
"Sure is, Chief. I'm just borrowing it from my father for the night. I wanted to make sure Bella arrives at the dance in style." I leveled him with a glare.
"You make sure you obey the speed limit, son," Charlie said, attempting to inject some of the intimidating grumpiness from before but falling short as he stared at the car in reverence.
"I promise that Bella will be perfectly safe with me," Edward assured him before leading me to the car. I stopped at the passenger side but Edward nudged me and I followed him to the driver's side with a frown.
"I am not driving this beast of a car," I told him. He smirked.
"First of all, I can't believe you would call this a beast considering the monster of a truck you get behind the wheel of every day. Second, you aren't driving. It's European. The driver is on the right." He pulled open the car door and I saw the luxury leather seats and the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car.
"The doors just open like a normal car? I'm already disappointed," I drawled, climbing into the car regally. He laughed and closed the door for me once I had cleared my voluminous skirts of the door. He jogged around to the other side with a wave at Charlie who was still watching the car with, what I could only uncomfortably call, lust. We pulled out of the driveway, Alice and Rosalie having already departed in Rose's car.
"So, what's the plan, Jeeves," I asked Edward as the car purred beneath us.
"I promised Esme that I would bring you over so we could get pictures together. She sort of wants to make a big deal out of it since I never participate in school activities." I bit my lip nervously, looking away from him and out the window.
"So, everyone's going to be there," I asked with forced calmness.
"Yeah. Get your red carpet smile ready, Swan." I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves.
Carlisle was going to be there.
Which I would normally be thrilled about. I couldn't go to this dance with him but being able to show him that with an inhumane amount of torture, I could look like a semi-decent woman should have filled me with excitement. And it would have.
Except that I hadn't talked to Carlisle in a week.
It hadn't been intentional at first. At first, I was just so worried about Charlie and so mad that they hadn't called me or told me until after Alice's dress shopping trip was done. I hadn't even realized how angry with Carlisle I was until I saw him in the shadow of the hospital, trying to justify himself. And I knew it wasn't fair to expect him to drop everything in an emergency and call or text me to let me know what was going on. I knew that he had been rushing around trying to help the injured and save people. But even after Charlie had been released home with strict orders to take the next week off to recover, the anger hadn't dissipated. He'd tried calling and texting me, apologizing profusely for cutting me out.
But I was still angry.
I was angry that he'd colluded with Alice to keep me in the dark.
I was mad that he made the decision for me.
I was upset that Charlie had been injured.
I was hurt and betrayed that this was just another thing in a long list of things that Carlisle wasn't being honest about.
And that was the crux of it really. This came right on the heels of Edward's confession that Carlisle had put them under a gag order about whatever it was that made them… different. Superhuman. Impossible.
"Bella." Edward's voice broke through my heavy thoughts and I swung my eyes. "Is this going to be too much for you," he asked quietly. I looked around and realized that we were parked by his house. Rose's car was parked next to ours, presumably left out to take them to the dance.
"It's… it's fine," I said, voice strained. I expected him to give me some level of sass but he just stared at me, eyes guarded.
"Are you… are you going to dump my dad," he asked quietly. I sucked in a breath at the blunt question and then blew it out in a sigh.
"No. I don't know. I don't want to," I whispered. "I just feel so… so…"
"Betrayed," he offered. I slumped in my seat.
"I just don't want a relationship that's filled with lies and half truths," I mumbled.
"Hey, I get it. Really, I do. And for what it's worth, I don't think that Carlisle is doing this to be dishonest or hurtful. He's just scared and… unsure of what the right thing to do is. And he doesn't want to make the wrong decision and end up hurting you. Because I've known Carlisle a long time, Bella. But I've never seen him indecisive. I've never seen him so unsure about what to do. And I've never seen him so completely enchanted or smitten with anyone as he is with you." I blushed lightly. "You're so good for him, Bella. And I'm not asking you to sacrifice your own happiness or standards for him. I'm just asking that you give him a little grace because this is completely uncharted territory for him. And he's not a man to make a decision impulsively. Carlisle overthinks everything. Well, except for medical care, but even then he's not frivolous. He's just such an ornery old man." I snorted out a laugh and a grin broke over his face. "Just… be patient with him?" I stared at him, head pressed against the seat as I registered how earnest he was.
"Okay," I said softly. He grinned, kissed my cheek and jumped out of the car, coming around to help me out. He rested my arm in his and led me up the porch steps and into the house.
"Honey, I'm home," he called out and Alice danced down the stairs to meet us. She still looked impeccable in her green dress. Almost like Tinkerbell. Jasper followed after her at a slower pace, dressed in a slim fit suit with tails and an elaborate vest under the jacket. Instead of a tie, he wore something similar to a cravat.
"Wow, Jasper, you look dapper," I complimented and he smiled, tugging at his suit coat.
"Thank you, Bella. You're looking very elegant this evening, if I might be so bold," he drawled with a slight bow.
"Hey, no Southern charm on her. That's all mine tonight," Alice reprimanded him with a pout. He grinned and pulled her to him, placing a kiss soundly on her mouth.
"That just happened," I muttered, looking away from them. Esme swept into the room from the stairs and pressed a hand to her chest.
"Bella, you look stunning," she said before pulling me into a hug and then stepping back with my hands in hers to take in my dress.
"All credit goes to Alice and Rose. This was an Eliza Doolittle level transformation." She laughed.
"You're selling yourself short," she chastised lovingly. "And Edward looks so handsome in his tuxedo." She turned to look at him and he grinned.
"I clean up nicely, if I do say so myself."
"When have you ever not said so yourself," I teased. He grinned unrepentantly.
"Well, I am an excellent judge."
"Sure you are, big guy," I said with a playful elbow to the ribs. He scowled at me. I looked around, half expecting to see Carlisle come in but so far it was just us. I ignored the feeling of disappointment that sank into my stomach like a stone. "Where are Emmett and Rosalie," I asked instead.
"Emmett's having trouble with his tie," Jasper explained and I smiled.
"Well, knots can be hard," I mocked.
"I heard that." Emmett and Rose came down the stairs and over to us. I briefly felt like a wilted flower in comparison to her with her perfect hair and long, slinky black dress. It didn't matter that we'd dressed together. She just looked like she belonged on a red carpet or in a magazine spread. Emmett looked surprisingly dapper in his black on black suit. "I'm surprised they decided to let you in, Swan. Aren't you a weapon of mass destruction if there's coordination involved?" I flipped him off and he laughed harder.
"Okay, enough teasing. Let's get some pictures," Esme said, pulling her phone out. "Girls, why don't you go first?" I lined up with Alice and Rosalie and smiled for the camera. As she began to rearrange us in different groups and set ups, I couldn't help but look around subtly for the head of the household.
"Carlisle is upstairs in his study," Edward murmured in my ear and I immediately dropped my gaze to my shoes. "I think Esme is done with us for right now. You could go see him," he suggested. I looked at him and then nodded slightly. I crossed the room to the stairs, peeking back to see if they were watching but Edward had jumped into a shot with Rose and Emmett and they were bickering about it. I walked up the stairs carefully, more grateful than ever that I wore sensible shoes. When I reached the third floor, I approached the wooden door to the study, heart thundering in my chest and palms growing sweaty. I lifted my hand to knock and hesitated.
What would I even say to him?
I steeled my resolve and knocked on the door before I could stop myself.
"Come in," came the muffled voice from the other side. I turned the knob and slowly opened the door, slipping inside and then closing it behind me. Carlisle looked up from his desk and froze.
"Hi," I said softly. His eyes moved over me, taking in every detail before settling on my face.
"Wow," he breathed. "Bella, you are… breathtaking." I warmed under the compliment and stepped away from the door.
"It's hard to look bad after Alice and Rosalie get their hands on you," I deferred.
"It's hard to improve on a masterpiece," he said and the words went right to my heart, healing some of the hurt that had been growing there. "Am I stealing you from Edward," he asked after a moment and I almost imagined there was a jealous edge to his voice.
"Yes, but you can't steal something that wants to be stolen, I think," I assured him, settling into a seat across from the desk. He smiled to himself and I felt struck with longing.
I missed him.
"Bella, I owe you an apology," he began but I shook my head.
"Can we… can we not tonight," I asked. He stopped and watched me while I twisted my hands together. "It's not that I don't want to hear it. I just… I didn't mean to be so distant this last week. I know you were overrun and that he didn't want me to worry. I just didn't realize how… angry I was until after the dust settled and then it was like it just kept festering in me." I snuck a glance at him and his eyes were locked onto me, regret coloring his features.
"I've made a mess of this, haven't I," he asked after a moment. Bit my lip, unsure of how to answer. Assurances rested on the tip of my tongue but I held them back, needing to communicate my needs to him.
"I think we're both just in new waters," I told him. "This is new to me and I… I just want to make sure that no one gets hurt." His gaze softened.
"As loathe as I am to admit it, this is all rather new to me as well and I find myself not entirely sure what I'm doing." I smiled at him softly, moving over his tousled hair, like he'd been running his hands through it. He looked tired. His eyes were dark -darker than their normal honey color -and there were dark circles under them. "Can you just promise not to tell Edward I said that. I can't even manage the levels of unbearable he'd become were he to know that he was right and I needed to rely on his advice." I chuckled and he grinned. It was like the sun breaking through the clouds, lighting his face. He stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of me. I stood up, unable to look away from his face. "You really do look enchanting tonight," he murmured, running his fingers down my cheek.
"I kind of wish I was going with you tonight and not Edward," I breathed. He smiled slightly, his face moving closer to mine.
"That's completely understandable. Edward is terrible company in comparison." His face hovered so close to mine, his breath fanning my face and making my heart flutter in anticipation.
"And I can't do this to Edward," I muttered before pressing my lips to his. His arms came around my waist, holding me to him as our mouths moved against each other. I lost myself in the kiss, reveling in the way my heart seemed to heal under his ministrations. A knock on the door interrupted us too soon.
"Bella, we need to go," Edward said from the other side and I moved to pull away but Carlisle stopped me, holding my face to his. He pulled back long enough to shout, "she's occupied" before crashing his mouth back to mine.
"Well she better hope that her occupation doesn't ruin her hair or makeup or Alice will be out for blood."
"Go away, Edward," I yelled and Carlisle grinned against my lips. The door swung open and Edward leaned against the frame.
"This is disgusting," he teased. I turned my back on him but Carlisle was already pulling away, leaning against his desk, shooting daggers at Edward.
"No one invited you," I said rudely but he just laughed.
"We have to go if we're going to make a splash before your curfew hits."
"You can go splash by yourself. I'll stay here."
"Seriously, Bella. You and Carlisle can suck face later." I twined my fingers with Carlisle's and he gave me a regretful smile.
"Go. Have fun and stay safe. We can pick this up later. And… talk maybe." I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss before pulling back reluctantly and following Edward out of the room. "If anything happens to her, I'm going to murder you, put you in my trunk and help them search for the body, Edward," he called as we descended, and I laughed.
"C'mon, Bella. Let's go stoke the gossip mills at Forks High," he said, tossing an arm around my shoulder.