29

"Are you sure about this, Cricket?"

"No," she admitted, lobbing her head to the side. "But I think I should tell her, before we tell anyone else."

Jasper nodded. "Are you scared?"

"Not scared, per say. Just . . . I don't know, nervous, I guess. I never know how she is going to react to anything I tell her."

"Suppose that's true," he murmured, reaching over and covering her hand with his. "No matter what, though, I'm here. We're in this together."

"Thank you, Jay. I needed the reminder."

He grinned before he climbed out of the jeep, hurrying around and opening her door. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she climbed out, placing a kiss on his lips. Ever since Marcus Volturi sat in their living room two days ago and informed them they had been accepted into medical school again, he had taken every opportunity to kiss her, touch her, make love to her. They hadn't shared their news with anyone, wanting to keep it to themselves for a moment. They'd started looking for an apartment to rent, applying for very grant, scholarship, loan they could find to help Bella pay for school.

Jasper's grandfather had left him and Ben a college fund to use for school, and only school, but all she had was a few thousand dollars to her name thanks to Thom and Shelly Cope giving her the last several months of rent and her security deposit back. Bella had called The Dwyer Foundation and left a message for Phil Dwyer, but he had yet to call her back — something that didn't sit well with her. Something told her she wasn't getting her scholarship back, which meant unless one of her last-minute applications came through for her, she would be lucky if she could muster enough money for a semester of medical school.

"Everyone's coming to dinner tonight, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Should be at the lake house by eight."

"I love you."

Bella smiled. "I love you, too."

Snuggling into his arms, the two walked across the parking lot, through the front doors, into the lobby where the same two ladies were perched in the corner with their yarn and knitting needles. Her nerves were getting the best of her as they made the short walk to the electronic doors that lead to the skilled nursing division where her mother now lived.

Sam was standing at the nurse's station with Peter when they entered, the two men smiling as they looked over. "Bella, it's nice to see you again."

"You too," she murmured, her eyes shifting to Peter and then back to him. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Sam assured them. "She's doing remarkably well actually. Made some friends. Seems to really enjoy our book club." Sam smiled. "She talks about you a lot."

"She does?" Bella whimpered.

"Tells everyone how smart and beautiful you are," Peter added. "She and I just took a walk outside. She's in her room. I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Bella nodded, biting the inside of her lip as she glanced toward her mother's suite before saying, "Give me a minute alone with her, Jay."

He kissed the top of her head. "Okay, Cricket."

Inhaling a deep breath first, Bella walked over and knocked on her mother's door. A moment later, it opened and she found herself face to face with the woman who had raised her, yet had also made three plus years of her life miserable.

The last time Bella saw Renee she'd been angry, screaming at her for leaving her to rot away. She'd had a bandage on her head, her hair was dirty, tangled, but the woman who stood before her reminded her of the old Renee. There was a small scar on her forehead, but her hair was cleaned and brushed in soft, natural curls.

"Hey," Bella whispered.

"Hey," Renee echoed, bringing her hand up to the side of Bella's face before sliding to the back of her head and pulling her in for a hug. "God, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," she cried, wrapping her arms around her mother. "So much, Momma."

She leaned backward, once more placing her hands on either side of her face. "You look so different. Good different, but still different. Happy? Are you happy, Bella?"

She nodded, tears seeping down her face.

"If you're happy, then why are you crying?"

"I don't know," she whimpered.

"Okay." Renee stepped backward. "Do you want to come inside?"

Bella nodded and followed her into the small living room. All of her mother's family photos had been hung on the walls. The ones of her as a baby, a little girl, a teenager. Pictures of her with her father, and some with her mother. Photographs with them together, her with Alice. Her with Jasper, them with all their friends.

"Do you want some tea?"

"I'm okay." Bella sat on the sofa.

Renee fidgeted for a moment before she settled next to her. "Bella, I . . . I'm so sorry for how I reacted last time you were here. I . . . I . . . I'm just so sorry."

"It's okay," she whispered.

"No, no, it wasn't okay." She grabbed her hand. "I can't tell you how much I've missed you."

Bella smiled. "I've missed you, too. I should have been here before now. I just . . ."

"You were trying to get your life back. Peter told me."

"Yeah."

"And have you?"

"Still working on it," she admitted. "It's been . . . a lot. But I'm working on it."

"And you and Jasper are back together?"

Bella laughed. "We, um, we are, yeah. Actually, we're talking about getting married, so . . ."

"Oh, that's great!" Renee cheered.

"Yeah, we haven't decided on a date, or any details, but he asked, I said yes."

"Good. He was always so good for you. Kept you centered, kept you from losing yourself when you were stressed."

Bella nodded. "Nobody else knows, so . . . Not even Peter. We just kind of wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while."

"I won't tell him."

"Thanks," she whispered, placing her hands on her knees. "Jasper's outside."

"You left him out there?" Renee scrambled to the door, throwing it open. "Jasper Whitlock, get your butt in here right now!"

"Yes, ma'am," she heard him say and a moment later, he entered the small, apartment with his father right behind him. Jasper looked at Bella before he shifted his attention to her mother. "It's good to see you again, Renee."

"You too, Jasper." Renee hugged him before motioning for him to sit. He sat next to Bella, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing the side of her head, which only seemed to please Renee even more. She sat back on one of the small chairs, leaning forward with her elbows braced on her knees. "I am assuming this wasn't just a social call."

Bella and Jasper shared a look before they turned to her mother and his father. "Yeah, we, um, kind of have some news to share. We haven't told anyone else."

"Is this about your engagement?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because we kind of all know."

"How?" they asked together.

Peter laughed. "Oh, please, it wasn't hard to figure out. Every time I look at my son, he's rubbing the finger on your left hand."

"Wow, okay, but no, that's not our news. Or our only news, I guess," Jasper scoffed.

"Are you pregnant?" Renee asked, her eyes widening.

"No!" they exclaimed, causing Peter and Renee to laugh.

"No, I am not pregnant," Bella said, taking a deep breath. "We, um, we had a visitor a couple days ago. Dr. Marcus Volturi."

"This about medical school, isn't it?" Peter asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Jasper murmured. "Dad, I know that I ruined my last chance at becoming a doctor. I . . . I made a lot of mistakes, did a lot of stupid things that I will never be able to take back."

Peter shook his head. "Hey, kiddo, you aren't that guy anymore. You haven't been in a long time, so stop apologizing."

"No, I know, but . . . Well, I'm going to have to put my two-week notice in."

Peter grinned. "You're quitting?"

Jasper nodded. "Ben says that medical school is going to be really time consuming, so . . . I'll need to be able to focus if I want to be a surgeon."

"You got in?" Peter rushed over, pulling his son to his feet and enveloping him in a tight embrace. "I am so, so proud of you, Jasper. So proud of you!"

"Thanks, Dad," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

"Poppy?"

Bella snapped her eyes to her mother.

"Did you get in to medical school again?"

Biting the inside of her lip, she nodded. "I did, Mom. I'm . . . I'm going to be a doctor. At least, I'm going to try."

"If anyone has proven they can do it, it's you, Poppy." She brought her hands up to her face. "I am so proud of you. And if Dad was here, well, he'd be proud of you too."

"Thank you, Momma," Bella cried, engulfing her mother in a hug. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Poppy. Don't ever give up your dreams again. Not ever."

"I won't," she vowed. "I promise, I won't."

—WL—

"Ben called," Jasper said as he hurried into the kitchen, buttoning his shirt. "They just stopped at Newton's Narina to pick up beer and ice."

"Because the two thirty-packs aren't going to be enough?" Bella scoffed as she opened the oven to check on the chicken casserole she'd put inside half an hour ago.

"No shit," he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Are you okay? After visiting your mom, I mean."

Bella smiled. "I am. I worried, you know? That she wouldn't acclimate to Bayview, that she would . . . blame me, I guess, but she . . . she was almost the mom I remember."

"She was." Jasper kissed the side of her neck. "I wish they weren't coming over."

"Why?" she moaned, leaning her head to the side. "Jesus, Jay, don't start anything we can't finish."

"Oh, we're going to finish this," he snickered, pressing his lips against her ear. "Just may have to wait until the assholes leave."

Bella laughed, turned, and pushed him away. "You are such a fucking tease."

"No, a tease won't follow through. I most definitely plan to fuck you senseless later."

Bella moaned, which caused him to laugh. Especially when they heard several vehicles stop in front of the house. "You are going to pay for this, Jay."

"Looking forward to it, sweetheart."

While Jasper hurried to the front door to welcome their friends, she grabbed a couple oven mitts and pulled the casserole out of the oven. She'd just placed it on top, when she heard Alice's giggling as she hurried into the kitchen. She barely turned before she felt her tiny arms wrap around her.

"Hey, Al," Bella snickered, returning the hug. As she stepped backward, she saw the dark circles she had tried to hide with concealer. "You look tired."

"I am exhausted!" Alice exclaimed, though she still smiled. "I love it, though. Getting my hands dirty, so to speak. It's . . . Well, it's everything we dreamed it would be."

"That's great, Alice."

"Need any help?" she asked, looking around. "I'm surprised you and Jasper haven't packed more."

"What are you talking about? Why would we have been packing?" Bella asked, tilting her head to the side before narrowing her eyes. "He fucking told him, didn't he?"

Alice guffawed. "Those two can't keep shit from each other, Swan."

Bella groaned. "Stupid ass twins."

"So it's true? You and Jasper are moving to the city?"

Bella nodded.

"And you're moving because . . ." Alice hinted, though the look in her eyes told her she was already in the know, so to speak.

"Because it would be awfully hard to go to medical school from Baker Lake."

Alice squealed and clapped her hands as she bounced up and down. "Oh, my God, oh my God, oh my God! Why didn't you tell me?"

Bella smiled. "Because I wanted . . . No, needed to tell my mom first."

"How'd she take it?" Alice asked, warily.

"Really good. She . . . She said she was proud of me," Bella cried, trying to wipe her tears away before they could fall, but failed. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Alice hugged her. "She's doing okay, though?"

"Yeah, she . . . she really seems to like Bayview. I miss her like crazy, but I know I made the right decision."

"Good." Alice leaned away, placing her hands on Bella's shoulders. "Now, let's go tell everyone else."

Bella laughed before nodding and following her into the living room. Edward and Garrett were seated on the bigger couch with Kate and Angela while Carlisle and Esme were standing next to the fireplace with Jasper and Ben. Emmett and Rosalie were on the smaller sofa. They'd already busted open one of the thirty packs, and there were two more on the coffee table.

"Dinner's ready, but before we eat, I thought we would play a quick round of Truth or Dare," Bella said, drawing all their attention to her and Alice. "I promise nobody will get naked."

"Yet," Jasper, Ben, Edward, and Garrett said together.

"Yet," she snickered. "Who's game?"

"What the hell? You've already seen my orgasm face," Carlisle scoffed, sliding his arm around his wife.

"And we've heard all about Garrett's sexual fantasy," Esme giggled.

"The reality was better," Garrett quipped. "Way better."

"Ew," Kate grimaced, scooting closer to Angela. "I did not need that visual before we eat."

"Food, she means. Before we eat food," Angela said. "Before any of you get the wrong idea."

"Oh, we all know what Kate wants to eat," Emmett teased. "But hell, we're game, aren't we, Ro?"

"As long as nobody dares me to put your penis in my mouth." She smirked. "Who's going first?"

"Me," Jasper said, walking over and sliding his hand in with Bella's. "Truth or Dare, Cricket."

All eyes were on her as she said, "Dare."

Jasper nodded. "I dare you to tell everyone what your dream is."

"That's a dumb dare. We all know her dream is to be a doctor," Edward scoffed.

"You're right. My dream is to become a doctor," she admitted. "A neurologist probably. Maybe find a way to help people like my mom."

"That's more of a truth than a dare," Garrett said.

"Okay, okay, that's fair." Jasper nodded. "Then, how about I dare her to become a doctor, then? Would that work?"

"Well, yeah, but . . ." Edward narrowed his eyes as he stood. "Wait, wait, wait, a damn minute. Are you . . . are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If you think he's saying that we got accepted into the University of Washington School of Medicine and we start in a month, then I accept his dare."

Everyone stood and looked from Bella to Jasper and back.

"Seriously?" Edward whispered, smiling. "Are you fucking serious, Swan?"

"I am." The words barely left her mouth before he was swooping her into his arms, spinning her around. "Put me down, jackass!"

"I am so fucking proud of you, Bella!" he exclaimed. "So fucking proud."

"Thanks, Edward. I'm scared, but I'm going to try. For my mom."

"If anyone can do it, Swan, it's you."

As Edward congratulated Jasper, Garrett took his turn to hug her, then Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Kate, Angela, and then finally Ben. Her tears swelled in her eyes, seeping down her face, she was overwhelmed with their love and support. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to pay for school.

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