29
Unlike the first time they kissed, Edward was not the one to stop this one. This time, the sound of her phone ringing from her bedroom startled her, and she scrambled to her feet, hurried down the hallway, and yanked her phone off the nightstand.
Her father was calling. Sighing, she knew better than to ignore him. He worried enough about her living on her own, so she sat on the side of the bed and clicked on the green answer button.
"Hey, Dad."
"Izzy, are you okay?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be okay?"
There was a pause before he replied, "You said you were coming over for lunch."
"Oh." She glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it's gotten."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, just . . . just tired. Give me a bit to shower and get dressed. I'll be right there."
"Want me to come pick you up?"
She smiled. "No, Dad. I'm not to the point where I can't drive yet. Thanks, though."
"All right, honey. Text me when you're on your way. Your brother is getting hungry, and you know what that means."
Bella laughed. "Will do, Dad."
Ending the call, she placed her phone back on the table before heading back to the living room. She almost expected Edward to be gone, but he wasn't. He was still seated on the couch. He shifted his attention to her and smiled, which had her insides flip-flopping.
"I, um . . . That was my dad. I forgot I told him I would come over for family lunch."
"Oh, okay." Edward stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Can I call you later?"
Bella bit the inside of her lip and shook her head. "How about you come to lunch with me?"
His eyes widened.
"You don't have to, of course, but I'd . . . I'm not ready to be away from you."
"Are you sure I'm welcome at your dad's house? He was never a big fan of mine."
"Well, he's going to have to get used to you, isn't he? I told you I'm all in, Edward, and that means all sides of me. But if you're not ready, I'll understand."
"No, I'll go."
"Yeah?"
He nodded. "I'm all in, too, Izzy."
She smiled. "I'm just going to take a shower." Hesitating momentarily, she said, "You're not going to leave, are you?"
"No."
"Promise?"
"I promise, Izzy. I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to."
"Okay. I'll, um, I'll hurry."
"I've waited this long for you, sweetheart. I don't mind waiting a little longer."
Feeling her face warm, Bella turned and hurried into her bedroom, closing the door and leaning against it.
—RtW—
Forty-five minutes later, Bella had showered and dressed in her denim overalls and a long-sleeved blue T-shirt. When she walked back into the living room, she once again was surprised to find Edward still sitting on the couch. She wanted to trust him, and a large part of her did, but he had ghosted her for over a month.
"Sorry it took so long."
"You're worth the wait."
She smiled, grabbed her bag, and dropped her phone in the side pocket. "Do you mind driving?"
"No."
"My car, though. I don't know that I can get up into your jeep."
He laughed. "Fair enough, sweetheart."
Ten minutes later, Edward parked her car in front of her father's house. The two shared a look before he hurried around, helping her out. He kept her hand wrapped tightly in his, and before she reached the door, it was yanked open, and Millie and Cassie were wrapping their arms around her waist.
"Auntie Izzy!" they squealed.
"Hey, girls," Bella laughed, releasing Edward's hand so she could hug them both. "I missed you."
"We missed you, too," Millie giggled, her blue eyes shifting from her to Edward, widening. "Who are you?"
"Oh, um, I'm —"
"Edward," Charlie said, coming up behind them. He placed his hands on their shoulders. "Girls, go help your momma."
"Okay, Grandpa." Cassie wrapped her hand around Millie's before the two hurried back inside.
Charlie reached behind him and pulled the door closed.
"Dad."
But her father put his hand up. "Been a while, Edward."
"Yes, sir."
"Heard you've been running The Oasis for the last few years."
"Yes, sir."
"Business good?"
"Can't complain."
"That's good. Especially in this economy."
"You're not wrong, sir."
"Don't call me sir."
"Dad," Bella hissed.
"What? I'm just saying he isn't one of my students anymore, Izzy. He doesn't have to call me sir."
She rolled her eyes.
"You're welcome inside my home, Edward, but let me be clear on something. You take one step out of line, and you're gone."
"Dad!"
"She's told me that you've changed," Charlie said, ignoring her yet gesturing toward her. "And if she vouches for you, that's good enough for me. But I'm just saying, my house, my rules. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Didn't I just tell you to stop calling me that?"
Edward smiled weakly. "Sorry, old habit, I guess."
Charlie nodded before he reached behind him and opened the door. "Go on in. I'd like to speak to my daughter alone for a minute."
"Dad," Bella groaned, but when he glared at her, she said, "It's okay, Edward. I'll be right in."
Edward looked between the two before he nodded and entered the house. Charlie closed the door again and looked back at Bella, his expression not nearly as friendly as he had been with Edward.
"Guess I should have let you know he was coming with me."
"Ya think?"
"I didn't think you'd mind," she lied.
Charlie scoffed.
"Fine, I hoped you wouldn't be an ass."
"I was polite. Better be glad your brother had to run to the store, though. Jay won't like that you brought him around the girls."
"Well, he's going to have to get used to it, isn't he?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means Edward and I are . . . a packaged deal, I guess."
Charlie's eyes widened as he looked back at the front door and then back at her. "You mean . . ."
"Yes, Dad, Edward, and I . . . dating, I guess, is the right word."
"Kind of fast, don't you think?"
Bella was taken aback. "No."
"No?"
"No!" she exclaimed.
"All right."
"What? You think I'm rushing into things with him?" And when Charlie didn't reply, she threw her hands up. "Damn it, Dad. I can't do anything right, can I? I either wallow too much for my dead husband, or I'm a slut by jumping into a relationship with a new man too soon."
"Hey, I never called you a . . . that word. And don't use language like that, Izzy. The girls are inside!"
"Sorry. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to insinuate that you're . . . I didn't mean to insinuate anything. I just worry about you."
"I know you do, Dad. Am I one hundred percent right now? No, no, I am far from being okay. I'm . . ." She shook her head. "I miss Carlisle so much, but, at the same time, I'm furious with him. Did he love me? I think so, but not enough to trust me with his secrets. I deserved better than that, Dad."
"You did. Still do."
"I don't know what's going to happen between me and Edward, but I know that I . . . I need him in my life."
"Izzy," Charlie whispered, gripping her shoulders and tugging her into his arms. "Just . . . just be careful, okay?"
She nodded against his chest. "I know I haven't made things easy since I came back. I'm sorry if I pushed you away. I do need you, Dad. And Little Bit is going to need you, too."
"I'm not letting you or Little Bit go anytime soon, Iz."
"Promise?" she whimpered.
"I promise." He kissed the top of her head. "Now, we might need to rescue that boy from the girls."
Bella laughed.
When the two entered the house, they found Edward sitting on the sofa with Millie on one side and Cassie on the other. They were talking a mile a minute, telling him about school and their friends while asking him why his hair was so long. But before he could answer, they would fire off another question.
And then another.
And another.
"Girls, let him breathe," Alice snickered as she came out of the kitchen with a vegetable tray in her hands.
She placed it on the dining table before she wiped her hands on the towel hanging over her shoulder and then joined them in the living room. She looked from Bella to Edward and held out her hand.
"I haven't had the privilege of meeting you yet. I've heard a lot about you, Edward. I'm Alice."
"It's nice to meet you, Alice," he stammered, scrambling to his feet and shaking her hand.
Before they could say anything else, though, the front door opened, and they all turned, finding Jasper walking in, his hands filled with plastic shopping bags. He stopped, his eyes flickering from his wife to Edward to the girls, then to Charlie, and finally to Bella, before he glanced at Edward again.
"Jay," Bella started, but when he simply shook his head and walked into the kitchen, she sighed and followed. He was leaning against the counter. "Jay."
"What's he doing here, Izzy?" Jasper asked, turning toward her. "Why the hell is he here?"
She put her hands up as she looked over her shoulder, hoping Edward wouldn't hear the sheer venom in his words. "I invited him here. He's with me."
"What do you mean with you?"
Once again, she sighed. "You know what I mean."
Jasper groaned, dragging his hand over his face, through his hair to the back of his neck. "Jesus Christ, Izzy, are you really that stupid?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me!" he yelled.
"Lower your voice, Jay."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice lower but just as harsh. "Did you forget how he hurt you?"
"He wasn't responsible for the accident, Jasper. I was the one who got in Jake's car that night."
"He was high on God knows what!"
"Shh," she shushed him, taking a step toward him. "He's not that same guy anymore. He hasn't been in a long, long time."
"God, you really are that stupid, aren't you?"
Bella stepped away from him. "You know what? Fuck you, Jay. Nothing I do is good enough, is it? You called me selfish when I left Woodbury, and since I've been back, I was too busy grieving for Carlisle and not being the daughter Dad deserved, the sister you wanted, or the aunt Millie and Cassie need. I can't do anything right with you, and I just can't . . . No, I won't stand here and listen to you call me stupid."
Turning, Bella walked out of the kitchen. Alice stood behind the girls while Charlie leaned against the wall between the living room and dining room with Edward across from him. She barely took two steps when Jasper grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her feet shifted unnaturally and started to fall. Thankfully, Edward caught her before she could hit the floor.
"Jasper!" Alice yelled, hurrying over to her and Edward, kneeling next to them before she turned and glared at her husband. "What the heck are you thinking?"
"I . . . I'm sorry," he stammered, his eyes shifting from his wife to Bella. "Izzy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . ."
Bella braced herself on Edward's shoulders as she stood with his arm wrapped around her waist. "Save your apologies for someone else, Jay. I don't want to hear them."
She looked at her father. "I'll call you later."
Charlie nodded, his glare shifting to his son before he looked at Edward, his gaze softening. "Take care of her, Edward."
"I will, sir."
As she and Edward walked out of the house, they heard Jasper calling for them to come back, as Charlie and Alice yelled at him for being an idiot. But in the end, it didn't matter. Jasper had never treated her like that before, not even when she and Carlisle left town in the middle of the night.
—RtW—
Instead of driving her back to her house, Edward drove them to The Oasis. While he unlocked the front door and turned off the alarm, she walked over to the jukebox and selected We Danced by Brad Paisley.
She turned toward Edward, who was leaning against one of the bar stools. "I'm sorry about him."
"Not your fault. And he's not entirely wrong. I wasn't a good influence on you, Izzy."
"You're not that Edward anymore." She held her hand out. "Dance with me."
"I might step on your feet."
She smiled. "I'll risk it."
Edward laughed and wrapped his fingers around hers, his other arm sliding around her waist. "Don't say I didn't warn you, sweetheart."
As they slowly began to sway, not really dancing but just staring into each other's eyes, she said, "Do you remember the first time we danced?"
He grinned. "Ro's tenth birthday party. She wanted a 'big girl' party and convinced her mother to hire a DJ, and we all had to dress up. Your dad bought me and Carlisle suits because, you know, my parents never had money for anything but booze."
"I didn't know he did that."
"We were embarrassed. Me and Carlisle, I mean. Anyway," he said, sniffing back the tears in his eyes. "When we got to Ro's house, nobody was dancing, and I tried to get Carlisle to ask you, but he was still in the girl-hating stage. So I did."
"Why?"
"Because it was important to Ro, and she had a crush on Emmett, and him on her, and I wasn't going to put myself in the middle of them. So, I asked you. And I stepped on your toes. Several times, in fact. Jake gave me shit about it for weeks, too."
Bella laughed, though a tear slid down her face.
"Don't cry, Izzy."
"I'm pregnant, Edward; I cry all the time," she sobbed. "I miss him. Jake, I mean. He . . . God, he would be so excited about Little Bit."
"Yeah, he would. We'd be fighting over who got to be the cool uncle." Edward brought their hands to her face, using his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Are you sure you want to be with me, Izzy?"
"Yes."
"Even if it costs you your family?" he fretted.
She stopped dancing and brought her hands to his chest. "I love my brother, Edward, I do, but he doesn't get to tell me who I can be with and who I can't. I told you I'm all in, and I meant it. Can you say the same?"
Edward smiled, placing his hand on the side of her face. "I am most definitely all in, sweetheart."
And for the second time that day, his lips met hers.
Thank you for all the AMAZING review! Big thanks to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing Beta. See you next time, loves!
