One
"You sure you got everything?"
Bella Swan nodded, unable to make eye contact with the man standing across from her. He ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy brown hair, sliding his hand across the scruffiness covering his jaw. It'd been weeks since he'd shaven, weeks since he'd showered if she were honest. Weeks since they'd lost her, and he hadn't been handling it well. Neither had she, if she were honest.
"You know I don't want to do this, right? I just . . ." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I need some time, to . . . I don't know . . . Get my shit together."
Again, she nodded. What was she supposed to say? That it was okay to be sending her from the only home she'd ever known? Sending her to spend the summer with a virtual stranger because he couldn't handle taking care of her on his own? No, she couldn't say any of that because he'd made his choice, and it clearly wasn't her.
"I talked to him this morning. He's going to pick you up at the airport. Said he would be at the gate."
Once more, she simply nodded.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching for her, but Bella simply shrugged her shoulders before she turned and walked away.
"Bella, I'm sorry!" he yelled after her.
But she didn't care if he was sorry. Being sorry wasn't going to change anything. Not like him being sorry was going to bring her mother back.
—TBHC—
Bella was the last person to leave the plane, waiting patiently as the other passengers slowly trickled through the aisle until she had no choice but to fall in line behind the last person. The flight attendant smiled and said, "Welcome to Myrtle Beach," as she walked past.
True to his word, her uncle was waiting for her just outside the gate. Bella hadn't seen him for almost five years. He was tall with thick, blond hair and bright blue eyes — the exact blue eyes her mother had had. He smiled and opened her arms, but when she just stood there, he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Hey, Birdie," Carlisle Cullen said softly.
Bella pressed her lips together. Carlisle had been calling her Birdie since she was a little girl who followed him around the beach. He was ten years old when her mother gave birth to her, and he'd been more of a friend than an uncle. But that had been a lifetime ago, back when things were easy. Well, easier.
"I know you didn't want to come out, Birdie, but . . . Well, Phil just needs a little time to . . . grieve, I guess." He walked over to her, sliding her carry-on out of her hand. "It's just for a while."
Bella nodded. It's the same spiel her stepfather had given her time and time again. It was the same lie he told himself, she was sure. He had loved her mother but had simply tolerated her kid.
"Well, come on. Let's hit the road."
Bella followed him to the baggage carousel where they waited for her luggage. Once they had both her suitcases, she followed him out to his truck, waiting while he stowed her bags in the bed before climbing into the passenger seat. Bella put on her seatbelt.
"Are you hungry, Birdie?"
Bella shook her head.
"Are you sure? We could get funnel cakes, just like we used to."
But again, she shook her head.
"Okay, Birdie. I'll just take you home."
Home, she thought.
Myrtle Beach hadn't been her home in a long time.
No, she'd been banished from her home aspunishment for not saving her mother.
—TBHC—
Carlisle parked in the covered parking area of a peachy, orange-colored cottage built on pillars to protect against hurricane season. A curving white staircase led to the upper deck, which stretched around the house.
He unlocked the front door and waved her inside. She looked around the combination living and dining room and then over the bar that led into the small but stylish kitchen. To her right was the first of what looked like two bedrooms. There was a queen-size bed with purple and black floral blankets, one of those beanbag chairs, and a small desk with a computer on top. There was also a tall, white dresser with a lamp, an alarm clock, and a picture of her and her mother.
"If you don't like the bedding, I can get you something new. I . . . I wasn't sure what color you liked. Purple used to be your favorite, so . . ." Carlisle leaned her suitcases against the bed. "My room is on the other side of the bathroom, which we'll have to share. Sorry about that. I know you're used to having your own."
Bella shrugged her shoulders.
"Birdie, I know the last few years haven't been the easiest for you. I should have been there more. It just . . ." He dragged his fingers through his hair. "Anyway, let me know if you need anything, okay?"
She simply stared at him.
Needed anything?
The only thing she needed was her mother, but that was impossible.
—TBHC—
Bella hadn't been able to sleep. When the walls began to feel like they were closing in on her, she slipped out of her bedroom. Once she was past the front door, she descended the curving staircase leading to the beach.
There, she quietly sat in the sand with her knees pulled up to her chest.
Her mother used to tell her stories about growing up in Myrtle Beach and how much fun she and Carlisle used to have together.
"We spent every day in the water, the nights by the bonfire, baby girl. It was like living in a dream world," she'd told her.
Of course, that all changed when her mother turned eighteen and fell madly, passionately in love with Bella's father. "He was handsome, baby girl. The best-looking boy I'd ever seen, and he wanted me. Grammie and Grams said I was too young to be so serious about a boy, but I . . . would have followed him anywhere."
And she had.
She'd followed him across the country, married him, and settled into the perfect little life he had built for them at McChord Air Force Base. However, Bella was barely a year old when he was given a new assignment, one that would take him far away to fight in a war. Charlie Swan hadn't survived, and the young widow was forced to return to her home with her little girl in her arms and her tail between her legs.
They lived with Grammie and Gramps until Renee met Phil Dwyer, a semi-professional baseball player who, like Charlie, promised her the world. Grammie and Gramps hadn't wanted Renee to take Bella with her when they announced they'd eloped and were moving to Arizona.
"This is mine and Bella's chance at a new life, Momma! Don't we deserve a chance?"
Grammie had waved her off, but the next day, Renee and Phil loaded Bella into the backseat of his Ford and drove off into the sunset. And now, her mother was dead, her stepfather needed time to find himself, and Bella had been sent to live with an uncle she hadn't seen in five years.
"Hey."
Bella felt herself tense as she looked behind her, finding a tall, thin boy with auburn hair hanging to his shoulders. He was wearing a pair of black swim trunks with large, neon green frogs and a green tank top.
"You okay?"
She nodded, feeling the moisture sprinkle down her cheeks.
"Don't seem okay, seeing as you're crying." He gestured toward the sand next to her. "May I sit?"
She shrugged.
The boy fell into the sand, keeping his knees bent in front of him. He smiled as he looked at her, his green eyes sparkling even in the moonlight. "I'm Edward."
She opened her mouth, but before she could introduce herself, she heard Carlisle yelling, "Birdie!"
Scrambling to her feet, she hurried up the beach where Carlisle stood under the covered parking, his hands on his hips.
He frowned before asking, "What are you doing out here? It's after three in the damn morning."
Bella shrugged.
He sighed. "Come on. Let's go back to bed, Birdie."
As the two headed back up the curving white staircase, Bella looked behind her. Edward gave her a wave before he stood and started in the same direction he'd just come from.
That was the first time a boy had ever said hi to her.
Thank you for checking out my new story. I know, I know, I have a few WIPS. I update frequently and I write A LOT! I hope you will join me on this journey. Short chapters. Big thank you to Sunflower Fran for being an amazing beta. I keep her very busy, lol. See you next time!
