Designated visiting hours. The only thing saving Edward from Bella. At least, it amused Charlie to think that might be the case. Even considering the surly temperament Bella displayed when Charlie objected to the idea of Edward's accompanying Bella to Jacksonville, her newly acquired almost-constantly testy attitude was more or less directed at Edward; Charlie was tickled to ponder the possibility that Bells was subconsciously blaming Edward for her confinement. Finally.
"So Edward . . ." Charlie let calmness seep into his mind, just like he did when he was fishing. Lure Edward in. "You sat in that chair the first time you ever set foot in my house," Charlie recalled.
Charlie sucked air into his chest like he was going to say something else, but he held the breath and let Edward stew. It couldn't hurt . . . much . . . to ratchet up the tension a notch. Charlie was disappointed that Edward wasn't breathing hard and heavy. Fear is a good thing, Edward.
"You remember that?" Charlie brusquely noted. That was a mite too fast. Charlie cleared his throat and wriggled in to his seat. I need to remember: quiet and still. Like catchin' fish. Charlie fought the urge to check his watch when he realized Edward was taking his time to think up an answer. Quiet and still. Just like catching fish.
"Yes, sir. I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself." Considering I had spent the previous night in Bella's room.
"Ah, yeah, appropriate." Charlie scowled, wishing he had held the conversation outside where he would be at liberty to fire up a cigar. He didn't smoke them often, but he had a half-burned stogie tucked into the nylon baton holder on his duty belt. Charlie thought chewing on a cigar would have made him look more intimidating than pulling out a six-and-a-half inch expandable baton.
Charlie actually stored his riot baton in the trunk of his police cruiser. For use in the event of an emergency. Crowd control. Riots. Mayhem. Murder. A blow to the head or neck, Charlie thought as he continued to assess Edward's demeanor. A solid strike to the armpit or the chest could be fatal.
"I remember you told me you were going to keep Bella safe, instead you ran her out of Forks." And she came home all busted up like she'd been in a prison yard fight.
"I assure you, sir, that was never my intent."
Charlie noted that Edward was the one whose comment was faster than normal. Good, he's nervous. Edward was as pale as ever. Maybe low blood pressure or sugar or somethin'.
"Uh-huh. Maybe playing baseball with your family wasn't the best idea you ever had. Bella goes off with you for a few hours and she comes back yelling at me; saying she's going back to Phoenix, because she doesn't want to get stuck in Forks like her mother."
"I remember," that James was outside listening to every word Bella said, Edward thought.
"Bella's a lot like her mother. I guess she's a little like me in some ways, too, but now I'd have to say Bella's more like Reneé. Bella gets carried away with things, like she was yesterday."
Charlie replayed the image of Bella practically crawling into Edward's lap, and Edward was instantly relieved that he could not blush.
"I might not see everything that's going on with you two; but I know enough."
"Yes, sir." You don't know anything . . . Edward reached for another towel. It was a precautionary move to distract Charlie and conceal Edward's reaction to the the visual scene running on auto-repeat in Charlie's mind.
"Bella's got a temper. These days it's her way or the highway, you know?" Charlie was surprised that Bella held her tongue where her punishment was concerned, since most of the restrictions were arbitrary and Charlie had dragged the confinement out longer than any eighteen year he ever heard of would tolerate.
"I think that sometimes Bella gets frustrated," Edward said. He was the one now holding his breath. The very last thing in the world Edward wanted was for Charlie to figure out the reason for Edward's increasing anxiety.
"I know that you and Bella think that you're in love and that nothing could possibly change that. But you aren't stupid Edward; you've already seen how life gets in the way of your plans and I'm not going to rehash my objections to the way your treated Bella last fall. I just want to make it crystal clear that when you came back to Forks, the only reason I didn't drag you out on a boat and feed you to the sharks was that I haven't completely forgotten you kept Tyler Crowley from running over Bella not long after she moved here."
Edward wasn't sure where Charlie was headed, but the reference to the incident with the van reminded Edward that they both wanted to keep Bella safe.
"You got that?" Charlie growled with surprising ferocity.
"Completely." Edward turned a few other phrases over in his mind. Thinking up smart ass comebacks will only increase the likelihood I might inadvertently slip and actually utter the words.
"You've got enough trouble without me making it any harder on you. These days, you've got your hands full with Bella." In Charlie's mind the visage of Edward cringing under the cold spray was juxtaposed with the picture of a weathered-formerly-furry-something ground into the gravel on the side of the highway. "And think about it: right now she's driving around Forks all wet and mad. When she gets back here, she'll be about ready to blow."
Charlie leaned back against the back of the sofa.
Well, I'll be damned, Charlie thought as he noted the tenseness in Edward's face. The delinquent is scared of Bella. Charlie couldn't believe the Fates had presented Charlie with yet another opportunity to torment the hell out of Edward. Edward was apparently far less deserving of good luck than Charlie was. So if Charlie couldn't run Edward off, scaring the bejesus out of him was the next best thing.
"Bella was teasing, she really wasn't trying to injure me in any way." It just felt like it. "She's not really mad at me.' I hope.
"Right there's your problem: you think you know what Bella's thinking."
Not in a million years.
"Heck, you sat in that chair last year at this time and convinced me to help you trick Bella into going to the prom. Bella's not a dress-up-and-go-dancing kinda girl, but I don't think you've figured that out."
"I would never do anything contrary to Bella's wishes. I've learned my lesson." And then some.
"You might not appreciate it, but Bella got to know Jacob Black pretty well while you were off finding yourself or whatever you were doing. He's still on her mind and your hanging around here all the time isn't going to stop that. She's got me carrying notes and the other night, after you brought her home, she tried to run down to LaPush."
Charlie liked the dog, so everything Edward said might be used against him. "I know." Edward's even tone didn't betray his jealousy.
Charlie found the lack of an emotional response unacceptable, so he gripped the arm of the sofa and squeezed until the fabric tightened enough to pluck at the stitching. Edward winced like Charlie had dragged his fingernails across a blackboard, satisfying Charile's theory that Edward was afraid and the least little thing could get to him.
Relaxing into the comfort of his certainty, Charlie continued his verbal assault, "Doggone it, Edward, I don't think the two of you are serious enough to be flyin' cross the country all by yourselves. It's just not right. I don't care if she is eighteen and you're . . . legal."
Continuing to ignore the implication that Bella was not committed to their relationship, Edward said, "We will be escorted to and from the airport. Since Bella's mother is picking us up in Jacksonville, and we are staying with her, Bella and I will never actually be alone."
"Bella's mother. Reneé. See, she's part of the problem. Even if I trusted you to act responsibly, I can't trust Reneé to use common sense and set a good example for Bella. Hell, I can't trust Reneé not to plant foolish ideas in Bella's head. When she found out you two were flying out, she asked me if I had taken Bella to the doctor . . .
***
"Doctor?" Charlie moved the phone from one ear to the other and scratched his chin. "Bella's not sick. I wouldn't let her on a plane, if she was sick."
"Charlie Swan, for a smart man, sometimes you can be so clueless." Reneé sighed. "Birth control, Charlie. Bella needs to be on birth control."
"Bella says she doesn't need . . . uh . . . to . . . uh . . . think about that. She's . . . you know . . . not . . ."
"One good kiss is all it takes to slip and let the bird out of its cage." Reneé warned. "You think they're gonna stop once they get started? No, they won't. And. You only have to drop seeds in that garden one time to get marigolds."
"Reneé, I don't want to think about this."
"I'm just saying, it's our responsibility to make sure Bella can enjoy being a healthy, young woman without worrying about making me a grandmother."
"For Pete's sake, Reneé, I don't want to hear anymore."
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