Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [163]
Edward hugged me on my free side. You can do this, he repeated, murmuring the encouragement in my ear.
Two minutes, Alice said. Maybe you should start out already on the couch. Youve been sick, after all. That way he wont have to see you move right at first.
Alice pulled me to the sofa. I tried to move slowly, to make my limbs more clumsy. She rolled her eyes, so I must not have been doing a good job.
Jacob, I need Renesmee, I said.
Jacob frowned, unmoving.
Alice shook her head. Bella, that doesnt help me see.
But I need her. She keeps me calm. The edge of panic in my voice was unmistakable.
Fine, Alice groaned. Hold her as still as you can and Ill try to see around her. She sighed wearily, like shed been asked to work overtime on a holiday. Jacob sighed, too, but brought Renesmee to me, and then retreated quickly from Alices glare.
Edward took a seat beside me and put his arms around Renesmee and me. He leaned forward and looked Renesmee very seriously in the eyes.
Renesmee, someone special is coming to see you and your mother, he said in a solemn voice, as if he expected her to understand every word. Did she? She looked back at him with clear, grave eyes. But hes not like us, or even like Jacob. We have to be very careful with him. You shouldnt tell him things the way you tell us.
Renesmee touched his face.
Exactly, he said. And hes going to make you thirsty. But you mustnt bite him. He wont heal like Jacob.
Can she understand you? I whispered.
She understands. Youll be careful, wont you, Renesmee? Youll help us?
Renesmee touched him again.
No, I dont care if you bite Jacob. Thats fine.
Jacob chuckled.
Maybe you should leave, Jacob, Edward said coldly, glaring in his direction. Edward hadnt forgiven Jacob, because he knew that no matter what happened now, I was going to be hurting. But Id take the burn happily if that were the worst thing Id face tonight.
I told Charlie Id be here, Jacob said. He needs the moral support.
Moral support, Edward scoffed. As far as Charlie knows, youre the most repulsive monster of us all.
Repulsive? Jake protested, and then he laughed quietly to himself.
I heard the tires turn off the highway onto the quiet, damp earth of the Cullens drive, and my breathing spiked again. My heart ought to have been hammering. It made me anxious that my body didnt have the right reactions.
I concentrated on the steady thrumming of Renesmees heart to calm myself. It worked pretty quickly.
Well done, Bella, Jasper whispered in approval.
Edward tightened his arm over my shoulders.
Youre sure? I asked him.
Positive. You can do anything. He smiled and kissed me.
It wasnt precisely a peck on the lips, and my wild vampiric reactions took me off guard yet again. Edwards lips were like a shot of some addictive chemical straight into my nervous system. I was instantly craving more. It took all my concentration to remember the baby in my arms.
Jasper felt my mood change. Er, Edward, you might not want to distract her like that right now. She needs to be able to focus.
Edward pulled away. Oops, he said.
I laughed. That had been my line from the very beginning, from the very first kiss.
Later, I said, and anticipation curled my stomach into a ball.
Focus, Bella, Jasper urged.
Right. I pushed the trembly feelings away. Charlie, that was the main thing now. Keep Charlie safe today. We would have all night
Bella.
Sorry, Jasper.
Emmett laughed.
The sound of Charlies cruiser got closer and closer. The second of levity passed, and everyone was still. I crossed my legs and practiced my blinks.
The car pulled in front of the house and idled for a few seconds. I wondered if Charlie was as nervous as I was. Then the engine cut off, and a door slammed. Three steps across the grass, and then eight echoing thuds against the wooden stairs. Four more echoing footsteps across the porch. Then silence. Charlie took two deep breaths.
Knock, knock, knock.
I inhaled for what might be the last time. Renesmee nestled deeper into my arms, hiding her face in my hair.
Carlisle answered the door.