Changing The Future (On Hold)

Chapter 67

67. Hard Day

EPOV

I fretted all weekend about Bella being with the girls, wondering what they were doing together. I was sure Bella would never behave inappropriately with my mother and sisters, but I also knew I pushed her pretty hard. It had to be a joke. I was certain Esme would never do something like that. Carlisle's thoughts after the phone call had mainly confirmed my suspicion. His thoughts were amused and affectionate, full of Esme. He wouldn't have been so amused and loving if he took her words seriously, would he?

But Emmett's thoughts had been downright terrifying. His mind had conjured up image after horrifying image of Rosalie, Alice, and Bella, in awkward positions and various states of undress. The mental pictures were so vivid they almost seemed like memories instead of his imagination. I noticed even he wasn't sick enough to fantasize about Esme, for which I was immensely grateful. She truly was a mother to us all, which is why I had such a hard time when Carlisle thought of being intimate with her. He had every right to think that way about his own wife. I couldn't begrudge him that, but I still did my utmost best to block those thoughts out. Jasper's thoughts were similar enough to Emmett's that I finally couldn't take it anymore and ran. If both of them had such images in mind, were they memories? Could they really both be imagining the same things? What if Bella wasn't quite as innocent as I believed her to be? No! I couldn't doubt her like that!

The insidious thought had been planted though and refused to be banished. It wormed its way through all of my thoughts, turning my brain to mush. We left early Saturday morning for our hunting trip, but my heart wasn't in it.

It had been pretty funny when Jasper walked in squelching of ocean water. I caught the drift of his thoughts and laughed. "Feeling better, Jazzy?"

He glared at me. Emmett came back downstairs when he heard me address Jasper. He was wearing a satisfied smirk.

"Anyone heard from the girls?" Jasper asked, frowning.

Carlisle came out of his room and joined us in the foyer. We all shook our heads.

"I guess they've been too BUSY," Emmett cheered, waggling his eyebrows. I felt nauseous at the turn of his thoughts. Jasper growled.

"Enough with the lust, Emmett! I have no desire to swim to Alaska and back again. I'm thirsty, grumpy, and missing Alice, so I will gladly kick your ass if you push me today," Jasper grouched.

"Okay, okay," Emmett muttered defensively, putting up his hands.

"Let's just go hunt as soon as Jasper changes into some dry clothes," Carlisle suggested calmly. Always the peacemaker. Jasper trudged slowly upstairs, dripping on the carpet the whole way. Esme was not going to be happy. Carlisle was thinking the same thing.

"Emmett, clean up those drips and that puddle," he ordered.

"What? But it's not my mess, I didn't do…" Emmett immediately started whining.

"NOW!" Carlisle commanded in his leader voice. That one word was all it took to shut Emmett up and send him scurrying to find a rag. He had the mess completely cleaned up, including the puddle where Jasper had been standing while talking to us, by the time Jasper stepped out of his bedroom in clean, dry clothes.

After that, none of us felt like talking, so we made the whole trip to Goat Rocks in silence.

We made it back to the house on Sunday before the girls did. To our surprise, Black's Pack showed up with movies and pizza wanting to hang out with us. None of us were in the mood to play games, but we honored Esme by offering our hospitality anyway. After a few hours of male bonding with our enthusiastically immature pack brothers, all of us were feeling much more relaxed. It was like being in a room full of Emmetts, overwhelming but amusing. Carlisle didn't participate in the crude banter. He simply watched us through hooded eyes, a perpetual smirk on his lips. He was definitely wearing a 'boys will be boys' expression, especially as our conversation wasn't much better than that found in the boys' locker room at the high school, what with the trash talking and sexual innuendo. Personally, I didn't say much, only jumping in when I thought of a particularly witty retort.