Second Chance at Forever | C. Cullen

005

CHAPTER FIVE
Yours or Mine

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-Abigail-

Her gaze didn't leave the door for a couple moments before turning to Alice with a shocked, hurt look across her features. He didn't even speak to her and then ran off like she lit him on fire. What did I do? Did I offend him somehow? Does he not like me for some reason? None of the others spoke either and she dropped her eyes down to her hand where they twisted together.

"He does this often, we're sorry." It was Edward who spoke and her eyes lifted to him, frowning for a moment, but he looked so sincere and apologetic that she couldn't help but smile and feel better. If he did it often, it couldn't be her, right?

"As long as I didn't scare him off," she said, breaking the tension and causing soft laughter to ripple through the group. It seemed after that it was easy to talk, even Jasper loosening up and joining in on the laughter and gentle conversation. Around five, the Cullens got up to leave and Abigail frowned as she realized she didn't want them to go.

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner? I could have Charlie come over, too, he gets out in like ten minutes."

Alice shook her head with a soft smile and leaned in for a hug. "We'll come see you tomorrow, okay? Or you can come see us."

Abigail smiled. "I would love that," she answered truthfully as she returned the hug and regretfully let them go. The car—Alice's, they had said—was impressive and she decided she didn't even want to know how much it cost. She waved goodbye to them, leaning against the porch railing until the car was out of sight, before heading back inside for her dinner of cold homemade mac and cheese.

It took her until Beth got home for her to realize something: when Carlisle left, even though he didn't speak to her and looked at her like she had kicked his puppy, she missed him. What's that all about? she wondered. But it was true, as soon as he left, she was aching to have him near her again. It was like the feelings that swept her at the wedding reception only ten times more powerful and so she ran up to her room before Beth could walk in the door so she could hide and figure things out. She had never felt like that before, especially for someone who had never even said hello to her. It was confusing and irritating, feeling how she wished she had ran after him instead of watching him walk out her door. And she ignored how the sight actually squeezed her heart as if the motion hurt her, because that was just irrational.

But that night she had her nightmare, the first time since the night of the wedding, and this time she did indeed have someone else with her. Familiar topaz eyes appeared followed by a shock of honey-blond hair, shining out of the darkness. She reached for him and his cold hand enclosed around hers, dragging her away from the red-eyed killer. The creature screamed and collapsed in a pile of limbs, bursting into flame, while Abigail pressed herself against a firm, cold chest. The man above her looked at her with such love and devotion, such utter and desperate affection, that her knees trembled and it took every muscle in her body not to collapse. But her hand molded to his arms, his wrapping around as if he could feel how he made her ache, and smiled adoringly down to her.

"Rest easy, my love," Carlisle whispered. "No one will ever harm you."

.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

-Alice-

"Well, I suppose that went as well as could be expected," she said a bit dryly, though she couldn't fault Carlisle for leaving as he had. Being up close, all the attention on her, the resemblance to Carlisle's late Abigail was striking. She had the same eyes and hair, she breathed the same and smiled the same, she even smelled the same. The others could all tell that even if Carlisle's thoughts hadn't been screaming it to Edward since they arrived. On the way back, they told the whole story to Bella who was, of course, confused. The newborn was understandably shocked that her lifelong friend resembled in every way her father-in-law's dead mate.