Disclaimer: All characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. This story, however, is mine. © 2023 lilbitbookish82
This is my first ever attempt at writing fic. Please be gentle with me.
Bella’s POV is quite a bit longer than Edward’s POV was, but I felt like her time with Rose and Em and meeting his family was important to the rest of the set-up of the storyline. It brings up the relationship she has with her sister and Emmett outside of the first meeting. Hope you all enjoy!
BPOV
Slinging the last of her bags into the back of her dad’s SUV, she couldn’t help but sigh. She couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes; those gorgeous, captivating eyes. She had never seen eyes that unique before and she couldn’t stop thinking about what color to compare them to. She had never been bothered before with worrying about boys; her education was much too important to her, and she was way too shy to talk to any of them anyway. She wished she could be like her sister, Rosalie. Rose was extremely smart, and school came just as easily to her, but she wasn’t nearly as shy. She wasn’t a pushover and didn’t’ let people take advantage of her; she was genuinely kind and people tended to gravitate to her sweetness. That kindness and sweetness had brought her the most amazing fiancé in Emmett Cullen. She had just gotten home from Knoxville from visiting Rose to ensure that UT was the right school for her and immediately loved Em for her sister. He was self-deprecatingly funny, honest, genuinely compassionate, and loved his sister and his family over everything; Em said she was part of that family now too which made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside; his parents were incredible, and she couldn’t wait to get to meet the rest of them at the engagement party in December. They unfortunately hadn’t made it to the restaurant before she had to get back to the airport for her flight home (stupid paper that was due tomorrow with no extensions), and she was sad she hadn’t gotten to meet his brothers, sister-in-law, and niece; they sounded amazing. Besides, she was sad enough as it was.
She came back to herself as her dad jumped in and they started driving back to the estate from Charles M. Schulz Airport in Sonoma. Her dad’s ancestors from Kilchattan Bay in Scotland came to America in 1897 and began Swan’s Hollow Vineyards and Estate in the newly developing Napa Valley after reading a letter from a cousin who had traveled that way looking for work. She loved her home and the history it held for her family, and she absolutely adored growing up here amongst the vines and running in the grass around the house. Napa was a great tourist area but still felt small enough to know the locals so well. Her parents were well respected around here because of their history (Mom came from another historical local family). Her dad let her sit in silence for a bit; he respected her need to unpack her thoughts… he was used to it since she had been that way since she was a little girl. She thinks she had made her final decision tonight; going to UT was going to be her choice. She had already been accepted officially but wanted to make sure 100%. Now she was ruminating in her choices…was it because of the school, her sister, or the man with those eyes. She laughed to herself; she couldn’t base her decision off a moment with a man that she would never see again…a man who no doubt would never give her a second look if he saw her again. If he did, he would run away screaming from her obnoxious shyness and it would be over before it began. Shaking her head, she knew it was for the school…or was it?
*** Flashback ***
I’m practically hopping in my seat as we taxi to our gate here at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. I haven’t seen my sister since August since she went home with her boyfriend for Christmas. I miss her so much; she’s my best friend and my closest confidant besides Mom. I hate that she is so far away, but she is out here doing what she wanted; getting her degree in Animal Science so she can breed sheep. Who knew that silly project she started in FFA would be the path that changed our lives so much? I flew out here to check out the University of Tennessee Knoxville for their Ag program to make sure it’s what I want before I make my decision between here, Cornell, and Texas A & M. My parents are hoping for here because I’ll be closer to Rose, but my dad is also hoping I’ll go to Cornell. His reasoning is because…it’s Cornell. I’ve already been accepted to all of them already; my extra-curriculars, essays, etc. were outstanding, my GPA is above and beyond since I’ve taken all AP/Honors courses since my sophomore year of high school, and I am graduating with enough credits to be considered a second-semester sophomore when I begin college. I was accepted to several other universities, but I made those my top choices. I turn on my phone and it immediately beeps. There are five text messages waiting for me: one from Mom about 2 minutes ago making sure I made it okay and that she misses me (I’ll be here for three days), one from Dad around the same time making sure I made it alright and that I make sure to be safe, and three from Rose. Before I can even read them, my phone immediately starts ringing “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars.
“Helloooooo!”, I sing into the phone.
“OH MY GOSH…. ARE YOU HERE YET?!?!”, Rose screams into the phone.
“Calm your tits, woman!”
“I’m just so freaking excited to see you, to hug you, and smoosh your adorable little face!”, she giggles. I hear a male laugh in the background.
“Is that Emmett with you?”, I ask?
“Yeah”, she says quietly “Is that okay?”, she asks worriedly.
“Uh, yeah! Did you think it wouldn’t be?”, I ask.
“Well, I don’t want to overwhelm you when you get here. He can be a little loud sometimes.”, she whispers shyly.
“Rose. Come on, be real. He’s the love of your life. I have to meet him sometime and every time I’ve spoken to him, he’s been great. Don’t worry so much.”, I say quietly.
“I know, Bee. I just worry about you. I know how you get around new people and I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Don’t worry about me, Rosie Posie”, I mumble. “I can handle it and besides, I am after all staying with you guys in your apartment. I might as well get used to him now”, I laugh.
“You’re right. Are you coming yet?”, she asks again excitedly.
“I’m about to get off the plane finally, then I have to um… go to the ladies’ room really quick.”, I whisper quietly into the receiver.
“Oh lord, Bee. It’s a bodily function, it’s not a secret! We’re going to park to get your bag. What color is it?”
“Shut up”, I mumble. “Don’t worry about parking. I only brought the carry-on and my laptop bag. I only brought what was necessary. Remember… I’m not you and I don’t need a full wardrobe for a three-day trip.”, I laugh. This time, she tells me to shut up and giggles.
“I’ll call you as soon as I’m off and done, kay?”
“Okay. We’ll circle the pick-up and you just let us know when to get you, alright?”, she states.
“Okie dokie!”, I say then hang up. I do my business quickly, wash my hands, check to make sure I am presentable, and make my way out to the pick-up. I step outside and regret my choice in wardrobe. I quickly take off my heavy coat and hang it over the handle of my carry-on and call Rose.
“You ready?”, she asks.
“Yep! Uh, it is February, right?”, I ask. “It’s warm as heck. I’m wearing my jeans and my chunky black sweater.”
She laughs and states they are in her blue Mercedes and will be here in a second. About a minute later, I see her car and it pulls over and puts the hazards on. Rose jumps out from the passenger side and squeals before she leaps to give me a hug. We’re jumping up and down, hugging like morons when a tall, long-haired, bearded guy climbs out of the driver’s seat. I stop and stare at him like a moron and think to myself, “holy shit…this guy is HOT”. He looks over to me and gives me a huge smile, comes around, picks me up in his huge arms, and hugs me like an old friend.
“I am so happy to finally get to meet you in person, Bella. I feel like I’ve known you forever. I can’t wait to get to know you more this week!”, he says in his deep voice as he gently puts me down. He looks over to Rose who has the biggest smile on her face and her eyes are full of love and happiness. His eyes reflect the same thing and I just know he is the one for her. I feel this twinge in my heart; I don’t know if it’s happiness or jealousy or what. I just know that he is so right for her.
I look back up at him and shyly say, “It’s so nice to meet you in person too, Emmett. I feel like I’ve known you forever. Thank you for having me here and allowing to stay with you guys.”
“Well, where else were you gonna’ stay? You think we were gonna make you stay under the bridge or somethin’?” He laughs. “My Mama would tan my hide if I even thought of makin’ a pretty young thing stay anywhere else, especially my Rosie’s baby sister.”
Rose laughs, “Welcome to Tennessee, Bee. The accent is hot, and the manners are to die for. This one’s Mama would as he says ‘tan his hide’ if you stayed anywhere else. Besides, we have a two-bedroom for this purpose. You’re the only one to actually take advantage of it. Hopefully someday we can convince Mom and Dad to come out and see us for once; that is if you decide UT is what you want.”, she says with a little bit of pleading in her voice. She totally has that big-eyed, pretty-please look on her face that Dad never says no to. How she thinks it will work on me, I’ll never know.
I snort and then jump into the backseat as Emmett puts my stuff in the trunk as Rose gets in and we buckle up. “Do you really think that look works on me?”, I ask her with a giggle in my voice.
“Maybe?” she says pleadingly.
“Wow”, Emmett interrupts, “y’all are a lot alike. Bella, right now you remind me of Rose when I try that face on her.”
Rose looks over at him with shock on her face and then we all break out in laughter.
We drive for about 15 minutes while talking about everything when Rose points out the window to the right. “Look Bee, that’s UT right there. We’re on 129 and right over the river if you get off on Neyland is The UT College of Veterinary Medicine and Morgan Hall, where Hebert College of Agriculture is located. All of the important animal nutrition and science classes are located there. We’ll continue here until over the other side of the river to our place.”
“Oh, so you guys live pretty close then?”, I ask.
“Close enough. We still have to drive over, especially in the winter. Sometimes during the fall and spring we can ride or walk over depending on time constraints. We’ll take the greenway then under the bridge and over. It’s really pretty and relaxing too.”, she boasts.
About three minutes later, we swing a left and arrive at their apartment complex. It’s called ‘One Riverwalk Apartments’ and they look pretty amazing. We hop out, grab my bags, and ride the elevator to the top floor.
“Well, this is us”, Emmett says as he opens up the door to apartment number 622. “I’ll just put your bags in your room and let you ladies get settled. I have class at 7:30, so I’m gonna head on to bed. It’s great to have you here”, he says as he gives me a soft hug and goes ahead to the right and closes a door.
“Oh Rose, I feel bad. I didn’t mean to arrive so late! I could have taken a taxi! I hate to keep him up if he has class so early in the morning!”, I state worriedly.
She snorts at me, “Bee, he normally works until 11:30 some nights. He’s actually taking advantage of being home before 11 so he can get some extra rest. Don’t worry about it. Now come on, let me show you to your room. I know you’re probably exhausted after going to school all day and the flight, so I’ll let you get settled and in bed. I have no classes tomorrow and I took off while you are here.”
She drags me further into the apartment and into the living room. Right ahead of me is a sliding glass door that goes out to a patio. To the right is a door that leads to the room I am staying in. It’s beautifully decorated in a soft palette of whites and corals and the bathroom coordinates beautifully. She shows me she set out some towels and stuff for me, kisses my forehead, gives me a hug and whispers she is glad I am here, then slips out closing the door behind her. I am exhausted; flying does that to me. I go ahead and take care of my nighttime routine and hop into bed, call my parents, and let them know I am okay, and then fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
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The next two days fly by. Rose takes me over to Morgan Hall to show me around, shows me the campus, takes me to meet her friend Holly who is a TA in Magnolia Hall who lets me look around the dorms (who also begs me to join a Life & Living Community for Hebert if I choose UT), talks her Animal Breeding & Genetics professor into letting me sit in for a lecture, has Em bring me to his Equine Management lab where they are checking broodmares for follicle size for insemination, and lots of laughter and talking. It’s just what my soul needed. I miss my sister and I love the relationship I am gaining with Em; I feel like I have this long-lost big brother who I hadn’t met yet.
Last night, Em knocked on my door while Rose was in the shower. He asked if he could come in and I of course said yes. He locked the door which made me raise my eyebrow questionably.
“Uh, Em…I don’t think Rose would appreciate your love for me. I mean, I know I’m gorgeous and all, but…”. I stuttered.
“Shut up, Bee”, he laughed. “This is serious.” He sat down on the bed and pulled something out of his pocket nervously. He opened a small box and inside was the most beautiful ring.
“Do you think she’ll like it?”, he asked in a small voice.
I jumped up and quietly squealed in delight while hugging him around the neck. “OH MY GOD, EMMETT!!!!!”, I whispered loudly. “WHEN?! This is so beautiful! She’s going to be so happy. Oh my gosh, I AM so happy.”, I sobbed. I opened my mouth to speak again, and he put his hand over my mouth while laughing.
“Chill out, Bee! What do you think? Do you think she will say yes? I mean, this is a big step. Do you think I’m enough for her? I mean, I’m a farm boy. I’m graduating to go back home and work on my family’s stud farm. She’s used to Napa and I’m offering her a farm in Northeastern Tennessee where my entire family lives!”, he rambled on and on.
This time, it was my turn to put my hand over his mouth. He looked at me in shock when I stomped my foot and yelled at him, “Shut your mouth, Emmett Cullen! Shut it up, right now! How could you think you’re not the best thing in the world for her? I have NEVER seen her this happy in her life. She loves you more than anything in this world and I know damned well that she would adore being your wife. You give her everything. The girl loves farms; for god’s sake, she wants to raise and breed sheep you idiot! She studied sheep for the winery and got our parents to utilize them on our vines in the spring, but she wants to breed them and keep them. Besides, look at you. I’m not blind; you’re hot!”. I opened my eyes really big and put my hands over my mouth; I can’t believe I just said that. “Uh, forget I said that.”, I mumbled.
His eyes were huge, and he looked at me like I had just lost my mind. He sat silently for a second and then proceeded to bust out laughing so hard he fell off the bed. “I’m hot, am I?”, he questioned cockily.
“Shut up.”, I mumbled.
“Oh hells, Bells. I needed that. Seriously though, thank you. I don’t think I’m so nervous now. Uh, can you do me a solid and stay in here for the rest of the night? I mean, you look ready for bed anyways, but…”, he stuttered as he pointed out to the patio that was lit up with candles.
“You’re good, you weirdo. Just promise me before you guys go to bed, she comes and shows me. I’m happy for you. Welcome to the family, Em.”, I said as I hugged him goodnight.
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Tonight, before I leave, we’re meeting up for dinner with Em’s parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and niece who are driving down to Knoxville because he said he had some special news that he couldn’t wait to tell them until next weekend. I have to be at the airport by no later than 7:30, so I won’t get much time to get to know them unfortunately, but this is important to them, and Rose begged me to have me with her for support; I can’t let her down. We arrive at this cool place downtown called Barley’s around 5 to get a table big enough since apparently this place packs up pretty tight with the after-work crowd. As we’re about to walk in the door, we hear someone shout Emmett’s name and as we turn around, a gorgeous woman in her mid to late forties comes running up and hugging him. Right behind her is a very attractive man around the same age, maybe a bit older. These must be his parents I deduce as they both sweep Rose into a hug too. Em introduces me as Baby Swan which makes me kick him in the shin and makes them both laugh loudly. His mother, Esme, as she asks me to call her, hugs me tightly and welcomes me to Tennessee as her husband, Carlisle does the same. They are the most genuine people ever and I feel immediately welcomed.
We all arrange ourselves at a large table and order several appetizers and drinks. I get myself some sweet tea (because this stuff is addicting; I think I’ll move to Tennessee just for this alone) and settle in for some nice conversation. His parents ask a lot about me and how I liked visiting, how I felt about UT, and a bunch of other stuff. I asked them about their farm and ended up in a conversation with Carlisle about the nutritional benefits of specific grains and such for horses as animal nutrition is my passion. They made me feel like just a part of the family and it was wonderful. I never felt shy around them which was weird. At one point, I caught a whisper between Rose and Esme about “how perfect they would be for each other”, but when I looked over, they stopped talking immediately. The closer it got to seven, the sadder I became. I didn’t want to leave and unfortunately, the rest of his family hadn’t made it yet. Rose insisted on taking me to the airport when I said something, but I told her not to worry and to enjoy herself. It wasn’t too far, and it wasn’t a big deal to cab it over to the airport. We all hugged goodbye, and I told her I would call her when I got home.
I called a cab and then decided to wait outside by Rose’s car since my luggage was inside. As I went to push the door outward, I accidentally walked into a solid wall that grabbed my arms and I grabbed theirs. Suddenly, I felt like the world just…stopped. I looked up in shock into the most gorgeous greenish eyes as I experienced this sensation running over me that shouted, “YOUR SOUL IS COMPLETE”. I didn’t want this feeling to end, ever. I wanted to keep myself here forever; my path feels like it has changed permanently, and my world will eternally fall into his orbit. A throat clears behind us, and we reluctantly break eye contact. At the same time, I heard a honk signaling my taxi has arrived. I slowly remove my arms, whisper, “Sorry”, and quickly walk away as my heart breaks…
*** STTS ***
I was able to hold off my tears until I sat down in the taxi, then all bets were off. I felt bad for that poor driver; he had a snot-sobbing girl sitting in his back seat and he had no clue what to say to me. I think I apologized at least forty times before we made that 20-minute drive to the terminal drop-off point. He tried waving me off when I went to pay, telling me that he couldn’t in good conscious take a crying girl’s money, but I insisted. I managed to calm myself by the time I made it through security, but I still had tears slowly falling down my face that continued all the way to my quick layover in Dallas. I realized then that I couldn’t let myself cry over something like this. Yes, my heart hurt, but it didn’t make any rational sense. I told myself to stop wallowing, clean myself up, and go outside and act like I was just tired when I saw my dad. No harm, no foul…right?
For the rest of school and summer months, I did what I normally did; kept to myself, studied, read books in my favorite spot, graduated, and helped where I could at home. Our housekeeper Sue just had a baby boy a month ago and despite her running me off all the time, I still managed to do enough to make sure she rested. Mom was too; Sue was practically family anyways and I just loved snuggling little Jacob; he was precious. Her husband Billy was our foreman and his family had worked for Dad’s since the beginning. They are part of the local Mishewal Wappo Tribe and Billy’s ancestors were Wappo and Sue’s were Wintun which were all native to this land. They have always been with us and have a home on the other side of the property.
I also had committed to going to UT officially in April. I thought with my brain and not with my heart; mostly. I made a list of pros and cons like I normally would have done regardless, and being able to go to classes with Rose and Em swung my vote officially to the positive. I was fascinated, felt comfortable in Knoxville, and loved the fact I would have my big sister close enough if I needed her, but she had enough of her own life to live that I would be able to live mine as well.
I officially leave tomorrow for Knoxville. Mom is a wreck, Sue keeps crying, I keep crying all over the baby, Billy keeps laughing at us, and Dad is just being himself. He was going to drive me there, but then decided to ship my stuff to Rose’s place, buy me a new car (he said he did it for Rose for graduation and he’s doing it for me too, just easier), pick it up at the airport, and help me get settled before heading home. I am nervous because I’ve never been one to socialize and I did take Holly’s advice and joined the Living & Learning community for Hebert at Magnolia Hall. I guess Em said it was the best plan because he did it and it was 100% worth it too; it helps to have stuff in common with others and live around those who are in the same types of programs you are in. After dinner and our cryfest, I go upstairs and attempt to sleep. I know tomorrow is going to be a long day. Our flight takes off at 5 am with a layover in Dallas and we’ll get there around 2 pm EST in Knoxville. Apparently right in the thick of check-in time at Magnolia for freshman (even though I’m classified as a sophomore).
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Dad just dropped the last of my stuff and brought my keys back up to me before he kissed me goodbye. I am finally alone now. Apparently, I do not have a roommate assigned to me yet; something the girl, Miranda at check-in told me not to get too used to. I’m not complaining though; it will help me get settled and hopefully allow me to open up a bit before being bombarded with either a weirdo or an overly peppy princess - ‘I’m such a bitch’ I think to myself. I decide to go explore a bit, so I make sure I look presentable enough, make sure I have my cell, my keys, and my wallet, and walk out my door.
There is another person coming out their door next to mine and they turn so quickly towards me that I hold my arms out to prevent them from running into me and I look up in shock. Into those eyes. The ones that have haunted my dreams for almost six months now. The ones I have officially been able to clarify as a light mint shade. That feeling goes through me again; that shock to my soul telling me “You are complete”. He too takes a deep breath and looks at me the same way I imagine I am looking at him. He opens and closes his mouth several times as to say something, clears his throat, and finally says, “It’s you”, like he’s saying a prayer.
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So, this got a little long, but I wanted to get into Bella’s head a bit and show how she ended up in Knoxville. It kind of makes sense for Edward since he lives so close, but I wanted to show the connection for her. Let me know your thoughts if you’d like!