Buying Love Teaser

Watching Bella walk out that door was harder than I anticipated. I collapsed onto the couch, curling up in the fetal position as Carlisle sat in front of me on the overstuffed chair. “She’ll be back, son.”

“My … need for her is not normal, Carlisle,” I said. “I shouldn’t be this attached.”

“She showed you kindness. You latched on and you feel safe with her, like she’ll protect you. Knowing Bella, she will,” Carlisle chuckled.

“She shouldn’t have protect me. I should be protecting her,” I growled. Looking down at my frail, broken body, I wasn’t in any shape to protect anyone. “She’ll be okay with Detective McCarty, right?”

“Emmett is one of the best officers in the force, Edward. He’ll protect her. Plus, they’re going to the courthouse, which is protected beyond recognition, with metal detectors and armed guards all throughout the complex. If Esme tried to get through, she would be stopped,” Carlisle explained.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Now, I spoke with Dr. Banner. He told me that Dr. Benson will be here in an hour or so. She’s well-known around the Pacific Northwest for her treatment of victims of abuse, sexual, emotional and physical abuse and assault victims. She specializes in it,” Carlisle said. “She used to work for the FBI as a profiler, but couldn’t do it anymore, wanting to focus on helping the survivors of these crimes.”

“What does she look like?” I asked.

“She’s tall, a little shorter than me, with dark hair and dark eyes. I’ve seen her on the witness stand for various cases,” Carlisle said. “Now, Bella got you some clothes since she assumed that you probably didn’t have anything. Some of it is her ex-husband’s and the rest she got herself.”

“I don’t know how I’m going to pay her back,” I frowned.

“You’re not. She’s doing this because she loves you,” Carlisle said, offering me a hand. I took it and followed him into Bella’s room, into her closet. There were more clothes in there than I could imagine. Half of the closet was filled with men’s clothing ranging from jeans to suits. Tears sprang in my eyes and ran my fingers along the fabric. “I’ll give you a minute, Edward. When you’ve chosen something, I’ll help change your dressings on your back, feet and wrists.”

I nodded, grabbing a pair of dark jeans. They were obviously very expensive and were my size. Or rather, the size I was prior to my eight weeks in Esme’s torture chamber. I put them back, searching for something less expensive. However, my search was not fruitful. I decided to put on the first pair of jeans and a loose button-down shirt, with a t-shirt underneath. Carlisle helped change the dressing around my body and told me that I could try taking a bird bath the following day. Putting on my new clothes, we went back into the living room and waited for the phone call that Dr. Benson had arrived. 

Dr. Marina Benson