Design For Life

Chapter 16

A/N: You guys are the best!  Thanks so much for the continual love and support you give this story. 

"Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." Jack London

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BPOV

A month had passed since the tattoo convention, and Edward and I had settled into a wonderful routine. Each night was spent together at either one of our houses. In a way, it seemed stupid to live separately, seeing as how often we were together, but at the same time it was nice knowing that we each had a separate place to go if we needed to. Every once in a while we would spend an afternoon or morning by ourselves, but other than that we were joined at the hip. Emmett thought it was sickening, but really, who cared what he thought? And since our dinner at his house, Rosalie seemed to have done a one-eighty, and it had me worried.

The first family brunch after the dinner had been odd to say the least. Rosalie had still been a bitch to me, not that I truly cared, but she had started to be nicer to Edward. We'd been in the living room after eating Esme's wonderful brunch when Rosalie shocked the hell out of all of us.

"Edward?" she'd asked.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior toward you. It was rude and childish. I only hope that you can forgive me. I've had a lot going on, and while I realize that isn't an excuse, I had no right to take my anger out on you."

Edward had glanced at me, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. What the hell was she up to? Edward, being the sweetheart that he was, told her he would forgive her with time. I, on the other hand, wasn't about to forgive her for being such a heinous bitch to him and to me. Each Sunday brunch seemed to get stranger and stranger. It was almost as if Edward and Rosalie had begun a friendship, and I was truly worried. I voiced my worries to Edward the following Sunday on our way to brunch.

"I'm worried about Rosalie is up to," I said.

"I honestly don't think she's up to anything at the moment. I'm not saying that a leopard can change it's spots, but she does seem to have changed for the better. Perhaps Emmett and Mark's talks made her realize that she needed to become a better person."

"I don't buy it. I really don't. She's up to something. She may be all nice and buddy buddy with you, but she sure isn't with me," I told him.

And what he said next pissed me off. We'd never gotten into a fight. Never really had any arguments, so I guess it was bound to happen eventually.

"Well, maybe if you tried to be a bit nicer to her, she'd be nicer to you."

I was fucking floored. I slowed the truck down and pulled over on the side of the road, so that I could face him after putting the car in park.

"Excuse me?" I said, my voice cold. "Did you just tell me to make nice with Rosalie? The same Rosalie who has made your life a living hell since forever. The same Rosalie who was or is in cahoots with Laurent. I don't fucking think so! I can't stop you from being friends with her, but that sure as fuck doesn't mean I'm going to be."

Edward looked a bit taken back by my rant. "I'm sorry. I realize that Rosalie isn't the easiest person to get along with, but I was just—"

"You were just what?" I asked, angry that he was even suggesting that I be friendly with the bitch.

"You know what? Forget it. Forget I said anything. Let's just go. We're going to be late," he said, staring out the window, refusing to meet my gaze.