I was nervous. Nervous for absolutely no reason at all. I wasn't the one introducing my boyfriend to the family, nor was I going to be interrogated by my aunts about how the new boy was treating me. No, I wasn't about to do either of these things, my baby sister was. And yet, I was nervous. I didn't really care if this guy liked me or not and I didn't particularly care if I liked him. I didn't have to go home, speak with, or have sex with him, so as long as he treated Baby Alice fine, I didn't care. But still, I was nervous. Like some bad kind of feeling, like some shit was going to go down, like this whole thing was going to be a debacle. But that was generally a given with this family, so many conflicting personalities and so little breathing room.
"My baby Alice!" I can hear my mother squeal from the front room. Alice and her new man must be here now. I wonder how long this one will last. She's been talking about him for almost two months now, which is a record, but hey, who am I to judge, the last time I had a real relationship was in college.
"Come on B, put the whiskey down. We need to meet the new man," my brother says, taking my glass from my hand. "And having you surly is not the best way to do this." Emmett it smiling, so I know he's trying lighten my mood. Obliging him, I roll my eyes dramatically.
"Surly? When am I ever surly? I just don't understand why we have to have a big family get together every time Alice decides she has a new boyfriend." He and I have had this conversation many times, and his answer is always the same, shrugging and pointing a finger at our mother. Renee means well and just wants to keep us in her life since we're all grown and living on our own now. She uses any excuse to get us all together, and since I'm single and 'boring' and Emmett is already married, Alice has taken it upon herself to be the cause of all of these parties. I just don't know why Mom goes through all the trouble of getting these things together when we all know that these guys won't be around for long. All of us know that Alice is just waiting for Jasper to come back from wherever he wondered off to when he decided to 'find himself'. Sometimes I wish he would hurry up, come back and make my sister happy. And of course end the ridiculous parade of meeting-the-new-man-parties. Because we all know Dad isn't going to get her to stop, he loves to indulge her too much, both of them in fact.
Emmett grabs my arm and starts hauling me towards the living room. We pass Dad in the entryway, leaning against the pink and white wallpaper Mom had to have. He looks at and rolls his eyes. Not really understanding all the excitement, he too is just waiting for Jasper to come back. I smirk back at him, while Emmett just shakes his head. Dad pushes off the wall and heads towards the kitchen.
The couches and chairs are full of people in the living room. Rosalie is holding newborn Emily on the loveseat with Aunt Sue cooing extravagantly at her. Emily doesn't look impressed. Rosalie looks up and meets my gaze, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head slightly at Aunt Sue's over the top appreciation of her baby. Emily is much like her mother in that way, easy to handle but hardly impressed with anything. Emmett leaves my side to go get baby Emily. He picks her up out of Rosalie's arms and cuddles her closely to his big chest. And just like Rosalie, Emily smiles up at her Daddy. Watching Emmett with his daughter never ceases to amaze me, how such a big man can handle a tiny baby so easily boggles my mind. Especially since I know how Dad was with Alice when she was born, all nervous and afraid of dropping her. Emmett does not have this fear, he simply holds her, mostly like a football, as she smiles and wave her pudgy arms at him. Smiling, I look around at my childhood living room. Nothing has changed since I moved out, except for the pictures on the mantle, instead of toothless school pictures or soccer team poses, graduation and wedding photos litter the mantle over the fireplace.
Movement from my left catches my attention. I see Alice and Mom giggling excitedly by the overstuffed chair Dad usually resides in, no wonder he left for the kitchen, Alice clearly managed to get him to relinquish his favorite evening spot. Alice is gesturing wildly, in her usual manner of driving home some point with her hands. We used to try and make her speak while sitting on her hands, she could hardly form a sentence and Emmett and I would just laugh and laugh until she went crying to Mom about us being mean to her. The man she seems to be sitting on in Dad's chair is laughing along with them, head thrown back, full out chest shaking laughing. He's pale, which isn't unusual for Seattle, with a strong jaw line and broad shoulders. He looks like Alice's type, tall, skinny but nicely muscled, with good humor. Essentially, she's looking for Jasper in other men so she can pass the time until he returns.
My nerves reappear all of the sudden, balling up in the pit of my stomach, making my muscles clench uncomfortably and my chest ache oddly. Alice's new boy sits up, finished laughing as Alice and Mom have most certainly moved onto a new subject. He smiles kindly at Mom and Alice as they chatter excitedly, absently tracing random designs on her back with his fingertips. My gut clenches as I stop breathing. He shakes his head making his unruly bronze hair flop about and I can't help but remember what it felt like when I was running my fingers through it, or yanking on it so hard that I nearly ripped it out. I can feel my heart start pounding in my chest and hear my blood rushing in my ears. What the fuck is going on?! What is he doing here? Does he realize he's in my parents' house? Why the fuck is Alice sitting in his lap? What the FUCK?
I start moving my feet backwards, hoping to make a quick exit before he sees me. What lies can I come up with to get out of here without him seeing me? What will I say to Mom? Alice? Oh god, Alice! What in the hell is going on? Naturally, the heel of my boot catches on the hallway rug as I'm backing up and stumble against the wall so I don't hit the floor. His eyes flash to meet mine, noticing my sudden movement. They are as green as I remember them and just having him look at me makes my panties damp. They were so incredibly green when he was pounding into me against the wall of his apartment. His eyes widen when he realizes who I am and all of the color drains from his face. Alice pats his cheek to get his attention, drawing his attention away from me long enough for me to make my escape.
I nearly sprint to the kitchen and grab my purse, rummaging through it to find my cigarettes. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Grabbing the pack, I sling the strap over my shoulder and head for the door.
"Where you goin' Bells? We haven't had dinner yet," Dad says coming in the back door with a beer in his hand. He frowns when he sees the smokes I'm fiddling with. "You haven't even met Edward yet, and you know Alice'll pitch a fit if you leave before you meet him officially." He's only half joking, but the sound of his name makes me stop momentarily.
"Tell Alice I'm not feeling well and I'll call her tomorrow. I just don't think I'll make it through dinner feeling like this." I'm not lying exactly, I certainly wouldn't make it through dinner this way, damp panties and rocks in my gut making me loose my appetite completely. Dad studies my face a moment before nodding and patting me softly on the cheek before heading towards the laughter emanating from the living room.
I throw myself through the back door and hurry to my truck. The green paint gleaming in the evening sun glaring at me as I hit the clicker to unlock the doors and throw myself onto the bench seat. For a moment I can't decide whether or not to light my cigarette or start my car first. Groaning at my idiocy I start my truck, roll down the window and then light my Marlboro. I savor the first drag of it against my lips, closing my eyes as the nicotine rushes through my system. I release the parking break and shift into first gear, moving through the sweet spot in my transmission before hauling ass down the short driveway and out onto the street. As I smoke my cigarette all I can think of is how I now know what his name is.