I still remember the first day I met Jesse. I was a kid, only seventeen years old. It was the summer and I was spending it with my Dad in London. He was there for the year on business and claimed we needed some good old fashioned bonding over the summer. But it turns out, Dad was a workaholic and spent more time at the office then with his daughter. So, I opted for some duly earned socializing. I was walking through the streets, after my run down Abbey Road and there was a tiny coffee shop on the corner. I was a little tired, so I stopped in to sit and perk myself up.
He was playing the guitar on a small makeshift stage in the front of the shop. A few people were nodding along, but it seemed to most it was just background noise. But I got my coffee, black as usual, and sat down at the very front table next to him. He didn't look up, he just focused on the song and I was the only one that clapped when he was through. That was when he had noticed me. I remember he gave me a big, white, toothy smile and winked before going back to his strumming.
I stayed until the shop was clear. I had gone through around four cups and I was jittering about, waiting for him to come back out from the back. He finally emerged, with his guitar in the case and a bounce in his step. The manager was about to close and he was ushering him out, but he stopped when he was me waiting by the door. I remember it like it was yesterday.
"Well, well, well." He had chuckled, in a strong British accent. "The coffee girl stays to greet the celebrity. Charmed."
He walked me home that night. Cabs are for people who think inside the box, he had told me. Besides, they're bloody hot. I had laughed and that made him smile. It was the most amazing thing in the world. So many things had been racing through my head. I had never believed in love at first site, but after looking into those big blue eyes, I knew in my heart that we were meant to be together. I decided also that my Mom would have a heart attack, so it was best this was kept quiet.
The next night, I found him in the same shop, playing the same idle melody he had the night before. I sat in the same seat and ordered the same black coffee, and waited while he hummed into the mic and ogled me. I had waggled my fingers, causing him to snort in the middle of his art and pause the song. I had giggled. The same thing happened that night. The same thing happened every night for about a week, before he finally asked me my name. A normal person would have asked the first night, but he laughed when I pointed it out.
"Names are personal, they're apart of who we are." He had explained. "If I don't want to know who you are, I don't want to know your name. And I want to know the infamous coffee girl's name."
"Bella." I had told him. "And you, oh wise guitar man?"
He had given me a sly smile. "Funny. I'm a man and your a mere girl. And yet I can't help but find myself wanting you to know my name as well."
"Well, I'll only know if you tell me." I pointed out, winking at him.
"Good point." He agreed, looking me up and down. "Jesse. Jesse Bonds."
I snorted. "Like James Bond?"
He held up a finger. "Uh uh uh. Mine has an s at the end, keep in mind."
Every night I found myself at the coffee shop, sipping plain java while I watched my object of affection do his thing. And every night, he met me at the door and walked me to my dad's building. And, again, every night I always feared he would be home and catch me out so late, but it never failed. He was always at the office. And there was always a message on the machine, left at exactly eight thirty, saying that he was staying late and that I shouldn't wait up. We would have dinner together tomorrow.
"I'm beginning to think you're stalking me, little girl." He told me, about three weeks into our routine. "I saw you just the other day at the market. You practically flagged me down, you were so thrilled to see your sick obsession."
I rolled my eyes. "Funny, because I don't remember seeing you there. So I certainly didn't flag you down, old man."
But he wasn't old. He was only twenty, but that was still a lot different from my seventeen. He gaped when I told him my age, though in my defense, I would be eighteen in September. But, as he promptly pointed out, it was only June and I was still a little girl. I might as well have had on my Mary Jane's to him. He knew very well that I liked him. In fact, I think he had kind of liked me too. He asked me questions, lots and lots of questions. About home, about family, about nonsense. He never stopped.
"Favorite Breakfast Club member?" He had asked one night in the middle of our walk.
"Bender, duh. He was a tortured soul." I insisted.
He laughed in my face. "Bender? He was tyrannical nuisance, if you ask me."
"Well, I didn't ask you, did I? Bender, a nuisance." I muttered, in disgust. There was silence. Then he said it.
"You remind me of Allison, you know." He had told me. I gasped and hit his shoulder, causing him to chuckle.
"You remind me of Brian." I retaliated, childishly.
"Really? Because I was under the impression that you were in love with me." He said, casually, walking ahead. I pushed him and blushed. He fell to the ground and laid there a moment before laughing.
"Such a violent little girl I have."
But I was in love with him. He was handsome. His eyes were big and playful, open to everything. They were blue, the color of a turquoise stone and his hair was dark and curly. It sprang around his head in a shaggy spiral of black, leaving me wanting to run my fingers through it. He smelled like a man. It sounds silly, but he smelled like sweat and...love. He smelled like love.
It wasn't until July that he finally relented.
"You'll be a woman in a few short weeks. You'll also be back home in the boring old United States." He sighed, playfully. "I thought I'd give you something to chat about with your girlfriends."
I smacked his shoulder, which was becoming a habit. He spun me around and laughed, but stopped when I stayed silent. He peered into me, it seemed, and scrutinized me blank face. "I was kidding, darling."
I shook my head. "I know, I know. It's just...I don't have friends back home."
This puzzled him. "You? But you're so...well, you're my coffee girl."
I gave him a small smile. "And you're my guitar man. But, I just don't have many girlfriends back in Phoenix. All the girls there seem to think I really am Allison."
He thought about this for a moment. "Well, I don't have any boyfriends. So, why don't we solve this now and be done? I'll be your girlfriend and you can be my boyfriend."
I sat there on the curb for a moment before giving him a look. "I wasn't aware I had a penis."
He shrugged. "I'm not exactly in that game, but for you? Definitely."
"Is this your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?" I checked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
"It depends. Am I going to be rejected? Because if I am, then yes, I was simply implying you have a penis. A large, hairy one." He said, with a wild look in his eye. I took a deep breath.
"I don't think I could ever reject you, Jesse." I decided. "And I can't decide if that's good or bad."
He pondered this. "So...you wouldn't reject this?"
And he bent his head down, slowly bringing his broad face closer to mine. My eyes fluttered closed and his lashes brushed my cheeks. They were long and his soft hair fell into my eyes. He bent my head back and kissed me throat, softly. He then peppered kissed up my neck and over my chin, before he reached my lips. There, he pulled me right next to him, nearly in his lap and pressed his lips strongly against my own, chapped ones. He tasted like cotton candy, I told him.
"You taste like coffee." He decided. He then gave me a quick peck and smiled. "And Blistex."
We laughed and kissed the rest of the walk home. I went to bed that night feeling like I could fly. I woke up early and called my Mom. She was thrilled that I had made 'friends'. More like one, gorgeous, charming, sly boyfriend, Mother. But I let her think what she would. I couldn't have anyone ruining this amazing feeling. Jesse Bonds was my boyfriend. Nanny nanny boo boo, to every girl back in Arizona that has ever called me a freak.
We spent every night together. After another week of our usual routine, he announced that he was taking me out to dinner. Like a normal boyfriend, he explained. You deserve the best.
He was so sweet. I was head over heels and he seemed to be the same. When I wasn't with him, I was on the phone with him. I realized that I was now the one blowing my Dad off, when he took off work to spend time with me. It made me feel awful, but I was on Cloud Nine. He was all the way back on Cloud One, where I had been before I met Jesse.
Jesse was amazing. He gave me confidence to do things I never imagined. He took me out, he made me feel like a real woman. Every guy I had dated before him just wanted to get in my pants. Jesse wanted me to keep them on. He respected me.
Until August rolled around. It became clearer and clearer that I was leaving very shortly. He tried to ignore it, and continued to baffle me with his tours of the city and his knowledge of miscellaneous information. He made me laugh, he made me forget that one day soon, I was going to have to leave him. It tore me apart, but it was true. And I cried every minute I was without him.
It was our last week together, when I told him I want to take it to the next level. He protested. He said I was too young for that kind of emotional toll and I needed a boyfriend who would be there every step of the way. He said I needed an American boyfriend. Somone who actually lived in Arizona, let alone the U.S.
"I don't want some silly old American boy," I had told him, climbing into his lap. "I want my sexy, guitar playing British man."
We made love. It was painful, but he walked me through it and he made me feel safe in his arms. He was gentle and soft and I enjoyed it after I got past the awkward positioning. Afterwards, he caressed me and let me snuggle into his chest. I fell asleep in his arms, not unlike many other nights. But this was different. I could feel it in my bones, in the way we breathed in sync. We had created something. We had created life.
We didn't even think about condoms. I wasn't on birth control, though I probably should have been before we did anything, but it seemed silly. It was almost like I wanted to get pregnant. If I was pregnant, then I would have something of his to take with me back home. He worried about it for a little while, but I told him he was making me sad. I wanted our last days together to be special. But in the back of my mind, I knew it couldn't be our last days. I pulled out all the stops. I asked my Dad if I could live with him permanently, not just over the summer anymore. He told me he'd feel too bad about leaving me alone year round, but I insisted that I had plenty of friends to keep me company. I called my Mom to ask her. She rejected the idea instantly. I cried. I yelled at her, saying it was only because I was happier with Dad and she couldn't stand the thought of me being happy. She hung up.
I cried at the airport. Dad wanted to be there, you could see how torn up he was, but he had a big project at work that needed his attention. I hugged him and assured him that this had been the best summer ever. I would be back for Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. That cheered him up a lot. The strange thing was, I had my suspicions about Dad. It seemed like he kept his job one big, crazy secret for a reason. Sometimes it felt like he wasn't even in London with me.
Jesse drove me to the airport. He borrowed his brother's car, on account of his motorcycle not being able to hold me suitcases. I cried the whole way there. He was silent and broody, very unlike him. I just mumbled about how much I would miss him the whole ride and how much I loved him and wanted to stay. He kept his arm around me through the airport and he carried my bags. I sniffled and clung to him, but he stayed stony. Finally, when security told him he couldn't go any further, he turned to me.
"Isabella Marie Swan," He murmured, braiding his fingers in my hair. "I love you with all my heart and soul. And I can't bear to see you go, but you're still seventeen, my lovely. You have to."
He got on one knee.
"Bella...this ring is a reminder to you. The minute you turn eighteen, I am flying to America and we are getting married. I love you, Bella. Never forget it."
I flew back home with a smile on my face and my eyes glued to the beautiful ring on my finger. It wasn't terribly big, but it did the job it was intended to. It was a constant reminder that he loved me. I ran to my Mom in the airport, screaming. We jumped up and down for a whole ten minutes, before I finally calmed down enough to tell her what was going on. She burst into tears. I thought she was mad, but then she told me.
"I'm just so happy you don't hate me, baby." She giggled through her tears. "I thought you really were happier with your Father. Now I know, you're in love! Ooo, I love love!"
My Mother was a hippie. She loved life and she loved peace. Our house was full of homemade candles and beads, not to mention our windows were constantly open to let the fresh air in. Mom had a room connection to mine, and most would teenage girls would hate that. But I felt like I was sharing a room with a friend instead of my Mom. I knew she would have a heart attack if I told we had sex, so I kept that part to myself. My Mother was a lot of things, but loose she was not.
"I just couldn't bear to see you make the same mistakes I did." She once told me.
"Gee, thanks." I had said, sarcastically, picking up a piece of chicken.
She turned to me and put a hand on my face. "Oh, baby, having you wasn't a mistake. Having you so young was my mistake. You're Father and I weren't in love and we were blinded by the lust."
"So...you're saying having a baby young is always a bad thing?" I had checked, rubbing my stomach in her direction. She snorted and swatted my backside.
"If you're in love? Then I'd say its the most beautiful thing in the universe. But only if you're really in love."
And I was in love. I stayed up all night talking to him, though it was much later in London then it was in the United States. He didn't mind though. He told me that he sees my Dad around the city every once in a while and that the coffee just isn't the same without me. He says I was great for business and that a ton of people were in and out of the shop to hear him play. I was so excited for him. I told all about senior year and how I made a friend, Angie. She wasn't very social, but she was really nice.
Angie and I hit it off right away. We were in gym class, because we were stupid and didn't take it Freshman year like everyone else. She was filing her nails, yes, filing her nails in the locker room. She was smacking her gum and I asked her if I could have a piece. She tossed one my way and we sat together the rest of the period on the bleachers.
"My Mom is a druggie, you know." She informed me, smacking her gum. "So, if were going to be friends, you can count on me being at your house twenty four fucking seven."
She had this horrible laugh, that was like a wheezing and snort, but it worked for her. Guys flocked around her, because she dressed incredibly slutty. But she claimed she dressed how she felt and she felt slutty. She didn't have any friends because she just moved here from New York City and she didn't have any interest in these wannabes in Arizona. I agreed. She was very open and she told me everything about herself within the first day we met. I ended up spilling everything about Jesse instantly.
"Ooo, a Brit." She giggled. "I hear they're sexy. I'm more of a European man myself. They're just so tall and dark. Nothing like my bum of a Father. God, my Mother was such a ditz. Pass the salt, bitch, you're keeping it all to yourself."
Jesse talked to her a few times. She stayed the night a lot, because she couldn't stand her Mom and mine was just so glad I had a friend. She often answered the phone when Jesse called and he often told me he liked her spunk. It was almost as refreshing as mine, he said. On September thirtieth, I turned eighteen. Jesse called me a million times the day before, saying he was getting on his plane and he couldn't wait to see me and he was taking me to Vegas. That was also the day I found out I was pregnant.
I told him at the airport. Angie drove us, because she didn't want me to be alone with this crazy 'Brit' without her approval. I complied, secretly realizing I would need a witness anyway. I sat in the backseat with Jesse, while he softly rubbed my still flat belly and cooed to it, like an idiot. But he was my idiot and he was excited. I left a message for my Mom that we were going on a field trip and it completely slipped my mind. She waved it off, telling me to have fun and be a kid for once. Little did she know, I was fulfilling her greatest fears. I was eighteen, pregnant and getting married to a man I knew and fell in love with in a total of four months.
Angie flipped when she found out where we were going. She was even more freaked out when I told her I was pregnant.
"Oh, of all the girls at that funky school, I ended up with the pregnant girl." She cried, rolling her eyes. "If I'm not the godmother, I'm going to kill someone."
Jesse put up with her, good naturedly. But he often told her to be quiet. He said Daddy trumped Godmother, ask anyone. I agreed with him, much to Angie's dismay. But she pouted and got over it, enjoying the small road trip. We were married three days after my birthday, in a little chapel in Vegas. Jesse was a smartass, and told the 'minister' that God was our witness and we only needed Angie. Who, by the way, was a riot.
"Do I need to sign my whole name, or can I just put Angie W.?" She asked the man. "I should probably put Angela, it sounds so much more God motherly. Fuck, what a mess."
Angie entertained herself in the city, while Jesse and I spent the evenings making love and talking about the baby. It sounds so cheesy and fake now that I look back on it, but I was just so madly in love. Angie said it was because he was my baby Daddy. I think she was right.
Going home was a nightmare though. Mom had a heart attack, like I had known she would and I had to calm her down with her smelling salts and a cool bandana. Don't ask me, that was just Renee for you.
"Oh, you're pregnant. I'm having a grandbaby." She had cried, softly. "Oh, and you're in love!"
It was a hard six months after that. Jesse and I argued like all couples, but we resolved all issues easily. The most awful issue was baby names. He wanted to name her Sally. I vetoed that one right away. Angie protected me at school, from all the bitches and the jerks that surrounded us. Guys were always trying to touch me and kiss me, because they now thought I was easy. Girls talked about me behind my back and pointed at me in class, giggling and snickering about my swelling belly. Jesse protected me everywhere else. At the stores, women looked at me like I was trash and he always told them to stop staring.
"Haven't you ever seen a Mother before? Hags." He would mutter, guiding me through the mall. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
Mom let him stay in my room. "You're already pregnant, what else could happen?"
Plus, we were married. He was my husband and I was his wife. As the months went on, I got bigger and bigger, until finally we were at my ninth month and I was in the delivery room. And, keep in mind, labor is not a pretty thing. Sure, it's a miracle and all that stuff, but it's also incredibly painful and gross. Angie, Jesse and Mom stayed by my side the whole time. Dad even flew in from London to meet poor beautiful baby girl.
It was horrible trying to agree on a name. I was being difficult and we both knew it, but I didn't care. I wanted her name to be special. I wanted it to have meaning. He rattled off names for three whole days, before a nurse finally told us that we were going home and we would have to pick a name before we left. And the he suggested it.
"What about Allison?" He said, rocking her gently in the chair next to my bed. It took me a minute to realize why he would suggest it.
"Like the Breakfast Club." I gasped, catching on to the meaning. "Jesse...that's horrible. Perfect, but horrible."
And so it was decided. We now had a beautiful baby girl named Allison Katrina Bonds. Jesse joked that he would call her Bender. I smacked him and told him that she was not a tortured soul and she would never be ignored by us. He agreed. Dad wasn't thrilled about my decisions, but he supported me nonetheless. Jesse got a job in Arizona, playing music in a bar, much like his job at the coffee shop. I finished high school, with his and Mom's help. Not to mention Angie's killer baby changing skills. She said it was not the first time she'd had to powder a baby's butt. I doubted she was talking about an actually baby, so I let that one go.
Allison was a month old when Jesse got the email from his Mom. She wanted him to come home and visit, with me and Allison. He ran it by me and I told him I was just too tired to go anywhere and that Allison was still way too young to fly. He knew I was right and he regretfully told hid Mom that it would just be him visiting this time. I promised her we would try when Ally was a little older. Saying goodbye to him was really hard, even if I knew he was coming right back.
"Goodbye, Ally Kat." He murmured, touching his nose to hers. She cooed and he chuckled. It brought tears to my eyes. He continued his parting with her. "Don't so anything terribly important while Daddy is away. And take care of your Mother. She'll need some support, alright love?"
I cried. He kissed my tears away and told me it was only for two weeks and he would be home before I knew it. That didn't make me miss him any less.
"I love you." He murmured, before he walked out the door.
We got along fine during his absence. Mom helped me a lot and Angie practically moved in with us. He called me every day and every night, insisting he talk to Ally and sing her to sleep. Until one night,, he didn't call. I panicked, to be perfectly honest. It was four in the morning when I got a call from his Mother. She was crying.
"Bella? Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry. My baby boy, oh, I'm so sorry!" She wailed, before his brother took the phone from her. He was sniffling.
"Bella? I...I don't know how to tell you this. But...Jesse...he was in an accident this afternoon and...he died."
I fainted.
Mom then proceeded to faint right along with me.
Angie stood tall though and rocked Angie, while she tried to wake us up. I woke up after my Mom and when I saw they were both in tears...I knew it wasn't a dream. Jesse, my Jesse, was gone. I can't remember anything after the phone call. It's all a blur of tears and hugs. In fact, I don't remember much of anything until Allison was about one year old. That was when things started to go...a little bit back to normal. I was still hurting and in horrible pain, but it was a fact now. Jesse was dead and there was nothing I could do about it.
I tried not to focus on the what if's. What if I had gone with him like he wanted? What if he had driven his brother's car instead of that stupid motorcycle like I asked him? What if his Mother hadn't asked him to visit? What if he wasn't dead? It always brought on a new round of tears and after awhile, I was just too tired to cry anymore. And Ally needed her Mother to be strong.
Ally became my whole entire world. I was with her round the clock, feeding her and changing her and rocking her to sleep. I barely slept anymore, so it didn't phase me when I had to get up at two in the morning because Ally was screaming. It was just the routine. But every night, while I shushed a wailing baby, I cried and wished for Jesse to come and save me. I didn't want to be normal without him.
Until Angie sat me down one day and spelled it out for me.
"Bella," She sighed, running a hand through her now flat hair. "Ally needs you. Ally needs you to be strong for her. I know it hurts, hun, I know it hurts. But she needs you to step up and be the Mom we know you can be. Jesse isn't here and we all wish he was. But things will be okay. You have us."
I took those words to heart and I applied them to our life everyday. Up until today, to be exact. Ally's fourth birthday.
"Ally Kat! C'mon, all your friends will be here soon! We have to get ready." I called up the stairs. Mom was humming in the kitchen, making her birthday cake, while Angie was upstairs with Allison, getting her dressed for the party. It was a Barbie theme, thanks to Angie. I would have been happy with any theme but Barbie, but Angie always insisted that every little girl needed to have a Barbie themed birthday.
"Calm down, Mama! I comin'!" She yelled, prancing down the stairs in her pink poufy tutu. Her speech was still a bit hard to understand, but I thought it was cute. She jumped into my arms and I let out a large breath when she hit me.
"You're getting big, girlie." I teased her, setting her down. She giggled and ran into the kitchen, calling for her Nana to play with her. I heard my Mom oomph when Ally knocked into her and reminded her that she needed to be more gentle. The doorbell rang and I quickly went to get it, thinking it was the pizza man.
Instead, it was Alice Cullen and her little girl, Jada. Her husband, Jasper, was at the car, unloading a large birthday gift from the trunk. Ally came running.
"Is dat for me?" She asked, pointing at the large princess wrapped box.
"Duh." Little Jada scoffed, taking her hand. They ran out back and I heard little screams. Obviously, Ally had shown Jada the moon bounce.
Jada and Ally met at Trinity Pre School this year. Alice was constantly volunteering in the class, as was I when I wasn't working. She actually thought that Angie and I were lesbians when she saw the Angie and I traded off days going into the class. We set that one straight rather quickly. Alice was a tiny woman, with a large bloated belly. She was pregnant with her second child, another baby girl, but she was still full of energy and smiles. She wasn't nearly as whiny as I was when I was pregnant.
"Oh, Bella, what a cute little party." Alice squealed when she saw the Barbie balloons and posters hung up around the living room. She peered outside and saw the moon bounce, before giggling and sending Jasper out to make sure Angie didn't get hurt jumping with the girls.
We sat down on the couch after I made sure Mom was alright in the kitchen. She was covered in flour, but she was fine. Alice stretched her legs out on the coffee table and pulled a container of kettle korn out of her massive purse. I snorted and she shot me a look.
"I've had these weird mini cravings all month." She explained, shoving a handful of caramel into her mouth. "They're not full blown cravings, but they're strong."
"I remember those. I wanted nothing but cheez its for four months straight." I laughed, taking a handful of kettle korn for myself. Alice was a young Mother like I was. Granted, she was older then me by four years, but she was still young. I just turned twenty one this year and I had a four year old. When Alice was twenty one, she was drinking it up in Cancun with her girls. I still live with my Mother.
The doorbell continued to ring through out the hour and eventually, it was the pizza man. All of Ally's little friends showed up, including little Charley. After Jesse died, my Mom signed me up for a support group. It was for single Mother's only and it didn't matter why you were a single Mother. You just had to be single. I made a few friends while I was there. Irina and Kate Denali, who were both sisters and both Mom's.
I kind of connected with Kate because her husband also died in a car accident and it was really unexpected, like mine had been. She has two little boys, Tommy and John, who were twins. It seemed that John had a little crush on Ally, so Angie often liked to joke that my two favorite Breakfast Club characters were together at last.
Charley was Irina's little girl. Irina's husband got her pregnant and moved to France with his mistress around five years ago and she never heard from him again. Charley looked just like her Father, with dark skin and an untamable little afro of curls. Ally came home and told me that some kids pick on her because of the skin color difference that Irina and her have. I think its horrible, but when I mentioned it to Irina, she just shrugged and told me 'shit happens'.
Charley and the boys ran out back to play with Ally and Jada, much to our enjoyment. Jasper stayed outside with the kids and a moment after the others got here, Angie came huffing in. She pointed outside and hung her head.
"Man," She panted. "Those kids can jump. Fuck. Fuck, I'm having an attack."
"What kind of an attack?" Kate asked, worriedly. She was a nurse at the hospital in town and she was seriously about to go into doctor mode.
"I don't know. An attack, a fucking attack." She complained, stumbling over to sit next to me. "Hold me, you unloving bitch."
"Angie," I sighed. "You're at a four year old's birthday party. Language."
"Jesus, I didn't know you were the language police." She laughed, sitting up and gripping her side. "Katie, honey, can you hook me up with some painkillers? I have an itch, that needs to be scratched."
I smacked her as she got up to go check out the situation in the kitchen. Angie had never moved out after I had Ally and I was thankful for it. I needed all the help I could get and Angie was one hundred percent helpful. Even if she was a child. A potty mouthed child, but a definite child. The doorbell rang again and I heard Angie run to get it.
"Ooo la la, who is the gorgeous hunk of ass?" Angie squealed, running a hand through her hair. She had let it grow out to its natural dark color and she had bangs, instead of the large messy hairdo she had when we met.
"My name is Edward Cullen. I've come to get Jasper. May I come inside?" A smooth, velvety voice asked from behind the door.
Alice rolled her eyes. "He is not so bored that he had to call him."
"Cullen?" I asked, confused. "Alice, is he your brother or something?"
"You're close," She sighed. "He's my creepy uncle."
"Uncle?" I scoffed. "Why would Jasper call him?"
She looked around the corner and brought us all in for a huddle. Angie was still entertaining him at the door, because if she didn't know him he was not coming. Four years of children will do that to you.
"My Gran had my Dad and then waited, like, fifteen years to have my Uncle. It's really weird, he's a real creep. Jasper met him at this family thing a few years ago and they hit it off, which is weird, because he's like eight years older then Jazzy." She explained in a hushed tone. "I hate it when he's around Jada because he always gives her these really nasty looks. Like he wants to hit her. And he's always yelling for her to shut up."
"Freaky." Irina whispered, in an off tone. "Is he single? Because I could really use a good lay."
We smacked her and she giggled. We straightened up when we heard Angie's fast footsteps running towards us. She hopped on the ottoman in front of me and leaned forward. "That is one freaky motherfucker. I told him to wait in the foyer while I went and got Jazz. He gave me the heebee-jeebees." She shivered, shaking her shoulders violently for effect.
"Bella, you should go talk to him." Irina suggested. "He seems like your type."
I gave her a sarcastic look and she sat back, smugly. "Guys, someone has to seriously go by him to get Jazz, because I don't want him in my house if he's, like, a child molester. Alice? He's your Uncle."
She huffed. "I'm also six months pregnant. Do you want him to molest my stomach, or what?"
"Well, technically, the kid wouldn't really feel it if he tottled your belly. So, that would save you money on therapy when she's older." Angie explained, seriously. Alice glared at her and waddled over to the foyer to talk to him. I followed her, deciding that if she was going to die, I might as well be there to witness it. Angie followed my lead to a point, where she stood behind the wall to listen, intently. Kate and Irina followed her lead.
"Uncle Edward!" Alice cheered, a great big fake smile on her face. "What are you doing here? Did Jazzy call you?"
He turned around and I stumbled back. It wasn't because he was scary or anything, he was just...so handsome for a creeper. Angie was right, he definitely had a strange vibe to him, but he was nice to look at. I felt odd thinking that because, of the look he was giving me. He just stared at me and stared at me until I shifted my feet and he stared at them. Alice snapped her fingers and he looked up at her.
"Sorry, Alice." He said, shaking his head. "Yes, Jasper called and left a message. He said he was in need of some male bonding time. He told me the address and I came by to rescue him."
"Nine one one, what is your emergency?" I heard Angie mumble in the back. Kate shushed her and Edward peered back, before looking to me again. He gave me a once over and then a twice over. It got really uncomfortable when he gave me a third over. That's when I cleared my throat. It's also when Jasper came strutting into the room.
"Edward, my man!" He cheered, going over to high five him. Edward never took his eyes off me.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met." He chuckled, stepping away from Jasper and going towards me. It was like a predator, going after his prey. "I'm Edward Cullen. And you?"
"Bella." I gulped. "Bella Swan."
He smirked. "Bella means beautiful in Italian, you know. Are you Italian, love?"
Love. Jesse. "I don't know." I said, gaining confidence. "Does it matter?"
He frowned at the harsh tone and clucked his tongue. "Is this your birthday party, child?"
I scoffed, just as Ally came running into the room with a scrape on her knee. "Mama! Mama! I got's a boo!" She cried, pointing at her knee. She had tears in her eyes and she leaped into my arms. Edward blinked a few times and I realized he expected her to run to Kate or Irina.
"A boo?" I cried, playing along. "Well, you poor baby! Mama will get you a band aid."
"I'm all over it, Bella." Jasper said, coming over to take her hand. "How does My Little Pony sound, princess?"
"It sound like I all better." She sniffled, going with him, no problem. Jasper was like an Uncle figure for her. Jada and Alice were always over, but Ally thrived on Jasper's visits. She loved being around boys, she just never got the chance. She flipped when Dad came to visit, or when we went to see Jesse's family in London.
"You have a daughter?" Edward gasped. "You're, what, twelve?"
"She's twenty one, dipshit." Angie growled, coming in to save me. "Now, get the Jiz and get out?"
He looked me over again. "Twenty one? Well, aren't you just a naughty little Mommy. Having a baby...well, darling you're practically a child yourself. Hmm."
"Jasper!" Alice called, putting her hands over her stomach.
He came in without Ally and I assumed she went out to play. He kissed Alice and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Bells, I would stay, but there's just not enough testosterone in the air. I need my dose of it, every now and then. Now, just happens to be that time."
"It's cool, Jazz. I'll let Ally know you're sorry." I told him, waving it off. Iled closer to him, hoping to shield myself from the freak in my doorway.
"How mad do you think she'll be?" He asked, sadly.
"Pretty fucking miffed, but she'll get over it. Go, have your big boy time! We're having a party, just us girls. Well, except for Bender and Brian out on the moon bounce." I said, humorously. He chuckled and nodded, heading out the door. Edward stood his ground. He gave a small, evil chuckle and smiled at me.
"Goodbye for now, my dear. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Or, at least I'll be seeing you." He winked, before waltzing out the door behind Jasper. I stumbled and shut it before leaning against it, gasping.
"Fucking lunatic!" I breathed, looking at Alice. "You're related? Why the fuck does Jasper hang with him?"
Alice rolled her eyes, as Tommy and Charley came running in. "He says he's a nice guy and that he's just nervous around women. He comes off strong, he claims. If you ask me, he's just a pervert."
"What's a per-per-pervert?" Charley asked, catching her breath. Alice whipped around, best she could in her state and widened her eyes. She had obviously not realized they were standing there.
"It's a mean word, don't say it." She warned them.
"What's going on guys?" Kate asked, going over to the counter to pour herself some punch.
"Come watch us do back jumps, Mommy!" Charley squealed, running over to grab Irina's hand. "We really good."
"Oh, toots, I'm sure you're fantastic. We'll be out in a minute, right girls?" She said, kicking her feet up. "We're having Mommy time."
We nodded and murmured in agreement. I would have started the games, but it was still a little early and kids should still be arriving. We went out after Alice concluded that Edward had gone through some stuff with her Grandpa's death and how it screwed up his head.
"My Grandpa was a drinker and he was really mean and sexist. Its caused Edward to feel the need to be dominant in every situation he's in. It's just like a safety thing for him. Once, when I was ten, I saw him pounding this girl who was literally shackled to his bedpost. It really freaked me out and I told my Mom, but she said it was normal. I think it's called BDSM or some shit like that. Anyway, it was really freaky. I couldn't sleep for a week." She told us out on the patio.
"Amen to that." Angie nodded, opening a beer. I gave her a disdainful look and she ignored me. I didn't want her drinking in front of the kids, but we were kids ourselves. The doorbell rang again, so I let it slide.
After the party, Angie helped me clean up, but she then passed out on the couch at nine o'clock. I rolled my eyes and carried Ally up to bed. I smoothed back her dark curls and admired her beauty. I could feel myself tearing up and I sniffled to keep it back, but eventually it went free. It took me a few minutes to calm myself, but I reasoned it was normal. I just was dying without Jesse here to share these wonderful moments with me.
The phone rang and I told me Mom I would get it as she went up the stairs.
"Hello?" I answered, running a hand through my hair.
There was breathing. I waited for a moment before I frowned and said hello again. Nothing. Just as I was about to hang up, an eerie voice on the other line whispered,
"Don't cry, child."
And hung up.
That was when it all started.