The Kid Contest
That Summer
JenniP
6,169 words
Romance
Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to S. Meyer, not me.
"Look! It's a – what is it?"
"It's a baby carrier, you big oaf!"
"I thought that's what strollers and arms were for! How can something so little need so much…equipment?"
"The smaller they are, the more they need. Trust me on that one, my man."
"Hey! I resemble that remark!"
We all laughed at Alice's retort to Jasper's comment. It was true, though. She was the smallest of us all, yet had acquired more in her first twenty-six years than most people do in a lifetime.
As her big brother, I was proud that Alice had turned her lifetime hobby – or obsession, depending on how you looked at it – into a career as a buyer for Nordstrom. It was nice to know that the torture I'd endured in my teen years by our parents had paid off. Every weekend, they'd forced me to drive Alice to the mall. Now, she came in clutch when I didn't know what to get Rosalie for her birthday…or our anniversary…or Christmas. Now I would have to worry about Mother's Day, too.
I looked down at my wife, her face glowing with excitement at all the baby gear that Alice and Jasper had gotten for us. She was only five months along, and her belly was barely beginning to swell – but I'd never seen her look so hot. Even the summer that we met, when I knew she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on, couldn't hold a candle to the way she looked with my baby in her belly.
I sat down on the couch beside Rose, and she rested her head against my shoulder. I reached across my body to put a hand on the little ball that was now her stomach.
"Well, would you look at that," Jasper said. "Emmett, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were having a 'moment' right now."
"Shut your mouth, Hale," I said, grinning from ear to ear. I knew I probably looked like a girlie-man, but I didn't care. I loved my wife and I loved the baby that we made together and I didn't care what Jasper, or anyone else, had to say about it.
"Hey babe," Rose whispered. "Any chance you're hungry? I know we just had lunch, but I could really go for –"
"A Pop-Tart!" Alice interrupted.
"Yeah! How'd you know?" Rose replied.
"The amazing Alice sees all!" my sister announced in her best Wizard of Oz voice.
"Do you have any, or do you want us to go get you some?"
"We're out. Would you mind terribly? I'm sure Emmett wouldn't mind, would you babe? Babe?"
I snapped out of my daydream world and looked at Rose. She'd seen the look on my face enough times to know I had no clue what she'd just said.
"You wouldn't mind going to get some Pop-Tarts for me, would you?"
"Oh, no, babe. That's cool," I said, sitting up.
"Sit down, big bro, we've got this," Alice said. "I need to pick up a couple of things anyway."
"Yeah," remarked Jasper, "you know my girl. Never passes up the chance to go to the store."
She giggled as he put his arm around her. I was so glad my little sis had found someone like Jasper. He looked at her the way I looked at Rose.
After making sure Rose didn't need anything else, Alice and Jasper headed out for the store.
I reached for the remote and Rose gave me that 'not now, please' look. I sat it back down and grabbed her feet, pulling them up into my lap.
"What were you thinking about, just now?" she asked, a smile playing across her lips.
"I was just remembering the summer we met. How I thought I'd never seen anything hotter than you before. Back then, I just thought I knew what dreams were until you started working at the pool."
"Gee, babe, you sure know what to say to make a girl feel special."
"Seriously, I know that sounds cheesy, but you really were, uh, are the epitome of every dream girl I'd ever had, all rolled into one. Now here you sit, more beautiful than I've ever seen you, and you're going to have our baby. It's pretty unbelievable."
"Tell me more about these young boy fantasies, Mr. Cullen."
"Well, I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning, Mrs. Cullen," I started.
My mind went back to that hot, hot summer fifteen years ago – the summer I officially became a teenager. I could almost see the events of those ten weeks playing out in my head as I began to relay the story to Rose…
"Em, c'mon, please? Please play with me? If you will, I'll make your bed for a week."
Edward started every single day the same way – begging me to play baseball with him and his friends. Now it's not that baseball wasn't my thing, it's just that I wasn't much for playing with a bunch of ten-year-olds when there was perfectly good cable to watch. I knew, though, that I should be there to help out my little bro. Edward wasn't bad with the stick, and he didn't throw like a girl, which was a plus. When it came to running bases, that kid could fly. I'd never seen anything like it. Of course, none of the other kids had ever seen anyone with so much speed before, either. When you paired that freakish ability with the fact that Edward had spent the previous three summers in the house practicing the piano instead of playing capture the flag, you ended up with a lot of teasing. It's not that I didn't think my brother could handle it, but I didn't want him to feel all alone. So, I always ended up going out to the field to play with him, even when it was the last thing I wanted to do.
"Ed, dude, you promised me that yesterday. Tell you what; I'll come play with you guys in a while, okay? Just let me sleep for a while and I'll meet you after lunch, deal?"
"Really, Emmett? Awesome!" he exclaimed as he ran out of my room and bounded down the stairs.
I rolled back over and covered my head with my pillow, easily drifting back to sleep.
When I woke up, it was noon. Lazily, I got out of bed and put on the first thing my hands could reach on the floor. I sniffed at the shirt, just to make sure it didn't smell too awful. Luckily, it was the tee that I'd worn as an undershirt last night when our parents took us out for dinner, so it was fine. I pulled on my Umbro shorts and dug a pair of socks out of my top drawer. I threw on my sneakers and found a hat, then headed to the bathroom. I debated on whether I wanted to brush my teeth or just chew on some Big Red, but since I didn't have pockets in my shorts, I opted for the brushing. I grabbed my glove and bat and headed out.
The walk to the baseball fields wasn't far, and I didn't regret not taking my bike until I was about halfway there. It was hot -ridiculously, muggy, wish-I-was-old-enough-to-drive hot. By the time I made it to the ball field, my eyes were stinging from the sweat that was dripping into them. I looked around the three fields that made up the property and didn't see anyone. I started making plans to give Edward the worst wedgie ever if I had walked all the way here for nothing.
I walked toward the dugout of the coach-pitch field, and when I turned the corner, my eyes almost bugged out of my head. There, on the bench, sat my little brother, with a girl.
What is this? I thought. Edward can get chicks, and I can't? Nah, she must be one of those "special" kids. Or maybe she's from another country…
Upon closer inspection, I could see that they were talking very intently to one another. I was dying to know what two eleven-year-old kids could be so intense about.
"Hey little bro!" I said, maybe a little too loudly. "Who's your pal, huh? I thought you were playing ball – or did everyone go home because you can bake bread out here?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Edward said, his eyes never leaving the ground. "This is Bella. She's Chief Swan's daughter, and she's here for two weeks. She lives in Arizona – how cool is that? She says it's hot there all the time, even at Christmas!"
I should have known that they'd be talking about something so stupid. I was about to turn around and head home, when I saw Edward pick his eyes up and glance over at the little girl. As soon as she realized it, she blushed. It was cute, in a kid kind of way.
"So," I said, trying to get Edward's attention as he looked at Bella with googlie eyes. "You want to come over to our house, Bella? Our parents know your Dad, so I'm sure it'd be okay. We could call him from the pay phone up at Newton's if you want."
"Oh, no," she said, looking up at me and smiling. "I'm headed to the pool. Do you want to come with me? Since my Dad's the Chief, I get in for free."
"Awesome!" Edward said, jumping up from the grass and brushing himself off like a girl.
"Yeah, that sounds cool," I said. I knew that I would need to go home and grab my trunks before I went. I hoped that Mom had washed my black ones. It would be embarrassing if I had to wear the ones she bought me last year with the flames on them - especially if Rosalie Hale was the lifeguard today.
Just thinking about that girl made my stomach get all twisted. I might have to visit the bathroom before I headed to the pool.
"I'll meet you guys there," I said. "Bro, you want me to pick up a suit for you while I'm home?"
"Gosh, Emmett, that'd be great. I'm going to walk with Bella if you don't mind."
"Nah, man, that's cool. I'll ride my bike back over there and meet you in a few."
I practically ran home, despite the heat. I raced into the house. The living room was empty, and it was quiet, which could only mean that my Mom and Alice were in the backyard. My Dad was at work, like always.
I raced up the stairs and into my room where I attacked my dresser, throwing stuff everywhere looking for my trunks. When I couldn't find them, I ran downstairs and poked my head out of the back door.
"Mo-om!" I called out.
"Yes dear?" Mom's voice was faint. I figured she and Alice were somewhere down the hill near the creek.
"Do you know where my swim shorts are?"
"Laundry room! Where are you going?" I could hear her voice getting closer, just before I saw her enormous sun hat come up over the side of the hill.
"I'm going to the pool with Edward and his new pal, Bella."
"Bella? The Swan girl? I heard she was in town. That's great, dear, that you're being nice to her. Shouldn't you invite your sister, too?"
"C'mon, Mom, do I have to?"
"Well, I just think that the Swan girl might feel a little more comfortable if there were another girl present."
"Whatever," I said as I turned to go inside.
No sooner had I found my trunks in the laundry room than I heard Alice bounding up the staircase.
"Emmett! You better wait for me! I'll be down in three seconds!"
"Grab Edward's swim trunks!" I called after her.
I knew she I wouldn't have to wait long. I'd never seen anyone move as fast as my baby sister.
Not even a full minute later, she came back down the stairs, full beach bag in tow.
"Let's go!"
"I'm going to ride my bike. Do you want to ride with me on the back, or do you want to take yours?"
"I'll take mine," she said, "but will you take this?" She motioned her head toward the large bag on her shoulder. I knew she'd never be able to steer her bike with that thing hanging off her back. I slung it across my chest and we headed out.
The whole way there, Alice prattled on about…something. I couldn't tell you. I was too busy thinking about the pool. I said a little silent prayer that Rosalie would be there today so I could just look at her for a while. Then I said another prayer that she wouldn't be there, so I would be able to do something other than stand in the water, trying not to stare at her.
When we arrived at the Forks Community Center, we ditched our bikes near the tree line and headed for the fence that surrounded the pool. The sound of voices was deafening, but that was to be expected. It wasn't often that Forks had a non-rainy day that was hot.
Mrs. Cope sat in her director's chair beside the turnstile, under a giant umbrella. Even pouring sweat she smelled like old lady perfume. Alice and I smiled at her as she greeted us. Our family had helped pay for probably half of this place, so we were never charged the usual two dollars to get in.
I followed Alice as she walked around the pool looking for some chairs to put our stuff on. I looked up at the lifeguard tower and was relieved, but saddened, to see one of the male lifeguards, James, sitting in the chair. I should have been happy – the guys were usually more laid back than the girls when it came to horsing around in the water – but I couldn't help my disappointment that a certain cute blonde wasn't watching out for my safety today.
Alice finally found two chairs beside each other and plopped her enormous bag down on one of them. I spotted Edward and Bella over near the concession stand and headed that way.
"So, what's up kids?" I asked, obviously surprising both of them.
"Um, nothing," Edward said. "We just figured we'd grab a snow cone before you got here, but you're here. You want one?"
"Nah, but you can buy me some nachos and a hot dog. I left my cash at the house."
Edward rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket as he relayed the order to the girl working behind the counter. Bella looked around aimlessly while we waited for our food, and I scoped out the pool, looking for any familiar faces.
I didn't see anyone I knew, but that didn't surprise me. Most of my friends were off at summer camp, or on vacation with their families. I'd begged to be sent to camp this year with my best friend, Garrett, but Mom had said no. She was a hippie at heart, and she said that summer was meant for freedom and exploration – not organized activities.
Alice be-bopped her way over to where we sat and began picking at my nachos while I ate my hot dog.
"Hey, now!" I said, throwing a protective arm around the paper tray. "I'm a growing boy! No fair eating all my food!"
"Oh, can it," she replied. "I just wanted a taste. Hey twin," she said, turning to Edward. "Your suit's in my bag."
"Thanks, Alice," he responded, never bothering to look at her. He was too busy hanging onto every word Bella Swan said.
After I scarfed down my nachos and dog, I headed toward the water. Alice made some smart remark about waiting half an hour, and I told her to go tell Mom if she wanted to.
I walked around to the deep end and backed up to the edge of the concrete. A blonde-haired kid was treading water in my line of trajectory, and I motioned for him to move over to the side of the pool.
Cannon balls were forbidden at the Fork's Community Center. That didn't mean I wasn't going to do one anyway.
I bent my knees slightly, like a track star waiting on my mark. Then I sprung up, took two quick strides, and threw my body toward the water, raising my knees to my chest as I went. I crashed down into the pool and plummeted toward the bottom. When I finally surfaced, my eyes went immediately toward the lifeguard stand. I was hoping for a thumbs-up from James, but I got an eyeful of something totally different.
Peering down at me over the top of her glasses was none other than Rosalie Hale.
I smiled and waved sheepishly at her. She glared at me and pointed toward the ladder of the pool, her perfect mouth forming the word, "Out."
"Can't I just hang out in the shallow end?" I asked, grabbing on to the side of the pool beside the little blonde kid.
"No, you can't!" She yelled. "You almost killed my little brother, and you got me all wet! Out! Now!"
I looked at the kid beside me. He looked back up at me with widened eyes and whispered, "That was awesome."
I slowly – very slowly – made my way to the shallow end of the pool. I climbed the steps and walked straight over to the other end where Alice left our towels.
I turned around to face Rosalie, once my towel was firmly in place. She was looking down from her perch at me, and I mouthed the word "Sorry" and shrugged my shoulders. She turned her nose up in the air and went back to applying sunscreen to her arms.
I sat down in the chair and tried my hardest not to watch her. It was impossible, though, with the way she was bending over to put that sunscreen on her legs. Just an inch more and I could've almost seen her…
"Are we all going to get kicked out now? That was stupid, Emmett," Alice said, choosing that moment to walk up and block my line of vision.
"Nah, she just made me get out of the water, that's all. She was very cool about it, though. She could've kicked us out, you know, but she chose not to. She's really nice."
"She? Oh, yeah. Rosalie. I think you've got a crush on her! Emmett and Rosalie, sittin' in a tree…"
"Shut up!" I half whispered, half yelled.
"O-oo-oh!" Alice said. "You do like her!"
"Like who?" Edward's voice came from behind Alice.
Great, now I was not only banished from hiding in the pool, but I was also surrounded by annoying eleven-year-olds. Thank god none of my friends were around; I'd never hear the end of it.
"Emmett likes Rosalie, the lifeguard!" Alice squeaked.
"Really?" Edward asked. "But, she's older than you. She's in high school."
"Shut up, man," I said. "I know! I'll be in ninth grade next year, remember? Anyway, I don't like her, like her. I just…I mean –"
"You're speechless!" Alice squeaked, again.
"Would you shut up, please? Don't you guys have something else to do besides bother me?"
"Not really," they all said in unison.
I sighed and sat back down, rifling through Alice's beach bag for a snack of some kind.
The next few seconds happened in slow motion.
I heard Edward say something like, "Don't" and that made me pick up my head. I looked up just in time to see Alice fall backward into the pool. I wasn't worried – Alice was a great swimmer – so I turned back down at the bag, still hunting something to eat. I looked back at the water, fully expecting see Alice's little head bobbing up. Instead, I just saw that little blonde-haired kid, Rosalie's little brother, still treading and looking down at the bottom of the pool. At that moment, I looked up to see Rosalie stand up on her platform and dive gracefully into the water.
That's when the slow motion stopped and everything started moving way too fast.
I scrambled from my chair and jumped into the water after Rosalie. I opened my eyes under the surface to see Rose scooping my little sister's limp body from the bottom of the pool. I pushed myself deeper into the water, determined to get to Alice. Rosalie shook her head at me and kicked her way past me, breaking through the top of the water seconds before I did.
"Get out and pull her up!" Rose screeched at me.
I pushed myself up with both arms, my butt slapping onto the hot concrete. Rosalie turned Alice toward me and I scooped her up in my arms, pulling her tiny body from the water and into a chair.
Her eyes were closed and it didn't look like she was breathing.
"Alice!" I screamed at her. "Alice, baby! Alice! Are you okay? Alice!"
Rose pushed me out of the way and laid her head on Alice's chest. She put her hands where her ear had been and began compressions. After about three pumps, Alice began to spit out water.
She opened her eyes and looked at me, then winked.
What?
By this time, practically everyone at the pool had gathered around us, forming a tight circle.
"Step back and let her breathe, people!" Rosalie shouted.
I looked at Rose in awe. That girl knew how to take charge; she was even bossing the grown-ups around!
I took Alice's arm and pulled her up into a sitting position. Rosalie began taking Alice's pulse as she gulped for air and coughed.
When Rose decided that Alice was okay, she stood up and said to the crowd, "Okay people, move it out. There's nothing to see here, she's fine!"
People started dispersing. Alice threw her arms around me and whispered in my ear, "Go thank her for saving your little sister's life, dummy."
I smiled down at Alice, amazed at what she had just done.
"Go!" she said, punching me in the shoulder. "I'm not fake-drowning for you again!"
As I walked behind Rosalie, trying to catch her before she reached the lifeguard stand again, I began to wonder what I should say to her. Should I just tell her thank you? Should I compliment her? Girls liked that sort of thing, right? But what would I say?
"Hey, thanks for saving my sister's life. You're pretty."
Or maybe…
"My sister's alive because of you, and I couldn't help but notice that you smell really good."
I decided to just wing it.
Rosalie stopped at the concession stand. I almost ran into the back of her, I was so lost in thought. She turned around and looked me dead in the eye, then said, "You're welcome; you don't have to thank me. It's my job."
"Yeah, well, thanks anyway, though. I don't know what happened. I mean, Alice is usually such a good swimmer. It all happened so fast…"
"It usually does," she said, rolling her eyes at me over her Coke.
"Yeah, so…" I trailed off. I had no idea what to say to a girl - especially this girl. It was times like these I wished that I had a big brother, so I'd know what to do.
"So, you're babysitting your little brother and sister today, huh?" Rosalie asked.
She's talking to me! I screamed in my head. My heart did a touchdown dance.
"Uh, yeah, I guess. I was supposed to be playing baseball with my little brother, but then it was so hot, we ended up here. Bella, that's the girl with my brother, it was her idea. Then my sister wanted to come, too, so I ended up stuck with the eleven-year-olds today."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rose replied. "My Mom made me bring my little brother today, too. I keep telling her that it's hard to work and watch him at the same time. Luckily, he's a good kid. He just stays in the pool all day, so it's not hard to keep an eye on him. Maybe I should introduce him to your brother and sister. He's going to be starting middle school with them in the fall."
"He doesn't go to school with them now?"
"No, our parents send us to private school until sixth grade. It's a family tradition, I guess. It stinks though, because then you start middle school and you don't have any friends."
"That must really suck," was all I could manage to say.
"Yeah," she grimaced. "So, your brother plays baseball? So does mine."
"He should come play with Edward, then. We play almost every day – rain or shine."
"We play?" she asked.
"Well, yeah, I go with him. I mean, he gets picked on a lot, so I'm just there to make sure things stay cool, you know?"
"Well, if you're playing, I might have to bring Jasper and stick around to watch."
She wanted to watch me play ball?
"Uh, yeah…sure…I mean, I could get Edward to call him next time we play, which is probably tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow would be good," she said, smiling. "I don't have to be here 'til three. Wait right here."
I watched as Rosalie walked back over to the concession stand and grabbed a pen and a ticket book off the counter. She walked back over, scribbling something on the paper along the way.
"Here, call me –er, call Jasper – tomorrow morning. We'll meet you guys over at the ball fields."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah, like I said, I'd really like him to meet some people. Plus, you'll be a freshman next year, right?"
"Uh-huh," I answered, now looking at the ground. I knew she couldn't have meant it when she said she wanted to watch me play. What sophomore girl wanted to hang out with a freshman? Especially a sophomore girl like Rosalie Hale.
"Well, then, you should probably get to know at least one upperclassman," she smiled.
"Uh…yeah, thanks," I managed to squeak out.
"Shoot, my break's over. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure, can't wait!"
"Me too...and, hey, Emmett?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell your sister the next time she fake-drowns in my pool, I'll kick her butt!"
What a woman.
"So I have Alice to blame for all of this," Rosalie asked, pointing to her belly and to me.
"You sure do. If I were you, I'd be sending her flowers every single day!"
"Well, she did help me get one of the hottest underclassmen at Forks High."
The sound of the door opening brought us back from our little walk down memory lane.
"We're ba-a-a-ck!" Alice yelled from the foyer.
Muffled voices followed behind her as she clacked her way into the kitchen.
"I didn't know what kind you wanted, and I left my cell here, so I just got you one of each!" Jasper was the one yelling now.
"That's another perk of being a member of this family," Rose said as she pulled her legs under herself on the couch. "Everyone takes such good care of one another."
Alice and Jasper appeared in the doorway, each holding out two boxes of Pop-Tarts.
"Pick your poison, sis," Jasper said.
"Strawberry…and the S'mores…one of each, please," Rose responded, blushing.
"Perfect!" said Alice, dancing back into the kitchen.
"Oh! I almost forgot! Guess what else we found at the store?" she called out from the other room.
"What?" Rose and I said in unison.
"Just a little something they picked up on the side of the road."
The moment I heard my little brother's voice, I jumped off the couch.
"Edward, bro! What…how…what are you doing here?"
"Uncle Emmie!" my second favorite female voice cried out.
I bent down as my niece, Renessme ran into my arms.
"Nessie-boo! You've gotten so big! I can't believe it!"
She latched her arms around my neck tightly as I stood up to give Bella a quick sideways hug.
"Bella, what is going on? Why are you guys here?"
"We were just in the neighborhood," began Edward, putting his arm around Bella's shoulders. He still looked at her with those same googlie eyes that he had the very first time he met her.
"Alice and Jasper called a couple of weeks ago and said they were planning on giving you guys all of your gifts once you found out what the baby was," Bella answered seriously.
"So, I'm assuming by all the purple and green that it's a girl?" Edward asked.
"Yeah, bro, can you believe it? I'm going to be a Dad to a girl."
"And a great Daddy at that," Rosalie said as she walked up beside me, snaking her arm through mine.
"Uncle Emmie's gonna be a Daddy? But my Daddy is a Daddy!"
"That's right, little lady," Edward said, taking Ness from my arms. "Now Uncle Emmett gets to be one, too. Why don't you go see if Aunt Alice can round up a sippy cup for you? Then you can come back and look at all the cool baby presents your new cousin got today, okay?"
I stood and looked at my brother in awe. He was such a good father to my niece. Even though we didn't see each other very often – he and Bella had moved to Chicago for college and it was their home now – I was always surprised to see how he handled being a parent. He had just the right mix of my Dad's authority and fairness with my Mom's tender heart.
We walked back into the living room, talking excitedly about Edward and Bella's life in Chicago, Renessme's newest accomplishments, and of course, our baby-to-be.
"I'm so glad it's a girl," Bella said. "I was hoping all of those thousands of dresses Alice bought wouldn't go to waste."
"No chance, Bell," Alice said, walking into the room with Ness attached to her hip. "I've already started buying for the new Cullen princess. We can't have her wearing baby couture from two years ago!"
"Silly me," Bella muttered.
"So," Edward started, "any plans yet for names?"
"Yes, Edward, in fact we were quite inspired by Nessie here," Rosalie replied. I could see the smile that was fighting to spread across her face, and I knew she was up to something.
"Really, how so?" my little brother asked.
"Well, we liked the way you created her name from your mother's names, and we decided to go a similar route. We're naming the baby, Emmettalie."
The looks on my family's faces were priceless. It took Rose all of three seconds to burst into laughter, the rest of the bunch following quickly behind her.
"I'm kidding," she gasped, still trying to stop laughing. "We'd never try to imitate a name like Renessme. It's a special name for a special little girl."
"Seriously, though," Edward pressed, "have you thought about it?"
"We've thought about a few things, but I think I decided this afternoon before you guys got here."
"You did?" I asked. I didn't know if she was serious or not.
"I did," she said, looking down. When she looked back up, her cheeks were just the slightest pink, and her eyes were bright and hopeful.
I'd seen this look a million times. She'd made her decision, and now it was my job to agree with her wholeheartedly.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice a whisper.
She looked me in the eye, her face more radiant than it was that perfect day so many years ago when all of this started. That crazy day that had led to this very moment. She opened her lips to speak, and what she said made my heart do the craziest touchdown dance ever.
"We're going to name her…Summer."
A/N: Thanks to ThatPanicGirlE for encouraging me to do this, and for being my beta! She's the greatest.
This story was heavily influenced by my first date. I went to see The Sandlot…and when I think of kids, I think of that pool scene.
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