Bella
"Mom," he whispered. I groaned and burrowed deeper into the covers. "Mommy?" If I didn't move, he'd go away. "Momma," he sang. The kid was too persistent. "Madre." He knew Spanish now? "Mum? Mummy? Mumsy?" I put a pillow over my head and attempted to block out the noise. The little monster straddled me. "MOTHER!"
"WHAT?" I finally yelled back.
"Oh good, you're awake," Leo smiled.
"Why you little-" I grabbed him around the waist and pinned him to the bed before tickling him mercilessly. His desperate pleading fell on deaf ears. I would let him up eventually, but this is what he got for waking me up.
The doorbell rang, causing me to freeze and cover Leo's mouth with my hand. I brought my finger to my lips, letting him know to stay quiet. When he nodded, I tiptoed over to the window. There were no cars out front, so that only meant one thing. Neighbors. I had only met a few people in the neighborhood, none of which I cared to spend more time with than necessary.
"Leo," I whispered. "Get dressed. We're sneaking out."
Next door, on our right, lived Laurent and Irina. They seemed like the average couple at first, but my unhealthy need to save people caused me to learn otherwise. How was I supposed to know that Irina liked it rough? Luckily so did Laurent, so he didn't press charges when I clubbed him with Leo's baseball bat. Instead he invited me to join them. I hadn't been able to face them since.
Directly across the street was Tanya, the only other single woman on the block. In the short time I lived here, more men have been in her house than I even knew. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but she would definitely benefit from having a revolving door installed. I met her when she came over to make a date with my cable guy. She did score me a few free channels, so I guess she wasn't too bad.
I got dressed as quickly as possible, throwing on a pair of shorts and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tee shirt. The mysterious neighbor had given up with the doorbell and was knocking in cheerful little patterns. I sat down to put on my shoes when Leo came in. He grinned when he saw my shirt. My mom threw a fit when I named my kid after a ninja turtle, but Leo thought it was awesome.
"Ready to go?" I asked, grabbing my bag.
He nodded. "I used the spy-cam. It's Mrs. Newton."
Mike and Jessica Newton lived down the street with their perfect daughter Tara. Jessica was the neighborhood gossip queen. I knew if I opened that door I would be trapped for hours listening to exaggerated tales about everyone else's business. I had just woke up. I couldn't handle that.
Leo and I crept through the house and eased out the back door. We crouched down and hurried across the lawn to the fence that separated my yard from the neighbor's. I spotted Leo as he climbed up. Thankfully, the drop to the ground wasn't too far for him, so he was able to jump down by himself. I quickly climbed up and dropped down beside him on the other side, landing in the soft green grass.
"Should I add trespassing to your record now?"
I jumped and whipped around. The officer from Cullen Construction was standing on the back patio wearing only tennis shoes and gym shorts with a bottle of water in his hand. "Uh… hi. Sorry, I didn't know anyone lived here. We were just passing through," I said.
He pulled a white tee shirt over his head before walking over to us. "Whoa," said Leo, looking up at him. "You're huge!"
He laughed in response. "Bella and Leo, it's nice to officially meet you both. I'm Jacob Black. Feel free to escape through my yard anytime."
"Thanks," I smiled. "I owe you one."
"How are you getting away?" he asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, I was prepared for this. I parked my truck down the street. Otherwise, we would have used our bikes," I explained. "We're about to head out for breakfast," I glanced at my watch, "Er… lunch." It was later than I thought.
"Do you want to come with us?" Leo asked.
Jacob grinned back at him. "Maybe next time, buddy. I've got to get to work."
"Thanks again. We'll see you around," I took Leo's hand and tugged him along. Jessica was still busy knocking on our door, so we were able to make it to the truck without her seeing. I knew I would have to face her eventually, but today wasn't the day.
I took Leo to the diner in town. It was a cute little retro place with milkshakes to die for.
Leo sat across from me in our booth. "Mom, I made a list of things to get at the hardware store. I want us to build a tree house."
"Alright," I consented, "but first tell me where we're going to get the tree."
"Mom," he groaned. "We don't have to have a tree. It just has to be off the ground. Can we try? Please?"
As a parent, I had yet to master the art of telling my child no, but I didn't know the first thing about building a tree house. "Do you have an actual list this time? It's not in your head?" He produced said list, and I was impressed with his research. "Fine, but we should get some hardhats just in case."
I had never seen Leo eat so quickly in his rush to get to the hardware store. I didn't know what half of the stuff was on that list. Neither did Leo, but that did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. He practically ran inside once we got there. I considered putting him on a leash, but I settled for walking behind him, pushing the cart.
A nice guy took a quick glance at the tree house list before going in the back to get the wood. He gave Leo a pair of goggles and let him watch as he cut the pieces into the proper lengths. That left me to find the other stuff.
"What the hell is a dowel?" I grumbled, looking over the list.
"Aisle three," someone replied.
I turned around to find a handsome blond standing behind me. He looked slightly apologetic. "Sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"Tell me where to find a Japanese handsaw, and I'll graciously forgive you," I replied.
"Aisle six," he smiled back. "Looks like a pretty serious project you've got there," he said, pointing at the ridiculous amount of stuff in my cart.
"My son insists that he and I can build a tree house. I don't know how he talks me into these things," I confessed. Then I held out my hand, "Hi. I'm Bella Swan."
His eyes widened. That was never a good thing. "Bella Swan? As in the infamous kidnapper?"
I groaned and closed my eyes. I was never going to live that one down. "In my defense, I fed them ice cream and gave them back."
"I know," he laughed. "I'm Jasper Cullen, Ethan and Sophie's uncle. Edward's in here somewhere."
"Edward?" The furious father? "Thanks for the warning. It was nice meeting you!" I started pushing my cart as fast as I could. The stupid thing was heavier than I thought though.
"Nice to meet you too," Jasper called after me. He was getting far too much amusement out of this.
My getaway came to a crashing halt.
"Mom!" There stood Leo, next to a cart full of lumber, that was being pushed by none other than Edward Cullen.
"Shit."
Leo gasped and held out his hand. I huffed and gave him a dollar.
"Bella," said Edward, interrupting a perfectly good awkward moment. "I didn't get a chance to apologize for the way I reacted yesterday. I really am grateful that you stepped in and helped my children," the corner of his mouth pulled upward, "even if you did kidnap them."
Ugh! I knew that was coming. "Really, don't mention it. Let's go, Leo." I grabbed both carts, planning to push one and pull the other, but nothing ever turned out the way I needed it to. The lumber cart didn't budge.
"Allow me," Edward offered, walking past me and pushing the treacherous cart with ease. Smug bastard.
I followed him with the other one. "You don't have to do that. I'll come back for that one. It's no big deal."
"Don't be silly," he replied. "It is the least I can do." He pushed it right up to the checkout, and I followed him irritably.
"You're not very good at avoiding people," said Jasper, appearing at my side and dropping a few items in my shopping cart. "You forgot the dowels and handsaw."
"Thanks," I grumbled.
"My pleasure," he smiled. "Now if you will kindly step out of the way, we men will take care of this."
Before I knew it, I was following Edward and Jasper out to my truck to unload my stuff. They let Leo help them, but I was instructed to stand aside and let them take care of the so-called man's work. That was complete bullshit. I was going to be the one building the stupid tree house, or attempting to anyway.
"You're all set," Edward announced, closing the tailgate. "Have a lovely day, Bella." He patted Leo's shoulder and strolled away with Jasper. Unbelievable.
Leo chattered excitedly the whole way home. It didn't take us long to get everything unloaded. I was perfectly capable of doing it without a man's help.
We decided to wait and begin construction the next day, opting to go to the park instead. I packed us up some snacks and a blanket while Leo grabbed a Frisbee and our roller blades. The park wasn't too far away, so we were there in no time. It was a nice place with plenty of bike paths, a pond, and a playground. There were several other children there, so Leo set off to make new friends while I spread out a blanket and opened a book.
I got so lost in the pages that I didn't even hear my son coming. "Mom, look who I found!"
After marking my page, I looked up. Edward's mini-me was standing next to Leo. "Hi Ethan," I smiled.
"Hi Bella," he replied, somewhat shyly.
"Mom, you need to rescue Ethan and Sophie again. Their babysitter is scary," said Leo. Ethan nodded in agreement.
I sat up and put my book away. "What do you mean by scary?" I asked.
"She's trying to make us like her, so she can be Dad's next girlfriend, and she's trying to get Sophie to call her Mommy," said Ethan. "Can we please go home with you?"
This was seriously killing me. "Guys," I sighed. "I'm sorry, but I can't steal you away from your babysitter just because you don't like her." Both of their faces fell making me feel even worse. "Look, I promise to call your dad later and see if you can come over, okay?"
Ethan nodded sadly. "Okay," he said quietly.
I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away from him before I caved. "Leo, I'm going to load up the truck and run to the restroom. We need to be getting home, so I can start dinner."
"Alright Mom," he replied, looking down at his feet.
I quickly gathered everything before I could change my mind. I threw it all in the backseat of the truck before rushing to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face while I was in there. Those kids were going to be the death of me.
Leo was quiet the whole way home. He sat up front and turned the radio on, not even looking at me. He never stayed upset long, so I hoped he would snap out of it soon.
When I pulled into our garage, he jumped out first. "I'll get all the stuff, Mom. Why don't you go inside and relax?" he offered quickly.
"That's alright, Leo," I said, reaching for the backdoor handle.
Leo panicked, "Mom-"
Too late. I opened the door to find Ethan and Sophie hiding behind my seat. I was so focused on my sad little boy that I hadn't even noticed the two stowaways in the backseat as I left the park.
"Shh," Sophie whispered, holding a finger to her lips. "We're hiding."
Ethan looked nervous and guilty. "I'm sorry, Bella. I told her we were playing a game. Please don't be mad at Sophie. It's my fault."
"It was my idea," Leo confessed to save his friend. "But you didn't meet the sitter, Mom. We had to do something."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I had to call Edward and tell him I had his kids… again. "Go inside. I'll figure out what to do with you guys later."
Ethan and Leo ran straight in. I picked up Sophie and followed. "Those boys are in so much trouble," I told her.
She smiled in response. "Hi Bella."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Hi Sophie." I carried her inside and sat her down on the counter again before pulling out my phone. "I've got to call your daddy." I prayed for voicemail, but this time he had to pick up.
"Edward Cullen."
"Edward, hi. This is Bella Swan, from the hardware store," I said in case he didn't remember the name of the woman who had kidnapped his children.
"Hello Bella. What can I do for you? Do you need help unloading everything?"
He was so damn smug. "For your information, I unloaded it just fine," I replied, frowning as he chuckled. "Actually, I'm calling because Ethan and Sophie are at my house, and I thought you should know about it."
"You kidnapped my children again?"
"No!" I replied, offended. "Not purposefully anyway," I added. "Apparently the babysitter was scary, so they snuck into my truck. I didn't find them until I was already home. Leo and Ethan take full blame." I heard him sigh.
"I'm sorry Bella. I'll come get them."
"Don't worry about it. I just didn't want you calling the cops when the sitter freaks out. You really know how to pick 'em by the way." I had to get that jibe in there. "Ethan and Sophie are welcome to stay until you get off. I promise to have them in once piece by the time you get here."
"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you."
"Didn't stop you at the hardware store," I teasingly reminded him. "They'll be fine. I'm about to start dinner, so I need to get off here." I gave him my address and let him talk to Sophie before hanging up.
The boys came running in, both of them barefoot. "Mom, can we inflate the jumper?" Leo asked. "We'll take Sophie with us. Please?"
I gave it some thought. I could see the jumper through the kitchen window, so I would be able to keep an eye on them. The three little ones followed me outside where I turned on the blower. I turned to the boys, "You both better keep a close eye on Sophie. I don't think Edward would let you guys come back if I sent you home injured, so be very careful, okay?"
"We promise," said Ethan, holding his little sister's hand while she watched the bounce house inflate with wide eyes. Somehow I knew he would watch out for her. That didn't stop me from checking on them every few minutes.
I could hear their giggling from inside. Leo and Ethan were taking turns holding Sophie's hands as they jumped. I hoped Edward would let them come over without me having to kidnap them one day. Leo liked doing things with me, but he needed friends his own age to hang out with during the summer.
By the time dinner was ready, the kids were wiped out. They practically fell into their chairs at the table. I had to smile at them as I fixed their plates. I was impressed when they all ate everything I gave them even though I snuck some healthy stuff in there. I rewarded them with some peach cobbler and cool whip to make up for it.
That re-energized them. I made them wait a little while before letting them back in the jumper.
When I pulled up a chair to watch them, Sophie came over and climbed onto my lap. She must have been exhausted because she fell asleep not two minutes later. I absently ran my fingers through her soft curls while she slept. I was used to little boys, but having a girl around was nice too.
My phone vibrated on the table next to me. I was careful not to wake Sophie as I reached to get it . "Hello?"
"Bella? It's Edward. I'm standing outside your house."
"Oh, it should be unlocked. We're out back. Follow the noise." I hung up and put the phone back on the table. Sophie didn't budge.
A moment later I heard the back door open and shut. "For a criminal, you have a nice place," Edward teased.
"Ha, ha," I replied dryly. "I wouldn't be a criminal if you would pick sane people to baby-sit your kids. As it is, I am afraid that I will be rescuing them whenever I see fit from now own. So, if they go missing, call me before you freak out."
"I see you've managed to tire out the little one," Edward smiled, looking at Sophie.
"Oh no," I disagreed. "I drugged her. I can only handle two at a time." I couldn't have him thinking I was a softy.
He laughed and pulled up a chair. "Thank you for doing this, Bella," he said sincerely. "Ethan is very picky about who he lets watch them. I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy."
The boys got out of the jumper and came running over. Ethan stopped when he saw Edward. "Hi Dad." I knew that look. Leo used it all the time when he knew he was in trouble.
"It's my fault, Mister Edward," Leo said quickly. "I talked him into it. We had to save Sophie from the sitter."
"Well thank you both for saving Sophie, but from now on, if Bella says no, that means no. You are not to sneak into her truck without her permission. Do you understand?" he asked sternly. I was relieved he wasn't being too hard on them, but I was going to make sure my son did not make a habit of sneaking random kids into our house.
"Yes sir," said Ethan as Leo nodded.
"Good," he replied, standing up. "Now, I need to get your sister to bed." He carefully took Sophie from me. She didn't even stir. The poor girl was out cold.
Ethan walked over to me. "Thanks for letting us stay, Bella."
"You're welcome kid." I bent down and kissed his cheek like I would Leo's. He blinked up at me before smiling.
Leo and I walked them out to their car. Edward strapped Sophie in her booster seat as Ethan crawled in next to her.
"You do realize that a cop lives next door to you, so you should probably keep the crimes to a minimum."
I sighed, "Edward?"
"Yes Bella?" he smiled.
"Shut up," I replied.
He laughed again. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. Goodnight you two." He gave Leo a 'five' and got in his car. I was still frowning at him, so he winked at me before driving away.