Chapter Four: Happy Birthday… Now Let Me Out of Here!

EPOV

Today had been one of those days where nothing seemed to go right.

First of all, I had forgotten to turn off my alarm and so was up at six o'clock on a Saturday morning.

Then, the coffee machine broke and I had to have some crappy instant stuff that I found shoved into the back corner of a cupboard.

I should have just gone back to bed after I discovered the hot water tank wasn't working and had to take a freezing cold shower.

I didn't though and regretted it almost immediately.

Jake woke up and would not sit still. He was positively bouncing off the walls in excitement for his birthday tomorrow and with the morning I had all I wanted was a bit of peace and quiet.

I couldn't fault him though, and he was happy. So, I pulled on my big boy pants, smiled, and went to take some advil for my growing headache… Of course we didn't have any.

I added it to the grocery list and gave into Jake's pleading to bake something.

That adventure left me with a floor and counter covered completely in flour and eggs, as well as a pile of black rocks that were meant to be chocolate chip cookies.

Those went directly into the trash and we went to get icecream after a ten second tidy.

To top off the entire day, I just couldn't get my mind off of Jasper. Something blue would make me think of his captivating eyes, the warmth of the sun would remind me of the warmth of his skin as it lightly brushed against mine in seemingly innocent gestures.

I had decided sometime during the night, after hours of tossing and turning, that we would be friends but nothing more. Obviously that was something easier said than done as he crossed my mind time and time again.

I was finally able to sit down and relax when Jake's cartoons came on. He had a few shows that he watched religiously every Saturday afternoon and so there was a two hour period where I could do whatever I wanted.

A lot of the time I watched the shows with him. It always amused me to see his reactions to the characters and the situations.

This time, however, I decided to take those two hours as me time. I grabbed the book I had been slowly working my way through and took it to the window seat in the living room. I told myself that my decision had absolutely nothing to do with the perfect view of Jasper's driveway, which I definitely did not notice was empty all day, and that I just enjoyed the view of the setting sun.

I had never been good at lying to myself.

I had only been reading for about a half hour when I heard a car door slam. It took me another few seconds to decide that one little peek wouldn't hurt anybody.

Oh how wrong I was.

Jasper in jeans was a delectable sight, but Officer Whitlock in uniform was a league of his own. The short-sleeved button up hugged his muscular chest and biceps which flexed as he gathered some bags out of his car. The pants outlined his ass perfectly as he leaned into the trunk and I had to wipe the drool off my chin.

I had never understood the obsession people seemed to have with men in uniform but I totally got it now. There was something just so sexy about how official he looked and then a flash of metal caught my eye.

The man had handcuffs attached to his belt.

I was so lost in thoughts of him using those on me that I failed to notice that he had stopped in his driveway and was staring right at me with an amused and smug smirk on his face.

I felt my cheeks heat up and reflexively pulled back from the window. In my haste to get away, my feet got tangled in a blanket and I crashed gracelessly to the floor. I couldn't tell if the groan I uttered was from embarrassment or pain.

I lay, sprawled out on the floor, with my hands covering my face until I heard a little giggle from above me. I peeked through my fingers to find Jake standing above me, head tilted to the side and obviously enjoying what may have been the most humiliating moment of my life.

"So… whatcha doin'?"

I jumped up and chased him around the house, finally catching him and tickling the little rascal until we were both breathless and exhausted from laughing.

I was so looking forward to a long nights sleep.

.***~SKB~***.

"What the hell?" I groaned, rolling over and grabbing blindly for the phone that was going off at five am? Who in their right mind is even up at this ungodly hour, "Whoever this is, you're so dead."

"Shut the fuck up and come get this damn mutt. He chewed up my Jimmy Choo's Edward! This is the last damn time I do you a favor."

She hung up on me and I slowly swung my feet off the bed, stretching and releasing a loud yawn. I've learned many years ago that it was better to not keep my sister waiting.

I was only in my pajama pants so I threw on a shirt and slippers. Taking a deep breath, I made my way out of the house and to my less than pleased sister who proceeded to shove the sleeping puppy into my arms and stormed back to her car.

"Love you too, Rose!"

I laughed as she flipped me off and drove away. She was not a morning person and I had no doubt that it would have been my brother-in-law doing the delivery if he didn't have the morning shift at the fire house.

I looked at the little guy in my arms and kissed the top of his head. I may not have been a dog person but even I could admit he was pretty cute. Besides, he still had that new puppy smell and was so cuddly!

Since I was already up and knew I wouldn't be getting back to sleep, I decided to set up for Jake's party and wake him at a more reasonable hour.

The first thing I did was get out the puppy stuff. He was still out for the count in my arms so I set up his bed in the corner of the living room– though I'm sure that would end up in Jake's room by tonight – and set him down in it. He twitched a little but then snuggled in and snored.

Yup, pretty damn cute.

Water and food bowls went out in the kitchen and some newspapers were laid down in the laundry room, just in case.

Since I was up two hours earlier than planned, I decided it would be fun to surprise Jake and have everything decorated before he got up. By the time I was done at seven, there were ribbons on the ceiling and around the railing, balloons taped to walls and tied to chairs, a few presents laid out on the table, and a large sign saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!" on the living room wall.

My son wasn't up yet and, while normally I would let him sleep, I decided to wake him and give him a few hours to eat breakfast and play with his new puppy before guests started arriving at eleven.

And alright, maybe I was just a little excited to see his face when I gave him his puppy.

With that in mind I went to get the pup from his bed, only to find he was missing. Of course I would lose him before the day even began.

"Psst. Puppy! Here puppy, come on boy!" I said as loud as I dared. He wasn't on, in, under, or behind anything in the living room so I tried the kitchen next.

I paused at the sight that greeted me before laughing; loudly.

The little guy had gotten into some of the leftover streamers and had himself tangled in one as he tried to tear the end in his mouth with what I'm sure were meant to be some ferocious growls.

I picked him up from the mess and he licked my cheek enthusiastically. I smiled and then cursed to myself.

The pup was starting to grow on me.

I tossed the shredded ribbon into the trash and brought the squirming pup to Jake's room. The door opened quietly and I crept in. The birthday boy was curled up in a little ball with the blankets pulled tightly around him; he always reminded me of a little cocoon.

His face was poking out of the covers and I got a brilliant idea of how to wake him.

The little puppy was only too happy to help as he jumped out of my arms and started licking Jake's face all over. His forehead and nose scrunched up as he pulled the covers over his head and tried to keep his eyes closed, "No, I don't wanna wake up. Too sleepy. Stop it, dad. Wait, why are you licking my face?"

I laughed and smiled widely as I watched intently. The blankets slowly moved until his eyes were revealed and he stared at the little black lab who was sitting on his hind legs, tongue out and tail wagging.

Jake's eyes widened comically and he stilled for a full five seconds. Nothing could prepare me for his reaction and I loved absolutely every moment of it.

"OH MY GOD!" He shouted and threw the blankets off himself as he scrambled to get to his gift. He lifted the dog into his arms and cuddled it to his chest while kissing all over its face and nose. "This is the best birthday ever! I promise to love him and feed him and walk him… wait, it is a him right?" He brought the little dog up to check, "Yup, definitely a him. What am I going to name him? Oh my god, this is so cool! You are the best dad ever!"

Tears filled my eyes as he put the puppy down and wrapped his arms around me for a hug.

"Love you, son. Happy birthday."

"Love you too, dad! You are seriously the best. I have a dog!" I had never seen him so happy and as he picked up the lab again, listing off all the possible names, I knew that I'd made the right choice in gift. Even though I'd most likely regret it once things were chewed up and accidents were had on my nice floor, it would all be worth it just for this one moment.

"What about Shadow? Krypto? Maybe a B… Belvedere, Brain, Balto, Bolt… or how about Zero? Lafayette? Spike? Pal… I know, Charlie! Like from that movie we just watched." The dog barked happily and licked a laughing Jake.

"I think he likes it!" I nodded in agreement but couldn't help the amused thought of what our neighbour, Charlie Swan, was going to say when they were introduced at the party later.

"Can I go play with him in the yard? Pleeeeeeease?" He turned around and I had to deal with two sets of pleading eyes and pouting lips. Okay, so the dog might not have actually pouted but I could tell he was trying to!

"But don't you want to open up your other presents first? I'm going to make your favorite pancakes too!" He could tell I wasn't serious and didn't even think about it as he kissed my cheek and left the room, taking the dog with him.

"Thanks, dad, I'll open them up after breakfast! Come on, Charlie, I'm going to teach you how to sit, and lie down… Maybe mister Jasper will help me teach you to do that spinny thing Marvin does when he comes over later!" His voice trailed off as he went downstairs and just like that I was thinking about Jasper again.

I had almost managed to forget that he would be here today… with my crazy family… almost but not quite.

My body and mind were already betraying me when it came to the 'just friends' thing, I really didn't need my relatives pushing us closer together; especially now that I've seen him in uniform!

I shook myself from my thoughts and headed down to the kitchen. Before I started on the pancakes, I brought one of the other gifts out to Jake for him to open. It was a bunch of dog toys ranging from balls to dog treats and he absolutely loved it. My presence was then ignored as he started a round of tug-of-war with Charlie.

Breakfast went well and Jake liked the other gifts I had gotten him; a DS game, some graphic tees, and a few superhero and villain action figures.

His favorite thing was obviously Charlie. The other gifts were put away in his room and he was out in the back with the puppy. He even got his first taste of responsibility when he got to use the pooper scooper. I laughed at the faces he pulled but he got it done and went back to teaching Charlie to play fetch.

The clock struck eleven and the doorbell sounded. My mother was nothing if not punctual.

"Mom, dad! Nice to see you." I managed to give them hugs before they were dragged away by their grandson.

"Come on, grandma! You too, pop. You have to see what dad got me for my birthday!"

I had a feeling he would be greeting everyone like that.

Soon the house was being filled with lots of people. Some were Jake's friends from school and their parents, others were neighbours on our street. I watched discreetly as Jake said hi to Bella Swan. She was Jake's age and, if the blush and cute stutter were any indication, he was totally crushing on her. My little boy was growing up! Charlie Swan, Bella's father, wasn't impressed with the dogs name but Bella and his wife Renee found it amusing.

"Eddie! Your favorite brother is here!" I didn't even have time to turn around before my big bear of a brother-in-law was lifting me up into a crushing hug.

"Put him down you big oaf!" There was a cracking sound and Emmett practically dropped me as he reached around to rub the back of his head.

"Darn it, Rosie. Will you stop doing that?" She ignored him and greeted me before heading over to the girls. My sister Rosalie often came off as cold but she was really a softie on the inside. The moment she met Emmett, she didn't stand a chance. He claimed love at first sight and persistently pursued her until she gave in.

Emmett was welcomed into the family with open arms. His goofy personality and joy for life was just what my too serious sister needed. She helped him to grow up some too and realize that not all of life was fun and games. When you see them together it isn't hard to understand just why they were married a year after meeting each other. As much as I denied it, I really did want what they had.

"So…" Emmett elbowed me and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"So what?" I looked out over the crowd and smiled as my son and the other kids chased Charlie – the dog, not the man – around the yard. The pup was loving all the attention and barked happily as he bounded after a tennis ball that was the size of his little head, tripping over his feet in excitement.

"Don't you so what me! What's this I hear about the new neighbour? And after I finally met a nice man to set you up with!" I shook my head and ignored the comment. Emmett was always trying to set me up with someone but didn't know any gay men. He even went as far as to stand up in the middle of a restaurant we were dining at to ask if there was any man interested in dating me.

Surprisingly I got a few numbers on my way out, though I never did use them.

"Seriously though, this man was awesome! His name was… Jasper! Hey man, I was just talking about you!" He waved enthusiastically to someone over my shoulder and my breath caught in my throat. I could feel the electric hum in the air and knew he was walking towards us.

I turned slowly and swallowed heavily as I came face to face with the man who had me battling with myself. He gave me an impish grin and greeted Emmett, all the time still looking at me.

"Hey Emmett. I'm glad we didn't pick up the same gift now. Looks like you won't have to introduce me to your brother either," I knew I was blushing then because god only knows what Emmett had said to him about me.

"Don't tell me, you're the neighbour our little Eddie is crushing on aren't you?" My mouth dropped open as I stared between Emmett and Jasper, absolutely horrified. Emmett burst into laughter and despite his best efforts, I could tell Jasper was trying not to laugh as well behind the sympathetic look.

I quickly made my excuses and ran for it. It wasn't hard to keep myself looking busy and avoid Jasper as there were many other people to mingle with. It was probably rude of me to not introduce him as he was new and didn't know anyone but I just couldn't. Besides, Emmett seemed to be doing a good job of it.

I could feel his burning gaze on me every now and again, though the moment I gave in to the temptation and looked at him, he was looking away.

It was getting to be too much and I was going slightly crazy trying to keep my mind on anything else. Luckily, my mother seemed to sense this.

"Edward, could you run into the pantry and grab some more snacks? We're almost all out here," I smiled and was only too happy to escape inside the house.

The walk-in pantry was one of my favorite parts of the kitchen. It was unnecessarily large but I loved the shelf space and the fact that it was so easy to find what I need. The worst thing is being sick and not being able to find the chicken noodle soup, only to discover when you're better that it was hiding behind the creamed corn the whole time.

The chips were on the back shelf and, since I was prolonging my time in here, I took my time in looking over the selection.

"BBQ or all-dressed?" I murmured to myself.

"I'm a BBQ guy myself."

I gasped and dropped the chips, hand flying to cover my pounding heart. There, in the doorway, stood the man I was doing my best to avoid. He gave me an apologetic smile and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry about startling you. Your mother asked me to grab some snacks since they were running out but I guess you're already on top of that. I'll give you a hand bringing them out though."

I stood there confused as he stepped into the pantry and grabbed the chips I dropped. Why would my mother send him to get snacks after she had sent me? Realization dawned on me just as the door slammed shut and the key lock on the other side was turned.

I rushed over and started to pound the door, "I know you're out there and this is so not funny! Now unlock this damn door!"

I heard a gasp and the laugh of my shocked son, "Uncle Emmett! Dad cursed!"

My son was in on this too?

"Have fun Eddie! We'll be back in an hour though so don't have too much fun," I heard their retreating footsteps and laughter as they went back to the party and banged my head off the door a few times.

I cannot believe my family would lock me in here.

That was when a throat cleared behind me and I remembered that I wasn't alone. I reluctantly moved to face Jasper who was clearly enjoying himself, amusement the dominant expression on his face.

His eyes spoke of something more though as he proceeded to approach me, forcing me to step back until I was pressed against the door and he was mere inches from me; not quite touching me but close enough that I could feel the heat from his body surround me.

"Now, what do you suppose we do for the next hour?"

Yes… That was probably mean of me to stop it there. This chapter was a bit longer but I decided to stop there because now I know you'll all be back on Wednesday ;) hahaha This was my favorite chapter to write, mostly for the fact that I love puppies, and I hope you all enjoyed it too! So, will Edward give in and finally allow someone into his life and maybe his heart? Will Jasper's forwardness be rewarded? But more importantly, why does the pantry have a key lock? All will be answered in the next chapter! Just letting you know there will only be about eight or ten chapters in total as this was never meant to be a long fic… I'm working on a few other things to post after this one though! As always, looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

-Pragmatic