Chapter Ten: Put Your Faith

Edward's POV

Feeling like I should have known better, I shouldn't have been surprised when I walked back into the apartment after Alec had arrived for his shift. Caroline and Brady were running around in old Halloween costumes, and the place was a wreck. I knew I shouldn't have left them alone, but Marcus called in sick, and Alec was already coming in on his day off.

So, I stupidly left two nine year olds alone upstairs...and I got what I deserved.

"What in the world are you doing?" I asked as I bent down to pick up the couch cushions off the floor. "And, where did you get those costumes?"

"Daddy, remember Uncle Emmett gave me a bunch of old things you two wore when you went trick-or-treating." Caroline sighed, like I was supposed to know this. "So, I'm Superman." She giggled.

"And I'm The Flash!" Brady laughed as he ran over to the other side of the room.

"So, why is the apartment a mess, Care?" I asked, crossing my arms and it looked like the message was finally seeping in. They were doing something they knew was wrong. "Well?"

"Superhero's are fast." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, things just..."

"I talked her into this." Brady chimed in, even though I knew Caroline was a lot more persuasive than people thought she was. This little scheme had her name written all over it. But, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Brady was willing to take the blame. "It's my fault."

"Well, Brady, thank you for covering for her." I sighed, glaring at Caroline who only looked at the ground and kicked the imaginary rock that was there. "But, as long as you two clean everything up, you can continue."

"Really?" Caroline squealed.

"Yes, but I mean it, Care." I told her. "Everything will be cleaned up by the time Brady has to leave."

"Promise!" She said happily as she ran over beside Brady. "Daddy, you wanna play? There's a Batman costume in the bag that was too big for both of us."

"Well, you do look like your'e having fun." I laughed. "Sure," I said as I walked towards her room where the bag was. I took my time going through it, and remembering what Halloween I wore what costume. There was the awful crayon costume, along with the Mario costume Emmett wore for three Halloweens.

I found the Batman costume on her bed and held it up, remembering when Rosalie insisted going trick-or-treating our senior year. I had been done with that since the sixth grade, but she gave me her adorable puppy dog look and I couldn't resist. I was just thankful she didn't make us go with matching costumes.

I slipped into it, and although it was a little snug, it still fit pretty well. I looked in the mirror as I put the mask and couldn't help but laugh. The things Caroline talked me into were always rediculos, but she was just like her mother. I couldn't say no to her...which might not have been a good thing.

Once the mask was on, I went back into the living room where Brady was chasing Caroline around the couch and I had to admit, they did look like they were having a blast. I joined in and we spent wht felt like hours running around, pretending to fight each other and save the citizens. I felt like a kid again.

But, I couldn't be a kid forever and when there was a knock on the door, I knew play time was over. I looked at the clock and realized it was already seven and I hadn't fed them yet. And, it was Bella and I was dressed as Batman. I walked over to the door and opened it to let her in, and I could tell she was fighting hard not to laugh.

"Hey there." She smiled as she let out a soft laugh.

"Bella!" I screeched, trying to contain my embarassment. I untied the mask and took it off my face as I let her inside. "Don't mind the mess."

"What in the world were you doing?" She asked as she turned and looked at the place as the two of them began picking things up.

"Playing superhero's." I shrugged. "Duh."

"Yeah, mom!" Brady sighed as he put the cushions back on the couch. "Edward said we had to clean everything up, so you can go and come back."

"Oh, I can...can I?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Just, try and hurry up. I wanna try to get you in bed on time tonight."

"Fine." He said as he went back into Caroline's room to change.

"Thanks for letting him come over." She smiled as she turned towards me again. Our eyes met and I couldn't help forget about everything around me. They were a dark brown, but they always seemed to be sparkling and they were just plain gorgeous. I always seemed to get lost in them, and forget what I was saying. Making a total fool of myself. "And for letting him make a mess."

"It was no problem." I finally said after I snapped back into reality. "I didn't have a chance to feed him, though. We were too busy saving the world."

"It's fine," SHe laughed as Brady came back out. He helped Caroline some more while Bella and I supervised and they finally got the living room back to where it should be. I walked them downstairs while Caroline continued doing her homework. I made sure they got in the car safely and drive away before going back inside.

When I turned around, Felix was smirking at me.

"What?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

"Oh, nothing boss." He laughed as he went back to doing the book.

"Mind your business." I reminded him. "I can fire you."

"You wouldn't do that because you and I know both know this business is only successful because of me."

"Oh, yeah." I sighed dramatically. I checked to make sure everything was in order and sent him home before locking up for the night. When I went back upstairs, Caroline was digging in the pantry for something. I figured she was going to make herself a peanut butter sandwich like she always did when I was being slow and went to sit down at the table.

"You gonna make me one?" I asked.

"You want some jelly, daddy?" She asked without a single thought. She was so sweet when she did those things. She just did things for me because she wanted to, and there was hardly ever any arguing.

"No, peanut butter's good." I smiled. "You need me to get the plates?" I asked as she reached for the cabinet that was just too tall for her. I grabbed two plates and handed them to her before she forced me to sit back down. I watched as she spread the peanut butter on both bread slices and slapped them together before handing me a plate.

Caroline and I spent a quiet evening together. We ate our dinner and she laid on the couch reading The Indian in the Cupboard while I worked on a special order form for the shop. As I put Caroline to bed alone, again, I realized coffee just wasn't enough with Bella. I wanted more. I needed more.

When I was sure Bella would be done getting Brady in bed, I climbed into my own bed and dialed her number. When it rang a bunch of times, I began losing hope and was about to hang up, but she answered on the last ring.

"Hi, Edward." She said and I could see her beautiful smile in my head.

"Hey," I said and I could feel my cheeks reddening. We weren't even in the same room and she had me blushing. "You get Brady calmed down?"

"Barely," She laughed. "He was perfectly fine once he got his bath." She told me. "What's up?"

"Well, I had such a good time having coffee..." I said and stopped, suddenly feeling fearful of what she might said. But, I had to get over my fears and just do it. "That, I was wondering if maybe one time you'd like...to get lunch?"

"Lunch sounds like a perfect idea." She giggled. "But this time, I get to pick the place. The cafe was good, but I know somewhere even better."

"Do you now?" I asked as I sat up in bed.

"Yep." She told me. "As long as you like burgers."

"Oh please," I sighed. "My entire junior year of college consisted on burgers...and burgers...and a little bit of oatmeal." I joked, making her laugh. She had such a nice laugh.

"How about Saturday?" She asked. "Brady is going with Jake somewhere so he's leaving my place when he gets home on Friday."

"Saturday sounds great. How about, eleven thirty?"

"Perfect," She sighed before I heard someone screaming her name. "I gotta go,"

"Yeah, of course." I sighed as I hung up.

I had a lunch date with Bella. Which could lead to a date-date. Which could lead to something...I hadn't had in a very long time.

I dropped Caroline off at Felix's Saturday morning and went back to the apartment to change. Coffee was easy to dress for. It was just a quick, casual thing. Jeans and a t-shirt. But...a lunch date was something completely different. I sounded like a girl, but this was something very foreign to me. I didn't wanna look like I was trying too hard, but I also didn't wanna look like I wasn't trying.

I finally decided on jeans and a flannel before grabbing my keys and driving close to where she lived. I recognized her car already in the lot and this was the second time she was somewhere before me. I took a deep breath as I took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. I was slow walking in, just trying to not talk myself out of this.

When I opened the door, she was sitting on one of the benches, doing something on her phone. She looked up and smiled at me before putting it away and walking over to me.

She was so fucking gorgeous.

Her long brown hair was in a light curl and was cascading down her back. She was dressed so simply, yet she looked so amazing in her plain white t-shirt, jean jacket, and leggings. But, she could be wearing a donkey costume and she'd still look beautiful. I gulped before walking over to her and she was smiling up at me once we met halfway.

"Hey," She smiled. "Let's get a table or else, we're going to be here until dinner." She laughed as people flooded in. Bella was right, the wait was already a half hour and it wasn't even afternoon technically. She got me to play in their small arcade, and it actually did make the time go by quick. Even though it was a waist of money.

Once we were seated with our menus, I began to tense up a little bit. This is where the actual date part came in. We were alone to sit and talk. And, honestly, I couldn't think of anything we could talk about since we'd exhausted almost every topic on this earth.

"Brady won't stop talking about those costumes you let him and Care play in." She giggled as she took a sip of her water. "He really had fun."

"I'm glad they enjoyed that." I told her. "Caroline is daddy's little girl, but I'm glad she'd rather play superhero than princess."

"Why?"

"Because, I think...I think girls and boys should like whatever they like." I sighed. "Not like what people think they should or what everyone else likes. Even when the girls in her old school were having Cinderella birthday parties, Caroline wanted a Disco or a Luau party."

"I get what you mean." She smiled. "Brady's always been like that too. I mean, he had those typical sports parties, but one year he insisted on having a Rock n' Roll party instead."

"When is his birthday anyway?" I asked stupidly since we'd known them for a good month and a half and I still didn't know the boys birthday.

"May twentieth." She told me. "He's old for his grade."

"Caroline's birthday is in April." I laughed. "She just missed the cutoff for the grade she's in and my mother insisted on putting her in school earlier rather than later."

"Well, she'll get to vote before anyone else in the class." She laughed her beautiful laugh. "And drink."

"Don't remind me!"

After that, everything just fell into place. There was never an awkward silence or a dull moment. We were just normal people when we were around each other. Neither was trying too hard, and no one was fake. We were just Edward and Bella. Having burgers together.

Once our burgers got to the table, we both looked at them and laughed. They were freaking huge and I wasn't sure I'd even be able to get it into my mouth. But, Bella had been here before and didn't hesitate at all. She took a big bite out of hers, and when she put it down, she had juice from the burger and some bbq all over her face.

"What?" She asked when I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore. "Edward, what is it?"

"You...ummm have something on your face."

"You try eating yours then!" She barked jokingly at me as I handed her a napkin. "You can't cut it or anything...just take a bite."

"Fine," I huffed as I picked it up. I took a bite and could feel the juice and the sauce coat my face and couldn't help but laugh. Once I swallowed, I just rolled my eyes at her. "Fine, you were right."

"I know," She said. "Always am." She laughed as she took another bite. "But, tell me these aren't the best burgers you've ever had."

"You were right, these are pretty damn good." I agreed. "But, there's a place in Forks that's better."

"Doubt it."

"You really don't believe me?" I asked and she shook her head. "Fine, I'll just have to take you with me and then we'll sees who has the better burger."

"It's a date." She laughed as she wiped her face.

Then, I realized what I had said. Sure, I liked her a lot and yes I wanted something more than just a friendship with her. But, did I really just invite her with me to Forks? Forks was a place I shared with Rosalie, and except Caroline, I didn't want to share that with anyone else. Even Felix, my best friend from Seattle, hadn't been to Forks with me. Ever.

But, I brushed off the odd feeling and went back to having a good time. However, after almost three hours together, I had to return to reality and pick my kid up from Felix's. I paid the bill after she tried fighting me for it, and led us out of the cafe. We walked through the parking lot until we reached her car, and she turned towards me.

"I...I had a great time." She whispered, her sweet smile gone. Passion in her eyes.

"Me...too." I breathed as I grabbed one of her hands. She looked down, then back up at me with her beautiful brown eyes staring into mine. "Bella," I whispered as I slowly leaned down towards her. We were so close I could feel her shallow breaths on my skin, and I began to shake with anticipation. Just as our lips were about to touch, my phone began to ring.

"Sorry," I whispered as I dug my phone out of my pocket. "Hello?" I seethed into the phone as she turned to unlock her car door. The moment was gone.

"Hey, bro!" Emmett cheered into the phone. "So, Jordan decided she didn't wanna host Thanksgiving."

"Uh-huh."

"So, we're going to have it at mom and dad's." He said without noticing my tone at all. "That cool?"

"Yep." I sighed. I loved my brother, but he could be so clueless sometimes.

"Cool, I'll see you then." He told me before hanging up. I turned back to Bella who was standing with the door to her car open, ready to get in.

"Sorry," I said and again and she just smiled at me. Yet again, she was letting me off the hook for something. She seemed to always be doing that. "I should go, I promised Felix I'd pick Caroline up at some point today."

"Yeah, and I have grocery shopping for the big day." She laughed. "Well, thanks again for lunch."

"Sure," I nodded, wanting to get that mood back. But, I knew that wasn't going to happen that afternoon, so I let her get into her car and drive away. I watched as she made the turn out of the driveway and just wanted to pound my head off of the lamp post that was standing nearby.

I got into my car and headed to Felix's to pick Caroline up. Caroline was sitting at the kitchen table with Maya while Penny danced around them. I was thankful to have Felix in my life as my right hand man in the store, and one of my best friends in Seattle. He'd gotten me through a lot these last few years and Caroline was just as much of a daughter as his girls were. And, since Caroline didn't have younger siblings of her own, spending time with Maya and Penny was a blessing.

"Hi, daddy!" She shrieked when she saw me standing in the doorway. She scooted her chair across the floor and ran into my arms. I bent down and picked her up, and she showed me a picture she'd colored. "For the wall."

"It's perfect." I smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. The Wall was a wall in the store dedicated to Caroline. It had pictures of us, coloring pages she'd given to me, art work she did in school. It was my favorite part of the store because it was about my little girl. "I especially like the pink panda."

"Penny picked the color." She giggled. We spent another few minutes there before I got Caroline into her jacket so we could leave.

"Thanks again for watching her." I said to Jane and Felix as Caroline said goodbye to the girls. "I really appreciate it."

"We love having her." Jane whispered as she placed her hand over her growing stomach. "She keeps the girls busy so I can relax."

"She's always welcome here." Felix told me. "And, I hope we get to see a lot more of her...if you know what I mean." He said, winking at me as Caroline came back into the hall.

"Yes, I get it." I said through my teeth. Bella was still just Bella to Caroline. I didn't want to get any ideas in her head until I was completely sure what I was going to do and sure it was going to last longer than a few months. Caroline didn't deserve that pain, and Bella didn't either.