Thank you to our beta LZTZ, and prereader tanglingshadows, for all of their help and support.
Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but it owns us.
Chapter 10 – Listen to Your Heart
Bella
The girls had begged us to let them have a sleepover that night after spending the day together. Because I had neglected doing my housework during the past week, I volunteered to keep Makenna and knew I could get some light cleaning and laundry finished while they played. Needless to say, they were excited about spending more time together.
Since I already had plans to go to breakfast the following morning with Alice, Edward would arrive at my house at eight to watch the girls. I asked him if he needed help planning the day, he laughed and shook his head.
"Bizz, one half of the dynamic duo is my own daughter. I think I know how to keep a couple of girls occupied. Just call me when you're ready for me to bring MC home, but don't rush because I honestly enjoy having her around."
After each of us hugged Edward goodbye, and I got a kiss on my cheek, I stopped to pick up a few snacks and a movie. My favorite part of our night had to be when I got to tuck both girls into bed together as it felt right having Makenna with us. Kissing them on the forehead, I turned off the light and went to my room.
With my blankets pulled up to my chin, I tried to settle my mind but thought about the time I had spent with Edward throughout day. From bowling, to losing our bet, yet still coming away a winner. The fun times the girls had swimming and especially lying on the lounge chair with Edward's arms around my waist, I couldn't have asked for a better day. I drifted off into a peaceful sleep with promises of dreams coming true.
While I was drinking my second coffee, standing against the counter, Alice arrived the next morning and let herself in.
"Allie, shh, the girls are still asleep. They were up late and I don't want them grouchy for Edward."
"I'm sorry, Bella, I'm just so excited that Makenna is here. Can I just peek in on them? You've been talking about her for weeks and I want to see if she's as pretty as you said." She laughed and we quietly walked down the hallway to MC's bedroom.
Looking upon them I couldn't take my eyes away. Even in their sleep they were connected. Makenna had her left leg thrown over the top of MC's legs, who had her hand on Makenna's forearm.
I smiled at them.
"She's beautiful and, oh my God, she looks just like him, Bella. It's an amazing sight," Alice whispered and I grabbed her wrist and pulled her out into the hallway.
"I know, Allie. I'm becoming so attached to her and can't believe how much they've bonded. There are moments that I get so wrapped up in our time together that I wish I could keep her." I laughed. "She's just as sweet as she is pretty."
I heard a light knocking on the front door. "Edward's here," Alice said.
"I'll be right back."
I forced myself to walk to the door as the excitement that ran through my body pulled my feet forward.
Opening my door, I found Edward standing there with his coffee in hand, wearing jeans, his old UW hoodie and a big smile. He stepped forward and brought me into a hug.
"Good morning, sweetheart," he spoke softly into my ear. I felt him kiss my hair. "How were the girls? Was Makenna good for you?" Even when he waited for my answer, he still held me tight.
I held on tighter. "They were little angels and had a lot of fun. I let them stay up a little later than I normally would and they're still asleep. How was your night?" I removed my arms from around him and slowly stepped back to look up into his green eyes.
I felt his fingers lightly travel down my arm, barely feeling the movement, until he intertwined his fingers with mine.
"I was lonely and missed my girls." He added with a mischievous grin that caused my heart to flutter, and a cheesy smile to appear on my face.
"Hi, Edward," Alice interrupted our quiet moment.
Giving my hand one last squeeze, Edward let go and turned to face Alice. "Hey Allie, how are you?"
"I'm good. Thanks for watching MC while I take Bella out to breakfast."
"Trust me, it's my honor and I love having her with me. My daughter is a different girl when MC's around. It's wonderful to watch them together," Edward said and looked towards me. Of course my cheesy grin reappeared.
"That's great. I'm glad they have each other." Turning to me, she added, "You ready to go?"
"I am." I answered her.
Turning back to Edward I asked, "Since they're not awake, would you mind just hanging out here for a while and locking up when you leave? I'll call you when I'm ready."
"No problem. Go out and have fun and don't worry about a thing. I have big plans for them."
"Okay then, have fun and I'll call you later. See ya." I stepped up and kissed his cheek.
I grabbed my jacket on the way to the door and turned to see Edward sitting on my couch. He looked up and winked at me, I smiled and we left.
Putting on my seatbelt, I turned to Alice and asked where we were headed.
"I know I said we were going to a restaurant, but I packed a picnic basket and thought we could head down to Waterfront Park. Is that ok with you?" She asked.
"Absolutely. That sounds great."
"Let me grab it from my car." Alice set her purse down and walked to her car, grabbed the basket of food and placed it on my backseat.
As I drove, she told me a story about her coming home from the office yesterday and walking in on the cutest sight. Jasper had been playing Civil War with Ben and Liam. Ben was wearing a white pasta colander on his head as a helmet and used a rolling pin as his gun. Liam had a bowl and a wooden spoon.
"I'll tell you what, Bella, Jasper was running around and laughing just as much as the boys were," Alice said with labored breaths from laughing.
I laughed so hard at the scene she described that I had to wipe tears from my eyes.
"I would have loved to see that. So how's the bar doing, Allie? Is Jasper having any problems?" I asked curiously.
"He's doing fine. I miss having him around at night, but I'm just so glad he's happy." Alice had a genuine smile on her face. Her love and dedication for her husband radiated from her. "I'm so proud of him."
The Hangover had been open for over a month. Jasper had to hire a part-time bartender to keep up with the number of customers they served. Rose was currently interviewing to fill two waitressing positions that were needed on the weekends.
"I'm proud of him too. He's such a great guy."
"You know who else I think is a great guy, Bella?" She asked with a whimsical voice.
"Who?" I knew who she wanted to talk about.
"Edward, that's who. You guys were in your own little bubble when I walked into the room. What's going on between the two of you? Last I heard, you both decided to be friends again. Friends don't look at each other that way." I looked in my mirror as I changed lanes because I needed to turn into the entrance for the park. "I mean, you know how I feel and I just want you to be happy."
"I know, Allie, I do, but it just happened last night so it's still all new for us. Plus, we have MC and Makenna to consider." I pulled into a parking spot and turned to her. "You grab the picnic basket and I'll bring a couple of blankets that I keep in the back. It's still a little cool out this morning."
As I was closing the trunk, I received a text. I put on my jacket and excitedly pulled my phone from my pocket. A goofy grin appeared on my face when I saw who it was from.
girls r awake n ready 2 go ~ Dr. E. Cullen
I smiled as a read his text and realized he texts like my students, but used his professional name as his signature. His personality was as fun and playful as I had remembered.
"What has you smiling? Or should I say who has you smiling?" Alice commented.
"I just got a text that the girls are ready to go."
"Uh huh, that's the only thing making you smile?" She teased me. Apparently, I was an open book when it came to my best friend and I loved her even more for that.
"No." I giggled. "Let me just reply back and I'll be all yours, okay?"
We went to the park instead of the cafe. I'll see you soon. Have fun!
I received an instant reply.
k we will. u 2 ~ Dr. E. Cullen
I put my phone back into my pocket and walked with Alice to find a picnic table near the water. Although it was a little chilly, the sun was attempting to shine through the clouds, which was a rare occasion in Seattle that time of year. We settled in and Alice started pulling out containers of fruit, muffins, juice and coffee; all my favorites. I grabbed the bag that held the plates, cups and utensils. I had to place the napkins underneath the plates to keep the wind from blowing them away.
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was calming. Birds flew over our heads and several boats were sailing in the distance, pushed along by the breeze.
"Allie, the coffee is great, but the chocolate chip muffins are divine! Everything is so delicious. Thank you for going through all of this trouble, I'm really enjoying myself. I could have baked something if you told me you were planning this."
"I know, but it was my surprise. You've been really busy lately with work and MC, plus trying to reconnect with Edward, so I just wanted to do something nice for you. I'm glad I could make you happy."
"You do. I'm so lucky to have you for my best friend and I would do anything for you too." I set my muffin down on my plate and walked around the table to hug her.
"Okay, enough of the deep stuff, tell me what happened last night. Who made the first move?" Alice clapped once with enthusiasm, causing me to laugh as I moved back to my seat opposite her.
"Well, yours truly decided I had enough of waiting for Edward to make his move, so while the girls were swimming, I pulled off the old stretch and yawn technique to get his attention. Then I went and sat on the lounge chair with him and rested against his chest. He immediately pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around my waist. We stayed like that until the girls were finished swimming." I smiled, proud of myself for taking the first initiative.
"This was after bowling, where we made a bet that if he won he got to take me on a dinner date and if I won, he had to pay for my pedicure. A win-win for me."
"Who won the game?" Alice asked, laughing out loud.
"Let's just say I let him win." Alice laughed even louder. "Seriously, he kept talking about his improved bowling skills and how I was no match for him, but honestly, I had to throw some gutter balls to keep our scores close."
"Oh my God, that's so funny! I could imagine Jasper doing the same thing. Boys will be boys, I suppose." She giggled.
The wind picked up and blew the napkins around the top of the table, and a few scattered onto the ground near us. Alice grabbed what she could and I ran to gather the escapees and threw them into a nearby trashcan.
"Oh shit, I totally forgot. Guess who I ran into at the snack bar?" I asked loudly.
"Who?"
"You remember Masen from New Year's Eve? The guy who works with Emmett and the one I danced with."
"And kissed!" Alice shook her head in disbelief.
"Yeah. And guess what else? Oh I'll just tell you. He asked me out to dinner… I said no of course, but as he was asking a second time, Edward came up behind me all jealous and protective with his hand on my lower back. He even pretended that he hadn't been to the gym because he's been spending all his time with us."
"What did Masen do?" She asked curiously through her heavy breaths, hysterically laughing.
"What could he do? He wished us both a good day, grabbed his beer and went to rejoin the group of people he was bowling with."
"So do you think you would've hooked up with Masen if Edward wouldn't have returned to Seattle?" Alice questioned, but I could not understand why she would ask that.
"Well, maybe. He's really hot, and it may have been fun while it lasted. Why did you ask that, Allie? It seems totally random."
I look around us and noticed a couple holding hands and the guy was walking his dog. I pulled my phone from my pocket and realized we had been talking for over two hours already. Time really does fly when you're having fun.
"I just wanted to hear your answer and to see how attached you are to Edward already. Here's my two cents. You ready for it?"
I nodded my head.
"You are attracted to Masen, but it would've never worked out. Your heart has belonged to Edward for more years than even you can remember. You don't have to fall in love with him because you have been in love with him for years, and from what I could tell this morning, the feeling is mutual."
"You think so?" I whispered, hoping she was right.
"I know so. There can never be anyone else for you because it's him…. It's always been him and that's okay. You're both in better places in your lives, both personally and professionally, and in all honesty, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I'm so excited for you guys."
"Thanks Allie." I moved around the table to give her another hug. I had the best friend in the world.
"Don't start thanking me yet, babe, there's one more thing. I can't in good conscience call myself your best friend if I don't say this now. You and Edward had a serious lack of communication that last time you were together and that cannot happen this time. You need to open yourself up and show him the insecurities that you have about being abandoned by him again. You need to set some boundaries between the two of you until you can truly trust and believe that he will not leave. If you can't do that, then you need to let him go.
"MC hasn't stopped talking about Makenna and Edward for weeks, and neither of those girls could handle being pulled away from the other. I can't even imagine how strongly they will be bonded within a few months time. You have always put her first, and I have every confidence that you will always have her best interest at heart, but in the case of Edward Cullen, you jump first and think second. This time you guys need to plan ahead. I promise it'll make you stronger in the end."
"I totally agree with you there. I might have a great education, but that boy makes me dumb. We've talked several times since I told you about our breakdown on the porch at Esme's house. We know where we went wrong and all we can do is put the other's needs first and be honest and try to have fun again. If it's meant to be, then it'll happen."
I continued in a more serious tone, "Allie, in the weeks since New Year's Eve, I've had a wide range of emotions from excitement to anger and everything else in between, but what stood out to me the most was forgiveness. Somewhere in the years since Edward left, I had forgiven him. I don't know when or how or why, but none of that matters. Forgiving him is effortless because he didn't leave me to hurt or to cause me any pain and suffering. He walked away that day because he had tried to sacrifice his own desire for happiness to provide me with what he thought I wanted. Sure, he was wrong, but the road to redemption was paved with good intentions."
He earned my forgiveness, and I knew when I sat next to him that day on the porch as we cried together, that we could move forward with our lives. We had no other choice, as fate was a fickle friend, and would never take no as an answer.
"I have a great feeling about you guys this time. I just know that the third time is the charm."
I kissed her on her cheek in my excitement.
"So let's get everything packed up and get home. I have a husband who I plan on ravishing during naptime and you have a boyfriend to catch!"
"Let's do it!"
It took us around ten minutes to clean up and walk back to the car. I was excited to see Edward and the girls again. I could not wait to talk to him about us becoming an official couple so I sent him a quick text.
I need to talk to you.
~~ E & B ~~
Edward
I walked around Bella's living room sipping my coffee as I waited for the girls to wake up. I loved being in her house, surrounded by the items that held some importance to her. From the looks of it, her style had not changed much over the years but the decorations were more feminine and no longer had a man's touch.
From what I could tell, she was the same Bella that loved to read books based off the stacks that were scattered around the room. What I was surprised to see was that she had bookshelves attached to the wall packed full of music CDs. Her collection was pretty impressive, everything from classical, rock, jazz and some older Seattle grunge bands. I wondered when she became so interested in music.
After thumbing through her collection, I sat back down on the couch not wanting to be too nosey. I couldn't believe how much had changed in a twenty-four hour time period. When I woke up yesterday, my hopes were simple; a fun day with the girls and a chance to be around Bella. Who would have thought that the world would shift and start to make my life right again? Sure in hell not me.
For as long as I lived, I would never forget the exact moment that change took place. It was the minute Bella told me everything was as it should be when she held my hand. I responded with the only answer that was fitting, I couldn't agree with you more. The simple words exchanged said it all. We were meant to be and we both knew it was time to stop fighting fate.
Even if it was only for the night, it was hard to tell Bella and the girls goodbye. I didn't mind being by myself but I would have rather had the three of the most important women in my life close by during such a monumental realization.
It would have been nice to tuck the girls in bed, and then hold Bella by the fireplace. I would have loved to express how elated I was over everything that had happed recently. I wanted her to know how much I cared about her and MC and how I planned to do right by them both.
I may not have got the chance to do so, but I would be sure to speak with her about it soon. I wanted her to understand the depth of my feelings for them. I had loved Bella since I was sixteen and since MC was a part of her, it was natural that I loved her too. I knew the time wasn't right to declare it, but when it was, I would want MC to understand my feelings for her. Even after the short time I'd known her, there was no difference in my heart between Makenna and MC even after the short time I'd known her. She was made by Bella and Jake and couldn't be more perfect than if she was biologically mine.
I heard feet shuffling towards me as they made their way down the hall indicating the girls were up.
Makenna came into the room still looking sleepy and somewhat disoriented. When she saw me sitting on the couch, she smiled and made her way over to me.
"Morning, Kenni Bear. Did you sleep well?" I asked.
Before responding, she climbed up in my lap and snuggled close to my chest.
"I guess so, but MC kicks too much," she grumbled.
"I'm sorry, baby. It must've been a quite a battle then because you kick like crazy too." I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her.
I loved that no matter how old she was, she always liked to cuddle with me. When she was a baby, I would lie down on the couch with her sleeping on my chest spending hours reading my textbooks. I didn't have a lot of free time in those days, so it was a way for me to feel close to her. It was a bitch trying to highlight information and I couldn't write many notes, but she was worth it. It was our special time together.
"Daddy, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, baby. You know you can always ask me anything," I responded, encouraging her to state what was on her mind.
"Is Bella your girlfriend, like Lauren was?" She asked tentatively.
I winced when Lauren's name was brought up. Thank God she never acted crazy in front of Makenna, but after she was out of the picture, I got the sense Makenna wasn't too fond of her. There were things she did and said after Lauren left that clued me in. She's not coming back, right? And about a month later the very clear, Daddy, I don't like her made me feel guilty for bringing her into our lives to begin with.
I pulled her face out of the crook of my neck so I could see her green eyes, wanting her to really listen to what I had to say.
"First of all, I promise you Bella is nothing like Lauren, sweetheart. But if you ever feel uncomfortable like you did with Lauren, you make sure to tell me, okay?"
"I know she doesn't act like her, Daddy. Are you guys gonna kiss and have sleepover's like you did with Lauren?" She scrunched up her nose as she spoke.
I held back a laugh at the look of disgust on her face as my mind raced to answer her correctly.
"Before I answer that let me ask you something." She nodded her head so I continued, "How would you feel if Bella was my girlfriend?" I anxiously questioned her. Her response would be a deal breaker for everything. I would have been devastated, but Makenna's feelings always came first.
A bright smile broke out on her face to let me know her answer before she said it out loud.
"I would be so happy, Daddy. Bella is so nice and very pretty and that means MC and I can have sleepover's all the time," she excitedly said.
I pulled her in for another hug, grateful that she would be okay if Bella and I dated.
"Thank you so much, Kenni Bear. I'm happy you feel that way." I kissed her hair trying to express my love and gratitude over her statement.
"Want to hear a secret?" She whispered.
"Sure." I responded thinking it would be something random, but to my surprise, it wasn't.
"MC says Bella really likes you and she said her mom talked on the phone about you."
I hugged her tighter and laughed, my little wingman looked out for me once again.
MC made her way out to the living room shortly after that. I gave the girls some cereal then they got dressed for the day. It was not raining which was a shock for late January. The clouds blanketed the sky, but I saw glimpses of the sun, the air was crisp, but when you lived in Seattle you took the rare opportunity to get out of the house.
One of my colleagues, Eleazar Denali, told me about a park that he used to take his teenager daughters to when they were little. He said it had a gigantic castle play structure and was a superb place for a little princess to play. I thought it would be perfect for both of the princesses in my life, and when Bella asked me to watch MC while she went out with Alice, I knew exactly where I wanted to take them.
They tried to guess where we were going the entire drive. I learned that MC had a wild imagination because one of her guesses was that we were going to an indoor sky diving place. I laughed at her stating that her mom would kill me, but then promised to take her there when she was older.
We pulled into the parking lot and both girls gasped at how huge the wooden castle was. It had a spiral slide coming down from the top, with monkey bars and a rock climbing wall attached to it. The tower at the top had large windows that looked into the lush green trees surrounding it. The castle was surrounded by smaller play structures and an octagon shaped picnic tables. Dr. Denali was right, the place was amazing.
The girls wasted no time and jumped out of the car running straight toward the playground. I grabbed their jackets and followed behind to find an empty table.
The park wasn't very crowded, which surprised me. It was unique, and whoever designed it did an awesome job. I sat with my back towards the table and watched kids run by as they squealed with laugher, and while other parents sat around watching their children play.
The girls tried out everything a couple times before making their way back to the castle part of the structure.
"Edward, come play with us! " MC hollered at me as she ran towards the rock climbing wall with Makenna racing behind her.
How could I not accept this invitation? I got up and followed them as they cheered about my willingness to play.
As we climbed the stairs to the top, Makenna stopped me with an excited look on her face.
"I know what we can do. We can play princesses! Daddy, you have to be the knight though." She explained.
I laughed at her excitement and agreed that was a good role for me. They decided I needed to go back outside and fight off the dragons before I could rescue them.
As I made my way down the stairs, I realized I was about to put on a show for everyone there but I didn't care. I would be the best knight I could be!
When I reached the bottom I looked up and saw the top of Makenna's head from one of the windows but MC was nowhere in sight.
I cleared my voice getting ready for the performance of my life.
"Milady, Makenna. I will fight for your honor and kill off the dragons to save you," I recited loudly, and grabbed my imaginary sword and waived it in the air.
I ran around the castle a couple times pretending to slash dragons, and gained a crowd of children that wanted to join in to be a warrior with me.
The other parents laughed and watched me make a fool out of myself. Every time I looked up and saw my daughter with a smile on her face, or heard her laughter, it was worth it.
My army and I fought our way up to the chambers of the castle and I explained our battle plan to my fellow knights. We would divide and concur until we found the damsels in distress. I gave the orders for the kids to go one way, while I climbed the last stairwell to where I knew my girls awaited.
I swung the door open quickly to be dramatic, and then acted as if I put my sword in my belt, before I knelt down and bowed my head. MC tried hard to keep a straight face as she lay on the ground with her eyes closed.
"Your Royal Highness, it's my honor to have saved you," I stated dramatically.
Makenna ran to me still playing her part.
"Thank you, kind sir, but my sister is the one that needs to be saved. Please help her, you're our last hope." She pleaded and begged.
"What does Milady need help with?" I asked.
"An evil witch cast a spell on her and only a kiss can break it. You must kiss her before the witch comes back and takes her away for good." She cried out, perfectly in character, as if she were reading it from one of her books.
"Very well, let me break the spell with a kiss." I stood up and puffed out my chest.
Makenna ran over to MC and dropped to her knees.
"Please hurry, sir, we don't have much time."
I walked over to where the girls were and bent down on one knee next to Makenna.
"What's your sister's name, your Royal Highness?" I asked.
"It's Lady Mary Claire, but call her MC or she'll be mad at you." She giggled.
"Very well. Lady MC, I shall break the spell bestowed upon you by the evil witch, and then I shall take you both back to Castle Cullen where I can keep you protected forever."
I ran my finger down MC's nose causing her to let out a little giggle. I bent my head and started placing small kisses all over her face causing the giggles to come out loud and clear.
I rose up and threw my hands in the air before I shouted, "Praise be to the king, she is alive!"
The girls were laughing at my outburst as a few fellow knights strolled in.
I grabbed both girls, pulled them up to my chest, then ran down the stairs and shouted back to the kids. "I have claimed these two princesses as my own. We shall retreat to my castle in a far away land. Thank you for your help young knights. You were very brave."
When we reached the bottom both girls were hysterical and I was out of breath from carrying them.
"You're so funny, Edward," MC remarked.
"I'm glad you liked my performance, Milady," I said, and bowed to them.
"Daddy, I'm thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?" Makenna asked.
"Sure baby, let me run to the car and get a bottle of water. Stay right here at the table where I can see you," I responded and walked towards my SUV.
When I got there, I heard my phone ding to indicate I had a text. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw it was from Bella.
The smile on my face slowly disappeared as I read her message, I need to talk to you.
We needed to talk, or anything related to that statement, normally wasn't good. I wondered if Alice convinced her that I was not worth another shot, or maybe I read all of her signals wrong, and she was not interested like I thought she was.
The girls were waiting on me so I walked back over to the table and handed them both a water bottle then told them to go play for ten more minutes.
I needed some time to clear my head and neither option seemed right. Despite the fact that those words normally didn't mean good things when used, I would not run away. I would face whatever Bella had to say to me, and if needed I would take two steps back to just be her friend again.
After the day I'd had, I was certain of one thing; there was no way I could go on in life without MC in it, and not just for Makenna either. That little girl stole a piece of my heart and I didn't want it back. I would fight for Bella to understand how much they meant to me.
I grabbed my phone to respond to her.
Ok leavin in 5 2 pick up food. Want 2 meet at ur house? ~ Dr. E. Cullen
Bella responded quickly which had to be a good sign, right?
Sounds good, see you soon. : )
She included a smile, which was a good thing. Maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusions and I needed to find out.
I rounded up the girls and we made our way to McDonald's. MC was gracious enough to let Makenna decide where we went, because she learned how picky Makenna was. I wasn't sure if Bella would be hungry after her breakfast, but I asked MC what her mom liked. She rattled off a couple different items on the menu and I ordered two different options, figuring Bella could pick which one she wanted and I would take the other.
The girls and I chatted the whole way home, making the ride go quickly. I pulled up to the house and parked next to Bella's car in the driveway. As we got out of my SUV, Bella appeared at the door and both girls ran up to her babbling about the park and how much fun they had.
When I reached the door, she smirked at me and I smiled back, forgetting about the tension I carried since I received her text.
"Why, Sir Edward, it's an honor to have you visit my estate. Please do come in." She gestured into the house with her hand and giggled.
"Shut it, Isabella. Our daughters needed to be saved from the dragons and I wasn't about to let some unworthy boy break MC's spell by kissing her." I responded as I tried to keep a straight face.
She laughed at my response while making our way inside.
Lunch went by with all of us engaged in conversation. Bella loved hearing about our day in more detail, and asked if she could come along the next time. When the girls weren't paying attention, I teased her that she wanted to be kissed awake by me and not by some little boy. She responded by saying she just wanted to be kissed by me period. The next opportunity I had, I would do just that.
The girls brought us out of our moment.
"Ugh, they're making goo goo eyes at each other, again. Let's go see if iCarly is on, Makenna," MC said as she got up from the table.
Makenna looked back and forth between Bella and me, gave us a sweet smile then she disappeared down the hallway.
"Good to know they aren't into goo goo eyes yet," I stated. Bella laughed and nodded her head.
"Let's hope it stays that way for a very long time. I'm not ready for crushes yet."
I didn't respond, not wanting to take the subject any further. Since the day Makenna was born, I prayed that she didn't notice boys existed until she turned thirty. I knew it was unlikely, but there was no harm in dreaming.
Bella cleaned up all the garbage and then suggested we go to the living room to be more comfortable. I figured she was ready to talk about whatever was on her mind. My palms were a little bit sweaty, but I knew whatever she had to say, I would get through it. What other choice did I have?
I sat down on the corner of the couch and Bella sat next to me and then turned her body to face me.
"I'm sorry I sent you a text telling you I wanted to talk to you. After I sent it I realized you may freak out over it since I was so vague."
"That's okay, Bella. You can talk to me about whatever is on your mind, you know that right?" I asked since she seemed a little nervous herself.
She nodded her head and started to pick imaginary lint off of her sweater.
"Allie and I had a great time this morning. Thanks for coming over so early," she said, clearly stalling.
"Anytime, Bizzy, I've told you that. I had just as much fun as they did today, and I don't mind having MC whenever you want a break."
Bella scooted closer to me and grabbed my hand.
"Spending time with Allie is always great, but this time it was even better than normal, because she helped me work through some of my feelings."
I swallowed the lump stuck in my throat as I waited for her to continue. I wanted to look her in the eyes but couldn't bring myself to do it; worried she would see my fears and clam up.
"I've realized I'm happy ninety-nine percent of the time. What I've learned since you've been back is that last one percent is connected to you. You make me whole, Edward. I don't want to live incomplete anymore."
I closed my eyes and tried to gather the perfect words to respond to her but nothing felt good enough.
Bella really did want me; she wanted us to be a couple again and her actions the night before were real.
"Please tell me you feel this way too, Edward. That you want me as much as I want you," she whispered.
I kept my eyes closed, too afraid if I opened them, our conversation would not be real.
"I must be dreaming," I mumbled aloud, as I shook my head.
"You're not dreaming, Edward. Open your eyes and look at me," Bella responded, and I could feel her breath on my face.
"Nope. I don't want to wake up, I've been dreaming about this for weeks. Hell, longer than that, more like eight years. There's no way this is really coming true; that you actually want me, like I want you."
Bella laughed and I felt the couch dip a little as she scooted closer to me. I felt her hands on my face as she tried to pull my head towards her.
"Want me to prove to you this isn't a dream?" She asked.
I nodded my head, curious to see what she had planned.
Her breathing picked up and before I knew it, I felt her warm lips touch mine.
I opened my eyes and was met with hers instantly. They were dancing with excitement and I knew it was real. We were together and I would never be without her again.
I smiled against her lips, and pulled her closer to give her a kiss to seal the deal.
A/N: So, do you think swooning should be an Olympic sport now? So, if you were Bella, where would you want Edward to take you on a date? *looks at pervy twimomlover* We know… the backseat, the closet, a dungeon, or to a threesome with Masen… we get it. =)
A picture of the playground that Knight Edward took his princesses to has been posted on PhotoBucket, along with a few others. The link is on our profile.
Just as a reminder, we post a pictease on TwiSherry's blog every Monday and have a teaser on The Fictionators.
Thanks for reading. If you have the time, please review and we'll send you a teaser for the next chapter.
P.S. Thanks for the eating tips for my daughter. 3 ladysharkey1
P.S.S. Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.