C H A P T E R E I G H T
.:Edward:.
I had woken up four minutes before my alarm clock. I was so excited that my internal clock was waking me up bright and early. I waited for my alarm to sound before jumping up and moving to the shower. This weekend was going to be fun.
I showered quickly and checked on the girls before slipping downstairs. I completely skipped over the coffee, not even needing it. I was wide awake. I left a note on the mail box for Bella with a key inside and sped off to her house.
When I got to Bella's I found she had already made breakfast for the boys. I grinned. This was going to be the last home cooked meal they would eat all weekend. I looked around and found a note on the counter.
Edward,
Here are the house keys and the keys to all the bedrooms. The boys aren't allowed to lock their doors but they will try. Simon is allergic to bees but other than that, there are no allergies. Call me if you need anything and thanks.
I'll take good care of your girls.
Love,
Bella
I smiled at the note. I was so excited to get the weekend going. I had decided last night what our activities would include and had packed my Volvo full, only leaving room for the boys to squeeze in. I sat down at the kitchen table and stared out the window. From here I had a perfect view of the rising sun. I watched it rise slowly before I heard soft footsteps coming down stairs. I looked up to see Jason stumble into the kitchen. He wore green and blue plaid flannel pants and no shirt. His hair was a mess and he was yawning and rubbing his eyes as he came in. He froze when he saw me before nodding and moving to the coffee maker. I watched, interested as he started the coffee.
"You drink coffee?" I asked, intrigued. He looked over at me and shook his head.
"No, but every morning I make mom a pot of coffee. I'm always the first one up. She can always tell when I'm mad at her because she wakes up and there isn't any coffee." He said chuckling lightly. I smiled. "Anyway, I can't really wake up unless I make a pot of coffee. I don't know why, but that's how I have to start the day." I nodded.
"That's very considerate of you to do that for your mother." I noted. It reminded me so much of Emma. Before she grew into the 'I'm-supposed-to-hate-my-dad-because-he's-no-longer-cool' phase, she would do the same thing for me. Jason shrugged.
"I was raised to be a gentleman." He said leaning against the counter. I nodded. "So mom is gone?" he asked folding his arms across his chest. I nodded.
"We switched this morning. I haven't even seen her." Jason nodded and eyed the muffins on the counter.
"Mom." He said after picking one up and biting into it. I frowned. "Mom makes the best muffins. I can always tell when she's cooked something." He explained. I nodded.
"She is an excellent cook." I mused. Jason nodded and the coffee maker ringed. Jason sat up and went to the pot. He pulled down a mug and poured the coffee in it. He set the mug on the counter next to a jar of sugar. He turned to me a smiled softly.
"So what do we have planned for the weekend?" he asked sitting and grabbing a plate of bacon and eggs. I grinned.
"Well I was thinking since your mom is so clumsy, I'm guessing you guys don't go on hikes much?" Jason nodded with a smirk. "Right, so I was thinking we could go camping. And not in the living room, but out in the open. Maybe fish, do some hiking. Whatever we want." I saw a spark of excitement in Jason's eyes though the rest of his face stayed composed.
"Cool." He said biting into a piece of bacon. I nodded. I heard more footsteps and saw Simon and Luke come into the kitchen. Simon was wearing a large baseball jersey and flannel pants and Luke was in race car pajamas.
"Good morning men." I said smiling. Luke grinned and climbed into the seat next to mine. Simon nodded and sat at the last remaining seat. He looked exhausted.
"So what are we going to do?" Luke asked anxiously. I chuckled.
"I was thinking we could all go camping." His face lit up and he looked to his brothers. Simon was grinning and Jason had let a small smirk slip. I smiled. "Is that a good plan?"
"YES!" Luke cried as Jason and Simon nodded their heads yes. I chuckled.
"Good, let's eat then pack and we'll go."
.:Bella:.
I had a hard time trying to figure out what to do with the girls. It had been so long since I was allowed a girly bonding day. I knew that no matter how challenging it was going to be though, it would be worth getting to know the girls better.
I arrived at Edward's house and found a key and note on the mail box for me.
Bella,
Here is the house key. The girls will probably be asleep for a while. Have fun with them and enjoy your day off. And please don't worry, I'll take great care of your boys.
Call me if you need anything. And don't forget to relax.
Love,
Edward.
I smiled and stepped into the house. I wandered into the kitchen and heard my stomach rumble. It might be good to start the weekend off by making breakfast for them. I started rummaging through the cabinets and drawers until I found all the ingredients to make waffles. I smiled and started cooking.
I was just finishing up when Jodi wandered into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw me and gave me a quick hug. "Good morning." I said chuckling. Jodi grinned. She was wearing a large baseball shirt that looked like it belonged to her dad at one point, and some blue cotton shorts.
"Morning Miss Bella. Do you need any help?" I shook my head.
"Sweetie, call me Bella. Please." She smiled and nodded. I turned to the waffles. "As for help, you can squeeze some oranges for me." Jodi nodded and moved to the juicer I had set up. "So are you excited for this weekend?" I asked nervously. Jodi looked over at me and nodded.
"Yeah, I really am. I think it'll be a lot of fun. We don't get a lot of time to have a girly day. Dad tries but he's pretty hopeless at it." I laughed and nodded.
"I can only imagine." I chuckled and turned back to the waffles.
"Good morning." I looked up to see Emma and Clara walk into the kitchen. Emma was holding Clara on her hip and Clara was holding a soft pink blanket. I smiled. Clara was wearing pink cotton pajamas with dancing monkeys on them and Emma was wearing a pink tank top and black cotton shorts.
"Good morning girls. Are you hungry?" They both nodded. I had them set the table and soon we were all eating. "So, I was thinking that today we could just spend the day pampering ourselves." I said smiling. "Maybe get our nails and toes done and then maybe go shopping?" I suggested hopefully. The girls all exchanged excited glances.
"Really?" Jodi asked hopefully. I nodded.
"It's been too long since I've had a girl's day out and I figure you guys don't get them much either. So we're going to do whatever we want." The girls all squealed in excitement.
"Yay!" they all sang. I grinned. This weekend was going to be a blast.
.:Edward:.
"Edward, how does this go?" I looked over to see Simon frowning at the tent poles. I chuckled and walked over to help him.
"Follow the colors." I told him, pointing them out. "And the numbers." I said pointing to the small black numbers. Simon nodded.
"Cool, thanks." I nodded and continued unpacking the car. Jason was helping me unload while Luke tried to help Simon.
"Are we going to have to help them soon?" Jason asked looking over at his brothers. I chuckled.
"It is possible. But let's give them some time to try to do it." I said pulling out a cooler. Jason nodded.
"That's fair." We finished unloading in a matter of minutes and Simon and Luke had hardly gotten anywhere on the tent. We went over to help them and had the tent up in three minutes. I smiled.
"Alright boys, put your sleeping bags in and your bags and then we'll decide what to do." They nodded and tossed the bags in. I ended up on the end next to Simon. Luke was in the middle and Jason was on the other end. "Alright, what do you guys want to do first?" I asked stepping outside. They all looked at each other and shrugged. "Well we can go hiking, fishing, exploring…"
"Can we go fishing?" Simon asked hopefully. I laughed.
"Sure, come on. I brought all the gear." I walked to the car and popped the trunk. I handed the boys each their own gear. They all looked at me and frowned. I stopped. "What?" I asked, worried.
"You bought us our own fishing equipment?" Simon asked softly. I nodded, still confused.
"Of course. They are yours to keep." The boy's faces all turned ecstatic.
"Thanks Edward!" they all cried. I laughed.
"It was really no problem. Come on."I said grabbing my own gear and leading the way to the lake.
.:Bella:.
We started our day by getting dressed. I helped the girls pick out their outfits and helped them all dress up a little, even helping Emma with makeup and putting pretend make up on Jodi and Clara. When we finished, we headed to the mall.
Normally I was against willingly going to the mall and going shopping, but today, I was not only happy to go, but excited.
It wasn't like shopping with Alice. Alice was a whirlwind through the stores, picking up only the things she knew would fit and look good, never loosing pace.
Shopping with the girls was slow paced and filled with giggles. It wasn't all business like with Alice.
"Bella, try this on!" Jodi said producing a slinky dark blue dress. I rolled my eyes.
"Wow, that's quite slinky." I said chuckling. Jodi nodded with a smirk.
"I think it'll look amazing." She beamed. I laughed and slipped into a dressing room. I slipped it on and examined my reflection. I smiled and stepped out. We had been playing a game in every store we went to. We would try on the most gorgeous clothes, things we would never wear normally and then pose while the others took pictures. The girls were waiting for me and when I stepped out, they gasped.
"Bella that looks amazing on you!" Emma cried. I blushed and ducked my head.
"Alright, now pose!" Jodi cried holding up the camera. I laughed and started posing. I noticed Emma whip out her cell phone and started snapping shots as well. After five shots or so I stopped them.
"Alright, let's find something for you girls to try." I said laughing. They all smiled at me.
"Bella, you should buy that dress." Jodi said. Clara and Emma nodded.
"You look so pretty!" Clara exclaimed. I blushed.
"But where would I wear this?" I asked glancing in the mirror. They all shrugged.
"Please!" they all cried. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"Really?" I asked biting my lip. They all nodded and I smiled.
"Alright. I'll buy it. Who's up next?"
.:Edward:.
"Alright, then you pull it back and send it flying." I instructed. The boys followed my directions one at a time and sent the fishing line flying. I smiled. "That's great!" I hadn't realized that I was going to have to teach the boys to fish. According to Jason, Bella's dad fished a lot and she had a bad experience with a hook when she was ten. She hadn't been fishing since then and the boys hardly ever visited their grandfather.
I was glad that I could teach the boys how to fish. It was challenging but fun and we had grown closer over the course of a half hour than I thought possible.
"Hey Edward, are your parents still alive?" Simon asked after a moment. We were all sitting on a small doc, our feet dangling over the edge, all of us holding our fishing poles. I nodded.
"Yes, they live in a small town in Washington called Forks." I said glancing over at Simon. He frowned and turned to Jason who nodded.
"You are from Forks?" He asked. I nodded.
"I moved there when I was 16 and my parents stayed." I explained.
"Mom is from Forks." Jason said frowning. I blinked in surprise. What? "Well, originally she is. She moved to Arizona with our Grandma when my grandparents divorced when she was 9. But after that she spent every summer in Forks, well up until she got pregnant with me. It became too hard to travel after that so we stayed down with Grandma Renee until mom met Tyler." He explained. I frowned. Wow, it was such a small world.
"So your grandfather still lives in Forks?" I asked. They nodded.
"He's Police Chief!" Luke said proudly. I laughed.
"Ah, Charlie. Of course. I know him." I said chuckling. Emmett had many run-ins with Charlie. I think we had even invited him to dinner for Thanksgiving one year. "He and your Uncle Emmett are friends." Jason rolled his eyes as he caught the hesitance in my voice as I tried to word my sentence.
"Is you daddy a doctor too?" Luke asked looking up at me. I grinned and nodded.
"Yes, his name is Carlisle and he's a very good doctor." I said smiling. Simon and Jason laughed.
"Then he probably knows mom." They said rolling their eyes. I laughed and nodded.
"Edward." Simon said stiffly. I looked over, confused. I saw his line tug and grinned.
"Reel it in Simon! You've caught something!" I said smiling. Simon nodded and started reeling in the line. I looked out on the water and saw a large fish being pulled through the water. I grabbed my net and got it ready. Simon pulled the fish out of the water and almost screamed. I scooped it up in the net and quickly released the hook from its mouth. I put it in ice chest we had brought and smiled to Simon who still looked shaken. "Well done Simon! That's a big one! We'll fry him up for dinner tonight." Simon looked at me and grinned.
"Really?" I nodded.
"Let's catch more!" he cried enthusiastically.
.:Bella:.
We took a break at one thirty to have lunch. We already had a few bags of purchases and so far had had a blast. We ate at the food court, each eating something different.
"So, I'm thinking we hit up the shoes and make up stores next then we can go get our nails done?" I asked poking my orange chicken. The girls nodded.
"That sounds like a good plan." Emma said biting into her salad. I smiled.
"Yeah, I'm so excited. I've never had my nails done before." Jodi said happily. I grinned.
"Good, I'm excited too." I said honestly. And I was. I was never excited about getting my nails done, but the girls made it exciting. I heard my phone ringing and fished it out of my purse. "Hello?" I asked frowning.
"Hello Beautiful." I smiled, my whole body instantly relaxing at the sound of his voice. "How is it going?" I smiled.
"It's going well. The girls and I are having lots of fun with even more fun in store." I said glancing at the girls. They all turned to their plates as if they were the most interesting things in the world.
"I'm glad to hear that." He said chuckling. I smiled.
"So what are you guys up to?" I asked taking a sip of my lemonade.
"Oh, you know. Man stuff." I laughed and set my cup down.
"Right, well are the boys behaving?" I asked, slightly worried. Edward chuckled.
"Wonderfully. I'm having a blast." I smiled.
"I'm so glad to hear." Edward laughed.
"Well, I just wanted to check in. May I speak to Emma?" I laughed.
"Sure." I said handing the phone to Emma.
"It's your dad." She nodded and took the phone.
"Hey dad." She paused and then her cheeks grew a soft shade of pink. "Oh you know, just a game we played in the stores. What? Yeah." She grinned and glanced at me. "No. Yeah. Alright, bye dad. See you later." she hung up the phone and handed it back to me. I waited for an explanation but she gave none. I shrugged and put my phone away.
"Alright, who's ready to do more shopping?"
.:Edward:.
When we had gotten back from fishing, I had found one new picture message on my cell phone from Emma. I opened it open and almost groaned. The picture was of Bella wearing the most stunning blue slinky dress. The dress hugged her curves graciously and made my body react in excitement. She was exquisite. After examining the photo, I decided now would be a good time to call Bella.
"Hello?" she asked, her melodic voice filling me.
"Hello Beautiful." I said smiling. My whole body instantly relaxed at the sound of her voice. "How is it going?"
"It's going well. The girls and I are having lots of fun with even more fun in store." She said warmly.
"I'm glad to hear that." I said chuckling.
"So what are you guys up to?" Bella asked softly.
"Oh, you know. Man stuff." Bella laughed and I felt my body react to the delicious sound.
"Right, well are the boys behaving?" She asked, slightly worried. I chuckled.
"Wonderfully. I'm having a blast." I said honestly.
"I'm so glad to hear." I laughed.
"Well, I just wanted to check in. May I speak to Emma?" Bella laughed.
"Sure." She said before handing the phone to Emma.
"Hey dad."
"Hello Emma. Care to explain that text message?" She paused and took a deep breath.
"Oh you know, just a game we played in the stores."
"Really?" I asked surprised.
"What? Yeah." I could hear the smile in her voice.
"Any particular reason you sent that to me?"
"No." I rolled my eyes.
"Did Bella buy that dress?" I asked, slightly hopeful.
"Yeah." I heard her laugh.
"Well you guys behave please." I said trying to hide my excitement.
"Alright, bye dad. See you later." she hung up the phone and I put it back in my pocket. I turned to see the boys putting their gear away. "Alright, who wants to play some football?" The boys nodded excited. "Teams, hm. How about Simon and Jason vs. Luke and me?" they nodded and I grabbed the football from the car. I smiled. "Come on guys, there is a small clearing just a little walk that way." I said pointing down the road. We ended up racing. Luke, who said he was too little, hopped on my back as I raced Simon and Jason. To my astonishment, Simon beat us both easily. Jason and I tied. "Wow, you're really fast Simon." I said putting Luke down. Simon shrugged with a large grin on his face.
"I take Karate and I have to stay in shape for that." I nodded, fascinated. I enjoyed learning new things about the boys. They constantly surprised me, much like their mother did.
"Alright guys, let's play!"
.:Bella:.
We got home to Edward's house all exhausted. We had all bought shoes and had fun makeovers at the cosmetics stores before getting our nails done. The girls were positively glowing. "Bella that was the best day ever!" Clara exclaimed as soon as we got to the house. I grinned.
"I'm so glad." I glanced around the house and a thought hit me. I turned to the girls and smiled. "I have an idea for dinner. Who is hungry?" they all raised their hands and I laughed. I grabbed my car keys and smiled. "Come on, we've got to do some grocery shopping first." I said grabbing my purse. We all piled back in the car and I headed to the grocery store.
"What are we having?" Jodi asked as I searched the isles for the ingredients I would need.
"We are going to make our own pizzas for dinner." They all looked at each other surprised.
"We've never made pizza before." Clara said excited. I laughed.
"Alright, grab what you guys want to put on it. Then we'll pick out something for dessert." With that the girls went crazy and started searching the shelves for all they wanted on their pizzas.
When we got home, we had a large variety of toppings. I set out some bowls and cutting boards and together, we all started making our dinner.
While the girls had been picking out their toppings, I had picked up several bags of candy and treats. I had also picked up some great chick flick movies.
We put the pizza's in the oven and I turned to the girls. "Shall we get our pajamas on and watch a movie?" They nodded.
"Can we sleep out here too?" Jodi asked. I smiled.
"Sure! Do you have sleeping bags?" Emma nodded and retrieved some from the garage. We laid them out and all slipped upstairs to change. I grabbed my overnight bag that I had left on Edward's bed and searched through it. I frowned, not being able to find my pajamas. Then I remembered I left them at home. I bit my lip and looked around. I walked over to Edward's drawers and found a large grey shirt. I slipped it on along with a pair of shorts. The clothes smelled like him and I found myself inhaling deeply. There was a soft knock on the door and I looked over to see Emma walking in. She looked at me and frowned.
"I forgot my pajamas at home. Do you think your dad would mind?" Emma smiled and shook her head.
"No, he'll love it. You look good in his clothes." I smiled and hugged Emma tightly. We were about the same height which was strange for me. I was used to hugging my boys who towered over me.
"Thank you Emma." She nodded and pulled back.
"Thank you Bella. You really are a great person." I felt my heart burst with happiness and I felt tears prick my eyes.
"Thank you. So are you Emma. I'm so glad you are giving me a chance." Emma smiled.
"I think you've earned it. If you could put up with me through my worst, then you are definitely someone special."
.:Edward:.
We played football for hours and ended the game with a tie. When we got back to the camp grounds, we started cooking all the fish we had caught. In the kitchen, I was practically useless but out camping, I could somehow make anything a gourmet meal.
"Wow, this is really good." Jason said surprised. I laughed.
"Thanks. I can cook really well when I'm camping, but I can't in a home." The boys laughed.
We continued eating with light, easy conversation flowing. We all cleaned up together and soon Luke was out cold. I carried him into the tent and tucked him into his sleeping bag. I returned out to the fire pit where Jason and Simon were looking at the stars.
"No, that is Andromeda." Simon said pointing to a constellation. Jason shook his head.
"Are you sure? It looks like Medusa." He said frowning. Simon sighed.
"Look, it's Andromeda, see the way the head is formed?" he asked pointing it out. Jason nodded.
"Oh I see it now." I smiled. These boys were well educated in so many diverse topics. They looked over at me and smiled.
"So you guys like star gazing?" they nodded.
"Mom loves it, we used to lay out in the back yard and watch the stars for hours when we were younger." Jason explained. I nodded.
"You know Edward, you're a really cool guy." Simon said smiling. I felt my own lips pull up into a smile.
"Thanks, so are you guys." Jason and Simon glanced at each other.
"Look, I know that I said I didn't want you dating mom," Jason started.
"And I didn't really know you well enough to make a choice like that." Simon added.
"But, we've been talking, I think you are perfect for our mom. You're not a bad guy. You're actually really fun and cool." Jason said looking down at the fire. I smiled, ecstatic.
"Thanks guys. I'm having a really great time. You guys keep me guessing on what you'll like or dislike. It's refreshing and I love it." They smiled.
"Just take care of our mom. She's all we've got left." Simon said looking back up at the stars. I nodded.
"With my life."