First & Ten Chapter 11
BPOV
What to wear to a barbeque at the infamous Emmett McCarty's house? Not to mention his fiancée, who had been described to me as "scary" and "good with cars." What the hell kind of description was that? I had a mental picture of some six foot tall, large woman in overalls with grease stains. I should have asked Jasper for information. God knows he probably would have told me everything I ever needed to know, big mouth that he was.
And of course, it wasn't just about what to wear to meet Edward's friends. It was about what to wear for…after. When we were alone. Finally. I'd finally get to look at that gorgeous body in all its glory and feel those strong, long, capable fingers moving over my body. The underwear…well I didn't have much of a choice there. I didn't have a lot of what Alice would term "sex wear" much to her chagrin. I made a mental note to pick some more up, now that I had a boyfriend.
Boyfriend. Edward Cullen was my boyfriend. I thought it might be a dream but Alice assured me that it wasn't. I'd also gotten a check for ten thousand dollars for appearing in what was going to be a national commercial airing around Christmastime. Which meant I was going to have to tell people that Edward Cullen was my boyfriend fairly soon. That wasn't exactly a bad thing, though Charlie might have issues with me dating "the enemy." Edward had thrown for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns against his beloved team. I shuddered to think of how Jessica and Lauren would react to the news that Mr. Panera was none other than Edward Cullen. And I hoped Buddy wouldn't have an issue with it, though why he should I couldn't say. It wasn't a conflict of interest since I covered high school ball. But I knew he knew Edward and he was my friend and it was just kind of weird.
"Honey, I'm home!" Alice came through the front door, her usual boisterous self. We were riding over to the guys' condos together and then Edward was driving to Emmett's. Alice was staying the night and Jasper's and of course I was staying with Edward, not that she knew that. Normally I would have told her but this was too important and somehow more private than any other sexual experience I'd had.
I reached for my black linen skirt and red tank top and walked out of the closet to find Alice standing by the bed. She was in a khaki skirt and blue blouse, stylishly casual which was the look I was going for, though she pulled it off better than I did, always. Her eyes widened and I wondered if I'd chosen wrong.
"You're having sex with Edward tonight!" she shouted, doing some kind of ridiculous dance around my room, a combination of a touchdown celebration and disco. I should see if Edward could hook her up with Chad Ochocinco, they could probably coordinate his moves together. Of course, that could wait.
"What the…where did you get that idea?" I choked, staring at her and probably looking like a deer in headlights as her gaze cut through me. She knew. How the hell did she know?
"Sex underwear!" she pointed at me triumphantly and I tried to hide behind the skirt and tank top but really it was too late. All I could do was try to lie.
"I need to do laundry." She snorted and I tried again. "Just because I'm wearing it doesn't mean that I'm going to show it to him." That was reasonable. Didn't some women have power panties or some damn thing? Maybe that's what I had. Power Panties. It sounded like some weird superhero that went around and stole underwear…that could be what he shouted as he flew into the night. God, I was going insane. Edward and the promise of sex had fried my brain.
"Bella Swan, you can't lie worth a damn. And even if you could, your little overnight bag that's sitting by the front door would have clued me in." Damn it, I'd meant to stash that in the trunk before she got here. Planning sex had its good points and one of them was that I knew to bring a change of clothes and toothbrush and hairbrush so that I wouldn't look like I was doing the walk of shame in the morning. Not that I could ever be ashamed about having sex with Edward Cullen. I just wanted it private and now it wasn't.
"Alice you can't say anything! Not to Edward and especially not to Jasper. I'm sure Edward will tell him, but we wanted it private."
Her lower lip poked out in an adorable pout and she looked up at me with watery eyes. "You know, I can keep a secret." I narrowed my eyes at her as I tugged on my top and skirt over the matching red lace panties and bra that had given my intentions away. She huffed and threw her hands up in irritation. "I can! When it's important, I can. And this is important! How could you not tell me?"
She was right about that I sighed and sat on the bed. She sat next to me and I rested my head on hers. "It's not that I didn't want to. It's just that…it feels so important and I don't want to put any more pressure on myself than I already have. I know it seems silly but I can't help it. It feels like we put it off and now it's bigger than it should be."
Alice laughed softly. "Nice phrasing! Of course it's not bigger than it should be...well hopefully that particular thing is, but you know what I mean! You two are nuts about each other. You're bound to be nervous. But remember, he's crazy about you too. Everything will be perfect."
I sighed. "Easy for you to say. You fell into bed with Jasper right away. I wish we'd done that."
Alice slapped my knee and shook her head. "No, you don't. That's not your style and you would have freaked out, no matter how great the sex was, and probably never saw him again. You'd decide that he just wanted sex from you and that was all it could be and you'd avoid him. You're an idiot when it comes to that kind of thing, sweetie."
I opened my mouth to protest but she was right, it sounded exactly like something I would do. "It's been a long time, Alice. What if I suck?"
She laughed, long and hard. As usual, her laughter brought out my own even though I was trying to stay irritated with her. "First, guys like it when you suck. Blow jobs are a must! As for the rest, it's like riding a bike. Riding a cock…you never forget!" she shrieked and we were both in tears as she worked her legs in a pedaling motion, followed by some hip thrusting that I really didn't need to see.
"Alice!"
She giggled and wiped at her eyes. "Good thing I wear waterproof mascara. Seriously, though, I've seen you dance, Bella. You haven't forgotten how to move those hips."
Oh, Jesus. Still, somehow she'd made me feel a little better about that aspect. "Thanks, Alice. I…you are my best friend and I should have told you. Sorry."
She smiled and yanked me off the bed. "Hey, it's not like I told you before I got into bed with Jasper. Or David. Or Steve, or…"
"Yeah, I get the picture, slut."
She hip-checked me and grabbed my overnight bag. "You don't buy the outfit without trying it on first, Bella. Nobody fit, until Jasper came along. He's the classic that never goes out of style. I'll have him forever. I think Edward's going to fit you just fine." she chuckled. "And I expect a full report on what that cup contained. Good thing I didn't hit it for real, huh?"
I smiled and followed her out of the bedroom. "I would have killed you."
"I would have killed myself for really cockblocking you. That's why I need to know these things, Bella!"
"I promise, the next time I'm going to have sex with a hot quarterback, you'll be the first to know."
She poked me in the side. "That's all I ask. Now let's go get through this barbeque so you can get your freak on!"
"Not a word, Alice," I warned.
She smirked. "I won't say anything, Bella." Something in her voice told me that just because she wasn't going to say the words didn't mean I wasn't going to get teased in some way. This was going to be a hell of a night. I pictured Edward's face and smiled. Totally worth whatever shit I got before I got him alone.
"Let's go."
xoxoxoxox
"Jasper, what can you tell us about Rose beyond her fixing cars and being scary?" I looked at him over the headrest of Edward's Mercedes.
He grinned at me and leaned back in the seat. "That's pretty much all you need to know."
I shot a look at Alice who elbowed his gut. "Do you guys hate her or something?"
Edward laughed as he navigated the downtown traffic. "No, we like Rose, mainly because she likes us. She doesn't like a lot of people, though."
Jasper chuckled and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "She hated Tanya." I narrowed my eyes at him and he shot me a bright smile. "Which only shows that she has good taste. She's bound to like both of you."
Well, if she hated her, she was definitely rising in my eyes. I guessed it was up to me to get to know Rose myself since the two morons weren't any help. "Okay, so tell me about Rose and Emmett as a couple."
"She beats him," Jasper supplied. Alice and I both gaped at him and he shook with laughter. "Alright, not technically true, since I can't even punch that bastard and do any damage. But she does like to whack him upside the head when he needs it, which is often."
Edward shook his head. "While it's true that Emmett does need to be smacked often, they suit each other. She counteracts his hyperactivity. He brings out her softer side. They fit the way we…er, some couples do." I felt my heart melt at his words, because he hadn't caught himself in time and I loved that he thought we fit.
"Like us!" Alice supplied brightly and Jasper kissed her cheek. I peered at them through the seats and had to admit that it was true. Alice had managed to find her other half and I couldn't be happier about it.
"So true. Hey, Bella, shouldn't you be working right about now?" Jasper asked.
I started to answer but Alice beat me to it. "She got her work boyfriend to cover for her."
"Her what?" Edward asked, his normally smooth voice an octave higher. I reached across the console and put my hand on his leg.
"My friend from work. He's not my boyfriend." I shot a glare at Alice who smiled innocently at me and rested her head on Jasper's shoulder.
"He wants to be." Oh, jeez, must she give me shit now?
"He does not."
"Who is he?" Edward asked, his voice more normal but his hands tight on the steering wheel. I squeezed his knee and he smiled at me halfheartedly.
"His name is Seth. Seth Clearwater. He's just a friend and he said he'd take the game for me when I told him that I had something come up."
Edward drummed the fingers of his right hand on the steering wheel. "And you didn't tell him what that something was?"
"That was I going to a barbeque at Emmett McCarty's house? Are you kidding? The entire sports staff would have pushed me for an invitation. No, thank you."
Edward chuckled. "I suppose that would have caught their attention. Still, you could have told him you had plans with your boyfriend." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I slid my hand up his leg, higher on his thigh and he let out a light groan.
Alice giggled and Jasper leaned forward. "What're you doing up there?"
"Don't you worry about it, Perez Hilton. Get back there." He snorted at my words but leaned back in the seat, stretching his long legs out and putting his cowboy boots up on the console. I batted at him with my arm but he just gave me a lazy smile.
I chose to ignore the nosy pair in the backseat and focused on the pouting, gorgeous man driving. "If I told him I was going to see my boyfriend, he would have asked why I couldn't just put it off until tomorrow or Sunday or something. This was easier, until we actually go public."
He tilted his head and gave me a look that made me wish we were on our way to his place rather than Emmett's. It seared through me all the way down to my toes. "I'm ready when you are."
"We, um, we haven't talked about that. Isn't it kind of a big deal?"
He shrugged. "I suppose my agent and publicist would have something to say about it, but I don't really care." He didn't either, I could see that. A part of me wanted to take out a full page ad in the paper but another part of me wanted to keep it just between us and our closest friends for now. If we ended quickly, I didn't want the world to know about it. And I worked with people who knew and interviewed Edward. It could be awkward around the office.
"I think they managed to forget about us," Jasper told Alice, breaking into my thoughts.
"Shhhh, it was getting good," she hissed at him.
"Let's just keep this between us for now; though the big mouths in the backseat probably won't keep quiet anyway."
"Ha! It's not us you have to worry about. It's him." Jasper pointed and I saw Emmett standing in the drive with his arms folded across his massive chest and a huge smile on his face, deep dimples showing in his cheeks. Edward pulled into the driveway and before I could open my door Emmett was there, pulling me out and wrapping me in the tightest hug I'd ever experienced.
"It's about time! I've been waiting forever to meet you, Lois Lane." Lois what?
"Unhand my woman." Edward came up behind me and tugged me free from his steely grip. I sucked in a huge breath of air.
"Okay, Esquire, don't get your panties in a bunch. I have other guests to greet too." He turned to Jasper and Alice. "Hey, Cockadoodledon't, how's your groin?"
"Fuck you, Emmett," Jasper growled. Before he could secure Alice in his grasp, Emmett had her in his arms and was twirling her around.
"Spielberg! I can't believe I finally get to meet you. You're my own pint-sized hero. You took down Stalin!" He gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek as she shrieked and wiggled.
He put her back down and she punched him in the gut, ineffectively. "And here I thought you'd go for the groin. I didn't wear my cup though. Unlike Princess over there, I'm not afraid of you. And it would take more than punch to take down Hercules."
"You named your dick Hercules?" she asked incredulously.
He let out a booming laugh. "Of course. Haven't you named Jasper's? Though I suppose it's not really worthy of a good one. How about Noodle?"
Alice smacked him again and he laughed. "If I name it, it'll be much more fitting. And by the way, as of last night, it's Cockadoodledo." Emmett boomed out another laugh and we all joined him. This was certainly an interesting first meeting. He lived up to his advanced billing to be sure.
"I'm glad hear he's keeping up his manly duties, Scorsese. He's been a whiny bitch all week long."
I giggled. "She hasn't been much better."
Alice narrowed her eyes at me and then a grin stole over her face. She turned to Emmett and put her hand on his arm. "Please tell me you have hot dogs to cook on the grill. Bella's been hoping to get a big wiener tonight." Edward started coughing and I know I turned bright red as I felt my face get warm. Emmett, because my life sucked, caught the innuendo and started laughing his ass off, along with Jasper and Alice.
He threw a big, meaty arm around my shoulders and started to lead me inside the pretty brick house. "I'll see what I can do for you, Hannah Storm, but I'm afraid Hercules is not on the menu. Rose would get pissed and I really don't need another tool thrown at my head."
"Does she do that often?" Should I have worn chainmail to eat dinner here?
"Only when I piss her off while she's working on cars. So about once a week," he told me cheerfully. "Rosie, they're here!" he shouted.
"Jesus, Meathead, you don't have to scream the house down. I can hear you." An absolutely stunning blonde walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her white t-shirt. Her eyes were an unusual purple/blue color and her face should been gracing the cover of magazines instead of smeared with motor oil, as it was now. Well, I'd gotten the grease stains right, at least. That was all I'd had right though.
She marched up to me and stopped and stood in front of me, her eyes moving up and down my body. I felt like I was being checked out by a guy instead of the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Maybe she was bisexual. I noticed Emmett inching away from me and barely resisted the urge to wrap my arms around his big waist and beg him to protect me.
"So, you're the one."
The one? The one what? "Um, I guess so. Depends what you mean by the one."
"The replacement for the hag he used to date."
I heard Alice take a breath behind me but I silenced her with a look before turning back to Rose. "I'm not a replacement for anyone. Certainly not for some vapid bimbo that thinks the whole world revolves around her. I'm Bella Swan and I'm Edward's girlfriend, one who appreciates him as more than a piece of arm candy. Does that work for you?"
A smile broke out on Rose's face, making her look less like Tanya the Ice Queen and more like a real person. "You'll do." I saw Emmett visibly relax, his body folding in from the tense stance he'd been in and Edward started to smile. Apparently I'd passed some sort of test.
Rose turned to Alice. "I heard you fucked up that bitch's plan for the commercial."
Alice nodded her head proudly. "I did."
A smirk stole over Rose's face. "You'll do too. In fact, I already like you. I only wish I'd been there to see Miss High and Mighty cut down to size. Give me a play by play." She wound her arms through Alice's and mine and led us over to the sofa, where we sat on either side of her and launched into the story of the shoot while she laughed and threw in comments about what a skank Tanya was and how she wished she'd kicked her ass when she'd had the chance.
"Seriously, Emmett, why didn't you let me give her a black eye? I would have loved to see her have to cancel her Vogue cover because I beat her ass."
Emmett dropped into one of the big tan leather recliners on either side of the couch. "Because, Men's Health and Fitness over there would have had to endure her wrath. I gotta look out for my boy, Rosie." Edward rolled his eyes and perched on the arm of the sofa next to me. I leaned my head against his side and he started playing absently with the ends of my hair.
"She's gone. Do we really have to keep talking about her?" he asked, sounding a little irritated, his lip poking out adorably. I wanted to bite it.
"Hey, you're the one that had the bad taste to go out with her in the first place. Don't give us crap. We're the ones who had to endure her presence," Rose replied testily, scowling at him.
"Well, now we don't have to. Thanks to Kubrick and her sidekick, Woodward here, Lenin's gone," Emmett announced proudly. I was glad Edward had warned about the nickname thing because I wouldn't have had any idea what in the hell he was talking about it if it weren't for that. Emmett lifted his considerable bulk out of the recliner, rather gracefully considering his size, and gave me and Alice a charming smile.
"Ladies, would you like to take a tour of the house while your men put their man skills to the test and get the grill going?" Before I had a chance to answer he was holding a hand out to each of us and hauling us off the couch. Alice let out a little squeak and I thought for a second that he might carry both of us through the house but he didn't, choosing instead to hold our hands. It was strange but somehow fitting and I had to admit that I felt an immediate kinship to the boisterous, big man. He was like a fun brother…or maybe an overgrown puppy dog. I wasn't sure.
"This is the kitchen." He gestured inside to a lovely room that made my heart beat faster. Oh, how I wanted to play in that big kitchen, with the pretty navy blue granite countertops and shiny stainless steel appliances! They had one of those extra large stoves that had eight burners…it was the perfect place to cook for a large group. Or one very large man, I assumed, as I eyed Emmett's huge muscles again. If you put me and Alice together we wouldn't be his size.
He pulled us down the hallway and showed us a very nice bathroom done in a soft green color and an office and a couple spare bedrooms before stopping at the end of the hall. "This," he said, complete with a Vanna White pose, "is where the magic happens." He pushed open a lovely wooden door and we were in the master bedroom. Alice and I giggled as we took in the big bed, the oak furniture and deep, lush, dark blue carpet.
"Thanks for sharing, Houdini. I don't think we want to experience your magic," I told him dryly.
Emmett boomed out a laugh and tugged us over to the bed. "But you have to see something."
"Not in your bed we don't," Alice told him, struggling fruitlessly in his one-handed hold.
Emmett rolled his light blue eyes and flashed a sweet smile at both of us, showing us his dimples again. "Don't worry, Hercules belongs to Rose. What I wanted to show you was up there." He pointed above the bed and Alice and I followed his finger. The next thing I knew, we were both on the bed rolling and screaming with laughter. Emmett fell down next to us and joined in, his booming belly laughs shaking the bed and all three of us.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Edward asked from the doorway, a scowl on his handsome face as he stared at the three of us on Emmett's bed. Jasper was right behind him, looking a little bewildered. None of us could answer because we were too busy shrieking with joy but I managed to point to the ceiling.
Edward looked up and his face moved into a look of shock. "Jesus Christ, Emmett. You didn't!"
Jasper elbowed him out of the way and looked up and started chuckling. "Classic! How the fuck long did that take you?"
"Hours," he choked, his face practically purple. I started beating on his back as best I could from my position on the bed.
Rose came in and shook her head. "I've been watching that thing grow all week. He's spent hours every night cutting pictures out of magazines and clambering up to tape them over our bed. You're a handsome guy, Edward, but I really don't need to look at hundreds of pictures of you every night when I'm trying to sleep. It's creepy."
I actually thought it was rather awesome, in a stalkery sort of way. There were tons of pictures of Edward up above the bed, some from his college days even. He was so young but still so gorgeous. All the Edwards looked down at me while the real one came over to pull me to a sitting position as I continued to struggle for air.
Emmett and Alice eventually sat up and caught their breath too. "See, all those magazines I read had a purpose," he told Edward, who was trying unsuccessfully to maintain his frown. I saw his lips twitching and I reached up and pushed them into the smile that was dying to break free.
Finally he gave in and joined in the laughter. "That is by far the most fucked up thing you've ever done, Emmett. But I'm sure Rose truly enjoyed looking at me while you made love to her." Emmett took a swing at Edward but he darted out of the way, only to be smacked upside the head by Rose from behind. I started giggling all over again at the baffled look on his face.
"Hey, GQ, I got your woman into bed before you did. That says a lot about your lack of skills. Trust me, Rosie doesn't need a replacement."
"He's very skilled," I blurted, turning red again as the room erupted around me. Edward pulled me into his arms and I buried my head in his chest, enjoying hearing his laughter rumble through it.
"Damn right I am, baby," he whispered in my ear and I became intensely aware of how close we were and how right I felt in his arms. If only everybody would clear out and leave us to that comfy bed so I could find out for myself.
"Oh no, lovebirds, you can get it on at your own place," Emmett boomed, hopping off the bed and nudging us out the door. "I'll give you my collage when I'm done with it," he informed me.
"Done with it? What the hell else could you possibly need it for? Don't tell me you're leaving it up?" Edward punched Emmett's arm as we made our way back down the hall.
"Hey, you're always saying how I want you. This way I get you and my Rosie. Win, win." He winked at me and I dissolved into more giggles. I'd known meeting Emmett was going to be fun but this was beyond expectations.
"Listen here, David Copperfield, he's my man. Enjoy your pictures all you want but hands to yourself." Emmett ruffled my hair and made a beeline into the kitchen, grabbing beer out of the fridge and offering it around. I took one, grateful for something to drink after all that laughter.
We made our way out to the deck, where the big charcoal grill was starting to smoke. "Have a seat," he called from the kitchen as he pulled mounds of meat out of the refrigerator. I nearly asked who was going to eat all that but I had a feeling Emmett could have done it justice on his own.
Edward dropped into a long lounge chair and spread his legs and gestured for me to lay down with him. I fought to keep myself from drooling and moved between his legs, feeling his muscular thighs pressed against my legs. Oh hell. I took another slug of beer and caught Alice smirking at me as she sat next to Jasper on a regular patio chair. She knew, of course, the effect he was having on me, plus the fact that I was only a couple hours away from feeling those thighs without the jeans.
Darkness had fallen and it had cooled down considerably, so it wasn't too hot out, though I felt overheated due to Edward's proximity. Emmett came outside with his meat platter, loaded with steaks and chicken and hamburgers and hot dogs.
He caught me staring at the huge platter and set it down and started wiggling a hot dog at me. "Just for you, lovergirl. I promise this wiener will satisfy your needs." Edward choked on his beer and Alice shook with barely suppressed laughter at the table. I glared at her and she mouthed "you asked for it" at me. That's what I got for making fun of Jasper's inability to perform.
Rose had changed out of her oil stained clothes into a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt and still managed to look like she should be strutting down a runway. She sat next to Alice and smiled over at me. "So, Bella, I hear that the night you met Edward he got approached by one of his bimbettes and took her number."
"Oh, crap," Edward groaned and I patted his right knee comfortingly.
"Yes, but it was a misunderstanding. He had no intentions of calling her." I leaned back against him and his free left hand slipped around my waist, his thumb lazily stroking my lower stomach. Jesus, what he could do me with just one little touch. My hand tightened on his knee.
"I know. He's not stupid, even if he does a good job hiding that sometimes. I'm just giving you a head's up. It doesn't matter where the two of you go, it will happen. I've been out with these morons more times than I can count and the sluts do not back off. I've pretended to be Edward's girlfriend a time or two to get rid of an overzealous one and even that doesn't deter them. I just wanted you to know what to expect. From what I heard about that girl at the club, she was one of the more tame ones."
"Thanks, Rose." I turned to glance at Edward who was eying me warily. "That's just another reason why I want to keep you all to myself for awhile." The smile lit up his face and I couldn't resist kissing him. I knew there would be women after him, lots of women, and I had to work on dealing with it. I just needed some time to be more comfortable with the two of us before I worked on fending off the hordes.
"If you can deal with the Russian, you can handle anyone," Rose told me. I turned back and gave her a grateful smile. "And I'll happily beat down a groupie or four. It's been way too long since I hit anyone."
"Yeah, a whole five minutes," Emmett interjected dryly from the grill, happily attending to his meat.
Rose picked up a spoon and let it fly and it hit him directly in his back. "Damn, Rosie, must you throw shit at me?" His voice was injured but he smiled at her over his shoulder, his face shining with love. They were weird, those two, but it was clear they loved one another. Rose was beaming at him.
"Of course I do, baby. It's how I won your heart, after all. Just reminding you of how we met." Emmett abandoned his grill to give her a smacking kiss.
"Have you two set a date yet?" Jasper asked, his long legs stretched out, his cowboy boots crossed at the ankles.
"April 22nd," Rose told him, smiling brightly as she twirled the marquise diamond ring on her left finger.
"Yeah, you're both in it," Emmett informed them. "Co-best men. Rosie says I can have strippers!" He grinned at all of us, waving his meat fork excitedly. "No more than five though."
"Aren't you supposed to ask them to be your best men, not tell them?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.
Emmett rolled his eyes. "You can't ask those two anything. They don't give you straight answers. Take tonight. If I asked them to come, they would have come up with some excuse because they didn't want you to meet me knowing that you would fall in love with me and my charms and they'd be nothing but an afterthought for both of you. So, I told them they were coming and when they thought about protesting, I threatened them. That's how it works with those two. You're welcome." He turned back to the grill.
Alice grinned at Jasper. "So I need to threaten you, huh?"
"No, m'am," he told her. "You rule me without any threats." Alice grinned and gave him a smacking kiss.
I looked over my shoulder at Edward and raised an eyebrow. He chuckled and kissed my nose. "All you have to do is look at me the way you do and I'll do whatever you ask."
"So whipped." Emmett turned and pointed his fork at Edward. "Never thought I'd see the day, GQ. I'm not sure whether to be proud or appalled."
"Considering you're in love with a woman that throws shit at you on a daily basis, I think you shouldn't be judging at all," Edward told him.
Emmett nodded. "Good point." He started flipping things over on the grill. "I think we should do this again, weekly."
"I can't really do it on Fridays during football season," I told him, feeling slightly guilty for having blown off work for the night. But I was having too much fun to regret it.
"Monday or Tuesday nights. We have light practices the first two days after games," Emmett suggested.
"I can definitely do that," I told him. Edward's arms tightened around me and he kissed the back of my head.
"I'm in, unless I have an event that night," Alice agreed. Her fingers wound through Jasper's and he smiled at her. I smiled as I watched her light up under his gaze. She truly did love him.
"Your shrine to me better be off your ceiling next get-together," Edward informed him darkly.
Emmett grinned. "We'll see how I do in the game on Sunday night. If I'm at my best, it stays." Rose groaned and the rest of us laughed. You had to love athletes and their superstitions.
"Speaking of Sunday night…" Edward said, his lips very close to my ear. I shivered in voluntarily. "Do you want to go to the game? I can get you and Alice tickets."
Was he kidding? "Of course! I'd love to see you play, live and in person." Alice was bouncing in her seat so she was clearly agreeable.
"They can sit with me," Rose interjected. "We have four seats but Emmett's parents and brother aren't going to be able to go. That is, if you want to?" she asked, looking at me and Alice tentatively.
"That'd be great, Rose. Thank you." I was going to a game, watching my boyfriend play. "I should warn you, Alice knows nothing about football."
"Hey! I'm learning!" Her lip stuck out in a pretty pout.
"Yes, you are, sweetheart," Jasper assured her, kissing her cheek.
"I don't call them blitzens anymore," she informed me.
"I know and I miss it." She smiled at me, her good humor restored as Rose laughed.
"Sounds like it'll be an experience."
"I assure you, it will," I told her and she grinned.
"I've never gone to a game with friends before. It'll be fun." And it would be. I couldn't wait to see Edward down on the field.
"Food's ready!" Emmett yelled unnecessarily, putting the cooked meat on a clean platter and setting it on the table. "Get your eat on. Bella needs her wiener." He winked at me and I knew that he wasn't talking about the hot dog. I could only be grateful that he hadn't teased me mercilessly, because I knew from Edward that he was capable of it.
I got out of the chair and held a hand out to help Edward up. His eyes were on my face as I licked my lips and gave him a slow smile. "That's right, I do."
His own smile answered mine and he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Then hurry up and eat so we can go home and I can give it to you." I hurried to my seat and prepared to inhale my food. I wanted the dessert that was awaiting me, now.
Edward sat next to me and put his hand on my bare knee and gave me another devastating grin. "Soon," he whispered. Thank God.
A/N Try as I might, I don't think I'll ever top Cockadoodledon't! So much fun! Did you guys like the whole gang hanging together? What about Rose? She's tough but she liked Bella and Alice, it seems!
How are your teams doing? My Noles seem to be back on track after an epic meltdown in Oklahoma. My Bucs showed their true colors yesterday, I fear. You Steelers fans (and I know I have a lot of them) can start buying your playoff tickets now. Monster team, even with a fourth string QB.
Wanna talk football? Look at pretty men? Come over to the First & Ten thread on Twilighted linked in my profile. Oh, and I need you all to give me your favorite NFL hot men if you would be so kind. I think each team should have a hottie represented in the thread and we need LOTS. The best thing about being a girl sport's fan, you can appreciate the game and the players!
Next up, the lemon! Finally, I know!