It's been a very long wait for this chapter – I'm sorry about that. Long story short, I started University a month ago, and I chose to put my writing on hold for a little while. However, I think I've settled in quite well now, and I'm trying to fit in as much writing time as possible.
If you guys are still here, wanting to continue to read this story, thank you all so much. Again, I'm sorry for the long wait – hopefully this won't happen again. I'll definitely try to make sure it won't.
Hope you all enjoy this long-overdue chapter.
As always, bouncy 72, magnessina and OLVamptramp – I owe you big time for all the help you offer, and I couldn't be more grateful to you.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight; the rest is mine. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 12: Like macaroni and cheese
BPOV
Summer seemed to disappear very quickly and abruptly. One day it was nice and warm, with sunshine, clear blue skies, and the opportunities to wear skirts and dresses were abundant. Then, as if fall had literally fallen into our laps, I woke up one morning freezing my butt off.
It was about two weeks after the Eileen-incident that summer decided it was too lazy to stick around, and I shivered as I poked my feet outside of my toasty warm covers.
No, no, no, no, no... how about you just stay in bed all day? So nice and warm…
After several minutes of playing the hokey-pokey with my legs, I finally forced myself to sit up and face the dull, grey, cold morning.
I sighed as I drew back the curtains and stared out at the dismal view. The churning grey clouds looked heavy, burdened with rain that I knew it would unload on us before lunch-time.
"Better dig out those sweaters..." I mumbled stupidly to myself, frowning at the outside world. I shivered and wrapped my arms closer to my chest, briefly looking down to admire the cleavage this created.
Edward would have admired it too, if he were here.
With a melodramatic sigh, I leaned my forehead against the ice cold window, hissing slightly as my skin protested against the contact.
I missed waking up next to Edward. I wished he could have been there with me at that very moment, standing behind me, warming me up with his big, manly chest and strong, manly arms and hot, sexy kisses.
But alas, sleepovers were still not within the realm of possibilities. We were getting closer to the point where Maddie might be able to accept them, but in the spirit of 'taking it slow', any step in our relationship was handled with utmost caution. While other people barely gave those steps a second thought, we treated them like active bombs.
But it was just so hard to sleep alone, because it was severely cutting into mine and Edward's alone-time. He'd been a bit busier at work these last couple of weeks, making it hard – both interpretations of the word applied – for him to steal away at lunch for a quickie here and there. It had been almost a week since I last saw him naked, and it was definitely taking its toll. It was all just so hard.
Or, as Edward had so maturely whined on the phone last night, it was 'constantly hard'.
It was perhaps a funny coincidence that while the difficulties in our situation reflected themselves in the state of Edward's pants, the wet weather of today reflected itself in the state of mine.
With one last despondent sigh that fogged up the window, I finally pushed away from it in order to get ready. I had to take Rose in to the hospital – we had high hopes that her cast was coming off today, in order to be replaced by some other form of support. I knew she couldn't wait to get the heavy thing off her leg, no matter what its replacement might be.
Her number one complaint all this time had been that she couldn't shave her legs. I chose to see that as her being an optimist or something.
With a towel in hand, I headed for the shower, stopping only because of my phone awakening. I smiled when Edward's name appeared on the screen.
Just woke up from a dream about you. I definitely need to buy you a Naughty Nurse outfit. I'm insanely hard right now. –E
My ass met the bed with a bouncing plod, the mattress protesting loudly against my sudden weight. I stared blankly at the phone in my hand, while image after tantalising image of Edward's bulge sprang up in my mind like... well, like erections, to be perfectly frank.
My fantasies about Edward's dick were behaving like dicks.
The subsequent texting back-and-forth lasted for several minutes and did absolutely nothing in helping me out with that situation in my pants. Unsurprisingly, it only got worse. When I did finally get into the shower, I may have spent a bit more time in there than I normally did.
Thank god for detachable showerheads.
««~◊~»»
"I don't know if I can take another two weeks of this," Rose complained loudly, hobbling skilfully out the doors of the hospital, sans cast. In its place was a bulky boot, just like we had hoped for. What we had not hoped for, however, was the doctor telling her she had to wait at least 10 more days before putting any weight on it. She was therefore forced, grudgingly, to continue to hop along her merry way.
"Well, at least you can take it off for bed," I offered in an attempt to cheer her up. "And you won't have to wrap your leg with plastic like a dick with a condom on every time you need to take a shower."
A less disgruntled Rose would have laughed. The one I currently had to deal with only threw me a murderous glare as we made our way to the car.
"Nice, Bella. Not only are you mocking a cripple, but you're comparing my leg to male genitalia, which is just reminding me of the fact that, unlike you, I'm not currently getting laid on a regular basis. Way to rub it in."
I gaped at her. "'Rub it in'? Are you insane? You're talking to a woman who, up until very recently, hadn't had sex for 14 months. Believe me, I'd never rub it in."
She still had a frown on her face as she patiently waited for me to open the passenger-side door for her. "Okay fine, your dry-spell was worse than the one I'm going through, but at least you have Edward now. So yeah, excuse me for being a little bitter about you getting to bang someone with that face," she said while handing me her crutches. As she was awkwardly lowering herself into the car, she added a resigned, "Not to mention someone with that ass."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes at her as I placed her crutches in the backseat. "Oh, please, like you couldn't get someone mindblowingly hot too, if you wanted to."
An indignant gasp left her. "What do you mean, 'if I wanted to'? You make it sound like I don't! You think I haven't been trying to find someone I like?"
I raised an eyebrow at her. "You're picky as hell, Rose. There have been a few really nice guys hovering around you, and you always turn them down."
I closed the door in her face before she could respond, allowing her to stew in her irritation with me while I wandered around to my side. As soon as I settled into the seat, she rounded on me.
"I don't turn them down! I just don't waste my time on them."
"Yeah, that's generally referred to as 'turning them down'."
"And there haven't been that many," she continued as if I'd never spoken.
"No, but there've been enough. There have been ample opportunities for you to 'get some', so you really can't complain. You're the one cockblocking yourself all the time." With that, I started up the car and began our drive home, slowly making my way out of the parking lot.
"Dude, would it hurt you to be a little nicer to me? I'm recovering from surgery."
"Sorry no, I ran out of sympathy last week when you forced me to wake up at six in the morning so I could make you breakfast."
"Fine, miss Smarty McGetslaidalot."
"'Smarty McGetslaidalot'? That's a little awkward to pronounce, don't you think?"
"Seriously, shut up, Swan."
"Whatever, Hale. You know just as well as I do that if you were just looking to get laid, you would have been on your back months ago."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It's supposed to mean that you're obviously holding out for something – or someone – because you know that you want more than the occasional humping."
When the silence stretched on, I looked over quickly – her set face, the small pucker of her lips and the tiny frown between her eyebrows told me I'd hit a nerve.
"Oh, I love being right."
She scoffed, which only made me laugh.
"I don't know why you try to deny it, Rose. When I came to visit you in the hospital after the accident, and you were high as a kite, you basically admitted to wanting to be in a committed relationship."
Again, the silence stretched on until it was broken a few seconds later by Rose's horrified gasp.
"Oh my god," she exclaimed, sounding mortified. "I'd forgotten all about that!"
I cackled insensitively.
"Oh god, shut up. I can't be held accountable for anything I said while super-high on painkillers."
"Oh, I'd disagree – don't all our truths come out when we're drunk? I think the same logic applies here. You weren't exactly lying or making stuff up, Rose."
"Well, so what if I want a relationship? Like you said, I'm fucking picky and I can never find a guy I like enough to want to actually date him. You're lucky you found Edward."
I smiled. I was lucky.
"Well, if you want someone like Edward, he does have a brother. Or well, technically cousin, but you know what I mean."
I tried to hold back a smile, biting my tongue to do so.
"If you're talking about the fucking giant, Bella, I swear to god I will open this door and roll out of the car."
"Giant? I never said anything about a giant."
"No, you're right. He's more like Shrek."
I snorted and rolled my eyes at her.
"Oh please. Emmett looks nothing like Shrek. He's really hot."
"Yeah, hot for dick. He's probably gay."
"Rose! Stop it. I really don't think Emmett's gay."
"I don't know, ever since you two rearranged my closet, I haven't been able to find my Prada purse. I bet he stole it. I bet he walks around in his apartment, dressed in women's clothes."
I spared her as long of a disbelieving face as I could without causing an accident on the road.
"What the hell, Rose?"
"What?"
"Stop it. Seriously, you two need to sit down and have a calm, rational conversation or something. Whatever the hell happened between you, you need to sort it out. I think he'd be kinda perfect for you, actually, if you'd just let yourself-"
"Oh my god, don't make me barf. I'll do it in your car too, so it'll stink of vomit."
"You're disgusting. I don't know why I'm friends with you."
"It's because I'm so hot, obviously."
"No, I think it's just your hair colour that makes me feel superior in regards to intellect."
"Are you calling me a dumb blonde?"
She reached over and pinched my arm, making me yelp.
"Rose, I'm driving! Jesus, woman."
"Then drive, instead of sitting there and insulting me."
"Ugh, fine. But I really do think you and Emmett should try to-"
"Not gonna happen, Bella. If I ever see that man again, I'll try to kill him with my crutches."
I said no more on the subject for the rest of the ride home.
Rose sat quietly next to me, looking out the window. I had no idea what she was thinking about, but something told me it might have been Emmett – her fists kept randomly clenching as if she were angry, which was actually quite worrying.
The curiosity about what had happened between those two was sure to kill me. Any new scenario and possible explanation that my mind conjured up was crazier than the last, and I was pretty sure that if I ever did find out the truth, I'd either be going 'wait, that's it?' or 'oh my god, that's much worse than anything I imagined.'
We were almost home when she finally tore her eyes away from the window and turned to me. A somewhat plastered-on smile appeared on her face.
"So, how are things going between you and Edward?"
I raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't contend her change of topic.
"It's good. Great, actually." I smiled and turned down on our street. "I haven't seen him very much this past week though, so that kind of sucks I suppose."
"And the sex?"
I laughed.
"Going straight for the juicy details, huh?"
She shrugged unapologetically. "We both know we'd stray back into that topic anyway – I just took a shortcut."
"I approve of all shortcuts that lead to sex. But yeah, the sex is... amazing. Like last week; I don't know what came over him, but all of a sudden he was just like... I don't even know, but he was so forceful and dominating and... and... desperate." I turned to Rose, gesticulating with my hand. "You know what I mean? Like he just had to have me, right then and there. It was just... jesus christ."
Just thinking about it made a wave of heat rise in my cheeks, undoubtedly colouring them pink. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on parking my car instead of thinking back on last Saturday and the look in Edward's eyes in the kitchen.
Rose dramatically fanned herself with her hand, making me laugh at her.
"Figures Edward would be the kind of guy who could pull something like that off. If I didn't love you so much, I'd totally hate you right now," she declared as I turned off the car.
"Did I mention his dick is huge?" I waggled my eyebrows at her, clearly trying to tease her.
But perhaps not clearly enough; she began to give me an unamused-face, but then she paused shrewdly. After a few seconds, she leaned closer, an intrigued look building in her eyes.
"Is it really?" She whispered her question, as if we were discussing Edward's dick in public, rather than in the privacy of my own car.
I smirked before shrugging. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Oh god, it totally is. He's hung like a horse, isn't he?"
"I'm not going to answer that. The size of Edward's dick is between him and me."
She narrowed her eyes at me before slowly nodding and leaning away. "It totally is. Damn it, now I really do hate you."
I was still laughing by the time I'd made it around to her side of the car and handed her the crutches from the backseat.
"So, how do you guys fit sex in? Because I know you haven't been over at his place since the weekend," Rose inquired as we slowly made our way up the steps to the front door.
"Well, it's a little tricky. He's been really busy at work this week, with a bunch of meetings and stuff, so he hasn't been around for...'lunch'..." I made quotation marks with my fingers, "for a while now. And yeah, I can't really go over there during the weekdays, because of Maddie. It's still too soon to have me be there all the time, you know? The two of them get to spend so little time together anyway, and those few hours between Edward picking her up after work and her bedtime is like... it's their time. It's important to them. I can't barge in on that just willy-nilly."
I reached out to open the front door, only to have it swing away from the frame before I had the chance. I smiled at the man who stepped out, thanking him when he moved to the side and held the door open for the two of us to pass through. He gave me a small nod in return before hurrying away, and Rose and I continued on to the elevator.
"'Willy-nilly'?" Rose mocked me.
"Shut up."
"Regardless of your questionable word-choices, I see your point. So, basically – quickies are out, as are sleepovers and stuff?"
"Yeah, pretty much. At least for now. I'm hoping that will start to change really soon. I miss seeing him naked."
"I would too."
I snorted and we rode up to our floor in silence.
We were almost at Rose's door when my phone started ringing; my face split into a grin when I saw the name on the screen for the second time that day.
"It's Edward; do you mind...?"
"No, no, go ahead. I'll see you later," Rose said, waving her hand at me. I smiled a goodbye before answering the call and walking back towards my own door.
"Hi," I said, still smiling like an idiot.
"Hey, baby. How are you?"
"I'm good; just got back from the hospital with Rose. She finally got her cast off."
"Really? That's good; I know she was really starting to hate that thing."
"Yeah, with a vengeance."
He laughed. Such a glorious sound.
"How about you? What are you up to?" I started digging my keys out of my purse as I spoke.
"Maddie and I are doing some shopping. She needed a new coat and shoes, so here we are. Oh, hang on – no, sweetie, put that back, those are boy-clothes."
I heard Maddie's muffled voice through the other end and laughed softly to myself. I wondered if Edward and I would ever get through a phone-conversation without the little girl interrupting it at least once. Not that I minded; hearing Edward speak to his daughter did things to me. I felt all warm and gooey, and my insides fluttered and my heart danced, and I blamed my ovaries.
"Honey, I don't think you'd be very comfortable in that. Don't you want to wear clothes made for girls? You said you wanted a purple coat... yes, I know that's your favourite colour... Alice is making you a new dress? Well, that's nice of her, isn't it? Come on, honey, your clothes are over here... no, Maddie, over here. Put that down... okay, see if you can find something you like..."
I opened my front door while he was occupied with his daughter, immediately faced with trying to calm down my overexcited puppy. I laughed to myself about how two grown-ups couldn't hold a civil conversation on the phone without having to address five-year olds and yapping puppies in between talking to each other.
"Bella?"
"Yeah, I'm here," I told him while bending down to scratch Jake's head.
"Hey, sorry about that."
"No, don't worry about it; sounds like you're busy."
"Nah, it's not too bad; Maddie just likes shopping too much. I blame Alice."
I laughed and straightened up, watching Jake run around my feet on his fat, stubby little legs.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"
"Well, Maddie and I had a little talk in the car earlier, and we were wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?"
Edward's grin was audible in his voice, and it only became more pronounced when a muffled shout from Maddie had him amending his words.
"Oh, sorry – if you and Jake wanted to come over for dinner. Can't forget the dog – we can't have him feeling left out, you understand."
"No, of course not," I said with a chuckle, kicking off my shoes. "He'd shun me for life if I left him behind."
Edward's voice sounded hopeful.
"So you'll come?"
"Yeah, I'd love to. Thank you." I grinned and slowly walked towards the kitchen. "So what are we having?"
"Well... it's Maddie's turn to pick dinner tonight, so whatever it is will be child-friendly. We're going to get groceries after this."
"Oh, so maybe I'll finally get to taste this famous mac and cheese of yours that I've heard so much about?"
"That's not outside the realm of possibilities."
"That sounds most excellent."
"Yes, indeed. So, if you come at like six or something? You don't need to bring anything- oh, hang on... you like that one? Okay, sweetie, I'll find one in your size... hey, Bella? I have to go; Maddie is literally bouncing right now; that's how excited she is about trying on this coat, and I fear that she'll explode if I don't make that happen as soon as possible."
"Well, we don't want that."
"No, definitely not. So, we'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, later. Thanks for inviting me, Edward. I've missed you this week."
His voice was gentle when he answered. "I've missed you too, Bella. I'll see you tonight. "
"Yeah, tonight. Bye."
"Bye, baby."
He ended the call and I threw a glance at the red numbers shining on the oven. I still had a few hours to kill before I had to start getting ready – I looked over at my computer and felt the familiar itch in my fingers and jabbering of my characters start up in my mind. Seemed like I was going to get some work done.
After fixing myself a cup of tea, I settled into the couch with my laptop and didn't resurface for several hours.
««~◊~»»
When Maddie saw Jake later that night, she was overjoyed. She barely stopped to say hello to me before descending on the puppy with as many hugs and kisses as she possibly could. Jake lapped it all up, of course; I never greeted him so enthusiastically, so this was probably a nice change of events for him.
Edward, on the other hand, barely gave Jake a cursory glance before wrapping his arms firmly around me. The warmth coming from him chased away the last of the chill from outside, which presented me with yet another reason to press myself obscenely close to him.
His chest smelled so nice.
Our hug was short, due to the innocent eyes and mind not three feet away from us, but the tenderness in his arms, the tightening of his hands, the lingering kiss he placed on my cheek – all were promises of more to come later on in the evening. I had a feeling that once Maddie was sound asleep, it would most definitely be grown-up time.
I smiled at the thought.
"Hey, baby," he murmured against my skin before slowly pulling away. The smile he then gave me made my stomach clench; he was just too gorgeous to handle.
"Hi." I smiled back and told my fingers to behave as they twitched with the longing to stroke his cheek. I would have, under normal circumstances, but the gesture felt too intimate to perform in front of Maddie.
I settled for continuing to smile.
After Edward, ever the gentleman, helped me off with my coat, we proceeded into the kitchen. Maddie and Jake took up their spot in the living room; while I could no longer see them, I could dimly make out Maddie telling the dog all about her day out shopping with Edward.
I walked closer to the stove, intent on investigating what was on the menu for the evening. I laughed when I looked into one of the pots and felt Edward's arms snake around my middle.
"Did she really pick mac and cheese, or did you suggest it to her?"
His chin came down to rest on my shoulder, and I tilted my head to press it against his.
"She picked it, I promise. My only contribution was demanding that broccoli be served as a side-dish."
My snort made him laugh, and his arms tightened around me. I leaned back into his chest, seeking both his warmth and the comfort of just feeling him there.
"Did you find a coat?" I asked after a minute of silently connecting.
"Yes; a coat, two pair of shoes, a skirt, a colouring-book and a pink, sparkling hairbrush," Edward listed, shaking his head a little in disbelief.
"Wow, she really does love shopping. She'll be a nightmare when she gets older."
"You're telling me. I'm already dreading the day she'll come home with her first bra or something."
I laughed in sympathy just as he pressed a quick kiss to the side of my neck; he stepped away from me and turned his attention to the pots on the stove, giving the sauce a stir.
I faced him when he came back to me, wrapping his arms around me once again. My own rose up to lay across his shoulders, and a gentle humming sensation shivered down my body, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
"First bra, first set of make-up, first bikini..." I shook my head, teasing him. "I doubt you'll ever get to actually see those items though. I remember the first time I brought a bra – I hid it inside another bag, which I then put in a bigger bag, and when I came home I literally ran up the stairs so Charlie wouldn't see me. And I never run up stairs."
Edward grinned. "Oh really? And how old were you when you brought your first bra?"
I assumed the hand now going up and down my back right over the clasp of my bra was for emphasis only.
"Twelve, I think."
He made a humming noise, letting his hand roam further down. Dangerous territory to be exploring with a child so close by.
Not that I was going to stop him.
"And who was the first boy to ever see you in a bra?"
"Topless?"
He smirked, bending down to kiss the small sliver of exposed skin on my shoulder. "Yes," he mumbled softly.
"Well, that would probably be... Jared. Our dads worked together on the police force, and they had this big barbeque for all the families and stuff. Jared and I stole two beers and snuck away to make out in his sister's old tree house."
Edward laughed. "And how old were you?"
"Just a few months shy of sixteen."
"And did Jared get to see more than your bra?"
"Not in the tree house."
His smirk widened, but before he could speak, Maddie ran into the kitchen.
He didn't fully let go of me, but we both took a half-step back to create some space between us. Maddie didn't seem to take note of our closeness, which was somewhat of a relief.
"Daddy, when's dinner ready?"
"It'll be ready soon, sweetie."
"I'm really hungry. Can I have a cookie?"
Edward shook his head, making Maddie frown with disappointment before he had even spoken.
"No cookies before dinner. I promise it will be ready soon, okay, honey? You won't have to wait much longer."
"But I'm hungry now," she whined dramatically, pouting up at her father. Jake waddled curiously into the kitchen, his overactive nose gliding along the floor as his tail wagged excitedly.
"I know you are, honey, but I said no, okay? No cookies before dinner. Do you want a drink? A juice box?"
Her shoulders slumped, but she nodded an assent anyway. Edward chuckled under his breath and slipped his arm away from me. He gently ruffled his daughters hair as he walked past her to the fridge.
"Are you having fun with Jake?" I asked her, in an attempt to cheer her up a little.
It worked; her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! He really likes me."
I pressed my lips together to not laugh. "I know, he's always so happy when he gets to play with you."
"I told everyone in class about him, and they were so jealous."
Oh wow, okay.
"Did you? And what did you say about him?"
"I said that he likes to eat stuff off the floor, and he likes it when you scratch his tummy."
Edward came back and silently deposited the juice box, straw sticking out of the top, into his daughters hands. He turned to the stove to tend to the food while she and I talked.
"He is very easy to please," I said while Maddie took a sip of her drink.
She only nodded in acknowledgement of my words before continuing on with her own story. "And then Mrs. Stanley thought he was mine." She laughed as if that were some great joke. God, she was so adorable. "So I told her Jake was daddy's girlfriend's dog."
Edward and I both stiffened a little as the title; it wasn't something we had discussed ourselves yet, but the fact that Maddie obviously thought of me as his... girlfriend... suggested that maybe it was time for us to sort that out. Officially. Make it real. Or something.
I glanced over at Edward, catching his eye as he watched me. His smile seemed slightly shy, which made me feel relieved. At least he didn't look scared out of his mind at the idea of calling me his girlfriend.
"Maddie, why don't you and Jake go and play in the living room. You can help me set the table in a bit, okay?" Edward said to her; she only shrugged and wandered off, slurping at her drink. Jake raised his head as she walked past, and without a second of hesitation he turned and followed her, his little bottom waddling around the corner.
In a few years, he'd probably guard that girl with his life.
Uh, getting a little ahead of ourselves there, aren't we, Swan? How are you so sure you'll still be in her and Edward's life in a few years?
A nervous fluttering in my stomach confirmed that the thought had been quite unconscious on my part. I didn't really know what to think of it. The idea of still being with Edward in a few years time didn't make me recoil in horror or anything – quite the opposite. I supposed that could definitely indicate that the tickle of a new emotion I had been feeling these past few weeks, an emotion that I wasn't altogether ready to look too closely at just yet, might've been a bit deeper than I had thought.
My heart squeezed in my chest; for what reason I didn't know, but I would have guessed from a cocktail of nerves, giddiness and self-conscious doubt. It was scary, contemplating going down the road that tickling emotion was pointing towards, without knowing if Edward would ever be joining me. I glanced over at him once again, and he was watching me just the same.
Words were bubbling out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop and inspect them for signs of insanity.
"So... your daughter seems to think you have a girlfriend."
Oh god, why did you just say that?
Edward's lips twitched, teasing at a smile.
"So she does."
I held his eyes for a few more seconds before the collar of his t-shirt suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.
"Do you... think you have a girlfriend?"
My voice was so quiet. I was so scared. And excited. But mostly scared.
"Well... there's this one girl who I've been talking to quite a lot. For a while now." He stepped closer to me. The stitches in his shirt could hold my undivided attention forever. "She's very pretty. And I really like her."
My breath hitched and stumbled in my throat. If I had been less controlled, I probably would have emitted some kind of nervous squeak at his words.
"I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend yet or anything, but... if I did, and she said 'yes'..." Oh god, he was so close now. His chest was just barely touching my arm. I lifted my gaze as far as his jaw line. "Well, I'd be really happy about that."
I swallowed. Was he asking me to be his girlfriend?
"By the way," Edward then whispered, bending down to place his lips just over my ear, "this is me asking you to be my girlfriend."
A shiver cascaded down my spine, making my whole body tremble. I suddenly found it quite difficult to take an even breath.
He pulled away a little, and I finally had enough courage to look into his eyes again. He looked just as scared as I felt, although he hid it better than I probably did.
With a rising blush heating up my cheeks, I nodded fervently.
"I wanna be your girlfriend."
Ah, good job there, Swan; you have successfully regressed into a 13 year old girl. Well done.
Edward's grin was full-fledged; lips parting to reveal white, almost-perfect teeth, cheeks bunching and eyes crinkling happily.
"Yeah?"
A sound somewhere between a giggle and a laugh left me and I nodded again.
"Yeah. Definitely."
"Okay then. You're my girlfriend."
Another one of those giggle-laugh sounds left me, like happy bubbles bursting from my body. Edward's arms came around me once again, and I titled my head up for the kiss he placed on my lips.
"You do know that this means you're promising not to show your bra to other guys, right?"
I laughed against his lips and reached up to push my fingers through his hair. Gripping the back of his head, I vowed, "From here on out, you're the only boy allowed to see my bra."
He grinned and kissed the corner of my mouth. "Good."
"And what about you? If the pleasure of ogling my boobs is now copyrighted by you, what do I get in return?"
"Hmm..." he breathed, trailing his lips across my cheek. I shivered slightly in his arms, closing my eyes with the bliss of it all. "I promise not to let any other girl beside you see me in my underwear. Good?"
I made an inarticulate noise, displaying how inadequate I felt his promise was.
"You want more?"
He nuzzled my ear, slipping his warm hands down my back and resting them just above the swell of my ass. Naturally, his actions left me without the essential skill of forming words, so I simply nodded dumbly.
"Okay then. I promise not to let another girl see or touch me in my underwear. Better?"
"You're getting there," I murmured, tilting my head to the side to give him better access to my throat. He obliged and thoroughly kissed every inch of skin.
"I think we're going to have to work on setting up these ground-rules. Seems like we have a lot of stuff to cover."
"I think that sounds like a great idea."
His eyes found mine and smiled; the tickling emotion scurried a few laps around my heart, and I smiled back.
His fingers caressed my cheek, and after a final, soft kiss that lasted endless seconds that felt all too short, he pulled back.
"I need to get dinner in the oven; Maddie'll throw a fit if we don't feed her soon."
"Okay," I relented, pushing up on my toes to place a quick kiss to his chin before stepping away. "You finish dinner and I'll go hang out with Maddie. She's much cooler than you anyway."
He made a growly noise and swatted at my ass as I walked away from him. In a show of maturity, I stuck out my tongue as I hurried around the corner.
I slowed down as I entered the living room, where Maddie sat perched on the floor. A colouring book lay open in front of her on the coffee table, and Jake was sprawled at her feet.
She glanced up at me as I entered, but apart from a small smile, she didn't acknowledge me further.
I came to a stop a few feet from her; I didn't really know how to interact with the girl. She was so... calm, in a way. When Sue had started coming around mine and Charlie's house, I'd barely looked at her in my stubbornness to keep her away. It took me months before I came to accept that I actually kind of liked her. But Maddie wasn't like that at all. She didn't act like I had, so I had nothing to fall back on, no knowledge of what she might be feeling. I found myself at a bit of a loss, really.
I slowly sank down on the floor, sitting down on my knees next to the table. She spared me another glance before continuing on with her colouring. After a few seconds of floundering for something to say, I settled for explaining why I'd joined her.
"Your daddy's just finishing up dinner, but he was being pretty boring, so I thought I'd come hang out with you instead."
One little white lie never hurt anyone. Edward had been far from boring me, but she didn't need to know that.
She looked up at me and smiled at my words.
"I'm painting the Little Mermaid," she informed me, sitting back to display the open page of her colouring book. She was actually really good at staying within the lines, but had clearly taken some artistic freedom regarding Ariel's hair colour.
"She's my favourite," I told her as she reached for a new pencil – green this time.
Her eyes seemed a bit more enthusiastic when she looked up at me.
"Mine too."
"Oh yeah?"
She nodded and smiled shyly.
"And I heard that your favourite colour is purple. Is that right?"
She held the pencil poised over the paper as she looked at me, nodding once again. I leaned in closer and spoke in a hushed, conspirational tone.
"I really like purple too."
Her smile widened.
"And we both like dogs," I continued, "and mac and cheese."
She laughed, and it was such a precious sound. So happy and carefree. So innocent.
"I don't like peas," she offered, watching me expectedly for my reaction. I widened my eyes a little in a show of surprised delight.
"Neither do I! But my dad used to make me eat them anyway."
She nodded in agreement. "Daddy makes me eat at least five peas, because that's how old I am."
I pouted a little. "Do you think he'll make me eat twenty-eight peas then? Because that's how old I am. And it's my birthday next week, so that will be one more pea."
She looked slightly horrified. "That's a lot of peas."
"I know," I said sadly, leaning my elbows on the table.
"But you're a grown-up; you can say no if you want to."
I nodded slowly. "That's true."
"Would you still say no even if I asked you nicely?" Edward's voice came from the left of us, an edge of amusement in his words. I turned to see him leaning casually against the wall, watching us with his arms crossed over his chest. A smile was pulling at his lips.
"Yes. I don't care how nicely you ask – I won't eat more peas than I absolutely have to."
Maddie's head volleyed back and forth between me and her dad; the way her eyes were shining brightly and enthusiastically made me feel bad about possibly planting a few seeds of pea-rebellion in her impressionable mind.
"Not even if I said 'please'?"
"Nope. Won't work."
He made a contemplative sound. "Well, that's too bad. You see, we have a rule in this house – if you don't eat your peas, you can't have ice cream."
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Are you trying to threaten me, Mr. Cullen?"
Maddie giggled, turning her body so she could more easily watch us.
"I wouldn't call it 'threaten', exactly. More like... suggesting."
He grinned wickedly.
"Do I have to eat twenty-eight peas?"
Edward looked at Maddie.
"What do you think, sweetheart? Should we make Bella eat her own age in peas?"
I pouted sadly at the little girl, pleading while she giggled with delight at being included in the decision.
"She should eat ten," she decided.
Well, that's better than 28, at least.
"Only ten? Why?"
"Because she's a guest," she said, as if that were the obvious reason.
"Oh, I see," he said slowly, pushing away from the wall. "Well, do you think you and our guest could set the table? Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
I grinned and shook my head at him, rising from my place on the floor and following Maddie into the kitchen.
««~◊~»»
Edward's bathroom was nice. I liked his personal bathroom more, because it had the huge shower where he stood naked every morning, but the family bathroom was really very nice too.
It was also crammed full of Maddie. A little pink stepping stool stood under the sink; rubber ducks, a Barbie, three different bottles of bath bubbles and a bunch of toys lined the edges of the tub; a little, tiny, purple toothbrush sat in a little, tiny, pink cup adorned with Disney princesses on the sink; a quick look in the cabinet – because everyone looks – displayed brushes and hair bands and clips, child-friendly medicines, pink band aids, flavoured floss, kid's sunscreen, and everything else a child might possibly need.
I smiled and closed the cabinet, glancing into the mirror one last time. There wasn't one crevice of Edward's life where his love for Maddie didn't shine through. Not even his bathroom was safe.
I sighed and tried to silently step out of the bathroom. The apartment was quiet, almost all the lights were out. Down the hallway, warm light poured out of an open door. From inside, I could hear Edward's quiet murmurs, and it drew me in like a moth to the flame.
I slowly glanced around the doorjamb, careful not to make a sound. Edward lay propped against Maddie's headboard in the corner of the room, ankles crossed above her covers. With one arm around the tiny girl lying at his side, curled into him peacefully, he held a book open with his free hand. His voice was so soft that I knew Maddie had to be close to sleeping; he'd been reading to her for about twenty minutes at that point.
This was the first time I had ever witnessed their bedtime-tradition, and the sight was so precious that it took my breath away.
"...'Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said, "Honey or condensed milk with your bread?" he was so excited that he said, "Both," and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, "But don't bother about the bread, please." And for a long time after that he said nothing… until at last, humming to himself in a rather sticky voice, he got up, shook Rabbit lovingly by the paw, and said that he must be going on'…"
I leaned against the door, watching the two of them. Maddie was definitely asleep at this point, breathing slowly and deeply. Edward's eyes cut up to me briefly, and a quick smile graced his lips. I waved a little, smiling back as his gaze dropped back down to the book in his hand.
He continued reading, his voice gradually growing quieter, until he trailed off with an experimental air.
"...' "N-no," said Pooh carelessly. "Just resting and thinking and humming to myself"'…"
He waited carefully to see if Maddie would respond; his body was completely still and he even held his breath as if the girl was some sort of bomb.
I counted to twenty seconds before a relieved smile broke out on his face, and he winked at me. Carefully, carefully he slid away from her, moving at the pace of a snail as he pushed himself off the bed. Once on his feet, he yet again paused and waited... waited... sighed with relief.
He softly tiptoed out of the room, switching off the light when he reached the door. A soft night-light provided the room with a gentle glow, and Maddie's sleeping form was just barely visible on the bed. He cast a last glance back at her before reaching for my hand. We moved silently as he closed the door and took me with him to the living room.
The TV was on mute, but its light flickered sporadically across the furniture, bouncing off the windows and picture frames on the walls. Three empty bowls sat on the coffee table, the ice cream they had held long gone by now, and Jake was sleeping soundly in the middle of the floor. Edward's fingers tightened around mine.
"You'll stay awhile?" he asked softly, and when I nodded, he leaned down and kissed me just as gently.
With the volume turned down low, we watched the news, cuddled up together on the couch. I felt so incredibly content; this was all I wanted. Just a nice, calm evening with Edward. I didn't need fancy restaurants, or going to the movies, or theatre tickets or things that had been deemed necessary in relationships in my past – I just wanted this, and unlike the one before him, Edward knew this about me. I just wanted him, and everything that came with it.
I needed him.
My fingers found his stomach, softly stroking him through his shirt. My lips searched for his throat, travelling slowly across his skin. My eyes locked with his, making words unnecessary.
His hands were like fire, burning me through my clothes, sinking through my skin, flesh and bone to touch every nerve. I kissed him, and kissed him, and he kissed me back, and I moved and he tugged, I grasped and he squeezed. His breath was hot against my lips, his scruff rough under my hands. His sounds were mine, and I gave him back just as much as I got. Breathing became a minor concern, my heart kicked into overdrive and my entire body flooded with warmth and lust.
It was his hands on the bare skin over my ribs that knocked some sense into me. With a small gasp, I dragged my lips across his cheek and suggested a change of location into his ear. The TV was turned off immediately, and I found myself being pulled to my feet, unstable on my legs, but supported by him. He pulled me, guided me, allowed me to drag him too, away from the living room and into the more private area his bedroom provided.
We were quiet – or as quiet as we could manage – as we tore at each other's clothes, kissing, kissing, always kissing and touching, and gasping, and wanting. We fell onto the bed together, scrambling to get covers and pillows out of the way while always touching and kissing and groaning, and otherwise behaving like the desperate, sex-deprived people that we were.
His mouth – his lips – descended on my skin, travelling quickly down, down and settling where I needed him. His hair was twisted in my fingers as I pulled him closer, gasping his name and other unintelligent noises. He went at it with an enthusiastic determination, not stopping or coming up for air until I was coming, clenching around his fingers, back arched off the bed, trembling and swearing and losing my mind in the pleasure of it all.
With shaking arms and legs, my heart still thundering in my chest, I pushed him back and climbed onto his lap. I wasted no time at all before finding him, hard and hot and ready, for me, just for me. His groan sank through the skin of my throat, with his lips pressed to my neck as I took him inside of me.
Our breathing was harsh as we moved, fingers gripping tight on whatever body part we could reach; it wouldn't surprise me if I had marks on my ass cheeks the next morning. He took my breast in his mouth, and I moaned his name, clawing at his back. With a breathless whimper I turned his face to mine, kissing him as I moved faster and harder above him.
A desperate grunt was the only warning I got before Edward pressed me back onto the bed, grabbing my hips as he rose onto his knees; he held me up, all my weight resting on my upper back and my legs locking around his waist as he took over. The rhythmic sound of skin slapping together and the occasional creaking of the bed would leave no one in doubt as to what we were up to.
He was getting close; I could see it in his face, feel it in his movements, hear it in his breathing and groans. His eyes were on mine and I felt like I had never seen anything as glorious as that moment in time, with the look on Edward's face and him moving above me.
I moaned desperately, my body's whispered promises of yet another satisfied ending growing stronger, louder and more confident.
I gasped when he suddenly took hold of my legs, pulling them away from around his waist. With a fierce look, he threw them over his shoulders and then pressed his body down, his hands hitting the mattress on either side of me. A trembling moan rose from me, drawing out as his hips drove into me with renewed determination.
And then suddenly, I was there, exploding beneath him without any warning at all. I tried not to scream, but Edward's mouth came down on mine to silence me anyway, and I shook beneath him, whimpering and groaning. He gave me no respite – the pleasure just continued without stopping, just like he wouldn't stop. He was too close to stop.
My nails scratched and dragged across the skin of his ribs and back as I egged him on, urged him to find his finish, in me, to come in me, and he grunted and swore and promised he would, promised he would come so hard. And then his breaths left him in desperate moans, each one stronger than the last, and his hips had a mind of their own, and he took me so hard, and he kissed me so hard and he fell into oblivion with my name tumbling over his lips.
He collapsed on top of me, sucking in air with uncontrolled huffs and pants and groans. I slipped my legs from his shoulders, replacing them with my arms as I hugged him close, feeling him burying his face in my neck.
The only sound in the room was that of our breathing. It was dark, and warm, and the bed was soft underneath me, and Edward was all perfect angles and hard muscles and amazing weight above me. I had never been more comfortable.
We didn't move for a while; our breathing gradually slowed, and our hearts gradually calmed down, but we didn't move. We didn't speak or pull away or devote our energy to anything besides enjoying the moment.
But eventually rearrangements were necessary, and we both hissed quietly as Edward slipped himself from me. His body slid against mine as he lowered himself to my side, pulling me towards him. With my forehead resting against his, I wiggled myself as closely to his warm chest as I could.
"Will you stay... a few more hours?" he murmured quietly, his fingertips drawing tiny circles on my shoulder blades.
"I'd stay the whole night if I could."
He nodded minutely. His hand, now flat against my spine, pressed me closer.
"Soon," he then promised, kissing me softly. "We'll get there soon."
"I really hope so," I whispered, scratching my nails through the shorter strands of hair at his neck.
"We will," he said, his voice stronger in its conviction, but no less loud – the post-coital bliss that had settled over the room would not allow for noises louder than the rustling of sheets or the slide of skin against skin. "Tonight went really well, you know? A few more nights like this, and Maddie will be used to having you here. And then you can stay."
I smiled. "Well then, you better invite me over for dinner more often."
"I'd invite you over for every day of the week if I thought that would get us there faster."
I laughed under my breath. "I don't think shortcuts would work in our case."
"I know. It sucks."
This time I laughed against his lips as I kissed him.
"I hope 'soon' arrives really, really soon," I remarked before snuggling closer, my head resting against his shoulder. If I had to leave in a few hours, I'd make sure to thoroughly enjoy the time I had left in his arms.
"It will," he promised again before we both lapsed into silence, wrapped as tightly around each other as we could.
And there you have it. Hope you all enjoyed it, at least on some level or another.
And since it's Halloween this weekend, might I suggest checking out the Enchantments Contest? Full of fairytales and dragons and cupids and magic and all sorts of mythical creatures, the one-shots are quite appropriate for this time of year. I've enjoyed reading a lot of them. If you then feel like it, voting is open until tomorrow, 29th October. Go here to read them if you haven't already: http:/ /www. fanfiction. net /u/2504895/ Enchantments_Contest (and yes, one of them is mine – once the contest is over, I will be posting it on this account.)
Anyway, that's enough babbling out of me. Have a good – and scary – weekend, everyone!
/Vic
