Fungus with Trees and worms in dirt sauce

I woke up slightly before Edward, yawning and stretching my arms as I popped my neck. He was beginning to rustle, the soft sounds of his snoring slowing slightly. When I moved my hand over his bare stomach, he woke up completely.

"Ello," he said in his smooth English accent. It made me shiver, making him pull me in closer to his firm body. I laid my head on his chest, my legs tangled with his.

"Hi," I breathed, playing with the little bit of chest hair that he had. It wasn't much really, a few strands here and there. They were a blond color and I could barely see them in this dim light.

"Thank you for staying with me," he said almost out of nowhere, kissing the top of my head lightly.

"Thank you for making a wonderful meal for me," I said softly before running my finger around his belly button. "And making a meal out of me."

He chuckled at my stupid joke, rolling over on his side. "It was my pleasure, my love. Truly. You're extremely talented."

"A girl has got to learn a trick or two." I smiled at him before winking. He smiled at me widely, leaning forward and lightly kissing my lips. Morning breath be damned.

"If I tell you something, will you not think less of me?"

"Of course," I said after a moment. I did consider for just a moment messing with him, but I decided I didn't want to ruin this pleasant morning. "Tell me anything."

"I much prefer sleeping in the nude with you," he said, his hands tracing over my side to my hips. "The feel of your warm body next to mine, your soft skin-" he stopped when he got to my right hip, his eyebrows coming together. "What's that?"

"Why don't you look and see?" I said with a raised eyebrow. He lifted the covers and looked down at my hip.

"Oh! I didn't see it last night! Very nice, Isabella," he smiled up at me. "It's very elegant. I was curious to what you got."

"You really like it?" I asked. Instead of answering me he pushed the blanket downwards and began to kiss my hip, tracing the outline of the tattoo with his tongue. "Oh, god."

"You like it?" He said, returning the question to me. I flushed under his intense gaze, my chest growing tight because of the sudden arousal mixed with the cold. Instead of answering him I placed my hand on the back of his head, rubbing my fingers over his neck.

And I swear to god, he purred.

"I feel like a giant kitty when you do that," he mumbled against my skin, his eyes gazing up towards me with a slight smile.

"Does it feel good?"

"Very much so," he breathed, now tracing the tattoo with the tip of his nose. "You know, I've always liked tattoos but I never thought that I'd find them so... arousing. It's very erotic for some reason."

"Edward, we should behave," I told him weakly. I had a lot to do that day since I was going to be taking Wednesday, Thursday, and most of Friday off. I would have to work a lot over the weekend if I didn't get some things done.

"I know we should, but it's so hard when you're so delicious. All I want to do is press my face between your tits and stay there all day." He smiled at me charmingly and I rolled my eyes.

"If you motorboat, you die," I warned him.

Edward laughed loudly, coming up to kiss me softly on the lips. His nose dragged against mine in a warm gesture, his thumb still tracing the outline of my tattoo. He was beginning to make me shiver.

"Are you cold?" He asked gently.

I shook my head, pushing myself closer to him. "I should get dress so I can get moving."

"I know," he whispered, speaking against my neck. "I'd rather stay here all day and just be."

"Me too," I agreed.

We didn't move from our cuddled position for about ten minutes. Finally, my human needs came into play and I had to move. Edward stayed in bed as I crawled out and I felt a blush spread over my cheeks when I walked passed him. I didn't have to look at him to know what he was looking at.

"When you blush, all of you changes color," he commented. I turned to look at him and he was biting his lip, his eyes dragging over my body. The flush became more intense. "Exactly like that. My God. Go to the bathroom before I do something I most certainly wouldn't regret."

I trotted to the bathroom a little too happy about his suddenly intense mood. He was that way because of me. Talk about an ego boost.

Sadly when I returned he was dressed. I dressed as well, pulling on the sweats and sweater that I never put on the night before for bed. Edward made us some coffee and a healthy breakfast of omelets and fruit. It was really nice.

I hated that I had to leave him. I didn't want to in the least. But I had things to do and he had to do a wedding in the afternoon. He walked me to the car and gave me a long kiss on the lips, his hand resting on my cheek sweetly the entire time.

"I'll call you tonight," I whispered against his mouth, our foreheads touching. He nodded, his eyes closed.

"I'll miss you."

I touched his cheek, pressing a kiss to his nose lightly. "I'll miss you, too."

Driving away from him right then was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. I hated it. Hated. It.

Tuesday went by so slow without him. When I finally called him that night I almost jumped for joy when he answered. It was such a little kid thing to do but I didn't care.

"Hello, my sweet angel," he breathed quietly, softly, like he was speaking in the dark and didn't want to bother anyone. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too," I answered without a second thought, smiling to myself as I did. "How was your day?"

"Easy, but lonely," he replied. "I'm looking to forward to having a few days off. I really need it."

"What are you up to tomorrow?" I asked him, nibbling my bottom lip nervously as I waited for his answer.

"I hope to be seducing a beautiful brunette into letting me go for third base again... and again..."

I laughed, smiling to myself. "Lucky girl."

"I'm the lucky one. I want to bury myself between your legs and stay there."

"Edward," I whimpered his name and he chuckled quietly.

"Would you like to do something tomorrow night or maybe go for lunch?"

"I want to get at least part of a day's work done tomorrow. How about an early dinner and a movie?"

"That sounds lovely," he agreed. "We'll talk about how we'll work out Thursday tomorrow. I should prepare you."

"Prepare me?" I snorted. "What? Are we going into battle?"

"It's a family get together. Of course it's a battle. A bloody one with lots of little people with guns."

"Are they water guns or Nerf ones? If they're water I'll bring a raincoat," I told him dryly, loving the way he laughed.

"Nerf guns actually. We've had epic Nerf battles in the backyard at holidays for years. So much more fun than American football," Edward admitted.

"You're still a child, aren't you?" I teasingly asked.

He cleared his throat and tried to sound more grown-up than he really was when he answered me. "What's more civilized than settling family disputes with tiny orange sticky darts?"

I burst into laughter, wishing he was there so I could pop him on the top of the head like a naughty, albeit cute, puppy and then kiss him. "You are an interesting man, you know that?"

"And you are a very beautiful woman," he answered without missing a single beat. "What time tomorrow?"

"Four sound good?"

"Perfect," he agreed quietly. I could practically see the smile in his voice, "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

My bed was far more lonely, especially after that phone conversation. How was I supposed to sleep after he was all cute and flirty and so damn charming?

Damn the man for being so damn... Edward.

I tossed and I turned before finally lifting up out of my bed around two and commenced to beating the living shit out of one of my pillows for not being comfortable enough. It was all the damn things fault and it deserved the abuse.

I knew Alice was going to laugh her ass off in the morning when she heard about it. Especially when I told her that I took it a little bit too far and the pillow was just a pile of feathers on my floor. I would deal with them later, I decided.

I fell back onto my bed with a huff and rolled over, hugging myself as I tried to pretend Edward was there. It wasn't really happening, but eventually, it worked and I drifted off to sleep.

I was so whipped and it had only been a couple of days. It was really kind of sad actually.

I wasn't wrong. Alice was there at nine for the workout, trying to keep her balance as she laughed on the treadmill. When I finally finished the story she just looked at me and asked, "what did it ever do to you?"

"It was an evil pillow," I muttered.

"Oh," Alice drew out slowly, looking over at me. "Was it made from the feathers of an evil goose? Where did you buy it? I want one."

"Shut up," I mumbled, picking up my pace some. "But because I didn't sleep so well I got up at five and got twice as much work done today than I thought I would."

"I guess there are some benefits to not sleeping," she commented.

"Yeah, it makes me feel a little bit better. I'll get a little more work done and I won't feel so guilty about not working on Friday."

"You do need days off now and again."

I shrugged, "I know. That's hard though sometimes."

"I know, but you'll kill yourself if you don't have a little fun now again."

I chuckled, smiling wickedly over at her, "I'm having a lot of fun lately."

After our workout, Alice headed out without taking a shower. She decided that she would just head home and take a nap before showering and getting ready for her day with her family tomorrow. It caused her a lot of stress sometimes. Families were just that way.

I instead decided to take advantage of the hot tub before taking a quick shower in the locker room. Their showers were amazing, especially for a gym.

As I came out of the locker room, I almost ran straight into a pole of a man. He gripped me by the arms tightly, keeping me from falling. Looking up slowly, I realized it was Aro.

"Isabella, how are you, my dear? I haven't seen you since Halloween," he said smoothly as he straightened me up.

I bit my lip and blushed as I thought about that night. "Yeah, I've been rather busy."

"Actually, I've been keeping my eye out for you. I was wondering if you'd like to join the self-defense group that will be starting the beginning of December. There are only a few spots left and I'd feel better if you took one of them."

He was being very kind and honestly I had forgotten all about it. I nodded my head and he smiled widely, "Good! Good, dear. Why don't we go ahead and sign you up? It's only twice a week for the month of December. I help teach the course."

"I'm not really sure if I'm cut out for things like that."

"Nonsense! Every single person should know how to protect themselves. Especially a lovely young woman such as yourself."

Before I left the gym I was signed up for the class. I supposed it was just another thing crossed off my list. But as I said, I wasn't sure if I was cut out for it. Just like dancing, I would have to see. He was right though. Everyone did need to know how to protect themselves.

I had just gotten home and changed when my phone began to ring. It was from Edward.

"Hello?"

"Bella! Hey!" He said breathlessly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned right away.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just... well... Okay, so my aunt asked me to watch her daughter while she did some cooking today which I agreed to since she said she'd pick her up at three but then I got the baby and Rosalie called and Emmett is having some sort of health issue and asked me to watch Bridget until she gets off work, around five."

"We can cancel." I tried not to sound disappointed.

"No! That's not why I called. Actually, I mentioned something about you when Rosalie dropped her off and Bridget has been talking about you non-stop. She'd love to see you. I was wondering if maybe you could perhaps..."

"I'd love to come over," I smiled, biting my lip slightly. "I've gotten enough work done for today."

"That would be wonderful," he breathed softly and I heard a cry in the background. "Um, I've got to go. I'll see you in a little while?"

"Be there in a few."

And before he hung up I heard another muffled cry and someone's tiny laughter the background. I could only assume Edward needed some help. I didn't mind at all.

I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before driving over to Edward's. When I knocked on the door it took a couple of minutes for him to answer but when he did he had a baby on his hip and his red hair was everywhere. It was adorable.

As was the huge smile he gave me when I walked inside. "Bella, thank you so much for coming."

"Not a problem. Who's this little princess?" I said, touching the tiny girl's wispy brown hair. It was curly and soft, and very beautiful. When I touched her she grinned widely, exposing her very cute smile and dimples. She had eight teeth in all with a huge gap in between the front two. She grabbed onto Edward's shoulder, shoving her face into it before peeking at me once again.

"This is Ferris, my Aunt Evelyn's daughter. She's thirteen months and too lazy to walk," he chuckled, bouncing her on his hip. She laughed, grabbing onto his more tightly.

"Ferris, what a cute name," I cooed at her. Suddenly, she lunged at me. I quickly took her into my arms and hugged her back. "And she seems to like me."

"What's not to like?" He asked before leaning over to place a kiss on my lips. It was chaste and sweet.

"Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?" A tiny voice asked below us. Bridget was standing with her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels as she smiled wickedly up at us. She had seen the whole thing.

"Um," Edward sputtered, becoming red. "I don't know. I guess that's something I'd have to talk to Ms. Bella about."

"Just Bella," I rolled my eyes and I knelt down in front of her, "yes, we are," I winked up at him and he smiled widely. "I was hoping that's okay with you."

"Yay!" She ran off squealing, Edward chuckled as he helped me get back to feet since it wasn't so easy with a baby in my arms.

"Thank you for coming," he said again. "Bridget has been talking about you. She really likes you. And I've never dealt with the two of them together at once before. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it."

"That's okay, I'm here now," I leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, mindful of the child that was still in my arms. The baby that happened to be twisting her fingers all in my hair.

"Have you had lunch yet? I have something in mind that's quick and I know Bridge likes it. Do you like Chinese?"

"Sounds good and no, I haven't eaten. Why don't I keep the girls entertained while you cook?"

"Perfect."

"Edward, what are we eating?" Bridget asked from the living room. There was a big bucket of toys out and I could see past it into his bedroom where Ferris' playpen was. I couldn't imagine living in a place like his with two kids. It would be hard.

"Well," he began to smile wickedly. "I was going to make fungus with trees and worms. In dirt sauce."

"Ew!" She giggled, spinning around in a circle. "Edward!"

"What!?" He asked in an innocent voice.

"No, you're not!" She pouted. "You make good food. Make good food, please."

"Ah, okay. If I must. I guess I'll have to make something better." He winked at me before going into the kitchen. The baby was still content in my arms but I had a feeling soon that wouldn't be the case. I looked around the room, trying to decide what I wanted to do.

The only thing that was really up to date in the apartment was Edward's stereo system. Typical boy. "Bridget, do you like to dance?" I asked. She nodded her head. "Want to come dance with me and Ferris?"

"Okay," she shrugged.

Edward's stereo was hooked up to his computer which had a huge amount of songs on it. I turned on the media player, carefully trying to pick out music to listen to with children. Little ears have big mouths and I didn't want anything bad repeated.

First I picked a song that was in a bunch of phone commercials a few years before by a Japanese band. It sounded like something from the fifties' surf era. It was fun to dance to. I swung the baby around, dancing around in a circle with Bridget.

Both girls were squealing and laughing. Especially when I swung my hair around wildly.

Next, I did pick something from the actual fifties. It was Shake, Rattle, and Roll.

"I want to dance with Ferris!" Bridget said, holding her hands up. I put the baby down on the floor, holding her hands so she could stand. Bridget took over for me after I told her to be careful. The baby wiggled her bottom and stomped her little feet unsteadily.

It pleased them both a great deal.

I put my arms above my head, swaying with the music.

Edward came out of the kitchen, chuckling. He grabbed me up quickly, giving me a little spin before leaning me back. I laughed loudly, holding onto him tightly. When the song was over I swatted him on the butt and told him not to burn dinner.

Next, I played The Clash. I took both girls in my arm and danced with them both. I was surprised I was able to do it the entire song because they were heavy. I was thankful it was a short song. After that was Lie in our Grave by Dave Matthews Band.

Edward came out of the kitchen once again, leaning against the wall and smiling. "Dinner is ready."

"It's lunch, Edward," Bridget corrected him as she walked to the table. "Dinner is at night. And it's not night. Breakfast is in the morning."

"Well, excuse me, Ms. Bridge. I'll keep that in mind in the future." He rolled his eyes. He brought out three plates of Lo mein with beef, mushrooms, and broccoli. It was in a brown sauce. It smelled amazing.

"So, fungus with trees and worms in a dirt sauce?" I asked with a smile as he took the baby from my arms. He chuckled as he sat, putting her in his lap. She immediately grabbed for a noodle, shoving it into her mouth.

"Yes, but doesn't it smell lovely?" He teased, picking up the noodle that Ferris flung because it was a little hot. "Be patient, little one. Honestly, she'll eat anything."

"I want to say our prayers!" Bridget said loudly.

Edward nodded before whispering to me, "she's started a private Christian preschool three days a week and they do prayers before they eat anything. It's funny to see Emmett try to hold back when she demands they do them." He cleared his throat, "go ahead, Bridge."

"God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for this food! By his hands, we all are fed. Thank you, God, for our daily bread, AMEN!"

Ferris clapped over the excited girl across from her before launching for another bite of noodles. Edward kept her back, picking up his fork and twirling the strand around the prongs. "Very lovely, baby. You should ask Auntie Edith and Evelyn if you can do the prayers tomorrow. I bet they'd love that."

I smiled, placing my hand on Edward's lap. He blew on the food before taking it to the baby's mouth. She sucked it down quickly. "Do you want me to do that?"

"No, I got it. I like feeding her. Enjoy," he said, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

Much to my surprise, Bridget was also chowing down. She didn't seem to be all that picky which was a good thing. Maybe it was just because Edward's cooking was so good. There certainly weren't any complaints from me.

After lunch, we laid the baby down for a nap in the playpen and we played play-doh with Bridget. Edward and I were having a little bit too much fun. We were making animals and destroying them with a little more vigor than we should have.

Apparently, Bridget thought that was high entertainment.

When Ferris woke up we gave her a sippy cup of juice and played on the floor with stack cups. Bridget kept building them just so the baby could knock them down. Every time they fell she would go, 'oh, no!' at the top of her lungs and then smile. It was adorable.

I was a little sad when three o'clock came and Edward's uncle George came to pick up Ferris. He introduced me politely and I shook his hand. The handsome light skin dark haired man shook back, smiling at me charmingly. He asked if I would be joining them for the holiday and when I said yes, he was very pleased.

Edward helped them to the car as Bridget and I sat on the couch, listening to some music he had picked out. It was on the piano, very beautiful and soothing. She was beginning to fade, her head on my lap. I stroked her hair gently as I laid my head back against the couch.

"You two are lovely together," Edward whispered as he sat beside me, his arm draped around my neck. I put my head on his shoulder, yawning softly. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

I nodded my head and Edward quickly picked a film before coming to sit with us again. It was something simple and innocent, a fantasy movie that would be okay if Bridget watched.

But she was asleep.

And so was I after about ten minutes of Edward stroking my hair.

I woke up abruptly when there was a loud knock on the door. Edward moved me over gently as I rubbed my eyes, going to answer it. It was around five thirty and Rose was there in a business suit and heels, looking a little flustered.

"How was she today?" She asked, pushing a random blond hair out of her eyes.

"She was great. I invited Bella over and she helped." Edward smiled in my direction. I smiled in return, picking up the sleeping child in my arms. She didn't budge. "I think we wore her out."

"Good," she mumbled as she took her into her arms. "Tomorrow will be a big day and she'll need to get her sleep."

"Bye Bridge," he said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head fondly in a soft voice. "I hope Emmett feels better."

"I called him and he says he's feeling better. I think he hammed it up to have a 'day off'. No worries, I'm sure he'll be fine by tomorrow. I'll see you at Edith's."

"Of course," he said, opening the door for her.

I was a little put off by the fact that Rosalie didn't say anything to me, but I wasn't going to mention it. It wasn't worth it. I figured she was probably just stressed, with the holidays and everything. It was a lot to deal with.

Edward and I flopped back onto the couch with each other. He drew me into his arms, kissing my forehead lightly. "Well, Mr. Cullen, I had a lovely time playing house with you today."

He chuckled, lifted up my chin to look into his house, "maybe one day it won't be playing."

"I thought men were supposed to run away from commitment," I said as I leaned up some, pecking his lips several times lightly. He placed his hand on my cheek, pulling me back so I could look into his deep soulful green eyes.

"Isabella, when are you going to learn that I'm not like other men?" He leaned forward and kissed me firmly, pushing me back against the cushions of the couch. Edward was beautiful as he hovered over me, his warm lips tracing the lines of my jaw.

He was right. Edward wasn't like other men.

And at that moment, he was setting me on fire.

And now I want some Chinese… And some Edward.

Thanks for reading!

Things she's done so far: Reconnected with a friend, size 10, orgasm, take the next flight to anywhere, kiss a stranger, danced in the rain, hide and seek, gotten high, Casino, tattoo, high heels and worn them, flirted, dance lessons, joined a gym, Concert, something crafty, Sunrise, Greek Food, self-defense course, French food, Gay club, Halloween, Hair color, double feature, and interview with a vampire.

Things she hasn't done yet: London, formal wear event, loving herself, told off someone, make a healthy dish weekly, bed and breakfast, plant a tree, Kinky, New Orleans Mardi Gras, bought something from Tiffany's, visit winery, thrown a party, knit, baseball game, Ripley's believe it or not, fancy knickers, 5 star hotel, spa, 10 different beers from different countries, two-piece bathing suit, dance club, sunbathe, grow some sort of plant, and clean up language.

And she's scratched off having a blind date off her list because she doesn't want one anymore. As you can see, we've got a ways to go with this story. You can see where some of the chapters are going, others will be a total surprise, but I hope you enjoy and I hope this helps if you're confused.