I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for stepping to help me edit. Please send Fran some positive thoughts she has stuck in the hospital. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 14
The kitchen was warm and smelled of sugar cookies. Esme and Kate worked on making and decorating heart-shaped cookies for kids stuck in the hospital for Valentine's day. I helped by wrapping them in a red plastic wrap with a white ribbon. Alice sat at the kitchen table with glitter stuck on her fingers as she made cards for each child. Rose was attempting to get Junior to eat peas for the first time off to the side, away from the mess.
A month had gone by since Victoria had died, and there had been some small changes. The Masens had unpredictably decided not to make it public that Victoria had kidnapped Junior. They felt her family was suffering enough without having to know what their daughter had done. I was a little confused by it, wondering if it was something that could be just swept under a rug. I asked my father about it in confidence, and although he was a little wary, he said if the FBI agreed then the case could be closed. Since it was never public, most likely no one would be looking for answers.
The next change came about a week later when Rosalie announced she was pregnant. The baby was due a few weeks before Junior's birthday. Apparently, Irish twins were common in the Masen family. Emmett and Edward were only separated by ten months. Carlisle also had a sister who lived over in Ireland that was younger by eleven months.
The biggest change was Edward moved out. Since the immediate threat was over, he went back to his penthouse in the city. He still came by for the occasional dinner, but I saw even less of him than before. Oddly enough, I was surprised at how much I missed seeing him. Emmett and Rosalie lived in the same building as him, but they opted to stay at the house since Rosalie was pregnant and Emmett was working long hours. They wanted to buy a house in the area before the baby came.
Speaking of the devil, he walked into the kitchen with Emmett and Carlisle behind him. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit with his tie loose around his neck. He had dark shadows under his eyes that almost seemed permanent.
"Edward, you're home." Esme placed down her spatula and went over to hug him.
"Ma, you just saw me three days ago." He grinned, kissing her cheek.
"Too long if you ask me." She greeted Carlisle with a quick kiss before he disappeared.
"I'm home, too." Emmett pouted.
"I see you all the time, and most of it is in the kitchen." Esme smirked, going back to the cookie sheets.
"A man's gotta eat. Just like my boy." Emmett walked over and kissed Rose's cheek before picking up the bowl on the tray. "What is this shit?"
"Don't swear, he's going to be talking any day now, and if his first word is a curse, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month," Rosalie threatened, taking the bowl from him. "It's mashed peas."
"Gross, no wonder it looks nasty. My boy deserves the sweeter things in life." He reached for a cookie, only to be smacked by Esme's spatula.
I bit my lip to keep from giggling as he shook his hand and winced. Alice didn't hold back, and she started laughing so hard she spilled glitter all over her card, making a mess.
"Those cookies are for the children at the hospital, and besides, too much sugar wouldn't be good for Junior," Esme scolded, and then turned her head to scrutinize Edward. "Have you been eating?"
"Of course, I have been," he promised.
"More than takeout I hope," she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Do you classify a sandwich as takeout?" He looked sheepish.
"That's not a proper dinner. Kate, please, take over the baking so I can start dinner. What would you like? I'm afraid I don't have time for a roast." She looked at Edward expectantly.
"Anything you make, Ma, would be delicious." He gave her a charming look.
"Mmhmm, don't try to sweet talk me. You need to find yourself a good woman to take care of you." She frowned.
"I don't have time to date at the moment. I've been busy." He looked disgruntled.
"Well, who's your date for tomorrow night?" she asked, opening the refrigerator, taking out the casserole she'd made earlier.
"I don't have one." He shrugged.
She slammed the door shut. "What do you mean you don't have one? It would be unacceptable not to have one."
"I didn't have a date for New Year's dinner, what's the difference?" Edward grumbled.
"This charity ball is on Valentine's day. You can't go stag to it," she insisted.
"You should take Bella," Rose stated with a big smile.
I glanced up quickly in surprise, and the scissors I was using slipped, and I cut my finger. I brought it to my lips, then shook my hand. Kate brought me a piece of paper towel, and I quietly thanked her. Luckily, it was a small cut, so it didn't bleed too much.
"What about Junior, you need me here." I gave Rose a confused look.
"Well, I was talking to Carmen the other day, and she misses him. So, I thought it would be nice to let her watch him every once in a while." Rose shrugged innocently. I got the feeling she was trying her hand at matchmaking.
"I think it's a wonderful idea." Esme beamed happily.
"Ma, I don't think…." Edward looked uncertain.
"Can you think of anyone else?" Esme raised an eyebrow.
"Well, no," he admitted.
"I don't have a dress for something so formal," I spoke up.
"I have plenty of dresses you can borrow. I can easily hem one too." Alice smiled, and her eyes had a devilish glint to them.
"It's settled then. Edward, you can get ready here." Esme started the oven.
"Boys, my office." Carlisle voiced from the speaker, stopping all conversation.
Edward and Emmett quickly departed the room without another word.
"Don't leave this house before eating," Esme yelled after them.
"Oh, Bella, you will love this ball. It's in a hotel by the water, and there's a beautiful view of the harbor. We can go try on dresses after dinner," Alice gushed.
I gave a smile in return, but my thoughts inside couldn't mirror it. The ball did sound exciting. I just would feel better about it if it didn't feel like Edward was tricked into taking me.
LS
After dinner, I met Alice in her room. When I entered, she was sitting on the stool with a sketch pad on her lap. She stood and tossed it on the bed and then closed a box of colored pencils.
"What were you drawing?" I asked, looking at the sketch.
It was the outline of a strapless dress the flounced at the waist and ended at the knees. The neckline dipped down in a v between the breasts.
"Nothing much, I just like to come up with my own designs. I made a few, but I'll probably never wear them." She flipped the book over to hide the image.
"Why not? That one looks pretty," I asked. "You should consider a career."
"Yeah, I'm sure Da would be all for it," she said sarcastically.
She stepped into her walk-in closet, which was about the size of my room in Forks. She pointed to a section of dresses.
"Red is the usual go-to color for this event. Take your pick." She gestured.
I noticed another nearby rack of dresses and walked over to them. "What about these?"
"Those are the ones I made. You don't want to wear them." Alice shook her head.
"Why not? These dresses are gorgeous," I asked, fingering a long red one with intricate embroidery.
"Well, for starters, they aren't designer labels. Anybody who is anybody will be wearing top of the line dresses—not handmade dresses," Alice said.
"Hold on, I'll be right back."
I headed down the hall and knocked on Rosalie's door. When she responded, I entered and saw her sitting on the bed, reading a book.
"Would you come with me for a minute? I need a second opinion on dresses," I asked.
She tossed down the book and stood up. "I would love to. I'm so glad you decided to come."
"Well, I wasn't giving much of choice, was I?" I raised an eyebrow.
She smiled innocently. "I didn't hear you say no or I don't want to either."
She followed me back into Alice's room, who was still waiting in the closet. I walked straight over to dress and held it up.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"I love it? Alice, where have you been hiding it? I don't think I've seen you wear it." Rosalie exclaimed.
"You told her to say that," Alice accused me.
"No. Why would she?" Rosalie questioned.
"Alice made this and those ones too." I pointed to the rack.
"For real? Alice, why have you never shown these to anyone?" Rose looked through the rack. "Can I borrow this one sometime?" She pulled out a black dress with the top covered in a layer of lace.
"Um…sure." Alice looked a bit flustered. "You really like it?"
"Yes. And I would love it, if this baby is a girl, if you would make some dresses for her. I think you have found your calling." Rose smiled.
"But Da…" Alice said.
"But him nothing…wasn't his mother a seamstress?" Rose scoffed.
"Well, yes, but until she was married," Alice said.
"I thought I remember Esme telling me she continued to make dresses and clothes for the kids after she was married," Rose commented.
"Granny made Ma's wedding dress." Alice nodded.
"So see, not a problem, and who knows, just because Carlisle doesn't like you to work doesn't mean your future husband won't," Rose stated.
"If that's settled, may I please wear this one—I love it," I asked.
Alice nodded. "Try it on, I'll see if I need to hem it."
LS
A few minutes later, I stood on a small stool in Alice's room as she knelt on the floor in front of me, pinning up the dress. I adjusted the straps as I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. Rose stayed with us and sat on the bed.
"I think the neckline might be too low," I said.
Alice sat back on her heels and took the pins out of her mouth. "No, it's supposed to be that low. Don't worry, you got the boobs to pull it off. I think my brother will like it." She winked at me.
"This isn't a date, Alice," I reminded her.
She opened her mouth but was cut off by a knock on the door. "Come in."
"Is Bella in here?" Edward poked his head through the door and spotted me. "Can I speak with you for a moment in the hallway?"
"Sure." I stepped off the stool and moved carefully, so I didn't lose any of Alice's pins.
Edward waited in the middle of the hall with his head down, looking at his phone. He glanced up when I closed the door behind me. I waited for him to speak, but he seemed to be scrutinizing the dress.
"Is something wrong with it?" I asked, looking down to make sure the neckline didn't shift too much.
"No, nothing is wrong." He raised his eyes to mine. "I wanted to make sure you didn't feel forced into going with me. I could speak to Ma if you didn't want to go."
"Funny enough, I was wondering the same about you," I told him.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and his eyes softened. "You didn't quite answer my question. Would you like to be my date to the ball?"
I paused then nodded. "Yes, as long as you don't feel obligated to take me. I've never been to a ball, so it sounds like fun."
He smiled. "Chicken, Beef, or Lobster."
"Is that code for something?" I asked.
He laughed. "Those are the choices for dinner. Filet mignon, chicken marsala, or lobster. I seemed to remember you don't care for people ordering for you?"
"The filet will be fine, thank you," I said.
"Okay, I will see you tomorrow night. I have to head out." He took a backward step, and his eyes drifted lower once more. He stuck his hands in pockets, and I noticed he was still wearing his gun. I guess not all things have changed.
"Have a good night." I felt the heat rise to my cheeks under his stare.
"You too. The dress looks nice." He walked away.
Nice?
I entered the room, and Alice hopped off the bed.
"Hop back up, it shouldn't take me much longer. So, what did Edward want?" she asked, kneeling again.
"My dinner choice." I stepped up and turned to face the mirror.
"Did he comment on the dress?" she asked.
"He said it looked nice."
"Nice? Nice? You don't look nice, you look hot. Honestly, men are stupid," Rose scoffed.
I flushed at her compliment. "I don't think it would be very appropriate for Edward to call me hot—I'm the nanny."
"You're not his nanny unless you guys are into that type of kink." Alice giggled, and Rosalie cracked up too.
"Alice," I exclaimed, mortified. "There's nothing like that between us. In fact, he probably feels like he has to take me after everyone ganged up on him."
"Puh-lease, he just needed a push. I see how he looks at you at dinner." Rosalie grinned coyishly.
"We have nothing in common and barely even talk. And when we do, we are mostly arguing," I said.
"He's just busy with the family business. There's a lot expected of him since he's the oldest and will be taking over, and our family's expectations are so high. Which is why he needs a good woman like you," Alice said.
"You know, sometimes it seems like your family is in the mob or something," I said jokingly.
Alice's hand hit the jar of pins and knocked it over. She exchanged a look with Rosalie, and they both started to laugh.
"Have you been watching Emmett's movies? I swear he's so obsessed with them that if you asked him, he would tell you he was in one," Rosalie joked.
"No, I was just making a joke," I said.
"Well, you caught us. Now it's either pledge your undying loyalty to us or we fit you for a pair of cement shoes and dump you in the Charles," Alice teased, poking me in the leg with her pin teasingly.
"Funny." I rolled my eyes. "What about Jasper? Is he taking you to the ball?"
"Of course. I'm sure Da asked him to take me as a favor. Just like New Year's." Alice frowned.
"Wait, I was there for that conversation. Jasper jumped at the chance to take you. He also follows you around the house like a puppy. He likes you Alice, and not because your father makes him," I informed her.
"If that's the case then why hasn't he ever asked me to dinner or to anything that's not family related," she asked.
"Maybe because he's not sure you'd say yes." I shrugged.
"She could be right. Jasper might be afraid you're not ready, so he's waiting until you give him a sign," Rosalie suggested.
"Maybe…I'm done. Take it off carefully, and I'll have it hemmed and pressed for you." She closed the jar of pins.
"Hey, no more negative vibes from either of you. Tomorrow is going to be fun." Rosalie looked hopeful.
A/N: A small time jump. The Charles Alice was talking about is a river that runs through Boston. Thoughts?
Thank you for sharing all love and thoughts with me.