Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.
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Chapter Thirteen
EdwardMasen
"Edward," Bella whined from her place in front of the mirror. "I don't know what to wear. I've never been to one of these before."
"Bella it's just breakfast, what you're wearing is fine." I told her. She huffed in frustration, probably at me.
"I don't want to look fine, Edward. This is your family; I want to make a good impression." She said.
I walked towards her, taking in her attire. She was wearing a pretty summer dress in a blue that looked lovely against her skin tone. Once I reached her, I wrapped my arms around her, resting my chin on her shoulder. I looked at our reflection in the mirror.
"You're beautiful. I promise you, they will love you just as much as I do." She smiled at me in the mirror. "Well, almost as much as I do." I winked at her.
She sighed, resting her arms over my own and leaning back onto me.
"Can't we just stay up here all day, just me and you?" She asked closing her eyes. I chuckled.
"We could, but then I would miss the chance to show you the beauty of my family's villa, not to mention my family." I joked, giving her a light kiss on her neck.
"I guess," she replied.
"Damn, we make a damn good looking couple." I told her reflection.
Bella laughed that special laugh she only ever saved for me, "It's all you, handsome." She said, running her hand through my hair.
I scoffed, "There's a lot of people that would disagree with that statement, baby."
"Yeah, yeah." She said, unconvinced. "Come on, let's get this over with." She started to move away from me before I pulled her back into my arms to give her a soft kiss on her full pouty lips.
"Don't be nervous, baby. I'll be there every step of the way, I promise."
She wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her forehead at my throat. I wrapped myself around her in turn.
"I love you," she mumbled.
"I love you." I placed a kiss to the top of her head before resting my cheek in the same position.
We stood like that for a couple of minutes, just being with each other before we walked out into the mayhem below.
"Come on. I bet you will have fun and find yourself worrying over nothing." I told her with a smile.
She rolled her eyes, "hmm, we'll see. Come on, let's go."
We made our way down the corridor and stairs before making it to the kitchen. I loved to see Bella's impression once again as we made our way through the house. Her face showed her emotions so well to me. I had become an expert on recognising them for what they were. It was like reading a book now. She was impressed by the decoration and size of the property, who wouldn't be? But there was also awe and passion there. She noticed the little things. She didn't just see a beautiful bit of furniture; she was appreciating a part of history.
The villa was empty but we could hear the soft murmurs of activity going on outside. Every time we had a get together, all meals were eaten outside. No matter how big the villa was, the garden was the only space big enough to hold the amount of people in our family comfortably. Feeding our family was like feeding a small army.
"Holy crap." Bella murmured as we entered the kitchen. Even I could admit that it was impressive.
I chuckled and pulled her hand, "Come on, no doubt you will have time to explore this kitchen some more. I'm pretty sure my mom and aunts will drag you in here a time or two."
"And I will gladly come." She said, as we made our way out the French doors.
"Good to know," I winked at her.
"Perv," she said, slapping my arm.
"You love me." I stated.
"Only god knows why." She said playfully. I chuckled so she knew I understood she was joking.
We stepped outside and Bella's gasp was instant. It was a big garden that was full of people all conversing with each other and eating. Around the perimeter of the area, there was a small wooden fence that separated the garden from a forest on one side. It went back a couple of miles and eventually came out to a small lake. There was a gate in the fence that led to a worn path which led directly to it.
On the other side, there were views that took your breath away. Mountains upon mountains could be seen until they suddenly stopped and the sea water started. Each and every time the sight caught my attention my breath was stolen from me. The only ever time when it was more beautiful than right now, in the early morning light, was in the evening when the sun was about to set. The one thing that was more stunning than the view was the girl standing next to me.
"Uncle Eddie!" A little voice squealed. I looked in the direction of the voice and found a little girl with long curly hair heading straight for me. I squatted and prepared myself for her hit.
"Addie," I caught her in my arms and lifted her off the ground, "You've gotten so big, baby girl."
She gave me a cute little giggle before replying, "My mama says I gwow like a fwower."
"Your mama's right, how old are you again?" I asked, pretending I forgot.
"Four," she squealed holding up four fingers.
"Nuh uh, you are way too big to be four." I told her.
"I am, I am!" She insisted seriously.
"Ok, I'll take your word for it." I replied, chuckling slightly. I heard Bella laugh at our interaction, drawing Addie's attention to her.
"Who dat, Uncle Eddie?" she asked quietly, staring at Bella with wide eyes.
"That is Bella," I told her, just as quietly while winking at Bella.
"She's so pwetty." She whispered not so quietly. Bella caught every word and tried not to laugh. I, however, didn't try to stop my chuckle.
"She is very pretty. Will you say hello to Bella?" I asked. Addie hid her face in my neck, peeking out slightly so she could still see Bella.
"Hewwo, Bewwa." She said quietly, waving her small fingers up and down.
Bella walked a little closer before waving back in the same manner, "Hi Addie. I like you dress, you look like a princess." Addie perked up a bit, not so shy anymore and straightened up in my arms.
"I'm not a pwincess, I don't got a cwown." She said with a pout.
"Oh no, every princess should have a crown. How about we make you one? A special one just for Princess Addie?" Bella suggested. Her effort made my heart swell with pride and hope. She was great with kids; she was going to make a great mother. It wasn't a matter of if, rather than when. I knew without a doubt that I wanted everything with Bella. Marriage, kids, the whole shebang.
"Really?" Addie squealed, right into my ear. I cringed and pulled away slightly.
"Really." Bella agreed, laughing at the excited girl in my arms.
"Let's go, let's go." Addie said, squirming in my arms so she could get down.
"Whoa, hold up, baby girl. How about I introduce Bella to everyone first and then you can both make your crown after breakfast? Sound good?" I asked both of my girls. Bella winked at me and I grinned back. God, I loved her.
"Okay, down pwease, down." She ordered. As soon as her feet hit the ground she was off, running toward the buffet table that was set up on one side.
"She is adorable." Bella said.
"Yes she is. She's a sweetie. Come on, there is a lot of people to get through and I am hungry."
I grabbed her hand once again and led her to the first group of people.
First were my grandfather and grandmother, Marcus and Diane. They were standing with their cousin and owner of the villa, Aro. As always, by his side was his wife Sulpicia or Sully. Even though he was technically my grandfather's cousin, they had always insisted we called him Gramps and Grams while Marcus and Diane were Auntie and Uncle. Yes, confusing but it works.
Next was another set of aunt and uncles, Caius and Dora. I always wondered how they ended up married considering Caius was basically a grumpy old man while Dora was a hoot, the life and soul of a party. They all greeted Bella with warm hugs and comments about how beautiful she was. If I hadn't seen it before, I would have been worried that the red blush would become permanent. It didn't help matters, only made her more beautiful.
Bella was looking quiet calm as we moved onto a table full of people all laughing together. I wasn't surprised, knowing how well she coped under pressure but I was pretty sure within the next 20 minutes she would be ready for a midday nap.
On the table, all eating breakfast was the youngens. They were all relatively around my age, give or take a few years and I generally hoped Bella got along with them all. First to be introduced was Addie's parents, Kate and Garrett. They were currently expecting their second child only a few months away. This trip would be the last Kate was allowed until after the baby was born. Next was Felix, another cousin and his wife, Heidi sitting conversing with his sister, Maggie and her boyfriend Benji.
The boys were ripping the hell out of Peter, the only singleton in the family who had required a couple of pounds since the last time we saw him. The girls were laughing at their antics and immaturity while Peter simply shrugged them off and continued with his food. I breathed a sigh of relief when they all instantly welcomed Bella into the family. I was even able to ignore the looks Peter was sending my girlfriend. I couldn't blame him, she was gorgeous.
"Dude, stop ogling my girlfriend." I told him jokingly. Everyone around the table laughed, Bella simply swatted me in the chest.
"Hey, she ain't tied to you yet. I still have time to change her mind." Peter laughed.
"Not even in your dreams, buddy." I laughed back.
"Aww, don't say that. I'm pretty sure Bella disagrees with you, don't ya honey?" He smirked at Bella.
"Afraid not, honey, I'm pretty hooked on him." She smirked back to him.
He faked wiping a tear away, "You're breaking me heart," he joked. Everyone joined in with their own laughter.
"Told ya, go find your own dream woman. I'm keeping mine."
Next were Alec and Demetri, Peter's cousins. They each gave a quick hello before going back to their conversation. I told Bella not to worry about their greeting because they were always like that. It wasn't them being rude, that's just how they were. Jane, Alec's new girlfriend was an odd character. It was the first time I had met her and there was something off about her. She politely introduced herself to us both but overall she seemed a little fake. Chelsea, Demetri's wife, was much nicer and gave Bella the warm welcome she deserved. Next to her, sitting with her headphones in, was Renata, Chelsea and Demetri's 10 year old daughter. She barely acknowledged us and it didn't take a genius to work out that she didn't want to be here at all. It wasn't the way a 10 year old wanted to spend her summer, away from all her friends and forced to spend time with her family. She was a sweetheart the majority of the time, when she came out of her shell a bit and got involved. I knew this mood wouldn't last long.
A small cry sounded over the table directing our awareness. Little Angelo had awoken from his nap and was demanding attention. Bella was very willing to give it and soon effectively named him her angel.
Once I was able to pry my girl from the one year who was trying to win her heart, I brought her to the buffet table where Sully's brothers were standing with their wives. Charles and Alistair were definitely the ones to act like the grandparents. They were the ones who sneaked in sweets for the kids when the parents were looking and they gave extra cake at dessert time, even if the plates were half full. The small change the kids had saved from them over the years could probably buy them their first car.
Zafrina, Charles wife, was the one who stood out in the family. She came from Brazil and even at her age, she had the height and body of a model. Mary stood next to her, making little Addie a plate of food. She was the shy one of the family but once you got a few drinks in her, there was no stopping her.
We walked over to my parents where they greeted us with good mornings. Standing with them was the rest of the clan. There was Eleazer, my father's cousin and best friend. His wife, Carmen, was introduced to him by my mother shortly after they got together. It was a funny story of how it happened and one I had heard on many accounts. I wouldn't doubt that it would get retold again while we were here.
They were talking with the Irish couple, Siobhan and Liam. They were Felix and Maggie's parents who had relocated from California to Ireland soon after Maggie was born. As soon as they were old enough, both kids left for college in the US and hadn't returned to Ireland except for holidays and vacations. Bella was instantly intrigued by their accent and couldn't stop herself from asking countless questions about Ireland. I made a mental note to one day take her.
The next to last couple was Senna and Toby, Peter's parents. Once Bella found out they were from England, I was pretty sure she was going to burst from excitement. Another adventure to add to the list.
And finally, last but not least, was Corin and Randall, Alec and Demetri's parents. They were nothing like their children and instantly engaged Bella in their conversations. It was hard to pluck her away from them but it had been a while since leaving the bedroom and neither of us had eaten a thing. I could imagine Bella being slightly overwhelmed.
"How you doing, baby?" I asked as I pulled her away, towards the food.
"How many people have you just introduced me to?" She asked.
"Umm…36. I think." I answered her, confused.
She looked at me with her eyebrows raised. "How do you think I'm doing?"
"Good point." I replied.
We grabbed a plate of food and a coffee each before making our way back to Kate and Garrett's table. They made room for us and we fell into easy conversation about what was happening over the days we were on vacation. Nothing was final but it seemed like a full weekend.
"Alright everyone!" Marcus shouted over the noise to get everyone's attention. He was preparing for the usual welcoming speech that my father and he gave every year.
He stepped up onto the decking which was slightly higher than where the rest of us were sat. No one was standing anyway so it wasn't needed but it was like tradition for them both to stand up there to give their speech. No one denied them. My father stepped onto the decking almost straight after holding a clipboard. It would have all the details of the weekend planned out on it.
"Ok then, can everyone hear me?" A round of yes's were heard before he continued, "Now, we've planned the whole weekend out but nothing is definite. It is just a ruff plan. But I would first like to say welcome to all of you who have come this year, especially to the newbies," he indicated to Bella and Jane, "who have never experienced a Masen Weekend before.
"Now, the first event will be the Legendary Masen Water Fight which will take place this afternoon. It is one now and we will start at around three. That will give you all time to get changed and ready for the event. Boys, we need a hand doing some of the water balloons like usual please. Tonight, us oldies are going out so you lot are on your own." He said, pointing to our table.
Ed took over from him, "Tomorrow we will start at about one again. It will start with the relay race. The losers will then be on dinner duty. On Sunday will be the last event, the scavenger hunt before the Leaving BBQ Sunday evening. Sound good?"
"Yeah!" We all called in unison.
"Alright then, get outta here. Make sure you are back before three."
Everyone started to disperse then, each family going to their respective quarters. Bella and I did the exact same thing. When we got there, Bella instantly flopped onto the bed. I laid on my propped up elbow next to her stroking her hair lightly.
"Tired, baby?" I asked.
"I was tired 30 family members ago." She mumbled. I chuckled and bent down to kiss her head.
"How about a power nap before the water fight? We got a couple hours." I asked her.
"Don't you have to help with the water balloons?" She asked, peering up at me.
"No, not yet. I'll go down at about 2.30 and help set up. That gives us just over an hour."
"Good, now c'mere." She said as she pulled me down closer to her so she could snuggle.
I quickly set my alarm so we wouldn't miss the water fight before wrapping Bella in my arms. Her breathing soon evened out so I knew she had fallen asleep. It wasn't long after that I followed.
I awoke to my alarm blaring in my ear. I turned it off before it could wake Bella and reset it again. I left it on the bedside table so it would wake Bella up when she needed to be downstairs, that way she got a little extra sleep. I would be exhausted too if I had just met two grandparents, eight uncles, eight aunts, nine cousins, two nieces and one nephew. It was a mouthful and I was suddenly grateful that I needed to meet Bella's father and mother. Her stepfather was the only one to go.
I made my way downstairs and back outside. All the boys were there filling up water balloons and buckets. There were buckets placed all in different parts of the garden for when someone ran out of ammunition. There was a piece of ribbon that was strategically placed in a large circle acting as the boundaries of play.
"Edward, can you get the chairs and set them up please?" Eleazer asked.
"Sure thing, are they still in the basement?" I asked.
"No, they are in the garage now. Aro decided to transform the basement into his own mans room." He chuckled.
I quickly went and found them before taking numerous trips back to the garden with them. Eventually, about 30 chairs were piled up ready to go. One by one I placed them next to each other along one side of the ribbon. It created two rows for the losers to side once they were knocked out.
Once three o'clock rolled around, everyone had congregated on the green in front of the decking. Standing on it, was my father and Eleazer once again. This time, they were accompanied by Renata and Addie. It was decided that those two would be team captains. With Aro and Sully sitting out claiming they were too old and Zafrina offering to keep an eye on Angelo, it worked out that the teams would be equally divided.
To make things fair, the girls would take it in turns to pull the names from a bucket. To kick things off, Addie started. She pulled her first name out of the bucket of paper.
"Peter," as his named was called, he whopped and hollered and made comments about himself being picked first because he was the best. He obviously didn't get that it was up to chance.
Renata was next. "Edward." I made my way to her side, giving her a high five. I couldn't wait to kick Peter's ass, as long as Bella was on my team. The rest of the choosing went a similar way.
Bella ended up on Addie's team and I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to work with her. There was always the relay race. In the end the teams turned out to be 16 on each. On Addie's team were Bella, Peter, Kate, Alec, Felix, Maggie, Demetri, Corin, Ed, Lizzie, Carmen, Eleazer, Mary, Marcus and Diane. My own team had Renata, Garrett, Jane, Heidi, Benji, Chelsea, Randall, Senna, Toby, Liam, Siobhan, Alistair, Caius, Dora and Charles. It wasn't hard to guess who had the best team.
"Alright then. Rules are as follows," my father shouted. "You must stay within the marked lines. Anyone who goes outside the ribbon is instantly disqualified. There are buckets placed around filled with balloons to reload up on. However, you are not allowed to…Edward? Edward!"
"I'm here!" I called, raising my hand.
"You are not allowed to sit next to the buckets for the entire game with it sitting between your legs. Let's try not to cheat this time, ok?"
"Gotcha!" I replied as everyone laughed. I caught Bella looking at me and sent her a wink.
"As soon as you get hit you must go and sit down until the end. No head shots and no hard throws, especially at the kids. To count as a shot, there must be a wet spot on the persons clothing as proof. The last person from whatever team is the winner. Any questions?" He asked. There was a chorus of no's.
"Alright then, let's play. Get into position. Zafrina, would you kindly blow the whistle once everyone is in position."
Diane and my mother quickly handed out t-shirts to make it easier to see who was on whose team. Addie's were wearing blue and Renata's was wearing red. Everyone scurried to fill their t-shirts with water balloons. Then everyone stopped in place to get ready.
As soon as the whistle sounded, it was a blur of activity. It was complete mayhem all over the garden. My strategically thought out plan to get the bigger people went to shit straight away as people started darting left and right in a hurry to move away from incoming balloons.
About a minute into the game and already about half of each team were out. However, that didn't stop them from enjoying themselves as they sat on the edge laughing at everything happening around them.
Most of the buckets of balloons were running out, only a few of them holding any ammunition. I darted towards one in a zig zag motion to avoid being hit by Demetri. Once I got the bucket, I turned and threw one straight at him, where it landed in the middle of his chest.
"How the hell did that happen? I wasted about 10 on you and didn't get ya. As soon as you throw one, I'm out." He whined.
"It's called skill, mate." I shouted as he walked toward the chairs. I started to refill my t-shirt before turning away only to stop in my tracks to see Bella running straight for me without any ammo.
It was the perfect chance. She was right there running to get more balloons. I quickly moved from the buckets so I didn't get penalized for cheating, but kept her within my sight. I reached for a balloon, posed to throw straight at her.
"Edward! No!" She laughed.
"Oh yes." I yelled back.
"I'm defenceless, it's not fair. I'll make it worth your while." She replied.
Her reply paused me for a second, I was not expecting that. Would she really bargain me just to win a silly game? Didn't bother me. I raised my hands and started to walk away.
"You owe me!" I called to her. She giggled as she continued to the buckets to reload.
"Edward! What the hell are you doing? You had a clear shot!" Toby yelled as he ran past me.
"I can't help it, I'm powerless to her. You would do the same for Senna!" I shouted back while laughing.
"Watch it!" Someone shouted as I turned to get back into the game. However, that idea was blown as I felt a giant splat on my shoulder. My laughter changed to a groan as I looked in the direction of the culprit. I saw Addie standing their giggling at me.
The laughs around me confirmed it; I got schooled by a four-year-old.
"Addie, how could you?" I called as I made my way over to the chairs.
"You snooze you lose Uncle Eddie," she called back.
We continued to watch the game unfold from our seats, cheering each of our teams on. I wanted my team to win but I couldn't help but watch with pride as my girl gave as good as she got while she was out there.
One by one each member got picked off until there were only three players left, Bella, Toby and Liam. Two to one. My girl was on her own out there.
"Go Bewwa go!" Addie shouted from my lap. I could admit that I was cheering for her to win more than my own team now.
"Come on baby, you can do it!" I cheered.
Bella had a full t-shirt of balloons, an advantage to her. Toby and Liam each had one. But one was all they needed. I nervously watched the scene unfold in front of me.
I watched as they took their place on either side of her, like piggy-in-the-middle.
I watched as they made a plan between the both of them.
I watched as Toby threw his balloon straight for her.
I watched her scream and duck.
I watched how Toby's balloon unexpectedly flew through the air and landed on Liam's thigh.
And then I watched as my girl stood, walked toward her prey and pelted Toby straight in the stomach.
The whole crowd exploded in cheers around us. I jumped from my seat, joining in with them.
No-one was rooting for their team anymore; they were rooting for my girl.
Welcome to the family, baby.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.