Author's note; Many thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter. You were very positive about it and judging by the number of hits it got, it was one of my better chapters. Or was it just that Edward was having a good time?! So here we are with the family at the weekend, having fun as they do. Enjoy.
Beta reader; Many thanks NatalieRB for your help.
Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight.
COOK WANTED
Saturday
As I walked downstairs I heard the rest of the family's voices coming from the kitchen. I hesitated for just a moment, willing myself not to blush. This was completely alien to me. The overwhelming feeling of having just done something so private and intimate and then within minutes returning to everyday normal life as if nothing had happened, seemed weird. All the women I knew had gone through this. Why would I be any different?
I shook my head slightly and took a deep breath, turning the corner into the kitchen.
"Hey, Bella? Good morning!" Alice, greeted me, with her arms open wide. We walked towards each other. I kept my eyes fixed on hers and closed the gap. We hugged. She has some grip for someone so small and delicate looking. Her hug was one of encouragement and final confirmation of acceptance into the family fold. She released me and grabbing my hand, led me to the breakfast room.
"Good morning, Bella dear." Esme said as I sat across the table from her. She smiled happily at me.
"Good morning, Esme." I replied, giving her a timid smile. I fixed my eyes now on my hands resting in my lap.
Rosalie brought in the tray laden with cups, coffee pot and Danish pastries. Someone had their thinking cap on this morning.
"How was the date, Bella?" Rosalie asked as she set down the tray and poured the coffee into the cups. Wow, I need one of those! From the corner of my eye I noticed the men look at each other at Rosalie's question. A silent decision made, they exited the kitchen.
"I had a lovely time." I replied quietly. I was finding it hard to be a little more descriptive. Words did not usually fail me.
"Where did Edward take you dear?" Esme asked, tilting her head to one side at me in anticipation of my answer.
"The Italian restaurant in Port Angeles." I answered quietly.
"Port Angeles?!" Rosalie exclaimed. She looked over to Alice with a look of horror. Alice's face remained unchanged.
I simply nodded and focused my attention on the cup in my hand. She made it sound like Edward had taken me somewhere cheap and nasty. This is now my favourite place to eat!
"Very sensible!" Esme announced. I was a little surprised at her statement. "Seattle would have been too public and open for a first date. Port Angeles is perfect for not allowing prying eyes to draw attention. There's plenty of time for flashy places in Seattle." She added. Esme looked at Rosalie and I noticed she gave her slight shake of the head.
Rosalie merely shrugged at Esme's comment. She had backed down. Of course, Rosalie would have had her first date with Emmett in the full glare of the social headlights of the Seattle elite. I smiled over at Esme knowing that she knew her son well and how much he wanted to keep me to himself before the inevitable introduction to friends and work colleagues. We needed to concentrate on each other for a while before I had to worry about the social networking of Seattle.
"Well, decisions need to be made before the men get home in a few hours." Alice said, bringing us back to the reason for the meeting. We turned our attention to her and watched as she picked up a pen and began to write on a piece of A4 paper.
Two cups of coffee and with all the pastries devoured, decisions were made. It was to be a traditional cake, five tiers, considering the amount of guests attending. Rosalie couldn't make up her mind about the finishing touches. It would either be roses or a mixture of wild flowers. There was still time to decide on that. Alice would make calls on Monday to organise the bakery that would make the tiers and the decorating would be my department.
I sat for a moment digesting the realisation of the responsibility for decorating it.
"What's up, Bella?" Alice asked as she cleared away the cups and plates.
"Just thinking, what a big responsibility the cake is. I just need to get my head around it." I answered giving her a weak smile.
"You'll be fine Bella. Rosalie wouldn't have asked you to do it if she thought you couldn't." I was heart warmed with Alice's vote of confidence.
"I know." I answered. I stared blankly out of the French doors.
"Is everything else okay, Bella?" Alice asked, standing still for a moment to wait for me to answer.
"Huh! Oh, yes. Just fine. I'll give back that gorgeous dress when I get it cleaned." Where on earth did that sudden thought come from?
"What are you talking about?! All of the things I gave you yesterday are yours to keep. Consider that the beginning of a new wardrobe Bella. Trust me you're going to be a Cullen sometime in the near future. You want to look the part don't you?" She stated smiling and walked towards the kitchen.
I blushed furiously. What was she talking about?! We've only just had our first date. Oh, of course. None of my other first dates, such as they were, had ever ended in such a spectacular way but it was still only our first date.
"Everything will be just fine, Bella." Esme said, interrupting my thoughts. "I think Alice is right though. She has never been wrong about these things before. If Alice says it's going to happen then it will." Esme added. She sounded very confident. Who am I to argue?
"So, ladies what do you want to do now?" Rosalie asked from the kitchen area.
"Well, girls. I have some work to catch up on in the office. Why don't you make use of the Jacuzzi or the sauna or both, while the men are out?" Esme suggested.
"Hey, that'll be a great idea. Come on Bella. I'll get the sauna set up and you go and get your swimming costume and meet us by the pool." Rosalie instructed me. She dashed out of the kitchen as soon as she finished talking not waiting for an answer.
I decided that it would be a good idea. Girl time together would be just great right now.
I stopped at Edward's room and retrieved all of my clothing from the night before and made my way up to my rooms. I put the dress and shoes away and took out my bikini, tied my hair up and made my way to the pool.
Alice and Rosalie were already there getting out of their clothes and wrapping towels around themselves ready for the sauna. I followed them in, a few minutes later. The sensation of heat in the sauna room was amazing. Rosalie patted the empty space on the bench beside her. I sat down and leant back on the bench behind me letting the warmth wash over me. I shut my eyes.
"So, Bella what was he like?" Rosalie asked. I could hear the grin in her voice.
"What do you mean?!" My eyes shot open and I turned my head towards her.
"Rose, don't embarrass poor Bella." Alice chided her. She reached out to me and touched my arm to comfort me.
"Well I was only asking. I just thought, with Edward being the quite one of the family. I was just curious if the saying is true about the quite ones always…" She trailed off noticing my look of shock.
"Sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to offend you." She said with a sincere, apologetic look.
"No, no it's okay." I quickly recovered from her probing question. "It's not something I've ever talked about with any of my previous girlfriends. We were all very young and innocent then. Let's just say that he was…. Mind blowing!" I replied with a large smile on my face.
"Wow, Bella! Good. I wouldn't expect anything else from a man with the surname Cullen!" We all began to giggle like teenagers.
"Or Whitlock!" Alice added.
The giggling turned into laughter. I felt a lot more comfortable now. My confidence was resurfacing.
"When's your birthday, Bella?" Alice asked out of the blue.
"Not for some months yet. In September. Why do you ask?" I wasn't sure where this question was heading.
"Oh, nothing. I just get the feeling that you might be getting something pretty major for your birthday. That's all." Alice looked a little glassy eyed, starring at her red painted toes.
I looked over to her with wide, questioning eyes.
"Oh, I'm not sure what it might be but I can say it will be big!" She seemed to be absolutely sure of what she was saying.
"We shall wait and see." I said, looking at her through narrowed eyes.
"It's Edward's birthday next month, Bella. If you need any help or ideas for that, just ask." Alice said cheerily.
"Right. Well, thanks for that. I had better start thinking about it now, before I run out of time. But what do you get a man who has more or less everything?" I looked over at Rosalie who was lost in thought and then over to Alice. She was just sitting there grinning.
"Umm. Well, you could always wrap yourself up in one large blue bow. I did that for Emmett one year and he walked around with a smile on his face for days after that." Rosalie finally suggested. A large smile played on her lips.
We all started to giggle again.
"I'm not too sure about that, Rosalie, but thanks for the advice anyway." I just couldn't imagine myself being that sure of myself!
"You know, the best present that Jasper has ever given me?" Alice said in a far away voice.
"No, what?" Rosalie and I asked at the same time.
"Well, apart from marrying me that is." Alice added.
"That goes without saying." Rosalie interjected.
"What is it, Alice?" I asked, eager to know what was inducing this far away look on her face.
"A baby." She answered a little sheepishly.
"But you don't have a ba….." Rosalie stopped mid sentence. She looked over to Alice her mouth hanging open in shock.
I got up from the bench and sat next to her and hugged her. "Congratulations, Alice. How wonderful!" I kissed her cheek. Rosalie got up, still looking a little shocked and bent down to hug and kiss Alice.
"Thank you. It just felt like the right time to tell you two. I told mom and dad earlier this morning." She said hugging both of us.
"When did you have it confirmed?" I asked impatiently.
"Yesterday. I rang the doctor's office while you were having your hair done, Bella." Alice answered. "I'm still trying to take it all in." She added. "I've got an appointment with my doctor next week. Depending on the dates there will be a new addition to this family by the beginning of the New Year."
We sat for a moment looking at each other. All three of us had tears in our eyes by this time.
"At first I thought it might have been something I ate." She said giving a small chuckle and looking at my stunned face.
"But then the sick feeling wouldn't go away," Alice added. "So I guessed it must be something more than just an upset stomach. I'm going to be a mom!"
"And a very successful one! You're going to have to share the work load a little more, Alice. Is there anything I can do to help you?" I asked.
"Well, I've been thinking about that. It would be great if you could help with the Wedding Planning business now that's underway. You're very organised and know all about food of course, so it would be great if you would help with that, Bella."
I nodded. I would be only too happy to do this.
"And Rosie you can help with my dress designs. I know you're very busy with the garage but looking over designs in the evening wouldn't be asking too much would it? I have to concentrate on putting my collection together for New York in the fall. There's going to be so much organising to do." She looked at Rosalie with a large smile.
"No problem, Alice. Anytime. I would love to do that for you." Rosalie's face lit up at the idea.
"So let's get into that Jacuzzi. I can hear it calling my name." Rosalie added.
We put on our bikinis, having a quick shower and then stepped into the warm water of the Jacuzzi. Rosalie set the jets to a gentle flow. We made ourselves comfortable and sat in an easy silence allowing the bubbles to do their magic.
After a little while the peace was broken by Emmett's voice booming in the hallway.
"Thanks mom. See you later dad." He opened the door to the pool room. "Ah, here they are. I see the meeting is going very well, ladies." He said with a broad grin across his face.
"You're back early, aren't you?" Rosalie commented. I watched as Edward walked into the room following Jasper. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I had missed him so much. He looked over to me and I blushed. He gave me one of his knee weakening grins making his way over to the Jacuzzi. He came over to where I was sitting and bent over to kiss me on my mouth. I breathed in his scent and immediately felt relaxed and happy. Nothing else had the same effect.
"Edward was getting a bit anxious about being away from Bella for too long, so we came back." Emmett laughed and patted Edward on the back. "Poor Edward, he's got it bad!"
"Oh, Emmett, leave him alone." Rosalie chided him. "Can you go and get us something to drink, some water would be great." Rosalie asked Emmett putting on her best pleading face.
Emmett left the room immediately and returned a few minutes later with three bottles of water. "Thank you Emmett." We said in unison in our best girlie voices.
"Bella? What's for lunch?" Emmett asked as he patted his stomach.
"Is that all you ever think about Emmett?" I asked. A broad grin came to his face as he looked over at Rosalie watching her take a mouthful of water from her bottle. "Okay, Emmett. So there are two things you think about more than anything else!" I added.
He let out a long sigh. "What can I say? I got it bad too."
"I think it would be a good idea if the men cooked the lunch today. I'm sure Alice must be getting hungry." Jasper finally said. He had been very quiet since they arrived back. He stood looking over at Alice lovingly.
Edward looked over at Jasper and a small smile came to his face. "Alice is there something you would like to share with us?"
Alice beamed at him. "Yes, there is Edward. Jasper and I are going to have a baby by the New Year! Can you believe it? I'm going to be a mom!"
Edward promptly got up and moved over to where Alice was sitting and gave her a hug. He kissed the top of her head. "I think that is wonderful news. Hey, Emmett, we're going to be Uncles."
"Wow. A baby in the house! Hey, Jasper. Congrats." Emmett reached out to Jasper and shook him by the hand and slapped him on the back, maybe a little too hard. Jasper winced at the force of the slap but soon recovered.
"Thanks Emmett. It'll be your turn soon enough." He said. Emmett's reaction made us laugh. His naturally happy face had never looked so worried.
"Come on Emmett, let's get to the kitchen and take your mind off that subject for now." Edward said, gesturing toward the door. Jasper blew Alice a kiss and quickly followed Edward to the kitchen.
Rosalie hauled herself out of the Jacuzzi and went over to a cupboard and took out three towels and three robes. "Here you go. Let's get dried off and get over to the kitchen. I want to check out Emmett's skills in the kitchen." She handed us a towel each and laid out the robes on a chair. We dried off and wrapped up in the robes to keep warm. Alice turned off the Jacuzzi. The room fell silent as we made our way to watch the men cook. This will be very interesting.
The men had already made headway with the food by the time we sat down at the table. Jasper was setting out cutlery on the table and organising drinks. He then went to let Esme and Carlisle know that lunch would soon be ready. Edward and Emmett made light work of their specialty, Spanish omelettes and they also put together a plate of fruit. As the final omelettes were made and brought to the table, the family sat down together to eat. As Edward sat down he pushed his chair closer to me resting his hand on my thigh. My whole body warmed at the sensation of his touch. The conversation flowed easily around the table. The main topic of course, was the baby.
Esme and Carlisle looked like the proudest parents in the world. Their children had given them so much to celebrate.
"Mom, I think it would a great idea if we had food delivered tonight." Edward began. "It can be Alice's choice. I'd like to keep Bella out of the kitchen just a little while longer. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not, Edward. I think that's a great idea. What would you like to eat later, Alice?" Esme asked.
"I would really love to have some Chinese." Alice answered eagerly. Emmett nodded his approval.
With lunch over, Edward and Emmett dutifully cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. Jasper looked at Alice.
"You look tired, honey. I'll take you up so you can have a nap. That'll do you both good. Come on." He took her hand and led her upstairs.
"Jasper is going to make a wonderful father." Esme said wistfully as Carlisle kissed her forehead.
It seemed like Valentines Day had made a sudden early appearance as the couples walked off to spend time together. Edward took my hand and led me to the music room door. "I'd like to play for you, Bella." He said as he opened the door.
"I'll go and get changed first. Be back in no time, okay?" I kissed his cheek and went upstairs to change. I could hear the soft notes of Edward playing my lullaby. It made me smile to know that I had inspired him to compose again after such a long time.
I joined him in the music room once I was dressed and curled up on the comfy chair to listen to him play. Feeling so comfortable and watching Edward play the piano, my eyelids grew heavy with sleep and I felt myself drift off into a heavenly place.
When my eyelids eventually fluttered open, I quickly realised that I was still curled up in the comfy chair in the music room. The room was silent. I looked around and saw Edward sitting in the chair adjacent to me. I gave him a small smile. He smiled back and gestured to a cup of tea waiting for me on the small table. It had only recently been made for me. I could see the steam rising from the cup.
I sat up a little more upright and reached out for the cup. "Thanks for this." I took a sip and sighed in appreciation.
I looked over to Edward who was still smiling at me. "I didn't talk in my sleep again did I?" I was beginning to wonder what on earth I could have said to put a smile like that on his face.
"Oh, don't worry. You didn't say anything too embarrassing." He replied. From the look on your face I obviously had. I rolled my eyes at him and took another sip of the hot tea.
Edward glanced at his watch. "I'd better get this Chinese dinner organised before it gets too late. What do you think, Bella shall I just order one of everything?" He said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, not one of every single thing on the menu. Just stick with the basics and a few favourites. That'll be best." I replied.
"Of course, you're right. Do you have any preferences, Bella?" He asked, getting up from the chair and heading to the door.
I stood up immediately, not wanting to be too far away from him, following him out of the room to the kitchen. "I love Singapore rice noodles!" I answered, my mouth watering at the thought of them.
He nodded and reached for the Chinese menu from one of the kitchen drawers. The emergency drawer no doubt!
He quickly scanned the menu and reached for the house phone and dialled. Five minutes later having finally confirmed the order and address he put the phone down. Oh yes, he had done this before. Many times! I smiled at him and he pulled me into his arms nuzzling my neck. A warm rush enveloped me again making my stomach twitch. I smiled as I remembered another time that he made me feel this way in a kitchen. The kitchen at the city house, to be precise. It seemed a lifetime ago that he had first made me feel this way. It was as if we'd always been together. I turned my face towards him and kissed his temple, his hair tickling my face. Umm, he smells wonderful.
Rosalie broke me out of my trance like state. "Break it up kids. You'll embarrass Carlisle and Esme" She said mockingly, pouring herself a glass of orange from the fridge.
Edward pulled out of our embrace and we both huffed at the same time. The three of us set about organising the table ready for the Chinese feast. I put a stack of plates into the plate warmer and began to unload the dishwasher and put the items away ready for the machine to be filled again later.
By this time the whole family had gathered, some in the kitchen helping themselves to drinks and others sitting at the table in anticipation. Alice looked almost as eager as Emmett at the thought of food. I smiled to myself. Wow, there'll be another hungry mouth to feed in the New Year. My heart was swelling with love for my new family and the thought that this was truly my new home. I will have to ring mom and dad and tell them this weekend. Whether they approved or not, I was deliriously happy and I wouldn't be able to not tell them before I visited them next.
The doorbell rang and Edward sprinted to answer it. I made sure the counter top was clear and ready to organise the food. He finally arrived in the kitchen his arms laden with bags.
We put the boxes on the large tray and Edward took it into the breakfast room, setting it in the middle of the table. The aroma of the meal was wonderful. Putting oven gloves on, I took the stack of warmed plates out to the table and set the plates out in front of each person. They began to help themselves as Edward and I took our seats.
All of us had a little of everything from the banquet. To finish the meal Alice requested ice cream. It was ice cream for everyone. Just as Rosalie had taken the last mouthful of her dessert, her phone rang. She took the phone from her pocket, as she answered it she moved out of the breakfast room into the kitchen.
Rosalie returned to the table and let out a frustrated sigh. "What's up baby?" Emmett asked. He put his hand on her arm and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"Jacob can't sign the papers Monday morning. Some family stuff he's got to see too. So he's coming over tomorrow morning." She said sighing again.
I notice Edward's head snap up and look at Rosalie. His eyes narrowed.
"Don't worry about it baby. He won't be here long. You'll have the rest of the day to spend with me." Emmett said, trying hard to placate her. I willed the silence that had fallen over the room to go away.
"Right, how about we get cleared up in here and go and have a game of pool." Jasper announced. I knew he was trying to divert Edward's attention. "I want to see how good Bella is after Emmett got hustled last time." He stood up from the table and began to stack empty bowls.
It worked. I let out a small sigh. We began to tidy the table and load the dishwasher. I gave the counter tops a quick wipe down and everything was done. We made our way to the games room and got into our pairs. Esme and Carlisle decided that they could not miss out on the opportunity to see Emmett lose.
Edward's mood seemed a lot lighter. He kissed my forehead and whispered to me. "Just work your magic, Bella. We can't lose." The pressure was on.
The game began. Emmett looked at me and said, "Well, Bella, let's see if you can repeat your winning streak. I think you were just lucky last time." He smirked. If he thinks he's going to put me off by goading me, he's got another thing coming.
As the game continued Emmett's face became more and more perplexed. He had thought I would not be able to play well under pressure. Sorry, Emmett it doesn't work like that with me!
Well to say that we won 'hands down' was an understatement. Edward and I annihilated everyone. Edward hugged me and lavished kisses all over my face at our victory. I received a round of applause from Esme, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper. Rosalie smiled at me, not wanting to congratulate me too much in front of Emmett. Emmett just scowled and huffed.
"Would you like Bella to give you a couple of lessons, Emmett? I'm sure she wouldn't mind!" Edward said, taking his life in his hands, considering the look that Emmett gave him. I jokingly stood in front of Edward, with my arms behind me, wrapped around his waist, to offer him protection. We all found this highly amusing and broke out in fits of laughter.
"Would you like to play the Xbox next, Emmett?" Edward said, still firmly in my grasp. Now you're pushing it!
"That's enough Edward." I said trying to sound annoyed. I failed miserably and burst out laughing again.
"You tell him, Bella." Emmett said, folding his arms over his chest and puffing his chest out making himself look even larger than usual.
"Okay, children. Does anyone want a drink before we turn out the lights for the night?" Esme interjected, before any more challenges could be set.
"I think we should share a bottle of wine to mark the end of a very eventful day. And a fruit juice for the mother-to-be." Carlisle said and made his way to the wine store. The family made their way to the lounge and sat while Carlisle organised the drinks.
Some time later and having finished two bottles of wine between us and fruit juice for Alice, everyone said 'goodnight' to each other and made their way upstairs. I quickly cleared the coffee table in the lounge before Esme would notice and set the dishwasher on.
Edward came to look for me. He smiled and took my hand.
"Come on, my love. Time for bed." He said, kissing the back of my hand gently.
He led me to his room. We undressed and I climbed into the bed closely followed by him. He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me.
"Umm. Goodnight, Bella. I love you." He kissed my forehead and relaxed completely.
"Goodnight, Edward. Love you too." I replied. We both drifted off to sleep in our warm embrace.
End of Chapter
Author's note; Please review and let me know how you felt about this chapter. There is more to come! Take care.