Author's Note: Thanks to moosals for pre-reading on short notice. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.
Each "section" of the story has three chapters. This is part 3 of "The Family."
Jumping ahead a few weeks here, past the drama.
As I stood in front of the bathroom mirror doing my makeup, I really wished that Alice was here to help me, but she was going to be meeting us at the club. Edward was the one who'd first heard about the nightclub that was sponsoring a non-alcoholic "first night" celebration for New Year's Eve. His brother Jasper was still only 20, so he agreed to join us. After much begging, Alice also agreed to meet us at the club so that Jasper didn't feel like a third wheel.
The past two weeks had not been easy; I was really looking forward to a night out just having fun. If it was up to Edward, he pretty much would've moved in with me after we left his parents' house that night they found out the truth. I knew it was far too soon for something like that though.
Also, my second job in retail needed me to work very long hours leading up to Christmas. Instead of just lying around my apartment doing nothing while I was at work until 11pm every night, I insisted that Edward try to talk to his parents. They had a long overdue discussion of the events that led up to his becoming an alcoholic, and eventually they came to some sort of understanding. While they still didn't like or trust me, they finally "got it" in regards to Edward's feelings for me, and realized that if they didn't let him make his own decisions — his own mistakes, they said — they were going to lose their son.
Following their talk, Edward moved back home after his parents agreed not to fight him on seeing me. The last thing I ever wanted was to come between Edward and his parents, so I was thankful when they patched things up.
I was just putting my earrings in when the doorbell rang, signaling Edward's arrival, and I quickly moved to answer it.
"Hello, handsome," I said, my jaw dropping at the sight of Edward before me. The pale green of his button-down shirt really set off the color of his eyes. "You are too sexy for your own good sometimes. I'm going to be beating other girls off you with a stick."
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me senseless. "You look so fucking hot in that dress," he growled.
"You know, Alice would have my head if she knew it was the same dress I wore to your parents' Christmas party."
"But you look so hot in it! I had to see it again. Jasper won't notice, trust me." I suppose I did spend more time out of my dress than in it that night.
I gathered my coat and purse, walking with Edward out to his car, where as usual he was a perfect gentleman helping me into the passenger seat.
"Jazz went on ahead, so he's gonna try to grab a table for us," Edward said as he drove.
"Does Jasper hate me too?" I asked tentatively.
"No, he doesn't. Jazz is too laidback — he doesn't hate anyone."
When we arrived at the club, I was surprised that Edward still had to show his ID, but the bouncer explained that the evening was for 18-and-over. I blushed a little at the thought that my boyfriend had to prove he was 18. Most of the time Edward's age really didn't bother me, or I tended to forget about it completely.
As soon as we walked inside, the loud pulsing beat assaulted my ears. Edward immediately spotted his brother seated in a booth along one edge of the dance floor. Taking my hand, he led me through the throng of bodies and we slid into the booth across from Jasper.
"Hey man," Edward said as he sat down.
"Hey. Good to see you again, Bella."
I raised my eyebrow in response and Jasper laughed. "It is, really. You make my brother happy," he shrugged.
"Thanks, Jasper," I smiled.
A waitress came by to take Edward's and my drink orders, then left us a small "Reserved" sign so we could get up and dance without losing our seats.
"My friend Alice should be joining us soon," I told Jasper. I'd texted her while we were in the car to let her know that we were on our way. If I knew Alice, she was spending a half hour styling her hair, even though it wasn't even shoulder length.
"How did you like your first semester of teaching, Bella?" Jasper asked. "I don't know if Edward told you, but I have a double major in History and Education, hoping to be a high school history teacher."
"I actually did like it," I answered truthfully. "My heart really belongs with counseling, but I know I can't do that anymore. I'd prefer to teach more upper level classes geared toward counseling, rather than teaching basic Psych classes, but I realize that I need to complete my doctorate before I could be considered for that."
"A doctorate, wow," Jasper replied. "My ambitions aren't as high," he laughed.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text message and I glanced at the screen. "Alice is here," I announced. "I'm just gonna go get her. Be right back." I kissed Edward quickly before leaving.
I greeted Alice just inside the door with a hug. "Nice dress," I said, admiring her strapless hot pink mini-dress. Though I'd never wear it, she could pull it off.
"Thanks," she smiled. "After-Christmas sale."
"Edward and his brother have a booth over there," I said, pointing them out to her. When we reached the table, I introduced Alice to Jasper and she slid into the booth beside him, ordering a Shirley Temple from a passing waitress.
"So, Jasper, Bella tells me you play baseball?"
I rolled my eyes. I'd met Alice on our first day of kindergarten and had never known her to give a flying fuck about any sport. Sure, she'd joined the cheerleading squad in middle school and high school, but that was just to meet cute boys, in her words.
"I do," Jasper answered with a smile. "I play second base on my college team."
"And he has a good chance at getting drafted next year," Edward added.
"Wow, that is so awesome!"
I quirked an eyebrow at her. Wow, Alice was laying it on a little thick. She wasn't actually attracted to Jasper, was she? After all the shit she gave me about dating a younger man? Wait until I got her alone.
Edward and I spent most of the night on the dance floor, stopping by the table occasionally for a few sips of our drinks. Alice and Jasper spent most of that time chatting together in the booth before finally getting up to dance around 11:30.
"I think we might have made a love match," Edward noted, nodding his head toward Alice and Jasper as they danced close together.
"They're cute," I agreed. Even if Alice didn't come up to Jasper's shoulder.
"Not as cute as you."
"Oh please," I laughed. "You know you don't have to butter me up to get laid tonight."
"It's the truth," he insisted. "I probably don't tell you enough how beautiful and sexy you are," he added, kissing along my neck. His soft lips sent tingles through my entire body.
"You're not too bad yourself, Cullen. In fact, your looks were the first thing I noticed about you, at that first group session when Rosalie brought you in."
"Mmmm…" He began sucking on my ear. "It's the first thing I noticed about you, too. I was looking down at the floor and then I saw these sexy-as-fuck legs in front of me."
"You did not!" I slapped at his chest.
"Oh, I did," he replied, looking up to grin at me. "And then when I looked into your big brown eyes… I had to have you." He shrugged. "It was just a physical need, but then I got to know you, and—" He stopped, shaking his head. "You're not offended, are you? That it was just physical at first?"
"No, I'm not offended," I replied truthfully. "It was the same for me, until the real Edward emerged from his shell."
Edward grinned widely, then kissed me until I was ready to rip his clothes off right in the middle of the dance floor. "Can we go home now?" he whined.
"It's not midnight yet," I laughed.
"Then let's go sit down so we can make out." I rolled my eyes, but let him lead me back to our booth. As we kissed, Edward's hands began to wander — he really had a thing about pushing my skirts up to expose my thighs.
"What are you doing?" I asked as those sexy fingers began creeping closer and closer to my panties.
"Nothing," he replied innocently.
"Uh-huh."
Edward kissed me again, and I could feel myself getting more and more turned on. If his finger moved even another inch, he'd surely notice. And then there it was, stroking the outside of my panties.
"Bella," he whispered in my ear, "Are you wet for me?" Before I could reply, he stuck his tongue in my mouth again.
And then I felt his finger sneaking under the elastic band at the edge of my panties. He stroked up and down softly and I nearly cried out.
"Let me make you feel good, Bella," he whispered, adding another finger to the mix.
A part of me was freaking out that anyone who looked under the tabletop would be able to see what he was doing. The horny part of me tried to convince the prudish part that it was dark in the club, and everyone else was too busy making out to be paying attention to us.
The horny part won.
I tried my best to relax while Edward's magic fingers quickly brought me to the edge of an orgasm. He was relentless, thrusting two fingers inside me while his thumb rubbed circles on my clit. When he could surely feel me getting close, he covered my mouth with his own, drowning out my moans.
And as I came, I heard the loud bang of fireworks announcing the arrival of 2014.
"Happy New Year, Bella," Edward whispered, licking his fingers clean.
A/N: This is the last regular chapter. I'll post the Epilogue on Saturday.