A/N: Hello hello. I think I made up for being fail at getting back to the reviewers who earned an early chapter…yes? I was awed at the lengths some of you (loulou193) went to in order to get a sneak peek. You rock my socks and had me smiling for days!
Melanie helped out big time with this chapter. What? You say I tell you that every chapter…well that's cause its true.
I would like to welcome back my best bud in both RL and the fic world Dalloway5906. She is back from hiatus and updated her Rosalie/Emmett fic 'Bittersweet' which I have the honor of pre-reading. Check it out!
Ummm… cliffy alert…but you knew that already.
The sound of glass breaking had Bella jolting out of bed, her heart racing as she looked around the bedroom. Hope was still snoring away in her crib, but Edward's side of the bed was empty. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart that was still thundering in her chest. She crept towards the door and again heard the sound of something breaking, followed by a soft curse. She smiled to herself as the smell of burnt toast made its way down the hall. Tying the belt of the soft pink robe Esme had bought for her; she eased out of the bedroom and padded quietly down the hall. She had fallen asleep the second her head hit the pillow the night before after Edward took such care to dry the water that still clung to her body from their swim. From what she could remember, she had not had a nightmare, and that made her mood improve even more.
Peeking around the corner of the kitchen doorway, she smiled as she saw Edward standing at the counter, a frilly apron wrapped around his waist. There was nearly half a loaf of burnt bread scattered across the countertop, broken glasses in the sink and raw bacon stuck to the front of the counter. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. She squealed and ducked when Edward suddenly tossed a piece of inedible toast over his head and towards her hiding spot. He spun around when he heard her and smiled sheepishly.
"I was trying to make breakfast. Grilled cheese I perfected, but the damn toaster gets me every time." He sighed as he walked towards her. She bent over and picked up the rock-like breakfast food and handed it to him, avoiding his searching hands. She moved around him and gathered up the rest of the breakfast casualties, tossing them in a bowl so she could break them up for the birds. She adjusted the settings on the toaster before putting the last few pieces of bread in. Edward watched in awe as she used the appliance with ease after only being introduced to them a few days earlier. How was it that she managed to make a perfectly good piece of toast when he had been using a toaster for over two decades and still burnt them every time, he wondered as she got the butter and jelly from the fridge. He could not stop himself from moving towards her and pulling her into his arms. He nuzzled his nose into her hair and kissed her shoulder, making her giggle. They broke apart when they heard someone clearing their throat loudly from the doorway. The pair looked up to find Billy leaning against the wall - with his arms folded across his chest.
"Did you not get enough alone time last night?" He said, trying to keep a straight face. Honestly, he was ecstatic that they were acting like two love-struck teenagers. Since he had arrived he had almost been able to feel the tension that radiated off of them after Bella's attack. He hoped if she continued to work with Rosalie, she might be able to put the whole experience behind her.
"Sorry Billy." They said laughing as they once again found themselves in each other's arms. Billy waved them off and moved towards the coffee pot, which Edward did manage to make without any difficulty. He poured himself a cup and sat down at the table, watching as Edward and Bella finished making breakfast. It was amusing to see them navigate the room, always knowing where the other was and never straying too far from each other. Bella looked out towards the lake as a feeling of déjà vu hit her. There standing on the deck once again was a tall, dark-haired man. But this time instead of dropping her plate, she quickly ran to the table and began shoveling the food into her mouth. Edward and Billy looked at her like she was crazy until they heard the sound of the back door opening. Bella looked up at them with egg and cheese stuck to her lips and smiled.
"Emmett is here and if you don't want him eating your breakfast, you better finish that." She said laughing as the man in question sauntered into the room, snagging a piece of toast off of Billy's plate and bacon off of Edward's.
"Morning all." He smirked as he sat down, munching on his stolen goods. He nodded his head towards the window. "Rosie is waiting for you down by the lake." Bella wasted no time as she ran for the bedroom to change into her swim suit and check on Hope before heading towards the dock.
"Rosie huh? Getting to know Ms Hale a bit better are you now?" Edward joked when Bella left the room, but instead of his brother laughing along with him, Emmett looked down at the table with a serious expression.
"I would be the luckiest man in the world if Rosalie Hale let me know her better." Emmett said before standing and moving towards the bedroom where he could hear childish giggling that started after the back door slammed shut behind Bella. While Edward knew a bit about Rosalie's past from Angela, he figured his brother already knew the whole truth, and he hoped that Emmett might help Rosalie continue to recover from her dark past.
**()*()**
"So you managed to swim with Edward without a problem last night?" Rosalie asked as Bella sat down on the end of the dock next to her. One look at her flaming face and Rosalie had her answer. She was glad that Edward had called her to make sure it was okay to take Bella into the lake again. Sometimes people were so anxious to bring their loved ones back, they jump the gun and ended up making things worse. Edward's medical background helped to an extent, but he was still flying blind when it came to how to deal with Bella. Rosalie slid off of the dock and into the water, grimacing when her feet hit the slimy bottom. As much as she tried to present herself as a 'tough chick' she really was a girly-girl at heart and the thought of standing on yucky slime and fish poop was grossing her out. She pushed off the bottom and floated out away from the dock. Bella joined her, not so grossed out by the slime, and soon they were floating, holding hands as the sun beat down on them.
Edward hated to interrupt the girls, but Hope was hungry and no amount of snuggling or bouncing was going to take care of that. He stood on the dock and watched as Rosalie and Bella splashed each other, their hair soaked and dripping down their backs as they played. Edward's cheeks hurt from smiling, but he cupped his hands over his mouth and disrupted them anyway. They laughed as they swam ashore, gratefully taking the towels Edward was holding. Once dry, they made their way up to the cabin and Bella disappeared into the bedroom to feed Hope and get changed.
Rosalie plopped down on Emmett's lap as he sat on the couch. Billy, Edward and Emmett had been watching an old football game on ESPN, but turned it off when the girls came back in. They were content to sit and talk about random things while they waited for Bella to return. Once Hope was full and napping, Bella came back out and the group dug out the old version of Trivial Pursuit they kept in the closet and proceeded to show Bella how to play. Edward and Bella made a great team since the only thing Bella knew was some literature and anything to do with nature, while Edward handled sports, health and science questions. The game was all tied up as Billy picked up a card to ask the next question.
"What book was Jane Austen writing at the time of her death?"
"Sanditon!" Bella shouted and she jumped from her seat and danced around as Billy handed Edward the brown pie piece and he filled the last space on their wheel. Everyone continued to laugh as Bella spun around, so pleased that she had been able to singlehandedly win the game for them with her meager knowledge. Everyone jumped as they heard the sound of footsteps coming up the front porch. Edward stood from the couch and grabbed Bella, forcing her into the bedroom as Emmett went to the door. Rosalie sat next to Billy on the couch, waiting anxiously.
Emmett swung the door open and took a step back when he saw the lone man standing in the doorway.
"Good evening, I would like to see my daughter please."
A/N: Well…you knew he was coming. Did he sneak away? Is the calvery coming? See you Friday!
Oh, by the way…I finished writing this story over the weekend. I am working on the epi right now but it will finish up at chapter 30. I know…I'm sad too.