Chapter 26: For Bella

Little One decided six-thirty was late enough to sleep in this morning, so I was woken up by her babbling. Somehow, Bella wasn't, though. Since it was her birthday, I gladly rushed out of the room with Little One and her diaper bag, so Bella could sleep in. It sure as hell wasn't my only gift, but I figured it was a good way to start the day.

The only issue with her sleeping in was that I was alone with Pornstache. After changing Little One's diaper in the living room, we went into the kitchen and found him at the table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

People still read newspapers? Huh.

"Morning," he said, nodding his head as I set Little One down in the high chair, so I could get her breakfast ready.

"Morning, sir."

He turned the page, and Little One honed in on the new sound. Bright eyed and fucking bushy tailed didn't begin to describe her this morning. She was already giggling and clapping . . . because of newspaper. Maybe I was just tired, but my kid was weird sometimes.

"So, Bells still asleep?" Charlie asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee, and then sat down to feed Sofia some puréed fruit shit.

I nodded. "Yeah. I figured a good gift from Sofia was letting her sleep in on her birthday."

He smiled. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Sleep well?"

"I did, thanks. You?"

"Yep."

And that was basically all we said to each other as I fed Little One. He was a quiet man, like Bella had been. You know, awkward, I guess. When he finished his cup of coffee, he went into the living room and I heard the TV turn on.

After she finished her fruit, I gave Little One a few ounces of formula as we sat in the kitchen alone. "So, how's it going, Little One?" I asked as she gripped the bottle. "Enjoying the trip, I hope?"

She continued to drink, ignoring me as usual.

"It's Bella's birthday, so you should be on your best behavior today. I'm sure she'd appreciate it." I smirked. "Then again, you're just about always good for her. I put your name on the card, just so you know. The necklace is just from me, though. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"I did that," Charlie said, and my head shot up. Shit, he was fucking stealth. "I talked to Bella about anything and everything, hoping she'd talk to me."

He poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the table again as I wiped the dribble from Little One's mouth and gave her the bottle back to finish. "I've always talked to her," I said.

He nodded. "Has Bella told you about her mom's death?"

"Uh, a little. Why?"

"She was four when I got her. A tiny thing, actually. She was scared to death, and I couldn't blame her one bit for not talking. She and Renee were in a car accident."

"I'm so sorry," I said, shaking my head. "I didn't know how she died. Bella doesn't talk about her much."

"Yeah, she doesn't really remember her. Anyway, they were in a car accident. Bella was buckled into a booster seat and escaped with only a broken arm, but Renee's injuries were fatal. I got the call because Renee had put my name in her will. I was . . . shocked," he sighed, blinking. "I mean, one second I was single and completely alone, and then I was suddenly some little girl's father. Of course I stepped up, even though I didn't understand why Renee never told me about her."

"How did you deal with it? I mean, Sofia's a baby. She doesn't know anything. I can't imagine how . . . horrible that was for Bella."

"Well, like I said, Bells didn't talk to me, or anyone for that matter. I took her to a shrink, and the woman said it was her way of dealing. She gave me suggestions and Bella saw her for a few years, which helped, I guess. The suggestion was to just talk to Bells. No matter what I was doing, I had to talk to her. You know, tell her I was taking out the trash or getting something from the fridge. I'd ask her questions, too. One day, she answered and it wasn't just a shrug or a nod." He smiled, looking at his cup. "I asked her if she wanted orange juice — like I had done for a month and she always shrugged — but this time she whispered, 'apple, please?' From there on out, she started talking more. Well, not a whole hell of a lot, but like she should have been."

"She's still quiet," I said.

He nodded. "Like me, I suppose. Her mother was loud," he laughed.

I smiled to myself, watching him as he talked about Bella's mom. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yep, but she was amazing. To this day, I still kick myself for not going after her. I learned the hard way that if you love someone, don't let 'em go because you might not get another chance." He frowned, clearing his throat. "Well, I need to go wrap Bells' birthday present. I figured we'd do what we always do — dinner at The Lodge. Sound good to you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sure. Gifts there?"

He shrugged. "If you want, son. I'm, uh . . . sorry if this trip messed up your plans for Bella's birthday. It's just that she's my little girl, and I've missed her."

I smiled, lifting Little One to pat her back. "This is what she wanted, and her happiness is all that matters."

As he stood, he reached down and patted my shoulder. "Smart boy."

. . . . .

Charlie, Little One, and I sat in the living room, watching some fishing show — which was boring as hell, by the way — until nine. Bella came down with a smile and sat down beside me, pressing her lips to mine after greeting her dad.

"Happy birthday," I said, smiling.

"Thank you. And thank you, Sofia. You were so quiet last night, and I even got to sleep in."

I bounced Little One on my knee as she babbled away. "She says you're welcome, and she's glad you liked her first gift."

Bella took her from me, lifting her above her head and bringing her down to kiss her cheek. "Aww, that was so sweet of you, baby girl. But first gift, huh? What does your daddy have planned?"

I laughed, tickling Little One's belly. "I'm so glad you can't talk yet. Bella just has to wait, doesn't she?"

Bella pouted and kissed Sofia's cheek once more before handing her back to me. We spent the morning in the house, mostly just playing with Little One. Pornstache fucking loved my kid, let's just say. He even got on the floor with her and Bella, and she crawled to him. She had become attached to his mustache, literally. Any chance she got, she pulled on it, making him laugh. The guy really wasn't frightening, like I imagined him to be. Then again, it was probably impossible to look scary when you were letting a baby rule you, just so she'd laugh.

After we had lunch, Little One went down for a nap without a problem. Even though he didn't know how to change a diaper or feed her, Charlie agreed to keep her for an hour at Bella's request. I was little a apprehensive, but Bella wanted to show me something.

"She's going to be asleep, Edward," she said, mixing a bottle for later. "We'll be ten minutes away. I swear. You know as well as I do that once she's out, she's almost always out for two hours."

I sighed reluctantly as I nodded. "All right, but you'll call if she wakes up, right, Charlie?"

"Course I will," he said. "I'll keep that monitor by me and the TV on low, so I don't wake her."

"Dad knows CPR," Bella said, smiling. Why fuck did she think that would make me feel better? "Not that he'll need it, of course," she added quickly, taking in my expression. "She'll be fine. Trust me."

"Fine, but I'm serious about a phone call."

Charlie laughed softly, nodding. "Understood. Have fun, and happy birthday again, Bells." He leaned in, hugging Bella softly.

"Thanks, Daddy." She smiled.

. . . . .

It turned out that the place Bella wanted to take me was actually a ten minute walk off of the back porch. As we followed a path through the forest, I held her hand and we talked about Pornstsche and Little One.

"He adores her," she said, grinning. "I think it's so cute how she just captures everyone's heart."

"She's like me, only smaller," I laughed.

"Oh, yes, you're just the most lovable man in the world," she teased. "But my dad does like you, so that makes me happy."

"Has he told you that?" I asked as we came to a stream.

"Well no, but he doesn't have to. I can just tell. Here, sit with me," she said, pulling me over to a log laying off to the side. "So, what do you think?"

I looked around, finding nothing remarkable. This was what she wanted to show me? A stream in the middle of the woods? "Um . . . it's dark."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "This is my secret spot. I used to come here when I was a teenager and just . . . read or think. I'd come here to cry sometimes, too."

My brow creased as I squeezed her hand softly. "Cry?"

She smiled sadly. "When I missed my mom and just wanted to be alone, I'd come here and talk to her. When I had my first crush on a boy and he didn't even give me the time of day, I came here and asked her why. I mean, I obviously couldn't ask Dad, so I wanted to talk to my mom. Of course I never got an answer, but I felt better for some reason. I'm sure you'll think I'm crazy, but I believe she can hear me out here."

I shuffled my foot against the dirt as I smiled and looked around. "Hi, Renee. I'm uh . . . Edward."

"Oh, she knows about you," Bella said, moving closer to me as I wrapped my arm around her. "When I came here a while back, I talked to her about you. I spent two hours out here, actually. I told her how much you had changed, but that I still had concerns. I told her how I already loved you, even though it might not have been a good thing. And of course I told her about Sofia. By the time I went back home, I had a feeling that I needed to hear you out, even though I was hurt that you pushed me away."

I nodded. "Dick move on my part. So, do you think she'd like me?"

She shrugged. "If she were here and like how I imagine her to be, I'd say so. Dad always says she saw the best in people, so I think she'd see what I see. She'd see you're an amazing father, even though you don't see it, and she'd see how caring you are, even though you don't like to admit it. I think she'd love your sense of humor."

I smiled. "I am pretty fucking hilarious."

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as a smile played on her lips. "You can definitely make me laugh. But usually it's something you do, not something you say."

I kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry you didn't know your mom. And I certainly don't think you're crazy for thinking she can hear you. I hope she can."

She nodded. "Me too, otherwise I've been talking to trees for years," she laughed softly.

"Well, that might be a little crazy," I chuckled as she laid her head against my chest. "So, about your dad liking me . . . How do you know?"

"Well, he hasn't started cleaning his gun in front of you. He did that to Jacob and my senior prom date, Eric. Seriously, shotgun in his hands when Jacob picked me up for our first date."

I laughed. "I can see that, actually."

"I actually expected that last night when we got here, so I was pleasantly surprised when the guns were on the rack."

I thought back to the rack of shotguns in Pornstache's living room. They were a little . . . intimidating. The gun belt he had hanging off of the banister was, too. "He found me talking to Little One this morning, and we started talking about when you were little."

She cocked her head. "Oh, yeah? What about me?"

"How he did the same thing, but for different reasons."

She smiled. "Yeah, I vaguely remember the nonstop talking. He went from being quiet as a mouse, to talking about every single thing he was doing. Thankfully, it didn't last forever. I guess once things were a little more normal, we got to know each other. It was rough, though. He didn't know what he was doing, and that only became more difficult as I got older. Still, he tried his best. God," she laughed, "buying my first bra was humiliating for both of us."

I about snorted at the thought. "I'm leaving that one to you, just so you know."

"Oh, good, but the birds and bees are yours, then."

"Fuck no," I said, shaking my head. "I'll handle teaching her how to drive."

She held her hand out, laughing. "Deal?"

"Deal," I said, shaking it.

Yeah, there was no weirdness in that discussion. After deciding that we wanted a future together, why would there be? I did want Bella to be Little One's mom, and from how she acted, I was sure she wanted the same. Still, we hadn't actually talked about that, and I wondered if it were too early. I also wondered if we even had to talk about it. Did I need to ask? Probably, but I decided that could wait a little while longer. Hell, she didn't even technically live with me yet.

We sat on the log in the middle of the woods for a while. We talked a little more, but mostly enjoyed the peace and quiet. I also realized I didn't have to keep my hands off of her, so I took my chance and kissed her like I wanted as my hands grabbed things Charlie probably didn't want to see. Sadly, she said sex on a log was dangerous, not fun like I suggested.

Damn.

. . . . .

When we got back to the house, Charlie said Little One was still sound asleep. That didn't keep me from checking, though. Of course she was lying in the crib, lips parted softly and she snoozed. I kissed her forehead, and then went back downstairs with Bella and her dad.

"So, Edward, has Bella told you about fishing tomorrow?" Charlie asked, flipping the TV to another channel.

Bella opened her mouth, but I spoke first. "I've never been, sir, but I guess I could try."

She smiled entwining her fingers through mine as she mouthed, "Thank you."

Did I actually want to go? Hell no, but I did want to make Bella happy. Besides, how hard could it be? I'd sit in a boat for a few hours with a pole. Simple. Chances were he wouldn't even talk much. Wasn't there some rule about silence when fishing?

Charlie nodded. "Great, we leave at five. I'll lend you some stuff."

I looked at the smile on Bella's face to remind me why I was going, because five in the morning seemed fucking ridiculous. "Sounds . . . fun," I lied through my teeth as I faked a smile.

Once Little One woke up from her nap, Bella and I got the stroller out of the car and took her for a walk. For once, it was actually sunny in this part of Washington. Bella said she was amazed. The street she grew up on seemed nice, and a few of her old neighbors were out, doing things in their yards. As we passed one house, an older woman waved to Bella and we stopped, so they could talk. From their conversation, I gathered the woman — whose name was Mrs. Martha, by the way — had watched Bella when she was younger. Of course Mrs. Martha was quick to ask about Little One, and Bella happily told her all about my daughter.

She gushed about Sofia's milestones as she let the old woman hold her — which I wasn't so fond of, by the way. Still, I let it go because watching Bella talk about my daughter like her own made me so fucking happy. I realized I probably sounded like she did when I went on and on about Little One at work. Hell, I had even started to show pictures of her to the nurses. They ate that shit up.

"Well, I need to get back to my yard work," Mrs. Martha said, passing Little One back to Bella. "It's so good to see you again, sweetheart, and lovely to meet you and your daughter, Edward. Congratulations."

"Thank you," I said as Bella strapped Sofia back into the stroller.

We continued on our walk as we talked about Bella's childhood. I liked finally learning things that she hadn't given up about herself so easily. She really opened up today. When she started talking about her time in high school, I couldn't help but laugh at some of the things she said.

"Oh, and there was the time Mike Newton tried to ask me to Homecoming," she said. "I was so awkward and accidentally slammed my locker on his hand when he asked."

I laughed. "I take it you didn't go with him?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. He rescinded his offer quite quickly. I mean, I did break his hand, which effectively took him out of the Homecoming game. Our football team sucked as it was, but without him they didn't have a chance in hell. I got some pretty nasty looks after that, let's just say," she laughed. "I told you I was awkward. High school was horrible for me."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that shit didn't actually matter."

"My dad would tell me that, actually. He'd say 'screw 'em, Bells.' and then take me to the diner for pie and ice cream to make me feel better. Looking back now, though, I think he just wanted pie."

I smirked. "Did the pie help, at least?"

"Yeah, kinda," she said, nodding as we turned around and headed back to her dad's house. "So, when do I get my gift?" She grinned.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You're impatient. How does it feel to by twenty-six? Pretty soon you'll be thirty," I teased.

"Unlike you, I'm not afraid of getting older. Besides, I have four more years. By then you'll be thirty-four, so I don't want to hear it, old man." She stopped and lifted her hand. "Is that a gray hair?"

I grabbed her hand in mine, pulling it down. "That's not even almost funny."

She laughed, releasing my hand and wrapping her arm around me. "I'm just kidding. Your hair is as coppery as ever."

. . . . .

Once we got back to Pornstache's house, Bella fed Little One dinner as I showered and got dressed. Once I was done, she showered, and I took care of getting Little One ready for tonight. Amazingly, she sat still for me to put the bow in her hair. Then again, she was preoccupied by the ruffles on her pink dress. She stretched them out, amazed by how it went back the wave. Her expression was fucking adorable. Once I had her shoes on, I picked her up and grabbed the necklace for Bella from my duffle bag, putting it in my jacket pocket.

"All right, Little One," I said, grabbing her diaper bag. "Let's go downstairs and wait for Bella and Charlie. You look so pretty, you know that?"

"Nahhh eee!" she babbled, clapping her hands. I laughed and kissed her cheek before walking downstairs.

Charlie was already sitting on the couch, ready to go with a wrapped gift in his lap. Shockingly, the man wasn't in flannel, but instead dressed . . . nicely. Huh. Maybe The Lodge was nicer than it sounded. Still, I wouldn't have been surprised if there were dead animals on the walls.

Pornstache looked at us and smiled, nodding his head. "Bow's a little crooked."

I sat down and turned Little One in my lap. "I swear to God, these things are impossible. I mean, does she actually need a bow?"

He laughed gruffly. "Well, she's sure a cutie with it. Bella wasn't too girlie, so I never had to deal with that, thank God."

I took the bow out and clipped it back in, trying to make sure it was straight this time. "If it wasn't for my mother, she wouldn't have any bows. She bought all of Little One's stuff when I first got her. A while back she took Bella, too. There were even more bows and headbands. Ridiculous."

"So, uh . . . what do your parents think of the baby? I'm guessing they were pretty supportive?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they help a lot. My dad expected me to step up, which I did, even though I really didn't think I could. Now though, I don't know what I'd do without Sofia." I lifted her up and kissed her cheek, making her giggle.

While we waited for Bella, Charlie and I talked a little — mostly about Little One, but Bella, too. Before she came down and interrupted us, he was telling me how Bella's clumsiness came from her mother.

"I'm not that bad," Bella said, narrowing her eyes at Charlie.

He laughed, standing up. "I can't count how many times you tripped down those stairs, Bells."

She rolled her eyes and took Little One from me to strap her into the car seat. "Thanks, Daddy."

"It's not like I didn't know," I laughed. "I mean, remember the first day we meet? You tripped then, and there was also the bowling alley incident."

"Ha, ha, ha, everyone laugh at Bella's clumsiness. It's my birthday. Be nice to me."

I leaned down, kissing her cheek since Pornstache was watching. It was one thing if she kissed me, but I didn't want to disrespect the man in his house. Besides, we had been getting along well, and I didn't want to mess that up.

Once Little One was ready to go, we took Mom's SUV to the restaurant. Charlie sat up front with me, giving directions. It made me fucking nervous. I had a cop watching me drive. Could he give me a ticket, even if he wasn't working? To be safe, I went slower than ever before and made sure to use my signals. I heard his gruff laugh at one point, but brushed it off.

When we got to The Lodge — which, honest to god was its name — I found I was right about dead animals on the walls. Yeah, they weren't creepy looking at all. Charlie was greeted warmly, with everyone calling him Chief. He just nodded at them as we were shown our table.

I flipped the high chair over and laid Little One's car seat down, so she could still see us. She looked around with a smile on her face, taking in the new sights and people. When the waitress came over, Little One was the star, as usual. It also turned out that Bella went to school with the woman — Tracey.

"I had no idea, Bella," she said. "Congrats on the baby!"

Bella blushed, smiling and just said, "Thanks."

She could have corrected her, but she didn't. Pornstache, on the other hand, cocked an eyebrow at her. She shrugged and ordered her food, and nothing else was said. I wondered if Charlie didn't like people assuming Bella was Little One's mom. I mean, I could see why. She wasn't Sofia's mom, even though I basically considered her that.

Through dinner, Charlie and Bella talked a lot about her job and the kids she was teaching this year. He asked if had thought about going back to school anymore, and she said for now she was happy. With the way she talked about her kids, there was no doubt about it.

"So, have you considered when you might retire?" Bella asked, cutting into her steak.

Charlie shrugged. "Not any time soon."

She sighed softly. We actually had talked about her dad's job before. She wanted him to retire because she was worried, but the man didn't want to. Bella dropped it and went on to ask about our fishing trip tomorrow, which he gladly talked about. It sounded so fucking boring. We'd be sitting in a boat for hours, doing nothing. I didn't understand how anyone could find it fun.

Well, at least he wasn't taking me hunting, I guess.

. . . . .

Once we had finished dinner, the waitress brought out a cake. There was no singing, and I figured if there had been, Bella would have died of embarrassment. Instead, we were left alone and she blew out the candles while holding Little One — who had gotten a little fussy.

"Happy birthday," I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Bells," Charlie said. "Thanks for spending it with your old man."

She smiled. "Of course, Daddy."

As we ate the cake, Bella dipped her finger in the icing and Little One happily sucked on it. She fucking loved it, so Bella gave her a little more after asking me if it was okay. I didn't see the harm. I mean, it wasn't like she had much. Besides, the fucking giggle and expression were priceless. I had to take a picture for my mom.

Once we had finished eating, Charlie passed Bella his gift first. It turned out to be two books and a nice bookmark, which Bella loved. Obviously, the guy knew his daughter. Once she had hugged him and returned to her seat, I pulled the necklace box out and passed it to her.

Little One was fascinated as Bella tore the paper away. When Bella opened the box, her mouth fell open as her eyes grew wide. "Edward," she whispered, running a finger over the heart charm made of small diamonds.

It wasn't anything big, and Mom helped me pick it out. Honestly, I didn't know what the fuck to get Bella for her birthday, but jewelry seemed like a good idea. She had loved the bracelet I bought her a while back — was wearing it, actually — so I decided a necklace would be good.

"Do you want to wear it?" I asked, smiling as she did.

She nodded, passing me the box. "Yes, please. Edward, it's beautiful. Thank you."

I stood up and put it around her neck, pulling her hair from the chain. She played with the charm and showed Sofia, who wrapped her little fingers around it.

"You're welcome," I said, kissing her cheek once more. She turned her head toward me and pressed her lips to mine. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."