Chapter 26

I smooth down my hair for the sixth time in the last half hour.

Cynthia laughs and swats at my arm.

"Oh, stop it," she chides with a grin. "You look great, and he's going to be thrilled to see you."

"I hope so."

We're sitting in her dining room polishing the silver serving pieces that she'll be using for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner. Fall-themed decorations have been put in place, the fancy dinnerware and cloth napkins are waiting to be laid out, and the two pumpkin pies baking in the oven send their delicious aroma wafting through the house. Apparently, when Cynthia Cullen does a holiday, she does it big.

I glance at the grandfather clock in the corner and sigh. It's only been two minutes since the last time I checked it.

Cynthia laughs again.

With an annoyed huff, I grab a sugar bowl off the table, dab some polish on the metal, and begin rubbing away the hazy blue with a soft cloth. It's boring work, but I guess it's better than staring at the stupid clock. I feel like that's all I've been doing for the past four weeks: waiting for time to pass.

It turns out that when Carlisle sets his mind to something, he makes it happen pretty fast. Within three days of the snake head package arriving, he'd signed a contract on a furnished apartment in another city. Two days after that, I was saying goodbye to him and the Masens as they climbed into Emmett's SUV on their way to the airport. Cynthia told me the new apartment was only a 90 minute drive from us, but Carlisle wanted to fly so that they couldn't be followed. He was doing everything he could think of to keep their location a secret.

I moved in with Jasper and Cynthia that same evening. Though I could've taken the bigger guest room, I chose the one Edward had just left. Cynthia changed the sheets on the bed, but I pretended they were the same ones he'd been using. Maybe that was a pathetic thing to do, but it helped a little as I cried myself to sleep.

Edward took a while to get over his reaction to the package his dad sent me. I tried to talk to him about it before they moved away, but he mostly blew me off, saying something about wanting to be left alone. I knew if I pushed the issue, we'd just fight, so I backed off and let him be. I couldn't stand the idea of us being mad at each other and cities apart.

It turned out to be a good decision. He changed his tune pretty soon after getting to the new place. Though he hasn't said anything to me about it, I get the feeling he's lonely there and maybe even a little overwhelmed.

We talk about other stuff, though. Cynthia surprised us both with cell phones, and mine's become one of my favorite things ever. I can get in touch with Edward anywhere, anytime. We exchange some form of communication every day—either on the phone, by text, or through email. Mostly, we chat about random things or share funny internet vids. But every once in a while, I'll say I miss him, or he'll tell me he wishes we weren't so far apart.

Since the moment they left, I've been counting the days until they come back to town for Thanksgiving. Now I'm down to hours, maybe less than that. Jasper's already at the airport. If the plane's on schedule, I should be getting a text any minute…

A buzz interrupts my thoughts. Cynthia grins as I snatch my phone off the table.

Just landed. Can't wait to see you. xx

Now I'm smiling, too.

"Ah, young love," Cynthia sighs, setting aside the tray she finished polishing. "I remember my first. He was the baddest boy on the block, and I was all about being a rebel. Tyler and I had absolutely nothing in common except how much we liked making out with each other." She giggles. "We didn't last long, but I learned a lot…if you know what I mean."

"Um, yeah," I say quickly, hoping she doesn't go into detail. "I gotcha."

"Edward's a good kid. You two are cute together." She tilts her head and studies me for a moment. "Of course, you're both really young still. Have fun, stay safe, and don't worry about the serious relationship stuff 'til later."

I'm not entirely sure what she means about "serious relationship stuff," but I'm not about to ask. Cynthia has a habit of over-sharing, and clearing up my confusion isn't worth the risk.

Time ticks by slowly, each second marked by the swing of the grandfather clock's pendulum. It's like some cruel form of audio water torture that makes me want to pull my hair out. Cynthia sees how agitated I am and tries to distract me with more conversation.

"How's your mom doing? Work going okay?" she asks, arranging the finished silver pieces on the beverage serving cart.

"Yeah. She's been taking a lot of hours at the restaurant, and we're almost caught up on bills." The corners of my mouth turn down. "Her health still isn't that great though. I think she smokes more than she eats during the week. Maybe I should go there a few more days—"

"Bella, remember what we talked about," Cynthia says, coming to sit on a chair beside me. "I understand you care about your mom, but it's her job to do what's best for you. She agreed that it would be safer if you lived with us during the week and better for your studies to stay at Hickory High. She's trying to do the right thing. You need to let her."

I nod listlessly. It isn't the first time someone's told me this. Heck, pretty much every adult in my life has had this discussion with me, even my CPS case worker, Leah.

"Is she able to get off work any earlier tomorrow?" Cynthia asks, still talking about Mama, who is working the restaurant's Thanksgiving dinner buffet.

"No, but she doesn't think it'll take very long to finish up after her shift and come over. Maybe six-thirty or so?"

"Great! We'll hold off on dessert until then. I'm glad she's able to make it."

The rumbling of a car engine overlaps the end of her comment. I leap up from my seat, scattering the Black Friday sales ads that Cynthia wanted me to look through. She chuckles at my eager expression.

"Why don't you go see if they need any help with their bags? Put on your jacket, though. It's freezing out there."

I do what she says, even though the blood rushing through my veins makes me feel plenty warm. Pulling the front door shut behind me, I bound onto the porch and into the unseasonably frigid November air.

Three Masens and two Cullens are exiting Jasper's silver Chevy Tahoe. Carlisle spots me first and waves.

"Bella! It's great to see you again," he says, giving me a warm smile.

A pink-capped head whips toward me. Mary Alice's eyes are wide with recognition.

"Bella, Bella, Bella!" she shrieks. "I flied in a plane and gotta new toy!" She holds up stuffed tiger that still has a tag in its ear.

"Wow, that's so cool!" I exclaim, bending down as she totters toward me.

Either her enthusiasm or her cerebral palsy issues get the best of her, and she pitches forward, arms outstretched. Luckily, I'm right there to stop her fall before she face-plants onto the concrete walkway. When she gets her balance back, she shoves the tiger at me as if nothing at all happened.

"Look! Itsa tiger!" she squeals.

I wrap my arms around her and the stuffed animal, giving them both a big hug. Edward wasn't the only one I'd missed.

While I get reacquainted with Mary Alice, Jasper and Carlisle take small suitcases out of the back of the Tahoe. Esme pulls a scarf around her neck and turns to Edward, who has just climbed out of the back seat.

"Help them take our things inside," she says quietly, but with a tone of authority in her voice that I've never heard before.

He hesitates for only a moment before grabbing the last remaining suitcase and heading inside. As he passes, he glances down at me, a shy smile on his lips.

"Hey, you," he murmurs.

"Hey," I reply, grinning like an idiot.

A very happy idiot.

I'm startled when Esme reaches out to give me a hug. While I like her well enough, the truth is that I've never really paid much attention to her before. She's always blended into the background, like a potted plant or something.

"Hello, Bella," she says softly. "How have you been?"

I fidget uncomfortably. "Pretty good, I guess. Been busy with school."

Now that she's closer to me, I'm surprised to see how small and frail she looks, even with a heavy winter coat on. Her ashen skin is stretched tight over jutting cheekbones, and her lips have almost no pink in them. There's newfound life in her eyes, however. They're brighter than I've ever seen them.

She takes her daughter's hand, and the three of us walk into the house. I lock the door behind us and latch the chain. Mary Alice immediately scampers off into the kitchen to show Cynthia her new tiger.

"Edward has a lot of schoolwork, too," Esme says, continuing our conversation from outside. "He misses having you around to help with it." She gives me a smile that is surprisingly tender. "Although I'm sure you know he misses more than just that. He cares about you very much."

"Really?" I ask, eyes wide and stomach fluttering. It's thrilling to hear those words spoken with such certainty.

She reaches out a gloved hand to me. "I believe God has brought the two of you together for a reason. You're a strong girl, Bella—a light shining in the darkness. Edward needs you in his life. If he ever loses his way, you will guide him back to the path of righteousness."

I'm not entirely sure what to say to that. I stare at her in silence for a few seconds.

"Uhhh…"

She pats my arm, looking at me like I'm already a hero in her book.

"Have faith," she says. "You'll see."

"See what?"

Edward makes his way down the stairs behind us. I turn toward him, my cheeks pink for more than one reason.

"Bella will come to understand how important she is," Esme answers serenely.

"Oh, well, yeah. Okay."

His face shows confusion much like mine did, but Esme only smiles and heads toward the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" he asks me.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Huh." He seems to think about it for a moment and then shrugs.

I wait for him to say something else, but he just stands in front of me and stares at the floor. My own eyes begin studying patterns in the hardwood as I try to come up with something to ease the awkwardness that's currently between us. When I'd pictured our reunion, I imagined seeing him outside, running over, and then throwing myself in his arms. I hadn't thought to come up with backup plans, and it would be weird if I lunged at him now.

"So, how was your flight?" I say at last.

He seems relieved that I spoke first. "Better than the first time, that's for sure," he replies with a nervous laugh. "I knew what to expect, and the ride wasn't bumpy at all."

I nod, even though I have no idea what it's like to be on a plane. One day, maybe.

"Um, yeah…" He does that Carlisle-like hair tug thing with his hand. "So…Cynthia said we could go downstairs and watch a movie. But Jasper, uh...he wants us to make sure we leave the door open."

"Sounds good," I say quickly, embarrassed that Jasper felt he needed to give us that not-so-subtle warning.

It takes almost ten painful minutes of us acting uncomfortable and weird before things are back to "normal." When the movie starts, we're sitting stiffly on the couch with space between us. First his knee shifts to touch my leg, then I casually stretch until the outside of our thighs are pressed together. When he rolls his shoulder back against the couch and angles toward me, I figure that's supposed to be an invitation to snuggle up against him.

So, with my stomach doing all sorts of frantic flip-flops…I do just that.

It's like all the tension between us melts away when I'm finally settled in that hollow where his arm connects to his chest. I feel safe and happy and right. He rests his cheek against the top of my head, and I smile into his shirt. The kissing and fluttery feelings are amazing, but being together like this is best of all. Halfway through the movie, I drift off to sleep in his arms. Cynthia later pokes us both awake with her usual carefree laugh and sends us up to our separate rooms.

Thanksgiving Day turns out to be much different than the Cullens had planned. The weather forecasts had been calling for light snow over the weekend, but now there's a winter storm watch in effect. In the off-season, CBW Landscaping does snow removal contract work for the city, so Carlisle and Jasper spend much of the day getting their company's equipment ready. Emmett goes along to help, too, even though he has the rest of the week off from his security training job.

Rosalie and Cynthia take charge of the kitchen while Edward and I watch Mary Alice. Esme doesn't come out of her room until late morning and, after helping with lunch, heads right back in.

"What's going on with your mama?" I ask Edward as we take turns rolling a ball across the floor to Mary Alice. "Is she still sick?"

He glances up the stairs and frowns. "I'm not sure. She had some sort of lung infection after the flu but stopped coughing a while back. She still sleeps a lot, though. Me and Carlisle have been doing most of the work around the apartment. He acts worried, but I don't know what's going on. They don't tell me anything."

"Have you asked?"

Edward blinks at me like he's surprised by the thought. "Uh…no, not really."

I roll my eyes. "Come on. I bet Rosalie will tell us."

But she doesn't know much more than Edward. We do find out that Esme's got a doctor's appointment on Monday to look into why she's so weak and tired all the time.

"I'm thinking it's more than just a physical condition," Cynthia says quietly. "She's afraid and anxious about the situation with Ed, and it doesn't help that her relationship with Carlisle is complicated. With everything that's happened, I think she's conflicted over her beliefs in general."

I glance at Edward to see his reaction to the Carlisle comment, but he doesn't look upset. When I ask him about it later, he shrugs.

"It doesn't matter. Mom might want things to be different, but it's not like she'll ever let anything happen with him. And, well…I guess Carlisle's not so bad after all. He pays a lot of attention to her but doesn't, you know, take things too far."

"So you trust him now?" I ask with a smile.

His answer is more of a grunt than a "yes." I laugh.

Thanksgiving dinner was supposed to begin around four o'clock, but it gets pushed back to six so that the men have time to clean up and relax a little. Mama knocks on the door just as we're sitting down to eat.

I can tell she's nervous by the way she doesn't look anyone in the eyes. She holds out a bottle of wine for Cynthia to take.

"Sorry I didn't bring nothin' to eat," she says, staring at the floor. "I don't cook so good."

"This is perfect, thank you, Renee," Cynthia gushes. "And we're all so glad you could make it."

Mama's met the McCartys, Jasper, and Cynthia only a few times. She doesn't say much over dinner, but Cynthia and Carlisle do a good job including her in conversation. Edward's quiet, too, and is acting distant toward me again. I'm pretty sure that has something to do with my mama being here, though. He knows she isn't a fan of our relationship.

It's almost nine by the time we're finished with dinner, dessert, and cleanup. I'm supposed to go with Mama when Carlisle drives her home, but Cynthia manages to talk her into letting me stay so I can "be the wingwoman" for Black Friday shopping in the morning. Mama even gives me forty dollars to spend, though I know we can't afford it. I wouldn't take the money if we were by ourselves, but I don't want to embarrass her. I decide to hold onto it for later.

Cynthia said we would leave early in the morning for the sales, so I'm surprised when I wake up on my own at nine. A peek out the window tells me why. Snow is coming down pretty hard, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon.

When I go downstairs, Cynthia and Mary Alice are the only two people around. She tells me that Jasper and Carlisle left hours ago to plow the roads and will probably be out all day. Esme had gotten up earlier but is lying down again, and Edward hasn't come out of his room yet. I fix myself a bowl of cereal and watch Cynthia interact with Mary Alice while I eat.

"See this red scarf?" Cynthia points to her laptop screen. "Don't you think Aunt Rosie would look pretty in it?"

"Wed Aunt Wosie! Wed Wosie! Pitty Wosie!" the toddler exclaims, clapping her hands together.

Cynthia and I chuckle over her difficulty pronouncing the "r" sound.

"That's right. Rrrred, red. Can you say red?"

"Wed, wed!"

"Eh, it's a start," Cynthia says with a smile. She clicks on the touch pad. "Hey, Merr, here's a scarf in a different color. What color is this?"

The two discuss more colors and clothing items. By the time I'm done with my cereal, Mary Alice is tired of "shopping." Cynthia gives her measuring cups to play with and begins emptying the dishwasher.

"You really like taking care of her, huh?" I comment.

Cynthia glances at the happily entertained child. "She's a sweetheart. I love her feistiness and attitude. Reminds me of myself a little."

"Do you want kids someday?" I ask carefully, wondering if she'll bring up what I overheard Jasper say last month.

She sighs, sounding more defeated than I've ever heard her. "We found out earlier this year that it's not in the cards for Jas and me to get pregnant. I'm hoping to adopt someday, but it's an expensive process—around thirty-five to forty thousand dollars on average. We need to pay off some medical bills before we can start saving up for that."

"Wow, that's…a lot of money."

My eyes are round with astonishment. I can't even imagine such an amount, not when Mama and I have to look at every single dollar we spend. It doesn't make sense to me why adoption would cost so much, either. I thought there were a lot of kids out there than needed homes.

I mention my confusion, and we talk about adoption and kids until Edward stumbles into the kitchen, rubbing his bleary eyes. He looks like he didn't get much sleep last night, even though he went to bed around the same time I did. I smile at the way his hair sticks out all over the place.

He perks up once he notices what's going on outside. His breakfast is eaten in record time, and then he's dragging me back upstairs to get dressed for the weather. Neither of us have actual snow clothes, but we're prepared to be cold and wet for the sake of the first snowfall.

There's a decent slope in one corner of the backyard, and we're able to slide down the hill on a plastic trash can lid. Ramps made of snow and moguls are added to our course. I'm sure that if I wasn't so numb from the cold, I'd be sore considering some of the impressive wipeouts I have. When I'm tired of collecting bruises, we move on to snowman-building in the front yard. We make a rather lumpy one that's complete with a carrot nose and branches for arms. Through it all, there's lots of laughing and almost as much flirting. We even sneak in a few heated kisses when we think there's no chance of being spotted.

Carlisle and Jasper each stop by once to grab some lunch and get a refill of coffee. Carlisle is impressed by the two huge snow forts we're constructing but has us take a break to shovel the sidewalk. Edward goes above and beyond, clearing the snow off the community sidewalk from the Cullen house to the McCarty's and making paths to the nearby neighbors' doors as well. Meanwhile, Cynthia hands me a heavily bundled and utterly delighted Mary Alice who has fun kicking snow off the piles and back into the areas Edward is shoveling.

It's snowing harder than ever by the time we go back inside. Edward and I are pretty much frozen solid. I'm surprised to discover we were out there for almost five hours. Esme serves us grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, which helps warm us up.

I've just finished my late lunch when the lights flicker off and then back on.

"Damn," Cynthia mutters under her breath. "I guess I'd better get a fire started."

"But the power's still on," I point out.

She makes grumbling noises while rummaging around in a drawer. She pulls out a flashlight and a pack of matches.

"It's gonna go out," she says. "Almost every time we get flickering, the power goes not long after."

Not even five minutes later, her prediction comes true.

She puts us to work right away packing all the frozen food into coolers that she's going to bury in the eight inches of snow already on the ground. Apparently, the power company isn't the fastest when it comes to making repairs in this area.

At one point, I try giving Mama a call on the TracFone she got a few weeks ago. She doesn't answer, but I'm not surprised. It's about a fifty-fifty chance that her battery will be dead at any given time. Cynthia texts Jasper to stop by my house and check on Mama when he gets a chance.

At first, not having power isn't such a big deal. There's enough light in the late afternoon that we can see just fine. Edward and I read books while Esme takes a nap with Mary Alice. Cynthia has the weird urge to clean all the glass in the house. For dinner, we cook (and burn) hot dogs in the fireplace and laugh as Mary Alice tastes her first s'more. It's sort of impressive how she manages to get chocolate and melted marshmallow all over her face.

Without electricity, the temperature in the house drops as the hours pass. Edward helps bring down sleeping bags and blankets to the family room so we can sleep in front of the fireplace. I casually line up my pillow beside his. Esme doesn't seem to notice, and Cynthia just rolls her eyes and smiles. After all, it's not like we're going to do anything while two adults are only a few feet away.

When I ask about the rest of the family, Cynthia tells me that Jasper and Carlisle will work throughout the night to clear roads, taking turns getting a few hours of sleep at Carlisle's so they don't disturb us. The McCartys had spent the day at Emmett's parents' house in a neighboring town. Since the power hadn't gone out there, they would stay there overnight.

The snow changes over to sleet around eight-thirty. There's at least a foot of snow on the ground now, and a layer of ice is going to make road conditions much worse. Cynthia goes outside to run her SUV for a little while so she can charge her phone battery.

"I can't stand the thought of not being able to contact Jasper," she mutters when she rushes back inside, stomping snow off her boots. "I'm having second thoughts about getting a landline. Or maybe a generator for the house. We have enough outages that it might be worth it."

I'm listening to her speak but not paying much attention. All those hours playing in the snow have caught up with me, and I'm crashing hard. The crackling of the fireplace is the perfect lullaby, and though my nose is chilly, I'm toasty warm under the two thick blankets that Edward just happens to be sharing with me. We're both on our backs, our hands clasped together, my leg slung over his. I hear him whisper "goodnight" to me just before slipping into a deep sleep.

I'm right in the middle of a strange dream about flying zombies playing trumpets when one of my shoulders starts vibrating. I try to ignore it and stay in my happy cocoon of sleep, but the shaking gets stronger.

"Bella, honey, wake up. I need you to wake up."

The voice is Cynthia's. I blink several times and try to focus on her face in the dim light of the dying fire. It takes me a moment to realize that the shiny lines down her cheeks were made by tears.

"What's going on?" I rasp, struggling to untangle myself from the blankets.

Her face crumples in pain as she tries to choke back her sobs.

"I need to talk to you. Something's happened."

Sorry it's been a while. I'm busier now that the kiddos are back in school, but life is starting to settle into a routine. I'm hoping that means I'll be able to write more!

Happy 10th Twi-anniversary, everyone! Love you all!