Chapter 36: Puppy Love

EPOV

I recognized the envelopes from a mile away; the Oscar invitations. The beige colored envelope with the gold accents on the sides, my name engraved in the same color ink and written with much care.

I knew it would arrive one of these days, as Carmen had already gotten a call to confirm mine and Bella's seats at this event. The invites are just a formality.

The slam of a front door and a happy shriek made me look up from my envelope.

"EDWARD! Look! Look! Look!" Bella shoved the invite under my nose and grinned. She was about to jump in joy. "It's the invitations! We're really going.. to.. the.. Oscars!" she yelled.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her in the air, spinning as we went. "I know, I just got mine, Beautiful. Why are you so excited?" I chuckled.

She kissed my nose and I put her back down on her tiny feet. "Well, it's not something everyone gets to do. And I am able to go. And I might even go again! That's so cool!"

I smiled. "You sound like Alice," I teased. She snapped her mouth closed and scowled at me.

"I do not," she pouted. "I'm just very happy."

"I know and I'm happy for you too," I could see she had already opened hers - probably as soon as she walked through the door and saw it lying on the little table in the hallway - and smirked. "You want to know what I think is the best thing about the Oscars?"

She shook her head. "No? What?"

I smirked. "Taking pictures of it and sending it to Alice. She gets more jealous every year."

Bella bit her lip and giggled. "You are the worst brother, Edward Cullen!" She slapped my chest with the back of her hand as she laughed.

"What? It's payback for all the horrible things she put me and Emmett through when we were kids," Bella raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, almost saying 'like you two were angels growing up'. "No really! She made us where her stupid Walmart make-up and have tea-parties with her! And every time she got into trouble she had a way to blame it on one of us! So I believe I have the right to punish her, even if it's ten years overdue."

"Hi, dad!"

"..."

"Yes, yes I'm good. How are you?"

"..."

"Good.."

"..."

Bella sighed. We were in the lounge relaxing in the warm afternoon sun that shone into our home through the big ceiling-to-floor windows. Bella was chatting with her dad on the phone which she had wanted to do for a long time now, but the chance of talking to her mother was still too high and she didn't want to risk having her pick up. Bella and her mothers' relationship was still a bit unstable right now.

My family and I and even Charlie constantly tell Bella to wait for her mother to call her, she's in the wrong, not Bella. That doesn't stop Bella from feeling guilty for ignoring her mother though.

I rubbed Bella's leg reassuringly. "How - how's mom?" she asked with a sad voice. I couldn't hear what Charlie told her but I could see Bella nod at his answers. She shifted and put her head in my lap, lying down on the couch. I smiled at her as she gave me a sad grimace in return; she always did this when she talked to her dad about her mom.

"Yes, I am! Who told you?" She asked and rolled her eyes a second later. "Of course it was Alice. Well, yes it's true. Act-" She rolled her eyes again, now with a smile hiding behind her lips. "Yes, if I happen to see Jay Black, I'll ask for an autograph for you, but I doubt he'll be there dad." she teased.

I chuckled and was relieved to see her mood cheering up; it wasn't good for her to sulk all day, especially over her mother. That woman really irritates me, she doesn't even have a problem with Bella - well maybe a little - she has a problem with me! And now Bella is living with all this guilt inside her and I don't like it one bit.

"Yes, I'll tell him, yes, yes, alright dad. Bye, love you!" She put her phone down on the coffee table in front of us and shifted further into my lap.

"Comfy?" I asked her, slowly brushing my fingers through her dark hair that was shining in the sun. She nodded but rolled back so she looked up at me. She didn't say anything and I knew she was thinking, I tried not to interrupt when she was thinking so hard about things in her life but when I saw the frown on her eyebrows deepening, I pulled her up and sat her down in my lap. "No. You do not get to feel bad. When are Alice and Rose coming over?" I asked her instead.

She twisted my arm to look at my watch and sighed. "In an hour or so. I'll get dressed."

"Maybe that's for the best," I smirked as she got up; she was only wearing her two-piece swimsuit and one of my button-down shirts. "I mean, I appreciate the view a lot, but I don't want you walking around town showing all that. That's mine." I pinched her butt as she got up. She stuck out her tongue and strutted out of the room with an extra swing to her hips.

"I don't know man," Jasper sighed. "I don't want to do something 'normal' or 'predictable'." He said, air quoting himself.

We as in, Jasper, Emmett and I were sitting in Emmetts' livingroom helping and planning Jasper proposal for Alice. He's always been a hopeless romantic, so it's not as easy as it sounds.

Emmett grinned. "Too bad my kid isn't here yet.. or big enough to walk. You could've used her to her.." he snapped his jaw together so hard it could've snapped a tooth.

Jasper and I stared at him. "You heard nothing! I said nothing! If Rose found out I told anyone I'll be dead, alright?" He pleaded.

"Congratulations, man!" Jasper got up to hug him. Emmett grinned.

"You can always get a dog.." I said. They turned to me with questionable looks. "I meant Alice.. not instead of a baby, you jerks!"

Emmett laughed himself silly but when he calmed down he looked at me again. "That's actually not a bad idea. Alice has always wanted a dog." I nodded.

Jaspers smile slowly came back. Yeah, that's great! I get her a puppy and then the puppy will propose to her for me!"

I clapped my hands together and stood up. "Well, let's go get you a wingman!"

Chuckling at Jaspers enthusiasm for his plan we jumped into his car and tapped the nearest pet adoption place into his navigation system.

"Hello gentlemen, what can I help you with?" The lovely shopkeeper asked us. I had put on my sunglasses and a cap so I could go out without anybody noticing - hopefully. Emmett and Jasper just wore their sunglasses.

"Hi, I'm looking for a dog for me and my girlfriend," the shopkeeper looked at us weird, almost searching for something. "She's not here," Jasper clarified. "It's a surprise."

"Aah.. that would make more sense. Follow me. The dogs are in the back." She said, leaving the little room behind the till to lead us to the back.

It was a long row of kennels with at least one barking dog in almost all of them. "Do you know what you are looking for exactly? An active dog? Young, old? Big, small?"

"Um.. Size doesn't really matter as long as it isn't a purse-dog," Jasper said grinning to the lady. His good looks made her blush and she motioned us to continue.

"What about this one? Evie has been here for a few weeks and our vet says she's about a year old. We don't know what she is exactly, but she has been nothing but sweet to the other employers and dogs," I kneeled down in front of the kennel and let her sniff my hand. "We think she is part Labrador, part Shepherd, but we could be wrong."

"Alice will love her," Emmett said also letting Evie sniff him. "She will." He reassured Jasper.

"Is she good with little kids? We'll have a kid in the family soon and she," he eyed Emmett teasingly which resulted in him getting slapped. "Comes first. Obviously."

The shopkeeper smiled and laughed. "Yes, of course, we've tested her with kids, she has been visited by multiple kids with different ages. She's totally cool with kids, big or small." Jasper nodded and I could see he was getting persuaded more and more to make Evie a part of his little family.

"Evie! Evie! EVIE!" Jasper was trying to lift the hyperactive dog into the back of his car, but she wasn't having it and wanted to sit in the front with him. "That's not going to work, Evie.. the surprise won't work if she can see you." He pleaded with her.

Her black ears folded flat against her head as a whine escaped her. He finally got her in the back and I sat down next to her, keeping her calm. We had stopped at the local pet store before we went to Jasper and Alice's again. Evie now had a bed, a leash and collar, food and bowls and treats and Emmett and I bought the toys. A quick stop at the craft store we bought a piece of sturdy carton and a rope.

After getting into the house we crafted Evie's little sign to hang around her neck. 'Alice, will you marry us?' It said. I took a picture of her to show it to Bella later. Evie was not having the sign around her neck, so we took it off and Jasper will put it on when Alice comes home later tonight.

"Will you manage with your new lady without us?" Emmett asked. Evie was already getting comfortable on her new doggy bed that Jasper had dragged into the corner of his living room and was chewing on one of her bones that she now had.

"Yeah, I'll be fine.." Jasper sighed. "Thanks, guys. Wish me luck."