Chapter 32 Left Handed
She could barely reach into the bottom of the washing machine, despite the stool. She pulled out the last giant pair of blue jeans, still heavy from the rinse water that never spun out all the way. She draped the cold wet pants over her shoulder, and dragging her stool, brought them out to the clothes line that stretched into the woods. She pinned the jeans to the line, adding to the row of enormous flannel shirts, pants, sheets and towels she'd hung there since she started her day at the break of dawn. Baring a sudden shower, always a possibility in Forks, that task was done until everything dried.
She hauled the big bucket from the closet, filled it with hot water and pine scented cleaner, as if there wasn't enough natural pine scent here in the woods, and proceeded to scrub the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor and the tiles in the front hallway. No matter that she'd washed them yesterday; Mother insisted she scrub the floors daily. On her knees. Dumping the water, she took the toilet brush and cleaned the toilet for the second time that day; it seemed her brother didn't bother to aim, leaving the mess for her to clean up. She was just wiping the seat dry when she heard him burst through the kitchen door. By the sound of trampling boots, he wasn't alone. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her sweaty forehead. They'd be expecting lunch.
"Yo, bitch, where's my food?"
Shoulders hunched, head down she walked into the kitchen, passing the gang of boys with their long dark hair, dark eyes and mean smiles. Someone pinched her ass, making her jump.
"Hey, don't mess with her, she's Junior's sister."
Junior leaned against the counter, smirking. "Pfft, have at her boys. She's my half sister, so she's half nothing. I might have a go at her myself."
Not wanting to show how their trash talk rattled her, she opened the refrigerator door and took out the bowl of chicken salad, made just the way Junior liked it. As she divided the salad to make five sandwiches, she heard the grumble of hidden laughter. In the reflection off the window, she could see Junior was jerking his hips as if he was fucking her from behind. She wondered again why her mom made her come here every summer. Her father worked all day—she only saw him when he ate dinner. Mother got home earlier, but then took to the couch with a bottle. Every waking minute she worked, while Junior's only job was to taunt her. Slicing the sandwiches in half, she put them on plates with a double handful of chips and a pickle.
Junior grabbed his, tilting his plate until the chips slid off. "Oops—where the hell are my chips, bitch?"
She poured more onto his plate then grabbed the ones he'd dropped on the floor with a napkin.
"You can eat those," he laughed, crumbs falling out of his mouth as he and his gang fell onto the furniture in front of the tv. She'd have to vacuum again before Mother came home. She cleared the kitchen, not bothering with the mud they'd trampled in—they'd only add more as they left. She retreated to the only safe spot in the house, her little cupboard under the stairs. She'd found an old hook and eye, so she was able to lock herself in. Curling onto the one blanket she was allowed, she reached in the far corner for the forbidden items she stashed there; a flashlight and a book. Reading was the only thing that made these summer months bearable. Her knees and back were sore; the skin on her hands was cracking from all the washing. Every bone in her body was tired. Somehow she let her guard down enough to fall asleep. The pounding on her door woke her.
"Get out here you lazy bitch. You're as bad as your slut of a mother, can't do one god damn thing I tell you, get out here and clean up the kitchen and make dinner before I have to hit you extra."
She huddled in a ball, not wanting to move, wanting to close her eyes and wake up in another place. The misery finally couldn't be contained, and she started to cry.
"Mackayla get your ass out here before I have to break down this door."
With each shudder of the wooden door, she cried more.
Xxx
"Mackayla, Mackayla!" Bella called out. She heard her daughter crying, but she felt paralyzed between sleep and consciousness. Panting she sat up in the empty bed. The crying stopped; instead she heard Edward's gentle voice.
"Hey sweetheart, does Daddy's little girl need a new diaper?"
Mackayla babbled back to Edward. The sound soothed Bella's racing heart.
"How's my girl? Daddy will have you fixed up in a minute. There you go. All clean and dry. Do you want to snuggle with me and Mommy?"
Edward returned with his sleepy bundle. Bella took Mackayla from Edward, holding her tightly against her chest.
Edward climbed in the other side of the bed, reaching his arm over to stroke Bella's hair. "You okay there? You were having a heck of a dream. Something involving chicken salad."
Shaking her head wearily Bella settled into her pillow. "The Cinderella meets Harry Potter dream. Again."
His wide hand calmed her. "The one where Mack is Cinderella? You know we're not going to let that happen. Riley's specialist says we have a really strong case. Remember that." He leaned over and kissed Bella, then Mackayla.
Loving the feel of the baby between them, Bella remembered Esme's words. "Your mom said babies shouldn't sleep in the same bed with their parents."
"Um, hmm," he nestled into his pillow, one hand on Bella's hip. "I slept with my parents on and off until I was eight."
Mackayla dozed off, then Edward, leaving Bella alone with her thoughts. She didn't really think Leah would be such a monster to Mackayla, but she surely wouldn't treat Mack the way she would her own child. Billy wouldn't stand for abuse in his house, but he couldn't make Leah love Mackayla.
Billy. What was he going to say, knowing that they'd been hiding his grandchild from him? The most important thing to Billy was family. Should she call and talk to him before they flew out? Was Jacob going to tell him? Her hope, when Riley insisted that they serve Jacob with the papers for him to voluntarily relinquish parental rights, was that Jacob would sign them and send them right back, happy to have all responsibility removed. She imagined Leah cheering him on as he signed the papers and sending them back by FedEx, overjoyed that the embarrassment and expense of having an extra kid was over.
She waited in vain. In the mean time she researched the hell out of the 'Indian Child Welfare Act', which was instituted in 1978 after tribal leaders found that a disproportionately high number of native children were being adopted out to predominately white couples. Children were being forcibly removed from their homes, frequently on thin evidence. One phrase from the very long document stood out to her.
…there is no resource that is more vital to the continued existence and integrity of Indian tribes than their children and that the United States has a direct interest, as trustee, in protecting Indian children…
There was currently a long running case, now being heard in the Supreme Court, regarding an unwed father who casually gave up his parental rights because he didn't want to pay child support, but when he found the mother had given his daughter up for adoption, decided he wanted her, although she'd been placed with an adoptive family. Legally, the only thing he had to stand on was his one sixteenth Native heritage, by which his attorneys, all working pro-bono and by Bella's guess looking for the fame of appearing before the Supreme Court with a landmark trial, invoked the ICWA.
She thought the situation with that case was absurd; the child had never been in a Tribal home, never lived with the father, and he originally gave up his rights because he didn't want to pay anything, yet that case was in its second year of working through the justice system, the father taking sole custody of the toddler while the case was decided. There was no denying the Black's proud tribal heritage; if Jacob chose to fight her on this it would get messy. In an earlier case, although both parents wanted to give up their twins, intentionally going to a hospital hundreds of miles away from the reservation to give birth, the tribe was able to sue for custody. Under the law an Indian parent had more rights than a non-Indian parent. The ICWA was now under review, but she knew things that had to go before Congress could take decades to be settled. Forget the Supreme Court, what about Charlie and Billy? Best friends, now grandfathers to the same baby, now on the opposite sides of the same case. She'd spent so much time and energy worrying about Aro; now it looked like Jacob Black was the one who could ruin their happiness.
Logically, what would Jacob gain by fighting for custody? Debt? Embarrassment? A pissed off wife? The problem was she knew Jacob, and he and logic were not good friends.
Settling Mackayla on the mattress, she looked from her sweet face to Edward's. She loved them both so much. Today should have been a great day; Carlisle had stopped over to let them know that while golfing, Aro told him he was dropping all the law suits, that he and wife were planning a three week European vacation, and that he'd be back to work in August. Aro had accepted Edward's generous terms; he was giving them all the artwork Tanya had collected, plus the statue and the carved bed. Tanya's will had left everything but a few pieces of jewelry to her husband; Riley had made it clear to Edward that he didn't have to give them anything but Edward wanted to do the right thing. Tanya's clothes were going to a consignment shop; the profits to a charity that helped battered women restart their lives. Bella traced Edward's lips with her fingers. He was such a good man; if only she could convince Jacob that terminating his rights was best for everyone.
Still she couldn't sleep, thinking about her lunch date with her mother. Renee had hounded her until Bella agreed to meet her for lunch with Mackayla at a restaurant although Renee kept pushing to come to Bella's home. Bella honestly thought that Renee would find some other shiny new toy to grab her attention and her momentary lapse of actually wanting to meet her granddaughter would pass. She had a bad feeling about seeing her mother again. Edward offered to go with them, but she didn't want Renee's crazy to be spread any further. She was so on edge with her mother; if she dared make a pass at Edward, or say some raunchy thing about him, Bella would deck her on the spot. She didn't remember much from her baby shower, but Renee's appalling behavior was clear in her mind.
Xxx
Running five minutes behind, Bella juggled Mackayla, the car seat, the diaper bag and keys. She wasn't concerned about arriving late; she couldn't remember Renee ever being on time for anything. She regretted leaving the stroller at home for the moment, but she knew the tables were tightly spaced in this restaurant and maneuvering it would have been tough. That was the downside of her choice of venue; the upside was that it only served breakfast and lunch, so this meal with Renee couldn't drag out too long and the restaurant didn't have a liquor license, so unless Renee came pre-pickled, she'd have a chance to talk to a sober person for a change.
A woman in a crisp white shirt, black tie and apron smiled as Bella approached the hostess station. Before the server could offer to help with the baby, a woman in a yellow twin set, white pants and a chunky white necklace waved at her, calling, "Bella, over here!"
Bella squinted at the dark haired woman, who looked like something out of an Ann Taylor catalog. No, couldn't be…'Renee?"
"Of course!" Her mother approached with a manic smile, arms out. "There're my girls! Isn't she precious!" Renee tried to take Mackayla out of Bella's arms, but the baby was startled by the high pitched sounds coming out of the woman. Her lip trembled and Mackayla hid her face in Bella's hair.
"Shy, just like you were. Oh well, we'll just have to work on that. Look, I got us a table over there." Renee walked over to a small table by the window that already had a wooden child's seat set up next to it. Bella followed, a bit in a daze. She had never seen her mother looking like she could fit in a woman's club someplace. She'd seen Renee in tie-dye, leather, vinyl, ripped jeans, maxi dresses, miniskirts and obscene tees, but a cotton sweater set and conservative short hair? Never.
Bella waited for the punch line as she settled Mackayla into the seat. Was her mother going to whip out a flask to liven up the blueberry lemonades she'd ordered for them, or had she already spiked them? Was some new sugar daddy behind this transformation? Bella wanted to believe that this was real, that some hocus pocus had transformed the woman who'd given birth to her into the kind of mother she wouldn't be embarrassed to introduce to Edward or Esme or even Carlisle, but a new wardrobe was not going to convince Bella that this change was real.
Renee was pointing to the menu, "I think I'll have the cranberry-pecan chicken salad wrap…doesn't that sound yummy?"
Bella's stomach turned at the thought of chicken salad. "No, no chicken salad." She looked quickly at the menu and picked the first thing that didn't involve chicken. "I'll get the Jersey Shore Club. And a banana."
The waitress smiled and left them alone to listen to the babble of the tables around them. Bella focused on making sure Mackayla was secure in her seat, her eyes darting around the restaurant. She wished she had brought Mackayla in her carrier, so she couldn't be snatched up from her seat. Glancing at her mother, who was quietly sipping her drink looking no more like a baby stealer than any of the other women seated around the restaurant, Bella wondered if she was letting paranoia get the best of her. She couldn't help looking over her shoulder whenever she got in or out of the car, the store, the house. Why was it in the movies the bad guys always had some convenient tell: a prominent scar, large neck tattoo, a signet ring, a limp, heavy accent, or chain-smoked one obscure brand of cigarettes? Who was the bad guy in her life? She wished she'd chosen another restaurant; she sincerely wanted a drink.
Exactly what was she supposed to talk about with this woman? Parenting tips? Relationship advice? Career strategies? As a role model her mother was the pits. She probably has a few good hangover cures. Bella held in a snort.
Renee cleared her throat. "I'm sure you were wondering why I wanted to see you and Mackayla." She pronounced the baby's name carefully, as if she was afraid of making a mistake. "I've become involved in Alcoholics Anonymous. I've been sober thirty-four days, which has been really hard for me. I'm working my steps, and part of the steps is making amends to the people we hurt. You're at the top of that list."
Bella's eyes popped open. She, Bella Swan, was first on her mother's list for anything? That in itself was a first.
Renee continued, "I know I wasn't there for you when you were growing up, and I'm so sorry. I want to make amends to you."
Their food arrived and Bella took that moment to slice up Mackayla's banana and think of a response. It slipped out unbidden. "What about Charlie? Shouldn't he be first on your list?"
Giving a small laugh, Renee said, "I think the best thing I ever did for Charlie was leaving him. He's married to someone who wants to live in that little nowhere town. It would have been worse if I stayed, believe me."
Bella raised her eyebrow. Renee didn't sound so contrite.
"Really Bella—you've seen me at my worst. How would I have made his life better, right?" Renee looked down and started eating her wrap.
Really 'Mom'? That's it? Bella was ready to pack up the baby and run, but Renee swallowed, looked over towards the unlighted fireplace, then continued.
"I have a job." Renee plucked at her top. "At a women's clothing store. I'm living at a friend's. I figured if I wanted to make it up to you, I needed to be nearby."
"So you're living with another boyfriend? How long have you been with this one? And what about the guy who's supposedly stalking you?" Bella was proud of herself. She'd never asked her mother as many questions or been so strong with her. She realized that when she was a little girl, the tiniest hint of attention from Renee was too valuable to scare off. It wasn't until Sue became her stepmother did Bella learn to be strong enough to question her mother's behavior.
"I'm living with my sponsor. I go to a meeting every day. I want to see you, maybe once a week—"
Bella started shaking her head at that suggestion.
Renee said quickly, "or every other week. I could babysit, really. I want to be a better grandmother and mother. Please, please, give me a chance."
Maybe her mother had signed up for some kind of reality TV show, and the hidden camera was about to appear. Bella knew that this was what she'd wanted for so many years, her mother to come apologize and beg for her forgiveness, and to want to be part of Bella's life, but part of her couldn't believe it. She took a bite of her sandwich to avoid answering, looking around the restaurant. Nope, no TV crew. Were any of these other women having what could be life altering discussions, or were they just talking about re doing their living rooms or who was doing who at the office? Again she regretted coming to this restaurant; she really, really wanted a drink and she'd never be able to come here with Rose or Alice and not think about this conversation, and whatever decision she made.
"Can I least get a picture of you and the baby?"
Bella nodded her head. What kind of ogre wouldn't allow the woman a picture of her grandchild? The waitress noticed what Renee was doing and offered to take a group photo. Bella smiled uneasily, but allowed it, leaning in towards Mackayla while Renee stood behind them.
Renee must have considered this some kind of breakthrough, because she became extra chatty. "So, who're you living with now? Your old roommates moved out of state, didn't they?"
"I'm living with friends." Not a total lie, Edward's family and Olga were around all the time and they were her friends.
"I'd love to see your place. Maybe next time I could come and bring you a housewarming gift?"
Bella had almost warmed up to the idea of seeing Renee more than once a year; the woman was not coming to her house. "I think a restaurant is better."
"Do your roommates mind about the baby? I wouldn't want to cause a problem."
Taking a long swallow of the unfortunately un-spiked lemonade, she thought how hysterical Renee's statement was. When had she been anything but a problem? And asking if her roommate had an issue with the baby? The only issue Edward had with the baby was that he wanted more of them.
Was she too weak, or too stupid, or too kind to say no? Bella decided that she'd take Renee one encounter at a time. If she really was trying to stay sober, if she proved herself over time, Bella would allow Renee into her life by degrees. But now the baby had given herself a banana facial and was yawning, a perfect exit strategy.
"I've got to clean her up and get going. It's almost time for her nap."
Hopping up, Renee reached for Mackayla, "Let me take her to the ladies room to clean up, you enjoy your food."
"NO," Bella said sharply, "she's not used to strangers." These lies were becoming easier to tell; Mackayla was the easiest going baby and loved to be passed around. Bella took a big napkin off the empty table next to them, dipped it in her water and made a few swipes around Mackayla's face. She folded the mashed banana inside the napkin and reached for her wallet.
"No, I got it!" Renee was quicker, and pulled out two twenties. "It's the least I can do, I insist."
Not arguing what percentage of Renee's debt was covered by forty bucks, Bella said quietly, "Thanks for lunch." She stood, grabbing the car seat by the handle. "I'm going to get going."
"I'll help you out to the car."
"It's really not—"
"Don't be silly. What mother couldn't use an extra hand now and then?" Renee took the diaper bag and followed Bella to her car. When Bella clicked on the key fob to open the doors, Renee whistled. "Nice ride! My Baby's doing okay for herself."
Bella knew she should have taken Elvis, but surprisingly Renee dropped the subject, kissed Mackayla on the head and gave Bella a hug before she strapped the baby in. Bella drove off, leaving Renee waving from the parking lot.
Xxx
Bella felt guilty dropping Mackayla off so she could pack and paint her toenails, but she was sure Mrs. Gordon watched babies for flimsier reasons. She had never worried so much about picking out clothes, but the whole trip had her on edge. Gone were the days where a pair of jeans, a few tee-shirts and shorts crammed into a duffle bag counted as packing. She was stuck in a weird place; she was no longer the jeans and tee shirt girl from Forks, but she wasn't a Rosalie, with a perfect outfit for every moment of a day. She didn't want to look like a little girl when she returned, she wanted to look like a confidant woman who had her life together, but not so different from her family that she seemed stuck up. Bella even looked up travel tips on a fashion website and she was trying to follow their advice to assemble an outfit for every day of the trip, plus backups. Based on her almost empty closet, she was packing almost everything she owned, but she still doubted herself. Alice had helped her with the dress for the awards ceremony, but everything else? What outfit do you wear when you're telling your Dad that his best friends son is your 'baby-daddy' and, oh yeah, he may be trying to take custody? What to wear when you face the baby-daddy-ex-lover-former-best-friend and his wife, your other former best friend now enemy, for the first time?
She sat on the floor, staring at the bed covered with clothes, and finally resorted to sending a message to Alice, I have no idea what to pack.
Alice texted right back, which was why Bella was now photographing each outfit and sending the pictures to her fashion loving friend.
Moments later, Alice called. "Bella, I never thought I'd be saying this, but you're packing too much stuff."
"Yesterday Mackayla knocked into my orange juice in the morning, in the afternoon she got me with carrots."
"You should feed her in a hazmat suit. Or just wear orange."
"Very funny, but what do you think about the outfits? I don't want to look like a little girl, but I don't want to look like I'm better than everyone else, but I want to look like someone who belongs with Edward."
"Oh, is that all? Bella, you're a great mom and Edward loves you to pieces. Don't worry about this. Take the first outfit, the third outfit, wear outfit seven on the plane, take the tops from outfits four and five and one or two scarves. A big scarf can cover a multitude of sins."
Bella fingered her scarf collection, all but one a gift from Alice. "The one with the blues and greens and the mostly red one?"
"Perfect! I'm so proud Bella…I'll turn you into a fashionista yet."
"I don't know about that, but thanks Alice. Sorry about the freak out." Bella started putting away the clothes she wasn't taking.
"Don't forget to take pictures of you and Mackayla. I can't wait to see both of you all dolled up."
"Speaking of pictures, weren't you going to send me those pictures you took of Mackayla, Edward and me by the pool? I never got them."
"I posted them on Facebook."
"You're kidding! I don't want everyone to see where I live. I told you, we've got a bunch of legal stuff coming up."
Alice tsked, "You worry too much. I have it set so only my friends can see my pictures."
Bella banged her head against the closet door. "Alice, you have like a billion friends."
"Stop exaggerating! Come on, stress will give you wrinkles. I gotta go, I'm in the middle of class."
"Then what are you doing talking to me?"
"It was a fashion emergency, honey. I have my priorities."
Xxx
The refrigerator was ridiculously large, like the rest of the house. Bella couldn't wait until the house sold and they could find something more proportioned for humans, although she would miss the indoor pool. If only she could pack it up. Bella knew she bought blueberries yesterday, but she couldn't find them since Edward had unloaded the bags. Mackayla was bobbing on her hip; they'd just returned from Mrs. Gordon's so she was going to be hungry soon. Bella wanted to have the blueberries ready before she got to the fussing stage.
Mackayla pierced the air with her squeal, which could only mean one thing, or really, one person.
Edward's belly-raspberry-laugh experiment had been so successful, that now Mackayla started laughing as soon as she saw him. Laughing and reaching for him, she leaned out of Bella's arms. He came around to the open side of the refrigerator door and took the baby and gave her a neck raspberry, an arm raspberry, a knee raspberry, then back to her neck. Her fingers were knotted in his hair as she hugged his face and gummed his eyebrow.
Bella hid her smile in the fridge. Edward in a suit was always yummy, but Edward holding Mackayla while in a suit…ummh. Aha, there're the blueberries.
"All right love, I need to talk to mommy. Let go of Daddy's face." He peeled her fingers carefully, and slid Mackayla down until he could lean over to kiss Bella.
Returning the kiss she smiled as he bounced the baby. "You're home early. What's the occasion?"
"Tomorrow is August 13, International Left Hander's day."
Bella rinsed a handful of the berries in a sieve. "Gosh, and I don't have a thing to wear. Why are you telling me this?"
"She could end up left handed. Then we should know these things."
"Very funny. Ninety percent chance that she won't so that knowledge is pointless, but thanks for sharing."
"It's not pointless. My phone has a holiday app so I don't forget important things, like National Pancake Day. And this year, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, tomorrow is National Daughter's Day, so I needed to come hug my daughter." He kissed Mackayla to another round of giggles. "It also reminded me that we're flying out tomorrow. Do you have everything you and Mackayla need?"
The first thing that came to Bella's mind was that they needed to get their story together. Would people just assume, seeing them together, that they were together? Would they assume that Mackayla was Edward's child, and if they did, was that a bad thing? What if someone was rude enough to ask outright? Should she lie, tell the truth, or tell them to shut the f- up? They had had no response from Jacob, even though he'd had the paperwork for weeks. Bella finally called him, but he never called back. What was his game? Was he going to try to take physical custody? There was no way she was stepping foot on the reservation with the baby, she didn't care what kind of an excuse she had to make. Her fear was that he was doing the opposite of ignoring the paperwork and was instead preparing some sort of counter suit looking for full custody. If she could avoid going to Forks entirely, she would, but Sue had begged for them to stay a couple of days with them so she could get her 'baby-fix.' This would be one time she was glad her father was the law in Town.
"Mommy, don't wash the blue off the berries, I like them that color!" Edward was making his squeaky faux-Mackayla voice, holding the baby in front of his face. Bella realized she had been rinsing the berries for several minutes now. She shut the tap and patted them dry with a paper towel while Edward buckled the baby into the high chair.
"Sorry, I can't help thinking about…everything out there."
Edward reached for the bowl but Bella held it away from him. "You're kidding; you're not going to feed her blueberries in your good clothes. Why do you think I'm wearing this?" Bella swept her hand down at the ratty white tee shirt and cut off jeans she had on.
Leaning against the counter, arms folded, Edward watched Bella and Mackayla. "I thought you were channeling Daisy Duke. Did I mention I like your red toenails?"
Bella wiggled her toes appreciatively. Partially smashing a blueberry on the tray, Bella coaxed Mackayla to pick it up for herself. The baby got it in her fist and mashed the berry to her mouth. "Good job Mack!"
A phone chimed; Edward was quick to answer, "Edward Cullen. Yes? You do? Very good, I'll be there shortly." Pocketing the phone he kissed Mackayla, careful to avoid her hands, then Bella. "I've got to take care of something. I'll be back soon."
"What about the realtor? Isn't she coming by in an hour?" Bella had never met Jane, Edward's long time realtor. Bella had taken Mackayla out when the camera crew came to photograph the house for the brochure and website. Once she got over the idea that she was living in a house that warranted a brochure, Bella tried to remove herself from the process. To that end Jane was hosting a realtor open house tomorrow after they left for the airport.
"All you need to do is let her in, and I should be back in time anyway." Edward hustled off; Bella continued doling out blueberries and cooked carrot slices, hoping that more would end up in Mackayla's belly than in her hair.
She'd almost forgotten that Jane was coming when the gate alert went off. Bella rolled her eyes. Arriving forty-five minutes early was inconsiderate. Luckily Mackayla was done eating but was still covered in smashed food; Bella wiped the major globs of food off the baby. Mackayla had already wiped her hands and face on Bella's shirt, adding purple to the orange smear of carrots. The front door chimed, the one time she wished someone would come to the garage entrance. Bella debated; put the baby down in the crib so she could put on a clean shirt, during which time Mackayla would dirty the crib sheets, or let the realtor woman in to do her thing, bathe the baby, then clean up. The second way involved less laundry, so Bella scurried down the long hallway to the front door.
The front door bell chimed again before Bella got to the door; when she pulled it open she saw a smiling, painfully thin woman with bleached blonde hair fluffed high over her head, a red suit with a gold pin in the shape of the realty company logo and a bar underneath the pin stating, 'Diamond Club Member'. The woman's eyes shifted, taking in Bella's messy hair, stained tee shirt, bare feet, and then Mackayla, chortling although covered with blueberry and carrots.
The smile disappeared and the realtor hissed, "Where's Mr. Cullen? This is entirely unacceptable." She had a stack of glossy brochures under her arm; she fanned them on the table in the center of the foyer, then turned back to Bella. "Mr. Cullen and the caliber of people who will be looking to purchase this estate, have certain expectations. A barefoot housekeeper dressed like a hillbilly, toting a baby on her hip is entirely unacceptable. You must be new on staff. I'll be speaking to Mr. Cullen about this. Where's Olga? She's supposed to be doing the cleanup. Can you put that child down, I have flower arrangements in the van, I'll instruct you on where to place them."
Mackayla was leaning into Bella, not enjoying the sharp tongued woman. At first Bella was going to correct her in no uncertain terms, then she decided to see how deep a hole Jane would dig herself. "I was only told to let you in. You're early. Edward will be home shortly."
"That's Mr. Cullen to you. I've known Edward for years; he expects a certain level of respect and propriety from his employees. I'm only trying to help you; you obviously look like you need this job. And Edward may allow you to bring your child to work, but he still expects a certain level of performance."
Bella stared at her, steaming. There was no need for Jane to be so condescending. Why did Edward do business with someone so cold? Still, she was anxious to get this house sold. Maybe you needed to be a bitch to make that happen.
"I can't help you with the flowers. Why don't you drive your vehicle around to the garage; it's closer to the elevator." Bella turned her back to Jane before she slapped the lipstick off her Botoxed face.
There was a cart in the pantry Olga used after she'd done a big shopping trip. Bella wheeled it with one hand to the interior garage door for Jane to use. She debated waiting a few minutes before opening the outside garage door, just to irk the annoying woman, but figured the sooner the realtor was done, the sooner she could get Mackayla and herself cleaned up.
Scowling as much as her rigid forehead would allow, Jane spoke loudly. "I will definitely inform Mr. Cullen of your behavior. Expect to be looking for a new job shortly."
Bella walked to the elevator and entered the code. Jane struggled to get a large flower arrangement on the cart, then wheeled it past Bella, 'humpfing' at her as she went. Mackayla spent the time holding Bella's face between her hands. Jane returned for a second arrangement as Edward walked through the propped open garage door.
Mackayla squealed seeing Edward. Jane turned sharply towards Bella. "Can't you keep her quiet?"
Turning towards Edward, Jane cooed, "Edward, so good to see you. If we could have a moment, there's something we must discuss." Her eyes raked over Bella meaningfully.
"Hold that thought." Edward reached towards Mackayla. "I'll give her a bath. Jane, Bella can show you whatever you need."
Bella tried to limit her reaction to a tiny smirk instead of the triumphant fist pump she wanted to do in front of Jane. She held Mackayla away from Edward. "She's going to ruin your shirt, she's covered in food."
"No problem." Edward loosened his tie, pulling it over his head, unbuttoned his dress shirt and took off his undershirt, tossing them to the counter, then taking Mackayla, kissing Bella then the baby as he asked, "How's Daddy's girl? Did you finish your lunch?"
Was it wrong, Bella thought, that she enjoyed the looks of surprise, lust, shock and horror as they passed over Jane's face? Edward without a shirt was pretty drool worthy; it was obvious Jane had more than a professional interest in him. Bella wasn't sure what distressed Jane more, the fact that he had outed himself as Mackayla's Daddy in front of her or the thought that if Bella told Edward how Jane had treated her, she was bound to lose a hefty commission.
As soon as Edward was out of earshot, Jane looked at Bella, twisting her hands, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea—"
"You know that's not the point." Bella wiped her hands down the front of her already ruined shirt. "You were really nasty to me. A person is still a person, whether they live in a mansion or a crappy apartment. Be nice to everyone around here, and I probably won't tell Edward what you said to me."
Xxx
Bella had resisted when a complete set of new luggage appeared in the closet, saying she didn't need it, but she'd managed to fill two large cases, a small case and the garment bag with her and Mackayla's clothing. She checked for the fourth time; she had everything.
Edward entered the closet behind her. "Mack's asleep. Do you have everything?"
"Yes, I do. I probably have too much."
"My mother always says to pack an extra pair of underwear, just in case."
Bella shook her head, "She said the same thing to me. I have a spare pair, and a spare spare."
"You're sure?" His eyes drifted to her lingerie drawer.
The silly man must have bought her another set of under things. Forget panties for every day of the week, she had them for every day of the month. Smiling, she opened the drawer. "Just don't think we're getting freaky while we're at my parent's…" The sight of a ring box in her drawer stopped the words in her mouth.
She couldn't touch it. Her eyes started to well with tears, but Edward was just standing there. Wasn't he going to kneel or something?
Edward nudged her with his shoulder. "You're killing me here, open it!"
Opening the white box, she found a burled wood box inside. Edward watched, smiling, spinning his finger in an effort for her to speed up. The hinge gave a little creak as she opened it to find a gold ring with tiny diamonds making up a vine, and a light blue stone set among golden leaves. It was beautiful, exquisitely made, but she wasn't sure what it was supposed to represent. Edward just looked at her hopefully. "Do you like it?"
"It's…it's beautiful."
She must have been moving too slowly, because Edward pulled the ring from the box and took her right hand. "I hope it fits. The jeweler just finished it today, that's where I went this afternoon." He slid it onto her ring finger. "If you don't mind, I may get one for my mother for Christmas, but of course, with two stones. But Vince, the jeweler, said it's not a problem to add stones, as needed." He wiggled his eyebrows at the last part.
The right hand, the blue stone, his grinning face—this was not an engagement ring. She was disappointed and relieved at the same time. Being proposed to in a closet, even a nice closet, was wrong. She sighed, "A mother's ring…I forgot Mackayla's birthstone was an aquamarine. Thank you."
"I wanted you to have something special before I meet your parents." He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his chest as she looked at the ring on her finger, "Something that says a tiny fraction of how important you are to me."
Xxx
The limo driver did not have a lot of experience with infant car seats, so Edward knelt in the backseat of the car the company had provided, and made sure the base was secured correctly.
Esme had given Bella some infant formula Benadryl, in case Mackayla got cranky on the plane. Bella wished Esme had supplied a little something for grownups. There was still no word from Jacob. She couldn't very well ask Sue too many questions about who would be attending the event. Her mother had already given her the mom-brow when discussing Mackayla's father—Bella was pretty sure she suspected Jacob. Her hope that Jacob and Leah would want this over quietly and quickly were fading. She was going to have to tell her parents the truth, before they found out in a subpoena. It might be best to tell Charlie when they were in Seattle, when he was far from his guns and his target. At this point she didn't think she'd mind if Jacob was dead, but she'd hate to have to visit her father in jail.
If there was a way of avoiding going to Forks completely, she would. Edward offered to pay for hotel rooms for her parent's and Seth so they could just stay in Seattle, but Bella knew that wouldn't fly with Charlie. Her father didn't care for people who showed off with their money. The private plane was enough—she was sure that had been a topic of discussion between Charlie and Sue. Originally Edward wanted to book them into the Four Seasons Hotel, but Bella convinced him that staying in the Marriott where Charlie's ceremony was being held, where Charlie would be staying, was a far better idea.
Buckling Mackayla into the properly attached car seat, Bella gave her a quick kiss. Who knew such a sweet little person could cause so much trouble? Mackayla was delighted with the limousine. Her car seat was in the middle of the rear bench seat, and Bella and Edward sat on either side of her, facing the baby. Having both of her favorite people was so exciting that she needed to shriek. Edward started playing peek-a-boo to distract her.
This was the second time Bella had been in a limousine. The first time had been a big surprise; Charlie hired one for his wedding to Sue. Bella could still remember sitting in the back seat with Charlie on the way to the church, the netting that made the bottom of her dress poof biting into the back of her legs. She and Sue had picked out Bella's dress first…at the time Bella adored purple. The dress was simple; thick straps at the top, a straight bodice, and a bubble bottom, in glorious 'Lapis' the woman at the store called it. Sue ordered her dress, long, white with an empire waist and a matching lapis ribbon. She even ordered lavender roses for both their bouquets and Charlie's boutonniere.
Charlie was less than charmed at the thought. "I'm not wearing a purple cummerbund."
Sue calmly said, "Then I guess only Bella and I will match."
He wore the cummerbund, a lapis bow tie and the lavender rose boutonniere.
Only now did Bella truly appreciate the efforts Sue made to knit their family together.
Charlie and Sue took the limo after the wedding to the hotel where they were spending the night. Bella rode back with Billy and Jacob, Jacob making fun of her skinny legs and dress shoes, Billy picking up her favorite mushroom mozzarella cheeseburger from the diner for dinner.
She never imagined that one day she would return, and her greatest fear would be seeing these people who used to take care of her, who were once her friends.
.
.
A/N: I am not a lawyer, but I'm doing the best I can. Bella cites the "Indian Child Welfare Act, United States Code Title 25, Indians Chapter 21, Subchapter IV-Miscellaneous Provisions, 1901 Congressional findings, part 3"
The Supreme Court case she is talking about exists, and hopefully will be settled by the time anyone reads this. Bella's statements on this case are her opinion only and are flavored by her situation. I have simplified the case for this story. I do not mean to make any 'real life' comments on this case; it is obviously complicated and difficult for all parties involved. I also know that Native American is the preferred term now; I have cited the actual legal document.
Apologies to the nice Realtor's out there. Jane is just a b-
FAQs: 1. Jacob's name is not on the birth certificate, but he can demand a DNA test to prove he is the biological father.
2. Can't Edward just adopt Mackayla? No, there must be a good faith effort made to contact the biological father. Terminating parental rights is a big deal. Since Bella knows Jake is the father, she and Edward (and Riley) want to get his rights terminated now, instead of Jacob potentially challenging the adoption at some time in the future.
Many, many thanks to my Cousin-"Beta" for pitching in to get this chapter out…that wasn't so bad, was it? We used to make up stories with Barbie dolls; now we have a bigger cast of characters to play with!