A/N: Thanks Sherry xx
Chapter 35
The annex house wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There were two bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, and a dinning room/kitchen combo. One of the bedrooms was for the kids to share and I guess the other one was supposed to be for us to share, not that that was going to happen. The living room was just as you came in the front door, it had a TV, video console, as well as a couple of sofas. The kitchen area was small, but there was a stove which meant I would be able to cook meals. It made me happy that we wouldn't need to mix with the others all the time.
Alice gave me a tour of the place and then we ended up in the living room. "I guess you must be worried about coming here," she said, turning to me. "Don't be. You and the children are perfectly safe here. You are under my father's protection." I nodded, not really sure what to say to that. "I won't lie, life will be different for you here, but you may come to like it. I know I'm happy to have another female around the place. All the testosterone around here can get a bit much at times."
"Are there many women here?" I asked, curious.
"Just you and me," she replied.
"Your mother?"
"She died giving birth to me."
"I'm sorry," I said, wishing I hadn't brought it up.
Alice shrugged it off. "No big deal, it was a long time ago and it's not as if I ever wanted for anything. I think my dad was even a little softer on me because of her absence. I guess I am what you could call spoiled. Although, Jasper doesn't nearly spoil me as much as my father does. He's stricter, more of a no nonsense kinda guy. I think that's why my father chose him for me. He said I needed a firmer hand, though I can work Jasper around my finger when I need to. Anyway, I'll let you get settled in. I'll come back later and give you a tour of the compound."
I thanked Alice for her kindness and watched her walk away. It wasn't long after that that the men brought our luggage. The kids were awake now, but a little moody. I figured they were just tired and hungry. Luckily, someone had stocked the cupboard so I went about fixing them something to eat. That was when Olivia declared that she couldn't find Honey, her teddy bear. I tried searching through all our bags, but she was right. The bear was nowhere to be found.
"We'll get you another one," Edward said, bending down and cupping her face, but Olivia wasn't having it. She loved that bear. She'd had it since she was a baby after all.
"I don't want another bear!" she screamed. "I want honey."
"Well, you can't have honey. I'm afraid I can't go back and get him."
She stared at Edward for a moment before shouting, "I hate you, I wish you had never come back!" then she stormed off to her room. My heart hurt for my daughter, but part of me was also pleased that she wasn't making this easy for Edward. He should know that he can't buy her off with another bear.