Chapter 36 – Sweet Dreams
I walked in from work on Thursday afternoon to news that I would be meeting Edward's mother on Sunday. I tried to play off my nervousness with a joke about the "meet the parents" moment, but apparently I wasn't meeting the parents... just Mom. So I asked what I felt was a relevant question – am I not good enough to meet Edward's dad. Edward actually choked on his drink and then spit and sputtered for almost five minutes. Then he laughed. HE LAUGHED!
"That is absolutely not the case, Bella. It's actually the opposite of the case. I don't feel like my father is good enough to meet you. You're too good a person to be near that much... negativity and evil. I hope you never have to be in the same room as Senior," he said as he walked into the kitchen to get something to wipe up the mess he had made with his drink.
"Your mother comes from old money, right?" I asked.
"Um hmm," he nodded.
"What if she doesn't approve of me?"
"She will," he said as he bent over to wipe up the droplets of Sprite from the tile.
"Edward, I'm serious. I don't have the same background as you. What if she thinks I'm not good enough?" What if she sees me for what I am and tells him that he could do better? What if he listens to her?
He turned and placed the paper towels on the bar. Then he took me into his arms and kissed me. "We're not meeting her on Sunday so that I can get her approval. I'm a grown man. I make my own decisions. I could give a shit less if she approves of anything I do or anyone that I see. This is my life. I just want two of the most important women in my life to meet."
"You make it sound like there are other women in your life," I teased.
"Well, there's you in the number one spot and then there's my mother of course. I can't forget Cynthia. She basically ran my life for years when I was unable to function without the Grey Goose. Cynt's very important. Rosalie is pretty important. She's the one that got the ball rolling on your case. I think Alice is important to both of us. She loves you very much, so that means I love her too. That's five. You know the other three. It's time you met my mom. That's all this is, love."
I'm still not convinced. I'm sitting here in the passenger seat of Edward's Avalon in an outfit that I've never worn before... fidgeting. I'm nervous as hell.
When I told Alice we were going to the Edgewater for brunch, she squealed and ran to her closet. She came back with a beautiful cream colored suit.
"This will look so good with your eyes and skin tone," she said as she held it up to me. All I saw was a stain waiting to happen.
"Alice, I'll spill something on this and ruin it. I know that it cost a fortune. Do you have something in a darker color?"
"No, this is perfect. You can wear my brown trench with it." And that was the end of the discussion.
I keep pulling at the hem of Alice's coat and checking the pearls at my neck. Those are Alice's too and I don't want to lose them. I pull down the visor to check my teeth again. The last thing I need is to smile and have lipstick all over my teeth... lipstick that Alice forced me to put on.
"Would you stop fidgeting, please," Edward says from the driver's seat. "You look beautiful. You'd look more beautiful if you'd calm down. You look like I'm taking you to be executed or something. It's just my mom. She's not going to kill you."
"How many times do I have to explain this to you? I'm nervous." I look over to see him smirking and shaking his head. "You aren't taking me seriously, Edward. I feel nauseated. My throat is dry and my hands are sweating."
"Do you need me to pull over so you can throw up or anything?" he says with a laugh in his voice.
"You think this is hilarious, don't you?" I say. I hope I sound as exasperated as I feel. "You don't understand," I mutter.
"No, I don't understand at all. I had an extremely pleasant first meeting with Charlie. I so wouldn't understand being nervous." He's mocking me, but he has a point. "Bella, she'll love you. You act like she's the wicked witch of the west. Didn't you get along with Mike's mother?"
"That was different," I answer.
"How?" he asks.
"Mrs. Newton doesn't have more money than God," I reply. Edward starts to laugh and swerves a little on the road. I reach over and slap him on the arm. "It's not funny. She's going to think that I'm not good enough."
"She's not going to think that. Anyway, what she thinks doesn't matter to me. I just want you to meet her. You have to calm down... and stop fidgeting," he says as he reaches over to still my shaking knee.
I place my hand over his. "Do you really not care what she thinks about me?" I ask.
"Do you care what your dad thinks of me?"
"My dad likes you; it isn't the same," I reply.
"You didn't answer the question," he says.
I sigh. "No, Mr. Attorney, I don't care what he thinks, but I am happy that you get along with him."
"I feel the same way. I don't need her approval. I just hope that you like her and that you both get along."
"You aren't concerned about her liking me?" I ask.
"Nope."
"What if we don't get along?"
"You will," he says, resolutely.
"Edward, what if we don't?"
"You will," he says again, giving my knee a squeeze. He turns into the valet parking area of the Edgewater. I swallow the non-existent saliva in my mouth. I may vomit. Edward stops the car and then turns to me and says, "You do understand that whether you like her or she likes you has absolutely no bearing on how I feel about you, right?" I nod slowly. "I don't care what anyone else thinks, says, or wants. I love you... I want you... I need you. That's all that matters. Now," he says as he takes my hands and kisses them, "stop fidgeting."
He gets out of the car and walks around to help me out. He takes the ticket from the valet and we walk inside. I have never been to the Edgewater Hotel before. I'm in awe. It is exquisite. Edward is breezing through the lobby like it's nothing special. This actually adds to my nervousness. If this place isn't that a big of a deal to him, then I'm really out of my league with this family. He gives my hand a gentle tug and I catch up to him at the door of Six Seven.
"Hi," he says politely to the maitre d'. "We're meeting my mother, Mrs. Masen, here for brunch. Has she arrived?"
Recognition flashes across his face. "Yes, Mr. Masen, your mother is at her table. Please follow me."
We walk through the tables filled with extremely well-dressed people. I feel so out of place. This is fancy to the nth degree. I smooth down the front of Alice's coat again. I look up to see a woman that has Edward's copper hair sitting at a table by the windows that look out over the ocean. She turns as she hears us approach and I see that Edward also has her eyes.
"Edward," she says as she stands to hug him.
"Mother," he replies as he hugs her. He pulls back from the hug and turns to face me. "This is my Bella," he says as he extends a hand to me. Not knowing what to do, I take his hand.
"Oh, Bella," she says as she wraps her arms around me. I'm frozen in place. I don't know what to do. Edward mouths, 'calm down,' to me. As she releases me, I hear her say something to Edward, but I can't quite make it out. My palms start to sweat again.
I manage to find my voice and croak out, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Masen."
"Oh, please," she says as she waves her hand at me, "call me Elizabeth. Both of you, have a seat." Edward helps me take off my coat and hands it to the maitre d'. He then pulls out my chair. I sit and finally look out the windows.
"This view is amazing," I say without thinking. I feel my face turn bright red.
"Isn't it?" Elizabeth says. "I always get this table when we come here. I love to look out over the water while I eat. It's soothing." She reaches over and pats Edward on the arm. "We came here at least once a month for brunch when Edward was little." She turns back to me and says, "But now, he's all grown up and has a young lady in his life. Tell me about Bella." She smiles as she cocks her head in anticipation.
"Well," I start and am thankfully interrupted by the waiter asking Edward and me for our drink orders. I look across the table and see that Elizabeth is having a Mimosa. I'm curious as to what Edward will order.
"I'll have hot tea and a glass of water... no lemon. What would you like, love?" Edward asks. My eyes grow wide at his use of his pet name for me. 'Not in front of your mother!' I want to scream.
I look back down at the menu. I need a Bloody Mary, but I don't want to make Edward uncomfortable. "Um," I say, perusing the assorted sodas. "I guess a Sprite?"
Edward holds up a hand to the waiter. "Would you like a Mimosa, love? Mother is having one. It's fine if that's what you want."
I look up into his brilliant green eyes and he smiles. He understands. "Actually, I think I want a Bloody Mary and a glass of water... with lemon."
"That's what she'll have. Bring Mother another Mimosa, too," he tells the waiter. "Get whatever you want, Bella. It won't bother me."
I can't seem to tear my eyes away from his face. I feel safe and secure just looking into his eyes. I nod slowly and smile. "Okay, Edward, I will."
He takes my hand and I take a much needed breath. I turn back to Elizabeth to see that she has the same sweet, understanding expression on her face as Edward. She cuts her eyes to Edward and smiles.
"Maybe we should decide on the food before he returns with those drinks," she says as she picks up her menu. "Will you be having the usual, Edward?"
"Um, no," he says and blushes a light pink. I look between them and realize that I'm missing the joke.
"What?" I ask.
"It's nothing," Edward says as he looks pointedly at his mother.
"Edward used to get the Belgian Waffle and the chef would 'decorate' it for him," Elizabeth says, barely able to control her giggles.
"Thank you, Mother," Edward says and turns an even darker shade of pink.
"Decorate?" I ask.
"Yes," Elizabeth continues. "The chef would use fruit to make faces on Edward's waffle. It was so cute. Are you sure that you don't want to get that, dear? I'm sure that the chef would be willing to do it, if I asked."
By now Elizabeth and I can't control our giggling. Edward glares at both of us. "No, thank you, Mother," he says through clenched teeth. "I'm going to have the omelet."
"I'm sure that the chef can 'decorate' the omelet, if you like," I say as I bite my bottom lip and try to control my laughter. Elizabeth laughs and covers her mouth with her napkin.
Edward shakes his head and says, "Don't encourage her. Look, he's on his way with our drinks. What are you two going to have to eat?"
I look back at the menu and decide on the Bananas Foster Waffle. Edward gets the omelet with bacon on the side. Elizabeth gets the banana bread French toast.
As the waiter leaves the table, Elizabeth turns to me again. "Edward tells me that he met you at a café?"
"Yes, ma'am, I'm a... waitress?" I am so not good enough for her son. Edward takes my hand again.
"Are you originally from Seattle, dear?" she asks.
"No, ma'am, I'm from Forks. It's a little town south of Seattle. You've probably never heard of it..." I trail off.
Elizabeth smiles sweetly. "I sometimes wish that Edward had grown up in a small town. He grew up too fast. Does your family still live in Forks?"
"Yes... my father does. He's all the family I have now. My mother passed away a few years ago." I look down at the hand in my lap.
"I'm sorry, dear," she says. "I know that it's difficult to lose a parent. Were you and she close?"
I nod and softly say, "Yes." I bite my lip to keep the tears at bay. I don't know why I feel the urge to cry. It's been years since Mom died. I look up at Elizabeth and suddenly want to hug her again.
Elizabeth smiles and then she turns to Edward and places her hand on his arm. A look passes between them and Edward squeezes my hand. I have a funny feeling that they just had a conversation without saying a word.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the food arrives. The waiter serves Elizabeth and me first and then places Edward's omelet in front of him. Elizabeth nearly chokes on her Mimosa and I can't help but laugh. The chef has decorated Edward's omelet. He used the bacon to form a mouth, a slice of mushroom for a nose and two slices of tomato for eyes. Edward glares at the food and then turns the glare to the two of us. He pushes the bacon off to the side of his plate and then cuts into the omelet; making sure that he bisects one of the 'eyes.'
"I'm glad I amuse you both," he says as he takes a bite of his food. I catch the slight upturn of his mouth. He is glad. After that, the mood at our table becomes much more relaxed. The conversation flows more freely. I notice that Edward and his mother are alike in many ways. They have similar facial expressions and mannerisms. Elizabeth uses phrases that I've heard Edward use before. I also notice that Edward's father isn't mentioned even once during the entire meal.
The plates are cleared and Edward has sent for our coats. The maitre d' brings them to him and he helps me put it on. He then turns to assist his mother with her coat. I have had the most pleasant 'meet the mother' experience ever. I truly love Edward's mother. When she hugs me this time, I hug her back. She whispers in my ear that we have to do this again soon. I nod as we pull back from each other.
Elizabeth turns to Edward and takes his arm. She angles them away from me. She reaches into her purse and hands him a package. I hear her whisper something to him. He looks confused but nods. He turns back to me and takes my hand. We walk with Elizabeth to her car and Edward helps her to get inside. We wave to her as she pulls away from the valet. Edward's car appears and he helps me inside. I lean my head back on the headrest and breathe a sigh of relief. I like her and she seems to like me.
Edward slides into the driver's seat and pats me on the knee before he pulls out onto the road. "I think that went well," he says. "She likes you very much."
"Does she? I really like her. You and she are a lot alike." I see him smile. "What?"
"I do take after her. I'm thankful for that." He chuckles a bit. "She can never deny me. We look too much alike."
I resist the urge to ask him about his father. I know that Senior is a sticky subject. The way that Edward has spoken of him in the past leads me to believe that there is very little love in that relationship.
We get back to Edward's townhouse and I go upstairs to change my clothes. I inspect the suit before I hang it on the hanger. I managed to not stain it. I put on a pair of well-worn jeans and one of Edward's sweaters. It swallows me, but I love the way it smells. I go back downstairs. Edward is playing with the stereo system. He has a look of extreme concentration on his face. He looks so handsome. He nods finally as the sound of Dave Matthews comes through the speakers.
"You're obsessed with that disc," I say as I collapse on the couch.
Edward turns to me and smiles his crooked smile. "I know," he says. He has the case for Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King in his hand. "It's really some of his best work. He deserved the Grammy."
"I know... he was robbed. The whole neighborhood knows." I roll my eyes at him. He ranted all night after Dave lost to Taylor Swift for Album of the Year. I love Dave too, but it just wasn't his year. "He'll win it next time," I say, trying to placate the pouting child in him.
Edward frowns as he places the case back in the rack. He sits next to me on the couch and says, "You can't tell me that this disc isn't a work of pure genius."
Knowing better than to try to argue with him about Dave, I snuggle into his arms and listen to "Funny the Way It Is."
~*~*~*~*~
Late in the evening we wake on the couch. As much as I love spending the night in Edward's arms, I know that I can't stay here every night. I ask him to take me home. I go upstairs and retrieve the cream suit and change into my own shirt.
When I come back downstairs Edward says, "Why did you change shirts?"
"I thought that you might want to keep your sweater. You may need it later," I smile at him.
"You can have everything I own, Bella. I give it to you freely. If you like that sweater, then it's your sweater. I'll go get it." He starts for the stairs, but I stop him.
"Edward, you have to quit spoiling me. You give me everything... literally. I want you to keep that sweater. I may want to slip it on the next time I'm here. Please don't go get it, okay?" He stares into my eyes and I can tell that he's trying to figure out if I mean what I say. "It must be very frustrating for you to not be able to read my mind."
He laughs and says, "Very." He takes the suit and the bag from my hands. "For the record, I like spoiling you. I consider it my most important job."
We leave the townhouse and Edward helps me into the car. He puts my things in the back seat and then drives me back to my apartment. He helps me inside. Alice and Jasper are sitting on the couch watching a movie. Alice raises an eyebrow when we walk in. "Sorry," I say as I hang the suit on her bedroom door. We sort of bailed on chick flick/pizza night. "We fell asleep on the couch."
"How did the meetin' with the Momma go?" Jasper asks.
Alice turns to him and says, "Do all southern people have a 'momma'?"
"Yep, and a 'daddy' too. It's pronounced with an 'e' sound; not an 'a' sound. Ya should've figured all this out by now, darlin'."
"It still amazes me," she says. Alice then turns to me. "Did it go well?"
I turn to look at Edward. I think it went extremely well, but I want to hear his take on it.
He smiles before he turns to Jasper and Alice and says, "It was better than I could have ever hoped. My mother loves Bella very much."
"She doesn't know me," I exclaim.
"She knows enough," he says. He walks over to me and wraps me in his arms. "I'm going to go. I'm sure that Alice has a few questions for you. Walk me to the door." We step outside and he kisses me gently. "I'll see you tomorrow." I nod and watch him walk to his car. He waves as he drives away.
Alice pounces as I re-enter the apartment. "Well?!" she asks, excitedly.
"Oh, Alice, the restaurant was so nice. His mother has a regular table by the water," I say.
"She has her own table?" Alice asks. "They're really wealthy, aren't they?"
"Yes," I say and a little of the nervousness returns. "The restaurant staff seemed to know her and they really catered to us."
"How was the food?" Jasper asks.
"It was unbelievable. The best Bananas Foster Waffle I've ever had. The chef decorated Edward's omelet with a face. It was so funny."
"I bet he loved that," Jasper chuckles.
"Forget the food," Alice chimes in. "What did you talk about?"
"She asked about my family and a few questions about me, but overall we just talked about nothing. She talked a little about the charities that she sponsors and then she told funny stories about Edward when he was little. She made me feel very comfortable. I needed that, because I was so out of my element. I've never been anywhere that fancy before."
"I told you that the suit would be perfect," Alice says with a wide smile. "Are Edward and his mother close?"
"I think so. I know that she loves him a lot. You can tell that by the way she looks at him. But close... I don't know. I don't think he's that close to either of his parents," I say with a sigh. "I'm beat. I think I'll take a shower and turn in. I'll see you guys in the morning."
I take a very hot, very relaxing shower. I take my time washing my hair; letting the lather from my shampoo sooth my soul. Alice has new body scrub from Bath and Body Works. It says that it's for stress relief, so I try some. It feels wonderful and the scent is a nice combination of eucalyptus and spearmint. As I step out of the shower to dry off, I notice that the water is beading on my skin. Alice's body scrub has left me ultra moisturized.
I put on my favorite pink flannel pajamas and slide between my nice cool sheets. I roll to the side and my body aches for Edward to be there. I really miss him on the nights that we don't spend together. I've never told him this. I don't want to be a bother to him by hanging out at his place all the time. I've become as comfortable there as I am in my own apartment. It's a nice feeling; a welcome change from how I used to be.
Even though Edward and I slept most of the afternoon away on his couch, I'm still tired. I didn't sleep well last night. I was a bundle of nerves about meeting his mother. I have no trouble finding sleep tonight. I drift off clutching the other pillow on my bed; pretending that it's Edward.
~*~*~*~*~
I sit upright in the bed and try to not scream out; my slumber invaded by a nightmare. I haven't had any bad dreams in months. I haven't had a single one since Edward started taking care of me. This one was different and so real. I want to call Edward and check that he's okay, but two in the morning is too early to call him. My rational mind tells me that he's home; asleep in his bed. But my irrational heart is begging me to dial the phone.
I get up and walk as quietly as I can to the kitchen. I need a drink of water... or maybe something stronger. I open the cabinet to get a glass and one of them tumbles out. It crashes into pieces on the floor. Oh, crap. I'm barefoot and surrounded by broken glass with only the light above the stove to light my way.
Alice's bedroom door opens and Jasper walks out. He rubs his eyes and then slides on his glasses. "Hey, Bella. Why are ya up? Everythin' okay?"
"No," I groan. "I broke a glass. It's everywhere and I don't have any shoes on. Could you please turn on the kitchen light so I can see to step around this mess?"
"Don't 'cha move," he instructs. He steps to the linen closet and gets the broom. He flicks on the kitchen light and begins to sweep up the mess. "I know how ya are. Just hop up on that counter and I'll take care of this."
"And just what does that mean?" I ask, indignantly as I hoist myself onto the counter.
He laughs as he sweeps the glass into a pile and then into the dustpan. "You're accident prone," he clarifies. He disposes of the shards of glass in the trash can and then proceeds to sweep the area again. I look at him and cock my head in confusion. "In case I missed somethin'."
"You had a good mother, didn't you?" I ask, teasingly.
"I have a great momma and a great daddy and two great sisters," he says as he finishes sweeping the entire kitchen. "You never told me why you're up." He empties the dustpan into the trash.
I shake my head before I answer him. "I had a bad dream."
He turns back from the linen closet with a worried expression on his face. He crosses to me and says, "What kinda dream?"
"Not that kind," I clarify. "It's stupid really. I'm just missing Edward. That's all it is."
"Ya don't wanna talk about," he says.
"It's stupid," I say, turning bright red.
"Okay," he says with a shrug. That's one of the things that I love about Jasper... he doesn't push. It always makes me want to tell him everything.
"I dreamt that it was raining and I was in the woods. It looked like the woods near Forks, but that was probably just my subconscious. Anyway, I dreamt that I couldn't find Edward. I knew that he was out there somewhere, but I couldn't find him." I shudder at the memory. "The rain kept getting harder and harder. I couldn't see. I tripped over something and I fell. When I turned to see what I had tripped over, it was...." I can't say it.
"What? What was it?" he asks.
I take a breath and lick my lips. "It was Edward. He was covered in blood and I screamed. I woke up then. I'm really surprised that I didn't cry out in my sleep."
"Ya didn't scream. I woke up 'cause I heard breakin' glass. I thought someone was tryin' to break into the house," he explains. "Are ya okay now?"
"Yeah," I say, sheepishly. "I told you that it was stupid. My mind can be a really messed up place sometimes. I'm sure it's just that I'm missing him. I'm going to get a glass of water and go back to bed." I start to hop off the counter, but Jasper stops me.
"Let me go get your house shoes. I don't want ya ta get a piece of glass in your foot that I might've missed." He goes to my room and picks up my house shoes from beside my bed. He returns to the kitchen and slides them on my feet. He helps me off the counter.
"Thanks," I say to him.
"I wouldn't worry too much 'bout that dream," he says. "You're probably just missin' Edward." He pats me on the back and goes back to Alice's room.
I get a glass out of the cabinet, managing to not break another, and fill it with water from the refrigerator. I pad back to my bedroom and sit on the edge of my bed. I drink about half of the glass and slowly calm down. I finally feel comfortable enough to lie down and try to sleep again. I hope that the rest of the night is dream free. That nightmare kind of creeped me out.