Rating/Warning(s)/Note(s): T, Ranchward
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Prompt: Envy
"Hi, Mrs. Cope!" Edward called as he walked into his clinic, pulling me behind him with a smile bright enough to distract planes from the runway. I couldn't help but smile as well. There was just something so endearing about him. That and the fact that he made all my girly parts stand at attention awaiting his command, or suggestion, or even a subtle hint. They weren't picky.
That's not to say I wasn't still a little freaked out over the whole 'I hum when I kiss you so that means I'm going to marry you someday' thing. Of course, I thought it was angels singing and was ready to offer up personal introductions of all said girly parts to any part of his anatomy wanting to say hello when I heard the sound. I remember my mom once saying that Phil made her blood sing in her veins. I thought it was really gross, and far more information than should be shared with your seventeen year old daughter, but now I understood. Edward was my singer, in more ways than one.
Now that the fleeting thought of Renee passed through my mind I realized I hadn't called her yesterday. She was probably frantic by now. Whenever we were traveling we always called each other to let the other know we were fine. I could easily picture her crying to Phil that she was sure I had been abducted by a serial killer, or aliens, anything was possible.
Edward was choosing this moment to introduce me to his office assistant. Not a good time to have all the blood drain from your face in horror. She was looking at me like I had lost my mind. I shook my head and quickly apologized, explaining that I had just realized I had forgotten to call my mother and that I knew she would be worried. She gave me that look of disappointment that mothers seem to perfect so they can chastise you without saying a word. I wondered if it was hard-wired to a woman's uterus or something, that as soon as something implants they develop the myriad of looks they rely on. Of course, women with IUDs didn't have that plethora of looks, so maybe it was the hormones.
I became aware of Edward calling my name and shook off my mental ramblings as I followed him into his office. I sat down and just stared at the phone. "Bella? Are you going to call, love?" he asked and I shook my head. "Why not?"
"I'm scared," I stated, not sure if he could hear the slight trembling in my voice.
"Why don't you give me the number, and I'll call?" I figured that might be better.
He put it on speaker phone so I could hear the conversation. "That might not be a good idea, Edward. The dogs in the kennels might start to howl when they hear her screech at me." He just chuckled and assured me they would be fine.
A very masculine voice answered and I sent up a prayer of thanks it was Phil and not my mother on the phone. Then again, I could hear her yelling in the background, "Is that her? Is she safe? Please tell me it isn't some random doctor somewhere calling to inform me she's dead!" Edward looked at me with a raised eyebrow and started to chuckle.
"Hi, Phil," I answered, "It's me. Please tell mom I'm alive and well."
"Well, there is a random doctor here, but I'm not calling to inform you of your daughter's demise," Edward laughed next to me. I tried to frantically shush him, but he only laughed louder.
I could hear Phil calling to my mom in the background, letting her know it was me and a doctor. I knew he did that just as payback for making my mother frantic. "I don't envy you, Bella!" he laughed before letting me know mom was there.
"Thanks a lot!" I called, invoking more laughter as he handed the phone over.
"Bella? Bella? Is that you? You're not dead? You had better be dead, young lady, or at least near dead. No other excuse is allowed. You know to call me right when you stop for the night! I was frantic! I was sure some drunk Texan had run you off the road and you were bleeding to death, or were trampled by cows, or bit by some snake or something. What happened?"
"Well, Mrs. Dwyer," Edward answered, "she was almost trampled by cattle and did sustain a small injury." Then there was silence for at least a minute.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly, fear evident in her voice.
"I'm Dr. Edward Cullen, ma'am. Bella is sitting right next to me," he explained and I hit him.
"Do you want to give my mother a heart attack?" I hissed when he yelped and started rubbing his arm.
"Bella? Honey? Are you well enough to talk?" my mother asked in a shuddering voice, tears evident now.
"Mom, I'm fine. I just got a scratch from the tree I climbed up. Esme gave me a bandage. Edward is just making it sound worse than it is," I explained.
I was met again with silence for a minute. "Edward, huh? Not Dr. Cullen?" Now I began to fear. Her voice had gone from overwrought mother to hopeful soon-to-be mother-in-law faster than light travels in a vacuum. I knew that sound. It was the sound she always got when she would introduce me to 'nice young men' she thought were marriage worthy. "And who is Esme?"
"That's my mother," Edward continued to explain, earning another slap from me. "I took her there after I picked her up."
"Your mother's place? So, Bella, you've met his mother already?" she continued to pry and I knew I needed to give her the whole story before this became even more uncomfortable.
"Mom, I decided to take a side trip because it was so pretty where I was driving, only my car broke down, and so – "
"YOUR CAR BROKE DOWN?!?" she screeched as I cringed. I forgot to leave that part out. "I TOLD Phil to not let you get some little car! I knew it was a death trap waiting to happen. What if it had broken down in the middle of nowhere, leaving you stranded with no way to get help? Anything could have happened!" she continued to rant on, but I turned the sound down on the phone as Edward continued to laugh.
"Mrs. Dwyer!" he called, trying to break her from her rant, "she actually broke down on my ranch, so it's all right. I'm afraid I might have distracted her from calling you since I sat up all night talking to her." As soon as those words registered we were again met with silence for a minute.
"So, you own a ranch?" she asked, and now we're back to hopeful soon-to-be mother-in-law.
"Well, my parents do. I own a share of it, but my house hasn't been completed yet, so I'm still living at their home."
"You're building a house?" both my mother and I asked at the same time.
Edward turned to me, "Well, yeah. I can't live with my parents forever, even if I do love them. I was planning on showing it to you tonight. Alice was going to help me pick out paint colors, but maybe you would like to?"
"Bella?" I heard my mother through the fog that had developed in my brain, "why is the doctor asking you to pick out paint samples?"
"Well, Mrs. Dwyer, I was hoping your daughter would be happy there, and figured if she picked out the colors it would be more likely. I guess I should ask her father, but since I have you on the phone, I'll ask you if it would be all right to marry her if she agrees."
And then a shriek came across the phone loud enough to set all the dogs barking, the cows lowing, and Mrs. Cope running into the office brandishing a firearm, all while causing pain to my eardrums. "You're getting married!" she screamed over and over as if being twenty-three and unmarried meant I was doomed to spinsterhood or something. I could easily envision her dancing around the room, and cringed when I heard her tell Phil to call Charlie.
"Mom!" I called repeatedly trying to get her attention, happy when I heard Phil tell her she had to get off the phone with me before he could call Charlie since both cell phones were dead. "Mom, I just met him yesterday! We aren't getting married! Well, not for a while at least." I added the last part when I saw Edward's face fall.
"But, Bella," mom whispered into the phone, "he's a doctor!"
"And he's sitting right here and can hear every word you say!" I grumped back.
Edward started to chuckle again. "Actually, I'm a vet, Mrs. Dwyer. I hope that's not a problem."
"Oh, no, Edward, no problem at all! Where did you go to school?" I groaned as the questions came. Renee was very good at getting information. What I feared was when Edward faced Charlie. That would make the Spanish Inquisition seem like an afternoon with Oprah. Mrs. Cope slipped out of the room with a smile, shoving her small firearm back into the waist of her jeans with a wink while Edward gave his life history to my mother. I supposed I should be listening.
There would be no way I could get away with not marrying him now. I think he knew that. If he didn't, he did as soon as my mom asked him why he knew he wanted to marry me after only knowing me for a day. When he told her about the humming she instantly asked me about my blood singing. I looked at Edward with a blush. "Yes, it does mom. Like angels."
The smile he got then rivaled the sun.
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