A/N for 2020-02-09: I think this has to be my favourite chapter in the whole story, not because of where we are plot-wise, but for the interactions between Josh and Edward. Many, many thanks to Eeyorefan 12 for whipping my words into shape and keeping this story on track.
~ Erin
"I-cream," Josh said, putting a dripping spoonful of ice cream and chocolate sauce to Edward's lips. "Share."
"Mmm," Edward said, pretending to taste some and control his gag reflex at the same time
Josh nodded, turning back to the table and spooning more ice cream into his mouth.
Edward's and Bella's sundaes were yet untouched. Esme had pretended to serve everyone some, herself and Carlisle included. While she and Carlisle had done a good job imitating the requisite eating and appreciating, Edward and Bella had utterly failed at this appointed task. Edward had barely been able to let go of Bella since they'd been physically reunited. Right now, his arm was wound tightly around her, and her hands were quietly clenched into the loose fabric of his shirt.
"Don't you want yours?" Meredith asked Bella. She wiped daintily at her mouth with her napkin.
"Nope. I saved mine for you," Bella said, releasing Edward's shirt and nudging her bowl towards Meredith.
Beside Edward, Josh squeaked indignantly.
"Don't worry, I saved mine for you," Edward said, pushing his over.
He watched the children finish their second servings more slowly.
"Weren't you two going out for a walk?" Carlisle asked as he stood in the corner of the kitchen. He was texting Sam about a question related to Seth's follow-up treatment. Apparently, Seth's wife was struggling with the story she'd been presented with and wanted to know why Seth didn't need a visit to a clinic. "With a blanket?" he added, not looking up from his phone. His expression hadn't changed but his innocent tone fooled no one.
Edward smelled Bella's blush before he saw it and chuckled. "Well?" he asked her.
"I'm up for a 'walk', so long as I don't have to walk anywhere," she whispered. "Honestly, I am exhausted, even though I have no reason to be."
"You have every reason to be," he murmured. He thought of all the strain the last days and weeks, even months. As if the pregnancy alone weren't enough to deal with.
"Grandpa says we're exhausting," Meredith piped up.
All the adults laughed softly at this, even Edward.
Bella still made no move whatsoever to stir from her cozy spot beside him, and Edward found himself staring again at his phone and the coded message Alice had sent him an hour before: Curly-haired friend on way to visit old acquaintances. All possible routes are short and end in final destinations. Watching for now.
There was no question as to what Alice was reporting. Victoria would soon be dead, one way or the other. Her choice to seek help from a former coven seemed to be the clinching point. The outcome remained the same despite the means by which it occurred. Victoria was almost certainly gone.
"Still don't believe it?" Bella whispered.
"Not quite yet," he whispered back.
"No one with any sense bets against Alice," she said, taking a sip of water.
He put the phone down. While Alice would have been pleased at Bella's absolute faith in her, she would also have been the first to admit that her gift wasn't infallible. Being unable to use it around the wolves was just one example.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind going outside for a little while." Bella said.
The sun was close to setting, but there was enough shade on the east side of the house to allow them to safely sit and enjoy the last bit of daylight. While there were two chaise lounges to use, Bella chose to settle on his lap.
"You said she saw several visions of Victoria being destroyed?" Bella asked him.
"Yes," Edward said. He'd phoned Alice after receiving her message, earning him an exasperated sigh, and a, "There's not much point in a coded message if you're just going to phone me, Edward." But she'd talked him through his obsessive worry. Alice's voice had been light with hope. She'd seen the end of Victoria. He just wished she was close enough that he could see what she had. "We're on the right track. If I'm right—and we both know I'm nearly always right, Edward—Jaz and I are going to find a pile of smoking ash near a quiet beach in Suriname or in French Guiana."
"Yes," he said again to Bella.
She pressed her warm palms to his cheeks. "You get to stop worrying now."
He smiled. How easy she made it seem. When Alice brought him back a pile of ashes, he would let go of his worry then.
"And you're going to have to find something else to do with your time instead of worry."
His palm pressed to her cheek. "I have no desire to do anything but abandon my very well-established habit of worrying about Victoria, and worry instead about your and our children's welfare."
She giggled, but her smile stretched wide. Her forefinger traced an unpredictable pattern over his shirt. "I like the sound of that—'our children.'"
He did too.
He tightened his arms around her, nuzzling into her neck.
"Now we can have hope instead of worry," she said. "Or, at least, only worry about things that normal people do."
He laughed. "This supernatural being is very much ready for normal people worries."
"Well good," she said, pulling back. "So take me to bed and you can enjoy worrying like a normal person. Or not. Maybe just enjoy."
And so he did.
- ooo 000 ooo -
The move from Forks was to be a permanent one, and so the packing at the Cullen house took on a far greater scope that had been initially planned for. Alice and Jasper had returned in time to help, though, the couple bearing a grisly gift for Edward and Bella.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me unless I brought this to you," Alice said to her brother.
Bella held the small glass vial in her hand, turning it over, eyeing the ash as it tumbled in the cylinder. Her lips were twisted with strong feeling.
When Edward held out his hand, Bella placed the object into it. He too turned it over, watching the ash move only under the influence of gravity.
"She's dead" Bella breathed out, her tone more query than statement.
"She's dead," Alice said decisively, nodding for emphasis.
If it weren't for his own ability to see what his sister did, Edward's doubt would be harder to overcome, but Alice's visions had been precise as she'd replayed them for him. Victoria had apparently sought out former allies who had not appreciated her making them party to a feud with the large and talented Olympic coven. Alice and Jasper had found the ashes, just as she'd seen, drifting on the beach in French Guiana. They had also found small pieces of vampire flesh littering the beach which Jasper had assured him carried Victoria's scent, but which he had chosen to destroy at the site.
Bella's lips were a thin line. "She's caused—she's done so much damage. It's just hard to believe she's gone."
"I know," Edward said, putting the vial down on the table, trading the vessel for Bella's hand. He took a breath and let it out slowly before adding, "But, she is, and we get to live our lives."
Jasper chuckled. "That would be so much more convincing if you actually believed it."
Edward shot him a dark look.
It's true, brother, Jasper said silently, shrugging. And I know how much you wanted to do it yourself but take the win.
Edward nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to his mate
"It will take time," Edward told Bella, smoothing a hand over her hair, then letting it rest at the side of her abdomen. He was rewarded with a vigorous kick from the small occupant inside, and smiled.
She leaned into him, face pressed to his chest. But when she pulled back, she was sporting a mischievous grin. "Then let's say farewell. Do the honours?" she picked up the vial and put it in his hand, eyeing the forest beyond the river. "Bu-bye bitch!" she called, as Edward hurled it into the distance.
Alice clapped when she heard it smash. "And that is how you start your happily ever after," she said, nodding definitively.
And while Edward knew it might signal the end of one trial for himself and Bella, his heart was also heavy with guilt. In being so preoccupied with eradicating this one threat, they had not yet managed to find a way free for Jasper and Alice.
Jasper looked at him, a sad smile on his face as he felt Edward's concern. There may yet be a way, and if there is not, we will make peace with our fate.
The other minds around the house were freer with their joy. It was something to be celebrated, even with this other difficulty before them.
"We will find a way," Edward said to Jasper, firmly resolving to somehow keep all his family whole, safe from lives of fear or brutal obligation.
- ooo 000 ooo -
Edward's gaze was on Josh, but his mind was following Bella in Meredith's thoughts.
In their years apart, her face had acquired more detailed terrain—small roads of emotion etched into lines that told him she'd laughed more than she'd frowned. He appreciated this geography. It lessened his still-present guilt, although it was always there lurking in the shadows. She'd worried too, this evidenced by the sometimes-dimple that perched above her nose. That anxious mark was active now, while the rest of her face was carefully animated as she talked with Meredith about what her first day of kindergarten would be like.
Bella couldn't be there for it, and while she'd claimed it was fine, Edward knew better.
Meredith knew too.
If Josh cared that Bella would be away, Edward would be aware of it. As a creature of simpler desires, Josh was uncomplicatedly happy to spend his day with Edward. His mother's absence would be a fleeting one in his world.
Edward let his eyes slide away from Josh and rest on the woman he loved. She often said her face was an open book for anyone who knew her, but he amended that statement: it was an open book for anyone who knew her well. She'd learned to school her feelings as they played out on her delicate features. A useful skill for a high-school teacher.
"I have to go," she sighed. "But I want to hear all about your day when you're home." She hugged Meredith, and then Josh, and then sort of sighed, leaning into Edward's arms. "And you too."
"Mmm," he answered. He didn't want her to leave either, but there was no way he was going to admit to that. She wanted to work, and work she would if it pleased her. When they'd returned to Vancouver, she'd tentatively suggested giving up her position, saying it would only be a few months before the baby arrived. Edward had surprised himself by opposing the idea, knowing how much she loved her work. That he wanted her to rest more was beside the point. The original teacher Bella had been covering for had returned part-time to work, leaving Bella with one full day of work every other day. She was well enough, especially with the removal of Victoria from their lives, and needed to make her own choices. They were finding their balance in decision-making, a give and take that took practise and time.
While Victoria was no longer a threat, Edward had admitted that he wasn't quite ready to let go of the patterns of protection that had become habit in their family. Rose and Emmett would stay nearby when Bella was at work, just as the other family members would take turns watching Meredith at school. He would have liked to have Alice and Jasper linger near Charlie but in honouring Sam's request, the Cullens had left the peninsula permanently, with the pack promising that they would keep an eye on Charlie as he continued to grieve for Sue. And while part of Edward envied Rose and Emmett their task, in particular, he was happy with his own, smaller charge at home.
"Don't forget—" Bella started, picking up her bag at the door.
"The immunization forms. I remember." He smirked at her as she reached for the door handle.
A few days before, Carlisle had been greatly amused by Edward's insistence on applying lidocaine cream before his father administered necessary vaccinations to both Meredith and Josh but he had signed the paperwork with a wide smile. "I never thought I'd immunize my own grandchildren." While they hadn't had as many opportunities to show it amidst the mortal stresses they faced, Carlisle and Esme were delighted by the notion of having grandchildren.
"Oh, and if you get a chance—"
"I will trade contact information with the other kindergarten parents."
Bella blushed. "Thank you. You're amazing."
"Yes, I am. Now, have fun. Don't work too hard," Edward said, waving at her, fighting the urge to go to the door and touch her, kiss her, delay her to the point of getting her fired.
Rose and Emmett's thoughts told Edward they were outside waiting. He caught a glimpse of their car as it pulled away from the curb, with Bella now inside.
"I'm going to go change," Meredith announced, attempting to sound more confident than her thoughts indicated.
"Oh?" Edward asked innocently, nudging Josh's bowl towards him as a reminder to eat.
"I want to wear the blue dress," Meredith said. An anxious worry lay beneath the words, and Edward pondered how best to coax it out of her verbally. She was currently wearing the practical t-shirt and shorts that Bella had helped her pick.
"It might be a bit warm in that," Edward mused.
"I'll be okay," Meredith said, hurrying away, looking a little nervously at Edward. She'd expected him to say no.
"Why don't we pack your shirt and shorts in case you change your mind?" He asked.
She stopped. "We can do that?"
"Of course."
"Oh," she said, shoulders relaxing. "I'll bring them back!"
It was getting close to time to leave by the time Meredith returned to the kitchen. Josh had finally been convinced to eat, though there had been no progress on the clothes-changing front.
"No! Jamas!" He pouted, folding his arms over his blue pajama shirt. With his strident breathing, the little black bat image on it seemed to flutter.
"Okay. It sounds like you want to wear your pajamas," Edward said. It wasn't a fight that needed having, and he chose to help Josh with his words, instead. "Is that right?"
Josh's ill-feelings vanished instantly with Edward's acknowledgement and he bounced away. His trust was a profound thing, and when given, given wholly. It was gratifying for Edward to know he had earned it yet again.
Meredith had reappeared in her dark blue dress. It was the sort of outfit he imagined Alice would have worn when she was Mer's age—almost a hundred years ago. The heavy navy cotton featured a prim collar and a gathered skirt whose lines were distorted by an unusual protuberance at the front and the back. Meredith eyed Edward, deciding, as many children did, that as an adult, he was completely unobservant. This was contrary to all her prior experience with him and the cognitive dissonance was jarring for him.
He eyed her casually, contemplating what approach to take.
"That's a very grown-up dress," he finally pronounced, clearing the dishes off the table.
Meredith didn't respond, sitting down awkwardly.
"Should we take a picture to send to your grandpa?"
"Okay!" Meredith said, still shifting uncomfortably.
Edward pulled out his phone. "Maybe by the door?"
As she moved towards it, Meredith's hand clutched at the back of the dress, holding something in place.
Deciding her behaviour had been unusual enough for the average human to notice, Edward lowered his phone, "Are you holding something under your dress, Mer?"
"No."
"It looks like you are." He kept his voice even and gentle.
Meredith's eyes tried to find a comfortable place to settle on Edward's face. Not finding one, they slid to the floor.
"That must be uncomfortable. Maybe you want to put it in your bag instead?" Edward asked.
Meredith still didn't say anything, turning her back to him, pulling up the hem of her dress, and then turning back around to face him. She had one of the hand towels squished between her fingers.
"It's okay to take a towel." Edward had sunk to a squat, so that they were at eye-level.
Meredith's hands twisted the fabric. "Okay," she said quietly.
Edward nudged a little closer, daring to reach out two fingers to hook one of hers. "Are you worried about something?"
The words and tears were synonymous. "What if I have an accident at school?"
Edward grasped her hand with his, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Well, if that happens, the teacher is probably going to notice, and will help you get to the bathroom and change your clothes."
"But what if they don't?"
"Do you think you could tell them?"
"Yes," Mer hiccoughed. She flung her arms around Edward and sobbed even more.
He picked her up, carrying her back to the table. "Have you been worrying about this a lot?" He'd heard occasional flickers of it, but this was the first time it had slipped into the forefront of her mind, no doubt brought on by the excitement of the day.
"Yes," she sniffled.
"Do you want me to talk to the teacher about it when we get there?"
"Can you?" Mer asked, picking up a napkin to wipe her nose.
"Certainly," Edward said, thinking about the time, pretending to glance at the clock. They would be late if they didn't leave soon, though he hated to rush her this morning. "But perhaps we should get going soon?"
Mer nodded, and then leaned over and slumped herself onto Edward in a rag-doll hug. "Thank you, Edward."
"You're welcome," he said, smiling. This was a true first for him and Meredith. Her trust had been difficult to earn, but it was getting a little bit easier day-by-day. Bella both praised and encouraged his efforts, and as much as he wanted to say he didn't need the encouragement, he did. Earning Josh's trust had been hard work, but he understood Josh at a level he could only aspire to with Meredith.
While he didn't want to relinquish Meredith's rare embrace, he knew they were pressed for time, and that she would soon begin to feel his coldness. "Why don't you go get your shoes on, and I'll go get Josh ready to go."
Meredith wiped at her eyes once more, and then slipped away to do as he'd asked.
By the time Edward convinced Josh to leave, they were almost ten minutes late. "I think we should probably drive," Edward concluded.
"Mommy said we were going to walk," Meredith said worriedly. "We're not supposed to drive to school. We're supposed to walk. It's better for the environment." She looked accusingly at Edward's car—or what Bella still called Edward's car. His ostentatious car.
Rose had rolled her eyes at the description. "An Audi, ostentatious," she'd snorted. "Does she even know about the Aston? Or the Lamborghini?"
"Then do you want a piggyback ride?" Edward asked.
"Back!" Josh squealed excitedly. Mer's nod was equally energetic.
Carrying one of them would have been fine, but by the time he'd jogged to just a block shy of the school, Mer on his shoulders and Josh in his arms, he'd been spotted by another parent who was also late in arriving.
"Wow," the woman said, watching Edward hoist Meredith off his shoulders, setting her down on the ground. "That's a workout."
"It sure is," Edward said, pretending to be out of breath.
"I'm Carly, and this is my son Liam. You're . . . ?"
"Edward-and Josh and Meredith." He nodded in greeting, ignoring her extended hand, occupying his own with Josh's and Meredith's.
"It's nice to meet you, Edward." she said, not giving up.
"Man," Josh corrected, looking at Edward and back toward the woman, avoiding eye contact.
Carly had completely forgotten about her own child, her gaze stripping the clothes off of Edward. She hadn't even heard Josh.
"Pardon us, we're late," Edward lifted his chin in the direction of the school.
"Oh, yes. Kindergarten?" Carly asked, her mind still unwholesomely preoccupied.
"Yeah, today's my first day!" Mer announced.
"Mine too," the very small Liam announced. He had thick, dark plastic-rimmed glasses on. Then he looked at Josh. "I like your shirt."
"Batman," Josh said congenially.
"Yeah, he's cool."
"Man," Josh agreed as he eyed Edward, taking Liam's comment at face value and considering it a comment on Edward's body temperature.
Edward couldn't help but let a small grin brew on his face.
"Welcome kindergarten families!" A man called from the front of the school. He was tall and lean, his large spidery hands cupped to his face, augmenting the sound in a well-practised motion. "Please come on in!"
The disordered group of adults and children followed him inside, Edward, Mer and Josh among them.
Today would only be a half-day, with parents staying for the first half-hour, leaving, and then picking their children up before lunch.
While Edward had explained this plan to Joshua, the concept had not quite stuck. Faced with a room of brand-new toys, Josh was utterly engrossed, and while Edward watched Meredith play with the other children, he prepared himself to deal with a melt-down when departure time arrived.
The paperwork and conversations with the teacher taken care of, Edward stayed close to Josh, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He wasn't successful. Several parents had clustered near him—all of them women.
"Your children are beautiful. Do they get their red hair from you?" Carly asked. She'd used their synchronous arrival as a sort of claim on his attention, physically blocking other people from approaching or conversing with him. She was single, and she'd noted his bare left hand.
Mer, however, surprised him with her attentive—and dare he characterize it as so—protective response. "Edward's going to be my step-father."
"Oh," Carly said, an audibly disappointed droop in her tone.
"Is that like a stepmother?" Liam asked, squinting up at Mer.
"Kinda?" Mer said, unprepared for the question.
"Like evil and stuff?"
Mer frowned at him. "Edward's not evil." She glanced at him, thinking first of Cinderella's mean stepmother and her fondness for cats, then remembering how Bubbles hadn't liked Edward. She decided this was difference enough between them.
"But stepmothers are," Liam said. He stared at Edward, assessing his appearance.
"The wedding's in a few weeks," Edward explained to Carly, who was listening closely to the children's conversation, clearly seeking information.
Her disappointment did not diminish her imaginative capacity as she envisioned herself as Edward's bride. On their wedding night.
"Alright parents, time to say goodbye for a few hours. Make sure you remind your child how much fun they're going to have today!" the teacher called.
Grateful for a reason to move his attention away from Carly, Edward turned to Mer. "We'll come back for you in two hours, okay?"
"Okay," she said nervously, glancing around. Some children were crying.
Having catalogued the teacher's intentions, Edward plucked at a likely topic. "I'll bet you're going to get to draw—probably someone in your family. Who do you think you'd like to draw?"
"Alice," Mer said without hesitation.
"Good choice," he replied, already imagining Alice's delight.
As expected, Josh was mightily displeased with the idea of leaving. Edward pointed out the playground, visible from the classroom windows. "No one else is using the slide," he murmured in his ear.
Josh turned to bolt, and Edward let him go, knowing there was no risk of losing him. However, the teacher, only seeing a child running from the room, stepped to physically block the doorway, putting a hand out to stop Josh from leaving.
Josh's shriek was loud—ear-splitting. A few parents actually cringed, and Edward moved quickly to reach him.
"I've got him," he told the teacher, who nodded, obviously alarmed by Josh's reaction.
Picking up his small, straining body, Edward carried Josh into the hall, where the shrieking continued, and the flailing began.
The shrieks had become repeated, high-pitched, "NO'S!" His mind was locked into this refusal, circling and cycling in his rigid resistance. There would be no breaking the pattern until he wearied, and Edward hugged Josh to his chest, pretending to take long, slow breaths in an attempt to get him to regulate his own.
"It's okay," he murmured in his ear. "We'll come back later, and then we'll all go home together."
It was definitely not what Josh wanted to hear and now his rage at being restrained morphed into fury at not being able to go back into the classroom.
The screaming had begun to attract the attention of other adults in the building, a few teachers' heads popping out of doors from down the hall, then retracting when they saw Edward.
Slowly, Edward began walking down the corridor. Abrupt movements during tantrums only aggravated Josh.
A few other parents had gathered by the entrance to the building, and it was to this small crowd that Edward appeared, Josh's board-stiff screaming body in his arms. Almost all of them stared, the majority with judgement.
God, that must suck, having to take care of someone else's poorly-raised kid.
Not surprising, I hear he's a step-dad. It's not like he knows what he's doing.
That must be so embarassing.
I hope that kid's sister isn't as badly-behaved.
Oh that poor child, and that poor father. He's doing so well staying calm. That's gotta be tough.
Judgemental thoughts didn't trouble him, but he wanted to know where the generous viewpoint came from. Sweeping his gaze over the informal assembly, he made note of the faces, his mysterious defender's among them, as he turned to walk towards the playground. Josh's body was softening. Next would come the tears, then the wobbly hours of recovery, and finally, Edward hoped for Josh's sake, a nap. By the time Bella came home, Josh would be his usual, sunny self.
Fishing in his shoulder bag, Edward pulled out a granola bar and flicked open the wrapper. "Hungry?"
"Hungy," Josh hiccoughed, weeping into Edward's shirt. He wiped his nose on the shoulder seam.
After he ate a few bites, Josh slithered down from Edward's grip, testing the ground beneath his feet. He'd worn Meredith's old, hot-pink Crocs. The playground's wood chips felt pleasantly nubby under the soft rubber soles. He smiled at Edward.
Edward smiled back.
"Man," Josh said.
"Edward," he countered.
"Man," Josh said again, though repeating 'Edward' silently in his mind.
"Dr. Cullen," Edward chuckled.
"Man," Josh giggled, also thinking of Edward's other title.
Edward waited a moment. "Daddy," he said quietly, watching Josh intently.
After a moment's hesitation, Josh pronounced, "Man."
Hearing the thoughts coming up behind him, Edward's shoulders drooped a little. He was always listening—and always listening carefully—but she hadn't been a threat. It was hardly dangerous that she knew his title, but he didn't like it.
"Hi," Carly said.
She was a very determined person.
"Hi," Edward said, giving her a fleeting and unencouraging smile.
"He didn't want to leave, huh?"
"Mmm," Edward said, hoping she would.
No such luck. She sat down on the bench beside him. If it wouldn't have garnered so much attention, he would've groaned, hearing the bent of her thoughts.
"Some kids just need to learn things the hard way."
She didn't think Josh had gone through something difficult? He'd been completely overwhelmed—
"It's important for them to have consistent expectations." Carly added.
The woman, a mother of two very easy-going children, had no direct experience of children with exceptional needs. Her opinion, when she encountered such creatures, was that their parents were simply unskilled, or undisciplined.
He could easily end her lecture—because that's what she was working up to—by telling her Josh was Autistic. But it wasn't her place to know, and he doubted it would make her more understanding in the long-run.
"Children need adults who understand their needs," he countered, his tone making it clear he wasn't lacking in confidence or experience.
She smirked, a knowing sort of smile that said she knew better. "Do you have your own children?" she asked.
Edward looked at Josh and then at her. "Just the ones I'm raising."
She shrugged.
It wasn't that she was tone deaf, her mind was just like so many others he encountered daily: ignorant and judgemental.
Now he chuckled, remembering what Bella had told him at the playground once: "I don't need to educate all the other parents. Besides, that would be exhausting."
Carly was assessing his other possibilities as a parent. However, most of her thoughts had little to do with parenting—unless one counted the activities which led to becoming one.
"I overheard you chatting with your . . . son. You're a doctor?"
"Yes," he said curtly, marvelling that the woman had just admitted eavesdropping on his conversation, and now wanted to discuss it. She was brazen, annoyingly so.
"Butterfly!" Josh said, pointing to the insect on the plant in front of him.
"Oh, that's a moth, sweetie," Carly said.
Josh ignored her, watching the small white-winged creature flutter away over the play structure. He was studying its wings and the way they moved.
Carly continued her unwanted intrusion.
"He's very focused," she noted.
"Yes, he is," Edward agreed. He let his gaze follow Josh's, still locked on the moth, then testing the rainbow of colours on the play structure. He felt a brief thrill of pride at Josh's intelligent observations.
Carly cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm coordinating something of a contact list for all the kindergarten parents. You know, so we can get to know each other better." She had already imagined too many ways she could enjoy knowing Edward.
"I'd love to be part of that," he said, grinning as he saw his opening. He pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his bag, and scribbled down Bella's email address and phone number. "Here you go."
"Oh," Carly said, pulling back the phone she had been holding out. She'd hoped he would text her. "Thanks."
Edward gave her the most cursory of smiles, and then got up and followed Josh to where he'd wandered, a few feet away. He was absorbed by the flowerbed, making sense of the colours and shapes, playing with the way they fit together, or didn't, fingering a petal on a flower that broke its expected Fibonacci sequence.
Seeing Josh so consumed with what his eyes had captured, Edward waited silently, knowing his words would be wasted at the moment. He would give him words for these things later.
Carly had wandered back to the dwindling group of parents by the school entrance.
"Thank God for small favours," Edward mumbled to himself.
The remainder of the morning was spent quietly examining the new playground and its few flowerbeds. Edward made a mental note to find some plants that would over-winter in the yard. He could see Josh enjoying tending to them.
Where Josh had been quiet, Meredith was a font of words. She had four new friends and hadn't had an accident. And the teacher seemed really nice. He also spoke for part of the day in French.
"Très bon!" Edward exclaimed as they headed home, explaining what he'd said. Mer had stared at him in amazement for just a moment before excitedly asking him to name several more things in French as they walked.
When Josh went down for his afternoon nap, Meredith's words seemed to exhaust themselves, and she busied herself with reproducing the pictures from the book the teacher had given her. Edward tidied and cleaned at his full speed upstairs, then more slowly in the kitchen, getting most of the ingredients for dinner ready. Close to Josh's wake-up, Meredith asked, very, very politely, if she could watch some TV. Edward acquiesced, and when she disappeared into the den, cleaned up the rest of the main floor as quickly as he could without drawing her attention.
Neither of the children noticed that the house was neat and clean.
By the time Bella came home, dinner was in the oven, and Meredith and Josh were bathed and in their pajamas. He'd left a small bowl of cashews and a glass of juice on the kitchen island, right where she would see them when she walked in the door.
Not that he wasn't right there to greet her.
"Wow," she said, taking in the tidy room and chuckling, "you're hired. . . again."
He chuckled too. "We can discuss my compensation later." Bending down, he kissed her, and she blinked back up at him as he pulled away, seeming to have lost her words.
Meredith had heard the door and was up and into the kitchen, ready to communicate every single detail of her first day of Kindergarten to Bella as she followed her mother to her bedroom to change clothes
When asked at the dinner table about his day, Josh only said, "Man," to Bella, his smile and contented expression communicating that all had been well.
After the children were in bed, Bella and Edward retreated as usual to the couch, curling up and enjoying the house's silence.
"It sounds like it went really well today," Bella murmured, eyes closed as she leaned against his arm.
"It did." He hadn't told her about Carly yet.
"Meredith was very excited to learn that you had yet another hidden talent." Bella's eyes were still closed as she said this but she opened them and gave him a little smirk when she saw the confusion on his face. "Parlez vous Francais?"
He gave a tiny shrug and chuckled. "Children are easily impressed."
"Especially by people who are patient with them when they are asked to name-let's see, was it every animal and inanimate object she spotted on the walk home?"
Edward just smiled.
"Anyway, " Bella closed her eyes again as she settled back against him, "she was quite impressed."
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Edward spending a few moments listening to Bella's even breathing and both her steady heartbeat and the more rapid one of the baby growing inside her. It was clear her active day had not done her any harm, although she was obviously tired. He was expecting her to fall asleep when her eyes suddenly popped open again.
"I forgot to ask! Did you exchange contact information with anyone?" she asked.
Edward pretended to clear his throat. "I did."
"Who?" She sounded excited.
"Well, I should say I didn't exchange contact information, but I did put your name on a parent contact list for the whole kindergarten."
Her face fell a tiny bit. "Oh."
"What?" he asked. "I was supposed to, yes?"
"Yes, no, it's fine—I mean, thank you." The worried dimple had appeared between her eyebrows.
"What's wrong?" he pressed.
She shook her head.
"Something's wrong," he said. "What is it?"
"Why my name?" she asked. "And not both our names?"
Ah. He grinned and then explained.
"Oh," Bella said, smirking a little. "Right. I should've expected that."
"I don't think you should," Edward admonished her.
"You, Edward Cullen, don't expect women to fall all over you? Oh creature with all the allurements to entice its prey?"
He leaned into her, making her shift so that he was holding her waist, bringing his face nose-to-nose with her own. When they were this close, he knew his scent tended to stun her slightly, and he took advantage of this fact now. "There's only one person I want to entice. I don't want my wife to ever worry that another woman would so much as capture my attention." He kissed the tip of her nose, her eyelids, her forehead, and finally, her lips. "I am hers, and hers alone—"
This profession was interrupted by a shrieked, "MAAAAAAN!" from upstairs.
"Except when I am her son's," he sighed.
Bella put a hand to the bottom of her belly, supporting it through her laughter.
Edward moved quickly up the stairs, smiling at the sound of Bella's amusement and already anticipating his return to her arms. The tingle in his chest was unfamiliar, a perception of warmth in direct contrast to his frigid body, and he wondered at it. But as he reached Josh's doorway and his eyes met the tearful and relieved ones of the boy he had come to love, he didn't have to wonder what he was feeling anymore.
It was joy.
DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.