Best Laid Plans Heather Burkett
Chapter 34: Question
I swatted at Edward's hand playfully. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, c'mon. No one's going to miss a little bit of batter." He smiled, licking the pumpkin spice concoction from his finger with a smile.
I laughed at his playfulness as I began to place the cupcake liners into the muffin pan.
Edward spent Wednesday night at my place just so he could have the "Full Thanksgiving Experience" with me – as he called it – on Thursday. I decided to start with the pumpkin spice muffins as the rest of the food would need to be made closer to our departure, to ensure it was hot for mealtime.
We always had too much food at our Thanksgiving gathering, but everyone had their "special dishes" that they just had to make, which I found was also the case for Edward. He insisted on participating by making his mother's "famous deviled eggs".
"They're actually very simple, but they seem to be a hit whenever she makes them." He advised, pulling out a decorative crystal egg-tray. "This was my grandmother's tray originally. Mom learned the recipe from her. I grew up helping out in the kitchen, so I've known how to make them for years – but everyone still gives mom the credit." He laughed, shaking his head fondly at the memory.
"And she passed the egg tray down to you?" I asked in wonder.
"Not yet. I think mom wants me to impress your family as much as I want to impress them. She insisted on loaning this to me for the day, so the eggs would have a 'decent presentation', as she called it." He chuckled to himself.
"Aw, that was so sweet of her!" I acknowledged as I began ladling batter into the cupcake liners.
"Here, let me help you with that." Edward offered, holding the bowl at a slight angle for me so that I could better scrape out the contents.
"Thanks babe." I answered. His resounding smile was proof that the newness of the term of endearment still hadn't worn off.
"So, why cupcakes? I thought everyone was about pies on Thanksgiving?" He asked as he watched me work.
"Oh, there will be pies there. But, Sarah is not a fan of pie, so I try to always have another option for her. Since I started making these a few years ago, they seem to be her favorite, so it's become a family tradition now."
"I can see why. That mouthful was delicious!" He grinned mischievously.
We worked in companionable silence for a moment as I finished prepping the cupcakes and put them into the oven to bake.
"Alrighty, on to the eggs." I said, spinning around to the sink and washing my hands.
"You're going to help me?" He asked, looking surprised.
"Of course! Traditions deserve to be shared, after all." I smiled.
"You just want to know the secret of my deviled eggs." He side-eyed me suspiciously.
"That too." I teased, leaning in to kiss him quickly.
"Alrighty then, we're going to need two medium bowls, a knife, a fork, mayo, mustard, pepper, paprika and paper towels." He instructed, placing the items onto the dining room table as I handed them to him.
"Do you need measuring spoons or anything?" I asked.
"We don't measure in my household." He laughed as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "You have to feel it in here, Bella." He advised, rubbing his hand over my stomach. "It's all instinct."
"But, doesn't that turn out different every time?" I inquired.
"We've been doing this for years. It just comes natural after a while." He answered as he grabbed the crystal egg tray and the pot of cooled, hardboiled eggs and carried them to the table as well.
We sat beside each other, talking as we worked. It felt so very domestic – natural and comfortable, but new and exciting at the same time. It was easy to imagine just sitting here with him, year after year, reliving traditions together.
Edward was right, the deviled egg recipe was pretty simple but – the end result was comfort food on crack. I could see why they were a yearly must-have.
Edward cleaned the dining room table as I tended to the cupcakes from of the oven.
"So, what's next on the list?" He asked, wiping down the tabletop with a damp paper towel.
"We're ahead of schedule, so we have about an hour before I need to start the mac and cheese."
"Hmm..." He crooned, sidling up behind me and untying my apron strings. "There's a lot we can do in an hour." He leaned forward, kissing my neck, along the side of my throat and sucking my earlobe between his lips, biting down on it gently.
"I thought you wanted to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV?" I speculated breathlessly.
"Oh...sure..." He answered, his hands sliding under the apron and over my hip bones, pulling my hips back against him. "We can definitely put whatever you want on TV."
His hands wandered up slowly over my stomach, his fingers rubbing lazy circles over my nipples as his hands ghosted higher, palming my chest.
"Because we're not going to be watching it, are we?" I asked, allowing my head to loll back so that he could kiss further along my throat as his hands massaged me.
"We could." He spoke against my skin, "If you really want to." He ran his tongue along a swirling path against the side of my throat. "But I'd much rather take my time showing you what I'm thankful for on this holiday." He thrust his hips against my backside, accentuating his point.
"Edward..." I swooned as my legs went weak.
He lifted me effortlessly into his arms, carrying me bridal style out of the kitchen, down the hall and into my bedroom.
"Can you stand for a minute?" He asked. I nodded just before he set me down on my feet, quickly pulling his tee-shirt off over his head; the fine expanse of muscles in his arms, chest and stomach rippling with the motion.
I followed suit, slipping the floral apron off over my head and discarding it on the bedroom floor.
Before I could continue, his stare caught my eyes. He was looking at me with so much admiration and awe and I knew without him saying anything what was on his mind.
Love.
Edward loved me.
My heart swelled and I paused to wonder...did I love him too?
But, before I could ponder the thought any longer, Edward stepped forward, cradling my face in his hands and staring down into my face, that look of complete and utter adoration boring into my brown eyes.
He brought his face forward slowly and, although it was by far not our first kiss, my heart jackhammered in my chest as if it was.
His lips brushed against mine softly, his nose circling the tip of my own as he closed his eyes. He opened his lips, taking my top lip between them and sucking softly before releasing it and repeating the motion with my bottom lip.
His hands eased under my shirt at my waist, slowly lifting it up and over my head, breaking our kiss just long enough to remove my tee completely.
We had started cooking straight out of bed, dressed in nothing but our pajamas, so with the removal of my shirt I now stood before him, completely topless. His hands wrapped around my hips as he brought his face down to my chest, sweetly kissing the space between my breasts and working his way up my chest and neck until he was once again breathing upon my lips.
I slid my hands up his forearms and over his biceps, tickling my fingers over his shoulders as I reached for his neck, digging my fingers into his thick hair.
His own fingers slipped into the waistband of my satin shorts, easing them over my hips until they slipped down to the floor of their own accord. Then he freed himself from his own flannel pajama bottoms.
I backed up to the edge of the bed, pulling him backwards with me until my knees hit the mattress and buckled. He splayed a hand behind my back, guiding me down onto the mattress carefully. I slid back onto the bed, watching in awe as he climbed onto the bed over me, his biceps and forearms taut from the pressure of carrying the weight of his upper body.
He slowly...gingerly...lowered his body so that his chest and stomach were pressed against mine – his length pressing into my upper thigh deliciously.
He rolled over a little to my left, so that he was laying on his right side – his body still pressed against mine, and took his time just kissing me and letting his hands wander over my body. There was no rush or urgency in his movements – he just slowly worshipped my body.
His left hand traced a faint path down my stomach, over my left hip and down my thigh as far as he could reach before slowly retracing the path back up. He pushed against my right thigh softly, gesturing for me to spread my legs for him, and I slowly complied.
He leaned forward, taking my pert left nipple between his lips and sucking as his hand wandered up the inside of my thigh and over my core. He pushed against me with the pads of his fingers before retreating and then pushing against me again, slowly taunting me.
Then he surprised me by releasing my nipple and kissing his way down my body, towards where his hand was slowly rocking against me.
Was he?
The answer was a resounding "yes" as he replaced his hand with his face, kissing my core. He used his fingertips to open me further before dipping his tongue in tentatively, circling it around. I tensed the moment his tongue flicked across my sweet spot and – urged on – he pushed in tighter, sucking me gently between his lips.
He was slow and obviously nervous, but so receptive to my every moan and movement that we quickly found a rhythm together as he worked me with his mouth. I gripped his hair, clinging to him, urging him on as he moaned against me, sending thrilling vibrations from the apex of my thighs out to my limbs.
I cried out as I found my release, but he was relentless, continuing to kiss and lick and tease until a second wave of pleasure swept over my body, arching my back off the bed as I fisted the sheets.
"Edward!" I insisted, pulling roughly on his hair in an effort to bring him further up my body.
He complied, rising up with a lazy smile as he rose over me, supporting his body with his left hand as he positioned himself at my entrance with his right. With the placement perfect, he caressed my cheek and looked deep into my eyes as he thrust into me.
I clawed at him as he entered, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down so that his full weight was crushing me as he slipped slowly in and out.
I couldn't pull myself tight enough against him; couldn't feel enough of his body and his heat and his skin. I wrapped my legs around his hips, urging him on with my heels as he reached down with his right hand to grip my ass, using his grip to pull me against his body over and over again.
"Bella..." He husked against my ear. "I can't..." He struggled to speak.
"It's okay baby. I want you to." I replied, biting down softly on his earlobe.
"Bella..." He cried out once more, kissing me fiercely as his body stiffened incredibly tight against my own.
In the aftermath, I slipped out of the bedroom to wash up quickly, returning with a warm, damp wash cloth for him to do the same. I crawled into bed with him, throwing my arm across his abs as he tucked my head beneath his chin.
"So, that's what you're thankful for, huh?" I teased, tickling lazy circles against his chest.
"That's just one of many, many things." He replied. I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Edward – those eggs were absolutely delicious!" Jacob complimented, grabbing the last one from the egg tray.
"Jacob! You've had four of those!" I said, incredulous.
"No I haven't." He popped the egg into his mouth quickly, then smiled at me while pushing the egg through his teeth. "I've had five!"
"Oh my God, Dad. You're so gross!" Sarah blushed, shaking her head as she buried her face in her hands.
Edward just chuckled, grateful for the compliment. "I'm glad you liked them. Mom will be pleased to hear I did her proud."
"So, where are you parents?" My mom asked as she started gathering plates from the table.
"Oh, my sister lives in Seattle, so they're out there spending Thanksgiving with her this year."
"Oh, that's nice. It's never easy being away from family, but we're glad that you were able to join us this year." Sue said, standing up and grabbing the bowl of leftover mashed potatoes from the table.
"Want to join us to watch the football game?" Seth invited Edward.
"Who's playing?"
"I think it's the Ravens versus the Steelers, ain't that right, Billy?" Dad asked.
Billy answered. "No, they're later tonight. Right now we should be in the middle of Washington playing the Dallas Cowboys."
"Oh, great. Save me a seat? I'll be there in a few minutes." Edward replied.
"Sure thing." Dad answered, standing up from the table as he wiped his mouth on his napkin.
Seth led Dad, Billy and Jacob into the living room, but Edward stayed behind.
"Everything okay?" I asked, sidling up to him and wrapping my arm around his waist.
"Yeah, I just want to help out here before I join the guys for the game." He answered.
"Aw, babe, you don't have to do that. We'll take care of it – go ahead and relax."
"Actually, that's not the way I was raised. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't help clean up." He could see that I was about to argue, and interceded. "At least for a little bit, okay?"
I smiled, falling just a little more for him. "Okay. Thanks."
He picked up the large, ornate ceramic platter with the turkey remnants on it and headed into the kitchen while I picked up the glasses and silverware.
"Oh, Edward! Let me take that for you!" Sue called out as she saw him backing his way through the kitchen door.
"No need. I got it. Where would you like it?" He smiled.
"It's okay, Sue. He insists on helping." I beamed proudly as I followed him into the kitchen.
"Oh, really?" Mom asked, looking impressed.
"Yes ma'am. The more people who help, the faster and easier it is – right?" He asked, flashing my favorite crooked grin.
"True!" Sarah answered. "C'mon Eddy, I'll help you clear the table." Edward placed the turkey platter on the kitchen island before happily following Sarah back out to the dining room.
"Did you prompt him to help?" Leah asked, taking a wet plate from Sue and drying it with a hand towel before stacking it on top of two other freshly dried plates.
"Nope. I totally expected him to watch the game."
"I like him." Mom answered. "He's a very well-mannered young man." I tried not to flinch at the "young man" part before I wandered back out to get the macaroni and cheese pan from the table.
I passed Edward on his way back into the kitchen with the ham platter, holding the door open for him on the way.
"So Edward..." I heard Mom begin as the door swung closed behind me. I wondered where her questioning would go next.
"Things are going well, don't you think?" Sarah asked as I joined her back at the dining room table.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Edward seems to fit in really well. Everyone seems to like him." She answered thoughtfully.
"And, what about you? What do you think?" I prompted.
She rolled her eyes. "He's cool. You two look..." She mulled it over. "You look good together. Happy."
"You think so?" I asked, doubtful.
But she nodded her head sincerely. "Yeah, I do. The other stuff? What people say? Don't worry about it. I'll get used to it." She gave me a close-mouthed grin. "I mean, he's worth it, right?" She asked.
"I think so." I answered.
"Me too." She replied before picking up the bread roll basket and carrying it into the kitchen.
I grabbed the aluminum pan that carried the remnants of the mac and cheese and followed her.
"Well, I mean, we haven't talked about it. But, I think so." I heard Edward finish.
"Haven't talked about what?" I asked.
The kitchen went silent. "They were asking if I'd like to have kids of my own someday."
My stomach dropped.
Kids? As in, more than the one I already have?
My mind raced.
I'm forty! Is that even possible? And, even if it is, do I want more? Do I want to become a mother all over again? Do I want to dedicate the next 18-20 years of my life to raising another child? I'll be sixty!
"Are you okay?" He asked, his face growing somber and concerned.
"Yeah." I tried to say lightly, but it was an obvious lie.
"Let me get my butt back to work." Edward smiled awkwardly as he reached for the kitchen door.
"That's okay, babe. The dinner table is almost cleared and I think we have everything in here. Why don't you go watch the game with the guys?" I suggested.
"Okay. If you're sure." He answered, picking up on the tension I was radiating.
"Yeah. Go relax. We've got things here." I forced a smile.
"Okay." He leaned in, kissing me sweetly on the cheek before heading out to the living room.
Once he was out of the room, Leah asked "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I answered with a sigh. It was still a lie, but one that they understood not to question.