Chapter 37 – Love Lives Here
Bella
A few hours later, I awoke to the tantalizing smell of cooking onions, celery, and sage. Edward had left me to sleep, and I could hear him in the kitchen, humming to himself over the sound of sizzling. I wandered through the closet to find Edward, showered and dressed, working over the stove, sautéing a skillet of chopped vegetables.
"That smells incredible. What are you making?" I asked, as I watched him cook. He already had a huge bowl of crumbled bread on the table, along with several other ingredients.
"I'm making my mom's stuffing. I used to help her make it every year. I've been making it by myself for the past few years since she died and eating it alone on Thanksgiving. I'm so glad I have you and all our friends to share it with this year."
"Me, too," I said, as I wrapped my arms around his waist in a tight hug. "I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed, and then I'll be back to help."
With a quick kiss, I was up the stairs, wiping tears as I went. The thought of Edward alone during the holidays made me sad and broke my heart. He deserved so much better than that. He would never spend another holiday alone if I had anything to say about it.
I was almost finished getting dressed when I heard the doorbell ring. Edward called up the stairs that he would get it.
"Happy Thanksgiving!" I heard my mother's voice clearly over my hair dryer. "You must be Edward!"
I had endured many telephone inquisitions about Edward from my mom, her curiosity spawning a thousand questions since he and I had first met. I would be willing to bet she had probably wanted to have her foot over my dad's on the gas pedal the whole way from their house, trying to get him to drive faster, so she could get here quicker and assess the situation for herself. When we had talked, I could hear in her voice her skepticism over our living arrangements. I had assured her Edward was living in the apartment, but I had given her few details about how intertwined our lives had become. Some things mom just didn't need to know, mostly for the sake of my sanity. The next four days would prove interesting, at best.
As I walked into the kitchen, I saw my mom standing there, staring at the open doors between the kitchen and Edward's apartment. I just smiled and gave her a big hug.
"Bella, my baby, it's so good to see you, and you look so different!" Mom looked me up and down, taking in my new style. "This looks wonderful on you!" I was wearing one of my new casual but nice outfits, which was very different from my usual holiday attire of the baggy, holey sweats she was used to seeing me in.
"And you didn't tell me he was this handsome," mom gushed, as she patted Edward's arm. "He reminds me of your father when he was younger."
"Are you saying I'm not still handsome now, Renee?" my dad teased, grabbing me up in a bear hug.
"You'll always be my handsome prince, Charlie," mom grinned. "Now, what do we still need to make?" she asked, looking for an apron. Edward was finishing the stuffing, so she joined him at the table to supervise the seasonings. Edward grinned at me and winked, letting me know he had the situation under control, so I went to help my dad unload their car.
"I'm so glad you guys made it," I said, as I helped my dad take their bags upstairs to the guestroom, unpacking their things into the dresser and closet. "So, tell me, has mom said much about things around here?" I asked tentatively, wondering what all mom had told him about Edward and me.
"Pretty much just the basics, you know, what he does, that he lives in the apartment, that kind of stuff. But she didn't tell me you two were in love," he said with a big grin.
I think my heart stopped at that moment. Was it that obvious? "How did you know?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Bella, I've looked into the face of love for almost thirty years. I know what it looks like. The way he looked at you when you came into the room down there, his face said it all."
"He told me he loved me this morning," I admitted. "I love him, too, Daddy, so much."
"He seems like a good man, Bells, I'm happy for you both. Now, I suppose we should have that little talk about responsibility…" My dad started to give me the talk I knew he felt I needed, but I cut him short, mostly out of embarrassment.
"Dad, I'm waiting. Still. And I'll be waiting until I'm married. That's the most responsible I can get, so we don't need to have this talk, please," I moaned, blushing as red as he was. He agreed to drop it, and I could tell he was relieved as well.
We came back downstairs to find Edward and my mom discussing the merits of fresh versus dried sage, both adding and tasting various herbs and seasonings into the stuffing. Edward smiled when I came in, pulling me into his arms and kissing my cheek. Mom cocked an eyebrow at me and smiled slyly, letting me know there would be a discussion about this later.
We spent the rest of the day cooking and getting the turkey ready for the oven in the morning. Mom insisted on giving the turkey her annual "beauty treatment," as she called it, thoroughly scouring the skin for missed pinfeathers and other undesirable debris, which she meticulously removed. By the time the turkey was seasoned and put in to hold until morning, it was immaculately beautiful.
Dad and I began setting the table for dinner tomorrow, laying out Grammy's beloved Blue Willow china she had used for holidays since my dad had been a baby. I watched with pride, as he carefully handled the pieces, and I could see he was trying hard not to get too emotional. Mom and Edward had moved into the parlor to look at his piano, and I heard him begin playing the most beautiful rendition of Moonlight Serenade I had ever heard. I looked over to see my dad's eyes were looking misty. I put my arms around his middle and held him, missing Grammy and Poppa as much as he did.
We went into the parlor, where dad took my mom into his arms and swayed around the room with her, while I stood behind Edward, my hands on his shoulders. Dad looked at us wistfully, and then he winked and nodded at me with a gentle smile, letting me know he approved.
It was getting late, so we all decided to head to bed and get an early start tomorrow. Mom and dad went upstairs, leaving Edward and I at the bottom of the stairs to say goodnight.
"Thank you for today," I told him. "You and my mom seemed to hit it off beautifully."
"How could I not love her and your dad when they gave me the most beautiful thing in my life?" he grinned, pulling me close to his chest. "I only wish you were coming in with me, instead of me going in there alone."
"Or you coming up there with me," I purred, nibbling his ear, "instead of me going up there alone. Man, I'd never hear the end of it," I giggled, as I kissed him goodnight before we went to our separate rooms.
I had barely gotten into bed when I heard footsteps and then a light tap on my doorframe. "Are you still awake, honey?" mom whispered around the door. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, Mom, what's up?" I asked, but I figured I already knew. She came in and sat down on the bed, flashing her all-knowing smile at me.
"Your father told me you and Edward are in love, but he didn't have to tell me that, I could see it in that man's eyes the minute he opened the door," she laughed. "No man displays that strong of an aura of belonging in a home unless he does…and he does, doesn't he?"
"The only thing we don't do is have sex, Mom. Other than that, you'd think we were married. It's getting so hard to leave his side at night now. I just want to wake up next to him in his arms."
"In due time, dear. He feels the same way, I can tell. I expect to be getting a call from you any time now, telling me he's proposed," she grinned, patting my knee.
"Mom! Don't you dare say anything to him! Please-" I began to protest, panicked that she would say or do something to freak Edward out.
"Don't worry, Bella, I won't have to." And with that, she kissed my cheek and said goodnight, closing the door behind her.
