Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter Eighteen

Sunday evenings were always a big deal in the Cullen house. They consisted of pork roast, mashed potatoes, and some sort of vegetable.

"Emmett? How is Rose doing? We haven't seen her in a while," Esme asked politely, passing him the bowl of mashed potatoes.

Emmett growled, digging into the bowl with more force than necessary. "She's fine. Still ignoring me, but she's fine."

"What did you do this time?" Carlisle laughed.

"I did nothing. She always does this. She loves the drama."

"That's what happens when you date a bartender who's named after a flower," Alice quipped, wiping Emma's mouth as she pulled away.

"Her name is Rosalie," Emmett sneered. "And I suggest ya keep your God da-"

Alice smiled sweetly, pointing at Emma. "Language."

"I don't give a fu...dgesicle about your thoughts on Rose, okay? She's my person. Your opinion doesn't matter to me," Emmett explained, grabbing the bottle of wine to refill his glass.

To hang around Alice, there was a two glass minimum requirement. Needless to say, the wine flowed freely during Sunday dinner.

The table was silent, save for silverware clinking against the china. I made a face at Emma who giggled in response.

Alice's dig about Rose really...well, it pissed me off. Normally I kept my mouth shut because Emmett could handle it. He was always good about sticking up for Rose.

But tonight? I was on edge. Maybe it had to do with not having seen Bella in a few days. Or maybe it had to do with my snob of a sister.

I'm sure it was the latter.

"What? Now you don't approve of Rose? Is there not anyone good enough to date your brothers?" I tried to keep the acid tone at a minimum.

Alice barely flinched. "When did I ever approve of Rose?"

And...she had a point. Alice had always been very vocal about her opinions. It also didn't please her too much that Rosalie was just as stubborn as she was and didn't put up with Alice's snide remarks. Which, of course, made me like Rose that much more.

"What is that supposed to mean, Edward?" Alice questioned defensively. "Is there something you'd like to say to me?"

"No. Not really." I shrugged, grabbing my glass of wine. We could hash this out after dinner when Emma wasn't around.

"So, should I be expecting Emmett to come by again tomorrow? Or did you run out of things to bribe him with?"

"Uncle Emmett is gonna play me with again, momma?" Emma squealed, only to be shushed by Alice.

"Emmett?" I blatantly glared. "Do you not know how to keep anything to yourself?"

"Dude. It's Alice. She just...knows."

"And I baked cupcakes," she added.

"Yeah. And she baked cupcakes."

Shaking my head, Jasper gave me a sympathetic smile before stealing the wine from Emmett.

"I'm not sure why you have such a problem with Bella. You don't even know her," I said in exasperation.

"Neither do you!" Alice's shrill voice filled the dining room.

"Alice. That's enough," Carlisle scolded. "I don't think this is appropriate dinner conversation."

"Who is Bella?" Jasper asked me.

Emma clapped her hands together. "Bella is pretty!"

I pinched her little cheeks.

"I'm renting out Aunt Liz's house. It had been sitting there for a few months, so I figured why not?"

"So, Bella is renting out the house?" Jasper questioned, ignoring Alice's pouting.

"Well, she and her mom are. I actually didn't know Renee had a daughter until last week when I dropped off a copy of the lease."

"What exactly do you know about being a landlord, anyway?" Alice snipped.

"Edward is perfectly capable, and you know I've gone over a few things with him." Esme smiled warmly at me.

Emmett cocked his head and asked, "Wasn't there a copy of 'Property Management for Dummies' in your office today?"

"Yes. It never helps to be prepared," I muttered, staring down at my plate.

"Well, I thought Bella was just darling," Esme added.

"Tennis shoes are not darling. Wrinkled shirts are not darling." Alice laughed bitterly, standing from the table while grabbing Emma's hand.

Tightening my jaw, I tried to keep my voice calm. "Since when did you become such a snob, Alice?" I managed to say before she left the room.

Alice just glared at me before walking away.

"What crawled up her butt?" Emmett asked.

Jasper looked down at his hands and said, "She had a doctor's appointment Friday. Still nothing."

"Oh, Jasper..." Esme said softly, leaving the table to follow after Alice.

Emmett mumbled an apology before grabbing Alice's plate which had gone untouched.

"I'm sorry, man," I swallowed, feeling guilty for snapping at her.

Alice and Jasper had been trying to have another child since Emma was born. It had proven to be a tough four years, causing my sister to become bitter and...just bitter. But her struggles didn't give her the right to go around and treat people she didn't know like they were beneath her.

"It'll work out." Jasper smiled sadly and set his napkin on the table before leaving the room.

"Awkward dinner, huh?" Emmett asked before shoving a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. "Hey, where you going?"

"To see Bella," I admitted, causing Carlisle to smirk.

Emmett pointed his fork at me. "Is she your person?"

Only time would tell.

A/N: Last update for the day. Thank to those who have already voted! :) www . tehlemonadestand . blogspot . com

Also, check out From my Window by KitKat681. It's now complete!