Chapter 17

Lunch was marvelous, Alice came up with a brilliant plan that all the girls would go back to my house to help me get ready for the date with Edward. And the other girls would get makeovers, amazingly they agreed. Esme also thought it would be lovely to do a romantic dinner for the other couples at their house. Which is sweet I think.

So here we are at my house, and Alice is having a blast. My hair is being straightened, Piper is putting on a fashion show; Rose and Leah are picking out my outfit that I should wear. I am so surprised how well they are getting along.

After about an hour after my hair makeup and getting dressed, I am ready, just in time for Edward and the guys to pick us up. I still have no idea where he is taking me. All the girls go down stairs greeting the guys, but I stay behind looking in the mirror. Wow, I never looked so amazing before. Alice and they did such a good job. My hair is straightened with my bangs clipped back, just slight makeup. They put me in a pale baby blue skirt with a white tang top, and white and baby blue flip flops, they told me that this outfit is appropriate for where Edward is taking me. Edward, god what the hell am I doing? Can I really do this again; can I really put my heart out there? My breathing begins to quicken, oh god I can't do this I can't. I sit on my bed, tears strolling down my cheeks; I can't do this I just can't. What if Edward wants more, what if he expects things after tonight? Oh no, I can't I have to call this off I have to I can't I can't do this.

"Bella, are you ok?" I look up to see Rosalie looking at me with concern eyes.

"No" I let the tears fall; she comes over and wraps her arms around me.

"You know, when I was human, I met a man that I thought I loved. He was rich and my parents loved him." She let me go just slightly, and she looks into my eyes.

"May I tell you my experience?"I nod my head.

"All I ever wanted was a family, have kids, grandkids. I hoped to get that with Richard. His family owned the bank my dad worked at. It didn't take long for us to get engaged. One night when walking home from my friend's house, it was a week or so before our wedding. I saw some men under a street light, drinking.
"Rose baby" I hear one of them call to me, I realized it was Richard, so I walk up to him,

"See I told you she is one of a kind" he says to a man that I didn't recognize, but when I look back, it was a friend of a friend that came up from Virginia or somewhere down south.

"I can't tell with all that on her" He replied

So, Richard ripped the coat I was wearing off, it was a present from him, he had me twirl around.
To spare some details, they left me on the ground naked in my own blood. As they were leaving they said

"You're right she is one of a kind but I think we ruined her.""I can find one better"

All I could think was please let me die faster." She sighs, I had no idea, and they left her for dead.

"Carlisle saved me, I don't hate him for doing it, but I do wish that I would have died, the one thing I want is children to raise them, to care for them, and I can't have that."

"You would make a great mother, but how did you do it Rose, how did you let another man in your life. How could you love again?" I ask wiping the tears away.
"I don't know, I guess when I saw Emmett I just knew that he wasn't going to hurt me."I nod my head,

"I give you my word Bella, Edward won't hurt you; he cares for you way too much. He wants nothing more than to be with you. He is willing to wait forever if it takes that. Plus if he did I would tear him limb from limb and turn him into ashes." She smiles at me, and I giggle.

"Thank you Rose" I glance in the mirror, "Oh I ruined all the hard work you guys did" I say trying to wipe the mascara away.

"Easy to fix" Rose does a few quick motions and sure enough it is perfect.

"No come on, let's show Edward how terrific you look." Rose takes my hand and leads me down stairs.

Edward is waiting by the door, Chris is next to him as well as Piper but everyone else it looks like took off back to Edward's house for their romantic dinner.

Edward's jaw drops at the sight of me, making me smile.

"Mom you look so pretty" Chris smiles

"More than pretty, you look beautiful" Piper adds.

"Come on you two, back to the house" Rose takes their hand and leads them away.

"You do look amazing" Edward puts his arm around my waist and leads me out to his car.

Edwards POV

The girls have gone back to Bella's house to do make over and such. Esme is in the kitchen making romantics dinners for the others. It's really sweet of her. She loves having this big family, yes she is including the pack. I would never have thought that I would be family to a bunch of wolves. They have only met once and Esme is so taken by them. Well all of my family is. The pack is a little nervous because all their lives or when they became wolves they were told we were evil and need to die. But here we are proving all that wrong.

I walk into the living room where I see Emmett and Chris wrestling around on the floor with Chris winning. Bella would so enjoy this little show.

"Ha, ha Emmett beat you again." Chris taunts.

"Humph, whatever" Emmett stumps off to the other side of the room; Jasper is in a deep conversation with the alpha Sam, something about fighting techniques.

"Hey Edward, can I speak to you outside?" Jake asks me ok, he is a nice blood sucker so is his fam but I have to protect Bella

"No problem" I reply to him.

We walk outside and go close to the river.

"Ok, I know you've been around for a few months and you haven't pushed Bella into anything, but I want you to know, I love her and I won't stand by and watch her get hurt I swear to heaven that if you do I will declare war." Jake says to me

"I have no intentions to hurt her. I love her also Jake I would never hurt her. I would leave and never come back before I did anything like that. If I even thought I was causing her pain I would leave." I promise. I love her and tonight I am going to woo her, I won't tell her how much I love her I will wait for her to make the next move. I will go at her pace. I want her to feel comfortable about being with me, about us.

"Good" He simply says and walks away. I read his mind; I know he is jealous of me. He really wants to be with Bella. But Bella told him that she couldn't feel the same way because of the imprinting thing, so now Jake doesn't go for any girls; he doesn't want to hurt them.

Back in the house I see Emmet wrestling with Seth, Emmett is on top,

"Bet Seth will take him out" Jared says to Paul.

"No, Seth has no rhythm, Emmet does, no much but he has some."

"Ten bucks says Seth wins" Jared holds out his hand

"You got it, ten if Emmett wins"

Dad you should go in on the bet and say that Emmet wins I look over to Chris who is sitting on my piano bench.

"Ten on Emmet" I say.

They look at me, "Ok" Paul smiles,

By the end Emmett doesn't win, by a hair. Paul gets in the ring next wrestling with Jasper.

I walk over and sit next to Chris on the bench.

"Can you play with this dad?" Chris asks me.

"Yes" I smile and play a lullaby that I wrote for Esme, about the love she shares with Carlisle.

"Wow, can you each me?" Chris asks wide eyes. I couldn't deny him anything in the world.

"Yes I can" I pick him up and place him on my lap and began to name each key and then I would touch the key and the sound would ring out. The he would touch the key and say the name, as if he is taking a mental note.

Then I began to play a song that I have been working on a song of Bella. Chris would touch each key after I would his hands glides gracefully over the keys making me smile so proud of him. He is picking this up quickly.

"This song is about mommy" He looks up to me.

"Yes" amazed that he picked that up.

He takes over the keys replying the song over and over.

After a few hours of wrestling and bet taking we head over to Bella's house to get the girls.

I take a quick detour to set up the picnic on the beach so it would be perfect when Bella arrives.

I walk into the house and wow! The girls look amazing, but I gaze over the crowed, I don't see Bella.

"Alice where is Bella?" I ask with concern, I hope she doesn't back out.

"Rose and she are having a discussion. This is her first date since the incident" Alice says She is a wreck with nerves Edward; don't push her to much tonight, she is very afraid to love again. Rose is talking to her, telling her story. Alice adds to me.

I nod my head and wait, everyone leaves but Piper and Chris, and they wanted to see their mom before we left.

I listen closely to the conversation above.

"You would make a great mother, but how did you do it Rose, how did you let another man in your life. How could you love again?" I hear Bella say. She's afraid, oh I want to show her that I won't hurt her, I will wait forever and ever for her.

"I don't know, I guess when I saw Emmett I just knew that he wasn't going to hurt me."Rose replies

"I give you my word Bella, Edward won't hurt you, he cares for you way too much. He wants nothing more than to be with you. He is willing to wait forever if it takes that. Plus if he did I would tear him limb from limb and turn him into ashes." I know that Rose isn't kidding she still tells me that every single day that.

"Thank you Rose" I hear a slight pause

"Oh I ruined all the hard work you guys did"

"Easy to fix" I hear a footstep or two then,

"Now come on; let's show Edward how terrific you look." I hear two pairs of footsteps come down the stairs, Bella appears from the hall, and my jaw drops making her smile.

"Mom you look so pretty" Chris smiles

"More than pretty, you look beautiful" Piper adds.

Bella smiles,
"Come on you two, back to the house" Rose takes their hand and leads them away.
You take care of her, or else Rose tells me mentally.

Tonight's the night Piper; mom will have her perfect fairytale kiss Chris say to Piper

Yeah, oh I am so happy that mommy will get what she has always wanted.

"You do look amazing" I put my arm around her waist and take her to the car. Gloating at what the twins where mentally discussing, I get to kiss her finally after many months of wanting to