Chapter 16 – The Prodigal Son Returns

Sunday morning dawned cold, gray, wet, and dreary, with a wicked, bone-chilling wind that howled through the trees and could be heard all through the house. It fit my mood perfectly. Jasper's plane was arriving just after ten thirty, and mom and Elliott had promised Sue we would all join them at the airport to give him a warm welcome home.

Joy…

I had told Esme what Jasper had said about me being ugly the last time I'd seen him, and she had not been amused. She then surprised me with an outfit for today that she said was exactly what this occasion called for. The sweater tunic was the softest pure cashmere I had ever felt, with a deep neckline and a snug fit that clung to every curve of my body, as if it had been made just for me. It was a rich shade of pumpkin, and according to Esme's assessment, it made my "umber eyes" sparkle in my "perfect alabaster complexion." It was cinched with a wide, brown suede belt, which made the girls even more prominent in the demi bra Esme insisted had to be worn underneath for maximum effect. The dark skinny jeans she had gotten for me to wear with it fit like a second skin and enhanced my shape. She had also gotten me a pair of high-heeled brown suede boots to wear with the outfit. Once dressed, I took extra care with my hair and makeup as well. Finally, I was ready to do battle.

Alice came out of her room as I was exiting mine, and I had to fight her off me again, as she manually examined the way the jeans fit my butt. "Bella, these jeans make your butt positively delicious to look at!" I was seriously beginning to wonder about that girl. Edward came out of his room then, and when he looked at me, I though his eyes were going to have to be reset in his head. Good enough.

It was time to leave, and I was about to wrestle Esryl into her winter coat, when Sue and my dad came in the front door.

"I can't believe my baby boy is finally coming home!" Sue sang, happy to have her son back in Oregon. "He called before he left this morning and said he couldn't wait to pick up where he left off with everyone." Her words made me shudder. "His twenty-first birthday is coming up this week, and I was wondering if I could impose upon you to make him a birthday cake, Bella? You bake so much better than I do, and I'm sure he'd love one of your chocolate raspberry crème cakes."

I had made this for everyone before, and it was a bear to make, but I couldn't deny Sue anything when she looked at me with her huge, pleading eyes.

"Sure, no problem," I forced a smile, trying to sound enthusiastic.

I guessed she bought it, because she grabbed my face and planted a big kiss on my cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm sure it'll mean a lot to him, too." I knew he would be just overjoyed with me, I thought sarcastically to myself. I had to get a handle on my animosity, or I was going to end up kicking him where it counted just on general principles before we could even get past the baggage claim area.

Emmett rode with my dad, Sue, and Rosalie, while the rest of us piled into Elliott's large SUV. We arrived at the airport and made our way to the arrivals deck. We were early, so I left our coats with mom and took Esryl to go potty, while everyone else waited at the gate. We had to walk quite a distance to find the women's restrooms, and of course, Esryl had to stop every few minutes on the way back to run to the windows and squeal at the planes taking off and landing.

By the time we made it back to the gate, everyone was hugging, talking, and laughing with a tall, tan and very well-built Jasper. He looked like he had just left the rodeo arena in his snug-fitting western wear and brown cowboy hat and boots. A weathered, dark brown leather jacket was slung over his shoulder. Time had certainly done the body good as far as he was concerned!

He didn't notice me coming up behind him, as I heard him laugh and then lowly ask Rosalie, "Hey, where's our troll of a stepsister? Is she still at home hiding under her rock, too fat to get out now?"

Edward glared at him and came to my side, wrapping an arm around me, while I began to tremble, trying to keep from crying. Jasper turned around, and his gaze finally landed on me. His brows rose nearly into his hairline, before a smirk settled on his face, and his eyes shifted down to my chest. "Well, I'll be damned," he muttered quietly to himself.

Alice was suddenly in front of him, trying to get his attention, but he just kept gawking at me. He was beautiful, that was obvious. His features had matured into the epitome of raw masculinity. He was ruggedly handsome, chiseled and tanned to perfection, beneath a halo of thick golden curls, and his vivid blue eyes and brilliant white smile would make almost any girl's heart stop with one glance. Too bad all I saw in him was the huge pain in my butt he had been when we were younger.

"Welcome home, Jasper," I said quietly. He just nodded silently, still staring at my chest, which was making me uncomfortable. He composed himself and finally noticed Edward's arm around me, a look of confusion crossing his face. He and Edward shared a long, silent look between them before Sue broke the tension that had begun to settle.

"Let's get you home and fed, baby. You're way too thin now," she fussed, as she grabbed his hand, pulling him from in front of me.

"Yeah, come on, Jasper; let's go get your bags!" Alice chirped and bounced, as she grabbed his other hand. Edward and I turned and led the way toward the baggage claim area, and I could feel Jasper's intense stare on my backside the whole way. Alice tried to insist he ride back in the SUV with us, but Sue pulled rank, much to my relief and Alice's chagrin. Sue had him climb into the backseat of their car with Rosalie and Emmett, so she could question him all the way home about Texas.

Carlisle and Esme were coming to our house, and then everyone was having lunch with us. So, as soon as we pulled up, I ran and changed, and then I headed into the kitchen to check on the roasts I had put into the oven this morning. I was just tying my apron around me when someone behind me grabbed the strings from my hands.

"Let me help you with that," Edward said softly into my neck, as he tied the apron behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. "It'll be okay, Bella. I won't let him do what he used to do to you when we were kids. You never deserved it then, and you sure as heck don't deserve it now," he said with a sad voice, as he kissed the side of my neck, making me shiver. I turned and wrapped my arms around him and kissed his jaw, as he pulled me tighter against him. He had become my rock, and I was certain I would need to lean on him a lot while Jasper was here.

Carlisle walked past us into the kitchen just then and grinned at us wrapped around each other, as he pulled down a glass for some water. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you two actually liked each other now," he teased, as he clapped Edward on the shoulder before heading back into the living room. We broke apart with sheepish grins and began getting lunch ready. We worked in harmonious synchronization in the kitchen, and occasionally, I'd cringe and sigh, as I heard Jasper's boisterous laughter coming from the other room, while everyone caught him up on the latest family doings.

We finally sat down to eat, and I somehow ended up directly across from Jasper, who was seated next to Alice. Esryl was at the end in her highchair next to me, so I could help her eat, and Edward was seated on the other side of me. Alice looked like she was about to vibrate right out of her chair with excitement. The way she was acting, I was certain she was crushing hard on Jasper. It was almost cute. He seemed oblivious, though, and was suddenly quiet. Carlisle said grace for us, and then we started passing dishes, as conversation picked up again. I glanced up to see Jasper looking at Edward's arm wrapped around the back of my chair, deep in thought. His eyes shot to mine, and my heart about stopped at the look on his face, as it morphed into one of pure smug mischief.

"So, Edward, whatever happened to that one girl you were dating there for a while so hot and heavy?" Jasper asked with a wink. "Rosalie emailed me some pictures of you guys together at some party wrapped around each other. You two looked pretty intense. What was her name again…Tammy…Tracy…?"

"Tanya," Edward muttered with a grimace.

"Yeah, her, are you guys still together?"

"No," Edward said shortly, trying not to encourage him.

"That's too bad," Jasper said thoughtfully. "I thought for sure you guys would be mailing out engagement announcements by now with the way you were attached at the hip, or rather the lips. Looked like you two couldn't keep your hands off each other," Jasper grinned, taking in my increasing discomfort. I cringed inwardly. I remembered Tanya all too well. She was smart, gorgeous, tall, and looked like a model. She was constantly all over Edward, trying to get into his pants last year, and I was almost certain he'd been close to caving. She'd hated me, though, because she had been a friend of Rosalie's, and my grades were always a bit better than hers. I silently thanked God that her father had gotten transferred to Syracuse, and they'd moved out there before she'd been able to succeed in seducing Edward.

"Yeah, she was something else. Wasn't she also an honor student? Man, brains and beauty! She had to be the hottest girl you've ever been out with. Probably even better than anybody you could be seeing now." I thought Jasper was being clueless, that was until he shot me a look that made it obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing. Jerk!

"Excuse me," I hissed and got up, leaving the table. I had suddenly lost my appetite. I disappeared into the kitchen and began putting things away and washing up the pots and pans, trying not to break anything in my anger and frustration. I knew I shouldn't let Jasper get to me, but I couldn't help it. He had hit on a sore spot with me, as if he knew exactly where to punch. I had hoped time and maturity would have put this kind of stupidity behind us.

Apparently not.

Edward came through the kitchen a few seconds later with a serious look on his face, Jasper trailing behind him. They passed by me and walked out onto the deck, closing the door behind them. I finished what I could and went to check on Esryl. She was finished eating and almost asleep in her highchair, so I cleaned her up and let everyone kiss her goodnight before I carried her up to the attic room where it was quiet. She began to stir a little bit, so I sat down with her in the rocking chair and sang softly to her while we rocked, and she fell asleep in my arms. I couldn't believe she was almost three. Her birthday was coming up in a few months, and she still was wearing baby-sized clothes. If it weren't for the fact that she was so incredibly intelligent and appropriately developed mentally, I would have really started to worry.

I lay down with her and snuggled under the covers of the old antique bed, as my thoughts wandered to the new baby soon to invade the house. What would he be like? Would mom possibly quit work and try to be with him and Esryl more? She had been having a few more problems with this pregnancy lately and was due to go in for another checkup next week. I was secretly hoping Carlisle would put her on bed rest, since she wouldn't slow down on her own. My thoughts rambled from place to place, as I drifted off with Esryl cuddled against my chest.

The shifting of the mattress behind me and the warmth of Edward's body wrapping around mine roused me slowly awake. The orange beams coming in through the big round windows from the sunset bathed the room in a warm golden light, making his hair look even redder than usual.

"Hey," I muttered, as he nuzzled his face into my hair. "Where is everyone?" I eased Esryl over next to the wall and turned to face him, tucking my head under his chin. Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest.

"Everyone left an hour or so ago, except Rosalie. She's down in the basement with Alice, Emmett and Jasper. Renee and my dad joined Sue and your dad over at Carlisle and Esme's house for some 'adult' conversation and entertainment. They were going to break out the caffeinated soda and play cards, the rebels. Everyone was laughing at your mom's pouting about missing out on the caffeine due to being pregnant. She made them promise to get together right after the baby's born, so she can join them and not be left out. Esme took pity on her, though, and said she'd drink cranberry juice with her, so she'd quit pouting."

"Sounds like my mom," I giggled and stretched. "I'm starving. Was there any roast left?"

"Tons," Edward grinned, and then he became serious. "I talked with Jasper. I told him things have changed, and we all get along now. I told him I wouldn't tolerate him mistreating you or saying crap to hurt your feelings."

"I figured he would've outgrown that by now. He'll be twenty-one in a few days, but he still treats me just like the adolescent he behaved like years ago. I guess age really is just a number for some people."

"He's been warned," Edward almost growled, and I looked up to see him staring intently at me. "You don't deserve his crap, or anyone else's for that matter. If he says anything else to you he shouldn't, he'll have to answer to me."

"Thanks, Edward." I ran my fingers through his thick hair, massaging his scalp. He sighed contentedly and held me closer. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"Yeah, we have," he smiled softly, pressing his forehead to mine. "I'm glad, too. I can't imagine being like we used to be anymore. You mean too much to me now."

We lay there, staring into each other's eyes, as I continued playing with his hair. Esryl woke up and climbed between us, and we took turns tickling her and blowing raspberries on her cheeks and stomach. Her little tummy began growling, so the three of us set off for the kitchen in search of food. I was in the middle of making roast beef sandwiches when Rosalie and Alice came into the kitchen in their pajamas and began rummaging in the pantry and refrigerator for snacks. I giggled at Alice's adorable footie pajamas. She looked like an oversized toddler.

"Hey, you guys should join us downstairs. We're about to start a movie marathon," Alice said around the bag of chips hanging from her teeth. Her arms were full of cookies, juice and popcorn.

"Yeah, guys, you should bring your sandwiches and join us." Rosalie grabbed the dip and some cheese sticks, and they headed back for the basement. "Go change first," she called over her shoulder.

We went and changed into our pajamas, and then we gathered up our food before we went down to join them. The girls were obviously the ones who'd picked the first movie because it was a sappy chick flick. They had opened the sofa bed and were all piled up in it, so Edward and I took the loveseat. The movie was cute, but it was kind of boring, and after a while, Emmett and Rosalie were no longer watching, but had moved to sleeping bags on the floor and were busy trying to suck each other's faces off, while Alice stayed up on the bed with Jasper and kept snuggling closer to him until she was practically climbing into his lap.

Esryl must have still been tired, because she fell asleep between Edward and me before the first movie had ended. I was glad, because the second movie they put in was something Jasper had brought with him called 9 Songs. Holy crap! I had never seen anything like that in my life. The intimate scenes that were suddenly playing on the screen were so graphic and realistic that I felt like I was sitting in someone's bedroom, watching their actions like a voyeur. Edward was squirming next to me, obviously as uncomfortable as I was. I had actually gotten curious before and had checked out a porn flick online once, but I'd just laughed through it because it had been so stupid and looked so fake. There was no way a real couple made those kinds of faces in the throes of passion. But in this film, the sex looked real, and I found myself becoming unbearably uncomfortable. It didn't take much to have me up and scooping Esryl into my arms, heading for the stairs.

"What's the matter, Bella, too much for your delicate sensibilities?" Jasper sneered from the couch. From the way he was laying there in his pajama pants, I could see, quite prominently in fact, that he was enjoying the movie very much.

"As a matter of fact, it is. Goodnight, Jasper."

I continued up the stairs, and as I was just getting to the top, Edward reached around me and opened the door for me. "Let's get her to bed. It's been a long day." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. Before we left the basement, though, Edward turned back. "Alice, I think you should come on up, too, and go to bed, in your own bed, in your own room. Jasper will still be here tomorrow."

She started arguing, until Edward offered to go call their dad and have him come sit with them through the rest of that graphic movie. She stomped up the stairs and pushed past him, shooting him an angry glare, before running off to her room. She might have been the same age as us, but she was still Edward's "little" sister, whether she liked it or not right now.