A/N I'm back again. Here's another chapter. I hope you'll consider my other story, "Home", too. It's a bit more dramatic. I'm hoping to be able to get more involved in writing again. I really love and appreciate everyone's reviews. They bring the biggest smiles to my face when I see people enjoying what I write. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you all!
Jasper sat directly across from Alice, much to her delight, I noticed. Bella and I made eye contact and her lips quirked into a smirk. I had a feeling she knew something I didn't about this Jasper guy. Esme and Carlisle were the perfect hosts and I couldn't deny my excitement when she pulled out a steaming casserole dish. Everything smelled phenomenal.
The conversation was amicable and we laughed through the entirety of dinner. Alice was particularly giggly, more so than usual. It seemed like she was hanging onto Jasper's every word and as her older brother, I wasn't sure if I was a fan. She'd just gotten out of a relationship that left her damn near homeless. Wasn't it rushing it to crush on someone now? Especially the nephew of her employer? What if things went sour between the two of them? Where would that leave Ali?
"What do you think, Ed?" Jasper chimed.
"It's Edward." I hadn't heard the question, but I definitely wasn't a fan of his buddy-buddy tone. There's no way he was oblivious to my sister's affections- she was hardly skilled in subtlety.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Edward. So, baseball, you in?"
"Of course, we are! Edward and I can't wait to go. If you'll actually excuse us for just a moment, I think I have somethin' of Edward's in my truck he needs to grab. Goodness knows if I don't do it now, I'll forget. C'mon, honey." Bella tugged me by the hand, although her grip reminded me of the one my momma used to have on my ear when I was in trouble as a kid. Once outside, her hand propped on her hip and she leveled me with a glare.
"What is goin' on in there, mister? You've spent most of dinner glowerin' at Jazz for no reason and you've been short with anyone that asked you a question. Where are your manners?" I blushed a bit at being called out by Bella but found myself too embarrassed to speak up and tell her my suspicions, so I just lowered my head. We stood in silence until I met her eyes again. She was clearly waiting for an answer still.
"IthinkAlicehasacrushonJasper," I muttered.
"What?"
"I think Alice has a crush on Jasper," I huffed again, dropping my shoulders.
"Well, duh. The entire table knows it. But that still doesn't explain what the issue is," Bella rolled her eyes and waited for me to elaborate.
"I just don't think it's a good idea for her to date her employer's nephew. What if something happens and Esme fires her? She just got out of a bad relationship. I don't want my sister to be hurt by some hotshot new guy from out of town." Bella's anger melted and she burst into laughter. What the heck?
"You are a hotshot new guy from out of town in a serious relationship with your employer's daughter. Stop being a hypocrite, Edward. And Alice is a grown woman. She can make her own choices on who she's datin'. Esme is a professional. Even if Alice and Jasper do date and it doesn't work out, Esme would never let that affect her work relationship with Alice. You need to go in there and apologize to Jasper." Bella softened after that and she wrapped her arms around my middle, "I love you, Edward. And you're a good brother. It's sweet that you want to look out for her, but you have to let her be an adult."
I sighed, hugging her close to me. She was kind of right about me being a little bit of a hypocrite. But there wasn't anything wrong with me looking out for my baby sister.
"You're right. I just worry."
"You don't need to worry. Alice can take care of herself. Now, c'mon, let's go enjoy dinner." Bella was right, as much as I hated to admit it. I leaned down and kissed her lips, letting the stress leave my body.
"You're sexy when you're scolding me, ya know?" I muttered against her lips. She grinned against me, but didn't comment, instead grabbing my hand and leading me back into the house. The dining room was a bit tense when I reentered and I realized, ashamedly, that my attitude was probably what killed the mood for dinner. I cleared my throat.
"Um, I'm sorry about before. I was a bit overwhelmed. I didn't mean to be rude." Esme only smiled and extended her hand, gesturing to my seat. Dinner resumed without so much as skipping a beat.
"So, baseball, huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Jasper.
"Oh, yeah, we try to play a few times throughout the year. The teams are a little smaller, but we make it work. It's a lot of fun. I think we're talking about going next weekend. I'll be sure to text Alice the details when we decided."
Hmm, text Alice? So he has her number? I fought back the grimace that wanted to form on my face. Instead, I turned to my Bella as she finished up her dinner. She was engrossed in conversation with Esme about Rose's last ultrasound appointment.
"She was supposed to found out the baby's sex, but the baby's legs were crossed. Of course, Rose's baby is going to be as stubborn as possible." The table laughed because her comment was incredibly true, with as headstrong as Rosalie is there's no surprise that her baby is going to keep the family in suspicion for as long as possible.
These few months she's spent living with Bella and Charlie seem to be good for her. She's gaining weight, plus working. There's no doubt she's much happier. Last week, Rose approached Bella about helping her find work so she could get back on her feet and regain some independence too. They had plans to go job searching in the next day or so.
"So, Edward, are you planning on working the farm for Charlie until he retires?" Carlisle asked. It was the first time he'd spoken, unprompted. He seemed to be content letting Esme lead the conversation.
"I'm not really sure. It's definitely been great so far. Charlie is a wonderful boss. As long as he needs me, I'm happy to help." Carlisle smiled, nodding amicably. Most of dinner continued in the same manner. Esme, as it turns out, is really funny and enjoyed picking fun at Jasper. The night drew to a close with Bella and Alice insisting to help Esme with the dishes. It left Jasper, Carlisle, and I around the dining room table. The tension was still a bit tangible. Carlisle seemed to sense the energy in the air and he excused himself to the bathroom.
Jasper and I avoided eye contact for a few minutes before he cleared his voice and spoke, "I, um, hope I didn't offend you earlier tonight. I'm sorry if I did." I sighed.
"No, Jasper, you didn't. I'm sorry, man. I had some things running through my head and I took it out on you. I was rude."
"No worries. Um, I actually wanted to ask you something. I know Alice is single, but I don't want to infringe on any kind of relationship y'all are building with my family. Would it be okay if I asked her out?" His hand ran across the nape of his neck and his eyes remained downcast.
"Ahh! Yes! I would love to go out to you!" Alice rounded the corner at that time, making Jasper and I both jump from the decibel of her voice. I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Well, I guess you've got your answer." They both grinned and started talking in hushed tones. Bella chose that time to enter the room, too. Her arm wound around my waist and she pressed a kiss against my cheek.
"Looks like Alice got her way. All she could talk about in the kitchen was Jasper. I was ready to come out here myself and ask him out for her. You okay?"
"Yeah, I think I may have been overreacting. Jasper seems like a nice guy and Alice is happy. I can be protective from a distance."
"I don't think you'll have to be actually. I've got a good feeling." Bella smirked, "Esme, I think we should be heading out. Edward has work in the morning. Thank you so much for dinner. I hope we can do this again soon. I'll get in touch with you about the baseball game tomorrow, after I see if Charlie is game."
"Oh, yes, it is getting late. Thank you all for coming. It was such a great evening."
"Let me walk you out, Alice," Jasper murmured, placing his hand on her lower back. I decided to walk Bella to her truck, in hopes of giving Alice and Jasper some privacy.
"I'll see you in the morning, beautiful. I love you." I pressed a light kiss to her lips and opened the door for her. Saying goodbye to her was truly the worst.
"Goodnight, Edward. I love you, too." After helping her into the driver seat, I kissed her one last time, then watched my beautiful girl drive off.
Alice met me in my truck, her eyes glazed over. "Did you have a good time?"
"The best time. I've never met anyone like Jasper before. He's just...wonderful," she sighed.
"I'm glad you're able to get back out there. It's good for you to be dating again, I think."
"This will be the last time I date."
My eyebrows crinkled and I glanced over at Alice. "Oh?"
"Yeah. I'm going to marry him." I choked on my breath.
"Oh. Uh, that's nice." The rest of the drive was silent, mainly because I wasn't sure what else could be said. Her words stuck with me. She was so certain, unafraid to state that this was the man she'd be marrying. I wondered if Bella thought the same about me.
Was she as confident in our future as Alice was theirs? The thought of marrying Bella made my heart jump in the best way. Did thinking of marrying me affect her in the same manner? I'd like to think I found my forever, but did she feel similarly?
My thoughts echoed this worrying for hours as I tossed and turned in my bed. Finally, I gave up and buried my head into my pillow, willing myself to sleep with thoughts of Bella all dressed in white circling my mind.