6
"Are you ready?" Edward leaned against the doorframe to their bedroom, watching as his wife brushed her hair. "We're going to be late."
"I'm coming," she said, quietly and placed her brush on the dresser. "Is the coast clear?"
Edward smiled. "Yeah, I watched them leave half an hour ago."
"Thank God," Bella laughed, grabbing the sweater she'd laid on the bed and pulling it up. She'd found the dark gray cardigan at a thrift store the week before for only two dollars and had fallen in love. She wore it constantly, even if Edward teased her that it was an old woman sweater. It reminded her of the sweaters her mother wore when she was a little girl. "I don't think I could handle them today."
"Me either," Edward scoffed, thinking about the last few weeks.
He and Bella had settled into their apartment with more ease than he expected. Their classes were hard, but they'd both manage to keep their marks up. Their respected jobs weren't too bad, either. It was their neighbors that proved to be annoying. Edward and Bella liked James and Victoria, Tyler and Lauren, but found it frustrating that they were constantly coddling the two of them. They'd had a lifetime of pity, and all they wanted were friends.
"Okay, I'm ready," Bella said, smiling as she picked up her purse. Edward held his hand out to her, which she took eagerly.
Together, they headed out to their car and climbed in. Between work, classes, and study, they hadn't had a chance to do much of anything else, so today they were head down to the Pikes Peak Market to meet Jasper and Alice. They hadn't had a chance to hang out with them since their move, and desperately needed the time away from the dorms, where they felt they were continuously being watched. It had made them both paranoid to the point that they wondered if even their professors were giving them special treatment.
"Are you sure Jasper wanted to meet here?" Edward asked half an hour later as they found themselves waiting outside of the market. "This doesn't seem like the kind of place Jasper would come."
Bella frowned. "Jasper's dad used to bring us here every month. We'd come early and watch as they sorted the fish and we'd spend all day exploring the craft shops. After his parents died, it was hard for him to come here, especially with me being sick. He got real angry, just mean at times. One morning, after a real hard night, I dragged him here. We spent all day just milling around. It was the first time since the fire and me losing my voice that Jasper and I didn't cry."
"Sometimes, I forget how close you two are," he murmured, sliding his arm around her waist. "It's hard not to be jealous that he got to hold you when you needed someone to be there."
"If you'd known me before the fire, before the first tumor, you wouldn't be the man I need right now, Edward. We were meant to meet when we did, to fall in love when we did, to start our lives together. You had Alice, I had Jasper, that's who God planned it, I think."
"I don't know how you can still believe in God after everything we've been through."
Bella smiled. "I just do. Sometimes, I find myself angry with Him, though. Wonder what I did to deserve tumors and cancer and losing my voice, not being able to have my parents back, but then I think about how if I hadn't been a messed up freak, you might not have wanted me as your girl."
"What?" Edward asked. "You think I only liked you because you were a freak?"
Biting her lip, she nodded.
"Babe, come on; you know me better than that." Edward turned so that he was facing her. Bringing his hands up to her face, he leaned forward so that his lips were just millimeters away from hers. "I liked you because you didn't care that I wasn't perfect, that I had a broken heart. I fell in love with you because you're strong and beautiful and funny and when I'm with you, I feel normal."
"Kiss me," Bella breathed and moments later, his lips were on hers.
She grabbed his hips, needing more, wanting more, and demanding more. Her knees weakened, but Edward held her tight. Where his lips were demanding, hers yielded to him, parting when he swiped his tongue. A moan formed inside her chest, the feel of his lips on hers always had her yearning for more. How had she survived before him?
The sound of a throat being clear pulled them apart and diverted their attention away from each other. Jasper and Alice were standing a few feet away, looking both embarrassed and amused. Even though it had only been a few weeks since they saw them, Edward couldn't help but notice the difference in his sister and her boyfriend.
Alice had dark circles under her eyes and looked like she'd lost a few pounds, no doubt to the fear that came with anything new, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn't seen since before their parents died, before her body was burned. Alice looked happy and he knew Jasper was largely credited for that fact.
"Hey, Pix." Edward stepped away from Bella and opened his arms to his sister, who cried a little as she hugged him. He placed his hand on the back of her head and wrapped his other arm around her waist, cradling her to his chest. "I missed you, too."
"Sorry," she mumbled, but didn't make an effort to release him.
Bella placed her hand on Jasper's arm and led him away a little bit, giving them a chance to talk. Just one more reason he loved Bella so much. She understood more than anyone how much his family meant to him, how guilty he felt for being alive when his parents were dead. Life hadn't been fair to any of them, yet they kept living.
"You look tired," Edward said, running his fingers through her hair. "Nightmares?"
"A few, she murmured, taking a step backward. "The usual ones. Jasper helps, but I still hear them sometimes."
"How are you dealing with it?" he asked, not wanting to push too hard, but Alice had a tendency to keep everything bottled inside until she exploded. If she was close to that point, he needed to warn Jasper.
"I'm painting a lot," she said and when he cocked an eyebrow, she sighed. "Not the accident, just other things. People I see, sunsets, bowls of fruit. Jasper even lets me paint him, sometimes."
"Ugh, I don't need to hear that, Pix," Edward grumbled.
Alice laughed. "Not like that, sicko. Though, we're getting closer to be ready for a more physical relationship."
Edward shuddered at the thought of his sister having sex, but a part of him—the part that knew what a big step that would be for her—was happy that Alice and Jasper were finding strength in each other. "How's school?"
"My classes are amazing, really teaching me so much more about techniques and clean lines and angles. It's really awesome."
"Awesome? I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say awesome," Edward teased.
"Shut up, asshole!" Alice laughed, and looked over her shoulder at Bella and Jasper. "I'm happy, Edward. For the first time in . . . forever, I think I'm really happy. I miss Mom and Dad every single day, but we have this amazing little family that loves us."
Edward wasn't sure what to say. After being burned in the accident, Alice had all but shied away from attention, from anyone who dared look at her. For a moment, he saw the old Alice, the one who'd talk his ear off for hours about one of her paintings. He'd missed the old Alice more than he realized.
"Oy, you two," Alice called to Bella and Jasper, who shifted their attention to her. "I'm starving, so let's go eat."
"Yeah, okay," Bella hollered back, meeting Edward's eyes and smiling.
After a lot of bickering, they decided to eat at a small bakery called Caffé Lieto, who was well known for their biscuits and gravy. They didn't disappoint. Their southern style biscuits and gravy hit the spot and Edward watched as Alice ate every bite of her order.
Once they'd paid for their breakfast, they headed toward the crafts market. Hundreds of venders were lined up, ready to sell you trinkets and knickknacks galore. While Bella and Alice went from booth to booth, stopping and gushing over a painting or one-of-a-kind vinyl record, Edward hung back and watched. There was a time, and not too long ago, that Alice didn't like Bella. Felt she was putting too much stress on him, too much pressure, hence causing him even more issues with his heart.
"She's lying to you," Jasper said, quietly as he stood next to Edward.
"About what?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Everything. She barely eats, doesn't sleep until she literally passes out from exhaustion, and then she has the nightmares. She's started making up excuses on why she can't go to class. She won't tell me why, but I think she's afraid of going."
Edward inhaled a sharp breath and brought his hand up to his chest, making a mental note to journal this episode when they got back to their apartment. "Why would she lie to me?"
"Why do you think?"
And when Edward looked at him, he saw that Jasper was gesturing to the hand he had on his chest. "Oh."
"She worries about you."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
"I'm sure you are."
Edward could tell that Jasper didn't believe him, and he didn't care. Alice was hurting and he had no clue how to help her.
"I think a part of her feels like everyone is moving on with their lives, but she's kind of stuck in one place."
"She's the one who chose to move to Port Angeles for school!" Edward exclaimed.
"Yeah, because you and Bella came here to Seattle," Jasper argued. "I'm not saying you're wrong for moving here, because I think it was time for the two of you to strike out on your own. I just worry about Alice. Carlisle's so focused on his job and Esme, on not cutting anymore, that I think he's forgotten that she still needs him."
"He hasn't called her?"
Jasper pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Not once."
"Jesus fuck, my brother is an asshole," Edward muttered and pulled out his cell to call and give Carlisle a piece of his mind, but Jasper grabbed it before he could. "Dude, what the hell?"
"I'm not telling you this so you'll fix everything, Edward."
"Then why?"
"Because she's not going to." Jasper pointed to Alice, who was laughing at something Bella said. "And I don't want to lose her."
"You think she'd do something to herself?" Edward asked.
"Not intentionally."
Edward shook his head, sighing heavily. "So what's your plan?"
"Hell if I know. Thought about talking to Phil, see if he can refer her to a therapist, but I don't know that she'd go. Fuck, I didn't go when they wanted me to."
"Yeah, she won't, either," Edward murmured. "Maybe she just needs more time to settle in to life in Port Angeles?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"How are you doing?" Edward asked.
"I'm okay, I guess. Started my apprenticeship last week. Mostly just grunt work, but everyone's got to start somewhere, right?"
He nodded. "Might be the answer for Pix, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Pix has always considered herself to be a painter, but maybe if she saw herself more of an artist. Like, say drawing designs for tattoos? She'd feel important. Needed."
Jasper pressed his lips together and shifted his focus back to Alice and Bella. "Yeah, maybe."
—WH—
By the time Edward and Bella made it back to their apartment, he was exhausted. They'd spent hours scouring the crafter's market and in the end had found a couple awkward lamps for their apartment, a new rug for the living room, and a vintage set of green glasses that reminded Edward of the ones his mother had kept in her china cabinet.
They'd eaten dinner with Jasper and Alice before saying their goodbyes, and the more he watched his sister, the more convinced he was that Jasper was telling the truth. Alice was barely hanging on. It wasn't that she really said or acted oddly. She forced herself to smile and laugh, to be happier than she'd been in years. Edward knew Alice was nearing her breaking point; he just wasn't sure how to help her. If Jasper couldn't get through to her, who could?
"Hey," Bella called, drawing his attention to the doorway of their bedroom. She stood wearing a sheer black, nightie that hid nothing.
Edward licked his lips as he stood from the couch, taking in the sight in front of him. She was beauty personified. His mouth yearned to taste her, his hands needed to feel her, his cock begged to be in her. His chest heaved as he walked across their apartment, pressing her against their bedroom door.
"When did you get this?"
Bella smiled. "It's just a little something I've been saving for a special occasion. Do you like it?"
Edward nodded. "It's sexy as fuck, baby."
"I feel sexy in it." Bella pushed him away and climbed onto their bed, leaning against the stack of pillows with her knees bent in front of her. She dragged her hands across her chest, down her stomach until she reached the hem of her nightie. Slipping her hand beneath, she slid her fingers along her pussy, moaning softly.
"Jesus fuck," Edward hissed, his hands flying to the front of his pants. He quickly had them undone and down to his knees as he shuffled across their room. He kicked them off and shed his shirt. Crawling onto the bed, he grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her so that she was lying in front of him. He grabbed the hand she'd been touching herself with and pressed it against the bulge in his underwear. "Do you feel this?"
Bella bit her lip and nodded. "Is that for me?"
"Only for you."
Edward scooted on the bed so that he was between her legs. Pressing on her thighs, he opened her up to him. He shifted his eyes to hers as he snaked his tongue out and gave her a hard lick.
"Fuck," Bella hissed.
"Yeah, baby, I'll fuck you," Edward murmured, before attacking her pussy with gusto. He loved making her climax, whether with his fingers, his tongue, or his cock. He loved that he controlled her pleasure, that she needed him to make her explode in with pleasure. Over and over, he sucked and licked, nibbled and flicked her labia and clit, needing more and more of her sweet flavor.
"Oh, oh, oh, God, Edward," she cried, her back arching off the bed.
He lapped up as much as he could before leaning up on the bed. He shoved his boxers off and positioned his throbbing cock at her opening. With a shift of his hips, he entered her, causing both of them to shudder. There was nothing — nothing — like the feeling of being inside her. It was like coming home.
Setting a steady pace, Edward began to move, his hands taking purchase on her thigh as she curled her leg around his waist. Their bodies glided together, their breathing heavy, their love abundant. As they made love, Edward found himself wondering what life would have been like for them if he hadn't been the boy with the broken heart and she hadn't been the girl with no voice.