Somewhere To Begin Chapter 26, a twilight fanfic

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Chapter 26: He Got Game?

Edward

This friend thing sucked.

I sighed as I looked up at the ceiling of my bedroom.

We were leaving for the ranch today, but at the moment I had nothing to do. Renata was with Gianna and I wouldn't pick her up until later. Our bags were packed and loaded in the truck. I didn't have to work today, and the condo was clean.

I thought I would just relax. I tried to read a book, listen to some music, watch some T.V. and when that didn't keep my attention, I worked out, washed the smallest load of laundry, and even answered the few work-related emails I had.

And after all of that, I had absolutely nothing else to do.

So, relaxing didn't work out too well for me.

Why? Because while I did all those things, my mind wouldn't cooperate with me. The thing I've been trying to keep in the back of my mind, the thing I've been trying to not think about, was all I can think about.

Being. Friends. Sucked.

Which led me on the path of my next two thoughts.

Why did I say let's be friends and how can I dig myself out of the hole I put myself in?

The answer to the first question; because I was an idiot, plain and simple. Now the second one, that was much more complicated, and how I found myself sprawled out on my bed thinking.

Now I know I sounded like an indecisive teenager who got exactly what they said they wanted, but it's just… that's not what I wanted, not really.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy we're friends, more than happy and I still want us to always have a friendship, but that's not enough.

But she doesn't know any of this. How could she? It's not like I told her.

"What am I going to do?" I folded my arms behind my head.

As I saw it, I had two options.

The first option, the one that would inevitably drive me crazy; we could remain friends, wait and see if something happened like a repeat of the kiss or more.

I could make the most out of the time we spent together, let things happen naturally on their own, if she wanted it to, without interfering.

The problem was that this option would require patience, and a lot of it.

Is that something I would want to do? No, but I could.

I could be patient.

Okay, that's a lie. I just told a complete lie. That would be terrible.

I rubbed my hands over my face. "That won't work."

That would be my last, and I meant last resort.

The second option, the riskier one, was to just tell her.

Be honest, just put it all out there and hope for the best.

Logically, I knew this was the simplest choice, but in my head all I saw was that blowing up in my face and losing everything, her and Aiden.

And that wasn't an option.

But I knew I needed to do something. I just had to go about it in the right way, the way that still left room for friendship, and didn't make me look like a fool, if she doesn't want a relationship.

I needed to think rationally.

I reached over to my nightstand, opened the drawer, and grabbed a notepad and pen. I closed it and scooted up on my bed, my back leaned against the headboard, and put a pillow over my lap to act as my desk.

On the top of the page, I wrote: How can I make her see me as more than a friend

I tapped my pen against the pillow as I thought about what the best course of action would be.

You should just, I don't know, tell her.

I am going to tell her; I just want to be strategic about it.

If strategic means never, you're on the right track.

It doesn't mean that. I'm literally sitting here thinking about what to do.

Right, and as usual, you need your trusty pen and paper to do anything.

You don't have to be so, so… mean.

Need I remind you who was there for you since the beginning, when you were being all melodramatic? And who's there when you won't act like an adult?

Where did that come fr-you know what? Never mind. It doesn't matter. You don't have to be mean.

Whatever. What you need to do is to grow a pair and tell her. I don't know how many times I have to say this. I'm tired of hearing about Bella.

Whoa, that was a bit harsh, don't you think?

No, not at all.

Maybe we need a break from each other.

Couldn't agree more.

Okay. Anyway.

I looked down at the piece of paper.

How can I make her see me as more than a friend?

"What do I know." I mumbled to myself. What proof could I show that proved we could go from friends to something more?

Obviously, I liked her.

We were friends, we were close.

We built a level of trust with each other.

We enjoyed each other's company.

We communicated well with each other, excluding this.

Aiden liked me, and Renata liked her.

We kissed, so something, even if it was small, had to be there.

But was that enough?

I knew I was important to Bella. She said that much, but how could I make her see that I wanted more without actually saying the words.

There had to be another way. I just wasn't thinking hard enough.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and stared at a spot on my comforter.

How could I tell her without telling her?

That's it!

"That's fucking it." I sat up.

I could let her know without saying the words.

I hadn't done anything to allude that I wanted more than friendship.

I needed to be obvious about my feelings and what I wanted.

How is that any different from what I said?

I thought we were taking a break.

We are, but you're loud. Answer the question.

It's simple. I'm gonna drop hints, with my actions; you know, be suave and shit.

And words wouldn't work because….

Because that could go wrong. Doing it that way, showing instead of telling, gets my point across without putting me in jeopardy of total rejection.

You're doing it again, not acting like an adult. Out of all the things you could do, you somehow came up with this? I swear sometimes I'm amazed we've gotten this far.

This is going to work, it's the best and safest option. Trust m-

Stop, just stop talking.

…

Hello, you still there?

….

Okay, back to what I was saying.

I needed to step my game up, well technically, I needed to get in the game first, but I could work on that.

I needed to be forward, not like creepy forward, but not too subtle either.

I need to make a move, but I couldn't move too fast or slow.

I needed to be decisive, sure, so she could see how serious I was.

I needed to make her see that I could be more than a friend.

"Hell yeah." I pumped my fist.

I had a plan, finally.

I was going to show Bella that I liked her, and that she liked me, too. Hopefully.

STB

A couple hours later, I drove through the historic area of Oak Park, an apartment community. I was lucky to find a parking space not too far from her building; someone had just pulled out as I got there.

I entered the building, with more hop in my step than necessary, headed to the elevator and rode it to the 17th floor. Moments later, I knocked on her door.

This would be the first time I would physically be in Gianna's apartment because, well, originally, I didn't want to, for obvious reasons, but more recently, the opportunity never presented itself.

"Hey." Gianna smiled as she held open the door. "Come in."

"Hey." I stepped inside.

She closed the door. "Renata's still asleep, but you can sit for a few moments in you'd like."

"Sure, we have time to spare."

She led me down a hallway; we made a right and then kept straight, passing one bedroom. We took a few steps and passed Renata's bedroom. I could see her asleep in her bed, and came into the kitchen, where I saw the dining area, living room, and balcony.

For this being an apartment, it looked very spacious. "Nice place."

"Thanks." She plopped down on the couch, and I sat down as well.

It was quiet, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

Gianna and I had been good. We didn't need Renata as a buffer anymore, thankfully.

I would even say this was the best our relationship had been since the divorce, maybe even before then. That talk we had when we cleared the air really helped us. There hadn't been any awkward moments between us. That being said, we kept our conversations simple, surface level. But it worked for us.

I don't know if I would say we would ever be best friends, but we were in a good space.

She crossed her legs. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing good." I settled back into the couch. "How about you?"

"Can't complain." She shrugged. "Work is good, Renata is good, I can't ask for too much more, I guess." She mumbled and picked up the throw pillow and rubbed her hand against the fabric. She seemed to say that more so to herself than me.

"Mmm." I hummed and nodded my head.

Even though she didn't say the words, I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about, or specifically who, and knowing that didn't bother me—surprisingly—but I didn't want to talk about it either.

That would be weird, at least to me.

But please don't misunderstand me. I want Gianna to move on with her life, but that is not a conversation we should have together, at least not about the man she cheated on me with, now or ever, really.

That would go way beyond surface level and cross every boundary known to man, I'm sure, but more importantly, we were finally, finally, in a good space. I wanted us to stay in that good, peaceful, zero awkwardness space.

"Anyway." She breathed out and waved her hand. "I hope you guys enjoy your trip, it's all Renata talked about since you dropped her off." She chuckled.

"Yeah." I smiled. "She's pretty excited, I'm sure we'll have a good time."

"Take plenty of pictures. I want to see her in those boots she keeps telling me about."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Of course, she talked about those."

I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. Bella's excitement when we were in that western store rubbed off on Jellybean. She had even gotten me to even buy a pair of those things.

Wait.

I guess that wasn't such a bad thing now. Bella had a thing for country western wear.

Maybe I should have gotten a hat? She did say I would look good in chaps. I wonder if I leave here in enough time if I could stop by th-

"Edward."

I blinked a couple times. "Huh?"

"You spaced out." She turned toward me. "What were you just thinking about? You had the dorkiest smile on your face." She laughed.

"I did not have a dorky smile on my face." I frowned.

"Yes, you did." She nodded, still laughing. "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "Just the trip."

It's not like I was going to tell her about Bella. That would be just as weird as if she talked to me about… her guy.

Gianna tilted her head and stared at me.

"What?" I squirmed a bit.

"Huh." She placed her elbow on the back of the couch.

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"It's just." She paused and bit her bottom lip. "I haven't seen that look on your face in a long time."

"What look?"

"That one." She pointed at me, but I'm sure I was frowning. "You look happy."

"Oh." I blinked. "Uh."

Was I happy?

Honestly, I hadn't thought about that in some time, which now thinking about that, it's kind of funny considering at one point that was all I thought about.

Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, I was… am happy without knowing?

"I think I am." I frowned. "I guess?" I knew I wasn't unhappy. I shook my head. "Yeah, I'm happy."

Gianna chuckled. "I didn't mean to fluster you, but you look good. That's all I was trying to say."

"Thanks." I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm gonna go wake Renata up." She stood up. "Don't want you guys to miss your flight."

I looked good?

Did I look terrible before?

I don't know why, but it felt a little weird to hear her say that. Not that she couldn't say it, but I guess that wasn't something I expected to hear from her.

"Hi Daddy." Renata yawned and walked toward me.

I held my arms open. "Hey Jellybean." I kissed her cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

She laid her head on my shoulder and nodded. "Mm-hm."

"Give your Mom a hug." I rubbed her back and stood up from the couch.

"See you later, Sweetheart." Gianna bent down and wrapped her arms around Renata. "I'm going to miss you." She peppered kisses all over her face.

"Miss you too." Renata giggled.

"Have fun." She kissed her nose one last time and stood. "You have some fun too." She smiled softly at me.

"We will." I said as we headed for the door.

"Edward." She grabbed my arm.

I turned back to her. "Yeah."

"I meant it." She bit her lip. "It's nice to see you happy again."

STB

Bella, Aiden, and Egg Roll were already outside when we pulled up. I put the car in park and quickly got out to help with their bags.

"Hey." Bella smiled.

"Hey, beau- Bella." I was going to say beautiful but…

You punked out.

It was just that moment. I can redeem myself.

"Hi Edward." Aiden said.

"Hey, Buddy." I ruffled his hair.

Renata pushed open the back door. "Get in Den."

"Coming." He said before he climbed in with Egg Roll.

I opened the trunk. Bella and I loaded their bags, Egg Roll's food, bed, and toys.

Once we finished with that, we got in the car and headed to her parents' house.

"Thanks for picking us up."

"No problem." I glanced at her. "It wouldn't have made sense for both of our cars to sit in the airport parking lot."

"Well, I appreciate." She squeezed my arm.

"It was my pleasure." I grinned.

When we pulled up into the driveway of her parents' house, Bella hopped out and opened the back door. "Come on, Egg Roll."

"Bye Egg Roll." Aiden said.

"See you later." Renata said.

Bella walked up the few stairs and rang the doorbell.

Renée answered.

Bella handed her the leash. I could see her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear what was being said, obviously.

Renée smirked at her, and Bella shook her head.

They exchanged more words.

Renée pushed past Bella and walked toward the car. I rolled down my window.

"Don't Mom." Bella pouted as she followed behind her.

Renée ignored her. "Hi Edward." She wiggled her fingers at me.

Bella crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Hi Renée." I smiled at her.

"It's so good to see you again." She put her elbow on the door.

"It's good to see you too."

"I'm so happy you two worked out your issues in time for the trip. Too bad she didn—"

"Okay." Bella pulled on her arm. "We've gotta go, Mom."

She told her Mom about me?

"Okay, okay, give me a hug." Renée laughed. "You guys be safe and have fun."

"That wasn't funny." Bella mumbled as she hugged her.

"Love you, Honey." She kissed her cheek.

She whispered something in her ear, but I couldn't make out what she said.

"Okay." Bella pulled back. "Bye, now go in the house." She turned around to walk back to the passenger side door.

"I will, remember what I said." She swatted Bella on her butt.

"Mom." Bella groaned, and her cheeks flushed.

"Go." Renée laughed.

Bella huffed, but got in the truck.

"Love you, Nana." Aiden shouted. I rolled down his window so he could see her better.

"I love you too, Honey." She blew him a kiss.

"Bye Aiden's Nana." Renata said.

She grinned. "See you later, Sweetheart," she said before she and Egg Roll went into the house.

I turned to Bella. "What was that about?"

"Nothing." She said quickly, too quickly.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

Bella inhaled. "She's just thinks she's funny is all."

"Funny how?"

She shook her head. "I'll tell you another time." She turned back to the kids. "Who's ready to get to the airport?" She asked excitedly.

"Me." Aiden and Renata said together.

She turned back to me, a smile on her face. "Let's get going."

When we arrived at the airport, we grabbed our bags and headed to the check-in desk and handed our luggage to them. Afterwards, we headed towards security. We gave them our carry-on bags, removed our shoes and then walked through the detectors.

Once all of our shoes were back on, we headed to our terminal. Everyone was already there, waiting in the lounge area.

"Took you rascals long enough to get here." Emmett said—in the same terrible country accent he'd been using since last week—as soon as he saw us.

"Please, just stop already." Jasper groaned.

"What he said." Jacob pointed at Jasper.

"I third that." Rosalie said.

"You don't like my accent, Darling?" He drawled.

He sounded like he had spit stuck in his throat.

"No." Rosalie shook her head.

"It's terrible." Jasper said.

"How could she?" Alice frowned.

"You guys are just jealous." Emmett said, still using the accent.

"No, you just sound like an idiot." I chuckled as we sat down in the four open seats across from Emmett, Rosalie, Demetri, and Avery.

Bella snorted. "Um, Em, I don't think they have accents like that in Montana."

Jasper rolled her eyes. "That's what we've been telling him."

"What are y'all talking bout, all cowboys have accents." He grinned. "Ain't that right, Squirt and Aiden?"

They shrugged their shoulders and giggled.

I'm not sure if he realized they were laughing at him and not with him.

"Anyway." Demetri sighed. "I'm so ready for this trip." He sat up straighter in his seat. "I've been looking forward to wearing my chaps, and I found this cute poncho that's going to go so well with those jeans." He pointed to Angela. "You remember the ones I showed you, and the belt, ugh, it's to d-"

"Babe." Avery patted him on his leg. "I think we get it."

"Oh." Demetri leaned back. "Right, well I just have a lot of options is all, I got excited."

"We can tell." Alice said.

"I'm looking forward to the R & R too." Demetri said, without as much excitement.

"Me and you both, work has been crazy lately." Avery said.

"Right." Ivey moved to the edge of her seat. "You all wouldn't believe the crazy things that happened this week to me." She sucked her teeth. "I had a four-hour surgery on a Golden Retriever. She ate six and a half socks and three very large dishtowels. I looked like Houdini pulling all that crap out. Then we had this older woman come in for an emergency appointment, cause their female dog had weird lumps." She narrowed her eyes. "Turns out those 'lumps'." She air quoted. "Confirmed the dog was male."

We all laughed in unison, getting the attention of those around us.

"How do you not know the difference?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows. "One hangs-"

"Emmett!" We all scolded him.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Not everyone is so knowledgeable." Demetri chuckled. "The stories I could tell you."

Angela closed her eyes and sighed. "Please don't."

Demetri jutted his bottom lip out. "You won't let me have fun."

"It's okay buddy." Emmett patted his back. "We have all week to hear your stories."

"Looking forward to it." Demetri smirked.

"I'm sure you are." Ben shook his head.

"I know you love my stories, Big Benny." He winked at him.

"Stop." Angela scrunched up her face. "You know I hate that nickname."

"Same." Ben nodded. "It sounds kinda disgusting."

Demetri shrugged. "I like it."

"Well." Ivey sighed. "She apparently had some vision problems. It wasn't the worst thing that happened this week, unfortunately." She leaned back in her chair. "So, this getaway couldn't have come at a better time."

"Yeah." Bella said. "I can't wait to get there. After we get settled in, I'm thinking Aiden and I will hike on one of the trails. The pictures online make the property look so beautiful."

"Renata and I could join you." I said.

Have a little alone time and do some showing. Well, not too alone. The kids would be with us.

"That would be great." She smiled.

"Mm-hmm." Demetri nodded his head. "You know what I can't wait to see?"

"No, it's probably inappropriate." Angela said.

"What's that?" Jacob asked.

"The cowboys." Demetri wiggled his eyebrows.

"Dude." Rosalie laughed. "You have a boyfriend; you don't have to be on the prowl anymore."

Demetri clicked his tongue. "I'm not on the prowl. I'm a happily taken man, and I would never do that to Avery." He leaned over and kissed Avery on the cheek. "But it doesn't hurt to look."

"You have no shame." Angela shook her head.

"Oh, please." Demetri waved his hand at her. "He'll be looking, too."

Avery moved his head from side to side and shrugged. "He's not wrong; there's no harm in looking."

"That's very… fair of you." Jasper said.

"That's because we trust each other." Demetri rolled his eyes. "Like I said, I'm happily taken, but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun."

"I don't get it. How much fun can you have looking? You're in a relationship." Ben asked.

"I guess you have a point." Demetri pursed his lips and looked around the room, seeming to think. His eyes landed on Bella and he smirked. "I'll just live vicariously through Bella; we could hook her up with someone."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, actually." Alice said.

Excuse me.

"What?" Bella frowned. "No." She shook her head.

"Come on, B, let loose, and have some fun. You like cowboys anyway." Rosalie said.

"What she said." Demetri jerked his head in Rosalie's direction. "It's not like you're dating anyone, right?" He tilted his head and blinked at her.

Not yet, hopefully.

"I-I-." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Just cause I'm- um, not at the moment-um." She stumbled over her words.

"Is she okay?" Emmett whispered; Rosalie slapped his arm.

"I'll take that as no." Demetri sighed.

"Look." Bella blew out. "I don't want to date right now."

Yeah, you tell 'em.

Wait, that won't work for me.

"So, no one will be hooking me up with anyone." She looked at Demetri, Alice, and Rosalie.

"We'll see about that." Demetri mumbled, loudly, as he set back in his chair.

What the fuck! That would completely ruin my plan.

Maybe I should have asked for Demetri's help.

I chewed on the bottom of my lip and thought about that.

Then again, he probably would just tell Bella himself, which would defeat the whole purpose.

Should I have at least talked to Alice, Rosalie, or Angela? Dammit, why didn't I think of that earlier, and get in good with her friends?

I'm so out of practice

I crossed my arms and sat back.

"Stop it Demetri." Bella pointed at him.

"Mmm." He narrowed his eyes. "No, I'm doing this for you, because I love you. You'll thank me later."

I ran my fingers through my hair and blew out a breath through my nose.

Shit, my plan was failing before I could even officially start it.

"Leave her alone Demetri, she said stop." Angela said.

Thank you!

Emmett cleared his throat; he was looking at me.

I sat up straighter in my seat.

How long had he been looking at me?

"I'll tell you what I'm looking forward to, fly-fishing." Jacob said.

The conversation moved from setting Bella up, thankfully, to the activities we had planned when our group was called for boarding.

Our boarding passes were checked, and we boarded the plane.

We found our row and Bella and Renata sat down while Aiden helped me put our carry-on bags in the overhead bins.

"Edward." Aiden said as I closed the bin.

I looked down at him. "Yes."

"Will you still hold my hand?"

"Of course."

He grabbed on to my fingers and we walked back to our seats.

"Hope you don't mind; I like the window seat." Bella said. Renata was already in the chair next to her.

"I don't mind." I guided Aiden in first, then took my seat. He held my hand the whole time.

"Edward." Bella said.

I turned to look at her.

She glanced at Aiden's and my hands. "Thank you."

After the flight attendant reminded us all to fasten our seatbelts, we took off.

Aiden was nervous, but as time went on, he relaxed, and his grip on my hand loosened. I'm sure it helped that Renata wasn't scared of flying and could distract him. They watched Shrek and played on the iPad.

Thankfully, the plan ride was just a little over three hours and there was no turbulence.

Once we landed, we grabbed our carry-on bags, got off as quickly as possible and headed to baggage claim.

After we all got our luggage, we went next door to get our rental. We got an Econoline van, so we didn't need to have multiple vehicles. All the guys loaded the bags in the back of the van. After we stopped to get the kids a snack and to use the bathroom, we hit the road.

It was a two-hour ride from the airport to the ranch. It was a relatively quiet ride, soft music was playing, the kids fell asleep, and some light conversation could be heard.

While that was going on, I thought about what I should do when we walked the trails.

I could put my arm over her shoulders. But was that too subtle?

Maybe I could put my hand on her waist, as if I'm guiding her? Is that too forward?

I could hold her hand. But how could I do that on the sly, without it being weird?

"We're here." Jasper said as we passed a sign that said, 'Welcome to Wilder Family Ranch'.

He followed the path of the dirt road and stopped in front of a cabin; a dog was on the porch.

"It's beautiful out here." Bella said.

And it was. The ranch was nestled beneath a snow-capped mountain and there were trees stretched for miles with a river and ponds.

"Renata." I rubbed her back. "Time to get up."

She blinked her eyes open.

"We're here."

She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and stretched.

We got out of the van, unloaded our bags, and headed toward the entrance of the cabin just as the door swung open, two men and two women filed out of the door and stood on the porch.

"Hey folks." An older looking man said. "I'm Lawson and this is my wife Bailey." He pointed to the blonde woman. "And that's my brother Levi and his wife Dakota." They all smiled and waved.

"Nice to meet you." I said.

"We're happy you decided to stay with us, we really hope-"

"He doesn't have an accent." Emmett whispered as Lawson was talking.

"I told you. This isn't the south." Jasper muttered.

The door opened again, but this time, two younger men walked out. "Those are my two sons Colton and Dylan."

"Damn. Those are two fine cowboys." Demetri whispered.

"The Dad is good looking too." Alice said.

Dylan nodded his head at us, but Colton was smiling—specifically at Bella.

"We would love to show you all around, but first you guys need to get settled in." Lawson said, but I was busy looking at Colton, who was still looking at Bella.

"Why don't we split up and show each of them where they'll be stay'n?" Dakota said.

"Good idea." Colton walked down the stairs and right up to Bella. "Hi."

What?

"Hi." Her eyebrows squished together.

"I'm Colton."

"So, I've heard."

He smiled. "And you are?"

The?

"Bella." She put her hand on Aiden's shoulder. "And this is my son, Aiden."

He smiled at Aiden. "It's nice to meet you Aiden." He took his hat off and put it on Aiden's head. "Will you hold that for me?"

"Okay." Aiden smiled and pushed the hat up; it was too big.

"Alright beautiful." Colton picked up her bags. "Follow me, your cabin is this way." He walked backwards, looking at Bella.

"Uh." Bella's eyes flickered around. "O-okay, come on Aiden."

Fuck?

I watched them until they were no longer in view.

"Dude." Emmett whispered with wide eyes.

What the fuck just happened?

Nothing planned or strategic, I'll tell you that much.

"Is he gonna come back for my bags too?" Demetri said.

A/N: So, now they're at the dude ranch and we've added some new characters.

Edward has admitted he doesn't like the friend zone and has put a plan in place… but now there's a little snag in his plan, Coltan. What are your thoughts?

The whole group is together again, what did you think of the airport conversation?

If you'd like to see pics of the Wilder family, the dude ranch and Gianna's place, and teasers, you're welcome to join our private FB group: The Moon Writers

Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and alerts. We appreciate all of your encouraging words and support!

REC: Training the Swan by ericastwilight. Edward is the retired right hand man for a mob boss, Charlie Swan. When asked to train a woman to help to protect herself and her daughter, he had no idea the trouble he'd find himself in. She's the boss's daughter. Can he keep his hands off?