CHAPTER 17
Waking up on Sunday morning felt like how waking up Saturday should have been. Edward had slept in for once, and I was able to gracefully sneak under his arm and cuddle into his side without waking him. Although he stirred a few minutes later when I rested my head on his chest, and then I felt his hand start to gently brush up and down my bare back.
"Mornin', beautiful." His voice was raspy with sleep.
"Good morning." My voice was back to normal, and I smiled.
"Sleep okay?"
"Mmhmm." I sat up on my elbow.
His pretty green eyes opened when he felt me move, and I was sure I could never get tired of waking up to those looking back at me. He smiled sleepily and pulled me down for a kiss. It started out chaste, but it quickly escalated. He was rolling on top of me when my phone started to ring. I groaned and reached an arm out to grab it from the nightstand. His lips moved down my neck.
Fuck.
I tried to regain my focus and look to see who was calling. I saw Alice's name and then remembered that I had the morning shift. It was 9:50. I was supposed to be there at 9:30, and the bar opened in ten minutes.
Fuck.
"Fuckin' hell." I quickly sat up, causing Edward to tumble off of me, looking very confused. I quickly pulled on the flannel shirt laying beside the bed and ran to my duffel bag as I answered the call, holding it between my cheek and my shoulder as I dug through my bag. "Hey, Ali, I'm so sorry. I forgot to set my alarm. I'll be there in like twenty minutes." I promised as soon as I answered.
She sounded hungover as hell when she replied. "Please get here soon. I can't deal with these drunk sorority girls by myself."
"You're by yourself?" I asked guiltily as I hurried into the bathroom. I put the phone on speaker, set it on the counter, and started to slip on one of my body suits.
"Yeah. Carmen has a sick kid at home, no one else is able to come this last minute, and Jasper got food poisoning from whatever hellhole late night food truck Emmett took us to last night."
I was hopping and shimmying into my jeans when Edward appeared in the doorway wearing only his boxer briefs.
Mmmmm.
Focus, Isabella.
He smirked at me and then replied to Alice as I started to brush through my hair. "I thought y'all were going to Waffle House last night."
Alice huffed. "Emmett changed his mind on the way, and now my husband is at home slowly dying a miserable death. Consider yourselves lucky that you didn't come. It was absolutely awful."
I finished brushing through my hair and threw it in a ponytail. "Well, I'm almost ready. I'll be there soon. Just let me put on some mascara, and I'll be headed that way."
"Ugh, I miss you being a one minute walk away. See you in fifteen?"
"Yes, dear."
She hung up, and I put on some mascara and then pushed past Edward to get back into the bedroom. I pulled on my boots as I was heading to the bedroom door.
"How come my sister is 'dear', but I'm 'law school' or my full legal name?" He pouted, still standing in the doorway of the bathroom.
I giggled. "Green's not your color, Edward Cullen. I have room for both of you in my life." I teased. I'm sure he didn't think telling me that about Jasper would come back to bite him.
"This is bullshit." He muttered.
I rolled my eyes and rushed back up to him to give him a quick kiss. "We can talk about this later, okay? I have to go." I laughed and then turned to literally run out of the door.
I hurried to my car and drove over to the bar. Thankfully, the bar had only been open a few minutes when I got there, and it wasn't that busy yet.
"I'm so sorry, Ali." I said as I clocked in.
She was stocking clean glasses. "It's fine. I'm just glad I got a hold of you when I did." She did look a little rougher than normal, but her clothes were still stylish and pristine.
"I can't believe I forgot to set my alarm. As if me taking off every Friday and Saturday for the next month and a half wasn't enough of a headache for y'all."
She waved me off. "Please, we have enough people to cover those days you're taking off. And as far as forgetting your alarm, we all have our days where we're not all put together. Just don't make it a habit." She tried to look stern as she said the last sentence, but she couldn't hide her little giggle.
"Thanks, Ali." I laughed. "And by the way, I think your brother is a little jealous of our relationship."
She laughed. "He should be. I'll always be your number one, and he needs to know that."
I shook my head at her, smiling.
Things started to pick up, but thankfully, we were able to keep up with all of our customers and orders. At around one, the mimosa crowd started to trickle out, and it slowed down quite a bit. The bar was nearly empty when I saw Edward walk through the front doors.
"Hey, you." I greeted as he walked over and sat down at a bar stool. "You missed the mimosa special."
"Dammit. I guess you can get me a beer." He said dramatically.
I laughed and walked to the coolers to get a Miller Lite.
"Well, if it isn't the second favorite." Alice teased as she walked back behind the bar from getting something in the supply room. "You've got to be used to that, though, aren't you, big brother? You know I'm Mom and Dad's favorite, too."
"Shut it, pipsqueak." Edward snapped.
I hip checked Alice as I handed Edward his drink. "Don't be mean." I laughed.
"I'm just being honest." She laughed.
"If you want Jasper at home at all next hunting season, you better tread lightly, Mary Alice."
Alice glared at Edward.
"Mary Alice?" I asked, trying not to giggle.
Edward smirked and took a sip of his beer. "Very. Lightly."
"You're too much of a workaholic to keep Jasper at the blinds for three months straight." She challenged.
"You know I'm not one to make an empty promise, Ali. And I'll do just about anything to prove a point."
Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and then she looked at me and winked. "We'll let him believe whatever he wants to, honey."
"Okay, baby doll." I giggled as she walked off to go chat with one of our regulars.
Edward looked at me with a playful glare. "You better tread lightly, too, bellbottoms."
"Why? Are you going to punish me?" I asked, my voice dripping with sass.
He smirked. "Maybe. You want me to?" He winked and took a swig from his beer.
I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from smiling and felt the blush creep up on my face. "You're bad." I stated and walked from behind the bar to go pick up the brunch chalkboard sign from the front entryway.
"You love it." He called back.
I ignored the little inward scream (both from excitement and terror) that I heard when he said 'love' and flipped him off as I continued to walk away.
He was still chuckling when I came back inside, but I walked past him and brought the chalkboard to the supply room and started to wipe off the Sunday special so that I could get it ready to be put out tomorrow. Edward walked in as I was cleaning up the lines on my lettering, and I turned my head to him a little and smirked before looking back at what I was doing. "Ya know, being part owner doesn't mean you get to stalk employees."
I felt him stand next to me and look over my shoulder. "I'm not stalking. I'm supervising." I heard the smile in his voice.
I snorted. "Control freak." I muttered.
He smacked my ass, surprising me and causing my hand to slip and mess up the line I was drawing.
"Edward Cullen. I'm gonna kick your ass." I chided as I wiped the mistake.
He laughed and leaned against the table, watching as I finished up the sign. I took a step back, deciding I was done, and then I closed the chalk marker and looked over at him with a glare.
He looked down at the chalkboard and then looked back at me, smirking. "Adequate."
"You wanna know what else is gonna be adequate?" I asked angrily.
"Your foot up my ass?" He guessed cockily.
"Yes." I laughed as I tried to playfully kick him.
Edward laughed and caught my leg. Without missing a beat, he took a large step forward, put his free arm under me to lift me up, and spun around so he could set me on the table he had just been leaning on. "Have you had any coffee today? You're not usually this feisty without a couple whiskey drinks." He teased.
"No, I haven't had any coffee, nor have I had any nicotine in the past thirty-six hours. So yes, I am cranky." I whined before looking over at Edward with my biggest puppy dog eyes. "And it would be nice if my honey would go to the coffee shop down the street and get me a fancy coffee so that I don't have to settle for the burnt crap we have at the bar."
Edward barked out a loud laugh. "So now I'm honey? When you need something?"
I pouted and started to scratch his beard.
"Don't look at me like that."
I sighed dramatically.
He looked away for a moment. "Son of a bitch." He muttered and then turned his big green eyes back to me. "What do you want, baby?"
I giggled. "White chocolate mocha, please. Biggest size they have."
"Do you need anything to eat?"
"Nope. I'm good. Just the coffee."
"Have you eaten anything at all today?"
I thought for a moment and then pursed my lips when I realized that I hadn't.
"I'm getting you food, too." He said and then helped me down from the table. "Do you want something to drink besides coffee? Water, maybe?" He hinted.
"Nope. Just the coffee."
He sighed as we started making our way back to the bar room. It was still slow. Alice was doodling on a napkin when we walked up. "I'm getting Bella some coffee and lunch. You want something?" Edward asked her.
She thought for a moment. "Diet Coke and a club sandwich with onion rings."
"Ohhh. That's what I want, too." I interjected as I walked back behind the bar.
Edward looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You're really going to drink a coffee with a club sandwich?"
I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"
He shook his head. "Alright. I'll be back." He said and started walking to the front doors.
"Thank you, baby!" I called.
He gave me a smirk and blew me a kiss before walking out of the door.
Edward came back about fifteen minutes later. Alice and I were able to both go eat right when he got there since it was the overlap time between shifts and another bartender had showed up. Alice went to eat in Jasper's office so that she could call him and check on him at home, and Edward came to sit with me in the break room. He had gotten lunch, too.
"You get off in about three hours, right?" He asked.
I nodded. "Five thirty."
"Are you coming back to my place after? Your stuff is still there. I mean, there's no need to go there to pick it up and then come back across town to your brother's."
"Oh, right." I replied offhandedly. I really wanted to stay another night, and rule number four had all but flown out the window. Why not abandon the first one, too?
"Unless you don't want to stay tonight. That's fine…" He trailed off, eyeing me carefully.
"No, I want to… I'm just not sure I should." I admitted softly, taking a sip of my coffee.
"What do you mean?"
Before I could answer, Alice bounded into the room. "Jasper's feeling better, so you're all set to come to our place tonight, B." She said excitedly.
I turned to her shock. "What?"
"Well, I don't know if Emmett was serious or not last night, but I want a slumber party so I'm stealing you this week."
I could slightly recall Emmett making a joke about sending me to live with my step-parents after fucking up the solo in Simple Man, but I severely underestimated the fact that Alice would take it seriously. "Oh, um… Ali, all my stuff is—"
"Doesn't most of your clothes fit in a duffel bag, anyway? Just bring that and the plant, and you'll be set." She said happily. "We'll stop on the way to my house. We can carpool!"
"Well, my bag isn't—"
"I'm going to run a few errands. I'll be back to pick you up when you get off of work."
"But my car—"
"It stayed here when you lived here, didn't it?"
I nodded.
"Then it'll be fine here for tonight. I'll see you later." She skipped out the door.
I turned to look at Edward, still in shock of what just happened. "What was that?"
He chuckled. "Alice."
I sighed and started eating again.
"If you want me to get you out of it, I can. You get to learn how to wrangle her in after a few years of practice."
"Years?" I shook my head. "It's fine. She was too excited about it for me to tell her no. And Maria's supposed to be out of my apartment on Thursday, so I'll only be subjected to Alice's slumber parties for a few nights." I laughed.
"You sure?"
I nodded.
We finished eating, and he walked with me back to the bar room. He kissed my forehead before I went back behind the bar.
"I'll see you tonight when you come get your stuff?"
I nodded. "We'll probably be there about five forty five or so."
He smiled softly at me. "Alright, I'll see you then."
It was then that my alcoholic grandfathers made themselves known. "Hell, Paul, I told you they'd made a good looking couple, didn't I?" James asked.
I closed my eyes and laughed silently for a moment before turning around to respond. "What are you talking about, old man?"
"'He's been saying this was going to happen since you started working here. That boy hadn't been in this bar but a handful of times in the past year until you came along." Paul explained, sipping his beer.
I smirked and turned towards Edward.
He almost looked embarrassed. He just shrugged at me before clearing his throat. "Well, I'll see you later, baby."
"Later, E." I smiled and stretched up to kiss his cheek.
Edward gave me a sweet lopsided grin before leaving.
I walked behind the bar and put my hands on my hips in front of James and Paul. "Y'all are cruel. Teasing him like that."
"Who was teasing? I was just calling it like I saw it." Paul replied.
I shook my head at him and laughed.
A couple hours later, it was time for me to leave, and Alice arrived at the bar at five thirty on the dot to pick me up. When I broke it to her that we'd have to go to Edward's apartment as well as Emmett's, she groaned. "Why didn't you tell me? He's on the other side of town."
"I tried." I laughed. "You didn't listen."
She huffed and put her car in drive.
We got there in record time with Alice's insane driving. I thought Edward had driven fast, but at least he was a relatively safe driver. Alice was weaving in and out of traffic and speeding outrageously, even for Texas. It was then that I understood why Rosalie always volunteered to drive when the three of us went somewhere together. By the time we got to Edward's apartment, I was slightly carsick for the first time in my life.
Alice led us upstairs and waltzed into Edward's apartment after two quick knocks on the door.
"You okay, beautiful?" Edward asked when he saw me. I must have looked paler than normal.
I shook my head and grabbed his hand to drag him into the bedroom with me to grab my bag. "Why didn't you tell me your sister drove like that?" I whisper yelled. "I thought I was gonna die."
He laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "You didn't already know?"
"No, I didn't know. Rosalie always drives when we go somewhere. Now I see why." I started to fold my clothes haphazardly to make them fit in my overflowing bag.
"I'm sorry, baby. I really thought you knew." He sat on the bed next to my bag as I packed.
I stopped packing suddenly and looked at him with wide eyes. "I changed my mind. I'll stay here. You can get me out of it. I can't get back in the car with her. I'm going to have a panic attack."
He smirked. "I'd love to, but how are you going to get to work tomorrow? You don't have your car here."
"E." I groaned. "We still have to go to Emmett's, and I have to ride with her to work tomorrow. I'm gonna die."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she's never gotten in any accidents."
I sighed and started packing again. A few minutes later, I finished packing and looked over at Edward with the same puppy dog eyes and pout I had used to get him to buy me a coffee.
He chuckled, pulled me to stand between his legs, and wrapped his arms around me. "Don't be dramatic."
"But I am dramatic."
"Oh, I know you are." He laughed and kissed my nose. "You'll be fine."
"Fine." I groaned and picked up my things.
We walked back to the living room and found Alice cross legged on the sofa with Winnie, drinking a Coke from the fridge, and watching a reality show on the television.
"Just make yourself at home, sis." Edward joked.
"Well, Bella was taking ten years to get everything. You got it all?" She asked me.
I nodded.
"Great." She smiled brightly and hopped to her feet. "Let's go. We have to stop for dinner, too."
I looked at Edward in panic.
He smirked and gave me a kiss. "Have fun, baby."
I whined as Alice pulled me out of the door, and I heard him laughing at me as it shut.
We made it to her house an hour later in one piece. Thankfully. My life only flashed before my eyes a couple of times.
Jasper must have been feeling a lot better. Koe Wetzel was blaring on the sound system in their house, and he was sitting on the sectional in their living room, surrounded by fishing baits and tackle boxes that he seemed to be in the process of reorganizing.
"Jasper Wyatt. Why did we build you a garage if you don't use the dang thing?" Alice chided as she walked to the kitchen to set the food down.
I held back a giggle, set my bags on the floor in the corner of the living room, and found an empty corner of the sectional to sit on.
He ignored her question. "Babe, I think I found my next bass boat." He called.
Alice walked back towards the living room with her hands on her hips. "You have a bass boat. A nice one. And guess what? You still don't catch any fucking fish. So, no. Not until I get my back courtyard with a fancy fireplace."
Jasper frowned slightly and then looked at me. "She's so cruel to me, Bella."
I laughed. "Is she wrong though?"
Alice cackled.
"Well, damn, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He shook his head in disappointment.
I shrugged.
Jasper pursed his lips. "I'm second guessing this decision. You can go back to your other parents."
I rolled my eyes and got comfy in my spot. "Oh, go cry about it to your boyfriend, darlin'."
Alice howled and laughed so hard that she was gasping for air. "She's not going anywhere. In fact, I think we're keeping her forever."
He huffed. "This is bullshit."
"Well, me and Bella are going to eat. You can come when you clean up your mess." Alice said.
"Yeah, probably not eating tonight. Still a little squeamish. I'll have the living room clean by the time I go to bed, though."
"You better." She threatened.
I stood up and hopped over the tackle boxes to get to the kitchen. I made a plate and went over to the kitchen counter to eat with Alice. My phone went off as I sat down. I took it out and saw that it was from Edward.
Can I ask why Jasper asked me to come "get a hold of my woman"?
I laughed and showed Alice my phone. "Honestly, Ali, how do you deal with their shit?"
She looked at the text and laughed. "It's honestly pretty endearing after a while. I still tease them about it, but I prefer them being like this over them hating each other. And they've been friends for a lot longer than I've been with Jasper, so I guess it was just always normal."
I nodded in understanding and then turned in my seat. "Hey!" I called to Jasper.
"What, woman?"
"For your information, I can handle myself, thank you."
Alice spun around. "Yeah, Jas, enlighten us. How do you keep a hold of me?"
Jasper's eyes widened, realizing he'd dug himself in a hole. He started to pick up all of his tackle. "I think I'm going to go in the garage."
"Yeah, honey, I think you should." Alice laughed.
I replied to Edward after Jasper walked out. Your services will no longer be required.
He responded quickly. What did you two do to him?
Don't worry about it. I sent back.
You know I'm not the type of lawyer to get you out of murder charges, right?
I smiled. We'll take our chances.
"Y'all are cute." Alice giggled.
My head shot up. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about. I was right, and you know it."
I rolled my eyes but remained silent. I couldn't fight with her on it.
"I haven't seen him like this in a really long time. Since before he left for Chicago, even."
"Really?"
She nodded. "He was happy up there, but it just wasn't the same, ya know? I could tell he missed home."
"So, you don't think he was ever happy here?" I asked softly.
She looked thoughtful for a minute. "I think he's content. He came here for law school to be closer to home and though he'd never admit it, to watch out for me while I was in undergrad. He had known Jasper through stock shows in high school, and they had kept in touch enough that they decided to be roommates while Edward was in law school. Then Jasper and I got married, we all opened the bar, Edward got his job… we all just kind of settled here. Well, Edward and I did, at least. Jasper's homebody ass never left." She laughed before continuing, "This is home for me now. Jasper's here. The bar is here. We want to raise our kids here. And I think that's why it's so hard for Edward to be as happy as Jasper and I are. Home's not just a place, ya know? It's the people."
I looked down at my plate, pushing the pasta around with my fork.
"I think you're both starting to see that." She said softly before standing up and putting her plate in the sink.
"Can I ask you something, and please don't freak out and make a big deal of it?"
"Alright." Her big green eyes looked at me in anticipation.
"How do you know?"
Alice smiled slightly and looked off at nothing before shrugging. "I think it's different for everyone, B. Jasper was my anchor. When I'd get too high strung or get too high up in the clouds, he kept me grounded." She giggled. "But when I asked my mom that same question after I met Jasper, she said that for her, my dad was like whiskey in an old coffee cup. Comfy and cozy but still rough and rowdy. And she just knew. He was it."
The corners of my mouth lifted slightly. I didn't know much about their mom, but if what Alice just said was any indication, she seemed like the type of lady I could get along well with. "That's actually really sweet."
"Yeah, they're pretty cheesy." Alice laughed and then looked at me with a smug grin.
I rolled my eyes. "I said don't make a big deal."
"I didn't say anything, Bella."
"You were thinking it."
"You're paranoid."
"You're insane."
She rolled her eyes. "Are you done? I'm ready to watch a movie."
I nodded and hopped off of the kitchen stool. "Sure, what are we watching?"
"I'm feeling Dazed and Confused." Alice replied as she fell back onto the couch.
I sat next to her with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like your kind of movie." I laughed.
"Your type might be cocky country boys, but my type is stoners with long blonde hair. We'll watch Smokey and the Bandit after so you can get your thrill, too."
"Ali, if I were into chicks, I think I'd marry you." I said and rested my head on her shoulder. "I'd even go blonde and get high every day."
"Hey, why don't we do it? You can marry Edward, he and Jasper can get lost in a boating accident, and we can live the rest of our very rich lives together on the insurance money." She laughed.
"I heard that!" Jasper called from the kitchen.
Alice giggled and turned to look at him. "When did you sneak in?"
"Since you two sat down, started ogling other men, and then proceeded to plot not only my demise, but my best friend's. Y'all need a chaperone. I don't like the ideas that I'm hearing at all."
"Then don't listen." I called to him.
"Hey, who signs your checks, hippie chick?"
I pursed my lips and sunk down into the sofa.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." He taunted.
"Your husband is mean, Ali." I murmured. "Was it just the money?"
She giggled. "It was most definitely the money."
"And that he was a long haired stoner?"
"Mmmm. Yep."
I laughed quietly.
Jasper walked over and narrowed his eyes at us. "I don't trust either of you farther than I could throw you." He said and sat down on the other end of the sectional.
"You must be high right now because you're being awfully paranoid." I commented.
Alice laughed.
Jasper rolled his eyes. "I haven't gotten high since my wedding day, thank you very much."
"You were high at your wedding?" I laughed.
"So was she." He said and pointed to Alice.
I looked at her with my jaw dropped dramatically. "Mary Alice Hale."
She looked guilty. "It was a very stressful day, alright? And it was only at the end of the reception. All the groomsmen were. The groom was. It wasn't fair that I couldn't be."
"Heathens."
"Because you're such an angel." She teased.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I am an angel." I insisted, trying to keep a straight face.
Jasper snorted.
"What?"
"Did you or did you not go shot for shot with your brother at his wedding?"
"I do believe that was me, yes."
"Wouldn't you have been like seventeen when Emmett got married?" Alice asked. "How did you not die?"
"I'm going to be honest with you on this one, Ali. I have no idea." I admitted. "I will tell you that I remember nothing after walking down the aisle after the ceremony."
"Damn. I really wish I hadn't been out of town for that wedding." She grumbled. "But one of my cousin's had to go and get married the same weekend. And you know it was a dry wedding?"
"The audacity." I giggled.
"Could you have imagined us partying together in undergrad? You would've been my little freshman baby when I was a senior, and we could've went and-" Alice asked.
"Nope." Jasper cut in. "I think there's a reason the two of you met when you did, and I don't think the two of you knowing each other at that point would have been good for anyone."
"Don't you have some fish to go clean?" I asked him and then snorted. "Oh, wait… I almost forgot. You're all boat and no bass."
"Ya know what…" He said and pulled out his phone.
"What?" I hedged.
"I'm getting someone to collect you. I don't like the influence you're having on my wife."
I rolled my eyes, and a few minutes later, my phone started ringing.
"Yes, dear?" I answered without looking. I knew who it was.
Allice giggled.
"Can you please behave?" Edward asked, trying to keep from laughing.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just minding my own business. Honestly, I'm worried about you and Alice, though. It's a very hostile environment that the two of you have been subjected to."
"I'm not sure that's true, Bella. What's this I hear about an upcoming boating accident?"
"That's not for you to worry about."
"I firmly disagree."
"You're being paranoid. Get into Jasper's stash, did you?"
"Are you drunk?" He laughed.
"I am completely sober. I assure you."
"If you don't stop being difficult, I'm going to have to come get you."
"Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Bella."
"Edward."
He chuckled. "Give the phone to Jasper, bellbottoms."
A/N Until the next one, bebs.
