Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing around with them.
Lots of thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty, and to anhanninen and xxluvCarlisleEsmexx for prereading.
BPOV
"What do you think, Luce?" I twisted from side to side as I looked in the mirror, hoping I looked okay. The blue dress and black tight pants — or leggings as Alice called them — weren't like anything I had ever worn before, but Alice assured me they were good things to wear to work. I still wasn't so sure, but it was comfortable enough anyway.
"Mama, petty!" Lucy said as she jumped down from the bed and came over to hug my legs. "Where go, Mama?"
I picked her up, settling her on my hip as I gave her a kiss. She had on a new dress too, which she loved, and I'd made sure to tell her how pretty she looked. "We're going to work today, baby." She wrinkled her forehead, but I knew what would make her smile. "With Nona and Edward."
Just as I expected, she grinned as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Mama! Eddard go too? Eddard play me and Dora?"
"Maybe he'll play with you when we come back here." I didn't want to promise her something that might not happen. "Edward has to work, but I can play with you today. And you can help me do things for Nona."
I was nervous, not knowing what to expect or what Esme expected from me. I wanted to do my best and earn every penny of my paycheck so I could pay the Cullens back for everything. And another part of me wanted Esme to be proud of me and not regret offering the job.
My job at the coffee shop had been easy enough. I'd helped bake the pastries every morning and afternoon, and I'd taken care of the register, too. I knew I wasn't smart enough for most jobs, but that one was easy.
But with this job . . . I didn't know anything about an office. Esme said I was going to be her assistant and I'd have a desk in her office. Knowing I'd be close to her made me feel a little better, and knowing that Lucy could stay with me all day was the best part. Still, I didn't like not being prepared.
Lucy broke me from my thoughts by placing her hands on my face. "Kiss, Mama?" she asked with puckered lips.
I laughed, puckering my own lips to give her a quick kiss followed by three bigger ones which made her giggle. "I love you, Lucy."
I made sure I told her that I loved her as many times as I could. So many moms would bring their kids into the coffee shop, and it would look like they didn't even want to be around them. Lucy was my best friend, and I loved every moment we spent together.
"Love you all much!" she responded in her usual way. "Food me?"
Kissing her again, I held her close and nodded. "Of course, baby. We'll go see what's for breakfast."
Heading downstairs, we passed Edward's closed door. For the first time in a few days, I'd woken before Lucy and stopped her from leaving the room. The first morning she disappeared, I could barely control my panic enough to find Esme to ask if she'd seen Lucy. She'd calmed me down and helped me search until we found her in the last place I would have looked. Lucy liked Edward — no one could miss that — but I didn't know she liked him enough to leave our room. She wasn't one to wander away from me. But since that first morning, I usually found her in bed with Edward. Edward probably wasn't happy about it, but he hadn't asked me to stop her so I left her alone. She was happy, even after everything I'd put her through, and I wanted to do anything I could to keep her that way.
The kitchen smelled like breakfast, but the table was empty. As much as I loved quiet, it was strange after spending the last week week with a full table. Even Alice and Jasper had left last night after dinner which meant the only people in the house were Esme, Dr. Carlisle, Edward, and us.
"Oh, good morning, dears," Esme called from across the room, noticing us as soon as we walked in. "The bacon is almost ready, and the waffles are already on the table. Go ahead and help yourselves."
I thanked her and sat in my chair at the table, buckling Lucy into her new booster seat beside me.
"Mama, big chair," Lucy said, patting the arm rests.
"That's your big chair, just for Lucy. Do you like it?"
She nodded and moved her hands to the table that she could actually reach. "Food go here."
"Very good, precious," Esme commented as she brought the plate of bacon over. "That is where food goes, and now Mama can fill your plate with lots of good breakfast."
"Tell Nona thank you," I whispered in her ear, and she did with a large smile.
"You're very welcome. Both of you." She kissed Lucy's forehead and mine before sitting in her chair. "Now, let's dig in so we can leave soon. I'd love to give you a good tour before our morning meeting. I know you didn't see much of the office the last time we were there."
She was right about that. I remembered her office and sitting on the soft couch with Lucy, but I couldn't remember how to find it or even what floor it was on. I didn't plan to leave her office alone anytime soon if I could help it because I did not want to get lost.
Edward never came down for breakfast, though Lucy and I both looked for him. He never came down after I gave Lucy her medicine and we helped Esme clear the table either. His door was even still closed when I went back up to get our coats and hats, and I wondered if he was sleeping too long.
Esme didn't seem worried as she drove, so I didn't ask. He'd told me he was going to be there, and I didn't have a reason to doubt him.
Thinking about Edward distracted me from being nervous, but as soon as Esme parked the car and we walked toward the building, the funny feeling in my stomach was back.
"That's Felix, our security guard, and our receptionist for the building, Gianna," she said, pointing out a very large man standing near a desk and a pretty woman sitting at it. I didn't know what to say, so I held Lucy tighter as we walked over to them.
"Good morning, Esme," the lady, Gianna, said with a nice smile. "Who do you have with you today?"
Esme wrapped her arm around me and smiled at them. "This is our Bella and her daughter, Lucy. Bella is going to be helping me out around here."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Bella and Lucy." She stood and offered her hand, and I managed to shake it in return. "Felix and I are always down here, so if you ever need anything, just let us know."
I nodded and tried to smile and say thank you, but I wasn't sure if I succeeded. I didn't want to embarrass Esme, but this was scary. Felix was a security guard which made him like the police. He could get me in trouble, and I didn't want that.
Esme didn't make us stay downstairs much longer, and I hugged her as soon as we were in front of her office, just to say thank you. She held me tightly with Lucy between us and rubbed my back.
"You're safe here just as you are at home, darling," she whispered before pulling back to kiss my forehead. "I know Felix makes you nervous, but he's a good guy."
I looked down at my feet, sad that she'd noticed. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," I murmured. "I'll try to do better tomorrow."
"No." Her fingers pushed my chin up, and I recognized the look in her eye. She'd looked at Emmett and Edward this way many times this week. It would have been scary if anyone else looked like this but not Esme. "You did not embarrass me. I doubt anything you could do would embarrass me. I want you to be comfortable here — maybe comfortable enough to one day talk to Felix or Gianna or anyone really without being afraid. But I want that for you because you deserve it. And I hope our family can help you get to that point. We love both of you and will do everything we can to make sure you're happy."
I smiled, feeling a little better. I'd never understand what I did to find the Cullens, but I was going to enjoy every day I had with them because no one had ever treated me like this. Like I mattered.
"Besides," Esme added with a smile, "I raised Emmett, Alice, and Edward. Do you really think anyone could embarrass me like they have?" I shook my head and laughed softly. "That's what I thought. Now, let's drop off our things in the office and continue the tour."
After hanging up our coats and hats and taking Lucy to the potty, Esme led us around the huge building. I'd never been in a building this big before. There were twelve floors, and Esme took us to all of them. She explained what was on each floor as we went, and even though I didn't understand all of it, it was fun to learn. Each design department had its own floor and there were also floors rented out to other people. Everyone answered to Esme though which I thought was amazing. I tried to listen closely, but Lucy was more interested in pushing the buttons in the elevator.
"Nona?" She looked at Esme as we got on the elevator to leave the top floor.
"Let's press six, sweet girl." She showed Lucy which one to push, and she did it with a big smile on her face.
"Mama, I do!" she said proudly, lifting her arms for me.
I picked her up and held her close. "Good job, baby. You can tell Edward about pushing the buttons."
She nodded quickly and looked back at Esme. "Nona, where Eddard? I see Eddard?"
Esme smiled and nodded. "We're going to see Edward right now. It's time for our morning meeting."
Following Esme down the hallway, I wondered if Edward would really be here. There had been no sign of him this morning. But as soon as we walked in a room with a large table, I saw him. He was sitting close to the end, and Esme guided me over to sit beside him. Lucy climbed into his lap right away, but he didn't even try to stop her.
"Hi," I said softly. "I thought you might be late."
"What?" He looked at me with his eyebrow raised.
"You uh . . . didn't eat breakfast with us. Or come downstairs before we left. I thought you were sleeping."
"I probably was," he said, reaching up to run his hand through his hair. "My new alarm clock didn't wake me up this morning." He looked down at Lucy and then back at me, smiling slightly.
"I caught her today. But she's missed you."
Before he could say anything, Lucy turned in his lap and started talking. I knew he didn't understand everything she was saying because even I missed some of it, but Edward was nice enough to nod and act like he did.
The man was so weird sometimes, but he was nice to my daughter. That meant everything to me.
The room soon began to fill up with people, and the lumps in my stomach came back until Alice sat next to me. She gave me a hug and managed to distract me until Emmett came in the room and called my name. Everyone in the room then looked at me, and I didn't know what to do until Esme saved me again.
"Good morning," Esme called, standing at the end of the table. This made everyone look at her instead, and I scooted down into my seat. Alice reached over and held my hand, and I squeezed hers in thanks.
"I'm glad to see everyone made it here safely this morning. As you can see, we have two new faces with us this morning." She smiled and gestured toward me. "This is Bella and her daughter Lucy. They're part of our family now, and Bella is going to be my assistant. Now, I trust you all checked your emails so let's go over the agenda for this week and next."
As Esme continued the meeting, I relaxed just a little bit. I was happy she hadn't kept the attention on me, but I was still ready to get out of this room. There were too many people.
But even when Esme ended the meeting, some of the people needed to talk to her. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stand beside her, stay in my seat, or try to find my way back to the office. What did assistants have to do?
"Hey," Edward said, startling me. "Do you want your kid before I head to my office?"
"Oh." I looked over at him and tried to smile. "Sorry. C'mere, Luce." I reached for her, pulling her back into my lap. "Um do you maybe know what I'm supposed to do now?"
He shrugged. "Mom's office is probably open. She might be here awhile."
"I can take you," Alice said, leaning forward to look at both me and Edward. "Mom won't mind and I have a bag to take to her office anyway."
I nodded and thanked her before standing and following her back to Esme's office. I tried to pay attention so I'd know how to get there by myself next time. I didn't want to always need someone to lead me around. If we were staying, I wanted to learn.
"The bag is actually stuff for Lucy," Alice said as we walked into the office. "It's a good variety, but if she gets bored, feel free to send her to any of us. We'd all be happy to watch her if you need a break."
Speechless, I watched as she unloaded her large bag in a free corner of the office. She had toys, puzzles, books, crayons, and a blanket to put everything on. Lucy's eyes were wide as she saw everything and she slid out of my lap, slowly walking over to Alice.
Alice sat on the blanket and held her arms out for Lucy. "So whatcha think, pretty girl? Is this enough to keep you entertained?"
Lucy sat in Alice's lap and giggled as she tickled her. "Bear, baby, puppy," she said as she gathered the toys she could reach into her arms. "Lucy?"
"Yes, ma'am. These are Lucy's toys! Just for you."
"Alice . . ."
"Nope." She shook her head and smiled at me. "I know exactly what you're going to say, and you're wrong. Nothing could ever be too much for you two but if it makes you feel better, most of these are hand-me-down from the boys. Rose raided their stash."
That did make me feel a little better, but I still worried. The Cullens were doing all of this nice stuff for us, but what would happen when they got tired of it? Tired of us? It scared me.
"But—" She shook her head again, and I sighed. "Okay. Thank you, Alice. Tell Rose I said thank you, too."
"Oh, I almost forgot. Rose is coming to have lunch with me today in the cafe, and we'd like you and Lucy to join us if you feel up to it. She'll have Brady with her too."
"I need to ask Esme, but that sounds good." I'd enjoyed my time with Rose and Alice while we were snowed in. The house felt a lot emptier now.
While we waited for Esme, I sat in the floor to play with Lucy. Alice and I cheered her on as she put together a wooden puzzle by herself, and she was in the middle of another one when Esme walked in the door.
"Oh good, Alice. You brought it." She smiled as she sat at her desk, spinning the chair to face us. "Does this make Nona's office more fun, Lucy?"
Lucy grinned and nodded. "Nona, I do! I do all!" She pointed to the puzzle and clapped for herself.
Esme laughed and clapped too. "Good job, sweetheart! You're such a smart girl. Now, can you play with Alice for a few minutes while I tell Mama about her new job?"
Lucy had no problem playing without me, but that same funny feeling was back in my stomach as I stood and walked over to my desk. After I sat in my chair, Esme scooted over and began pointing everything out to me.
"Don't worry about much today, okay? We're starting slow." She gently patted my knee. "You are going to be fabulous, dear."
Everything she showed me seemed easy. I would be responsible for filing, and the big filing cabinets already had labeled folders for the different departments and for Esme's personal clients. Those were in alphabetical order and easy to manage. Eventually, I would run errands too but only after I learned my way around. I wanted to hug Esme for that.
"I guess the last thing for now is the phone. I'd like for you to answer it whenever I'm out of the office, but only if you're comfortable."
"Maybe another day?" I asked softly, biting my lip. I didn't want to let her down, but I didn't think I was ready for that. Not on my first day.
"Of course!" Esme said, smiling like it was nothing. "You only do what you're comfortable doing. Just let me know when you want to try, and we'll work out how you need to answer. Okay?"
I nodded and couldn't resist leaning over to hug her. She was amazing.
She held me tightly, only letting me go when Alice walked over to the desk.
"I'm going to go get busy now, so I'll see you guys later. Oh, Mom, is it cool if Rose and I steal Bella for lunch? We're just going to the cafe."
"Sure. Come steal her whenever as long as it's okay with her." She looked over at me, and I nodded.
"Excellent! See you around noon, Bella." She waved to Lucy as she left, closing the door behind her.
Esme immediately started working on her computer, and I just stared at mine. I'd used a computer at the public library before, but I had no idea how this one worked. Eventually, Esme realized and helped me figured some of it out, even saying I was a fast learner.
"In a week or so, you can start scheduling appointments for me. You're a natural at this."
I felt my cheeks get hot as I thanked her. Maybe I wouldn't be bad at being an assistant. It definitely wasn't hard so far.
The first few hours went by really fast. We had a snack break after a couple of hours but the work wasn't really tiring. Working with Esme was actually fun, and it was nice to have Lucy in the same room. When I wasn't filing, I read and played with her until Esme turned the TV on to Dora. Ten minutes later, Lucy was asleep.
I was glad she was able to nap. She was always a good sleeper, but the last three weeks had really messed us up. I hoped our new life would help her get back to normal.
Just as Alice had promised, she was back at noon, ready to go to lunch. After making sure Lucy used the bathroom, we headed downstairs. I recognized where we were as soon as we got off the elevator. It was almost where we had come in this morning, but we didn't walk by Felix or Gianna. Instead, we headed to the side where there was a large area with tables. Rose was already sitting at one with Brady in a high chair.
"Hey, guys," she called, waving us over. "Good day so far?"
I nodded, smiling as I sat in the chair she pushed out for me.
"Mom's a good boss, huh?"
"Yeah. She's been . . . she's been amazing. Really. It's like a dream." Looking down, I shook my head, still not sure if I could believe this was happening — that the Cullens happened to us. "Perfect," I whispered.
"Hey," Rose said softly before wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "I know you're probably even more overwhelmed after today, but I promise it's all right. Let's get our food and then we'll have a good talk. Okay?"
I agreed and helped Lucy into the high chair Alice found for her. When Rose pointed out the menu and asked what we wanted, I remembered I didn't actually have any money to buy lunch. Alice insisted we didn't have to pay for food since we worked here, but I was still embarrassed. And not sure I believed her.
Even without worrying about money, the choice was hard. The food sounded more complicated than anything I'd ever had before so I let Alice and Rose choose for Lucy and me. Whatever they picked smelled delicious when they brought it back to the table.
"It's the special today," Alice explained. "Cheesy potato soup and a turkey panini. And if you don't like it, it's no problem to order something else."
"I'm sure it'll be good. Thank you."
The three of us had the same thing, and they'd ordered Lucy and Brady some soup and chicken fingers. Lucy wasn't picky at all and even ate some of my sandwich too, which was just as good as it smelled.
"Soo . . . " Rose started as we were almost done with our food, and Lucy and Brady were occupied with a few little toys. "I think it's probably a good time to tell you a little about me. I grew up in Rochester, New York, but I moved to Chicago with my parents when I was fourteen. The Cullens were the first people I really met at school, well Alice specifically."
Alice giggled. "I showed her around to all her classes and then figured out that she was perfect for my older brother. I totally should have been a matchmaker."
"Yeah, yeah. You're one for one. I did fall in love with Emmett almost as soon as I saw him at the Cullens' house. He was two grades ahead of us so I never really saw him at school, but I was pretty good at making excuses to hang out with Alice."
"I knew you were only my friend to see Em. This is what I put up with in high school, Bella." Alice sighed but winked at me. "Can you believe it?"
I laughed as I looked between them. They really were funny, and I was liking this story. I never went to school so it was nice to hear what it was like.
"And it only took three months for my matchmaking to work," Alice added. "Em followed Rose around everywhere, and the rest of us loved her too."
"I'll always be beyond grateful for that love," Rose said, her smile turning sad. "One night when I was 16, I was spending the night with Alice while my parents went out to dinner with some colleagues. It was supposed to be a normal Friday night. We even had plans for the next evening. But . . . that was the last day I saw my parents alive. The roads were wet, and my dad lost control of the car."
Gasping, I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh, no . . . Rose . . ." I didn't really know what it felt like to have parents, but having them and losing them sounded so horrible. I'd only known Esme for a few days but thinking of her not being around made my stomach feel like it had big rocks in it.
A few tears fell down her face as I reached over to touch her hand. She squeezed my hand tightly, using a napkin to wipe her face.
"It was hard. Probably the hardest thing I've ever been through, but the Cullens were there. They took me in without question when I had no other family to do it. Esme and Carlisle became my second mom and dad — which is why I now call them that, not just because I'm married to Emmett and they're my in-laws, but because they've earned it.
"So my point," she said, squeezing my hand again, "is that I can understand part of what you're feeling. You probably wonder why the Cullens took you in so easily, why they care, why Esme mothers you so much, and I can honestly say it's just who they are. And I know you worry about the money too, but this is the family that paid for me to go to college. Me, their son's girlfriend. Nothing is too much for them."
"Rose is completely right," Alice said, grabbing my other hand. "We grew up with Mom and Dad always helping others, usually through charities and volunteering. They raised us to give back and always care for the ones we love. I know now that I scared you when I said we get something out of helping you, but what we get is joy. So much of it."
Rose nodded. "We love you, sweetie. You and Lucy. You two are already special parts of our family. We probably overwhelm you all the time, but just be patient with us. We'll try to back off a little, but no promises with Esme."
"Pfft, yeah. Mom isn't going to stop mom-ing you anytime soon. Which is why Edward still lives at home. And why he's . . . him. But that's a story for another day."
I smiled at that. "Thank you. For telling me. I'm trying to believe it. I really am. It's just . . ." I shook my head, not knowing how to explain it or even how to start. "I . . . My whole life hasn't been like this. People don't just care. Or . . . or l-love." That word scared me a lot when it came to this family. I had so much to lose with them.
"You can have as much time as you need," Rose promised. "We won't be going anywhere, and we hope you and Lucy won't be either."
"No," I answered immediately. "We're happy here. With your family. This really is perfect. As long as you don't want us to go."
Alice laughed. "Never! We're keeping you forever, you know. And I have a feeling Lucy is going to keep Edward forever."
Lucy heard her name with Edward's and stopped playing to look at Alice. "Eddard, Ally? Where Eddard? Eddard food here? Lucy Eddard!"
"Yep, that answers that," she said, nodding to me before looking at Lucy. "I bet Edward's in his office, sweetheart. Let's clean up and we'll ask your mama if I can take you to go find him."
She squealed and clapped, and I knew I couldn't tell her no. I wanted to go see Edward too. My head was full of everything Rose and Alice had said, and I wanted someone to talk to. Edward was who I wanted.
Lucy wanted to keep Edward forever, but I hoped she would share.
A/N: Hi. Anyone remember me? I know it's been forever since I updated, but I've been pretty busy. I graduated with my BSN in August and then took boards in September. Now I can finally say I'm an RN! Thank you all so much for being patient and encouraging me while I dealt with big RL stuff.
And thank you so much to everyone who's been rec'ing this fic! I've loved seeing the new readers! =)
I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I can guarantee it won't take as long as this one did.
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
