A/N: ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE REVIEWS. Thank you to Sunflowerfran for looking at this chapter and giving me honest, helpful feedback. You were a great help!
Edward and his ministrations were long forgotten when I walked into Alice's brightly lit office, decorated to the max with Christmas themed items. It was the last weekend of November, hardly close to the 24th- but I learned from my two-plus years working with her that she tookthe Xmas spirit very seriously. "Bella!" Tony shouted. His short legs took off in my direction, nearly knocking me over in his yearning to be in my arms. It caused a deafening blush to take over my features- with Alice and Edward in proximity, I felt almost ridiculous caring for a child that wasn't even close to mine. I barely knew him, but I just felt this draw to him … just as I foolishly felt to his father. "I thought y-y-you w-w-were gone for- forever." He spluttered like the nervous wreck he was.
"Now, what did Auntie Ali say about stuttering? Slow your roll." It was almost fascinating to hear my usually-impatient, million-mile-a-minute boss talk so slowly and patiently to someone, and I hid my smile as she looked towards me. "He just gets excited. I've been trying to convince Edward to take him to a therapist for it-"
"My son does not need a shrink!" Edward hissed lowly, as to not expose Tony to a truth.
Alice rolled her expressive, greenish-brown opals.
"A speech therapist, Eddie, it's not the same damn thing as a-" As they argued, I looked down at the sweet child in my grasp. I bent down to his level and held him against me, but he nuzzled into me, trying to get himself closer. Was I doing the right thing by allowing him this act of closeness? Should I have been pushing him back and away from me, instead of pulling him closer? In some ways, it was almost cruel what I was doing. When I was gone, he was going to be left with just a memory of this crazy experience. There was no possible way I could become a permanent fixture in his life; and I wasn't sure that was a completely bad thing. I didn't necessarily come to the party to gain a 'mommy' job title, anyway. If any of these people knew how little maternal experience I had … they probably wouldn't trust me with Tony for more than five seconds at a time.
"We can discuss this at a later date." Once Edward Cullen said this, there was no mention of an argument heard again. The finality and menace in his tone said that there was most likely never going to be mention of that topic again, and it wasn't the type of demand that was questionable. My eyes flicked from Alice over to her gorgeous brother, who seemed to be silently stewing in his own thoughts. Do they do this often, I asked myself? It wasn't right to speak about someone as if they weren't there, even if Tony was still just a kid!
"Tony is a young boy. He'll figure his words out on his own, won't you?" I spoke confidently, only barely acknowledging Alice Volturi's incredulous expression that now covered her small face.
Little Tony's eyes widened as he nodded. "W-well, that's what I meant." She stuttered just a bit herself, and I found myself jokingly wondering if it was a family gene. Yeah, saying shit like thataloud was the perfect way to get me fired. "But anyway," she cleared her throat and looked towards the doorway where her husband stood, "we have to get back to the party before they start suspecting anything." It was all image, and I understood her need for the extra cautious measures, but wasn't there a certain moment where things like that didn't matter? The kid was just traumatized in front of peers and strangers … wasn't that acceptable enough for the night off, home in his cozy bed?
"Miss Swan has to get going." Edward said for me, lowering his gaze to my slouching form. "And I think it is best if Tony and I took our leave a bit early tonight." Suddenly I was so confused at the crisscrossed lines we were drawing for one another. Miss Swan? I thought we were beyond that after all that happened tonight.
"But Eddie!" Alice whined softly, a horrified look in her eyes. "What about the party? I worked so hard to plan and decorate; I want to celebrate with my older brother and only nephew." She seemed desperate to have her family there with her, though I didn't understand the sudden need. I wanted to remind her that there were plenty more holidays and events to celebrate, seeing as she was addicted to throwing parties, but decided to shut my mouth. It was tricky what I was doing, walking the fine line between employee and fake mother. I wanted to show my casual, witty self, but also vowed to keep my neutral, professional attitude as well. I never questioned Alice at work, I was the perfect employee.
"There will be other parties, Alice."
And as he said this, he flicked his fingers in a demanding manner. Instantly, a tall man with a shaved head and even harder eyes, walked in past Mr. Volturi and stood before him. "Have the car warmed for us, we will be leaving in five minutes. Side exit, as we discussed."My eyebrows furrowed at their interaction- Edward treated that very big man like his personal bitch, or a measly maid. But This interaction reminded just what kind of people I was currently dealing with- they had people warm their car for Christ's sake! While the rest of us normies were subject to freezing cars in parking spaces, the rich were never exposed to such horrors. "Would you like a ride, Miss Swan?" I was going to immediately object, but he held his now gloved hand in my direction. I wanted to swat his hand away, but instead I stood up to my full height with Tony wrapped around my legs once more. "It will put my mind at ease if I know you found your way home," he looked up from my heels to my head, "safely." there was special emphasis put on the last word, but I ignored it.
"Thanks, but I should call my friend to pick me up as I intended to." I sent him a short twist of lips apologetically. "She will be worried otherwise." Angie was always my sober ride back from events; her scratched, dented minivan wasn't so much of a getup, but it was very reliable. I didn't have a car- it wasn't that much of a wise investment this deep in the city, and cabs were more practicable. I didn't have kids to chauffer around, family to visit on weekends, or a job that was all that far from home so a car was pretty useless. My little neighborhood, fondly called 'Destore', was only a few main streets away from Central North District- where wealthy businessmen had their lunch, and rich foreigners stopped for a night to rest. When the weather was permitting, I walked to and fromwork- if it was too cold or too dark, I would bite the bullet and hail a cab.
"Who? Angela?" Alice's ears perked up. Angela was the one that hooked me up with this job all those months ago, when I was desperately broke and had no job prospect truly acknowledged by my bachelor degree in Business and Social Interaction. What did I actually want with a degree like that, anyway? With the lack of parental guidance or role models, I weaved my way through the world the only way I possibly could. When I nodded, she flashed me a bright, practiced smile. "Oh, take the ride from my brother, Bella." Alice urged me kindly, but there was something deeper brewing in her big eyes. "I'm sure Angela wouldn't mind
"Okay." I replied hastily, averting Edward's eyes as I accepted both of their proposals. Of course, Angela would be worried about me and would take my explanation for more than it was- she was very wary about taking rides from strangers. But he was Alice's older brother, and she seemed to entrust him with my care enough to basically push me out of the door with him. After we said our goodbyes, we walked through the doorway and out into the hallway.
"See you Wednesday for the night shift, Isabella." Aro called from the frame he was leaning against, causing the two of us to turn back. I only nodded and returned back to Edward, trying to push his pervert eyes and voice out of my head for the rest of the evening. What was a beautiful, semi-innocent woman like Alice doing with a weirdo like Aro, anyway? I thought she belonged to a down south gentleman, or charming public figure, out doing right for the world one fashionista at a time. He made it absolutely unbearable to be employed under his watch. Why couldn't he go creep someone else out, at another hotel in their chain? They owned another prominent VLH in the upper eastside of Philadelphia, I was sure there were more prospects there.
I shook my head to finally rid of such thoughts when the same bald guy stopped before us. "M'am, Sir." He barked, handing Edward both of our respective coats. I wore a trench-sized, dark red pea coat that contrasted deeply with his plain black one. His looked hundreds of dollars more expensive than mine, but it kept me warm and was stylish enough to take for social events. Edward slipped his on with ease and held mine out for me to do the same, but I looked at him oddly; there weren't very many men in my life, and so little offerings of a gentlemanly nature seemed to catch me completely off guard. Heat rose to my face as i turned around and slipped my arms into the offered slots and sent Edward a fleeting smile for the gesture. Tony was wrapped up in his father's embrace, staring at me from half-open eyelids as we traveled down lonely hallways until arriving at our destination. The walk from the exit door to the backseat of his black Escalade was freezing, and my teeth chattered on their own accord.
As I wrapped my coat around me tighter, I felt Edward's arm slide over my shoulders in a warming gesture. Before I could stop it, my body moved closer to his in a search for even more warmth; I could only slightly feel the toned muscles in his arm and shoulders in our predicament, but his professional suit showed off every muscle there was to see from beneath his coat. His pressed blue shirt clung to his pecs and revealed a toned abdomen, just like an Armani model. Way, way, way out of your league, I bitterly reminded myself. He was oozing heat, like the floor heater in my parent's old, two-story house. We walked the rest of the way in silence; we probably looked like the picture perfect family, huddled close together against the mighty, windy snow of Chicago in the winter. He helped me into the car, even when my heeled foot slipped off the step stool as I climbed into the car. I sent him a relieved smile as he tucked my bum into the backseat. Howhumiliating would it have been to nearly fall on my ass in front of him? Well, at least for the second time in one day! His hands were rough, like a working man's digits should be, but there was a soft factor to them that I secretly reveled in. Just one touch of his could send my mind and body spiraling into nothingness, and that was dangerous. I waited patiently as he made his way to the other side of the car and tried not to think what he looked like naked. I found myself dying to run my hands over his shoulders, legs, stomach… anywhere his warmth was found was where I wanted to be.
As Tony yawned and leaned his soft head into my side, I was snapped back to reality. He had a son, and probably a crazy ex-wife somewhere around here. Sure he touched my arms and helped me into my coat, but did that mean anything these days?
"… Miss Swan?"
His voice knocked me out of the daze I had fallen in- if I didn't get home in the next ten minutes, I was going to fall asleep in this cozy car. "Oh, um…" I fished for what should have been an automatic response, but the way his green eyes pinned me was too distracting. We sat there, staring over at one another for longer than I was comfortable. Before he had the chance to ask again, I turned towards the driver. "1216 N. thirty-second avenue," I shot out, not giving myself the opportunity to look any more like an idiotthan before. From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward's face contort in thought. What troubled him so? I wanted to ask if it was my address or the work he was doing on his phone, but I decided instead to rub Tony's sleeping locks and look out of the tinted window at the passing city. We were parked out front before I knew it, and looking towards my shabby, postage stamp-sized condo. I wasonce again reminded of the two separate Edward and I led. I unclasped my seatbelt and paused only for a moment. "Well, thanks for the ride, Mr. Cullen." I said awkwardly, adjusting Tony against the seats so that I could escape through the car door. I was almost out of the door when he spoke up.
"Will you leave your number with me?" His request made my heart pound with excitement; he wanted my number? A powerful, beautiful man like him wanted my digits? He must have taken my shocked silence as hesitation, because he quickly clarified himself. "For Tony's sake- I only expect him to be very difficult when he realizes you aren't there with us in the morning." It sent chills down my spine when we said 'us', even though I knew that didn't include me. "But if you aren't comfortable with the notion of him having your number, I completely-"
"No, no." I put a hand up to wave his explanations off and shook my head. "I understand it's for Tony's sake." Yes, it killed me to know that he had no intention of ever using the number for his own personal use… but it did make me feel better that at least one male Cullen could put it to good use. I recited the simple set of ten numbers, but couldn't help the schoolgirl nerves that budded from the middle of my navel. For a moment, I felt thirteen and giving my cell number out for the first time again. He nodded and took the combo down before sending me a small, informal wave of goodbye.
I waved back and walked hastily to my front door, noticing that the black car behind me was unmoving until I was securely in my dark house with the door locked once more. The accelerator noised its way down the street as I kicked off my shoes and padded towards my bed- this place I called home was tidy, quaint, and very homely. It was a one bedroom, one bath condo on the corner of a very… busy street. 32ndAvenue was littered with families of different sizes, and down towards the next street corner was a very well-known dope house that I did everything in my power to avoid. There was good and bad on every street of Chicago, but I liked to think that North District was the least criminally involved out of the entire city. Hookers stayed to their posts, drug dealers had their designated corners, and crack heads weren't in abundance like South Chicago. It was a relatively hushed neighborhood I lived in, though was dubbed "Destore" back in the day- Destore started at 30 th and covered all the way down to 34 th Street, a village of about ten miles in radius.
It was safe to say that once my head touched the pillow, I was out like a light and dreamed of Edward and Tony and dancing clouds of cotton candy. Once I woke up late the next morning, I couldn't quite remember the details of my slumber fantasies and it made me suddenly so… sad. I could remember the previous night down to every gritty detail, but the perfect, serene dream escaped me so quickly! Before I could berate myself over a stupid dream any more, I stretched out of bed and grabbed my phone on my way to the kitchen. I easily had ten missed calls, all from Angela Brinks. I called her back immediately, already feeling the tiny headache of a hangover starting at my temple.
"Bella! Oh my god, thank Jesus you called! I was so worried about you, I thought something might have happened at the party last night." Angie was a naturally calm person, so hearing her voice go even a small octave higher than a mellow whisper was unnerving.
"No, I'm okay!" I all but shouted into the slim phone, doing my best to calm her. "Sorry for not calling, I got a ride from a… friend." What was Edward to me? An acquaintance, the father of a kid that called me his mommy? Basically, a stranger.
"What friend?" She inquired innocently, now sounding much calmer. She knew I disliked almost all of our coworkers, so I wasn't someone that received many friendly lifts home.
"Just a friend." I said in a dismissing tone. "Sorry again, I know how worried you get."
"Was it a dude? Did he come in? Did you use protection?" Angie whispered the last word into the receiver, and I could have sworn I heard a small giggle of hers. She was as innocent as they came, even with three kids and an over sexualized geek husband of six years. After profusely talking down Edward's role as a my 'friend', she laughed again into the phone. "Whatever you say, Bella." Even through the phone I could see her roll her small, black eyes behind slim reading glasses. "Do you have work tonight? Tina and Tim wanted you to come over for dinner, they sure miss you." I smiled at the mention of her four year-old twins; they were way cute, with matching seeing glasses and outfits to boot. Her one year old, Terri was as quiet and observing as her mother, but I didn't connect well with infants. The fact that they shit on themselves and couldn't properly communicate with anyone other than fellow babies was too weird for my personal taste.
"No, I can't make it." I grimaced at the fact that this was third time blowing her off, but she knew how demanding VLH could be. And especially because my manager & supervisors knew I didn't have a family or kids, I was first in line when it came to late shifts but it meant overtime to me. "Creepy Aro wants me to work the night shift, and I have both shifts on Wednesday." I groaned loudly at the outrageous fact that I would have very little time for sleep and cleaning duty before work took over completely. It meant work tonight, none tomorrow, all of Wednesday, half of Thursday, half of Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off… hotels were open twenty-four hours a day, meaning they needed staff to run it every second of the day. My usual, non-holiday month schedules consisted of me busting my ass on fourteen- hour shifts Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but December was a tricky month. They needed me different times on different days, I just clocked in the hours and collected the paycheck. "But maybe this weekend?" I added with a ray of optimism.
Her heavy sigh through the speaker brought a frown to my face- in college, we were always having dinner together. She taught me how to cook three out of the four dishes I was capable of! "Doesn't work, I have the weekend schedule. Dang, Bella, since when did we become such busy individuals?" Angie teased.
I propped the phone between my ear and shoulder blade as both of my hands were busy cracking eggs and heating the pan. "Since bills began to add up." I jibed back at her. Angie went on to complain more about life and her daily struggle when my phone started beeping, signaling another call coming through. "Hey, Ang, I got another call to answer. Text me later, love you!" I said swiftly before hanging up with her and answering the other line before it hung up or went to voicemail. "Hello?" I answered breathlessly, catching myself just before it slipping into the bubbling goo that I called an omelet.
"Miss Swan?" Edward's voice boomed through the speaker.
My heart literally almost stopped.
A/N: Wicked of me, I know! Love cliffhangers
