Hello, Darlings!
A little bit of an early post for you all!
Chapter Six: Edward
"I gotta say, man, when you called me the other day, I was skeptical," Emmett said, shaking his head. I looked at him and let out a tight breath. I'd told him about Bella, only in the vaguest way, mentioning she had three kids of her own. Emmett had been quick to call me crazy, though at no point had me discouraged me. That was classic Emmett. He called it like he saw it, but he was always on board for whatever crazy decision I had.
"And now?"
Emmett beamed at me, clapping me on the back so hard I staggered forward. "Man, you two were made for each other," he said shaking his head.
I frowned at him. "We're still just getting to know each other," I said, glancing around nervously to make sure Bella hadn't overheard his booming voice.
Emmett shrugged. "I'm telling you, man, there is something special there. She gets you, I can already tell."
I frowned as I thought about it. I hoped he was right, but could wishful thinking be overriding reason?
Rose came into the living room and sighed. "Elli is barely walking," she said nodding to their youngest. She was leaning against a chair outside, looking exhausted. Emmett nodded and went to scoop her up. Rose looked around the room, frowning. "Where is Kara?"
I motioned outside around the house. The teens were still sitting around the table on the side. "Kara, we're going," Rose called. Kara looked up and nodded, standing up from the table. Rose looked at me as she waited for her eldest. "Bella's good for you," she said quietly. I frowned at her.
"Did you even talk to her?"
Rose laughed, shaking her head. "Trust me, Ed. Em's not the only one who can spot it. You two radiate some serious chemistry. Watching you two with those kids today almost had me giving in to Emmett's request to have another kid," she said rolling her eyes. I blinked at her in surprise.
"Emmett wants another one?"
Rose sighed. "We've talked about it. But I don't know. Elli's already 10. If we start over now, it's 18 years until we have a kid-free house instead of eight. I want to enjoy my empty nest while we're still young enough to do things," she said shaking her head. I nodded, understanding.
The teens made their way back to us and Rose smiled at her eldest. "Ready?"
Kara nodded, offering me a small smile. I smiled at my niece as she walked past me toward the door. Rose looked back at me. "Take care, Edward," she said patting my shoulder. I smiled at her.
"You too, Rose."
She pat my shoulder once more before following her daughter out the front door. Emmett came through, carrying Elli, and nodded to me. "I'll see you later," he said cradling his daughter in his arms. She was tall, just like her parents, but Emmett was so massive that he made her seem small. I nodded to him and pat his back as he left. I could hear him saying goodbye to Bella as they passed each other. She came into the living room, her eyes meeting mine with a small smile.
"Can we help you clean up?" I asked her. Jodi had come inside and passed out on the sofa next to Clara, and I was sure Emma would be okay hanging around a little longer.
"No, I'm sure you want to get home," she said, shaking her head. I reached out to her, my fingers grazing her hands.
"Please, let me help you."
Bella looked up at me, her eyes wide as she nodded. "Okay, thank you. I would actually really appreciate that."
I smiled at her and moved from her side, collecting cups and plates from around the house. Bella came over to me from the kitchen, offering me a trash bag. I made my way around the inside before heading outside. I started throwing all the plates and cups in the trash when I saw Simon, passed out in a lawn chair. I smiled at him, knowing Bella wouldn't be able to carry him in as well. I reached out, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Simon," I said quietly. He blinked awake sleepily. "It's late and everyone is headed home. You should probably get inside and head to bed." I suggested. He yawned and nodded, blinking a couple more times. "Need help?" I asked. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by offering to carry him in, and he shook his head, blearily getting to his feet.
"Thanks," he yawned, stumbling back to the house. I smiled as I got back to work.
I finished outside quickly, tying off the trash bag and bringing it to the side yard where I'd seen Bella kept her trash cans. I tossed the bag in the bin and clapped my hands together, dusting them off. I got back to the patio and did one last sweep. Someone had been on top of bringing the food in earlier, so really all that was left outside was the trash. When I was sure the yard was clean, I headed back into the house. Emma and Jason were sitting on the sofa next to my passed-out girls. Both teens were on their phones, ignoring each other and me. I shook my head at them and made my way to the kitchen. Bella was just finishing up her clean-up as I went to wash my hands.
"The yard is clear," I told her. She looked up at me and let out a long breath.
"Thank you so much. I would have tossed and turned all night, knowing it was out there," she said chuckling to herself. I smiled.
"Did Simon make it in?"
Bella nodded. "He dragged himself upstairs. Thank you for spotting him out there."
I smirked. "I'm all for sleeping out under the stars, but definitely when clothed. The mosquitos can get rough out here," I said shaking my head. Bella smiled.
"Edward, thank you so much for everything today," she said softly. "I," she paused, biting her lip again. I reached up and gently tugged her lip out from between her teeth.
"I had a wonderful day, Bella."
Her eyes were wide and trusting as she stared up at me. I felt my heart squeeze in my chest looking at her. When she looked at me like that, I felt like I could do anything in the world.
"Bella, tell me if this is too soon, but I was hoping you'd like to have dinner with me. Just the two of us."
Bella's eyes widened a fraction, and I worried I'd pushed her too fast when she nodded.
"I'd like that," she whispered. I smiled, my heart swelling in my chest.
"Yeah?" I asked.
She licked her lips, and I almost groaned. "Yeah," she whispered.
I was going to kiss her. I wanted to, so badly, but the fact that our kids were right in the next room held me back. I let go of her, stepping away and nodding. I cleared my throat a few times, nodding again.
"Good," I whispered. "Good. I should get my girls home," I said softly. Bella nodded.
"Let me help you get them to the car," she said offered. I smiled at her as we left the kitchen and headed to the living room.
"Ready, Em?" I asked her. She looked up at me.
"Yeah," she said, yawning. I nodded and scooped up Jodi. She flopped heavily in my arms. Bella picked up Clara, cradling her against her chest. Emma frowned at her.
"Em, will you get our bag?" I asked her. Emma looked at me and nodded, going to find the bag of clothes we'd brought. She picked it up as we all headed to the car. I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the car. I managed to pull the backdoor open and slide Jodi in, buckling her into her seat. She was still dressed in her bathing suit and I shook my head at her.
Across the car, Bella was buckling Clara into her booster seat. Emma slid into the front seat, tossing our bag at her feet. I shut the back door and came around to the driver's side, smiling at Bella.
"Thank you again, for today," I told her. She smiled shyly.
"You too, Edward."
I tapped my finger on the roof of the car and sighed. "I'll call you?" I asked. Bella nodded her smile wide.
"I look forward to it."
I grinned and got into my car. I started it up and Bella stood on her driveway, waving to us until we headed down the street. Beside me, Emma was silent as we drove away.
I glanced back at my two youngest in the back seat and smiled. "They are tuckered out," I said quietly. Emma nodded, her phone off, but her attention out the window. "Did you have a good time, Em?"
She glanced at me. "Are you dating Bella?"
I blinked in surprise at the sudden question. "What?"
Emma huffed. "Bella. Are you two dating?"
I glanced at her. Emma was difficult to read most of the time and now was no different. I swallowed, considering what to tell her. "I did ask her out," I said slowly. "How does that make you feel?" Emma stared at me and shook her head, looking back out the window. "Em?" I asked.
"I don't want to talk about it tonight," she growled. I sighed, glancing at her. I knew out of all my girls; Emma had the hardest time with me moving on. Whenever a woman approached me when we were in public, Emma went on the defensive, driving most women away. I didn't know what it was exactly, and since she wouldn't open up about it, I'd never been able to find out. Now though, was different. I really liked Bella, and I needed to make sure my girls and I were on the same page before I let myself get too far gone over her. Because it was all too possible, I was coming to realize. I could easily lose myself to Bella Swan.
I thought about how it had felt to have her sit with me earlier. She'd fit so naturally against my side, as she leaned across me to talk to her new friend. There was a level of intimacy between us that was new for me. I'd been with my ex, Tanya, since our freshman year of college. We'd grown up together in a lot of ways, but we had never been good at developing intimacy. Tanya had been about sex, and while I had loved her, our relationship never developed deeper. Two days with Bella, and I was already in new territory.
I pulled up to our house quickly enough and looked at Emma. "Can you help me carry in Clara while I get Jodi?" I asked her. Emma nodded mutely. We got out of the car and I came around to the backseat, carefully pulling out my sleepy ten-year-old. She mumbled against my shoulder as I secured her in my arms, but otherwise didn't budge. Emma was pulling Clara out of the backseat, and I could see that it was hard to hold Clara anymore. I moved quickly to the front door, unlocking it and taking Jodi inside. I dashed upstairs with her, putting her gently on her bed. "Sweetheart," I whispered as she settled into her bed. "You're still in your swimsuit."
Jodi grunted and I smiled. Hopefully, she'd get up and change at some point in the middle of the night. I didn't want her sleeping in her swimsuit all night. I tucked her into her bed, just in case she was really out for the count, and kissed her forehead before leaving her room. Emma was at the foot of the stairs, trying to navigate up them with Clara flopping heavily in her arms. I ran down the stairs, carefully taking Clara from her. "Will you make sure the front door is locked?" I asked Em. She nodded, stepping down the stairs as I went back up, taking Clara to her room. I pulled back the covers of her bed, settling her into her sheets and tucking her in. I made sure her ladybug night light was on before I kissed her forehead and left her room. When I came out into the hall, Emma was at the top of the stairs, glancing at me. I wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that she could talk to me about whatever was on her mind, but before I could say any of that, she was ducking into her room.
"Night," she called as she closed the door. I sighed, deflated. I felt like I'd lost touch with my kids, but I honestly had no idea how to reconnect with them.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I sighed heavily as I made my way down the hall to my room. I gently closed my door as I pulled off my sweater. Physically I was exhausted, but my mind was racing with my thoughts.
I kicked off my jeans, heading to my bathroom to shower off the chlorine and sun from the day. My shower was quick, and soon enough I was drying off and yanking on boxers to sleep. When I'd been younger, I'd always slept naked, but that had changed when I had kids. I never knew who might sneak into my bed in the middle of the night, and it was best to be at least somewhat covered up. I sank onto my bed, frowning at the massive expanse. I was too tall for a queen-sized bed, so all of my adulthood, I'd had a California King. It was too much bed for me alone, but it never really bothered me until tonight. My loneliness was all-consuming tonight, and I was acutely aware of how long it had been since my heart had fluttered so many times as it had when I saw Bella.
I needed to talk to my girls, desperately. I needed to make sure they understood that I didn't take this attraction to Bella lightly. She was someone I wanted to see in our lives for a very long time, and I knew that had to start with my girls.
I slept fitfully that night, waking every few hours before trying to fall back asleep again.
Around seven, I woke again, probably for the fifth time, and groaned.
Tiny feet were pressed against my stomach, and I flipped back my covers to find Clara sleeping next to me, sideways. Mr. Bubbles was in her arms and she was curled up quite contently. I smiled at her. She still had chocolate around her mouth from the night before, and I realized I probably should have wiped it off before I put her to bed last night.
I smiled as I remembered how Bella had been with Clara the previous day. Clara absolutely adored her, and it was pretty clear that the feeling was mutual. Jodi had warmed to Bella that first day we'd met, and though she'd spent most of her time playing in the pool yesterday, the few interactions she'd had with Bella had been friendly. Two of my girls already liked her, but what about Emma? I never thought I'd find myself in a situation in which I found myself debating what to do about a woman my girls didn't like. My girls were my first priority, always. I'd never introduced them to any woman in my life, not that there had been that many since the divorce. Still, I'd dated a bit, but no woman had been worth it to introduce to my girls. Bella was so inherently different and that terrified me. What would I do if Emma never came around on Bella? I wouldn't put my daughter behind my happiness, but I needed to know what her problems with Bella were first. If they were unfounded, I could work with that. I didn't know what I would do if her dislike was somehow justified.
I shifted onto my back, sighing heavily. My phone buzzed on my nightstand, and I glanced over, picking it up. I had a few emails from work, nothing major, thankfully. I read through them before exiting out of my mail app. I opened up my texts, smiling when I saw a text from Bella.
Bella:
Waking up to a clean house has made my entire week.
Thank you again for your help.
x
My heart felt warm and full as I read over her words. It was such an innocuous text, but it made me so happy that I'd been on her mind when she'd woken up this morning. Lord knew she'd been on my mind constantly.
Edward:
It was absolutely my pleasure. I'm glad I could help brighten your week.
Thank YOU for hosting yesterday.
My girls are still passed out from playing so hard.
I shot off the text, smiling to myself. Clara's toes wiggled against me, and I glanced down at her. She was still sleeping but had now stretched out to take up more room. How a peanut like her could make a California King feel crowded was beyond me.
I sat up, making sure I didn't jostle Clara as I slipped out of bed. I headed to the bathroom and then pulled on some sweats and a t-shirt before heading downstairs to make coffee.
I got the coffee going as another text came in.
Bella:
I'm so glad they had a good time.
It was such a delight to play with you yesterday.
I choked on my own spit at Bella's text. Almost immediately another text was coming in from her.
Bella:
THEM! I MEANT THEM!
I laughed, shaking my head as I considered how to respond to her. I tapped my counter as I thought about how I wanted to play this. Finally, I smiled, shaking my head, and typed out my response.
Edward:
I—I mean they—enjoyed playing with you too.
I hope you and I will get a chance to play again soon.
I stared at my phone, anxious as soon as I sent off the text. Was that too forward? I knew we were going to try to take things slow, but hell. There was no denying I wanted her.
The coffee beeped and I pulled down a mug, filling it while I checked my phone anxiously.
Finally, a text came in from Bella and I nearly dropped my phone in my haste to read it.
Bella:
Me too.
I let out a tight breath, smiling at my phone. I hadn't scared her off at least. Thank god.
Edward:
Tell me if I'm being too much, Bella. I don't want to push too fast.
I took a sip of my coffee, settling at my kitchen table.
Bella:
You're not. Trust me, I'm right there with you. I just need a little more time.
My heart squeezed in my chest and I nodded at my phone. I needed the time too. I had a lot to sort through with my girls before I could try to pursue anything further with Bella.
Edward:
I understand. I do too.
I set my phone on that table as I took another sip of my coffee. My phone buzzed and I glanced at it. Bella had sent me a little heart emoji. I smiled and sent her one back, my own heart thumping erratically. I clicked off my phone, pushing it away from me. I needed a little time and space to cool down and think.
Little footsteps on the hardwood met my ears, and I looked up to see Clara and Mr. Bubbles stumbling into the kitchen.
"Good morning, princess," I said smiling at her. She came over to me, one little fist rubbing at her eyes. She started climbing up into my lap, and I picked her up, hauling her up onto my lap. Immediately she snuggled into my chest.
"Hi, daddy," she sighed. I rubbed her back gently enjoying the fact that at least one of my daughters still wanted to snuggle with me. There was a time when all three of my girls would curl up with me. I couldn't say how much I missed that.
"How did you sleep?" I asked her. Clara yawned.
"Good. No bad dreams," she said shaking her head. I smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"Good. Are you hungry?"
She nodded against my chest. "Can I have pancakes?"
I chuckled and rubbed her back. "Sure, princess. I'll get right on it."
I stood up, settling her into my seat while I moved to the pantry. "Daddy, can I watch cartoons?" she asked. I nodded to her and she scooched off the chair, heading into the living room. I pulled out my boxed pancake batter and a mixing bowl and got to work.
When I was nearly done, Jodi came downstairs, still dressed in her bathing suit and shorts. I smiled at her as she stumbled into the kitchen, sniffing around. "Pancakes?" she asked, her face brightening. I nodded.
"Yup, hungry?"
She nodded, licking her lips. "Yeah, it smells really good."
I smiled. I wasn't an amazing cook, but I could make my girls food that they happily ate, and that was more than good enough for me.
"Will you get some plates out for me, sweetheart?"
Jodi nodded and moved to the cabinet to pull the plates down. She set the table while I finished off the pancakes. I set the finished pile on the table and pulled out a bowl of cut-up fruit I'd cut yesterday for lunch out of the fridge. I set it on the table and poured the girls each a glass of orange juice. I debated on setting out a place setting for Emma, but I knew she'd likely be out until well past noon. I called Clara over and she came running in from the living room, licking her lips when she saw the pile of pancakes on the table. The girls sat down and immediately started digging in. I helped Clara grab a pancake and put it on her plate, making sure they each took some fruit as well.
"How did you sleep, Jo?" I asked.
Jodi looked up at me as she tore into a pancake. "Good," she grunted around the food. I shook my head.
"Chew and swallow and then talk," I reminded her. She nodded, shoving another bite into her mouth.
"Daddy, when are we going to see Miss Bella again?" Clara asked looking up at me. I reached over to wipe a little syrup off her face. She really needed a bath today.
"I don't know. Maybe not until school starts," I said shaking my head. Clara frowned. "Why?"
Clara shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I like Miss Bella, and I like Luke. I want to show him my animals cause yesterday he showed me all his dinosaurs and he had so many but I think I have more animals," she said, babbling to her pancake. I smiled at her.
"Well, we can try to set up a playdate with him," I offered. Clara grinned up at me. I looked at Jodi. "What about you, Jo? Did you have fun yesterday?"
I knew the answer, but Jodi nodded anyway. "Yeah, it was so fun. Uncle Emmett was it as we played tag and no one could catch me, not even him," she boasted. I smiled. Of my girls, Jodi had been the only one to get my deeply competitive streak. She refused to settle for second best, and she was always pushing herself to win things. It had gotten her in trouble a few times, but for the most part, it just made her fiercely determined.
I reached out and smoothed back her hair. It was tangled from the chlorine water and sleep. "Everyone's going to need a bath today," I said chuckling. Jodi shoved another bite in her mouth, rolling her eyes at me.
"Daddy, is Miss Bella your girlfriend?"
I looked at Clara in surprise. "What do you mean?" I hedged. I didn't think I'd be having this conversation with the girls so soon, but if they brought it up, I certainly wasn't going to run from it.
"Well, last year, Maddy was Trevor's girlfriend and they had to hold hands at recess," she mused, looking at me. "Do you hold Miss Bella's hand?"
I let out a little chuckle, my heart squeezing at the sweet innocence of my youngest. "I haven't asked Miss Bella to hold hands," I said shaking my head. Clara frowned.
"Are you going to?"
I glanced at Jodi who was watching me curiously. It seemed that even she could turn away food for this conversation. "I don't know, how would that make you feel if I did?" I asked, looking between the two of them.
Clara was nodding. "I like Miss Bella and I think she would hold hands nicely. She's not mean like Trevor was cause he had a worm in his hand when he held hands with Maddy." Clara shuddered a little and I snickered. I looked at Jodi who was frowning.
"Do we have to start calling her mom?" she asked. My jaw dropped in surprise.
"No, sweetheart. What on earth gave you that idea?"
Jodi shrugged. "There was a kid in my class last year and his dad got remarried and his stepmom made him call her mom and he hated it."
I shook my head. "Honey, I'm not getting married. I'm just talking about spending a little bit more time with Bella."
"I guess that'd be okay. I like her and Simon is okay." She shrugged and turned back to her pancakes. I let out a shaky breath, rubbing a hand through my hair. I felt better, knowing two out of three of my girls signed off on Bella. Now it would just come down to talking to Emma. I had a feeling that it would not be an easy conversation.
