Chapter 23

What do 'ya think, Barbie?" Lottie glares at the prim, petite brunette across the room.

Rose crosses her arms across her ample chest, "I'm not impressed. What about you?"

Lottie sniffs, "I could take her." She cocks her head and adds, "Bella seems to like her, but she likes everyone."

Rose grins, "She does, doesn't she?"

Lottie kicks her platform-clad feet onto the chair across from her and adds, "Yeah, this one, though, looks like a real snoot."

Both women school their faces and sit up as Bella leads Alice toward them. "Hey, this is my almost sister-in-law, Alice." Bella looks kindly at the woman beside her and says, "Alice, these are my besties, Rose and Lottie."

Rose and Lottie stare at the woman, and Alice lifts her chin. Lottie cocks her head and laughs, "Posh Spice! Damn, it's been killing me trying to figure out where I've seen you before."

Rose bursts out laughing behind her hand. "Oh Lord, you're right. She is Posh Spice."

Alice crosses her arms, but Bella looks between them with a frown. The little wrinkle between Bella's brows has Lottie back peddling. "I'm sorry, Bella, we've just been sitting over here being catty."

Bella's eyebrows shoot up, "Oh, that's all." She nods toward Lottie and Rose and adds, "They don't bite, but they've been known to spit." She smiles and turns to Alice, "I'll get us drinks."

It's Rose and Lottie's turn to be surprised. "Girl's getting some sassy to her," Lottie says as she moves her feet and kicks the chair toward the new girl.

Alice drops her purse, sporting two brass Gs on the floor, and plops down in the proffered seat. "Hi, I'm Alice."

Rose sits back, "Bella told us."

Alice fingers her bangs to the side, "And your names again?"

"I'm Lottie. I'm Pete's girl."

"I'm Rose. I'm Mac's girl."

Lottie twists toward Rose, "You are?"

Rose tucks her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I'm going to marry that man."

Lottie smacks Rose's arm, "Really? Well done you. He's one fine piece of man meat."

Rose smirks at her quirky friend.

"Congratulations."

Rose and Lottie look at the person across the table. Rose sits back again, "Oh, we're not engaged or anything. It's still new."

Alice cocks her head, "But …"

"I just know that, like, he's the one," Rose focuses on her chipped nail polish.

Alice smiles, "Still, congratulations. Just knowing he's the one. Just finding a man worthy of being the one is really something."

Both girls look at her, and Lottie speaks, "Yeah, it is—something."

Rose nods, "Yeah."

"Okay, girls, what did I miss?" Bella says as she places a drink in front of Alice.

Alice unwraps a straw, slides into her can, and says, "Rose is going to get married just as soon as Mac pulls his head out," before taking a sip of her diet coke.

~o0o~

Bella is amazed at Alice's ability to wrangle people into her service. Lottie and Rose are now part of the decoration crew and working with Esme to decide the colors and decorations of the venue.

Bella had voiced her desire for an outside wedding with the reception in the eating tent. Buck and the crew said they could rent a smoker and barbeque. Alice grimaced at that, but Bella loved the idea of her pool buddies cooking for her on her wedding day.

Alice was now following Bella with a martyred air, taking notes and trying to keep up with Bella and her eclectic friends. It was such a crosswalk of people. Esme and Carlisle thought she hung the moon while she wanted to have a wedding at a gas station. Edward was ridiculous in his addiction to Bella, but he came from wealth and position. How could he shift so much in his 'type?' After all, Lauren had fit perfectly into their set.

"Alice, this is Seth," Bella says as she takes Mattie out of his arms. She props the little poppet on her hip as Mattie's fingers find her mouth and drops her head on Bella's shoulder.

"Uh, Seth. How did you get my daughter?" Alice asks and reaches for Mattie, only to watch Mattie bury her face in Bella's hair.

Seth laughs, "Oh well, I was hanging with Jasper and Mac. They were playing guitar, and Mattie was boppin' around. I told Jasper I would take her to the basketball court with me. We just got back." He rests his hand on her back. "I think she's ready for a nap."

Bella angles Mattie's face toward her mother, and Alice whispers, "Aww, she's already asleep."

Let's take her back to the trailer and lay her down," Bella says before turning to Sean, "You're a great babysitter. Are you a big brother?"

"Naw, they're just a lot of little ones on the reservation back home."

Alice smiles at him, "Well, thank you again."

Sean nods, "So we'll see you at the bonfire tonight, Alice."

Alice looks at Bella, who nods, "Yes."

Sean flashes a brilliant smile, "Cool, well, save me a dance."

Bella nudges his shoulder and follows Alice through the maze of people and tents toward their trailer.

~o0o~

"I'm sorry I haven't spent much time with you today," Bella says as she climbs up on Bob's bed.

He takes her hand as soon as she settles, and his lips curl into a crooked smile as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"When a girl is getting married, she gets all caught up in wedding stuff," Dunny says as he scoots his chair closer to the bed. "She's been all over the property. That Alice is getting everyone busy. She's like a little general."

Bella laughs, "She really is. It's hard to say no to her."

Dunny drops his head and studies his hands. "That little Mattie sure is sweet on you, Bella girl."

Bella grins and pats Dunny's hand. "She just drips sugar. Have you met her?"

Dunny nods toward his hands, "Reminds me of someone I used to know."

Bobby squeezes her hand, and Bella says, "So what are we watching, boys?"

~o0o~

"There you are. I've been missing you. Everywhere I go, they say you were just there." Moondoggie pulls Sweets into a lingering kiss, enjoying the feel of her petite frame cocooned in his arms.

"I have been pulled pillar to post by your sister." She brightens and pulls back to look at him. "Rose and Lottie didn't kill her right off. I think she's in the clear."

Moondoggie laughs and keeps his arm around her as they walk. "How are the plans going?"

Bella wrinkles her nose, and he kisses it. "Esme thinks cream and burgundy colors are the thing this season."

"Is that what you want?"

She ducks her head, and he stops to get her attention. She huffs and says, "I love those colors, but they don't seem to go with the venue if you know what I mean." She spans her arms from the tent village to the one-pump gas station, the rusted chassis, and the sagging fences. "It's kinda like making a purse from a sow's ear. What do you think?"

He sits down on an ice chest and pulls her onto his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Well, I see your point, but I see Mom's too. She wants to elevate it to the occasion, and you want the occasion to fit the location."

"Not completely fit. I mean, I know not everyone sees the beauty of this place. Alice called it the land that time forgot. I get it, but I'm not fancy, and unless I'm mistaken, you're not so fancy either."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, what would be a good fit for us?"

She turns to see him better. "I wondered if you would look at pictures Lottie and I have taken on our walks. I think we could get ideas."

He pats her bum to stand and takes her hand as they walk toward the food tent. "After we eat, we'll have a planning session with Lottie and anyone else we need. It's going to be just right."

She tiptoes to kiss him, and he meets her halfway.

"Oh, please get a room already."

They turn to see Seth and Garrett walking toward them. Seth laughs with Edward as Bella blushes.

"Evening, Bella—Edward," Garrett says as he steps into the light of the tent's door.

Bella steps toward Edward, and he wraps their joined hands behind her back, "Garrett."

Garrett looks back at Bella and smiles warmly, "We're just going in for dinner. Would you care to join us?"

Bella shakes her head as Edward says, "We need to meet with Lottie about wedding stuff. Maybe we'll catch you at the bonfire later."

Garrett's eyes reluctantly leave Bella as he says, "Later then."

Seth pats Edward's shoulder as they pass. Edward takes a moment to reign himself in before looking at Bella. She is chewing her cheek with her arms wrapped around her torso. He pulls her away from the door and lifts her chin to meet his eyes. "Baby? He makes you uncomfortable. Why?" She shakes her head and drops her eyes to the side, but he persists. He releases her chin and pulls her close. "Talk to me."

He rocks them slowly, and finally, her words flow. "It—it's not him so much as the idea of him. I can't remember the night you went to the airport—that scares me. I want to like him, but he seems, I don't know, pushy. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, Garrett can be tenacious as a terrier when he wants something."

Bella pushes back to look at Moondoggie, "I know he's your friend … ."

"Sweets, he kinda came with Mac when we were in school. He was Mac's roommate during our sophomore year. I've always got along with him for Mac's sake, but he was more Mac's friend than mine."

Relief washes over her face, "Oh, that makes more sense. I can see that now." She looks over her shoulder at a couple entering the tent and says, "You must be hungry. Let's go before the good bread is gone."

Edward studies her for a moment, knowing she's still holding something back but decides Bella's eating is more important for now.

~o0o~

Bella dips the crusty bread into her bowl to sop up the last of her broth and does a little wiggle as she sucks the broth and then pops the bite of bread into her mouth. "Goody, good, good."

Edward laughs at Pete and Lottie's confounded looks and kisses Bella's temple. "Can I get you more?"

She sits back and rubs her flat tummy, "Stuffed."

Lottie shifts in her seat as Pete brings his hand from under the table and sips his coffee. "What do you need Lottie's pics for?"

Bella leans into Edward and whispers, "Pete is your friend, right?"

Edward shrugs, "Since the year we worked with Bob and Dunny for a whole summer. We've been tight ever since."

She nods, "Good, okay," and looks at Pete to answer him, "I don't want the wedding stuff to be too foo-foo. I want it to be us." She looks to Lottie to understand and sees her nodding.

"Your pictures make this place pretty. Your eye finds the beauty. I want to get ideas from that."

Lottie's eyes widen before dropping to Pete's hand, pressing hers to the table. "I like that idea."

~o0o~

"Planning a bank robbery?" Jasper says as he and Alice approach Lottie, Bella, and Edward huddled over a laptop. They sit back like guilty children, and Alice's eyes narrow.

She drops her tray next to Edward and Jasper winks at a worried Bella before sitting next to his wife.

"What are you up to?" Alice says and reaches for the laptop.

Bella pulls it out of her reach. "Now, Alice, first, I'm so glad you're here." She looks to Jasper, "both of you, but—um, I had other ideas for the wedding, and Lottie was using her photography to help me get ideas."

Alice sits back, nibbling on a piece of wonder bread. With a grimace, she drops it on her plate. "Okay, let's see your ideas. I did feel the juxtaposition of ideas as we were planning."

Lottie pushes her laptop toward Edward. He grins at her. He likes Lottie and is glad she figured out how to like him. Taking the computer, Edward turns it toward Alice. Jasper sits forward with a potato on his spoon and smiles. "Yeah, I like where you're going." He pops the potato in his mouth and returns to his meal, giving his wife the floor.

Alice studies the grid of pictures on the screen and takes another bite of her white bread, abandoning it again. Bella leaves the table with a hand brushing Edward's back, and Lottie starts tapping her foot in the silence of the table.

Alice looks up and smiles when Bella returns with a chunk of crusty bread. "This could be awesome. It fits, you know."

Bella smiles and hands the bread to Jasper before sitting and leaning into Edward. Jasper places half of the bread on Alice's forgotten plate and continues eating.

Bella holds Edward's hand under the table. "Lottie captures the prettiest pictures. It's what I want with an outside wedding and an open venue reception."

Alice looks back at the laptop and nods. "Yeah, let me get on my phone and see what I can have delivered."

Lottie looks to Bella, alarmed, "Delivered?"

Alice sits back, takes a bite of her crusty bread, and nods, "Well, of course, we're not going to go out in the desert and dig up plants. We need plants to come to us. Don't worry. We can plant them after the wedding. It could be fun."

Alice samples her stew and frowns. Jasper slides a packet of salt toward her and smiles. Adding her salt and taking her first bite, she waves toward Lottie and Bella, "Tell me your ideas."

Edward grins at the diminutive Miranda Priestly sitting across from him and sits back.

"Lottie, show her the mountain sage," Bella says, "I like the purple flowers and the silver-green leaves." Lottie takes the laptop and pulls up a picture before turning the screen toward Alice.

Alice puts down her spoon to make a note on her phone and waves for them to continue.

Lottie grabs the laptop. "What about the grasses?"

Bella sits forward. "Oh, Alice, these fluffy grasses are so pretty." She looks at Lottie. "Show her the sunset out by the rocks."

Pictures of feather reed grasses and fountain grasses appear near a massive rock formation. Alice's spoon clatters to the table. "Stop. Where is that?"

Lottie shoots an alarmed look toward Edward, and he nods before saying, "Bella, where did you and Lottie find this?"

"Oh, Alice, it's the prettiest spot about a mile from here." She turns to Edward and adds, "that was the windy day when you got worried."

He smiles warmly, "I remember."

Jasper leans into the conversation and says, "Let's go see it tomorrow." He kisses his wife's cheek before standing. "I'm going to meet up with Mac. He has a guitar I can borrow," as he heads for the door.

Alice is glued to the laptop and nods acknowledgment as he leaves.

She pushes her food out of the way and draws the laptop closer. "May I?" she says to Lottie.

Lottie nods for her to continue.

Alice begins pulling up websites and motions for the girls to come to either side of her. Edward gathers the trays and walks them to the rinse station, returning to three excited girls.

"This nursery has three different types of grass. Look at this Cotton Candy grass. It would be perfect around the platform. And this ranch has potted Joshua trees we rent. This Japanese Maple is a darker shade, but it'll contrast the light grasses nicely." Alice takes a breath and drinks her lemon water.

Bella beams across the table at Edward. "It's perfect."

Edward smiles back and taps a rhythm on his chair. "You ladies have this in hand, so I'll check on the old dudes and hang with Mac and Jasper." He walks around the table, and Bella leans her head back, welcoming his kiss. "I love you, Sweets."

She squeezes the hand on her shoulder, "I love you, too."

Alice's gagging sound makes Lottie laugh, "I know, right?"

As Edward strolls out of the room, Bella sticks her tongue out at her friends.

Alice grins and says, "Oh, look at this—Barrel Cactus torches."

~o0o~

Alice and Lottie head to Alice's trailer to work on plans with her technology, and Bella makes her way to see the guys and find Edward. The bonfire is bright, and the music and dancing are in full swing as Bella moves toward Dunny's apartment.

Bella sees Carlisle sitting with Dunny in folding chairs. Her eyes water as she watches the friends illuminated by the bonfire, drinking coffee, and talking. She's so glad Carlisle is here for Dunny.

Her lips spread sweetly at the limp Mattie draped across Carlisle's shoulder. Mattie rubs her nose on Carlisle's shoulder before her tiny hand slides into Dunny's, warm and feather-light, "Nigh-nigh, Bunny," she murmurs.

He looks down at the miniature angel draped across Carlisle's arm and swallows thickly before brushing his leathered hand over her cherubic curls. "Good night, Precious," he whispers.

Carlisle shifts the weight of his granddaughter and stands to say goodnight.

Bella pats Maddie's curls as Carlisle passes her and takes Carlisle's seat. She hugs Dunny's bicep, and he rests his head on hers for a moment. "She's so much like Bonnie. Bonnie was just two when I got arrested, and her mom left me. She doesn't remember me, I'm sure."

"I'm sorry, Dunny," she whispers. He pats her hand on his arm and, with a sniff, sits up straighter.

"Where's your man?"

She sits up too. "I thought he was with you."

"Well, he was here. Helped me get Bob to bed. But I think he went looking for Mac and that new fella Jasper."

"Do you like Jasper? He's Mattie's dad, you know."

Dunny bobs his head, "Yeah, he's a good dad, patient with her."

"Yeah, he's good people."

Dunny pats her hand, "I'm gonna check on Bob and bed. You go find our boy."

Bella stands with him. "K, sweet dreams, Dunny," she says as she kisses his cheek. His hand rests on her hair before he nods and hobbles toward the gas station's back apartment.

Bella skirts the crowd's edge, waving at Buck and her billiard buddies. He blows her a kiss, and she pretends to catch it as she giggles and walks behind a small camper.

A hand grabs her wrist, and she turns to greet Edward but is jolted by the presence of Garrett instead. That feeling of unease slithers up her spine as she begins to turn her wrist in his grasp.

"Bella, I've gotta say you are the prettiest little thing I've ever seen. You're so sweet, kitten. You make my teeth ache." He laughs and steps closer. She smells liquor on his breath as he murmurs, "I could be good for you. Take care of you, my sweet little kitten."

Bella's shoulders tense, and her gut tightens as she says in a tiny voice, "I don't like this. I don't like … I want to go now."

Garrett rubs his hand over her arm without releasing her and whispers, "Hey, kitten, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll take good care of you. I can make you happy, happier than Edward. Just give me a chance."

Bella shakes her head violently. She twists her wrist from his grasp and slams her knee to his groin. With her newfound freedom, Bella wraps her arms around her waist and pushes through the crowds.

She searches for Moondoggie—her Moondoggie—not stopping until her forehead meets his chest.